Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-02-09
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.


The room was well filled at the appointed
hour and the services were opened by choice
and appropriate selection of vocal music,
finely rendered by we'll trained chorus choir
A paper on "Care Of Dairy Cows" was read
by Albert Chapman, agricultural editor Of
the Middlebury Register. He urged the
proper care of calves, reared on good milk spe-
cial pains being taken that thegrowth be not
retarded by lack of good food at the tmo of
weaving, and during the first fall and winter
He would have heifer come in at two years
of age, but let her go farrow the third year,
and she will not only be more profitable that
year, but ever afterwards, as the farrOw year
more fully develops the vessels for lacteal Sc.
cretions He approved Of warm stable
kind care, etc. He would also have good
crop of fodder corn, Evergreen he has re-
garded as best; others say the Sanford is
best, sown in drills. Lanes sugar beets for
roots are most easily raised aud very product.
ive SOW the last of june in drills thirty
inches apart, sows by hand aud be sure to
keep down the weeds. The plants should
stand about foot apart. Uses ashes heavi-
| ly as he found, by journey across the west
ern plain that they could raise beets on tn ose
alkali plains, and did for a few years to ex-
haust the soil of its alkalis. Plants beet
seed one inch deep in winter he feeds a
peck day of beets to his COW; Samuel
Evarts Of Cornwall raises the seed. Mr.
Chapman raises the sweet German turnip,
| nd nboN
of Marblehead has good seed raises turnips
on his poorer land he is not satisfied unless
he gets 800 bushels Of turnips and 1900
bushels of beets to the acre; he would use
300 pounds Of phosphate per acre for turnips ;
uses Cumberland phosphates, as he has found
it more uniformly reliable than the Bradley
brand Mr.. Chapman said, in reply to
question, that the board had appointed Prof
Peter Collier Of Burlington, the we'll known
professor Of chemistry in the University of
Vermont, the chemist Of the board, and the
board invites all the farmers OF the state to
send samples of the fertilizers offered for sale
in the several localities of the state to him
for analysis; send fresh, not last years and
not less than two pounds. Of course such a
measure will have a tendency to make the
manufacturers send better article.
Mr. n. X. Abbott OF East Cabot read
brief article on "Our Disadvantages" lie
thought the light aud shade was more clear
ly apparent in farming than in anything else /;
the farmer is called upon to know so many
and diverse things all at the same time
one class of disadvantages pertain to the
persons own life, his ignorance or shiftless-
al, llnn ta -.
his stock cheap; he also misapprehends the
greatest success in life is amassing wealth
to the neglect Of the culture of his children,
as well as his own. Then there are disad.
vantages which belong to the farmers as
class; for instance, many things which he
and his family need he cannot make or raise
and not only must he purchase them, but he
is often imposed upon by poor and shoddy
material then tho school book disadvantage
is another thing then the credit system is
such that the man who pays ready cash pays
the bad debts Of the merchant which is too
true then there are too many middlemen,
especially on the butter; then he grouped
into a class deserving most thorough repro
baton the "tree," the "sewing machine, the
"book," the "life," and sundry other agents,
aud urged their speedy aud utter extermina.
tion by complete neglect Of the whole class.
The discussion was very spirited, special
stress being given to the pros and cons on
the "middlemen."
Mr. Varnum made from two cows in 1875,
GAO lbs sold, besides what was used 10
family of seven persons. Mr.. Miller Of Bar
net reported a full booded Jersey from which
he made in first week of June, 1875, II lbs;
first week of September III lbs Beside
hay he used feed composed Of three parts
"cOarse mIddllngs," mixed with one part corn
meal, and CAVES two.quart basin rounded
full twice each day. Amasa Scott of Crafts q.
bury has made since January l. 1876, till
February |, 1877, 450 lbs. He feeds early
cut hay. Mr.. Greenbanks made from eight
native COWS some 2400 los.
FRIDAY EVENING.
The exercises opened, after singing by the
choir, with an address by Ora Paul of Pom
fret, on "Recent Legislation Affecting Agri-
culture" First he called attention to that
concerning cruelty to animals which he high
ly commended. That respecting the protec.
tion of fish and game he did not think would
produce much good for the state, though he
did not claim to be fully competent to Judge
Of the matter; the dog law he explained at
length and told how the bill came to be re-
ported favoraby by the committee the great
feature in its favor is that which creates a
fund, out Of the taxes for the remun GRAFTON
Of losses caused by dogs and he highly com.
mended the law. lie then asked what Inau =
encc farmers had on legislation. Ofthe 236
members Of the house 1873 were farmers,
while no other profession had over s men,
bers. But for all this, this largo number OF
farmers was practically controlled by ten or
dozen sharp, shrewd men Of other proles.
sions who led and controlled them. The
difficulty is, farmers do not inform aud fa-
miarize themselves with public affairs; the
brightest boys are educated for professors,
while the less promising are put upon farms
and then farmers do not take pains to teach
their sons the practical management of bus-
moss affairs. And these points the FARMER
has more than once spoken of.
D. IL. Mead gave paper on "Sheep Hus-
bandry." lie is a breeder Of blooded Merino
sheep and showed his entire familiarity with
the business and his subject For those neal
and Of easy access to the markets, he sug.
gested breeding Tor mutton, and for this pur.
pose he advised the Cotswolds and South
down; but for those away from markets h,
considered hne'woOled sheep the best to
, raise. lie gave clear account of Spain
efforts to prevent the expectation of theil
! Merinos. The first importation to this coun
) try was by MIR. Livingstone in 1902. Tn,
inlantaders is the most numerous of the pure
, blOods in this country; they are superior il
D many respects to their Spanish ancestors. III
! urged tho breeding for first class, praotca
/, | mi inst tan A