St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-05-08

vi l'blilit'l 'lt at lh sl'i' A'i
camblics. and we prefer the plain polo
naiSc tor such materials. - Daily Graphic
Subsidiary Crops.
snap for April. But, what of it? 1t
has scarcely done any harm. that we
know of. to anyb"dy i'll the regions
roundabout here. The buds had not
opened. the grass and grain were not
Springing. and the frost found nothing
ut' consequence to nip. In some local.
ties. and in exceptional cases. doubtless
this snow and frost have proved unSea-
sonablr. though not untimely: but. ON
the other hand. and in broad view.
they have brought to large classes OF
men very large benefits.
1t has been proverh. time ont ot
mind. that Il spring snow is the porI
mans manure. Probably not all oi
those who quote the provcrb exactly
understand the nature of the truth that
underlicS it. As we understand the
matter. the spring snow Is, i'll lis COM
position. Just like any other SNOW: it is
CONCEALED water: as such. II has some
D III lN~tli w CIV " 'ht ''ll ~ '''i'
not in what il gives - much as in what
it saves is its real service to he found ;
it is always an excellent uon-conduct"r
of heat. and serves to keep the earth
warmer than il would he without such
clothing: but it is the grand peculiari-
ty of the spring SNOW. and the very
thing that makes it the poor man
manure, that ii holds down and ah>orhS
into itself the fertile gases that are al
ways arising from the earth III the
spring-time. and gives these back again
to the earth Ill the form of fctilized
water. all ready to stimulate the growth
of plants. This i the reason why Il
late SNOW on the grass or grain already
springing makes them look greener and
thriftier than Il shower of rain will do.
OF course. after the snow iS melted.
much also remains To frIctify the earth
at once. aud thus becomes the manure
for the poor mans and the rich man :
fields.
The late cold snap. accordingly. was
not ii matter of encouragement to the
farmers. 1t was probably blessing To
them in disguise. At all events. the
time has now come when they will de
shall he put for the season now OPEN
ing. We want TO Recommend Ia them
Ia give some attention, this season, to
few crops subsidiary to their main
ones. There is a principle involved i'll
this advice which we do not now re-
member to have seen stated in any of
the agricultural papers or reports. name
ly. this. that when principal agricul-
tural product is low in price. that very
fact tends to make subordinate pro-
ducts higher i'll price. Putting the same
economical principle i'll other words, it
will stand thus: The more plentiful
and cheap are any of the first necessa-
rics of life, that is, articles which are
demanded universally, and III nearly
equal quantities 10y all. the wider the
demand and the higher the price. 81
far forth, of what may he called the
second necessaries of life because. the
people having occasion to spend less
on the prime articles. will have more
to spend Oh the secondary articles. 1t
is in this sense that cheap bread means
dear cheese: and though in less degree,
cheap hay means dear oats.
This principle has been illustrated
many times over in the history of every
nation: but never better. perhaps. than
in England after the abolition of the
corn laws in 1919. The removal of the
duties on foreign grain greatly cheaper
ed bread in England: but the gloomy
predictions of reStrictionists that the
cultivation of English land would he
lcSScEcd and the rents of land dImiu-
ished. i'll consequence, proved to be en-
L.
ly extended. and the rent of agricultural
land has steadily risen, because. while
bread is uniformly low, the demand for
dairy products and other secondary
nccessarics has been constantly inrreas-
ing. The wheat harvest of England.
whether it prove abundant or other
wise, has scarcely preceptible intlu-
ence Oh the price of flour in Liverpool :
Il difference in price of IL few pennies
per barrel will bring in flour thither
from the Black sea, the Baltic ports
and the United States. Still. British
agriculture is very profitable under the
principle that we have Just indicated.
Our New England farmers ought to
understand this principle. and act on ii.
True. they have properly enough given
up the raising of wheat; and pretty
much also, for Fictitious reasons not
always to exist, the raising of wool {:
still, they are too apt t" coniine them
selves to one staple, and thus lose the
chance of having two or three strings
to their bow. Not that we would have
them give equal prominence to two or
three staples, but every year to have in
connection with their leading product
some subsidiary things to sell. and thus
increase their average chance of profit.
TO grow grass and sell hay is good
thing; perhaps with most New England
farmers it is the best thing but there
should always be in connection with
this, though subordinate to it. root
crop. OF fruit crop, or a crop of oats
or barley, OF some other crop adapted
to the special soil to fall back on in
case the main one fails OF sells cheap.
To grow grass and keep dairy is
another good thing in New England {:
but only under conditions similar to
those just mentioned. We have known
one or two farmers to do well by keep
ing right on with their wOol-raising.
year after year, for the last fifteen