70L. XIX.
OCT
1
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, OCT. 4,1884.
NO. 40.
OFEIilMECTAL FARM.
rkc Houghton Farm in Xeiv Vork ami
How the Experiments are
Carried on.
flic Sew England Farmer, on the Importance of it.
Outbuildings for hogs, farm carriages,
;x>h, etc., are numerous and neatly kept.
jlree large rooms in a carriage house are
i-roteiUo experiment work, being pro-
tiled with much costly apparatus, such as
paired in practical chemistry, also a
•j-ze agricultural and scientific library.
la the chemical laboratory, young gradu-
lUS from the agricultural colleges are em-
joveJ in carrying on investigations of
|_lie and interest to intelligent farmers
.rerywliere. Records of temperature,
3inWl, cloudiness, etc., are kept, as at
^eminent signal stations, among which
Houghton farm is reckoned as one, and an
■aportant one too. Studies of soil tem-
*rawro ant'ita relation to crops are being
^ricl on in a most thorough manner,
•jieniioiiietera fixed at different depths in
^ earth, from an Inch to several feet,
.„ing examined many times during the
_riuul night.
TUB RESEARCHES.
Iu carrying on all scientific researches,
:J(. «mits of the farmer are kept foremost
nmind, however pleasant it might be to
wk knowledge for its own sake. Still
;here is the usual amount of prejudice
shown by resident farmers against everything that is believed to be akiu to "book
knowledge," some even refusing to accept
ihj uso of superior breeding stock upon
•>ir own herds, when the service is
.fered free. Nor is the conservatism conned to farmers in the immediate vicinity,
is was shown when Mr. Valentine at-
Btipted to obtain the co-operation of
'imiers in the country, in the study of
ie disease known as peach yellows. Cir-
•iilars were sent out through the State,
rising farmers to accepbpackages of fertilizer, containing potash and other elements, which experiments at the farm had
indicated would help trees infected with
ie disease. Sixty farmers responded by
nvpting the fertilizer, agreeing to report
nsnlts after trial. The cost of the experiment to Mr. Valentine was between three
ud four thousand dollare, and in return
Jehad the satisfaction of receiving just
!»o reports. Still hois not discouraged,
ut he believes that experiment work is
wded, and that in time it will be approved.
THREE OBJECTS
I !■•»kept in view: a model farm, which
'■Ml, if possible,   be self-supporting; an
| vpeiimen t station, and a school for young
'•fmers.   The station   is expected  to be a
Instant bill of expense to the founder,
•Jt the students  are expected to  pay in
|<»~eway, in part, for what they receive.
i« young man has the care of the cows,
I mother assists in the laboratory, another
-» eharge of tlie  botanical department,
[ •*! so the students or employes arescat-
*»i about in the different departments,
*■<• reporting daily to Major Alvord, the
^tor and manager.   Many young men
find a year spent here the best recommendation they can have for places of
trust upon farms in all parts of the country, where a high degree of skill and intelligence is required, as in the starting of
stock farms and creameries, or in tlie
care of country estates owned by men of
wealth.
INCOME OK THE FAlt-lf,
At the present time a considerable income is received from the sale of Jersey
cattle, the farm being slocked with the
most popular strains in the world.
Twenty-seven pure Jersey cows were being
milked at the time of our visit. They are
pastured both day and night in hot
weather, and are yarded night and morning to be milked, the milk being strained
into large tin cans, which are drawn from
the milking yard to the dairy upon a convenient, low-geared hand cart, the night
pasture and milking yard for summer
being quite a distance from the barn and
dairy house. The bull llamapo 4009, now
standing at tho head of the herd, is the
fourth son of the noted cow F.urotas,
owned by Mr. A. B. Darling, and is of the
same blood precisely as the great cow
Bomba, which died recently of milk fever,
after making ono of the largest butter
records of the age. A number of very
handsome calves, sired by Bamapo, were
in pens feeding upon dry hay and milk,
and doing much better the lirst six months
on such feed than if turned out to pasture.
AMONO THE FARM HOUSES
are several noble specimens of the Norman
breed, which bring an annual income to
the credit side of the books, in addition to
the labor they perforin. The poultry department is made a prominent feature,
and is . most admirably managed by Mr.
