Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-22
Meeting of the State Board of Agri-
clllture.


The Board met at st. Johnsbury last
week as previously announced. Chas. A.
Sylvester, president of the Caledonia County
Agricultural Society, presided. Secretary
Collier and several members of the board
were present. From the Times we copy the
following report of the proceedings
At the opening session Prof. Collier spoke
briefly of the objects and aims of the board i,
presenting the idea that it was to aid in de-
yeloping the industries of the state, depend
ing upon the cooperation of the farmers and
the good citizens Of the tie not thus en-
ployed perhaps overthrowing some errors,
| establishing a few important truths, and
bringing about other results that cannot be
wrought out by Individual effort.
| T. E. Jameson of Irasburgh then read a
paper on q" Vermont as Home" urging
/ that love of home is desirable, and that it
Vermont is not place of residence that can
| be loved, it is right to leave it as hundreds
do and 90 to place where natural affections
can be developed, but statistics prove that
| Vermont averages more fertile acres than
any other state, with but one or two exeep-
TONS The yield of our farms is satisfac-
tory, and prices make labor remuneratIve.
Real estate also advances in price, and were
NnnI& anu Cd pildA 1ObdAhONs Jul BAOSASoo
would be rapid, and homes in Vermont
would be the most attractive of any In the
land.
The paper read by DR.. Hoskins Thursday
evening, was upon the difficulties of fruit
raising and upon the varieties most desirable
here valuable discussion followed.
Friday morning J. Laurence read a paper
upon Exhaustion of the soils and how to
Restore them" They are exhausted by cut
ting and burning the timber; by successive
crops of grain from new land, carried away
and sold by continuous pasturing and sell
ing the cattle, butter, cheese and wool; by
selling hay and other produce and not re-
turning manures to the land. Soil restored
by feeding the crops upon the farm, saving
the manures and judicioasly applying them,
and by rotation OF crops and blowing IN green
growing crops of clover or buckwheat. A
spirited discussion followed
Mr. jameson thought the cutting of forest
trees did not affect our climate, as the winds
and waves of temperature that cause the
changes of weather originated away In the
northern regions, OF south beyond the Gull
Stream, which sweep over the country with
great rapidity as the White Mountain her
mits found at the rate of from 80 to 100
miles an hour. Indeed our country is more
healthy to have the low lands cleared up and
the water drained out so that the best farms
are where formerly il was waste land. Sclen-
tifc men say that If the ground is shaded 1t
does not signify whether 1t Is crop OF clover
or trees 10 or 50 feet high
Mr.. \. B. Stafford of W bite River junction,
gave an interesting account OF the good Ell
feet of blowing III clover and other green
crops lie plowed in clover and had p !
bushels Of wheat per acre, while neighbOr
on similar land close by had wheat straw too
poor TO thresh. lie had always had good re-
suits from blowing in a luxuriant growth OF
forage, but it Is one of the hardest things to
do. lie had been called fool many times
when he plowed in clover of one or two tons
per acre, yet it had paid, as the land now
would furnish food Tor forty cattle, eighty
sheep and SIX horses, where ten years ago
only four cattle could be kept.
friday afternoon a paper WAS read from a.
B. Pringle on = Commercial Fertilizers,
and a very instructive address from Prof. Col
lier, on the . Nutrition of Plants.
A brief discussion followed in regard 10
the best method of getting fertilizer to sup
ply the proper nutrition TO crops, the need
Of perfect analysis Of the contents of the
bags and barrels sold to farmers, 80 that one
might know what they were buying. The
value OF muck, tan bark, and India wheat
hulls were spoken of absorbents tor liquid
manures, and muck for composing. Expert
ments were cited TO prove its value.
\ vote of thanks was returned % the
Board and gentlemen present for holding
this meeting desire was also expressed
that the papers read and the discussions had
should be printed in all the newspapers OF the
state.