VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., AUG. 24, 1895.
NO. 34.
Mid-Summer Farmers' Institute Held at
Salem. ___
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The largest farmers' institute ever held
in southern Indiana, assembled in llohh's
Grove Aug. 7th. The speakers from a-dis-
lance were (;**\. Matthews and J. A-
-Mount and Rev. Dr. .lenckc's. The Salem
Farmers' Club royally entertained a
number of their friends and visitors during the noon hour whieh was enlivened
by short addresses. Prof. Vorden with
an appropriate address seated Gov. Matthews on the platform in a chair once occupied and owned by Indiana's tirst executive, Gov. Jennings. Gov. Matthews
made some eloquent and patriotic references to the early history of our State
and the services of Gov. Jennings. The
farm was well discussed by Mrs. Rey-
man. The "Past and present Of agriculture;" by Rev. \I. M. c. Hobbs,Samuel
Truehlood and I.. X. While.
Gpv. Matthews' address was not con-
lined to any special topic, but was of
a character that pleased and entertained
every one.
.1. A. Mount discussed in his accustomed
forcible manner tlie "Future of American
agriculture."
W. W. Stevens' "Marly recollections of
farm life," evinced the faet that Mr. S. is
among the poets. Many of his delineations were true to life and rival those of
tlle great Hoosier poet. Let the poem be
reproduced at the ne.xt Delegate Hoard
meeting.
Mr. .Morris, the chairman, Introduced
the speakers in his own inimitable way
and caused much merriment. The Salem
band gave excellent music. Washington
connty may well be proud of her great
gathering of farmers. Farmer.
How to Kill Canada Thistles.
Eiiitors Indiana Farmer:
I was shown what was claimed to be a
ce/tain and sure death to Canada thistles
the other day,in Cass countv.by a farmer
who said that grubbing, burning and several villainous compounds had all failed
witl*,him.
This was it. Four years ago, after signally failing, he conceived the idea of
of smothering them, and accordingly had
covered them with wheat straw six to
eight feet deep, each harvest since renewing the straw . The infected piece of
ground was near the center of a field and
contained nearly half an acre.
He said he was very sure they were all
dead, and he intended burning the straw
and, cultivating the ground, putting the
tield iu wheat this season. In order to
show me his success, he procured a lias-
fork and proceeded to remove the straw
off a portion, when to his utterdismay thc
thistles were found to be all alive and
growing, though somewhat bleached.
I slated the above a few days after its
occurrence to a successful and wideawake
farmer in Marshall county, and he assured tne he had frequently destroyed
them by cutting them off, say an incb
above gronnd, and filling the hollow in
thc stalk full of salt and throwing an additional handful on each one cut. About
th*' middle of June was the best time, as
the plant was then in full growth and the
stalk-would hold more salt then and in
dissolving convey more to the roots.
Mowing with a scythe and sowing salt
plentifully he said would kill some, hut
would never exterminate them. As mv
informant is a trustworthy and practical
man a very successful farmer, I have concluded his experience is worth publishing.
liberty. w. w. s.
About Lig-htningf Rods.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Vou have asked for information concerning lightning. Perhaps Dr. I'lank-
lin was the inventor of the lightning rod.
I will give some of my experience with
lightning. My mother's dwelling and!
barn both havc rods.   They are half inch |
co],per, with wire inside and are continuous, and fastened with metallic supports
upon glass thimbles.
The rods on both buildings have been
struck by lightning, and in neither case
were the buildings injured by the fluid.
We were in the dwelling al the time the
rod was struck. The rod made a tingling
sound. On going to the rod, whieh has
an extra piece of rod attached to the
main rod for a support, we fonnd that the
earth where both rods entered the
ground was throw n up. Also on mounting the building we observed that one of
the points was melted. The building has
three pieces of rod five feet long and ten
feet apart on top of building.
My brother and I were also in the barn'
at time its rod was struck. We had run
in out of the rain and were taking the
gears off tie horses at the time it was
struck. The rod on the barn contains no
extra pieceof rod or support, where main
rod enters the ground. The building contains two pieces of rod 2,1 feet apart and
five feet high on top of building. The
lightning throwed the manure up around
the rod at bottom, and enough of the Quid
escaped to knock the horse down that
my brother was ungearing. I think that
was caused hy the rod having no support
at the ground. We also noticed as in the
other case, that the point lhat was struck
was melted at point.
