davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25
gnEtrg.


THE FISH THAT WENT ASHORE.
One day the fish were so enraged
At the boys who came to swim,
They vow'd they'd catch the FIRST who plunged
And make quick work with him.
But the boy kicked out to right and LEFT,
And not a fish could stay;
So they wiped their eyes and wrung their inns
Until he went away.
"Iknow," cried one; we'll go ON shore
At noon, and let them see
How we can go and bother them
If they cant let us be-"
So on the shore they went, each armed
With things that lay around
One bore the farmers old buck.saw,
And one his pitch. fork found;
Another seized the housewives broom,
Another got the scythe;
And thus equipped they soon began
To wriggle and TO wrlthe.
They wrlgglel and they writhed, poor things
They cried aloud with pain;-
And to the cool refreshing tide
They never went again.
The farmer stared anil laughed HI! hap
The,childlen fairly roared;
They caught the fish and had That night
A feast at Tor n lord.
MORAL.
Now here's the moral of my tale
AMI, prythee, well constr ue it;
Whene'er you Try toyengeance take,
Be sure that you can do it;
Or, like the fish who went ashore,
You very soon will rue it.
+ Jack.in the Pulpit" ST. Nicholas for May.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

! hay, it is easily seen that every community
can thus raise its own meat at about half
the cost to import it."-N. Y. Tribune,
Fe6 3.
A correspondent ofthe P'0ughnlGn wrote
for further information and received the
following reply:
OAKLAND MANOR, Oakland Mills. P.o.
Howard Co., Nd, Feb. l3, 1871
GEORGE X. IVES, EsQ.-DeGr Sir:
Yours of Feb 9th is received. | am sat-
isfied from my experience of corn fodder
preserved by the French method, that it is
of immense Importance TO all farmers Drill
corn in rows two feet apart, dress heavily
with barn manure or superphosphate. Gut
(when in the tasseD with reaper. With
cutting machine cut up into lengths of
enc inch or less, add 20 per cent. OF cut
straw. put into trenches of the following
dimensions Depth, 1.2 feet; length 26
IA feet, on surface of the ground, sloping
down to "a 1.2 feet at the bottom; breadth
8 1-2 feet on the top, sloping down to IL
feet mt the bottom. In each OF these trench
es about 10 1-2 tons of fodder can be
packed. The trench is filled up and the
fodder piled up above the surface to q
height equal TO its depth under the surface
The earth is then thrown upon the mass
before fermentation commences. Two
feet depth of soil will depre>s the pit by
at least yard by simple pressure. After
some days Of fermentation it shrlnks to
half its original volume. The weight of
the material increases by condensation
from 800 pounds per cubic yard to 2OO0
pounds The trenches must be watched
when first filled, us the fermentation OF the
fodder will open assures in the covering
>oil, and the ar thus admitted will change
the process of fermentation into one OF
putrefaction Sand must never be used
for covering. The corn should be cut
and the trench filled and covered in one
day. The trenches must be built in dry
soil, and above all, the earth on top kept
tightly beaten down. he ground should
slope in every direction from the trench.
This insurcs the fodder agrinst moisture.
have no doubt your friend will find It's
use greatly to his advantage. have fed
it to my cows for the past two months.
They ate it with avidity from the first, not
withstanding it, peculiar smell. 1t intend
to put mp 800 tons of it for their use next
season.
There are many little items my space
will not allow me to give; for them l re-
fer you to pamphlet translated from the
French to be published by the New York
Plow Co., Beekman ST., New York.
Yours respectfully, F. MORRIS.
We would like to know whether any of
our readers have tried, or seen tried, the
above plan of curing Godder?-[ED.]
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

SEED GRAIN.-It will pay to SOW the
very best seed of all kinds, as know from
trial. | clean it thoroughly through the
tanning mill, to get all the weed seed and
small and light grain from the heavy,
and have a side spout for the mill, so i
can take out the heavy, plump grain and
SOW the very best and keep it free from
weed seed. There will always he enough
volunteer weeds without sowing them,
and if farmers generally would be more
particular about seed grain, they would
get well paid for it. The grain will grow
taller the heads longer and yield more. 1t
is Just as necessary to take the best grain
for seed as it is to take the choice corn or
potatoes, OF to select the best cattle, horses
and hogs to breed from. Now, in the
winter, when we probably will now and
then have leisure day, is a very good
time to prepare seed grain and not wait
until we arc crowded with spring work.
If we wait until we want to sow it, the
chances are that it will not be cleansed 50
well, and perhaps not at all. Don't put it
off,-CoNntry Gentlemen,
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

