The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-01
Agricultural Meeting at Poultney.

0rst oekklOn In JOSlln \ nail luGbudf hoih-
ing. 1t was called to order by the chair
man, Hon. Ralph Richards of Hampton,
N. Y, at 1915. Rev. G. Granger OF East
Poultney, made a prayer. A quartette
composed of Mr.. r. @. Humphrey, Mr..
VIM. Griffith, Miss Emma Thompson and
Mrs. g. N. Skase, rendered an agricultural
song in a very spirited manner.
The chairman then addressed the meet
ing for about fifteen minutes upon the ne
cessity of tho farmers having a thorough
acquaintance with sll that pertained to hie
business. Farmers Cons, or those destined
to follow the profession Of agriculture,
need an intellectual training greater than
for any other of the pursuits of life. He
needs to know the composition Of the va
rious soils, the manures that are adapted
to those SOLE, and the proper method of
applying them. lie must sequaint himself
with the different breeds of domestic ami
mails, and be able to determine which kind
are profitable and which are not.
Mr.. Richards address, though short con-
tanned much that was valuable and exhibit
ed an acquaintance with his business.
At the close of his address the chairman
introduced L. d. Mason, president of the
Vermont dairymens' association, who said
that he desired that any person in the audi
ence who wished to ask questions would
do 30; of which privilege many availed
themselves. lie said that g new departure
was necessary. In farming it, he held
it to be a duty incumbent on all farmers to
keep an accurate account of all expendi-
lures and receipts 80 as TO determine wheth-
er there is any profit in a transaction. All
other men, except farmers, keep accounts
aud there Is no reaSon why they should not.
You may ask any successful farmer about
his affairs and he will not be able to give
you any correct information In regard to
his business. Ii a farmer have unprofit-
able stock he should know it and rid him
self of them at once. From information
at his own command no was prepared to
state that on On average the cows az VcT-
mont did not produce more than 1876 pounds
of butter or $50 ponds of cheese per
bead, whereas they should produce at least
800 pounds of butter or 500 pounds of
cheese. IL costs but little extra TO pro-
duce this. provided the animal is q good
one. While on a visit to a certain doctor
he asked the doctor the difference be-
tween q COW that produced $50 pounds OF
cheese and one that could make 500 pounds.
The doctor said the latter was twice as
profitable. He then gave him the follow
ing figures, the prices being those of 1860.
Two tons OF hay, 81 per ton. .............s 14 90
IAsturaBe' ..s...'''' . W
Total expense for keeping. ...."."....s co
Receipts
$50 los. cheese, SC per b.................s $40 90
This left for profits nothing, while to the
matter of expense must be added the care
OF the animal for q year, showing an actual
loss, while with the cow that produced
500 pounds there Yves an extra cost of feed
Of three dollars and the profits were as fol-
lows:
Cost of wintering and pasturage, one
year %
Total expense. .s23 90
500 lbs. cheese, SC per b....."........... 20 90
Total profit. .Sl7 co
We should know the cost of every pound
of pork, butter, cheese, etc., that the farm
produces. This, said the speaker, ia an
easy matter simply place q pair of scales
near the place of milking, and every COW
should be submitted to q rigid test and
those that do not como up to a certain
standard should be sent TO the butcher.
Many farmers sell their best heifers to the
butcher and retain the culls. This is a
pernicous custom. Every farmer should
know whether his dairy is best adapted to
the manufacture Of bntter or cheese.
His dairy consisted of grade
Jerseys and Ayrshires. In the town
of POmfret there are parties who are max
| ipn am ppt1pdo IF hptfar OOw Tho,
feed the entire year and get extra prices for
their butter. Mr.. Obed Whipple of Pom
fret has a dairy from which he gets from
275 to 300 pounds of butter per COW. This
he sells to the fremont hotel, in Boston,
for 60 cents per pound. Mr.. Wood OF
Pomfret also has sold his butter at prices
varying from thirty-fige to forty cents per
pound. They ship at stated periods, Mr..
Whipple sending every second day in pack
ages of two, four and eight ounces each,
placed in a receptacle 30 as not to receive
injury by shipment.
The following was mostly given in reply
to questions proposed by farmers and
others:
Grades arc considered as better mixers
than pure bloods. Whipple and Wood
both feed meal from two to four quarts
per day during the entire year. His Che
speaker's) dairy consisted of twenty-five
COWS, pure blood, and grades, and this
year the total receipts were $S8 20 per
cow. His farm consisted of 140 acres,
forty in wood and the remainder in pasture,
meadow and tillable land. He keeps as
good as forty-one cows upon his place.
The speaker said that the farms of this sec
ton were equally as good if as much at
tention k given them.
In reply to several ~interrogations the
speaker said that he used only the manure
produced on the farm. He feeds roots
during the fall and early winter. After
calving, feeds grain once a day until grass
comes. In the seeding of his lands ust d
Vermont grasses only at half bushel per
acre. Has used fodder corn with good re-
suits. Plants three feet apart in drills, 60
as to admit of cultivation. Uses about
three pecks of eeed per acre. Uses west
ern corn or native, but preferred sweet If
it could be obtained.
GReply to Mr.. Scott. Covers with
hoes. Flows it cut twice during the sea.
son. He sows it at intervals 80 as to have
it fresh feeds it green or slightly wilied
and at night after milking.
Mr.. Mason then passed to the sub ect Of
manures, and said that he directed his men
in the spring to 20 through the pasture and
loosen up all droppings after which the
pasture was "buShed" until the manure
was thoroughly pulverized. Much Of the
valuable properties of fertilizers is lost by
being subject to the weather. Better Dor
row money, said the speaker, to build COW
ering than to allow so great a waste.
In reply to a query by II. Angevine said
that he fed his meadows some but not so
as to produce exhaustion fenced his
meadow into three portions and fed them
alternately, but withdrew his cattle as soon
as the grass became much trampled. He
held mangold beets In high esteem as food
for cattle and raised 100 tons from three
acres, but this crop the soil must be ex-