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AGRICULTURE. !

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AGRICULTURE. MR. J. MARSHALL DUGDAlE ON SCIENCE AND PRACTICE IN FARMING The second general of t h" ,w',dl, > District was held on Saturday r.fiei • •'t the Public Hull, Llanidloes, when 1\1" M;¡rshHJ1 Dagdale read nn interestinsr and nb]. paper Oil Science and practice in f'HI'II1iro! :\1. •I R Prvse, chairman of 11H cluh, presided. There was a large attendance, including Messrs Evan Hughes, J. Baxter Owen, D. Davies, Dolhafren, R. Kinsey, Red House, T. Griffiths, Dolwen, it. Davies, Bodaioch, F. G. Jones, Maesmawr, E. Savage, Glanfeinion, J. Evans, Cilgwyn, R. D. Edwards, Glandulas, D. Evans, Tyddyn, R.Jones, Gwernerin, — Breeze, Garth, E. Hughes, Tynyrwtra, E. Powell, LI wydiarth, R. Griffiths, Ffinnant, — Pryce, Park, E. Chapman, Morfodion, Godfrey Bowen, Evan Jones, Penrhyn, Thos. Jerman, J. Meredith, Bontnewydd, E. Jones, Hopbrook, David Llovd, Gorn, and John Davies, secretary, &c. — The Secretary read letters regretting their inability to attend from Messrs Richard Jones, Pertheirin, and Nicholas Bennett. A letter was also read from Mrs Edward Davies, Plas Dinam, thanking the Society for their letter of oympathy with her in her bereavement.—The Chairman said he thought the farmers in Montgomeryshire lacked science in farming, although they were well up in the practical .part. Mr Dugdale knew how to treat farming scientifically and practically, and there were very few better farmers in Wales (hear, bear). Mr MARSHALL DUGDALE then read the follow- ing paper :—On rising to deliver my address to the Llanidloes Farmers' Club, I feel that I should like to refer for one moment to the great loss we farmers have sustained by the death of Mr Edward Davies of Llandinam. He took the greatest and most intelligent interest in agriculture in all its branches. The evidence he gave before the Land Commission proved what an able man he was, and all of you know what he has done to benefit the agricultural interest in your own neighbourhood, arid in the county of Montgomery. It was at his house that an agricultural conference was held to discuss Co-operation in Agriculture. We shall all feel his death for he was a man it will be hard to replace (hear, hear). And now let me thank you for the honour your have done me in asking me to read a paper before your club. It is a pleasure and a duty for me to do so; a pleasure because I always like to do all in my power to help farmers, and a duty because I am one of the representatives for North Wales on the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. This great Society is engaged in investigations connected with the great farming industry. The Stock Prizes Com- mittee arranges about the showing of stock at the Society's annual show. The Veterinary, Implement, Chemical, Seeds, and Plants, Dairy and Education Committee each deal with their own branch of agriculture. The more one attends thet-e Com- mittee meetings the more one is struck with one's ignorance in Practice and Science," in connection with agriculture as it exists at the present day, of wonderful increase in the scientific knowledge of agriculture, and in the way both practical and scientific men seem to differ amongst themselves as to the best way of getting the heavest crops in the cheapest and most paying way. We are living in an age of keen competition. Steam and re- frigerating machinery have enabled the farmers abroad to land on our shore meat and produce of all sorts in most excellent condition, made up to meet the requirements of the trade, and in regular consignments throughout the year. Americans and Canadians are far ahead of this country with their farming exerimental stations. Denmark sets us an example of what practice with science in dairy work combined with co-operated can do. Australia and New Zealand are employing skilled experts to travel about and give hints as to the best way of improving the make of cheese and butter. How then are we to meet this competition ? We can only hope to do so by hard work, by strict economy, and by the intelligent use in our farming of practice with science. Now what is science ? It is defined in Webster's Dictionary as ascertained truths and facts" and as knowledge classified and made available in work." A young man who has studied the science of farming starts with a great advantage. He knows theoretically the com- position and effect of different stuffs, what use can be made of artificial manures, what crops are likely to suit different soils, and how the best pay- ing sorts of cheese and butter should be made. All these things can be learned at school or colleges. When he goes on a farm he is in a position to put into practice, or at any rate to try what he has been taught. He must, however, adapt his know- ledge to surrounding circumstances, and he oannot go very far wrong if, to start with, he follows the style of the farming adopted in the neighbourhood. As regards stocking a farm, he will have learnt the absolute necessity of buying stock to suit the particular line he intends taking up. He knows the breeds of cattle which will be best to turn into beef. That a cow which gives the greatest quantity of milk may be excellent if milk selling or cheese making is to be followed, and yet may oe'a very poor butter cow. The great importance of having the particular class of bull or ram most suited to the requirements of the farm is known to