Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-16
Agricultural Novelties.

There arc certasn indications that A rrent
deal of costly experience is TO be obtained
tha coming season by the farmers of the east
20 and middle states. Agents Of obscure
nurseries are around with agricultural "noy-
elites" and the unsuspecting ruralists are
greedily biting at the bare hook which the
smooth tongued sinners so we'll know how
to throw. Some of these novelties" In
stead Of being "new," arc rs old, or older
than the mon who offer them for sale The
claim that they are ''rare" must be partially
admitted. They have not been generally in
troduced but it is because they are utterly
unworthy of cultivation. But it does not
speak well for the intelligence of the aver
age farmer that in these hard times, when
money is so difficult to obtain, he is ready to
order the bush Alpine strawberry at six dol
lars per hundred plants and think that for
this outrageous price he is obtaining either
'new." "rare," or valuable variety. Buy
ing Utah" cherry trees ut three dollars
each is little better. When well known and
perfectly reliable nurserymen offer plants
and trees of proved and really valuable vari-
cites for ono quarter the price which travel
ers charge for kinds of which they know
nothing, which have no recognized value
and will never have any respectable rcputa-
ton, 1t is strange that farmers will so far
lose sight of their own interest and make
such public display of their own ignorance
as 10 invest their money in these clap-trap
goods of unknown and ignorant peddlers
who have no reputation to sustain and who,
like the unjust judge, neither fear God nor
regard man. And this, too, in spite of the
exposures which are made of this class of
dealers every year in the agricultural journ-
ais and the experience which so many OBJ
tain by dealing with them. But this bust
ness is not confined to dealers in fruit trees
and garden plants. New" varieties of corn
are occasionally introduced. "new" types of
the wheat plant are not uncommon, and
great discoveries" are sometimes made of
magnificent varieties of oats. The great
majority of these "new" kinds are no inn
prOvement whatever. In many cases they
are decidedly inferior to the old SORTS which
they attempt to displace. At intervals of
about five years there have been brought in
to notice for the past thirty or forty years n
valuable" variety of oats which were claim
ed to be so much more prolific than the or
binary kinds that their introduction would
be national blessing as well As sure
source of wealth for the whole fraternity OF
farmers. The "hulless" oats are now being
introduced" by the travelling philanthropists
who have the good of farmers so much al
heart. But the claim put forth for them this
year Is not ut all remarkable. From forty
to fifty bushels (by weight to the acre
This is certainly II good yield but we have
equaled it with the Norways and also, or
one occasion, with the common white oats
There is nothing specially unusual about the
yield that is claimed for them but the price
is "fearful;" one dollar per pound, or twenty
per bushel! In conclusion let us say "Who
SO is simple. let him turn in hlther; and a,
for him that wanteth understanding" let hin
deal with these traders in the "new" anC
"rare;" but the man who is wise will pu
them upon the same level as the "retiret
clergymen" and hope that their remaining
sands of life" will soon run out. II novel
ties are desired al abundant supply can b.
obtained of honest dealers and those VIII,
have no money to throw away will find i
for their happiness to deal only with reliable
men.-NeU ENGLAND Homestead