St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-11-06
farm, Garden aud asitfl,en.
Farming in TerlaORt.

Mr.. Il. +. Jameson of Irasburg, VT,
4 Secretary Of the Orleans Country Agri-
cultural Society, read an essay at the
State Fair, on Vermont Farming, from
which we make the following extracts:
issued Il circular i'll the fail Of 1867 :,
to be lilled hy the School Districts Clerks,
designed to exhibit Il correct account OF
| the products o., 'hc :, vera! farms III their
respective districts, Ia Il Oh :hc estimates
or positive k::Yw;ol@e Cf tie farmers
themSeirs.
Reports were received OF : s farms, III
thirteen towns, but no town was entirely
reported On each OF these farms there
was an average OF 81 acres OF pasture,
23b moving, and six acres of Land in
IRAN aud hoed crop,-making ~ acres
of cleared land. The value OF all the pro-
duets oi these farms averaged :3S4LGO
being $I3.1j to the acre. i,,ides
which these farms averaged a SUGAR or
chard OF 2ll trees, yielding 100 pounds
Ot sugar each.
Bat as the greater part of these pro-
ductions must be co.-umed upon the
farm, only Il small portion could be ex-
changed lJr money. The wool, the but
ter. Il few oats and potatoes that we may
suppose could be spared. may briny in 4
cash income OF some 500, on each farm. I;
which mast pay the iaXe-, the grocer
cIotAc the family, provide new and re-
pair old farming tools Of all descriptions.
&c. 1t j. evident, therefore, :hat there
will be but a small sum remaining to
| invest in government bonds, or ior sending
the sons to college. l. this average ul
/ income OF other counties in the State /!
VIII not admit that il i. Certainty,
then. il there We're NJ hop, oI rising above
the ave-age, farming must be considered
AN unproiitabie vocation. But from my
own door | can look on two farms that
paying hired help and family expenses,
and That without counting the forage that
,..-;a...s Ia, >.Jc...
On one OF these farms, there were
raised - bushels wheat. 800 bushels oats.
| 100 Du>hcl, potatoes, 100 bushels corn.
80 tous hay, Il ton OF butter. Il ton Of
| cheese, 1909 pounds O. pork, live weight,
/ besides sheep, fowls, calves On this
farm We're ta;tentI 300 iurkic> tot market
tnat yic,.td "a -ood p5oni.
I..r other farm vi the same -,zc - ia,
lir>t-2.-u acrc--yiylieI 81 bushels
wheat. 100 bushels oats. 1J9 bushel,
potatoes. 100 bushels cora, - tons vi
hay; - cows viridrl 5000 pounds OF hut
ter and 1000 pound of cheese, 2lUO
pounds, h>y ~eiGht, oi PORK We're tat.
tened. 900 pounds OF rsi-ar were made
23 bushels o.. bc:.E- raised. aside irvA
manv ,tuc: items o. Income. Both O
tu,>, i;.gi-wurAiuG farmers are increIs
iuy thcir respective income, aai adding
10 ;hc wealth ot the State ny the aoun
ii Il productions oi their farms,
Now some NAV ask how can the averag,
rynIain - small wucrc such m-oexi,t
an- n-Npr. t!i;,t when turn my ewes iron
these farms 10 the west, Sc on the sid,
.. the mountain. another farm. with ;
LOG house aud 4 lo.- barn the axe stick,
IA the iog where try wool Wa. cut t,
cook the nrcakta-;, an. Al gmaciatei III.
-qucals and root, .:r....., i.2 l,itchcl
door. The oWnor Remarked - E!a tbs;
l. he cuuid nov ut about fifteen tuu
II h;Iv. and although most discouraged
he didn't know but he had better ruI
and scrub and set ou, Il trlv apple trees
Ii has been hard work Tor that farmer
to live: and there are many like him II
Essex. Caledonia. LImoiila. AMI Frank
lin counties. and probably all ovc- III
state These small farms OF rough iarI
poorly ti!lcl. cut down the avcrag
production, but serve a valuable purpos,
in helping to make up school districts
and Giving variety to the neighhorhool
Tncrc are in ermont nHnv acres cleared
and many farms occupied 10 day. tina
, should have had tine grand old forrest
still waving over thrm. On such Ian
, men wear away their lives with ,ma
. reward The soil l. perNcr>e and o!>ti
nate. III lis wet, stony or rrccipitoU
hardness Muster and mistress show, /
their ruLgcl, care-worn features. angu.l
forms .lnl calloused hrnI-. the evidence
of constant industry and economy. \
;. the same time. there are other acres VI
uncleared and untitled, that would boun
y, tiiuIy reward the Labor bestowed.
Having considered the farms, we no
/ turn TO the farming. While the farm
=, were being cleared, the crops from th
:, newly burned land were generally sati
factory, and rs they We're consumed /
!, the cattle, winter after winter, piles
+ manure accumulated about the barn
- Alter the slumps We're potted, and Il
/. plow disturbed the soil Tor the first tin
einre creation. the crons Were still sat-
i factory. Yet continued cropping 500
:, les-ened the yield, and the accumulat,
= manurcs were gladly applied. Still, ;
II the pluw made Its way from one field
Il another, more was takCI from the sc
+ lhan was returned to it, and then
,e diminuiion OF crops was the result. b.
p not suili>. .'ntly perccpi;bic to occa-i,
IN alarm. Generally one portion OF Il
ri farm was put INTO permanent Pa>IuI
/ another into permanent field, and Il
Il pillow run here and there, as CHOICE
necessity dictated For a time scan
dressing OF manure gave a falr crop
/, gram, but eventually the grass seed iai
ed 10 catch, and if the owner has grow
old on the place, and has reared Il iani
,e Of children :hat have le.t, you see Il II
x Iown farm and a home for sale.
There are many farms in tnis condi;i'
Is and now all depends upon skill Hcnc
to forth it becomes straight tight ol SIX
he against sierrility.
C. Under these circumstances, 1t may Ii
1t ne anri7s tur u, to study the operatio