Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-03-14
A Pennsylvania Farmers Society.

A member of the Bucks county penn
sylvania) Agricultural Society thus details
some of the methods practced at its meet
ings, which seem to us to be of value as sug-
gestive of what might be more generally
done in our oranges and clubs. 1t may be
that some of them are doing as well, or bet
ter if so, let them report their success, that
others may be encouraged;
Besides the usual officers of an agricul.
tural society, there is an executive commit
tee, whose duty it is to prepare number of
questions, or subjects for essays, and assign
them to different persons. The exercises are
not confined to members of the association,
or to the families of farmers. There is also
an editress whose duty it is to read all APP
propriate communications received by her.
After each essay is read (mostly by the au-
thor, but sometimes by the secretary, there
is generally very candid and perfectly good
humored discussion on the subject of the
essay. AS a sample of the questions coming
before the society, / will give list of those
answered at the last, and assigned for the
ensuing meeting Should both husband
and wife have equal access to the purse p
Suggest some method for killing Canada
thstles ? Can inside fences be dispensed
with p Should farmers raise their own dairy
stock p win our common schools be i'm
proved by the Centennial Exhibit p Does
the growth of young people in practical
knowledge keep pace with their intellectual
attainments p The paper (title Cleaner
contained an article on geological and meteor.
illogical changes one on tramps, one on
fire, and fair share of poetry and anecdotes.
"The above were all answered or read,
and some of them pretty fully discussed dur
ing the afternoon devoted to the meeting.
will give only two or three out of the eight
or ten assigned for the next meeting What
are the requisite conditions and best methods
to pursue in making wholesome and palata-
BILE bread p" What effect, if any, do politi-
cal questions, such as the tariff, finance, etc,
have on the agricultural interests of the
country?' Essay on the display of agricul-
tural implements at the Centennial"
The member who gives these particulars
says, that for long-continued and increasing
interest," our meetings are remarkable. This
success think is mainly owing:
FrSt-To the attendance and active part
taken by the ladies of the community in the
meetings. The greater part of the essays
have been written by ladies, and in my (per-
haps too partiaD judgment, a number of
them would have graced the columns of our
best magazines.
".Second-The meetings being held in
village of some size (Newtown), ensures
fuller attendance than would otherwise be
the case. And the minglng of all classes
of minds, and admission of general subjects,
gives a broader and deeper interest to the
meetings without impairing their usefulness
to agriculture. Scientists all find that they
must keep full abreast with general knowl-
edge if they would make the most progress
in any special department.
1hrd-The papers of the county not
only publish full reports of the meetings, but
also vie with each other in securing most of
the essays for publication"
Now we have plenty of agricultural soci-
cites, clubs and oranges in Vermont, but are
they being made as profitable to their men,
bers as they should be, or as they easily
could be ? We must confess to feeling of
disappointment in this respect, so far as the
oranges are concerned. They appear to
have pretty much killed off the farmers
clubs, and yet to have been so engrossed by
the mere business aspect of their order as
to neglect the intellectual if not the social
advantages, so strongly promised in the out
set. This ought not to be, and unless the
evil is corrected it will be bad for us all.