From my experience and observation 1
have concluded thai if buildings arc
properly rodded w ith not less than three-
fourths inch continuous copper rod, well
put up, with metal supports and points al
bottom of rod, and kept up in good order,
that there will he few buildings injured
by lightning.
Rods arc often torn loose from building,
are rusted off at bottom of rod, or otherwise disabled, which is sure tocause disaster. E. J. Ciiansi.i.i;.
Farming the Best Business.
Kditors Indiana Farmer:
Friend Kiley brings me to task for saying that farmers are growing lazy. Perhaps he is right, according to the strict
definition of the word. What I meant lo
be understood was, the farmer enjoys life
much more, has more leisure, performs
less labor, has more idle time, than he
used to have; and as each year rolls
round has more of it. And it will soon be
if not already, that the farmer will have
the easiest of all the labor classes. I do
not say this to criticize the farmer, but to
call his attention to the advantages he
has over what our ancestors had in a like
occupation. And as to .",0 cent corn,")
cent hogs, cattle, etc., friend Kiley is correct as to the cause of the same; and also
when he says, "It would be better for all
to have full crops and lower prices."
Won't that hold good also with wheat
and horses?
Friend Riley says there never was a
time when farmers were working as they
are now with brain, muscle and reading.
Is such really the case? Do you think
your brain, had you been able to use it
here ao or 70 years ago, wonld have accomplished more than those who wero
here at that time? Of what use would all
the improved farm machinery have been
in the forests and swamps of Boone
county at that time? Our fathers worked
harder, and thought harder, and, for the
advantages they had, read harder than
we do now. I confess I may judge others
a little by myself, but let us give credit
where it belongs, and that is to the pioneers, who made this country what it is.
And let us not deny that it took clear
grit, more perhaps, than you or I p.
to do as they did. Thcy came, here when
all was a wilderness, no railroads, no
markets, no chances for education, nothing but the hardest kind of work and tho
plainest tare, and slay and wear out a
life, in order that we,their children could
enjoy the comforts we do.
Let us not claim that we are doing such
wonderful things with our brains now.
Il don't take such a terrible amount of
brain to buy a self-binder or other labor-
saving tool or pleasure-riding vehicle,
when a tirst-class salesman gets hold of
you; nor does it take such a great brain
to raise a crop of corn, if some poor man
has gone ahead and cleared, fenced and
ditched the land j nor, I might add, docs
it take such great brain power to raise
and keep a good breed of hogs, and by
using the Indiana 1" .KMKi! as an advertising medium be successful in selling
them at good prices. Don't let ns he continually harping about our woes; nobody
likes to hear it. It don't do any good.
l.ots of them are imaginary. Let's keep
a stiff upper lip and those who aren't
satisfied with the farm try something
that will satisfy them. Just think how-
much better off we are than those who
came before us. Thcy used lo work and
think both. Now we do the thinking and
the other fellow docs the work, and who
wouldn't read now, when the country is
full of good readable papers. Thc farmer
is well olT but don't seem to know it.
Carroll Co. W—.
Written Jor tin- Iruliana Farmer.
Mammoth Clover.
C. A. ItOHINSON.
With the early drouth of this seisin
came a loss of a stand of young clover
that has not been equaled in the last decade; hence, the mind of the farmer is
aroused to the point of investigating everything in the elot er line, in the hope of
finding a sure sticker, and emjuiric-
cerning mammoth clover arc quite numerous.
It is not necessary to go into the history
of this wonderful forage plant, in a brief,
practical article like this, so let it suffice
us to say that mammoth clover is the
champion green fertilizer, as yet, and as a
collector of nitrogen, has a reputation
equal to any other clover.
This variety docs lust sorwn In spring,
and the best stand I ever saw was sowed
on oats ground and harrowed in. It
should be covered, and if sowed on Wheat
ground, should be sown in the early part
of tlie day, when the ground is slightly
frozen, but in weather that promises i*.
thaw during the day. Indeed. I prefer
to finish the job along about noon, and to
lind mud on my boots. If sown on such a
day the seed will sink in the mud and is
not nearly so apt to blow Into drifts or
wash into gullies.
As to getting a good catch, this olover
stands an equal chance with other varieties,    ll   grows   very   rapidly, and   if  the
spring   be   marked   by   an   abundan .1'
rainfall, thc reaper will often cut off many
of the heads. Many farmers pasture it
during the first fall of its existence,
though we doubt the judgment of such a
course, as the more mulch the plant is allowed lo make tor itself the first year the
better it will go through the winter.