most farmers: and is dis- regarded by many. It has been said that the bull is half the herd, and yet how many farmers merely look to appearance and cheapness in purchasing a bull, and pay little or no attention as to how the animal is bred, and whether it comes of a strain best suited for production of stock for fattening or dairying. Some of the most useful lessons I have learnt have been from County Council lecturers. The absolute necessity for the most scrupulous cleanliness in the cow house and dairy, the great value of weighing the milk of each cow at regular intervals, and the testing of each cow's milk to as- certain its richness in butter fat, are matters which every dairyman should practice if he wishes to attain success. In my own herd last year I had cows varying in their yied of milk from 300 to 900 gallons during the twelve months. It makes a lot of difference to a farmer whether he can get a pound of butter from 181bs. of milk or from 301bs of milk, which equals three gallons, and is about the proportion of milk required in my part of the county. Professor Lloyd, at a meeting I presided at, at Bangor College, told us that a good way of testing the quality of the milk was to take twenty-five pounds of milk, which equals two and a half gallons, to ripen it, and then churn it. If one pound of butter or more is obtained you know you have a good butter cow, and so on in the proportion. If fai- mers attend to little details big details will take care of themselves. The other day at Oswestry Smithfield a man was pointed out to me who had just bought his farm with money made on the farm. I asked how he made his money, and my informant said, Oh, he never misses stripping the cows after milking morning and night." You know that the strippings are the richest part of Ae milk, and yet how few farmers regularly attend to it themselves. Again, ho v important it is for a far- mer to understand the composition of feeding stuffs, and in what proportion they ought to be given, with due regard to economy and profit. What everyone ought to do is to keep the stock growing without over-feeding, and that is where science and modern agricultural experiments help a man if hq is willing to learn. In my opinion most of our fsrming losses are caused by over-feeding or improper feeding. Any girl after a dairy course will tell you that turnips given to milking cows before milking will taint the butter, and yet you may venture to assert that at every one of their homes this is done. The conse- quence is that custom is lost, and people buy foreign butter, which is of uniform quality. I do not know whether it pays to give ex ra food to milking cows in summer when out to grass. All the text books tell us to do so, and I give my cows a little de- corticated cottcn cake or dried grains during the summer, and the cows do well, but my neighbours do not do it, but I think they would if they thought there was money in it. I was much inteiested in the paper of Mr Jones, of Pertheirin, on Welsh sheep. Begin- ning in 1889 with some ewes from Llanidloes, and with two prize rams bought from Mr Godfrey Parry, 1 have now a flock of Welsh sheep which for quality and size will bo found hard to beat. Following t'e advice of a pratical farmer, I have bought the best ram lambs I could find from well-known Welsh flocks, and have put them pn my best pastures, and fed them well, and have not used them until they were shearl- ings. This is how I have got size in my flock. Many of the ewes couple, and all lamb out in the open, and are free from foot-rot. For the highest hills my sheep are not suited, as they are too big, but practical hill farmers find my rams useful, and come to me year after year for ram lambs. The breed of Kerry Hill sheep is a most excellent one, and worthy of every encouragement. Perhaps there is nothing in farm- ing where practice with science comes in as in the treatment of land. A really attentive student will come on a farm with knowledge which will materi. ally help him. He will have read the arguments for and against different methods of treating grass land For instance, should thi same fields be mown year after year or every other year ? My friend, Pro- fessor Gilchrist, advises that mowing land had better be mown year after year, as then the more bulky grasses will be encouraged, whilst when land is continually grazed we are apt to get the finer quality of grasses. Then he will know the great importance of rolling and chain harrowing grass t'ni. I the I,o!.don, Professor Gilchrist advised that mowiue land should be manurNI with farmjtiitl tnauiug eve-y second m- ihird \<v.r, and that in the. vt-ar it was not mucked, half cwt. to one an t. of nii! ..t- of IIrlfI, ,,1,"n1d be used This advice 1 jiave. followed, and I am pleased with the result. The IIHMC slaL'on my hill land is quite j em art. a l.iic, | houjjli I never use more rlmu from time to fi.hr cwt. to the I mix it. however. w,tl. ;'1 :1. salt, as it makes i' better to sow, and salt MIUS t, land. Five to six cwts. per acre seems generally recommended, but personally I agree with some professors who say that two small dressings of manures are better than one big dressing. Whatever you do be Hire o get a writteiil, ijai-antee as to the amount, of phosphate of lime which should be in the slag, and as to its fineness. If you a getting any great quactity it will pay you to get it analysed. The other day I bought some guaranteed to contain from 38 to 45 per cent of