Holmes, lately of Falmouth, Mass. Tn the
botanical department wo found, beside
the plants in the greenho"use,large quantities of grasses and garden plants grown
for observation and study.
ROTATING CROPS.
But one of the most interesting plats
was the   "Small Farm    Rotation Plat,"
where the crops usually grown upon New
York State farms are made to follow each
other in regular rotation, in order to show
visiting farmers, and  others, through the
reports, what are the possibilities of plain
farming in New York State.   The present
system  is a six years' course as follows:
First year, corn on sod  plowed in the fall
and manured with stable  manure; second
year, roots (turnips or mangolds);  third
year, oats; fourth year, winter wheat, sown
in the fall after removing the oats.   Timothy ia sown at the same time, and clover
tbe following spring;  fifth year, clover,
two crops; sixth year, tomothy hay cut in
July, and the ground then plowed again
for corn the following year.   Six plats of a
half acre  each, more or less,  give a continuous exhibit of the entire  rotation, no
manure being  applied except  to the corn
crop.   A  record  of  all  the  work  done
through the year Is faithfully  kept, from
which annual reports aro made up for free
distribution  among  the  signal stations,
agricultural colleges,  newspapers and to
others interested in gathering or exchanging similar work.   Under  Maj. Alvord's
excellent management, the farm itself has
already paid a handsome percentage upon
the appraised value of the property.
WHEAT AND FLOTJR IH LIVERPOOL.
Stocks of wheat and Hour iu Liveipool
on August 31 compare for two years as follows, in centals:
Ani;ilst31,lSM	
August SI, 1SK).„	
Wheat.
Flour.
i.iM.ttM
*»,*)!
4,r.stl,TI3
S27,27U
WHEAT AND FLOOR ON HARD.
The stocks of wheat and Hour iu  Paris
on August 31 for two years compare as below, in the Hour being reduced to equivalent bushels:
ism. is-t3.
    lr<i,(l<x) «_.(»»
  "''..''." ■'■i.sH.m)     :,M.i.<«w
Wheat.
Flour....
Total..
T.lli.OOO      S,*i5,000
WHEAT AND BYE IN AUSTRIA.
The wheat aud rye crops of Austria-Hungary, as reported by tho Minister of Commerce, compare as follows, for three years,
reduced to bushels:
jtisi. iski. '••«:.
Wheat I0.-.,.V«<,<««1        !II,467,O00       1S(!,.VM,«»
Hye  IS.M2.1KW        41,311,(101)        57,101,0011
Total...
 i.v:,t7(i,i>«)     i:n,-»),i»»    itti.nB.eoo
WHEAT—FRANCE AND ENGLAND.
The importations of wheat, including
flour reduced to equivalent in wheat, in
Franco, and Ktiglaud, during the year ending August 31, with comparisons, are
shown in tho following, in bushels:
lnsl.-l. 18*2-3. JSH1-2.
Kram-c 36J>:ttftii      4l,rM,<m      43,l<i7,on»
England I2(l,517,(>>l      !<H,<Srtil,c«»l      IM.'.'ii.OO,)
Total	
..157,110,(11 Ml
ance. Liberal stock feeding must result
and tbe farmer and feeder put in an easier
position than for several years.
AVEHAGE*YI_LD 07 CORN AND WHEAT.
An interesting table of the principal
crops in tho State for the past ten years, as
given inourlast agricultural report, shows
tho averago corn crop to -have been 101,-
974,810, bushels, the average area 3,442,078
acres, making the average yield per acre
295 bushels. The largest yield was 138,-
252,000 bushels, made in 1878, when 4,125,-
000 acres were planted and the average
yield per acre was 32.8 bushels. The
smallest yield was in 1874, 74,024,000
bushels, the acreage that year being 2,703,-
852, and the yield 27 bushels an acre averago. Tho highest average yield was made
in 1875, when 34 bushels per acre was
reached, and the lowest in 1881, 21.8
bushels. It will be a surpriso to many
that our corn average is so small.
