Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-02-16


cuts in q hay cutter and stores Il for winte
use, and they do well, laying nearly ever
day.
Justin Il. Montague Of Woodstock read
paper on sheep. For breeding first get goot
stock, and care for them. Use early cut hay
little grain and roots, a mixture Of ashe
and salt; feed regularly twice day, ant
the second feeding in mid-afternoon, so as I,
be through eating before dark. Pastur,
on high lands, well watered, aud salt every
week. Have lambs dropped in March
Shear before the sheep leave the barns SO a:
get toughencd against spring rains. Merino!
are first in number, at least. Though 10 the
past the wool has received most attention
their meat qualities are valuable. The
Southdown are fue variety, as by breeding
the alternate layers Of fat and lean meat
make them very desirable. lie would cross
the Merino aud Southdown and thus by and
by get fine stock. He commended the
Lancasters, Cotswolds and Lincolus.
j. II. Mead Of West Rutland read pa.
per on Sheep Husbandry, which we reported
in the meeting at Peacham.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
After a most bountiful aud generous re.
past, furnished by the excellent ladies Of
Woodstock, and VIC challenge any town to
outdo these ladies--we took hasty visit to
the premises of A. b. Jaquith to see his
fine broods of Brown Leghorns, Dominiques,
and Brown and White Cochins, and they
were very fine. The devotion to poultry
which we found in Woodstock was highly
gratifying. Then came a choice piece of
vocal music with charming strains Of whist
ling by the grange choir-and we question
whether any grange in Vermont has as fine,
capable and well-drile1 choir as that of
which Woodstock may proudly boast.
II. w. Walker of South Woodstock made
an exhibit of maple syrup and sugar which
for purity and whiteness was the best we
have ever seen, and its flavor was as fine as
its color Mr.. Walker is an expert in sugar
making and he made the exhibit for the
purpose of calling attention to a long neg
lectcd and very imperfectly developed Yer
mont industry. We have a specimen of Mr.,
Walkers sugar in the FARMER ofice-for
exhibition if any wish to see it.
A paper was read by Charles Dana of
Woodstock, which was clear in statement,
apt in illustration, as we'll as pointed and
sensible throughout. He alluded to the
rage for this or that new breed of poultry or
pigs or cows and paid glowing, but de-
served tribute to Mr.. Frederick Billings
herd of Jerseys, which breed Mr.. Dana
thinks the best for butter making, breeders
Of different kinds Of stock should be Jealous
Of each other, initiating the wish Of the
woman who wanted her husband to cut the
heef all into brisket as she liked that the
best. He thought the looming dairy
woman" would be a man, as butter making
must really begin with the calf in the barn,
and never-ceasiug care from that to the but
ter in the tub. He wondered if men were
ever born farmers, as Powers was a sculptor,
or Daniel Webstersan orator, or Mason a
painter? lie said the estimated amount of
batter annually made in the country was
1000, 100000 lbs, which at 20 cents per
pound would make the gross sum sl40,000,-
900.
Then came another fine piece of vocal
music, after which G. S. Fassett presented a
paper on Milk and Modes of Handling.
No other article will support human life
from the cradle to the grave like milk. The
little city of Manchester, NIL, uses of milk,
or what purports to be such, $4,000 an-
nually. Cows are in an artificial state at
present, as in native state they would give
but little moro milk than enough to support
their own progeny. We can breed for color
of animal or butter as we wish, and now the
question is whether we shall be satisfied
with a COW which gives us return of 130
or 800 lbs. of butter per aunum.
He put in a plea for state.experiment
station or farm. In some Vermont daries
81 pounds Of milk are necessary for a
pound Of butter, while others would require
but l6 pounds. He spoke Of the evils of
fancy breeding. As to handling milk, first
determine what your milk is best adapted
for, and other things of like import. He
described briefly Hon. Il. D. Mason's farm
in Richmond, which we shall inspect person
ally aud report in full at no distant day.
He protested against the idea of so many
acres to keep COW, and against the making
of so much poor butter.
Mr.. Mason of Richmond, who is a solid,
weighty man on dairy as well as other mat
ters, and who has sold butter for fifty cents
per pound, gold, in California, made cap.
ital, practical speech. He insisted that
farmers do not much more than half UNDER |
stand their business Such meetings as this
are doing much, and the quality as well as
quantity Of dairy products IS largely in-
creased since the formation OF the Vermont |
Dairymen's Association. lie summers
thirty-fve cows and a pair Of horses on fifty
acres of pasture and keeps them we'll. He
goes out in early spring with hoe and loosens
every dropping of the cows in the pastures
and then with bush, like that for bushing
in grass seed, goes over all the pasture very
thoroughly and if the grass is thin in places
be has dressing aud grass seed scattered upon
them. The capacity of our farms can be
doubled.
Il. II. Shedd offered paper on Grasses
and their Cultivation. He opened with a
few "reminiscences of a quarter century. of
how he came to be farmer, and why he
still loves his chosen calling His method
Of seeding is to plow at once after the grain
is off, seeding down" in early September
and with the best Of success. Ho uses be-
tween peck and hall.a.bushel of seed per
acre. The timothy terminates best at IA
clover at IL inch in depth, red top about
the same. Orchard grass seed is well to
SOW with clover as it natures about the same
time aud bears cropping well. He put in
bis good word for barley, calling attention
to the fact that Ruth CLEANED barley success
fully in the fields of Boaz. He also advo-
Gated top dressing and especially ashes on
uplauds for grasses. Cut when the grass is
in blossom and do not feed the meadows in