The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-11-17
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN
WALKS AND TALKS on the FARM

Zig Feeding, and Quality Of American Bacon
Competition with tho Agricultural Products
Of Europe.
We make the following extracts from
Mr.. Harris last paper in the American
/:
Yesterday" said the Deacon. "a
farmer took load OF clover hay to Rocb.
ester, and all he could get for it was $40
per ton Another farmer took load Of
wheat straw, and sold il readily for Sl2
per ton This does not look as though
farmers had much faith in your chemical
notion, that the manure from ton of
clover hay is worth three times as much
as from ton Of straw. The facts seem
to be against you" 80 much the worse
for the facts" replied But | am
not going to argue that matter with you.
There are some things so well established
that it is no use listening 10 the objections
Of those who do not understand what
they are talking about. A farmer who
sells clover hay at the above prices. and
keeps his straw, lie not a wise map. When
he cap exchange of straw for half ton
OF bran he had better do it,
You pretend TO be able to tell" said
the Deacon, what ton OF manure is
worth; but notice that the chemists diff.
fer very much among themselves as to the
value of the same identical manure and
| do not see how you can tell with any
certainty how much good ton Of manure
VIII do No one pretends to do SO. -
What We say is this Here are two sam.
Piles of barn-yard manure in about the
same condition. One contains twice NJ
much nitrogen. phosphorio acid, and pot.
ash, as the other, and we say. if one is
worth 81 per ton, the other is worth 50
per ton. We do not say that if you put
20 tons OF the former, or 10 tons Of the
latter upon an aero Of land, the difference
Of the crops will be worth $50. This
may or may have not been the case. The
chemists estimate Of the value of differ.
ent manures is based on their chemical
composition, and on the condition Of the
ingredients. The chemist does not under.
take to tell farmer, whether he csn az
ford to buy sulphate of ammonia, or nj.
trate Of soda, to SOW on bis wheat or bar.
ley crop. But if you are going to SOW
these manures, the chemist can tell you
to certainty which of two samples Is
tue cheapest for you to Guy. For iu.
stance. be finds Dne sample contain. 90
per cent. of ammonia and the other IS
per cent. If he tells you the latter is
worth S12 per ton, and the former SIS
per ton, hc merely uses these figures in u
comparative sense. If he should say the
one was worth $50, and the other IA he
would be equally correct. He has moth.
ing to do with the commercial value on
the one hand, or the fertiizing value on
The other. The latter must be determined
BY the experience of farmers themselves.
and on repeated experiments. Where
wheat is worth only rs cents per bushol,
and other crops on the same scale, ammo.
MIA is only worth half as much to far.
mer as in section where wheat is worth
$3.50 per bushel. When an agent for
some artificial fertilizer shows me whole
string Of testimonials as to the value Of
his fertilizer, l tell him that a good anal.
ysis would be more satisfactory to no
than an actual trial on my own land and
under my own eye. A man need not
swallow lot of Glauber salts to tell if
they are pure. The chemis, cannot tell
him whether he needs dose of the salt
but IA can tell him whether the salts arr
genuine or not. Chemistry cannot tell
rs whether our land needs this or that
manure, but it can tell US whether the
manure is genuine or spurious. If far
mers had clearer views on this subject
the sale of inferior or worthless fertilizer.
would soon cease.
AT the present price Of corn, foe mid
dlings and pork. there is more profit il
feeding pigs in this section than We have
enjoyed for some years. Furthermor,
lard is In good demand, and packers dis
criminate in favor of fine boned well.fed
hogs. In Chicago, " grassers are quo
ted at cents per pound, and dull Of salo
while an extra, choice, well bred and well
iattened pig, would bring 8 cents live
weight. This is as it should be. The
latter, even at this greater difference in
the price, is far cheaper to the consumer
than the former. And it makes quite O
difference to farmer, whether he hat
hfty " grassers weighing l75 lbs. each
to sell at &c. per h., or City choice well
bred and well fed pigs, at the same age
that will average 300 lbs at Sc The
former lot will bring s437.5O. and the
latter $1,000. We ought to produce the
best pork, lard and hams in the world
and secure the highest PRICES in the Eng
hSh market. Instead of this, Irish ham.
are quoted in London. at 90 to "a cent.
per ID, aud American hams at IS to Il
cents, And there is corresponding dii
ference IN the price Of pork. | asked
Mr. DeVoe, our largest pork packer What
was the reason American pork sold 50
low in Europe. p" vot is the reason p
he exclaimed, &" will tell you Why. Va
think they are vools over there. Va
think anything is good enough for them
Fork that We would not eat aere ye shin
Tor Europe. sent several barrels O.
Po'h IN present 10 my friends 10 Ger
many, and they said it vas most excellent
but that most Of the American pork they
got vas vile stuff The captain Of Z
steamer running from Hamburger to New
York,von gave bis crew American porL
ca their return voyage. Great vas thu
grumbling. And ven they got to Ham
burg they refused to continue on the shir
until the captain had given them a writ
ten agreement to never again give then
American pork -
A large grocer and provision dealer il
StaHordshire, once told me that be bough
quantity Of Ohio bacon, and retailed i
out at good profit. and with much salts
faction to his customers. The next 10
be bought was SO poor that he could no
dispose Of it. Since then" said he
have been afraid to deal 10 the arti
Gle. IT It was always as good as tina
first lot, / could sell large ouantitics