Mammoth clover grows rapidlv and
this is why it is SO popular as a green fertiliser crop. On average soil it will he
half knee high if lhc spring be favorable,
and is often plowed under at this time anil
the tield planted in corn. It decays quite
rapidly and by the time the corn roots
reach it there is a One subsoil OOat of fertilizer that may be readily absorbed. If
the crop be allowed to mature it will ripen
a little later, as a rule, than red clover,
and the seed is in the first crop, and when
a seed crop is harvested il docs not reproduce itself from the rool, as do thc alsike
and the red clovers, but dies as does the
crimson variety,and must he sowed again
before another crop is raised.
If the mammoth clover crop is pastured
it will he found that enough seed will develop to seed the ground another year, also, there will be quite a growth spring up
from the root, which will furnish pasture
or seed the following year; but lhe second crop cannot  always   be depended up
on. ('ccasionally, the crop may be cut oft
before it seeds, for hay, and a second crop
will come forward if there be plenty of
moisture,and this crop furnishes fall pasture. But this variety of clover does not
make good hay as a rule, as the steins are
too coarse and woody.
'I'he seed crop of mammoth clover is a
very profitable one, as a rule. This seed
sells along with red clover seed, and
makes from two to five bushels per acre.
The clover straw,which is often regarded
as of little value, is always a profitable
crop, and any kind of stock that eats hay
at all, will eat it if it is threshed before it
gets wet, and is well stacked up. The
process of threshing tears it to pieces and
il is liner than if not run through the machine. This straw is also excellent for
bedding any kind of stock, and decays 10
rapidly that in one winter a whole stack
of it can be made into manure and be
hauled hack on the fields.
"The Fairs."
Mom; \\ Coi'N-i v.I i,i..—At Jacksonville,
last week, the Morgan County Agricultural Society held their annual fair.   Thc
grounds are beautifully Located, and the
attendance always good. The exhibits
in every department were above the ordinary [county fairs. Mr. .1. M. Dunlap
the secretary is just the right man in the
right place.
Fayette Co.-ntv, O.—Pair  was held
last week on the agricultural grounds
near Washington C. H. It was very poorly attended by breeders, only- two herds
of cattle, two herds of l'olands, two of
Berkshires and three herds of sheep being
exhibited. The reason given is small
premiums and too many fairs the same
week.
<'i;i.i;xi:Coimy,0.—The annual fair of
the (irecuc c,.iiniv. Agricultural Society was held on th*' grounds adjoining the
city of Xenia, Aug. 1:! to hi. The attendance was very light. The stock show was
fair. Among the breeders, the reasons
given was pn account of the other fairs in
the Immediate vicinity, the breeders divided up. The weather was very warm,
aud the grounds so dusty that visitors
conld scarcely move around.
Hamilton Cointv, o.— Probably the
best fair held in Ohio, last week, waa the
Hamilton county fair, at <'arthage,a suburb of Cincinnati. The attendance was
very large. The attractions many, and
the live -tock exhibit all thatcould he desired.   The horse   show   was   very   good,
the cattle show excellent and the swine
exhibit almost as good as a State fair,
Many of the prominent herds were there.
This may be accounted for by the energy
of its Superintendent, K. C. Kllis,of Crest-
vuc, a veteran breeder, and an all around
hog man. The entire management deserve great credit for their untiring zeal
in making this fair one of the best county
fairs in the Slate.
Fire Proof Paint for Roofs.
a correspondent of theK.  Y. World,
writes: I send my receipt for fire-proof
paint, which I like for many reasons.
Slack stone-lime by putting it into a tub,
to be covered to keep in the steam. When
slacked pass the powder through a tine
sieve, and to each six quarts of it add one
quart of rock salt and water one gallon;
then boil and skim clean. To each five
gallons of this add pulverized alum one
pound, pulverized copperas one-half
pound and still slowly add powdered
potash, three-quarters of a pound; then
fine sand or hickory ashes, four pounds.
Now add any desired color and apply
With a brush. In my opinion this looks
better than paint and is as durable as
slate. It stops small leaks in roofs, prevents moss and makes it  incombustible.
 «.	
The two-year-old child of John Anderson, of Warren township. Huntington
county, ate rat poison and died.