VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., FEB. 8, 1896.
NO. 6
The Institutes.
The following Institutes -will be held
during the week of February 17-29, with
names of secretaries and place:
Clnton county, Frankfort, J. A. Campbell, 17-18.
Benton county, Fowler, Dr. J. M. Hodman, 19-20.
Cass county, Logansport, Thornton Tyson, 21-22.
Madison county, Anderson, J. L. Thomas, 24-25.
Marion county, Southport, J. J. W. Bil-
lingsly, 20-27.
lioone county, Lebanon, S. T. Stephenson, 2S-29.
Kosicusko Co.—The Kosicusko County
Farmers' Institute opened Thursday,
January 23d, with a very good attendance.
During the first day the subject of "Alfalfa clover" was ably discussed by J. F,
Magee. Mr. Ford followed with his experience with alfalfa. Horses and cattle
eat it better than any other hay or grass.
John Pittenger, Jr., gave a good talk on
alfalfa ir. tho west. K. F. Biehl and Joel
hall also gave th*'** opin'iCu Ci ■ClG""~.I"
Th.'Tto'pivj oi "Good roads" was then talked
'on by G. W. McCarter. He divides roads
into throe distinct classes. First, roads
between important points; second, roads
to important trading points, and third,
roads between farmers and neighbors. He
deals with the subject in an interesting
way, and was followed by Jackson Logan
antLT. M. Leamon. Criticisms were made
liy Marshall Makemson, J. A. Cook and
Mr. Ford. The^subject next taken up was
that of "Seasons of drouth." It was discussed by S. D. Anglin, who talked from
experience, for he was one of the many
whom the drouth struck. J. W. Horer
and E. F. DIehl gave their modes of cultivating and tending in dry seasons. Friday morning the institute opened with
the topic "Insects affecting our fruit
trees." The subject was discussed by
Kmannel Hepler. The apple tree borer
was considered. They live in all kinds of
wood and attacks healthy trees as well
as diseased ones. Pieces of wood were
shown which contained specimens of this
bothersome Insect. Remedies were given.
Burn all snags and decayed wood.
Put ashes around the trees. The best
remedy was to boil one-half pound of
soap, then add one pint kerosene and a
little carbolic acid. Wash the trees with
this. Interesting papers were read by
Mrs. W. W. Stevens entitled "Unappreciated advantages of farm life," and "How
to breed and feed for profit," was next
discussed by Cal Husselman. Mr. Hus-
selman also talked on "The best acre,"
and gave his method of using land to the
best advantage. On Saturday the court
room was crowded with an eager audience. The fence problem was discussed.
"Odds and ends on the farm" was talked
on by Mr. Husselman, who made the
subject very interesting to all. His last
subject was, "Big four combination on
the farm." This combination consists of
clover, corn,cows aud pigs. The institute
closed by singing "America."
Kosciusko Co.—We have Just closed
another three days' successful Farmer's
Institute, end the 24th of January. On
the first day all necessary preliminary
work was done, so the two following
days could be devoted to solid work, assisted by the instructors furnished by the
State superintendent. The first day, a.
rn.,"Alfalfaand crimson orscarlet clover"
were discussed with reference to their
adaptability and value to this section.
Some fine specimens of alfalfa hay and
roots were exhibited, proving that it can
be grown here. Although it was cut at
the right time and thoroughly cured last
summer, owing to the favorable dry
weather, it is a query whether it will
supercede our common red clovers as a
hay crop in an ordinary year. Owing to
its slow growth the first year, seldom af
fording  either pasture or hay, and the
difficulty of  eradicating  it  when once
well established,  it  can  never compete
with the red clovers in our ordinary rotation with grain crops. But, because of its
staying qualities when once well rooted,
and   its   quick,   vigorous,    oft-repeated
growth, under favorable conditions, I believe a proper and  profitable place  may
be found for it  on every farm where it
can bo grown.   Thus far crimson or scarlet clover has been a  failure  or, at best
unsatisfactory here, owing partly to the
dry falls and late  seeding so   the  plant
could not make sufficient root growth to
withstand over winters.   A. T. Cook, near
Warsaw, has a good stand  of 12  acres on
ground that was well prepared nnd sown
early, which   appears uninjured  at this
date.     In   the   afternoon  "l'oads,"  and
"Lessons   from  the    drouth"  wero  discussed.   No trouble to  got  up a  heated
debate among the farmers on   the  road
question.   After   a very good paper  was
read,  and the   roads, botli ancient and
modern, good and bad,had been discussed
from every point of view, the conclusion
was reached, that good roads in Indiana
depended more upon the good common
sense and energy* oi tie  township trustees and supervisors and the wiiV,">.*,~ncss of
the taxpayers to work, than a change in
our    present    road  laws.    While     the I
"Drouth    lessons"    were   expensive   in
many cases, the discussion  proved  that
to the observant student  they will be of
great value in  the future.   A  few  con-
pljlRionn tmvrt Uf- ,-'.'.owv'Mia jattv b<-
briefly stated. Frost is a cheap and per-
.fect subsoiler. A dry spring causes corn
roots to go deep, thereby lessening the
effects of summer drouth. A dry summer retards stalk growth, and a small
stalk requires less moisture at earing time
to make a good ear than a large stalk.
