1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
POTATOES, SHEEP AND DAIRY. 
WISCONSIN FARMERS “ROUND UP” WITH SQUARE SUCCESS. 
Part I. 
If not the very first of the States to begin the hold¬ 
ing of farmers’ institutes, Wisconsin has undoubtedly 
had the most efficient system and the most active 
workers. Under the effective management of Super¬ 
intendent Morrison a great work has been done and 
great good accomplished. The aim has been to hold 
these institutes all over the State, and each year to 
close with a grand “ round up” at some convenient 
center, at which all the workers should be gathered 
into one body and have a rousing meeting. 
This year witnessed the seventh of these meetings, 
which was held at Fond du Lac on March 1, 2 and 3. 
At every session the large new Court House was 
crowded so that even standing room was at a pre¬ 
mium. The audience was intensely appreciative and a 
speaker was plied with questions which showed that 
people wanted bottom facts. Beside 20 or more of their 
best workers, several had been invited from other 
States. The programme contained three general topics: 
potatoes, sheep and the dairy. The evening sessions 
were of a more general nature, calculated to interest 
a promiscuous audience. 
The first was Potato Day. The subjects discussed 
were : “ Clover as a Fertilizer for Potatoes,” by T. B. 
Terry of Hudson, Ohio ; “ Soil Preparation and Plant¬ 
ing of Potatoes,” by J. M. Smith, of Green Bay, Wis.; 
“ Selection of Seed and Cultivation of the Potato,” by 
Geo. Martin of Hudson, Wis; “ Harvesting, Market¬ 
ing and Storing Potatoes,” by M. T. Allen of Waupaca; 
“ How to Grow the Cheapest Bushel of Potatoes,” 
by T. B. Terry; “ How to Grow Potatoes of Superior 
Quality,” by F. A. Heubener, Manitowoc, and “ The 
Bordeaux Mixture for Potato Blight,” by Prof. E. S. 
Goff of the Experiment Station, Madison. 
From this list of the topics, it will be seen that a full 
report would be a regular encyclopedia of potato cul¬ 
ture. Among the good points made, Mr. Terry said a 
good crop of clover would gather up and leave avail¬ 
able for the succeeding potato crop fertilizers worth 
not less than $55, and that he had customers who 
could distinguish potatoes grown on clover sod from 
those grown on fresh manure. He declared that it 
wouldn’t pay to pasture young clover seeding in the 
fall; that he once did such a foolish thing, but had 
always felt that if God would forgive him for that, he 
would never do it again. Mr. Smith had raised 1,760 
bushels on four acres of land ; his yield last year was 
over 300 bushels per acre. He manures very highly. 
As to how small one should cut the seed, Superin¬ 
tendent Morrison said it was a question of choice with 
the grower whether he would feed the young plant 
with the substance in a large seed piece or with extra 
fertilizer in the hill. He thought the fertilizer the 
cheaper. Mr. Martin said it was much easier to in¬ 
crease the quantity of yield than to increase the acres. 
He would never cut seed in advance of planting. 
Mr. Allen said potatoes dug a little immature shrink 
in storing much more than those allowed to ripen fully 
in the ground. Potatoes should be kept in deep cel¬ 
lars and as near to a temperature of 35 degrees F. as 
possible, and in absolute darkness. Mr. Terry adopts 
two ways of cheapening potatoes—by increasing the 
yield per acre and decreasing the cost of production. 
He does both by making his land very rich and by 
using tools and horse power in cultivation. He can 
grow the heaviest crop on any given area by hand 
planting, but not enough extra to pay for the extra 
expense. He makes it a rule never to let a weed see 
daylight, and he never lets the surface crust. He does 
the most of the fitting of his potato field after the 
crop has been planted. This prepares the ground just 
as effectively and so disturbs the surface that no weeds 
can grow. The only limits to the product of a given 
quantity of seed planted arise from the manure and 
care given. He will contract to grow 1,000 bushels 
from one bushel of seed at $5 per bushel. 
Prof. Goff said there was no longer any more doubt 
that the Bordeaux Mixture, properly applied, would 
prevent blight, or that Paris-green would kill “bugs.” 
He favored the use of a more diluted mixture and in 
more copious quantity. Mr. Terry thought that Paris- 
green in the smaller quantity would injure the vines, 
and recommended the picking off and destruction of 
the bugs by hand. Martin said that on his 160 acres 
of potatoes there would not be women and children 
enough in Wisconsin to keep ahead of the pests. Mr 
Woodward, of New York, said that by cutting old 
potatoes into pieces and dipping them in a strong 
Paris-green water and scattering them about the field 
early, millions of beetles would be killed. 
