Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-03-12

The Ross System of Cultivation.
The following is tho report of the comm it.
tee on planting and hoeing after the Ross
system, last fall, in Vernon:
Much has been said, for six years past,
about the Ross System of Cultivation and
his implements for raising crops by horse
power instead of tho old method of hand la
Dor; and we must say, that we, as we'll MS
most of the farming community, were very
skeptisal on the subject, and gave 1t but lit
tie attention until OF late, although having
frequently seen his implements, and heard
much said about them; also had seen some
OF the work which our neighbors had done,
without any instructions; and from what we
had heard and seen done, passed it by, near
ly unnoticed, as one of the humbugs Of the
day, mostly like many other implements Tor
extorting money from the farmers, and have
remained OF that opinion until the 18th Of
August, 1874, when we were chosen disin-
terested committee by eleven farmers. who
formed themselves into u club tor the ex-
press purpose of planting, cultivating, hoe
ing and raising the heaviest crops of corn
after the Ross system of cultivation, and al
so to contend for the premiums given by
Ross u Co. for the best work done and heav-
lest crops grown without the use of the hand
hoe; and, for the purpose of awarding those
premiums, we endeavored to perform our
duty.
The object of Ross Il Co. in forming hoe
ing clubs and paying premiums for both
work and crops is to show to the farmers OF
Vermont and the New England states, that
they can grow corn at u greater profit here
than at the West. And also, that it can be
grown here on most pieces for the fodder
and have the corn n net profit; also on
many pieces II margin on the fodder rs profit
after paying all expense ut fair average pric-
es for the labor performed. In order to show
That fact and sustain it so as to convince
men, there is no course which can be taken,
equal to actual experiments, by organizing
planting clubs in different towns of ten TO
twenty farmers. and by so organizing you
will get an average variety aud quality OF
soils, manures and fertilizers, an average
variety and quality of preparations for the
seed bed, skilled and unskilled men to op.
crate all kinds of implements to perform the
work. IL is rs essential to have tough, rug
ged soil to operate on, rs free and easy; and
especially if it should fall on the hands OF
men who understand their machines. Il is
also equally essential to have the unskilled
man in the club rs to have those who are
perfectly skilled; and by having this variety
of Qnilc
for seed bed, and men with the same kind
oi implvments to operate with, 1t can readily
be seen where, how, what and who was in
fault in the operation; when. If there was
but one in n town, it would be like an agri-
cultural college in a state. The experiments
on one farm, and under the direction of one
man, will not answer for tho masses. As
the farms, men, and manner of operation
differ, more or less, and sometimes very ma
terially, and, under the same management
and application on all farms, the productions
on many would be to their great disappoint-
ment; where, ii ten, twenty or thirty were
experimenting, each in different locations,
and after his own manner, there could be
some general information obtained from
the whole which would be more satisfactory
to all.
After understanding what our duty was,
we proceeded to the field of each contestant
to discharge it, and to our own satisfaction
we found the planting and hoeng done hard
to be beaten with hand hoes, and at n triiing
expense, when compared with hand labor.
On hearing the report Of each contestant, as
ViGitnH ihai. EalHa a.,
plant and hoe an acre through the season
after the Ross system to vary from five to
twelve hours for man and horse. The wide
difference was owing to speed of horse to
perform the work, soil to operate on, and
manner in which the work was done. We
found variety of work, from large, heavy
wide hill, to II low, fiat hull, or nearly flat
1t was plain to be seen from
he different pieces, who understood how to
adjust and operate the machines for both
and hOeing. 1t readily appears
That 1t is no fault of the implement If the
work of both planting and hoeing is not well
lone. AS they arc adjustable to plant thick
Or thin, and hoe deep or shallow, wide or
narrow, make high or low, largo or small
hills, MS best suits the operator, we found
where the Ross system had been strictly fol-
lowed from the beginning, there were very
lew weeds, the ground thoroughly pulverz-
ed, and crops well hoed, with full average
amount of crop for tho soil on which they
we're grown. BY an estimate ofthe commit |
zee, the yield was found to be from thirty to
twenty-five bushels of shelled corn to the |
'cre, and fodder in proportion.
Those receiving premiums for the best
planting and hoeing. were rs follows:
First premium, Isaiah johnson and SOU |
BIO; second, Lorenzo Brown and son, 81; |
bird, NJ. Tread, SO.
Those receiving premiums for the heaviest |
crop of corn, were: First premium, NJ. j.
Read, IS; second, j. G. Weatherbce, SO
bird, N. +. Bryant, 50.
After visiting the several fields, and exam
ming the planting, hoeing, and crops, we
're of the opinion that as good crops, If not
'etter, can be grown after the Ross system
With his implements, rs can DO raised with
land labor, mt n saving of three-fourths of
he expense of planting and hoeing on suita-
Die land TO operate the machines, and n
much more thorough pulvorization Of the
oil and determination of the weeds. For
he benefit of the farmers who have suitable
and, we should recommend the Ross system
# cultivation and his implements as superior
o any other known to us.
Respectfully submitted,
S. b. HoUGHToN,
ERAsTUs TYLER,
FRANKLIN BARBAR,
ALvAH SCoTT,
s. s. MILLER,
Committee-all of Vernon, VT.