Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-25
Vermont Farms.

just as spring was opening | was at the
home of A. c. Farmer of East Burke, and
saw in his management of his farm and
stock so many tokens of that steadiness OF
purpose that leads to constant improvement
and final success, that note them down.
He has been on his present farm six years
and has repaired and re-arranged his build
ings, improved his soil and hay crop cleared
up his fields, and got good stock.
All this shows energy and good judgment
in farming. The income from the average
farm is often, and we may say usually, from
the stock kept, so we look this over and find
the seventeen COWS are high grade Jerseys
in good condition, and show excellent indi-
cations of merit as dairy cows There
were five of them standing side by side that
Mr. Farmer considers good for two hundred
pounds each of butter in one year. His
yearling bull is from the noted herd of Mr..
Adams, of the Adams Express Company,
He raises his heifer calves, and occasionally
sells COW or heifer at good price. The
use of full-booded bulls from the start has
given him herd probably equal to full
bloods for butter production.
His flock of thirty large Cotswold grade
sheep were sheared April llth, and gave one
hundred and ninety pounds of wool, which
was less than years growth. He has also
thirty-one lambs from them-a very even
and thrifty lot. In addition to good hay he
feeds to his sheep five pals of sour milk
day, eight quarts of potatoes, four quarts OF
oats and two quarts of corn. The lambs
have access to milk and six quarts of shorts
sheep. They eat it readily. The lambs
generally bring five dollars each, after re-
serving five of the best ewes for himself.
Two good breeding sows are kept upon
vantage They have responded to good
management by yielding profitable returns
in pigs.
Horses have proved profitable. Three
black Morgan colts are in shed by them
selves, and evidently will be strong, stylish
horses A breeding mare of Hambletonian
and Messenger blood is depended upon to
increase the stock.
Close by his horse-barn is a room for hi
choice flock of White Leghorn hens. These
are from the stock of j. Boardman Smith, of
New Haven, Conn, and are supposed to be
as good as any of the kind. Eggs for setting
and young fowls sold have made this stock
unusually profitable. The floor OF the room
is divided so that the droppings are separated
from the grain and seed thrown to them for
food. Several barrels of a valuable fertil-
izer are saved each year from this room.
The saving and application of manure is
a constant study. The plan of application
is to put on good dressing, and then put
on little more. In this way thirty loads
extra of muck composted with manure, has
been put on his four acres of corn ground ;
two and half acres will be sweet corn for
fodder, and one and half field corn. Wheat
is quite sure crop and he will SOW three
acres this year.
In an excellent sugar place he has made
this spring thirty-one hundred pounds OF
sugar much of this is sent directly to con
sumers. He sells maple honey at dollar
and fifteen cents to dollar and quarter
per gallon, gives an honest can full, and puts
on neat label bearing his address.
He is trying to raise fruit, having young
orchard of one hundred and thirty trees
If the varieties are well chosen, and proper
care given, he will probably succeed, as the
high, rich hill soil, when first cleared, grew
good orchards. The scenery is very fine as
the farm is high up on the western hillside
and overlooks several square miles of valley
With such farm and surroundings, a young
wife and the children, Mr.. Farmer has good
courage to work for successful future.