The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-02-20
Agrirultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Meeting OF the State Board of Agricul-
ture. Mining and Manufactures, at
Middiobury, Feb. 7th and 9Th.


ture, Mining and Manufactures, at
Middleburv, Feb. 7th and 9Th.
FIRST DAY, p. N.--The meeting was
called to order by the secretary of the
board Prof. Peter Collier, of Burling-
ton, and Hon. Henry Lane, of Cornwall,
was elected to preside Hon. James NJ.
Sade made o short, but able address, wei
coming the Board to Middlebury, and
encouraging them in their work. Il. X.
Towle, of st. Adams, and agricultural ed
itor Of the Messenger, read a paper upon
"How to make Farm Life Pleasant" In
the first place, the home should be en-
belished and made attractive The house
should not be merely place to stay in,
but the home where the wife presides and
passes so large part of her life, and la
bors so faithfully for the happiness and
comfort of husband, sons and daughters,
should be convenient comfortable and
pleasant. Where the sons and daugh-
tiers learn views of life should be attrac-
tive and homelike, to them the dearest
place upon earth. it is not expected
that farmers sons will all become farm
ers, but too many should not be driven
away by the discomfort caused by unat-
tractive homes The farmer should have
faith in his calling He should not be a
mere machine, but by information relieve
life somewhat of its burdens He should
take time for relaxation and thought. He
should not be behind time, but have ev-
cry thing done in season and in order,
and to facilitate this, everything should
be planned before hand.
An ample supply of agricultural books
and periodicals will furnish an exhaust
less fund of knowledge, and fit the farm
er for the better and more intelligent
prosecution Of his calling, and the i'm
proved state of the farm and home, will
testify to the taste and information i'm
parted by them to the farmer 1t is
time the prejudice against book farming
was done away with.
(Our space forbids us making any but
very short and condensed abstracts Of
the papers, and of many we have no
notes, but hope to be able to publish some
Of them entire hereafter
DISCUSSION.
Mr. Jameson, of Irasburgh, member
of the board, said, young people love to
be in the best place, and while capitalists
at the west advertise SO largely, and hold
out so many inducements, who will stand
up for Vermont He thought many Of
the representations of the west founded
not altogether in the truth.
PRoF. COLLIER. 1t pays to make our
homes pleasant We are placed upon
earth for something else than to pay for
our farms. Farmers in Vermont, as
elsewhere, are short sighted as to this
matter. They will pay a high price for
improved stock, and neglect their houses,
while the latter will pay as we'll as the
former. 1t pays to do all these things,
and do them well, At all our fairs
beauty takes the palm, and why should
it not at home.
Mr. SLADE. am not farmer, wis b
/ was. What makes the desolation Of
our State in young men, is unattractive
homes and toe large farms. Addison
county could have had much larger
population if her farms had not been over
one hundred acres. How much better
for our state if our young people could
have been Induced to stay here Ii Il
different policy could have been pursued
a member of Congress would not have
been lost to Vermont
l.. l.. WRIGHr. 1t had been said that
our grandiathers took the hair, our faith
ers the hide, and we have the bones left,
and VIC have to do different from what
they could practice. We are apt to make
small part too good and neglect too
much the major and outlying part. 1t
had been question with him some years
since, whether he should put his money
in the bank, or back into the farm, lie
was thankful he had pursued the latter
course, and the result was his son would
stay at home, he could not be driven
west.
DR.. Hoskins, editor Of Vermont Yarn
er, Of Newport, had no doubt large farms
might be more profitable than small ones,
if capital and corresponding ability were
employed in their management but be
thought it wrong to increase their acre
age, instead Of expanding their surplus
funds in making the present area as pro-
ductive as possible On his way here
he had been shown a farm of eight hun.
bred acres, that gave evidence even,
while covered with snow, of not being as
well cultivated as it should be. 1t would
be better to sell one half and put the
capital into the remainder.
Prof. Collier remarking upon Mr..
Wrights statemant that we have the
skeleton left, said that he was afraid we
have been selling the bones.
Prof. Seely, of Middlebury College,
thought the paper of Mr.. Towle more
important than one how to raise good
crops. If our farms were made more
beautiful, more Of our sons and daughters
would turn to them. The times for re-
taxation and thought should be observed,
as recommended in the paper.
A paper was then read by Mr.. L. L.
Jameson, of Irasburgh member of the
board, on "The necessity of success in
book farming We cannot do justice
TO this paper by an abstract from any
notes we have, and as we hope to lay it
all before our readers at future time,
VIC pass on to the discussion that follow.
ed, which was opened by DR.. Hoskins.
He thought it very necessary that book
farmers should succeed, as farmers are
generally very jealous of book farmers,
and pleased when they failed, attributing
their failure to book farming, rather than
to their capacity. Few seem to be aware
of the fact that book farming is nothing
but using the knowledge and theories Of
others. Many farmers would do this,
but would shy as bad as a skittsh horse,
if the same few across their track in a