Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-02-27
Reported for tho VERMONT FARMER
Trout River Farmers Club.

The meeting on Feb. 18th at Martins
Hall, in Montgomery village, was well at
tended, Notwithstanding the severe storm.
All our other meetings have been held in
the evening this was in the daytime.
From other meetings we have gone away
hungry; from this we went away. we'll fed
aud at peace with all the world.
II. Hopkins read us q paper on The
Farm; its Management and Products, -
which was we'll written, well read, and re.
ceived with enthusiasm.
After the reading of Mr.. Hopkins paper
the meeting took a recess for luncheon, which
was provided by our wives and daughters
aud brought in for the occasion. We had
pies of all kinds except the poor kinds; we
had none of them cakes that would move
the heart Of q bachelor; bread that would
cure the dyspepsia but prominent among
all the good things to eat was good, old
fashioned New England dish of baked beans,
accompanied by plate Of Indian bread
and the way they were received was pretty
good evidence that the art of cooking them
is not lost, and that the stock Of men and
women has not degenerated
Alter dinner the house was called to or.
der and Mr.. VIM. A. Comings read paper
on "The best breed Of Cattle for a Butter
Dairy" Mr.. Comings said he knew but
little about this subject, and prepared this
paper under protest. But he thought we
were under obligations to look into this mat
ter, as the product of our diaries was ouI
main dependence. By increasing the yield
OF butter from our COWS we could secure
more Of the comforts of life, do moro for
the education Of our children, more for the
moral and religious improvement Of our
community, aud be able to pay our hired
help better wages. He had no doubt the
product Of all our diaries could be increased
irem fifty to one hundred per cent. He had
no money invested in fancy stock had nc
pet breed, and no "ax to grind" Tha. the
Durhams, Ayrshires, Jerseys, aud natives all
have their merits we cannot deny, but his
views Of the matter was this Breed from
our best mixers and raise some good COWS
and call them if you please the Franklin
County breed. The raising Of heifers, q
practice becoming quite general among
farmers at the present day, is n step in the
right direction. Mr.. Comings related o
little Of his own experience in raising COWS
to show that the sire as we'll as the dam o.
heifer must be from good milking stock
A village blacksmith had very fine COW
from which he could make Ia pounds o
butter per week One spring she had bull
calf which Mr.. Comiugs bought. lie raiset
several hefers of which that bull was tn,
father, and all Of them proved valuable
cows for the dairy.
Others related facts going to show tina
the progeny of good milking stock is almos
sure to be valuable for dairy purposes. AL
the pure bloods as well as natives had thei
friends among us, but except the Shorthorn
none Of them have been long enough owneC
among US so that we could give any fact
from our own experience respecting thei
merits.
Heman Hopkins, Jr., who owns a herd o
Shorthorns, said he owned high grad
Shorthorn which gave at two years of age
in the best Of the season, 3S pounds o
milk day. Could not tell what per cent
Of that was cream, but knew it was GOO
milk Of full average richness.
At our next meeting, first Thursday il
March, our subjects are "Potatoes-Va
rieties and Culture" "DOes it pay to fee
grain to Stock 2" and Mrs. John Hea
will tell us how "that bread" was made.
SILAs HOPKINS, Sec.