This is the way the California Farmer
proposes to bring down rains on the just
and on the unjust. 1t has the merit Of
givin4 the boys " heaps of fun" if tried,
whether it brings the rain or not;
Let the farmers ofthe great d" San Jot-
quin Valley, without distinction Of party,
come together and agree to try the poc0er
of poCdcr to produce rain.
We all know that nature "abhors n
Vacuum" and when it is made tries to fill
it quickly. Now let there be glorious
cannonading begun and kept up merrily
not for day, but for 2Oeeb; Il thousand
guns day. Not for Hayes or for Tilden,
not for Grover or Cronin, but Thousands Of
Guns FOR RAIN.
All who are familiar with the history Of
the canaonadjng of Sebastapol can re
member the furious rain that fell then. So
in our late war. So often on Fourth OF
Julys at the East when heavy guns were
used, as was the case here the last Fourth
of July
We think the experiment worthy II trial
and by such an experiment causing a
vacuum here-we might call the clouds
that are SnoU-lddcn on the Sierras to come
ana visit us, and drop their load of snow
in gentle and copious showers of ruin
upon our waiting, thirsty land.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

w HtH DuuII tuC NUNH NOHtN III
The early spring was once considered
the right time for the COWS to drop then
calves. But now, some science dairymen
maintain that about the first of September
is the ii light time, others say let the COWS
come scattering along all through TIN
season. 1t strikes me that both Of these
practices are open to serious objection. Il
would be nice dairy, of II cows to
start off, with one cow the first month,
two COWS the second month and so on, TO
the end of the chapter. And think thu
other theory is equally absurd. In the
first place, it is the duty of every man
who has choice lot of cows, TO rails
more or less calves, and those should be
spring calves, September calf should br
Jersey, and be kept in the " Garden OF
Eden" the following winter Cows
should go dry at least two months June
or July are very poor months to dry off Il
COW in. Than again, it is very hazard
Gus for old COWS TO drop their calves In
midsummer hen they 90 to grass. l well
nigh lost valuable COW last season. Her
bug cakcd so bad that it burst open. What
could be done with dairy of twenty or
more COWS and calves in September while
the COWS went to pastureP What farmer
that has not travelled all over large pas
ture, perhaps in the night, and found Il
cow and calf in some secluded spot, very
difficult of access, and tugged and sweat to
get them to the barn? Then comes the
task of weaving the COW from her calf.
How many cows and heifers have become
unruly by coming to the burn for their
calves, weeks after they were dead.
The only argument have ever heard
offered in favor of having the cows come
in in September is that July and August
are poor months for making butter, and
the cows for that reason should be dry on
those months, but it has been proved that
by feeding the COWS and making use of
the modern improvements for cooling the
the milk and cream that good butter can
be made even in the sultry days of July
and August. Give me the heat of sum
mer rather than the cold Of winter to con-
tend with in making good butter; and I'M
less hear more cogent arguments than
have been offered yet shall adhere to the
old practice of having the cows come in
in March and April. Then the calves can
all be weaned before the cows go to pas
ture; and the COWS will be more safe, and
cared for with less trouble, than at any
other season of the year, and when winter
comes again lay by the dairy utensils
the COWS require at least two months rest,
and the mixers and dairy-women cry
"Givn us rest e. w b.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