The average yield of wheat for tho ten
years was 31,708,631 bushels, on an average
of 2,293,508 acres, making the averago
yield per acre 14.1 bushels. The largest
yield was harvested in 1880, and amounted
to 4!),700,758 bushels; the acreage was2,-
!H>2,307, and the average per acre was 10.8
bushels. The smallest yield was in 1875,
17,280,000 bushels, acreago 1,020,000, and
average per acre 9 bushels. The highest
averago yield per acre was in 1879, 20.3
bushels, and tho lowest in 1875 when it
was, as wo have just stated, only 0 bushels.
lM,<i30,O.»
RUSSIAN WHEAT.
The exports of wheat from Jtussia  and
the Danube for tho year ending August31,
compared for three years is as follows, in
bushels:
issi-4.        1S32-3,
Via Dardanelles 37,745,Ou0     •!S,:i7o,f»m
Via Constadt 27,io,i»»)     i:i,._).i»i
1SS1 2.
42,77IV>»1
Total	
The  latter
Baltic ports.
 54,t)l.5.(»/)      <ii,S«l,t»«J
item embraces tho
4lt,7\S,l»n
various
KANSAS CROPS OF 1884.
The Kansas Board of Agriculture makes
a summary of the crop productions of that
State for 1884:
18HI
4(1,811,Ml
, 1 W.IM, I1X
. 27, l:»J, l«3
. (i,-l 13,(100
.   4,nxi,r/„
. 1S.HJ
a«,!IM.S8l
*1»2,(W,«1
30,asj7,fi_t
6,(13,(100
4,tlsl,l».»
- sl,15!l,'.»JT.
31,1!
31,311,500
1,1*,SOT
190,212
159,021
4,4.V'8.V'
Wheat, bus	
Corn, bus	
Outs, bus. ,	
Irish Potatoes, bus	
Sorghum, ^als...	
Flax, bus..      1,315,130
Broom corn, lbs.. ; 3(1,111,332
Mill, and Hung., tons     1,)(ii,k7.>
Timothy, tons       1!»,212
Clover tons      i.y',021
Prairie Hay     4,432,1159
From the same source we learn that the
valuation of these crops alone are 8121,-
140,233, as compared with $102,933,601 last
year. This does not include the live stock
interest which may be valued at many
millions more. We do not think we ex-
agerate when we say that tbe entire crops
in Kansas this year, of ail kinds, including live stock will not fall much, if any,
short of $150,000,000. This is certainly a
grand showing for one State. Even at low
prices this abundance should bring easy
times. Of course it must be sometime
bofore this produce is converted into
money, yet it is a basis of credit, and
while prices must bo low compared with
values in the recent
congratulate the country upon the abund
A Big Wheat Farm.
The Milling World has the following re
gardiug the great Dalrymple farm: S
Mr. Dalrymple, although ho  lives in St.
Paul, Minn., confines his farming operations to Dakota, where in Cass and Trail
counties lie has two-thirds  interest in 75,-
000 acres of as  tine wheat land  as tho sun
ever shone upon.   Nin,e years ago  when
this land was bought for  from forty cents
to $5 an aero there was not the habitation
of man   within 250 miles north  or south.
Now one cannot in  tho same distance in
thoso directions  lose sight of tho roofs of
houses or barns.   There  has been  almost
ai great a change in the value of tho land
as its surroundings,   for tho value has increased   to ?20  and ?25 por aero.   For tho
nine years that Mr. Dalrymple  has operated these lands he  has year by year put
moro acres  under  cultivation until  this
year 30,000 acres were sown to .wheat.   Tho
product,as indicated by that so far thresh ed,
will be about 000,000 bushels.   Mr. Dalrymple employs in his farming operations
10,000 men, 800 horses and mules, 200 solf-
binding reapers, and 30 steam threshers.
When a farmer gets his land up to the
point of fertility that produces large
growths of grass, he need not fear to turn
under a field of the sod and plant it to corn,
Tho truth is, the grasses are nature's great
res tor era and renovators.but ho one need expect great grass from a worn-out soil until
tho land has been enriched, either with
manure or by plowing under a few crops
of clover.—Pennsylvania Farmer.
 » » . __
Knglish produce dealers report  a large
quantity of kept-over parcels of cheese on
their market.   The hot  weather ripened
Jhe good before the holders expected, and
past,   we can   but  many lots ate fast going strong, and hav.
""—»—,...„., 'to be sold at once. '