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

~-@NNNAaA5 40 w VOhnbVShs
We did not reach Woodstock till mid-a
ternoon, but heard tho papers of the for,
noon highly spoken of by all who heard then
The attendance was large, of intelligent pee
pie, aud we found ourselves in tho midst @
an enthusiastic, wide-awake, sensible asseu
bly,, who we're intent on learning all the
could. The exercises after our arrival wer
as hero reported.
Albert Chapman read paper on "Horse
for Vermont" He opened with a humorou
account Of his own "greenness" as hors
mnn-any who know Mr.. Chapman's thor
ough knowledge Of horses, and his ponchan
for Morgans, will understand his "greenuess.
He told how the old morgan" horse took
among the people at West Rutland, Ludlow
Hinesburgh, Rochester and Chelsea. IL
referred in very amusing manner to th,
criticism which the editor of the FARMEr
made on his paper as read at Hinesburgh
that we said he gave too much attention "a
speed, and failed to call attention to the 9th.
er and better qualities Of the Morgans. Hi
does not claim the trotting as the superior
quality of the Morgaus. He said it was
about tiue these Patchens, Hambletonian,
and other breeds Of famous trotters, showed
their superiority over the Morgaus if they
possessed any such superiority. He advised
Col. Stowell, who has the ''coming horse" in
keeping, to hurry him up as the Morgaus
are rapidly going ahead of all others. He
also said that in price and speed the Nor
gans held their own and kept ahead of all
others. Mr.. Bridge of Pomfret spoke very
highly of the Morgans which he had bred
for many years, though of late, owing to
agricultural societies foolish preference for
other inferior races, he has given up breed
ing. He claimed that for endurance, service
and safety the Morgans were superior. Here,
at present, the Morrills aud Messengers pre-
dominate, and he regarded the Messengers
as next to the Morgans. He insisted that
no horses were more safe than the Morgans
and gave incidents in proof of the state
ment, and thought the state had lost millions,
ten millions was his opinion, by neglecting
the Morgans and going after the lean, lank
and tall horses which can look into a third
story Of a building. The Morgans now
found are mongrels, and we have but little
of the pure blood. One thing which COM
mcnds these horses is their beauty and ease
of movement, and he hoped for some organ
lied movement toward return to breeding
Morgan horses. Said to have a good horse,
have good colt, feed him we'll and drive
carefully.
THURSDAY EVENING.
The Woodstock brass band came in with
some of their excellent music, as the singers
had in the afternoon and the spacious town
hall was well filled with an intelligent, ap-
preciative audience, who listened to a choice
paper by Prof. Henry NJ. Seely of Middle
bury college on the Relation of Science to
Agriculture. He spoke Of how science
was showing itself the handmade Of COM
merce on the seas, whose depth and wonders
are being explored; how the rail with its
rapidly moving trains and the lightning
messages on the trembling wires are rewards
of scientific research. Also, how it has
aided manufacturers in their finish of goods,
and especially in the matter of bleaching.
If science has done so much for all classes,
now what will it do for the farmer2 Has
it nothing for the millions who are engaged
in agriculture? 1t has, though the matter
is more difficult than analyzng ores or COL
oring goods, for in agricultural pursuits there
is the vital force, or animal life, as we'll as
the uncertainty Of winds and storms and
weather, but the field is large and full of
promise. Geology is one Of the fields of
scientific research from which the farmer
may get much. 1t teaches him how the
soil is made by the washing and waste of
rocks, and the method of soil distribution,
etc., and it has gone abroad to fields of fer
tilizers, as the guauo islands. Chemistry has
4 more direct bearing on agriculture, and
further research will discover many things
now in obscurity. Theory ran wild in the
matter of analysis of the soils as so much
was expected of it. But it has done much
and will do more by patient experiment
aud all may yet come to the conclusion of
The Englishmen, who trust their money to
The faithful, fruitful earth, instead of to the
banks, which may fail. Chemistry deter.
mines for the farmer the value of the ferti-
zers offered for sale, though the prophecy of
The German chemist is that we shall enrich
our fields with the atmosphere and burn wat
,r for fuel.
We have seen fields which were evident
y enriched with the air if at all, also we
have seen farmers who have thought they
could bring in the era of burning water
1t least they persisted in making the effort by
using green wood, not unfrequOntly bass
wood or hemlock.
Botany also lends its aid in showing so
much of the nature, value, etc., Of plants, as
we'll as the nature Of the mildew, rust and
parasites which prey on our plants. Zo5l-
ogy has its place in determining the kinds
and relative value of the Jerseys, Devons
etc. Entomology comes in to aid the farm.
er in the matter of the hordes of insects
which prey on the young crops, and he de-
scribed in full the weevil on wheat and
its whole process Of growth, from the egg
until the grain is ruined. One late or early