VOL. XXV
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JAN. 4, 1890
_Pj*
NO. 1
A LIVE FARMERS' CLUB.
Discussion on Farm Fences-
Making.
-Butter
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The Carmel Farmers' Club met last Saturday afternoon with a crowded bouse.
The fence question was opened by a
member, saying that he has an unincloscd
farm with plenty of oak and beech timber
and thought to build a fence out of the
timber, but on figuring on tho subject he
found that he could buy the wire and put
up the fence himself for the samo money
be could put up bis plank fence, and the
fence would last vastly longer.
Levi Kinger and Chas. Perasho gave
some accurate figures,'" pros and cons, on
different fences and from these und the
disscussion the following appeared on the
black board:
A fence consisting of 10 crimped, painted
steel wires Xo. 0, with stays every foot, including construction but not including
posts, costs 75 cents a rod.
The Jones fence (used in Ohio  but   new
horo), eight galvanized steel   wires   Xo.!),
with three stays to the rod, including construction,   but   i
posts, costs 40 cent
a rod.
Wild Cat, farme i
furnishes rails and
stakes; stakes cost
farmer about 10 cts
-tirod; construction
including wire. I*
cents a rod.
A good wire font <
no patent, of sevt n
galvanized Xo. '■
wire} and one. rib
bon making eight
stays three to tht
rod and posts; sint
ply cost of materi tl
construction to bt
work of farmer,
cents a rod.
Cleaveland farm
fence, eight galvan
ized barbed wire
two stays to rod, tu
bttlar iron posts
cast iron base, with
t o nsion governors,
including construe
tion, $1 25 a rod.
Wire used in fen
cing usually runs
about ono pound to
the rod. Timbor fot
posts should ne\ ei
bejeut while the ". ip
is up." It may be
very brash and 11*.
well, and there is no
loss sustained by
using top rough logs
and marketing the butts.
The nexttopicwasbuttermaking. Some
15 samples of very nice butter woro on exhibition. Judges Muhloii Day, Mrs. Wm.
Kinger and Mrs. Baldwin. First premium, Mrs. Moody; second premium, Mrs.
Mary Murphy. Several nice packages
came from Westrield. The judges said it
was hard to select.
Many use tho dash churn; most all work
butter to get rid of buttermilk, whilo two
wash the butter while in the churn with
brine and draw off from below. The brine
does not salt butter quite enough. Should
sprinkle somo salt on it after taking up
and in a few hours work a little.
Cream should bo ripened evenly and not
too sour; must not bo old. If it does not
sour soon enough in winter, add a little
buttermilk from previous churning to the
cream to start souring.
Mrs. Green by request brought a corn
pono of her own baking, but tho program
kept us till night and her description of
making it was deferred to  next  meeting.
All our meeting lacked was time; time.
We ought to have taken all day, with a
basket dinner. The writer drove four
miles home, dark as pitch and muddy. So
did many others. We elected officers and
appointed committees for the coming Institute. Program will be] finished this
week. K. II. Collins.
Mattsville.
Nearly eight years ago we had the
pleasure of visiting the venerable gentleman whoso handsome residence is seen in
the illustration on this page. In our letter
written at that time, we spoke of General
Clay's place as follows:
"Jlr. Clay's farm is 20 miles south of
Lexington, and a few miles beyond the
Kentucky river, a stream remarkable for
the wild and romantic scenery along its
banks. Tho country here is much, more
rolling than about Paris, but is almost
equally well adapted to'bluo grass, whoro
it lias not been too much worn by cultivation. Mr. Clay, like all sensible farmers
in that section; devotes his land almost entirely to pasture. A very small portion
produces all the corn and fodder that is re-
Sumner County, Kansas.•..""/' ■___*-
Kelitor*. Indiana Fanner:
Wo havo had the best crops of botb wheat
and corn this year that have been raised in
Sumner county for years. The fore part of
the season was very wet; it was dftlieult to
get corn worked or the wheat cut. The
ground was so soft that reapers mired
down in the field and some of the wheat
was not cut at all. Some was cut with
mowers a month after it was ripe. The
wheat was in fair condition.
It was so wet that most e>f the wheat was
damaged in tlie shock and stack. We have
no barns hero yet.
