Live
"he FAR**
Garden
VOL. LXII
INDIANAPOLIS, OCTOBER 12, 1907
NO. 41
Canada   Industrial Exposition.
Editors Indiana Fanner:
In this season p.r county aud state fairs.
when the American farmer is selecting his
l.est from flock, herd and fruit for exhibition, it may be well to notice what our
Canadian neighbors are doing. Perhaps,
all wisdom will not die with us and we
can pick up some valuable suggestions
from across the line.
Canada has each year a mammoth Industrial Exposition for all her provinces,
the like of which we do not sec in the United States except on special occasions,
Kttch as the World's Fair or the Pan
American. This exhibition is held in Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Toronto is a beautiful city, American iu
many ways, but with English characteristics cropping out in every direction. The
buildiugs are rather low and the streets
are somewhat narrow, but the whole city
is clean and well kept, nnd the inhabitants
as hospitable as one could desire.
At the Exposition grounds, again, English ideals are much in evidence. The
American erects a beautiful City of White
for his Exhibition and tears it down im-
ineiliately; the Englishman builds to endure. The first glimpse of these Exposition buildings, constructed of white brick
■tnd stone, gives one the impression of permanence and reliability. Certain it is
that onr State Fairs would add dignity
and serviceability to themselves if they
wonld construct a more permanent style
of buildings.
Some people who think Canada too far
north to grow fruit would be surprised
lo see the excellent display of vegetables,
flowers, and fruit in the great Horticultural Building. Canada ships, each year,
thousands of barrels of apples to the
Northern Country, It was a most interesting sight to the writer to observe how
carefully these apples for foreign shipment
are graded and packed. .Nothing has done
more to raise the standard Of apple growing in Canada in- the past few years than
the new law tor Government Inspection of
grading and packing. We might very
happily adopt some such system in our
own country.
From the Providence of Ontario came
several tine exhibits of peaches and
grapes. Besides a goodly cpdlection of our
native grapes, there were surae beautiful
bunches of the European raisin grape, the
Muscats, over a foot in length aud weighing several pounds apiece.
The Dairy building contained a very
fine exhibit of Canadian cheese. The different makes p>f cream separators were
well represented, nls.p.
The Process building wns one of the
most interesting of the Fair. There the
way of manufacturing shoes,carpets, rags,
etc. snd the manner of operating farm
machinery, etc. was shown.
But. moderately, the exhibit which the
Canadian prides himself nippst upon and
upon which he has strongly placed the
stamp of his own individuality is that of
(he livestock. Here, once more. English
influences are seen.     It      appeared to the
writer that onr friends across the border
have in many cases, by a selection of the
larger ami coarser brep'pls. especially of
sheep ami hogs, preferred size tpi quality
and  fineness. But  the Canadian  takes
great pride in pure bred animals, ami can
give us poiuters on this phase of agriculture.
The most popular breeds of beef cattle.
judging by numbers, were the Shorthorns
and Herefords, of the dniry type, the Ayrshires, Holsteiirs and Guernseys.     There
were magnificent animals in each breed,
and the competition was keen. To one
owner of Holsteins fell the sweepstakes in
both bull and cow and, as the two stood
side by side, it made a combination hard
to beat. The cow had an udder like a
small wash tub ami was giving her 80
pounds of milk per day, testing 3.8 per
cent butter fat.
The Clydesdales outnumbered all the
other types of draft horses put together.
A number of fine Shire horses were there,
also. The trotting and coach horses were
well represented.
The Oxforddowns,  Cotswolds *nd  Lin-
the Canadian, We shp.uM remember that
In has some of the finest breeding stock
this side of the Atlantic, and that this
stipp'k can be brougt iuto the United States
for breeding purposes free of duty. Our
neighbor to the north is enterprising. litis rapidly developing the broad acres of
the West, and already he is competing
with us keenly for the foreign trade iu
fruits and meats. He is favored by
small taxes and low cost of living. Bear-
then rubbed dry with another cloth. Some
cans, must look alive to our laurels.
Walter S. Brown.
Winona Fake, Ind.
Crowds iu the Grand Stand at the State  Fair.
coins were best represented at the sheep
sheds. Slirpipshires do not seem so popular i'.< Canada as in the United States
and very few Southdowns were to be seen.
Some fine Porsets were on exhibition.
But their hogs are immense; Yorkshires ami Tamworths weighing from .SOO
to 1000 pounds, and one porker tipping the
scales nt over 1100 pounds. I measured
p>nc old fellow while he slept and found
him to be 7 feet long from nose to rear of
bam.
The poultry exhibit was one of the best
arranged and neatest kept I have ever
seen. The White Wyandottes were fnr
ahead hi popularity. I had the pleasure
of becoming acquainted with the owner of
the lst prize cock and of holding this bird
itr my arms and examining him carefully.
When asked for his price on this fowl the
owner declared he had put a price of $500
on him but ili'l not care to sell. A large
section of the building was given over to
pigeon and squab raising.
