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Newspaper
Lowell Daily Courier
Location
Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of America
Date
Dec 06, 1900
Page
10
An agricultural discussion column invites concise farmer notes on opinion, experience, and topics of interest. Readers with short lines are encouraged to submit brief, pithy paragraphs for the Agricultural Editor to edit into this department.
A discussion on irrigation, grange offices, and rural reform accompanies a report on the State Board winter meeting in Worcester December 4 to 6. Topics include birds useful to agriculture, census lessons, stable ventilation, sheep raising, and farm law. Secretary Wilson advocates agricultural investment as national progress.
In Vermont the average annual butter per cow is 165 pounds. With 21 cents a pound, income per cow is about 34.65 dollars, while by products fail to cover labor. The figures underline that only exactness and care can make dairying pay and that cows must be improved to raise productivity.
The passage argues that a practical plan is both feasible and within reach for farmers of all sizes. It emphasizes practicality over extravagance, urging actionable steps that rely on available resources and straightforward methods. The tone is persuasive, appealing to common sense and achievable progress.
The Worcester West Agricultural society reports being out of debt with seven hundred dollars in the treasury. Talks include exporting sheep from Canada due to limited steamer space and notes on best potash for orchards. It mentions a Maine farmer with a pig dressed 3875 pounds at eight and a half months, and forecasts lower pork yields from similarly large hogs.
The New England Farmer reports 5500 pounds of Rhode Island turkeys for Thanksgiving at 33 cents a pound retail. Mrs. E. E. Coombs of West Franklin Maine hatched a pullet last March that laid about forty eggs and raised a brood before November. A note says market poultry must be fat and consumers worry about paying for extra fat. George M. Cory of Saxton River Vermont bred “Splymhorns” Plymouth Rock and Leghorn crosses. Turkeys once thrived at Buckfield Maine but now are fewer and poultry general levels have declined, a trend not fully understood.
G H O Parker of Townsend Harbor critiques agricultural fairs and cattle shows, questioning their purpose and value. He notes speed trials and livestock exhibits as misaligned with real farming goals, questions the grange's role, and laments drift from its origins while inviting readers to consider the utility of such rural institutions.
A reporter recounts partial success in a project and learns from a market gardener that lifting roots in late autumn before ground freeze, leaving them on ground through hard frost, then storing in cellar soil yields better crops. Roots housed two weeks ago show shoots. worth trying.
The piece notes that Boston milk contractors may have raised prices four cents per can due to calls from the milk producers' union, crediting the union with a two cent rise in summer and four in winter, arguing the organization warrants support for its impact on dairy prices.
Advice on storing winter apples and pears in a cool moist cellar with limited ventilation. Recommends frostproof cellars, preserving diverse varieties like Winter Nellis, Patrick Barry, Josephine, and Anjou. Stresses careful handling, sorting, and educating pruning on young fruit trees to harden wood and direct next year growth.
A brief note from E. P. Powell in the New York Tribune urges directing a tree limb by trimming the fast growing bud toward the desired path. The practice aids shrubs and fruit trees as well as lawn trees by shaping growth for future structure.
Secretary of Agriculture reports sustained rise in farm product shipments abroad. From 1897 to 1900 total domestic farm exports rose to 3.186 billion dollars, with 844 million in the last year. Asia and Oceania trade jumped to 107 million, 30 million farm goods, led by cotton and wheat flour. Island markets Cuba Porto Rico Hawaii and the Philippines bought 45 million last year, up from 13 million five years earlier, with 20 million in 1900 sale to the islands, up 13.7 million from 1896.
Western farmers discuss milk costs for Chicago markets. M H Warren, Wasco, Illinois, cites two cents per quart as the Chicago price. Professor Lane finds 2.19 cents per quart to produce under favorable station conditions. Hoards Dairyman notes two cents per quart often fails to cover costs for many farmers.
The writer suggests digging rhubarb hills before ground freezes and storing them in a cellar. Trim weak crowns, keep roots moist, and allow stalks to grow bright and crispy by spring. This practical tip aims to have early rhubarb ready when spring fever begins.
The article explains two cow types in dairies, those that give more than they eat and those that eat more than they give. The Babcock test with simple gear lets farmers test each cow to identify profitable milk producers versus nonproducers, aiding weed out when feed is scarce.
A reader discusses butter testing methods noting that butter fat in a test bottle hints at outcomes but not the full yield from churned milk. Queries arise about appeals from churn verdicts when buttermilk fat exceeds one percent or water reaches twenty six percent, suggesting wording should imply probability rather than certainty.
The report notes nationwide corn yield at 26.8 bushels per acre versus a 10 year average of 21.1. New England yields span Rhode Island to Vermont and Massachusetts values. Prices range from 2 dollars to 40 dollars per bushel across states, with quality and acre yields described for New England. A Washington crop report is mentioned for context.
Kate Masterson argues that modern flats threaten domestic arts as the tin-can era rises. She laments canned meals, praises home preserves, and envisions a future where women retain kitchen skills amid high balls and afternoon teas.
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