Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-09-04
agricultural.
Septenber.
sweet l. the voice that calls
Prom babbling waterfalls,
In ruaa1axU- Uhgr.. the dpvvuv seeds are n

From babblIng waterfalls.
In meadows where the downy seeds living;
And soft the breezes blow
And eddying come and 20
In faded gardens where the rose l. diving
September, once more, in the never-ceaeing
march of the seasons, calls upon this year
for the exercise of all our powers of industry
and skill, to gather up and secure for future
use the abundant crops of our fruitful soils.
Never before, 1t seems to us, have the trees
and all large plants been SO clothad with a
dense ,high-colored and vigorous foliage, while
the face of the earth is covered, almost be
yond precedent, with all crops common TO the
season. Timely and copious rains, warmed
by genial suns, have pcrcolated the soil IN all
her pores, found the minerals there which
plants require for full development of their
parts, and
Thrust blooming hence the vegetable word.''
In addition to the abundant hay harvest of
June and July, the 50 aftermath, 50 rOwen,
or second crop of August, has been so abund-
ant as scarcely to find room in the already
crowded barns.
The Indian corn has luxuriant growth OF
leaf and stem, is a little late, and if spared
by frosts. and if properly secured, will add
largelyt TO the aggregate value of next winter :
fodder
The root crops, also, have redundant TO-
liage, which is greatly relished by all the farm
stock. All these are prime sources of milk,
butter cheese, beef mutton &c, and if care
fully husbanded, will materially swell the
profits of the farm.
The impression with some is that the price
of hay will be low during the next six
months. There are some reasons why it may
not be. At the commencement of the present
having season, scarcely ten tons of old hay
could he found in any one of our best farm
ing towns. All the poorer kinds of fodder
had been economical, chopped, grain added
to it. and fed out in order to send the best
hay to market, and get from $50 to $50 per
ton for it This state of things extended far
into the country, where the best hay was
pressed and sent forward, and the poorer used
at home. Before June came, the barns III
nearly all parts of New England were empty
as thew had not been before for many years.
In addition to this, the demands of our vast
armies during the war had swept off our beei
cattle to an unparalleled extent, and horses il
still larger proportion. SO that most of the
farms in the country had scarcely more than
one half the stock they had been in the habit
of feeding.
Now, farmers are purchasers. They care
to sell only those animals that happen to be
in excellent condition for market, and those
which they are fattening on account of age
because they are poor mixers, or for some
other cause.
These opinions are held by most farmers
and will have decided influence in keeping
up the price of hay. To these may be added
another, that Sd long as the prices of labor
building materials. clothing, grain, groceries,
&c are high, hay, also, will be high.
Some signs of rot have been found in the
Potato crop The breadth of ground occupied
withOthis Indispensable vegetable is large, and
the growth luxuriant.
The apple crop is light, very light, but still
there are many trees having fruit upon them
that will be quite fair and of good size Sew
cral varieties of sweet apples, the Rhode Is
land Greening, and Porter, have moderate
crops upon their trees. Scarcely a Baldwin
tree is in fruit. SO that all that pretty poetry
about their red checks glistening in the sun
may well give place to little that will make
US careful how we collect what does grow
" Fruit gathered too timely will taste of the wood
Will shrink and Be bitter, and seldom prove good:
So with fruit that is shaken and beat off tree,
With bruising in falling, soon faulty will be-''
On the whole, farm affairs are promising
Some apples are glistening in the sun this
morning We shall have peaches, pears, and
plenty Of preserved small fruits.