phosphates. On analysis Dr Voelcker found it, to contain 31 per cent only, which made it 6s 3d too dear, even at the price I was paying. The excuse was that second quality siag had been sent by mistake. I fear that this so-called mistake is too often made, and the farmer suffers. It might be advisable for farmers to join in the purchasing cf slag, so as 10 enable a sample-to be sent for analysis, at, a cheaper cost to each purchaser. At the Chemical Committee at the Royal Agricultural Society held the other day it was stated that there were numerous instances all over the country in which basic slag was sold at a lower quality than guaranteed. What surprises me very much is to Eee the way farmers in oup hill country cart lime up the steep hill sides at a very heavy cost, instead of using artificial manures like basic slag or superphosphates, which are less bulEv and more easily sown. I know*, of course, how lime benefits some land, and.how-its use tends to keep off finger and toe in turnip, but it seems to me to be a very expensive manure by the time it is carted and spread on high hill land. Experiments are bei; g conducted all over the country in connection with agriculture, and the results are highly interesting and worth careful study. My friend, Professor Somerville, declares that it does not pay to use artificial manure with farm yard manure for swedes, and he chal- lenged the members of the Farmers' Club, in Lun- don, to grow some of their swedes with and with- out artificial manure, and then go in the autumn and look whether, with the eye, they can detect which part had the artificial manure. There is a question whether for many of us it pays to grow swedes at all. By the advice of Mr Martin Sutton I tried Thousand -headed Kale, and I grew more and more each year Land can be cleaned whilst growing this crop, or by growing rape in ridges, as well as when growing-turnips. I hope that I have shown you what a large field for scientific knowledge there is for the rising generation, if they wanted to make the best of farming. All our vouug men cannot be ministers, doctors, and shop assistants. Clerks' work is badly paid, and is grinding work. The farmer enjoys freedom and. has :he most hedthv occupation in the world. His work is hard and sometimes monotonous, but if he is a reader, he can make his life all interesting one. Scientific training at school will always be a useful help in after life. It is true that the more a man learns the more he fiuds he has to lenrn. If, when conducting experiments, the nnmannred plot of land occasionally beats the manured, he will only be in the same boat as many learned professors. If he has any sense he will get as much information as he can from all his neighbours who are farming well, and he will probably find that ano'd fashioned farmer may be using as much pI actic with cience on his farm as sum, more mo lern scientific farmer. Yon are (ioinp a useful work with your Farmers' Club, and it is capable of development The purchase of feeding stuffs r nd aniifeial manures, even the sharing of machines m>gnt be managed amongst vonr members. As long as he keeps politics out of business no one succeeos betier t,han a Welshman. Tt ere is an old sa, ing that business is business, and if your Farmers' Club s'icks to business entirely, it will be found of the greatest nse to the farming community in your "el! bour- hood. Mr Davies, Dolhafren, said he had been farming for 30 years, and had tested arrificia. manures, but he must sav that he never found that h-i reaped any benefit from them. On the overhand he found lime g^ve good results. H » hal i.iso used uitrate of soda with success. He tlv.i ght farmers should make better lIe of the iat iii, iiianuie (hear, hear). When a boy at home ni-. f^t .er was very careful to turn over tie* manureab-«ut a month before it was used This made it more soluble, and the seeds had a better chance of deriving benefit from the manure thus used than vvi f-ii it w.-ii4 put on the ground almost, dry. His opi a'Wi -v is that artificial manures had done as much as the hard times had in reducing the capital .if h< -fai-mer. -Mr Kit;se,, Red House, was very rhuikfulto Mr Dugdale for his offer to ob'ain a cla-is at the Royal Show for Welsh sheep, and he (the speaker) promised to do all ho could to induce farmers to send stieep if a class was instituted. -Mr F. G Jones, Maesmawr, refer iug to Mr Dugdale's remarks respecting da«ryin«, slid he had experienced considerable difficulty in s caring capable persons to take cha-ge of "Ie dairy. After he had added the extra cost of working the dairy to the ordinary farm expenses he f, at-ti that it did not pay. He had given it up en ir lv, and found that the raising of good st (-k f .r.r.-ng the very best was more profitable. M I J vai s also spoke in the vernacular.—The Chairman cniM not agreewith the remarks of Mr'I'avie-. hllr thought farmers were often swindled in the m,m.-s they purchased. It would be a good thing if rlie could unite and have the manures analy.-ed, because with- out doubt a lot of rubbish was s. ld. That was the cause of bad results. He proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Dugdale for in* valuable paper.-Mr Evan Hughes seconded and the motion was carried.— Mr Dugdale suitably replied, and the meeting terminated after a similar compliment had been paid to the Chairman for presiding.

IDRUGS WON'T DO.

rlHE INCREASE OF THE ARMY.

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