Litchfield enquirer., 1871-12-21
THE FARMER.s REuNloN.

THE FARMER's REuNloM.
 
 We clip the following from the Sentinel report of the discussion at the Farmers Reunion:
 Mr. T. l.. Hart said in reference to the milk traffic, Farmers are controlled by dealers because farmers do not tkeep them selves posted in regard to prices and val ues. For instance, few milk dealers in New York, having little capital, control thousands Of farmers and say to them that they shall have only four cents quart for milk. 1t costs six cents a quart to pro- duce the milk He related how he went to New York recently and found how the mlik-dealers make combinations to keep down the price of milk What the farm CTS need to do is to make combinations themselves, and if they cannot make terms with the dealers, why, then, let them send man to New York who shall retail their milk for them. '
 Mr. Whiting, of Torrington, stated the average quantity of milk produced by a. cow per day to be 8s qts.
 < Mr. H. Benton of Morris. also ssalluded to the fact that fhe Shepaug railroad is now finished and large milk district is opened up. It is of the utmost import ance that the farmers residing in the She paug Valley should form cooperative union to protect and promote their inter- ests in regard to the milk business.
 AGRICULTURAL HORSE TRoTs :" 4 MT. l.. F. Scott of Bethlehem opposed horse trots. Mr. Booth, of New Milford. the President of the Housatonic Society, said that to make society successful itwas requisite to have officers who are willing to devote sufficient time to the interests of the society to take care of the various interests in the county Then there must be money to expend. There is a good deal of talk about the immortality of a horse trot This is all nonsense. There is no use in trying to make a prayer-meeting out of an agricultural society Ask any man who attended the fair of this Society last autumn how much money was taken at the gate the first day of the fair, when cattle were exhibited, and how much was taken the second day when there was trot- ting. In New Milford on tie first day one hundred and fifty dollars was taken at the gate, and on the second day over thousand dollars was taken. For his part he thought there was nothing immoral in the exhibition on the second day. The Housatonic Society has good grounds, brick buildings, is out of debt, and has a thousand dollars in treasury This old parent society ought to have five thousand dollars in it's treasury. He did not be- ieye that there was any jealousy on the part of the local societies towards the old society, but 1t is not reasonable to sup- pose that towns in the remote parts of the county should bring their cattle to Litch- field to get five dollars premium. There must be some change in the management of societies in regard to premiums offered and the articles for which they are offer ed"
 SUPPORTING FAIRS
 ''Dea. M. D. F. s. Smith said that the question to decide is how to make people take an interest in agricultural matters. A large proportion of the farmers in this county take little or no interest in agri- cultural societies. They ought to be iqa- structed. These matters ought to be dis cussed in the county papers. There are three or four papers ln the county, two are published in this town. There are gentlemen here present who are capable of giving instruction and sustaining in- teresting discussion
 Mir. H. M. Hart spoke about the change thas has been accomplished in farming matters during the last few years. It is no use any longer to offer premiums for fulled cloth. He would like to have a pre- mium offered for the COW that gives the greatest quantity of milk during the sea son-the milk to be weighed daily. He was in favor of appointing committee to visit neighboring societies and make ye- ports to this society"
 Mr. Wagoner, of Morris. suggested Sale Fairs. Mir. T. s. Gold, Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, objected the danger of spreading contagious disease.
 President Hart took the floor to defend thesociety against the inference that the societyis running down or deteriorating. This year and the year before we paid over $900 each year in premiums Last fall every cattle pen was filled and many extra pens were erected The exhibition of all articles never has been surpassed. A horse trot was found necessary to bring the peo- pie together. Everybody likes to see horse trot. The great drawback is want of hearty cooperation on the part of far mers who ought to take the greatest in- terest. Some farmers came up here every year. They dog the executive committee all day. They are not satisfied with the accommodations given their cattle. They want all the first premiums. There are other farmers who come up and give gen. erous assistance to the society. Instead of growing they take hold and help, and are ready to put their hands in their pockets. These are the kind of men who are needed to keep the interest in the fairs. Another thing that we have to meet is the ignorance of many farmers. My son is teaching school down below here somewhere. He said he had noth-. ing to read d-not even 8 paper of any kind not local paper
 It was suggested that the local papers should publish some agricultural reading and copy from each extending to each other the courtesy of allowing the otLer paper to copy agricultural articles which shall be written for either, without credit"