Sheep Have An Inning. 
The second day was Sheep Day. The following 
were the topics presented.: “ Clover as a Fertilizer 
and for Sheep,” by Henry Wallace, Editor of the Iowa 
Homestead ; “ Selection of Breeding Sheep,” by A. O. 
Fox of Oregon, Wis. ; “ Management of Breeding 
Sheep,” by Robert Miller, of Brougham, Ont.; “Crops 
to Grow for Sheep Feeding,” by Geo. McKerrow, 
Sussex; “Feeding Sheep,” by Prof. J. A. Craig, Ex¬ 
periment Station, Madison ; “ Diseases, Remedies and 
Care of Flock,” by Dr. C. D. Smead, Logan, N. Y.; 
“ Winter Lamb Raising,” by J. S. Woodward, Lock- 
port, N. Y. Here was condensed an epitome of useful 
ovine knowledge. Among the good points Mr. Wallace 
said the secret why clover did not do so well on newly 
broken prairie as after it had been longer worked, was 
that it first needed to be inoculated with the bacteria 
which live in the root tubercles, and prepare the 
nitrogen for the use of the clover. There was, he 
said, no plant which would draw so much fertility 
from the air or store up so much desirable sheep food 
on the same area as the clover plant. Mr. Fox would 
select now for breeding sheep, those with the most 
mutton in the best parts, and covered with the 
heaviest fleeces of the most desirable wool. The ewes 
should be not over-large, but be of a “ motherly” 
build. The ram should be quite masculine in appear¬ 
ance. He doesn’t like one with a ewe neck. Mr. 
Miller would have his sheep inspected every day. 
The owner should not only see them, but should be 
among them. Good sheep don’t look as well in a 
flock of culls and a few culls spoil the looks of a flock 
of good sheep. Sheep to be profitable must have good 
care. Good care means more than simply good feed ; 
it means close watching. He gives his breeding ewes 
as winter food all the whole rutabagas they will eat, 
keeps them in warm quarters and feeds them all the 
clover hay they will eat and half a pound apiece of a 
mixture of oats and bran, half and half. 
Mr. McKerrow said that if sheep were well cared 
for at all times, the owner would have little use of a 
veterinarian. Much of the success in raising mutton 
sheep depended upon the food. When his pastures 
get short he gives some green food every day. He 
sows rape in July, and it is ready for sheep feed in 
October. At present prices he feeds one-third wheat 
and two-thirds oats; for forage, clover surpasses 
everything else. Prof. Craig had experimented with 
two lots of lambs, one fed grain daily, the other not. 
The grain fed consisted of four pounds of corn meal, 
and one pound each of bran and oil meal; 71 pounds 
of feed made 25 pounds of gain. The wool on the 
grain-fed lot weighed 40 pounds; on the lot without 
grain, 28 pounds. In the whole trial $4.57 worth of 
grain gave $6.04 worth of gain aside from the differ¬ 
ence in the wool—surely it pays to feed the lambs well. 
Dr. Smead says the diseases of sheep are seriously 
on the increase. Parasitic diseases are the worst. It 
is a poor time to doctor a sheep when it is nearly dead. 
Common turpentine is the best of all worm medicines. 
It should be diluted with oil, and raw linseed is the 
best, and four parts of oil to one of turpentine is the 
proper proportion. It is a good practice to mix one 
gill of turpentine with two quarts of salt and place 
the mixture under cover where the sheep can get it 
at will. 
Mr. Woodward said it was not the man who earned 
from $6 to $36 per week who ate $10 winter lambs. 
No man has so much reason to thank God for rich 
men as the winter lamb grower. Four things are 
absolutely necessary for success—man, quarters, breed 
and feed. Most depended upon the man. He should 
be as meek as Moses, as patient as Job, as gentle as a 
woman and with a heart full of loving kindness. He 
thought Superintendent Morrison would make a 
typical lamb grower. The quarters must be warm, 
dry, light and airy. It would be as satisfactory to try 
to raise early potatoes as early lambs in a snow bank. 
He thinks the Dorset Horn the best of all breeds ; but 
likes crossing Merino ewes with Dorset rams. Next 
to Dorsets he would prefer the Hampshires, Shrop- 
shires and South Downs in the order named. The 
lambs should come from November to March—one 
very early one will sell for as much as two of the 
later. 