CUTTING POTATOES FOR SEED.-It is
not necessary that starch should be held by
a portion of potato to nourish the plant if
there is IL sufficient supply of fertility con-
tanned in or furnished the soil. The proof
of this lies in the fact that, with the in
PRODUCTION of the Early Rose potato, its
variety was such that the subdivision was
carried even to the dividing of large eyes,
and vet, the minute pieces, no larger than
II pea in some cases, came up, grew well,
and produced astonishing results, simply
because there was special fertilizing and
more watchful care.
In a soil nearly destitute of fertility or of
vegetable matter, the small amount con-
tanned in II potato tuber might be of some
benefit, but, but it is poor economy TO
plant potatoes or any other crop in such II
soil. Our practice has been to cut the
seed carefully to two eyes, or three at the
outside, and plant but one in II HILL the
hills being no more than foot or eighteen
inches apart in the rows. Side by side
with seed of this character we have plan
ted large whole potatoes, and the result
was, I'M equal quantity of potatoes from
two eyes, and the further advantage, thpt
they were of larger and more uniform
size Experience proves that about an
average number of sprouts will attain to
good, large thrifty size, whether whole
potato or several pieces with numerous
ewes be put in one hill, or one piece with
only two or three eyes be used. The other
ewes furnish sprouts, which maintain an
UNEQUAL struggle for existence and the
development of tuhers, resulting in glan
titles of small tubers ofno value except for
feeding purposes.
But little time is required to cut the
seed, which may be done rainy days or
evenings, some time before planting, and
in this way there is Il great saving of seed
over planting whole We are fully salts.
fed that more merchantable potatoes can
be produced by using cut seed with no
more than two pieces, each two eyes to
the piece, in u hill, than can be produced
from using whole potatoes. If the desid-
eratum is large supply of small potatoes
the use of large potatoes planted whole
will he more likely to insure the result
The planting of rather small seed cut TIC
two eyes, with only one piece to each hill
produced for us potatoes of almost perfect
uniformity fully equal to rows seeded
much more heavily. Our own experience
proves that while there is Il moderate in
crease of tuber, with an increase of seed
the increase is in small tubers, and if car
ried too far, the effect is to diminish the
number Of large potatoes.
Put on the manure in liberal quantities
and there will be no trouble about the
want of starch the plant will take all the
elements required for its development
fros., the soil if they are supplied to it.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

A NEW PLAN FOR PREPARING AND PRE-
SERVING CORN FODDER.

A NEW PLAN FOR PREPARING AND PRE-
SERVING CORN FODDER.
Francis Morris, of Howard County, Nd,
has lately adopted Il method of preparing
and preserving corn fodder. that has fol
the last ten years been growing in favor in
the south of France, and which, according
to the reports of the Agricultural Society
of France, has superseded every other kind
of fodder in that country on account of its
quality and cheapness, Mr.. Morris is sat
isfed that its adoption in this country will
entirely revolutionize the system of farm
ing lie related his experiment and the
result as follows:
About the LIST Of last August planted
five acres of ordinary wheat land in Indian
corn, and allowed it to grow until the
first of October, when it was in tassel.
then had it cut down with reaper and
passed through the ordinary process of
chopping, using for that purpose an ordi
nary feed cutter. The fodder thus PRO.
duced was mixed with straw in the pro.
portion of four.ffths corn fodder to one.
fifth straw. 1t was then put in trenches,
trampled down and covered with earth.
The fodder remained in this state until last
Christmas day, when the trenches were
opened and the fodder taken out and fed
to the cattle. The fodder was found 10 be
in as perfect state of preservation as
when it was first put in, and the cattle
seemed to relish it from the first, and now
prefer it to any other kind of feed. The
cost of producing this fodder wac onl,
about 81 atom, which is only one-twentielI
as much as the cost of timothy hay, which
is not equal to it in any respect. If the
land is planted early in the spring, 20 Oh
80 tons con be raised to the acre, but ir
France the land is highly MANFRED and the
corn is sowed only two feet apart, whicI
often makes the yield as high as so tons tC
the acre. The same land can afterwarc
be planted in barley, and loses none of il,
strength by the planting of the corn, as i
is q principle in agriculture that tht
strength of the land is only lost in the for
nation of the grain. By the use of tbi,
fodder every farm of 100 acres, PLANTED
with ten acres of this fodder, would b,
able to fatten 100 head of cattle during III,
winter, which would yield profit Of q
per cent, besides the immense adyantao,
of having such an amount of stable nh
nure, which in its If iIut LIKED, would pa,
, for the fodder thus used"
The advantages of this method, Mr.
Morris states, is best shown by compari
son between the cost Of production of lhi
fodder and the cost of timothy hay;
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25
GROWING SEEDS AND COMMON TURNIPS
FOR CATTLE AND SHEEP.