Little neeil be said of the exhibits of
Fine Arts and Manufacture* ami Liberal
Arts, of the races and siib- shows. They
w-pre fully up to the Btandard of the exhibition.
As y«f Canadians are friendly towards
their railroads and have given them a
separate building at the fair, in which
they may show what part tln-y have taken
in the conquest of the West. Xp> one realizes what a great country our neighbors
have until be has seen maps .-uipI literature
on the subject, and few realize how many
Americans emigrate to the Canadian Weal
each year, to obtain cbeap laml ami a virgin soil.
In some  ways it  will pay  us to lo.pk  to
is all right only the farmer, even if lie
knew how ]■) teach his s.>u the science of
tanning, would not have the time nor
ihe opportunities, nor the stock, nor the
experiment grounds necessary tor imparting agricultural information in the beat
way.
As ti- tlip- up ied of educated fatiu managers he should know that the ave
amount of clover per farm iu Indiana is
but :.'■_. acres, in Ohio iy_ acres, in Illinois
1 1-.3 acres, anil in Kosciusko county ."">
acres; that the average number of cowa
per farm in Indiana is 3, in Ohio 3Vi. in
Illinois .■>, and in Kosciusko county 5 aud
fo on. With sncli averages large amounts
an- produced, as our country is so large,
but it shows the need of better farm management. Some farms are very well
managed, but for reach well managed
farm there are a great many mismanaged
ones.
We may not be interested in how much
foreign countries raise per acre, yet
whppir wc have a lietter soil and climate
and then don't raise half as much per
acre, it is time to set up and take notice.
In conclusion I want to invite this so-
called Kosciusko County Farmer t • >
visit the Winona Agricultural Institute
ami learn some of the fundamentals in
soil improvements, in crop production, in
stpip-k raising-, in dairying aud in the marketing of farm produce.
W. C. Palmer.
Winona  Agr.  Inst.,  Winona  Lake,  Ind.
The Farmers not Robbers.
In the September 21 Indiana Farmer
a person calling himself a Kosciusko
County Farmer, criticises my Indianapolis
address under the above heading.
As to the statements in the article:
Spiiiic farmers certainly raise good beef
and   milk,   but  enough   farmers  do  not.
It is true tliat the income of the farm
depends spmie on the season, but with
Scientific farming this is reduced to a
minimum.
As to its routing one dollar to produce
a crop that is a typographical error; it
should have been trine dollars, and if he
had reail the next line the mistake would
havi- become apparent as it states that tin-
total expense was fifteen dollars; taxes
was on- dollar and interest five, leaving
nine as cost of producing the crop.
As to the trust controlling prices, this
man iloes not seem to know the first principles of what settles prices. He shouhl
know why prices of grains are higher this
year than for several years, and that it
is not the trust that is giving more for the
grain,   just because they want t>> be good
to the farmers.
As to tlo- hiss of spiil fertility being a
menace I only nei-pl to cite the rasp of the
abandoned farms in  the east.
He shows entirely a wrong idea of why
the doctor is required to have a license,
and I am sure that he would not want to
take  medicine from  a  doctor who did  not
know enongh to pass an examination for
a  license.
As to J. J. Hill, he is one of the greatest students of agricultural conilitions in
the   I'niteil   States.
As t.i teaching farming on the farm, it
Reminders.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Repair and house all farm implements
before the rush of corn harvesting ami
apply  paint wherever  needed.
If the straw stack is the calves' lied
room for the winter, be sure the supports,
whether poles or posts. are good and
strong, 'ind plenty of room so there will
be need for three to lie in the middle. Bet-
tp-r bale tile straw and build sheds or calf
barns.
(',,< over the barns. Impi-sp- and eow, and
make all snug,  warm and rainproof.
Clean and fumigate the hog houses,
have bedding in plenty, where it will In-
bandy to get; use enough and use it often.
Stop all leaks of barns, cribs, all the
houses, cistern, cellar, or pump, so that
cold winter rains will not cause discomfort to a man or beast from rain leaking
in. Don't be like the old fellow that
said: "When weather was dry the roof
didn't need fixing, and when it raised, he
couldn't fix it." Before the battle with
the stalks and husks do the few little
jobs just mentioned above—yes, and a few
thousand more; when winter comes you
will  be  glad  of  the  good  jobs  well done.
Haul and shelter the winter's, or yearly supply of fuel and kindling.
Harvest and store the potatoes, an.l
destroy by fire, or otherwise, all bad
weeds  in  garden and  potato patch.
Look after the fences, not political, and
the gates, supplying needed nails, staples,
hinges and posts.
'Pake a day or more and go with the
children after the winter's supply of nuts,
also  gather  some wild   grapes.
It is a good idea to take a day off for
spending by some stream or lake; so
many of these fine days are perfect for
an outing: remember the wild winter will
l>c here all too soon.
I most forgot the berry hushes; they
must be pruned, all primings and dead
branches  removed  ami  burned.
E. C.