It takes feed to grow early lambs as well as early 
potatoes. There is no danger of the ewe eating too 
much. Tender, juicy, lean meat is what we want, so 
we must feed plenty of succulent and nitrogenous 
foods. There is nothing so good or cheap for ewes in 
winter lamb raising as ensilage. For forage clover 
hay is the best. Bran, linseed meal, and a small 
quantity of corn meal are the best grains for ewes. 
Lambs should have a pen apart from those for the 
ewes and be fed linseed meal and cracked corn. Mr. 
Woodward had sold a whole crop of over 700 for an 
average of over $7 per head. w. 
(To he continued.) 
Any man who lives where stumps abound can get himself Into a 
profitable business by owning a Hawkeye Stump and Grub Machine 
made by Jas. Milne & Son, Scotch Grove, Iowa. This machine will 
pull out any stump that ever tried to brace Itself In the soil, or it will 
move a house or any heavy object. At Scotoh Grove also Is a fine 
Shetland pony farm, In which Jas. Milne & Son are Interested. 
25 I 
BUSINESS BITS. 
IMPROVED METHODS AND TOOLS. 
Progressive farmers, awake, there Is no time to lose, 
But study THU RURAL and you'll not get the blues: 
You’ll learn many a lesson, yes, learn every day 
To solve the great problem how to make farming pay 
No need of slow-going men with hors 
To keep the vile trash out of the rows. 
When a weeder. one horse and a boy of ten 
Can do more and better work than six able men. 
The cut worms, too. had better gtt, 
Or with Its long teeth they’ll surely be bit. 
The new Automatic you'll find It the boss. 
Kills cut-worms and weeds with only one boss. 
Progressive farmers no longer their corn plant In hills, 
But get a horse planter that does it in drills. 
They put la fertilizer, which Is far the best, 
And then get a weeder which does all the rest. 
Good farmers, of course, some potatoes must grow, 
And they must be planted In drills, we all know. 
Then they with the weeder can keep them so dean 
That when 12 Inches high, not a weed can be seen. 
And then, whan the time for digging draws nigh. 
They think of their spines and then heave a sigh. 
The new Success weeder has saved money In hoeing. 
And now for Success digger to Uallock we’re going. 
It beats high-priced diggers wherever It goes. 
For It takes tubers all out and levels the rows. w. vreeland. 
Tut "Chemical Dehorner,” made by the John Marsh Co., 17-15) River 
street, Chicago, Is sure and safe to use on calves. It will surely stop 
the growth of the horns. 
ALL who desire small thrashing machines should go to the Belle 
City Manufacturing Co., Racine. Wis. There Is where you will find 
the best. That’s what you want. 
HERE Is a note from Michigan: “ I am a young man of 28 trying to 
farm for a living, and I can honestly say I have learned more from 
The Rural New-Yorkeh tbe last year than I ever knew before.” 
The G. H. Fowlbr Company, of Weedaport, N. Y., Is a fair concern 
to deal with. They make hay carriers that carry hooks that are sure 
to catch on, a grappling fork that never lets go, and easy-rldlng carts 
and carriages. Send for their olroular, and see what they offer. 
Every man who has a garden should have a garden trowel. It 
should be sharp at the point and strong, so as to resist strain by 
prying, and tbe handle should be well fastened on. We believe 
Cleves's Angle trowel fills these requirements and Is one of the very 
best made. It Is manufactured by W. B. Cleves, Binghamton, N. Y. 
but can probably be had of all dealers. 
Many of the brands of white lead that are mentioned In the adver¬ 
tisement ef the National Lead Company, were old when the fathers 
of this generation were boys. A series of the advertisements of this 
company Is running In The Rural and those who contemplate 
painting during the year will do well to read them. No mlstnke will 
be made in selecting any of these brands. 
The gift berry box Is doubtless destined to replace the old stylo of 
return package. The Wells-Hlgman Company, of 8t. Joseph, Mich, 
are making a specialty of the gift basket, and also make baskets of 
larger size, and egg orates. They will have a large exhibit at the 
World's Fair In the Michigan Building, and have facilities In their 
large factory and numerous warehouses to supply nil wants In the 
fruit package line. 
