VOL. LX.
INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 6,  1905.
NO. J 8
'gxpcxlcutz _zpitxtxuznt
EXPERIMENT STATION   AT THE iTATE FAIR
GROUNDS-
Beit Place In the SUtc.
1st Premium.—To get the most good
from a braiteh experiment station, it
should be located that a large number of
people could easily reach it. The comparison of different methods of crop production lias more effect upon the farmer
v.iien he sees the crops growing together
than when he reads about tluem. lly
locating the station at tlie State fair
grounds, large numbers of farmers would
be able to inspect the work carried on
an.l to profit by it. State fair week is
about as goorl a season to see the experiment grounds as we have during the
whole year, and the farmer would tako
more good ideas home with him and profit
by them than at otlier times of the year.
Wnile at the fair the farmer sees the
*.ery best products that the State can
produce, and by so doing he will lealize
more good from the experimental work
curried on than Ite otherwise would.
The experimental grounds would be
something that would attract thousands
of farmers to the State fair, and aid
the State Board a great deal. Thoy
would sn-e that tine board was not working for the fair alone, but for the betterment of agriculture over the state as a
whole.
Whenever a farmer compares his methods and ideas with those of someone else
he is very likely to improve his ovrit methods, unless he thinks lie "knows it all."
There is no place in the St.tte where a
bnnch station could be established that
would do more good than at the State
fair grounds. C. B.
He word Oo.
Would Attract Many Visitors.
2d Premium.—The advantages of sueh
a branch for the farmer can hardly be
overestimated. Many  interesting  facts
coiild be learned that would prove very
helpful on the farm. Many farmers
would attend the fair just in order to sec
the experiment branch. We could get
knowledge there every year which would
help us to 'become more successful farmers. Just this kind of knowledge is so
valuable that our government expends annually nearly a million of dollars to maintain agricultural experiment stations, and
by using this knowledge the farmers arc
enabled to save many times this amount.
If the farmer hopes to keep pace with
_the otlier callings in the race of life, he
must travel at the same rate of speed. In
order to do this he has to employ some
of {he same agencies, and the experimental
station ought to be one of them on which
he can rely. By attending the fair ami
visiting the exineriment station the farmers would soon be deeply interested. The
farmer needs the advice of meir who have
marie a scientific study of farming. Such
men are to be found at the head of our
experiment 3tution. Success on the farm
depends on something more than the mere
performance of manual labor. The
farmer must study to direct this labor in
view of certain ends to produce the best
results. In   other   words   lal>or   must
be coupled with well directed thought,
if the liest interests are to 1« subserved.
Kvery fanner should attend the State
fair, ami a great many of our progressive
farmers do so evory year. People are
beginning to see that there is length and
FARM  RESIDENCE PLANS
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flRST   FLOOR.
SECOND   FLOOD
Copyrighted  by  the  Co-operative Building   Plan     Association,   New     York   City.
Width r.O feet, length 40 feet G inches, including veranda. Cellar story 7 feet,
f,rst story 9 feet, second story 8 feet. Foundation stone; first story dropped siding,
second story gables and roof, shingles. Two coat plaster and hard white finish.
Plaster centers in dining room and parlor hall of first story. White wood finish inside
and flooring yellow pine. Main stairs ash; chair rail in dining room, kitchen and
bath room wainscoted. All interior woodwork grain filled, stained to suit anil
finished in hard oil varnish. Size of rooms shown in plans. Cellar nnder whole
house and concrete floor. Full plumbing in second story. Open fire place in
■lining room and parlor. Attic finished for storage. Cost in New York prices
.$2,480.      On-e to two hundred dollars less in the central states.
breadth and deptli to the farming question. The time is coming when the fanner
will prepare for his vocation as carefully
as the druggist, the teacher, or the physician. M. A.
Kosciusko Co.
Central Sub-Station   A Good Idea.
3d Premium.—An experiment sub-station at the State fair grounds is oertainly
a good idea. Its advantages would be in
attracting attention of so many farmers
ulio go to the State fair, and impress upon
them the value of work being done hy our
State Experiment Station. Only a few
go to Lafayette to see these tlyn«£, and
that is onercasoii the interestin thatwork
is not widespread. Another thing of importance has often been mentioned by
l'rof. Latta, of Purdue University, ami
that is that the sub-stations should be on
a different soil from that at the Purdue
farm. He sairl that wc needed to make
experiments o:i the different kinds of soils
of the State.        The State fair grounds
are located on a kind of loam land, like
that of nearly all of central Indiana, and
here is a large advantage, where thousands assemble when crops are jnst maturing. They would carry away with them
good impressions a'hout the valne of experiment work by our agricultural station.
