Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1870-12-09
NEWPORT, SATURDAY, DEC. 9, 1870.

and witnessed the many changes in the con-
di'ion Of the land and people. Inhis younger
days money was very scarce, and obtained by
going to Montreal with produce, or to Bos-
ton. The merchants at Montpelier dealt in
grain largely, and at small price would
take butter, eggs and poultry. Salt used to
be rafteo Up the Connecticut River to Bel
lows "sl's, or to White River, and then
Drought with teams to Montpelier and sold
lat four dollars per bushel. Mr.. Dewey
has had faith in farming, and has improved
farm, buildings, stocks, team, and farming
tools.
His farm is valued at $4,000 though it
contains less than two hundred acres. The
tillage land near the river is about thirty
five acres in extent. Most of it is flowed
when the water is very high, yet is. excellent
plow land, and produces great crops Of corn,
oats and hay. \ hundred baskets Of ears, a
hundred bushels of oats, or three tons Of hay
have been taken from an acre, and all this
meadow land is in SO good state that good
turf has to be turned in when new piece is
selected q cultivation. Corn ground re-
ceives lib raj dressing of manure, plowed in
and in the hill, followed by oats with grass
seed. The sixteen cows that Craze the fall
feed, shoy plainly the Devon blood. III,
grades Of this breed give satisfaction on ac-
count Of hardness, thriftiness and good
dairy qualities, that fill the tubs with butter,
although the quarts of milk may not be re-
markable. Then the good color of the cattle,
the cherry red that shows to so good advan-
tage when the plump animals are satisfactory
in other respects A noble span of horses do
the farm work.
Still further south in this valley, Mr..
Braman raised corn ON one piece fifty-two
years in succession with uniform good crops.
Still further along, r. W. Strong still tills
the acres his father cleared in 1873, and the
years following. He has bought land ad-
joining 30 that he owns FIVE homesteads and
three or four empty houses. The school is
quite small in this district, quite different
from the good old times when every house
was occupied. Mr.. s. had FIVE acres of corn
this year, and in 1871 will have twenty Ave
under cultivation. His practice Is to manure
in the hill for corn and potatoes. He is Just
changing from an extensive shepherd to {
dairypan and stock raiser. Fourteen calves
and thirteen yearlings are growing up to bt
sold at two years Of age.
Across the valley to the southeast, Dea
Daniel Chandler practices the part Of q
successful farmer. The benefits he has re-
ceived from irrigation should be noticed
East Of his house, down the hill, flows quit
q brook that formerly was as useless as thou
sands Of other brooks in Vermont, but viii
a few days works it was turned upon lant
naturally quite dry, yielding only moderately
BY small channels leading from the main on
the water was distributed over several acre
with great advantage to the grass crop. A
! pleasure Mr.. G. could direct the whole strean
, down to his buildings, where upon an over
shot wheel, it would propel the ohurn, grind
, stone. feed cutter, or corn shelter. MI
5 Chandler is satisfied with the result, and de