There is a kind of wheat raised hero
called Russian hard or Turkey wheat. It
will average from five to 10 bushels per
aacro more .than other vrieties. It is a
bearded wheat and resembles the old Mediterranean wheat; grain very flinty and
hard. ■ The head is small, grains close to-
gethen It is much hardier than other varioties of wheat and does not freeze out as
easy. . It stools out more than other kinds,
so that it is thicker on the ground. The
millers do not like it as well as the soft varieties,  and  do  not pay as much by live
snow yet. Tlie coldest day wo have had
was Thanksgiving Day; the average of
that day was _.!.<.°. The roads aro gooel.
Two horses are hauling 50 bushels e>f wheat
or shelled corn, at a load. Corn is selling
at barn 12 to 15 cents por bushel. Wheat
from 10 to 00, owing to quality.
SOME KANSAS WAYS.
When we stack wheat here wo build tho
stack on the ground. . We begin the stack
just as wo set a shock. Set the lirst sheaves
on end, then loan the others around them
until we get a foundation as large as we
want; then build the stack on the foundation in the usual way. The foundation
settles so that the heads do not touch tho
ground. In an ordinary season the bottoms do not damage any. This year the
ground has boon so much wetter than
usual that some of it has spoiled.
When thrashing they get wagons with
tight beels and throw tlie wheat in loose.
Tlie most of the machines have elevators
and a spout so that they run tho whoat into
the wagon without anyone touching it.
Have the ginneries so that they can drivo
up to them and throw the wheat in with a
scoop. Have a sheet fastened from the
granery wind
tlie wagon to catch
what spills.
In husking corn
they do not drive on
the standing corn at
all. They put on an
extra sido board e>n
the opposite sido
from tho husker.
Usually they have
a team for each
hand;  he takes two
THE HOME OF HON. CASSHTS 51. CLAY',  WHITE HALL,  KY.
quired for tho cattle and sheop that feed
upon 300 or more acrps of blue grass. His
largo tlock of Southdown sheep seemed to
be the peculiar pride of our host, and well
they may be for thoy aro beauties. They
are well supplied with bells of different
tone, making an agreeable musical tinkling as thoy feed, and forming an entire
protection against dogs.
" "Speaking of the exemption of his flock,
from disease, Jlr. Clay told us that ho had
lost more sheop by thoir accidentally getting down on thoir backs, and being unable
to get up again, than in any other way.
The sheep are remarkably broad and flat
on the back, and many bucks are quite
largo and heavy."
We then spoke ofthe General's interest
in his vegetable and small fruit garden, his
spacious lawn and the beautiful landscapes
of the surrounding country. The General
has lost none of his fondness and enthusiasm for rural life and is as proud as over
of fat and shapely Southdowns. They are
as handsome as the picture   shows  them.
cents per busbel. But it pays better to
raise it at that" price than the Fults. The
average of the Fults is about 25 bushels per
acre.   Tho hard 30 bushels por acre.
Thero was a vory largo crop raised this
year. There is as largo an acreage sowed
this fall, if not larger, than last year. It
does not look as well as one year ago.
There aro but few fields that average under
20 bushels per acre. There aro tales told of
extra largo yields, but tho largest that I
havo helped thrash was 23 acres that made
40 bushels per aero. The wheat and ground
were both measured.    -
The corn crop is also a largo yield and
of extra quality. It will weigh four bushels moro per load this year than the same
bulk would last year. If our corn was
adapted to northern climates we could supply your readors all the seed corn they wish
to plant.
We have had a good fall for work. There
has not been a day too cold to husk corn.
To-day it was up to 70° and we husked
without coat or vest.   Have not had any
rain tl u r i ng the
winter, so that it
wastes but little.
Can some one tell mo how to get the seed
out of osage orange balls"? Also how to
sprout them and the best way to make a
hedge?
Will wheat that is grown in the South, if
taken Xorth, ripen at the same time as
wheat that has been grown there.
Rome, Kansas. I). M. A.
A Word to the State Board of Agriculture.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
A number of the farmers and fruit growers of this county think it is about timo
we have a representation on your hoard.
We have as large agricultural interests as
any county in the State, and wo have
plenty of intelligent, enterprising farmers
who are able to represent us. Among them
are I. X. Cotton, H. J. Howland, John T.
1 .essley, James Mustard, etc. Many others
might bo named. Give us a chance'on tho
board. Marion Coixty" Farmer.
An organized gang of pickpockets  is   at
work on tho Lake  Shore Railroad   trains.