Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-09-20

last few wears the demands of the people in
regard to speed had entirely damaged. There
are very few men now who care to buy a
horse at any price that cannot trot a mile in
four minutes. More money is annually paid
for fast horses within a ten mile radius of
New York than is realized for all the horses
sold in Nermont. People who raise horses
and want to sell them must raise such horses
as people want to buy, and, therefore, speed
must be regarded by breeders. A iirst-class
trotter is always frst-class horse, and the
! best trotting horse is the best horse for YER
mont men to raise Flora Temple was for
merly kept in Il livery stable and was favor
I lite for driving, and Lady Suffolk, with all
her speed, was SO gentle that a woman could
harness her and drive her anywhere. The
/ original Morrill, horse was worked for two
years in an OK cart fitted up with shafts be-
fore his owner found out that he owned Il
trotter Just long the American ma
ton is prosperous, American people will
have fancy for trotting horses for outdoor
recreation and there need be no fear of the
market running out. The three things nee
essary for a good trotter and good horse are
energetic disposition. gait, and docility in
harness. Mr.. Tucker expressed his opinion
I that faster and better horses can he raised in
Vermont than in Orange county, New York.
or Long Island, if the proper attention was
only paid. He himself once owned Draco
! Prince, and sold him for $3.50 and Il few
days ago his owner was offered $50 900 for
him He urged the Importance of forming
an association of horse breeders i'll Vermont
and he believed that 10y that means horses
raised and trained here could be sold at as
high figures as any in the country. Unless
some pains were taken to raise horses that
could meet the demands of the public, the
money paid for first-class horses would 30 to
some other place than Vermont.
Mr. +. $. Stowell Of Cornwall was the next
speaker, and he made some statements show
n3how it had been that the Vermont horse
ia Iers had lost the command of the market.
Tie Morgan horses were good horses for sta ge
coaches. but railroads had superseded stages
and Morgan horses The Black Hawks made
very good appearance in carriage, but
thev were not fast enough 10 suit the city
markets He believed that the Orange
county lIambletonian horse was the best
horse for Vermont to raise, and the only way
to regain control of the market was u get
the best horses possible and keep them and
breed from them. lie was opposed to trying
to make trotterS out of Young horses, for he
thought they needed to have strength and
pluck before the severity of that training
could be safely resorted to. He urged the
importance of giving increased attention To
the subject of breeding horses, and expressed
the hope that the people Of Vermont would
soon look To this subject il deserved.
Mr.. George l.. Hall of New York said he
had owned two Vermont horses-Panic and
Rattlesnake-that had been faster than any
HdmbletOniar horses, except three lie was
decidedly in favor of commencing 10 train
horses when quite young, provided they We're
trained ntelligcntly. In regard t. the tom
per of the Hambletonian horses, he said that
Dexter was very unsafe horse t. drive, and
probably Mr.. Bonner would never pull 4
rein over him. Bruno has run away with
all his owners who ever attempted to drive
him but one. He thought that Nermonters
had better look for better tempered horses
than these To breed from.
Mr.. Stowell, who had advocated the Ham
bletonian breed of horses, thought that per
! haps the early training of those horses for
srotters had operated unfayorably upon their
dispositions.
The meeting was not very largely attend
ed, but those who were present generally eN-
pressed themselves strongly impressed
with the Importance OF the question discuss
ed and determined to do all III their power
to make Vermont the supplier of horses for
the world.
EVENING DISCUSSION trpN GRASS.
The Farmers meeting for discussion vas
called to order al eight O'Clock Wednesday
evening, hv Hon. John Gregory Of Mortified
President Of the Society. The subject an
nOunced for the evenings discussion was
= Grass-the best methods OF promoting its
growth and when il should be cut
Henry Stafford OF Springfield. who was to
have opened the discussion, absent, and
William B. Sanford Of Orwell opcrcd the
discussion by abiding to the Importance of
the matter under consideration 10 the farm
ers Of Vermont He expressed himself as in
favor of cutting grass early a general rule.
His own experience had not been favorable
to the use of top-dre1sing al a. means Of pro-
noting the growth Of the grass crop.
Crosby Miller Of Pomfret WAS the last Of
the speakers who had been appointed t. con
duct the discussion, and his remarks related
to his own practical experience. He had
tried both blowing in and top-dressing. and
with very gratifying results. lie thought
that top-dressIng should he applied carly in
the fall, 80 that its strength might be wash
ed into the ground by the fall rains. Ii was
of no use TO plow in without using manure
literally. and he thought that the best advice
to be given To farmers was. 70 increase their
product of manure in every possible way
Manure would certainly make grass grow
and if a man had Il good quantity Of manure
and used ii upon his gras- land. he would
certainly have good crops of grass He
thought that the Vermont farmers generally
/ cut their grass too late t. secure it's full nu-
tritive power. Rpcned grass was no better
! for food for cattle than Eastwood lie
thought the great value of moving machines
horse-rakes. &c. was u enable farmers to
get through their haying quicker. and thus
secure the whole crop when ii Is Just in its
prime. He generally seeds down in the
spring with spring wheat, sowing twelve
quarts of herds grass and three or four
pounds of clover seed to the acre.
Nathan Gushing Of Woodstock thought
that lnanures ought not To be plowed in very
deeply. He deprecated the custom among
farmers of cropping land several times be
fore seeding it down to grass. Two crops
only should he taken from land after ii has
been broken up, before seeding it for grass
He had tried an experiment this wear. in
plowing III the heavy second crop upon one
Of his lots sowing it with wheat and seeding
it down to grass. lie expected good crop
of wheat and good succession of grass
crops. I'm speaking of the various fertilizers
recommended for USE he said he thought Yer
mont farmers could make fertilizers cheaper
than they could buy them. lie had used
phosphatcs with good success. but the cost
of transportation was 50 great that crmont
farmers could not afford to buy and use them
There will be trouble in raising good
crops Of grass if the land is not cheated out
of its proper food Feed the land well with
manure, and good crops of hay will surely
result. He agreed with Mr. Miller, that
grass ought TO he cut earlier than it usually
is. In seeding down he generally used about
seven eight quarts of herds grass and as
many pounds of clover seed to the acre lie
regarded wheat as better than rye to SOM
with grass, because wheat will shade the
u