FOK CAIlLE AND DllEEI.
Very often swedes are not sown early
enough, and have not time TO grow large
Common turnips require TO be planted ut
the beginning of July to become Il heavy
crop, and swedes Dug ht to be put in by
the middle of June, and they require
cultivator to run between the rows, once Il
week. till the tops become too large to
pass up and down. Hand hoeing, too, and
singing out, should be done Immediately
they are large enough to be safe from the
fly. Swedes ought to have richer soil and
more manure than are required for tur
nips, and the mellower the soil has be-
come the better, because roots must have
a fine tiIth. For sheep and for cattle, ex-
cept for milch cows, swedes arc rs good
us mangels or carrots, and it is less ex-
pens!ve to cultivate and thin them out
than the carrots especially.
For making butter, carrots are better
than any other root, and the heat and dry
weather do not affect them so badly as
other roots; but it takes more hard work
to weed and more trouble to harvest them
When farm-yard manure is used, it ought
to be turned over two or three times to
make it as ready as possible to feed the
young plants. Rural.
We have fed roots for some years, most
ly to young stock, and with the best re-
suits, and those who estimate the value OF
roots by the per cent of nutritve matter,
as shown by analysis, and think because
they show about ninety per cent of water
that consequently their only value is rep.
resented by the ten por cent remaining, SC.
riously err They keep the animal in q
healthy condition. and make available anC
valuable in their other food that which
would otherwise be lost.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25
Number Of Eggs Per Annnm
FROM THE PRINCIPAL VARIETIES OF PoUL

FROM THE PRINCIPAL VARIETIES OF PoUL-
TRY.
After repeated experiments with the
different varieties of chickens, the compar-
isons with others who have experimental
in the same direction, l have concluded
that the laying capabilities Of the princi-
pal varieties average about rs follows:
Light Brahmas and Partridge Cochins
Eggs, Z TO the pound; lay 1870 per an
mum.
Dark Brahmas-Eggs, to the pound;
lay 100 per annum.
Black, White, and Buff Cochins-Eggs,
8 to the pound; lay ll5 per annum.
Plymouth Rocks-Eggs, to the pound;
lay $50 per annum.
Houdans-Eggs, 8 to the pound; lay $50
per annum.
la Fleche-Eggs, to the pound; lay
1870 per annum.
Creve Conrs-Eggs, to the pound;
lay l40 per annum.
Black Spanish-Eggs, 7 to the pound;
lay l40 per annum.
Leghorns Eggs, 8 to the pound; lay
100 per annum.
Neutrality-suspicious., 8 TO the pound; lay
$50 per annnm.
Polish-Eggs to the pound; lay 1875
per annum.
Dominiques-Eggs, 9 TO the pound lay
1856 per annum.
Games-Eggs, 9 to the pound; lay 1870
per annum.
Bnntams Eggs, l6 TO the pound; lay
90 per annum.
Iregret very much that l did not keep
I'm account of the cost of the food consuln-
ed by each variety.-Cor. Southern FIR
nCr.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

GRArEs,--The garden culture of the
grape is so simple that it is u wonder thet
no more vines are planted. Plants may be
grown easily from either cuttings or lay
ers. They need but little room if properly
trained. If they are neglected, and allow
ed to grow year after year without prun-
ing the result will be very unsatisfactory.
The matter Of pruning is not difficult; the
main thing to be borne in mind is that the
fruit is produced on the new growth which
starts in the spring of the year. All the
buds are cut away except those needed to
form new canes. Fresh manure should
not he used, us it produces too vigorous Il
growth and the wood will not ripen prop
erly in the fall Wood ashes and ground
bone are best-ETcbange.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

