Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-01-07
WHOLE NO. 2e5.

titles they we're great help in making COWS
digest and assimilate the hty fed them. He
would think il very unfortunate il he were
obliged to winter his cows without beets.
About one peck per day was the most prof.
liable amount TO feed. He fed them without
cutting.
H. d. Mason, Esq, had the same opinion
about roots or beets as Mr. Chapman had.
He could raise from thirty to forty tons on
an acre he fed more per day than Mr.
Chapman, but in the same way, without cut
ting. He would appeal to the audience to
say whether he could double himself like a
jack-knife If he wanted to, but he could
raise beets. He agreed with Mr. Chapman
that an acre of beets properly cultivated
could be raised as cheaply as an acre Of
corn. .
Hon A. T. Smith Of New Haven, a men,
Der Of the board, then made an address upon
the "General Dairy Interest,"" an abstract
Of which has been heretofore published
after which the meeting adjourned until
evening.
Thursday EUening.
The meeting was called to order by the
president, DIR Miles. Mr. G. G. Pringle read
paper prepared by Mr. Henry Miles of
Monkton, entitled, "Shell Mari as Fertil-
izer."
If we want our lands to produce grass or
gram we must keep up their fertility, and
We cannot do this but BY repairing the waste
Of lime. The object Of this paper is to bring
to notice the fact that nature has stored up
an almost inexhaustible quantity Of shell
mari, with which we can repair the wasted
fertility Of our soil if we will only use it.
Science teaches us that our soils are
becoming exhausted, and practical farmers
are finding this to be true, to their cost.
The soils in Vermont are not exhausted as
fast as those of the West, because there il
50 much lime in her constantly decomposing
rocks but even these rocks that are 30 con-
stantly decomposing do not supply the great
waste going on in our soils if we take off
crops of grain or grass. Accurate analysis
Of shell mari proved an existence Of rs per
cent of carbonate of lime in proper condi-
tiOn to be applied to the soil as fertilizer.
There was 100000 cords of this fertilizer
in Monkton pond that could be pro6tably
and successfully used to repair the wastage
Of lime going on in our soils. 1t can best
be raised through the ice during the winter.
Mr. NJ. H. Hosford then made an extem-
pore address upon Cranberry Culture"
Mr. II. said he could not say anything but
what little he had learned by experience.
He had never seen cultivated cranberry
plant, except those he had raised on his own
land. In 1874 the greatest crop was pro.
duced that was ever raised in the United
States. The price was as low as 81 per
barrel, but in the spring after, the price was
s18, proving that the demand is equal to
the enormous crop of that year, and that the
demand was growing faster than the supply
was increasing. There were thousands Of
acres here in Vermont that would produce
cranberries to supply the demand for which
we were sending ten thousand dollars out of
the state to buy. The vines were very hardy,
but they would not grow naturally in but
two soils or locations; one was in deep bed
Of peet, the other in bed of clear sand.
They had many enemies, but they could be
conquered by water-it was indispensable.
The soil should be prepared by taking off
the sod and carting it away. The plants
should then be procured and cut very fine,
spread upon the soil and cultivated for at
least two years. Two years since he saved
his crop from frosts by building brush fires,
but last spring he was not as fortunate. He
had no doubt that he lost enough to more
than pay for q covering of cotton canvass
for an acre of land The cherry cranberry
was smaller, not as fine looking, but much
better than the Bell variety. The profits
were large. His crop Of 225 bushels, year
before last, was sold oil along shore (the
same as the fellow was born), at Gil bar
rel.
The first enemy was a small, green worm.
Ii the bed is SO rs to flow, these can be killed
by water. The second enemy was tho fire
worm. The remedy was water. The third
enemy was frost. When the berry was
green, frost was fatal when they were
ripe they would stand hard FROST If you
have chance to flow quickly, water is a
protection for frost, but for want of it his
crop was reduced two-thirds.
With all the facilities he had named, he
had rather have the crop on twenty acres
than that from the best dairy in Vermont.
No berry in the world would keep so well as
the cranberry, if ripe. This was attributed
to the large quantity of tannin in this berry.
He procured his plants on the south end Of
|
cranberry. There we're two kinds growing
around that pond the other was a small,
gray berry. His crop grew on about
two acres that were set some fourteen
years ago, but he did not understand
their cultivation, and for number OF years
he had no crops, but failures, from different
causes. The first crop be obtained was about
twelve bushels, his second abouG sixty, and
the third (year before last) about two hun.
dred aud fifty bushels, but he saved but two
hundred and twenty-five. They were all
picked by hand. They we're formerly gath
cred by rakes, but it was wasteful process,
and since the berries have become so valua.
bic rakes were not used. The berries are
now picked by hand in Massachusetts,.
Alter the conclusion Of Mr. Hosford's in
structive address Mr. Pringe read his paper
upon the "HybridizatiOn of Cereals" an
abstract OF which has been already published.
At the close of this paper Mr. Pringle by
request gave a description of the process Of
hybridzation, after which Mr. Peck offered
resolutions Of thanks to the board and the
gentlemen present for their able and instruc.
tive papers and addresses, and prefaeed them
by some appropriate remarks. Rev Mr. Per.
rim seconded the resolutions and also ex-
pressed the great pleasure and profit he had
derived from hearing the papers read. the
addresses and tho discussions, The resolu-
tions were passed unanimously. Mr. Prin'
gle in behalf of the board responded in we'll
chosen words, thanking the people Of Hines
burgh for their hospitality aud their interest
in the work of the board, as evinced by the
large attendance upon the meetings, aud
their attention to the addresses and discus
sons. Such expressions OF interest would
encourage the members Of the board to make
greater exertons, and labor more earnestly