Chas. Stevens, of Napanee, Ont., Canada, has been in the business 
of selling Canada unleaclied ashes for many years. This Is evidence 
that he sells a good quality of ashes; for It will take the public but 
a few venrs to learn that leached ashes and those who sell them for 
full " unleeched ” prices are to be let alone. Everybody knows that 
ashes nre a “natural fertilizer.” Let It also be known that Mr. 
Stevens sells the natural article—not adulterated. 
That Folding Saw.—I n The Rural of February 18 a correspon¬ 
dent asked some questions about a folding saw made In Chicago. 
Nobody has seen fit to say a good word for It, while half a dozen have 
condemned it. Hero Is a sample letter from an Indiana farmer: "I 
bought one of the folding saws In question two years ago, having seen 
the advertisement In The Rural, and after giving It a fair trial, I 
would not take one now as a gift. Mine did hot bear out the recom¬ 
mendations In any respect. I think the machines run hard, and they 
oan be tilted only one way. There must bo a clear space at least six 
feet wide on the side of the log on which one stands to saw. It does 
not run as easily as a cross-cut saw. and will not out nearly so fast. I 
now use one of Atkins’s saws, Tuttle tooth, and oan saw faster than a 
man could with the one I had. One of the defects of the latter Is that 
every time a log Is sawn off the saw falls on the ground, and where 
this Is stony the teeth get dull every time. Another drawback is that 
It Is too thin and an expert Is needed to file It. I have had 18 years of 
experience with circular and other saws, so that I think I know what I 
am talking about. The talk of Its cutting five to nine cords of wood In 
a day Is simply bosh. I did not expect any such thing when I ordered 
mine, but thought that perhaps I could saw a cord and a half or two 
cords with It. My wood Is beech and maple, and I cut It 20 Inches 
long, and when I put up a rank of that kind four feet high and 12 feet 
long In a day, It was more than I could average. 1 patd $16 for mine, 
and sold It for $5, and thought I was In luck to get rid of It at any 
price. My advice Is not to buy ono at any figure, as a good six-foot 
saw of the make I spoke of oan be got at this place for $2.40, and If 
used by two men will do twice the work the folding saw will, and do It 
more easily.” w. h. c. 
TRADEWINDS. 
Cleveland Nurseries, Rio Vista, Va. —List of small fruits. 
Chas. A. Rubber, Springfield, Ohio.—A large catalogue of green¬ 
house plants. 
Geo. J. Griffin, London, Ontario, Canada,—A catalogue of field 
garden and flower seeds. 
Stark Bros., Louisiana, Mo.—Several large catalogues which will 
Interest all fruit growers. 
Wm. Warner Harper, Andorla Nurseries, Chestnut Hill, Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa. A catalogue of hardj trees, shrubs, plants, roses and 
fruits. 
E. E. Burwell, of New Haven, Conn., sells seeds for flower bed 
and garden. Why not send for his catalogue and see what he charges 
for them? 
P. J. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga.—A catalogue of greenhouse and 
bedding plants. A thoroughly reliable house. Fruits and ornamental 
hardy plants of all kinds. 
Wm. S. Little, Rochester, N. Y.—A catalogue of ornamental trees 
and shrubs of all kinds. Also a handsome Illustrated catalogue of 
specialties. Also a catalogue of fruits of all kinds. 
Jerome B. Rice k Co., Cambridge, Washington County, N. Y.—An 
Illustrated wholtsale price-list of Northern grown seeds. The firm, 
whleh is of old standing, offers the choicest varieties of garden peas, 
beans, sweet corn, onion sets, seed potatoes, etc. 
William H. Moon, Morrlsvllle, Pa.—A catalogue of large and small 
fruits, nuts, evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees, roses, 
clematises, cannas, gladioli, dahlias, etc. We notice that Mr. Moon 
offers the Weeping Mulberry and Weeping Dogwood. 
A. H. Gribsa, Lawrence, Kansas.—A catalogue of small fruits and 
ornamental trees and shrubs. Mr. Grlesa Is positive that the Idaho 
pear will never succeed east of the Irrigated regions of the Rocky 
Mountains. He regards the Kansas as the very best blackcap. 
Reasoner Brothers, Oneco, Florida.—A catalogue and manual of 
palms, citrus plants, large plants, evergreens, etc., suited to the 
South. Those of our readers not familiar with the queer plant, 
should try the Bryophyllum calyclnum. Propagate It by hanging up 
a leaf. Little plants.wlll^grow from the serrations, 