Frequent, shallow cultivation of tho surface soil that has uninterrupted capillary
connection with the sub-soil, somehow
consumes, or increases the moisture just
beneath the loosely stirred ' surface. If
strawy manure, much trash of any kind,
or green clover be planed down for corn,
and the season be dry, it is necessary to
cultivate dee'p with long, narrow shovels,
before or after planting, so as to mix the
undecayed vegetable matter with the
soil and compact it enough to insure perfect capillary connection between the
surface and sub-soil. This compacting
may be done with a roller, after the first
plowing of the corn. Good judgment
must be exercised in thus using a roller,
as a heavy rain soon after rolling may so
pack a heavy clay soil as to necessitate a
few deep plowings again to loosen and
aerate the two compact soils. Mrs. W.W.
Stevens and Cal Hussleman were with us
the two following days. The former read
several most excellent papers, ably seconded by Mrs. Wells of this county. Their
appeals for a higher and pleasanter rural
life, and presentations of the relations to
each other of the farmer's family—as it is
and as it should be, were well received.
Mr. Hussleman spoke without notes even,
assigning as a reason that ho couldn't
write'?) He is a "hustler," well posted on
all-farm topics; a pleasant and fluent
speaker, with a fund of appropriate, illustrative stories to sandwich his lectures
judiciously. He is positive in his assertions because conscious of a practical
knowledge of the facts proclaimed. Much
of the success of our institute was due to
the energy of our president, W. A. Banks,
whose ardor could not be subdued by the
loss of a hand, sacrificed to the insatiable
corn husker, last fall. The president
elect is Joel Hall, a level headed, energetic, successful farmer. The resolutions
adopted: Endorsed the Nicholson law;
preferred the present management of
farmers' institutes; present road laws enforced, good enough; conceded to women
equal rights with man in every respect;
and last but not least, America for Americans, emphasized by hundreds of voices
Joining in singing that grand National
Anthem, "America." K. F. Yitr.nu
Leesburg.
AN INTERESTING HISTORY.
Sketch of the Life of a Pioneer Hoosier.
Editors Indiana Fabmex:
At your request I herewith give a brief
sketch of my life accompanying the photo
you ask for.
I was from near Niagara Falls, N. Y.,
Aug. 21, IS!*-. My parents were of Welsh
descent.
In the fall of 1K.*!>.» my father with his
family moved to this ((!reeue)county,pass-
iug through your city on tho way, and arriving at Bloomfield, our county seat, on
the 20th day of October, and as there was
--"""'--V
l.
s-osj-j ui ins: -iv-'iiB iv.iii/.eu itiv irum i.
•'stage it is "roo "? o;; or die."   And o
■ ''•''   ~»V of Jan., V; started out to t
*V.\\.mil~\ii..\)\.     V!,s.    "i-V*. "■.•""-■"."'".
not at that timo a railroad in tho Stato.
and perhaps not in Ohio or Pennsylvania
the journey had to bo mado with wagons.
We were 32 days on the way, more days
than it now takes hours to travel the
same distance by rail. Our county at that
time was yet almost in its infancy, and
the hardships and privations we had to
encounter, incident to the settlement of a
new country called for nerve and resolution. Neighbors were few and far between. Not a church in the county, and
but very few school houses, and with one
exception only they were all log houses,
and very rough ones indeed.
