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Show I Farm News-Notes j By LEW MAR PRICE j County Agent Turkey Killing and Dressing Demonstration Scheduled Mr. Carl Frischknecht, poultry specialist on the extension service of the IT. A. C. will give a turkey killing kill-ing and dressing demonstration in Beaver on Monday, Nov. 10th, at 10:30 a. m.. and in Milford at 3.30 p. m. Last year the demonstration in Beaver and in Milford were well attended, at-tended, and a number of growers were greatly benefitted. Improper bleeding is one of the reasons sustained by inexperienced stickers', as that will put what would otherwise be a number one bird in the second class. Correct "braining" "brain-ing" releases the feathers and thus makes picking much easier. Both will be demonstrated next Monday. One thing that was very strongly stressed by Mr. Mendenhall who represented re-presented the association here last week was the weighing of all questionable ques-tionable birds before killing. Any torn that does not weigh 14 y2 lbs. and any hen under 10 pounds live weight should not be killed; because they are not likely to make the required re-quired weight for no. 1 birds. The reason can readily be seen by using an example: The difference in price between No. 1 and No. 2 grades is 8 cents. At No. 2 price of 20 cents per pound, a ten pound torn would bring S2.00. If that bird was fed until Christmas, he could be expected expect-ed to make three pounds gain in i weight. Such gains are made on not to exceed six pounds of grain per pound gain, or a total of IS pounds of feed. At 2 cents per pound this would be 3 6 cents. Now the 13 pound bird goes into the No. 1 class and brings 28c per pound or a total of $3.G4. Deducting the 36 cents feed cost would make a net return re-turn of $3.28 which would be a net return of $1.28 . or 61 more than he would have netted if sold in the No. 2 class at Thanksgiving time. Water should be kept in the feasting feast-ing pen where the birds are kept for 3 6 hpurs preparatory to killing. This will make the birds more plump and they will bleed and weigh better. bet-ter. Alfalfa Yields Show Increase in Fertilizer Demonstrations Fertilizer placed on the alfalfa fields now' will stimulate earlier growth in the spring, as well as heavier, more thrifty growth all thru the season next year, by conserving con-serving water, promoting bacterial activities, liberating otherwise unavailable un-available plant food, and by supplying supply-ing a larger amount of plant food that has been removed in past years. The humus formed by the decaying decay-ing o the organic matter of the barnyard manure is one of the necessary ne-cessary requisites for retaining water wa-ter in the soil. Most of our soils, especially on the bench lands have a deminishiing supply of humus, and hence do not retain the water from one irrigation to the next so crop growth can continue. Such a check in the growth of a crop is naturally very influencial in the ultimate yield, o As the vegetable matter gradually gradual-ly breaks down in the soil, the acid products formed help dissolve and make available to plants some of the otherwise insoluable plant food present. pres-ent. Farm manure teem with bacteria of various kinds which cause chemical chemi-cal changes also liberating other plant food that is otherwise insoluable insolu-able and hence could not be used by the plants. Several fields in Beaver Valley that have been either partly or wholly fertilized last year demonstrated demonstr-ated very conclusively the greater resistance of the crop to either disease dis-ease or insects such as weevil; and growth starts earlier in the spring and continues later in the fall. At the commercial price of plant food elements, each cow on your place produces annually approximately approxi-mately $36.00 worth of plant food, but unless it is well taken care of, or applied immediately to the soil, a large part of the value is lost. Barnyard manure applied to the alfalfa al-falfa fields now will be almost entirely en-tirely disintergrated by the freezing and thawing of the winter and spring, together with the wet that will fall during that time. Increas- ed yields resulting from the use of I fertilizer on alfalfa fields in the i county have been variously estimat- ed from one half to two and one-j one-j half tons per acre in a season. I . |
