National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-04-04
Farm, Garden and Household,
A New England Farmers, Climb,

New England Farmers, Climb,
A new organization ia the interest O
agriculture is proposed and convento,
10, 'he purpose OF discussing the matter
VIII sc on be held IN Boston. II is pro
posed to give the organization the nam,
Vi .hs New England Farmers Club
A"' ann is to form soit of farmers
cSena lge, in which information respect.
ing the condition and prospects of the
crops, the yield of the harvest, as
respects particular crops, the condition
OF soil, Of weather and of cultivation,
ETC., under which n specially notable
crop may have been produced, shall be
gathered Mt central point, and having
oeeh collated and put in proper shape
Tor publication, shall be distributed by
circulars or through the newspapers
from week to week or month TO month.
Inc anticipated utility of the scheme
mas n variety of phases, one of which is
To prevent farmers from being heeced
OF the just rewards of their labors by
middlemen." The exploits of the
latter class are pretty generally the re-
suit oil the possession of reliable infor-
nation on their part and lack of it on
the part of the farmers. For example
the Spectator in hay will take pains to
post himself mp respecting the actual
yield and the condition, whether well
cured or otherwise, of the great hay
crop Of the State of Maine. Ascertain
ing IN particular season that that crop
has been unusually small, or having
been equal or more than the average
gathered in bad weather. he feels con-
hdent enough to make n raid up the
CONNECTICUT valley, buying right and
left at tho farmers prices. The hard
handed producers, lacking explicit in
formation from Maine, sell out their
surplus crop, and find out, when too
late, that these nimble gentry, who
come and go by railroad, have been
practically picking the farmers pockets.
Another year the farmers of Maine may
be the victims. This is only one point,
however. Information res pecting the
modus operandi of particular success,
II IL come at first hand and be crcum-
stantially stated, may be of much value;
otherwise not. What use is it, for ex-
ample, to publish in the newspaper,
even II 1t be true, that man in Canaan,
N. H., has raised n thousand bushels of
onions to the acre, having sowed on
the 10th OF May the King Richard or
some other notable variety of seed
Another man n hundred miles away,
next year, puts in the same kind of
seed on the corresponding day, and his
crop proves not worth gathering. The
information wanted, to be of value, is
not only of the seed and the date, but
' ~ soil, the weather, the cultivation,
lne PRESENCE or absence of destructive
Insects, ana, II Present, how they were
lought on, and, in fact, all the details.
NOW II thousand farmers, more or t
ess, scattered over New England be-
come members of the club, agree to {
regularly exact information. 1
getting their recompense in the process
II reciprocation, the farming business
nay become unit, as the lumber in.
crest, the lime interest, the coal inter
st. or the like. The expense would be !
hiehy If not wholly the salary of :,
ecretary, who, OF course, would be /,
INSTANTLY kept busy at head quarters. /
,,atcnlng the agricultural aspects of =
'ew England and reporting the proba- :.
'ilitles or the certainties, as the signal
hlcer at Washington watches and re-
'orts the state OF the weather for the Y
eneht OF the whole country "
Views or Feeding. -
l. have tried various experiments in +
'eding both cooked and uncooked feed /,
nd am satisfied it will never pay far :,
Ter to cook food for any kind of stock II
Mess 1t may be hens. If / desired hens a. y,
lay III winter | should want them to
~ potatoee, and variety of other feed 10
similar nature, and would cook ~,
art OF the feed, but / should rely most a'
on raw corn and oats, and should feed -,
he cooked food the same day it was nj
,oked. p,'
The best success everhad in feeding ~
hog was to get 3! pounds of pork from ~
pounds of corn in the ear. This was ~
stag hog, four years old, of the Suf. W. W.
tx Dreed, one remove from the i'm m
'rted stock. He was shut up in close -,
IN on the ground and fed 10 pounds of th
I'm day, 100 days. / had SOW of -
@ same age shut mp on floor beside o
m which l considered better hog o.
ID larger. She was fed in the same w.
y, and got about 3 pounds of pork ,o
lay on this one, and have no doubt ~,
10 lost 100 pounds by her being on ne
or. l also think that both would have H. H.
ne better by having larger quarters w. w.
the ground. My experience of so az
ars In this line teaches that farmers
zen make three grave mistakes in the
g business LIST, In not having a good
ough hog. Fl, In feeding too heavy. on
In combining in too close quarters. ,un
would never feed hog, weighing w. w.
der 400, over 10 or II pounds of corn u.s." ass
lay. | would never shut up a hog if oa'
ould let him have Il acre field with 90. ..'
ter in it, alongside of corn field. ;.e
tn dry ground to feed on.-C. s. a ma
on7pson. "o'
How 10 Choose Good Cow. ssa1
The Grumpy horn is a good indica- a q
a; a full eye another. Her head mil
'nld be small and short. Avoid the VII
man nose; this indicates thin milk. anl
but little OF it. See that she is rim
he'd IN the face-sunk between the ta;,
IS. Notice that she is what stock an;
call good handler-skin soft and n :
Sc, like the skin on the dog. Deep n
N the loin to the udder, and a very pra
tail. A COW with these marks t t,iT
er fails to be good mixer. If
IL, -