Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-07-31
General 9griruIture.
THE IMPROVEMENT OF LANDS
BY GRAIN-GRoWlNe.

summary Of paper read before the Farm
ers' Meeting OF the hoard of ARrIcuItare
at RtVergennes, by II. bailey, Esq, OF nrid-
port.
When my friend who is absent ask ed me
to prepare paper to present to this inteli-
gent convention, composed Of the best Of
farmers from all parts Of the state, sup
posed him joking. But, he assuring me
that he was not. concluded to comply with
his request, although it was new business to
me. Not that | felt able to instruct or ed-
fy my brother farmers here assembled, but
as every experimental failure made by one
farmer is so much knowledge gained by the
community in which the experiment was
made, although the experimenter Temporal
rily was the loser thereby and knowing the
diiidence of my fellow farmers 10 regard to
writing or speaking upon their profession,
and giving others the benefits Of thoir ex.
periences therein, thought perhaps
might by my experiment induce others to
give us some Of the light they are conceal
ing under bushel. And now if my re-
marks arc rambling you will excuse me
when you consider the vast field there is for
thought in the science and practice OF ag-
riculture.
do not propose so much TO instruct, as l
do to arouse thought and discussion among
my brother farmers here assembled, hoping
that we will each and all be benefited
thereby.
The science or practice Of agriculture,
like many others Of our arts aud sciences, is
yet in its infancy, although it is the FIRST oc-
cupation followed by men, of which we have
any record, and during all this time it has
not only been the foundation of mans exist
cnce, but all other occupations 10 the me-
chanical or commercial world are founded
thereon; therefore If there is one class Of
community that can live independent Of the
other classes it is the farmers. Hence |
consider il one Of the noblest occupations
man can engage in, also it is an occupation
that God himself honored by starting our
first parents as tilers of the ground, by
command. And furthermore it has been
honOred by having enrolled amongst their
number some Of the best men the world
ever knew.
But still let us not forget, that though we
eau for while live independent Of every
other occupation, we are in reality as much
at this day indebted to those in the other
callings Of life as they are to us, although
many farmers seem to think differently
Strike out of existence to-day the merchant
and manufacturer, and with our present
high state of intellectual development how
soon would mankind retrograde back to
Standardization and assume again the noma-
die life. Therefore let US live on the best
Of terms with our brothers in the other
callings Of life, and acknowledge our indebt-
edness to them, while we every day use for
our comfort and convenience the cunning de-
vices Of the inventors brain, and the luxu-
ries and benefits derived from the merchant.
But am not here TO argue the claims of
any but my brother farmers, and l do claim
that there is yet in reserve for them rich
field for investigation and the pleasures Incl
dent thereto, as well as the SO much coveted
possession OF worldly goods. Now as the
latter is so desirable, how should We lay the
foundation for it? Some will say by being
moro saving of our money or means Now
be careful, my friend, that by following such
advice you do not become n miserly farmer,
who, let him be ever so successful in laying
up gold and silver, is no great benefit to com.
mGnity or to himself.
Our farm products being all Of two kinds,
animal and vegetable, derive their nourish-
mcnt from the air, earth, and water. The
animal of course has its sustenance prepared
for its maintenance and growth in natures
vegetable laboratory, and here | shall leave
the merits Of our animals and their products
for others 10 discuss, while | discuss some
Of the principal of our vegetable products
and Row We can increase them. Now while
we find our farm crops growing in the soil and
nourished by the elements before named, two
Of their elements we find never failing and
ready at oil times to give maximum crops If
the earth will but do its share. Hence on
our land alone we must depend for any in.
crease OF our crops.
We find as we look over our farms va
riety OF soils aud surface, and it has been
said that we are living on skeleton farms,
our fertilizers having consumed the meat,
and with due respect to the early settler, we
admit that it is in some measure true. The
early pioneer had enough to contend with,
many times, TO provide sustenance, schooling,
&c, for his family, together with his annual
payments and interest, though small it was,
TO cancel the mortgage and secure the
coveted deed that would secure for him the
anticipated home for his comfort in his de-
clining years, without stopping and looking
about him to see what the condition Of his
farm would be after the virgin soil had lost
its fertility. have often been told Of the
enormous crops that used to grow in this
Champlain valley, by old people living here.
in, and at that at the time they were raising
such crops they supposed the soil inexhaust.
ible. Like ideas at this time are hold by
many farmers in the West, but 10 the end
their land will become like ours, aud must
be restored by intelligent farming to its for.
mer productiyeness, it we would get the
profit from it We ought. Now tho great
question arises, How shall we do it2 And
here We have theorist after theorist, each of
whom has discovered the great panacea for
its restoration to fertility, and they are
many times as blatant Of its praises as our
quack medicine men are of their vile com-
pounds aud often Of as little worth. What
is wanting to restore our land to its former
productiveness Why, common sense tells
us at once to put back what we have taken
from it, and otherwise restore it TO its nat
ural condition. How shall we do it2 That
is the great problem. We will first take
our fiat land, Of which we have 80 much in
this valley, SO rich in vegetable mold that
it was thought to be inexhaustible at one
time, and was even called natural manure
bed. But We find most Of it to-day unprO-
ductve and much Of it only growing the
wild grapes, and those of stinted growth.
Let us first examine the subsOil, and If shat
is Of a tenacious nature aud has become
packed hard by the operations Of the plow
which, gliding over it year Af.er year with
the weight Of the upturuing fIrrow thereon,
has become so compact that the surface wa.
ter will not penetrate but remain upon it,
keeping the surface soil saturated with wa.