Club Minutes: Enterprise Farmers Club, 1878-1891

5 A very interesting letter was read from Chas H Brooke, giving an account of a visit to Judge Fullertons farm in Fairfax county Va.

1. What should we pay for days work with and without board. A. 11 would say 60/90 4.80/50 1.60/100 per day 2. What is the best thing to take lice off of cattle. A. Kerosene and water - black pepper and whiskey, or scotch snuff 3. Shall I use stone lime at 20 cents or Oyster shell lime at 16 cents per bushel A. 5 say O.S. and 6 stone lime and several would try both. 4. How to place poles in a ditch? A. as close as possible. 5. Will it pay to sow oats strip A. yes. 6. Shall I risk planting 3 or 4 acres of potatoes next month A one majority for planting 7. What shall I do with wet O.S. lime A. Mix unslaked with it. 8. What is it worth to feed sow and pigs 1mo on milk A. Av $4.39 9. What kind of plow for new ground A. Miner and Horton 6. Loundun Coutler 5. Cummings 4. To meet at A M Stablers 4 13. 78

W S Bond sec

6 The Enterprise Club met at Oak hill 4 mo 13 1878 (exchanged with AM Stabler) with nearly a full club and W M Stabler and William Lea as guests.

After the preliminary chat Granville Farquhar was made foreman, the minutes of the last meeting time were read and we commenced our inspection. The internal transfer hen house was said to do well.

A new corn house with sloping sides for the corn department and straight sides for the grain &c is substantial and convenient. A new hay carriage in the constuction of which the greatest strength with the least weight was aimed at was neatly made, with good room for return loads of lime, The wheat looked well, except being some what bunched by the drill. The effect of lime on the grass field did not show as well as last year For stone throwing and ditching see American farmer for May. Ater returning to the house and reading the minutes of last meeting, the following questions were answered. An interesting answer to the question refered at the last meeting to Granville Farquhar was read (by request} by B H Miller.

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P T Stabler was appointed to file and keep the minutes and essays of the club E P Thomas was appointed to answer the questions at the next meeting, viz. Is it more profitable for a dairy farmer to sell his butter to private families in Wash City at 50 cents per pound or wholesale it to a store at 40 cents.

1. How to plant hedge plants. A. Lay off the row with a plow, lay in the plants and cover with a hoe.

2. Shall I sell hogs and buy pigs to feed on milk. A. Hold the pigs until later, over feeding of small pigs on milk said to be injurious

3. Shall I continue to feed fodder for three weeks to use it up or turn out on grass A. continue to feed.

4. How to get the best crop of clover seed from pasture field. A. Turn on late and take off early in June.

5. What is the best wheat fan A. Grant

6 Would you use unsifted yellow meal at 55 cents or sifted white meal at 58 cents. A. 2 for yellow and 8 for white

7 How much fertilizer should a tenant put on one crop of corn and two crop of wheat as rent. A. Av 977 lbs per acre, and two would add 33 bu O S lime.

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8. My mowing field is likely to be very rank (first-year) will it hurt to pasture for a while early A. Six would pasture & 7 not. 9. Would you plow 4 acres of permanent pasture 20 years old. A. No. 10. Shall I put O S lime on Potatos or corn land. A. 5 say Potato land and 6 say corn. 12. I have 25 Acres of corn land & not lime enough to go over it all, how much to the acre. 1 says, 100 bu's, 2 say 50, 5 say 33, and 2 say 25 bu's 12. Shall I pasture part of my corn field or plow now. A. 3 say plow & 8 would pasture. 13. Is there a good lime spreader A A good one was spoken of but more expensive than would be advised. 14. Shall I put Hen manure in corn hill in a limed field. A yes. 15. What share shall the tenant give of a 4 barrel crop of corn. A. 5 say 1/4, and 2 say 1/3. 16 What to do with a colt with a wound in the breast A. Keep open and soft.

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The club met at the house of Asa M Stabler 5 mo 11 1878 Fourteen members present with WM Stabler W Lea amd R N Miller as guests. This was a very cold day for the season thermometer stood at 51 at one o clock. A good open fire very attractive After reading the minutes of am last meeting here we were led by our foreman C H Brooke first to the pig pen where our attention was divided between the hogs and a great number of house flies congregated under the roof for protection from the cold.

The cornfield, planted, & rolled after planting next came under our notice with a fine broad water furrow, much wider than usual, was much admired, both by the believers and unbelivers. It will be well to note the success of this at a future time, An experiment of straw spread in pasture land looked like a success. A patch of Rye sown late to turn under for potatoes was shown, some of the club thought fertilizer sown on the Rye would have paid

Returning to the house we passed the field of hail cut wheat. This crop shows more damage to day than the day after the storm

1. What is the best hay fork and fixture A. A small majority preferred the old wooden