Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-04-11
Reported for the VERMONT FARMER.
EAST ST, JOHNSBURY FARMERS
CLUB.


tho speakers.
To what extent should Farmers Boys he
Educatedi
S. Owens said they should have in addition
to good common school education, n fair
chance in our high schools and academies,
and then go farther or not in the discretion
of parents, and inclination and tendencies of
the boys Also he would not neglect bring
ing them up in industrial habits, and giving
them very thorough insight into agricul-
ture or some trade, so that they would be
prepared to make living by means of their
habits and their faculties, without the aid of
these higher accomplishments il they should
prove incapable of obtaining and using them
He followed this plan in good degree in
bringing up his boy, but he followed an in
herent inclination to farm life, to the salts
faction and agreement of both.
Mr.. $. Huse whose philosophical love of
nature makes him ready for most any subject
drew the following;
OrchardInE.
$. Husc: This is n very agreeable topic for
me, | am so fond Of apples and cider
There is something peculiar to this soil and
climate that makes this part of New England
untitled in great degree Tor the successful
cultivation OF the apple tree. II does not re-
quire n very rich soil, and trees will do well
in quite severe climate. Now in the south
ern part of New Hampshire the soil is poor
and rocky, but apples seem to grow sponta-
neously. Here we can raise Il few, but they
are generally of poor quality, and the trees
after n few years die out or become barren
Crab apples do very well here, and think
they are the most profitable kind to raise |
bought few of Mr.. Bryant that are just
commencing TO bear. | have several kinds
the Peach apple, the Queens Choice and
others, and the fruit is very good, and they
will make the best of cider. The Peach va
riety is rs large rs the Baldwin. This un-
natural size of the crab apple is attained by
hybridlzation, from the English apple.
THE Peach" apple rs not crab, nor
n crab hybrid.-EDIToR FARMER Mr..
Bryant explained the method of doing this,
and il is accomplished by the use of the pol
len in the poisoning season. The process
is repeated two or three times, increasing
the size at each repetition. There are few
localities here where most kinds of apples
will do middling well; some parts of Kirby,
rs for instance Mr.. Rislcys farm. and also
there are some very excellent varieties in
Waterford bu; rs Il general thing we shohli
not place much dependence upon raising APP
pies here,-not all kinds. Better pay our
attention more particularly TO something
else, and buy apples.
Is Il wrong to raise q crop Of Tobacco
G.. Potter: do not know of any use for
tobacco unless 1t is to kill lice. Ipresume |
shall take an unpopular side of this question,
especially to those who use the weed. But /
claim that il is wrong 10 raise it, from this
fact. 1t is wrong to lay temptation before
your neighbor. In the first place what bene-
eft is it to any one to smoke or chew this
weed? have yet to learn that any benefit
has ever been derived from it. 1t Is merely
81 habit, and boys form it by seeing others
smoke and chew, rs they think it is smart.
and commence little by little till they have
acquired the habit in all its intensity. Con-
necticut is growing tobacco very extensively,
'l'' INCREASING ito IlbNhNAiOh Nhluhs lHtl
excuse themselves in this state by saying it
is the most profitable crop they can raise.
This is no excuse. If they would manage
their farms rs well rs we do in Vermont,
they could, think, make other crops more
useful and profitable to them. The general
opinion is that they are fifty years behind
Vermont in the Improvement of agriculture.
My idea is if we lay the temptation in the
way OF others, we are rs bad ourselves.
The ma ority present expressed their agree
ment with Mr.. Potter's theory, although the
checks of some seemed TO indicate that by
some means a generous portion of the
weed had found its way into their heads
previous to the speakers appeals.
Mr.. j. Grout in his earnest, passionate
manner related ease in his family of hall
II dozen or more boys tending to show that
the bad example Of smoking and chewing is
not always followed, as both he and his wife
used tobacco constantly without mparting
the contngion TO their children.
Diseases Of Horses.
A. II. Hoyey, after drawing the above sub
jcct, said he never felt his inicriority so much
in his life, ms his experience only extended to
two cases of sickness among his horses, and
those very slight, and Of common occur
renee.
As no one seemed prepared to speak on
this topic it was omitted, and one of the
younger members having the question on
Fences, gave il up to Mr. Hovey who spoke
upon it as follows;
We must fence according to circumstances
| II is best TO fence with stones when they can
be obtained cheaply. In Waterford It seems
the only way, but here in st. Johnsbury We
must use boards and posts to some extent
and four feet high is sufficient, though many
build higher. Ii you add half foot in height
it is twice rs liable to blow over or get crush
ed by snow drifts. always put the stones
we remove from the field into stone wall, as
this is good way to get rid of them, and al
the same time makes the best kind of fence
! calculate to put up about twenty rods Of
wall each year have over 900 rods now
and find ii helps amazingly in repairing
fences in spring.
should the Farmers OF New England he
Increased
l.. Cheney speaking on this, said there was
room enough here for more farmers, and by
more thorough cultivation on grass land they
might be greatly increased to advantage
A. X. IIoyey; Mr. Cheney is correct.
should like to see more farmers brought into
the field here in New England, and will
tell you where | would like to obtain them
if indeed they ever could be made good fol
anything. And first, II large share Of the
merchants and spectators could well b'
spared from their idle counters TO take theil
place in the ranks Of producers. Then above
ALL these sewing machine and book agents
these great nuisanccs so thickly scattered
over the country, trying to sell machines fol
$65, that cost, rs near as can learn, abou
see. They ought to take up the shovel ant