Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-07-19

"W. H. b." writes to the National Lire
Sioci Journal as follows in regard to a state
ment made by one of the editors of that
journal (Mr. Stewart at the Montpelier
meeting of the Vermont Dairymen's Asso
citation aud afterwards published in the l..
S. !. and in the proceedings Of the associa-
ton for 1873, page 1913, as follows: " Yer
mont has an enviable celebrity for her deli
cious butter, and she owes IL to the great
variety of grasses produced upon her Hill
aud mountain sides. 4 Jotanid rouid 6nd a
hmdred or more cdrieiies," Upon this state
ment "W. II. b." remarks
notice that the editor thinks that "on a good
pasture sward in Vermont, botanist would find
one hundred cn1eties Of grass" take it no means
species, for few pastures OF grasses have raretics.
In the first place, II we search on mountains and
in valleys, ON dry ground aud in swamps, in pas
ture wood, and mowings throughout the whole
OF Vermont, We shall not find but about eight spe-
cies aud varieties while best pasture turis in
thi. section are composed OF white clover mot a
grass know, June grass I'od prdtensisl an
nua spear grass (P. nmudl, and red top (lgrostis
| rUlgdis), few more species are sparngly found
but make little Of the sward Add to these herds.
grass tPhiem pratensc). and meadow iescue (Fts-
tcd prdteHs), also red clover, and ON poor knobs
old fog or white grass (Dont,omd spicdta)
aud you have the grasses, natural and artificial
found in our mowlngs. Our chief pasture gras.
is June grass tPod prdtensis). People are apt t.
look at grasses like the sands ON the sea, OF tho
stars in the sky, as innumoElble but it Is not so
Our pastures would be bcttered If We had greater
number of grasses; we now have but few. Gms,
culture is one Of the most important subjects fol
Vermont farmers
The Boston Cui'iedfor publishes the above
aud comments as follows
Who "w. II. b." is, we know not, but it is eyi
dent that he knows what he is talking about. W,
are surprised that the editor of the National Liz
stock Jov,nol should have thus laid himself oper
to the criticism Let him take up any work OF
the useful grasses English or American, or ON the
Continent of Europe, and look for his hundre,
varieties of grass, cultivated grasses, and he vii
soon become aware of his great blunder OF erro
in having made such statement as the above a
quoted. We copy 1t because we not unirequentl!
hear similar wild statements relative to pastur,
grasses.
We believe that our good friend Wether
ell was present when Mr.. Stewart made hi
statement as above, and we wonder that h
did not seize the opportunity to correct hin
ON the spotif he knew he was wrong II
certainly quizzed him sharply on less mate
rial points. And, 10y the way, we can in
form him who "W. II. b." is. lie is
graduate of the Massachusetts Agriculture
College--one of 4" Stockbndge's students
a b. s." at present filling the honorabl
aud useful position OF "hired man " upo
the farm Of the agricultural editor of thi
paper; where he demonstrates daily 10y his in
dustry, intelligence and efficiency, that til
training Of an agricultural college not onl
does not lessen, but materially enhances, tn
value of manual labor aud the usefulness O
the laborer.