Many farmers can accomplish twice the
amount of work done by their neighbors /;
the reason is Obvious they 60 to work
with a definite plan, and with order and
system, which carries them through with
out any stoppages.
To HELP A GALA LILLY TO BLOOM
Be sure it has good rich soil water
with VERY warm water, with little am
monia or bone dust, added once in :
week or two. Every morning pour boil
ing water in the saucer of the pot the lily
is in, and give it plenty of heat and sun
shine. have two pots of lilies and have
two flowers on one and one flower and two
buds on the other.
New BORN CALvES.-When calves are
taken from their dams Immediately altel
being dropped, care should be taken to feeC
them, at first, with their mothers milk
which at the time of calving is peculiarly
adapted to act AS gentle purgative, which
rids the bowels Of the Cal fofthe meconium
with which they are charged at birth. To
induce the new born calf to drink readily
from pail, couple of fingers should bC
put into its mouth, and the muzzle then
brought gently into the milk, which it will
draw into the mouth while sucking the
fingers -Moore'S Rural.
SCRAPING TREEs.-A late exchange
gives the statement of Il correspondent
showing the value of scraping tres. The
bark was scraped and washed with lime
and sulphur, and the result was Il heavy
crop of fine apples, where previously they
had been knotty and wormy. 1t is also
mentioned afterward that the trees receiv-
ed heavy manuring at the time of the
scraping, which we are told may have :"
effected the mproyement-probably in
this instance more than nine-tenths of it.
We do not object to scraping and wash
ing, but for feeble trees. cultivation and
cnriching the soil are worth AL this
Country GCntleman.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

RAISING AsPARAGUs.-A correspondent
of the Gardener'S Monthly tells of II bed
of asparagus, some twelve by twenty feet
in size, planted on good level soil, which,
when its growth became strong, was year
by year COY cred with two or three inches
Of good rich mould. Through this shot
the stalks and crept the roots. The meth
od was followed up every season with the
result of larger growth and product, till
the bed became an Oblong mound some
two or three feet in height, and II perfect
wonder as regards the quality and quantity
of asparagus furnished for the table That
yearly blanket of soil, it is thought, was
the only culture or enrichment given, The
bed was never dug with Il fork or spade.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

WHAT SHALL TIE HARVEST BE?-One
night man staggering through the
streets of Chicago noticed the people enter
ing II large, lighted building. Ignorant
that it was the tabernacle, wherein Moody
and Sankey We're holding religious meet,
ings, he staggered in. AMI SAT down near
me of the posts which supported the roof.
In sort of drunken stupor he leaned his
head against the post. Something reused
him. The happy faces of the people dis
lurbed him, " This is no place for me-"
be said to himself and arose to 90 out.
Just then Mr. Moody gave out the hymn,
" What Shall the Harvest Be?" The
first strain arrested the mans attention.
With Il thrill Of emotion he heard the
lines:
"Sowing the seed Of Il Hrnished name.
sowing Tue seed of eternal shame
That's mel" he said to himself
IT ats what | hare been doing, sowing
the seed of II furnished name.' NV name
is gone, and ROO | am sowing the seed of
eternal shamc!"
lie was so disturbed that as soon rs the
singing ended, he went out, determined
to drown out these convicting lines with
rum. He entered saloon, called for n
drink raised the glass to his lips, and set
it down untasted
-" As | attempted to drink" so he said
when subsequently he told the story. ="
could see written on the walls of Tie b,r-
room, What Shall the Harvest Bepim
lie sought his home. In the darkness
MS he tossed to and fro on his bed. he saw
on the walls of his bedroom, What Shall
the Harvest Be ?" O'''''
The next day found him at the tabern..
Gle, with that sad, solemn question ring.
ing in his ears. A Christian gentlem9 m
addressed him, heard his pathetic story ol
"a furnished name" They prayed to.
gelher, and the trembling drunkard lis
tened to the good news that even he minb,
be saved from the eternal shame
lie believed he entered upon The rich,
way, he walked therein. The staggering
drunkard stood firmly on his feet a re-
formed, Christian man. ~
One day. just before Mr.. Sankey-from
whose narrative we have condensed th; i
story--lett the city, the man came to him
Here is letter." he said - want =,
read you. 1t is from my little girl. M,
wife and have been separated; for eiphI
years / have not seen them" ''e"'
TEen' with the tears streaming dowr
MS cheeks he read, Papa, knew tha
you would come back to us sometime w
knew that the Lord would find Won for
nave nave been praying for you all thes,
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

tato crop which is to follow. Thus the
land will be MANFRED two years out of
three, good crop of oats and clover taken
off and a toerable crop of potatoes with
out apparent injury to the trees. In Sc
Letting trees, varieties such as come into
use at different seasons should he introduce
ed, so as to secure a supply for the whole
year. The common error of setting the
trees too near each other was referred to
and cautioned against by this member,
who thought that thirty feet apart was
much better than nearer, as apples require
both sun and air. No fruit, unless it be the
grape, is more dependent on the sun for
its flavor and color than the apple.