Most of them had the doors hung on tho
outside liko the doors to a barn or a blacksmith shop, and they had to serve the
purpose of church and school alike. My
first schooling in tho country was in the
summer of 1810 in the hardest looking old
log house that ever sheltered tow-headed
children, wearing ilax and llnsey suits,
for such we all had to wear. Imagine a
school house without a pane of glass, or a
door to an opening intended for a door,
and a loose floor. No globes, blackboards,
charts nor maps. Puncheon seats without backs, and a huge slab suspended on
two pins in the logs at-one end of tho
house served as a writing desk for all the
school. We had good light and good ventilation, as tho house was neither chinked
nor doubed. From this you can form a
faint idea of what my chances were for
an education, and for my awkwardness or
ignorance in writing you will have to
make allowance. One of the scholars at
the school above named was afterwards
the wife of the lato Judge Hasoey W.
Scott, bf Terre Haute.
From 1«0 until the fall of 18K3,1 had no
chance for schooling but what my mother
gavo mo at home, as all the schools in the
country were too far distant for me to attend.
Early in the fall of 1846 the neighbors,
to use a common phrase, pitched in and
built a, school house some two miles distant, about after thestyleof theoneabovo
named, other than that we had windows,
after the blacksmith shop style, across
one side and one end, a door hung on the
outside with wooden hinges, a six height
window near the door was called the master's window. A fire placo that took in
wood  four  feet  long warmed us on one
side whilo we almost froze on the other.
Then it was, we thought better, school
times began to dawn. As a samplo of
some of tlie talent that was frequently
used in some of our very common schools
there was one old man who made application to the school examiner for a certificate of qualification and received a certificate reading: "This is to certifly that
Ananias Lynch is qualified to teach a
very common school." Another applicant was asked what is grammar? The
question came well nigh being too much
for him, but after a vigorous scratching of
his cranium tho answer came: "Its a
book." A further inquiry was, what does
tlie book teach? A prompt reply was,
"grammar."
The would bo teacher was duly granted
a license and at once entered upon the
duties of his profession, much to the sat-
isfaction of his many patrons, who said
thoy "didn't seo any use in grammar no
way." Many moro such cases might bo
noted, but suffices it to say our teachers
wore all praised for their good qualifications, and wero not lield accountable for
any mistakes thoy might havo made, but
thoy were not all of tho kind above
named.
In the fall of 1851 my father and mother
died, only three weeks apart. A scatter-
ment was made in tho family and as the
estate left to us didn't amount to much,
each of the heirs rt.ilized the truth of tlie
on the
do for
* !
first one I ever had (and I have it yet.)
My wardrobe consisted of a pair of homemade woolen socks and a hickory shirt
tied up in a"bandana,"and until I married,
seven years after, I worked at house
carpentering and in tho timo saved
enough to buy a small farm; and as my
wife was raised on a farm and Knew how
to do all kinds of farm house work we resolved to set sail on our little farm and
did so in the spring of 1800, with only one
horse, one cow and one hog and no
wagon. We soon found that where there
is a will there Is a way, and it was not
long until we wero happy in the possession of another horso and a wagon. Three
times we sold and bought again, and
twice made new farms in the woods.
Three years ago we sold for the last
time and moved to town, where we expect to remain tho restof the timeallotted
to us. We have been blessed with five
children, two sons and three daughters,
three of whom are yet living and filling
places of usefulness in the church and in
society. Since doing for myself I have
owned over 1,000 acres of land and have
given but one mortgage and taken but
one. Never gavo or took but few notes,
but always made it a rule as far as possible to pay as I went or not go at all. I
never had a law suit to prosecute or defend, and "■.> would more than pay all my
lawyer fees. My first tax receipt calls for
$1 fl.'- for a whole year and my last one for
$133.
Nevor made use of profane language
and never made use of tea, coffee, tobacco
or any kind of intoxicating drinks, and if
the saloon keepers wait for me to contribute to their support they will havo to
wait a long time. Henuy Baker,
Worthington.
Editors Indiana Fashes:
I see no advertisements in your paper
for th© B. »t W. corn, can you inform mo
where I could get it? A.C. L.
Roachdale.
—We do not find this corn named in the
seed catalogs received, nor in the lists of
varieties of corn tested at the agricultural
experiment stations. Has any reader any
knowledge of where seed of it can be had?
The new coal deposit at Blackwater,
Mo, 12 miles south of Marshall, begins
four feet from the surface, and is from 30
to 40 feet thick.