Fayette  Co. S.   M.
No. 470, May 1.1.—What is the host
way to handle tlve hay crop? What hay
tools  should   the   farmer   have?
No. ISO, May 20.—What is meant by
the   term   "a,-good   housekeeper?"
No. 481, !*iay 27.—Give experience with
incubators   and   brooders.
Premiums of ?1, 75 cents and CrO cents
are given for the best, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company ami should reach us one week before  date   of  publication.
lltltltiATION  IN TEXAS.
Written  far thu  Imllmia  Farmer:
■San  Antonio,  Texas.,  .\pril 25th.—Irrigating lands in Texas, in oriler to produco
good crops, is made necessary ou account
of  the  rainfall  being  light,   and  when it
does   rain  it   rains  for  a  few  days  and
then ceases for mouths.      If tlie rain was
mme equally distributed, irrigating would
he  unnecessary,  but as it is,  it must  be
dom*.    We have    been in    San    Antonio
now  two  weeks,  it has  been  cloudy,  for
four  days,   looks  like  it  might  rain,  ibut
alrout   5   o'clock   each   evening   the   gulf
breeze blows up and drives the rain clouds
away anrl tin- night is clear ami cool.   The
corn   is  in   good   shape   however  and   the
crop is made,    if it did not rain any more
this   summer.      When   it   does   nain,      it
pours,  and soaks the ground good. Farmers who take great delight in their vocation,   irrigate   tneir   lauds,   and   thereby
raise good crops each year.        It was our
pleasure   to   spend   a   few   hours   ou   the
Collins farm.      V. F. Collins, the owner,
up   to  a  year  ago,   was  one  of  San  Antonio's   manufacturers     and     implement
dealers,     but  4  years  ago,   he  purchased
ISO acres of land, one and one-half miles
from the center of San Antonio, at a very
low   figure. At   the   time   of   the     pur
chase, the land was covered with Mus-
r-iiilo trees, and prickly pear cactuses; in
fact it was so thickly grown up that tliiey
could not get the wolves out of it, aud
the rattlesnakes. Mr. Collins at a cost
of .$10 per aero had the farm cleared,
leaving nothing but the black loam. At
(he farther end of the farm he dug out
and hanked up his fish pond, and then
sunk his artesian well, which has a capacity of 2,500,000 gallons of water every
day. About oOO feet from the lish pond
he built a very fine two-story house, modern in every respect, and finely furnished.
Around the house he laid out hiswalks
and llower beds, and near by he planted
his peach and pear orchard. About 100
fiet in front of the house the farm proper
begins making a macadamized roadway
i'h'ng the side of the farm, aud main-
ditch firr his irrigating alongside of this:
road, every ;'.50 feet is a lateral ditch
which, conveys the water alongside of the
dill'eretit plots of ground. Water gates
are put 'n the main ditch wherever a lateral starts out. and every 50 feet in the
lateral water gates are put in. In this
manner he is able to let the water run
down between the rows of whatever is
planted. Rotation of crops is practiced.
Mr. Collins is able to raise from three to
five crops each year on his farm of 180
acres. He always raises 5 crops of
lunch vegetables, three crops of green
corn; always starting with one crop of
Texas Bermuda onions. The farm the
past two years has netted him over 1*100
per   acre. And   it   is   better   than   a
First .National Rank, and there is more
pleasure obtained in looking after such
a farm than any banking or mercantile
interest. It   takes   from   one   to   three
men to tend every five acres, according
to  the  cnp. Labor in  Texas  is  very
reasonable, 75 cents a day, and laborers
board themselves. The Collins farm is
cue of the great places of interest around
historical San Antonio. Farmers from the
Xorth, East and West, whenever they
are touring Texas, and are in San Antonio never fail to visit this farm, where they
can  see  and  study  irrigating.
C. A. Kurtze.
Carpenters are demanding 45 cents an
horn* in Cleveland, and contractors have
granted it in most cases.