Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-02-11

developed fully then each town should have
the higher English school that the opportu.
nifty TO get a thorough English education
should be open TO every one that seeks Il,
and In the larger towns such higher English
schools should be coupled with the classical
high school. These schools will develop the
young men and the young women and edu.
cate them to their calling, and also TO ft
them Tor those higher courses that are taught
In the agricultural, scientific, and classical
courses 10 the colleges Of the state. When
these schools are properly developed, our
colleges will be filled, and no e~ndowments or
increase Of proiessorships, or any other at
fractions they can present TO the youth Of
Vermont, will fill them like this develop.
ment Of our common and high schools.
10 the discussion following Mr. Commits
paper, MIR @. said, in answer 10 a question,
that he had no objection to introducing elias.
steal studies into the town high schools,
except the expense. He also stated that the
thorough training 10 the high school was
very desirable before entering upon the elias.
steal course. He thought it would not mate
rally increase the taxation TO support the
central high schools spoken of. In Shore.
ham the increase had been but Z per cent.
In Shelburn, after Is per cent had been
raised for the support Of schools, three hun.
bred more was voted for the academy, with
only one dissenting vote. The system Of
Massachusetts, was essentially a town sys.
TEN.
Wednesday Morning.
Meeting called to order by President s..
ii. Bascom, ESQ.
Mr. @. G. Pringle, Esq, Of Charlotte a
member Of the board read a paper upon
"Ergot."
Ergot is a fungus that attaches itself to
vegetable aud animal life. II produces seri.
Gus illness 10 many sections. 1t often pro-
duces serious illness Of various kinds among
farm animals. that are the cause of conster-
nation and Of great wonder to the farmer or
breeder. In grains and grasses it has been
carried to countries where it has produced
great loss to stock.
In the medical practice it is wonderful
in its effect, producing contraction of the
muscles of the uterus, aud is used to
strengthen action in difficult and prolonged
parturitiou.
Ergot infests grain Of different kinds in
different forms. Some varieties attack not
only the grains but the different parts of the
plant above the ground dwarfng its growth
and forming mail punches that burst and
give out a fine powder that emits a pungent,
offensive odor, similar to decayed fish. Dur.
ing the season, after the blossoms Of the
wheat have been fertilized and the parts OF
the heads are open, this dust is blown into
and absorbed by, the heads aud this parasitic
life is engrafted and destroys the true life.
The process by which the fertilization Of the
fungus takes the place Of the true ~fertiliza.
ton in the heads Of grain was described and
illustrated by drawings, in a manner that
made them understood by his audience, but
which cannot be made plain in an abstract
without the drawings. The manner of
growth, also the manner in which it is pre-
served in the ground through the winter was
also explained and illustrated by drawings
that cannot be reproduced here, aud without
them it would be impossible to explain them.
The effect upon grain is to absorb their nu.
triment, take the place of the true being,
and enlarges il much beyond its true, natural
size. A peculiar season of warmth and
moisture is favorable to its growth. The
grasses are badly effected by it, and the
abortion of cows is probably attributable to
it. Grasses so affected by ergOt we're named.
The paper exhibited a very accurate &C.
quaintance with the subject and an ability to
explain it in a manner that was readily uu.
derstood by the practical audience.
In the discussion following Mr. Pringle's
paper, Mr. W. r. Sanford Of Orwell stated
that q number Of years ago there was a dis
ease among the cattle iu this section, that
caused them to loose their hoofs, at the time
1t was attributed to ergot 10 the grass and
hay.
Col K. s. Howell had fields that produced
ergot extensively every time they were sown
with grain, they were moist fields aud what
we call cold lands, when he sowed rye, he
always got a large crop of ergot and a small
crop Of rye.
In answer to a question, Mr. Pringle stated
that the ergot that infested grass and grain
is the same substantially they would change,
and propagate themselves from grass to
grain, and Uice versa. There was no ergot
in early cut hay, therefore it is desirable that
our hay should be cut early. The smut of
corn was different from that on the other
kinds Of grain. The smut in wheat often
caused very serious illness in some foreign
countries, by being imperfectly separated
from the wheat before it was ground into
-four.
Mr. d. A, Forbes of Orwell then read a
paper upon "Will it Psy2" This question
has been one that has agitated the mind Of
men for all ages. Everywhere we hear this
question presenting itself. The youth asks,
will it pay for nae to spend years OF study to
acquire knowledge Will it pay for US to
undertake to cultivate a large number Of
acres more than we can cultivate well?
have in mind some farmers that with sixty
acres are reaping greater returns and profits
than others are getting from four or five
times that number. Will it pay to NOV
our meadows without fertilization, cut then
late and pasture them after ~mowing2 Viii
it pay to waste our manure by imperfectly
preserving it. keep poor and inferior stock
or neglect our stock and fail to bring then
to the best development Will it pay t
neglect training our minds so that we may
better understood our business Will it pay
10 keep along in the old ways our ancestors
travelled and not improve our practices auC
fit them to our different situations and wants
Will it pay for us to neglect the training o
our children in proper lines Of thought anC
study to make them competent to grasp thu
great problem Of life and their responsible
ties in tho future2
In answer to a question Mr. Forbes stateC
he thought that the number of acres was no
as essential as the ability to properly man
age the number occupied.
Rev Mr. Severance's idea Of what a farme
should be, was, that he should possess him
self OF the best stock aud provide himssl
with the most improved implements. Farm
were too large concentration on 4 smalle
number Of acres is the best plan when on