The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-25


as Vermont has not many she should
spare.
Meeting of the State Board of Agricul-
turp, &C.. mt Brandon.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
After the address Of President Buck.
ham, the subject of the afternoon, imam.
uring and restoration Of worn out lands),
was renewed, by DR.. Iloskins, who stated
10 begin that it was II mistake to suppose
an apparent exhausted farm is as poor as
it appears, it is only exhausted of some
OF the elements Of plant food for growing
some kinds of crops. A member of the
Board of Agriculture in New Hampshire
makes it a profitable business to buy worn
out farms, restore them to fertility, and
then sell them ut an enhanced price. Out
of condition is better term than worn
out, as applied to farms run down and
apparently exhausted.
Thorough tillage was one Of the best
means to renovate worn out soils. Ro-
tation was also one of the best, but we
must use phosphates, and we need phcs-
phoric acid, and we must use the bones
too many of them now going to waste.
Green crops to be plowed under should
be raised. His own land had been ex-
hausted of potash by raising potatoes and
he had restored it to fertility by buying
and applying ashes, and il would never
have proved profitable without. Gener-
ally farms were too large. His own was
II acres and he sold FIVE.
He had so improved it while his crops
had paid from the start) that the man
he purchased it of had offered him twice
what he paid for it, but he asked him
three times, and he thought it would take
the original owner five years to reduce
its value as low as when he sold it.
Glover seed and plaster were needed
to restore much land to fertility, as they
will convert the insolube phosphates in
the land to a soluble state. In blowing
in clover the best practice is to pillow in
the second crop the second year, the roots
running deeper, making more plant food
to dccomposc, and also to improve the
soil. Clover was the best crop, rye next
oats next. buckwhcat poorest. He had
owned his present farm for seven years,
and he thought it encouraging to those
whose lands were odt of condition, tha'
it had paid from the start. In reply to
question, the Doctor said he valued un.
leache1 ashes at 20 and leachcd at cents
cents per bushel.
Rev. John Wilder of Charlotte eulo.
gized Vermont and said DR., Hoskins
could not buy any Of his ashes. Clover
was good to bring up Vermont soils, but
buckwheat was bad.
WEDNESDAY MORNING.
This morning the meeting was opened
by paper read by our friend, j. L.
Crane of Bridport, on Bee Culture.
The paper was an excellent one, and
handled the subject as no one but prac.
tical man thoroughly acquainted with his
subject could treat it. 1t was we'll re.
ceived. AS we hope to be able to pub.
lish it soon, we shall not make any mutt
lated abstract of it here.
After reading the paper, Mr.. Crane
placed himself in the position of an inter.
rogation target, and stood running fire
Of questions from all over the room. The
readiness with which he replied in q
plain common sense way to them al
showed him master of his subject, and
able to give reasons for his views anc
practice. To only one question he wa,
obliged to answer that he did not know
and the frankness with which he owned
|. gave his hearers more confidence in hi
answers to the rest of the questions. w,
give MIR. Cranes reply to some of tn,
questions.
He used the Langstroth form of hive
or modification of it; had used thu
kidder hive some, but found he could no
afford to use it any longer. The onl,
patent he considered any improvement il
bee keeping Was the movable comb prin
ciple, and he considered it best 10 tn
Langstroth hive.
He thought his average product O
honey was some sixty pounds per hive
From 90 swarms he had received owe
1000 pounds, had received as high a
24O pounds of liquid honey from on
swarm, taken out of the comb with a
extractor, which sold at about half til
price of box honey. He estimated tn
average profit of his bees at about 81,
per swarm.
He estimated that about one large be
keeper for school district was enough
or one for radius Of two and hal
miles. lie had not found the asike Gle
yer very successful for hay. 1t was NOR
apt to lodge than other kinds, but it wa
excellent for bee pasturage. 1t was
most beautiful crop when growing, an
gave of very sweet aroma when in bios
som or when cured for hay. 1t was NOR
hardy than red clover, especially in We
soils. He usually sowed it with herd
grass. The roots do not run down :
deep as red clover but between that an
white clover. A ridge was better tina
hollow for location, as the temper;
ture was more even and the atmosphel
not SO much affected by dampness. Me-
was good to feed in spring, Sugar au
water thin was preferable to thicker, moi
stimulating food.
A paper upon highways was then Tea
by Hon. A. B. I1albert Of Essex. sho
abstract Of which we give.
The farmers were more interested {
the subject Of good roads than any 9th
class. The present defective mode of r
pairing roads was then given and col
mented upon. A more desirable VI
was then proposed and recommends
Perfect draining was desirable. and Oft
undertaking. A rounded form al
hard surface were indispensable. T
elrth from the bitches usually used W
one of the poorest materials that cou
be used. (The effect Of this has be
very clearly experienced by this pracii
on some Of the streets in this village.
En-