The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-02-17
fgricultural Department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Meeting ofthe state Board Of Agricui-
ture at Brookheld, Tuesday and
waducsdnv. Feb, q and 7. 1877.

Meeting ofthe state Board of Agricui-
ture at Brookfeid, Tuesday and
Wednesday, Feb. o and 7, 1877.
The meeting was called to order by
J. II. Mead, of the Board.
On motion A. 8. Allis of Brookfield
was chosen chairman, who upon taking
the chair opened the meeting with an
address of welcome. The speaker
thought that the best welcome that could
be given the Board of Agriculture was
TO make II manifest by taking an inter-
est In their meetings while they are
here, studying into all the improved
methods offarming presented, and prof
iting by their lessons. We find our
selves In very different condition than
our fathers found the soil, and we must
study and discuss all these different i'm
proved methods, and see if we cannot
restore the energies of our soils by more
careful tillage, and judicious expendi-
ture for fertilizers. We must discuss
all these questions of the different breeds
of cattle, and learn what breeds will
prove most profitable for us; what way
we can restore the prestige Vermont
seems to have lost in giving up our old
profitable breed of Morgan horses, and
bringing in long-necked, spindle-shank-
ed, long-legged horses to supply their
places; how we can best solve the con-
fusion we seem to be in, in regard to
the best and most profitable methods of
manufacturing dairy products. In con-
clusion, Mr.. Allis would thank the
Board for coming to Brookfeld, and bid
them welcome to the hospitalities of the
town.
unon seDouhl;ng tbe Products of tho
FARM One and one make two. is one
of the fret lessons we learn. am
afraid in our older wears we are apt in
a measure to forget this.
We must trv in the first place to dou-
h,e the Capabilities of our soil. Years
AGO on a barren heath in England. there
was a monument erected to guide the
traveller who happened to lose his wav.
To-day if we 90 there we shall find fer
tile fields and noble tlocks of sheen and
cattle. In this case the product ofthose
acres is not only doubled, but increas-
ed nearly a thousand fold. One way to
double the products of our soil is to
double the amount and value of our
manure; this we may easily do by shell
tering our manure, and furnish good and
valuable absorbents to save the liquid
portion of it.
We should save and use all our ashes,
they are more valuable to use as fertil-
izer than to make soap. After they
have been leached they are still very
valuable. The ashes and lime then en-
ter into new combination, and the lime
that is used at the bottom of the leach
acquires additional valuable elements.
,rrht g
this can be done by not only fertiiza-
ton, but sowing different kinds Of grass
es, many more than we now do. There
are plenty of instances where the grass
crop has been doubled; some such ill.,
stances were given. We ought TO dou-
BILE the value of our horse flesh. We
ought to double, aye, more than double
the product of our diaries 30 long as the
average annual production of our dairy
cows only amounts to one hundred and
forty pounds, and there are some diaries
that produce three hundreds pounds per
COW. 1t is easy to see that this can
be done by careful selection, by testing
each COW and wedding out all the poor
or ones. Then another way to enhance
the value OF the dairy products is to
make them better. We should also dou
PIE the home comforts; and finally we
should double the size Of our families.
In reply to a question, what other
grasses he would sow, Prof. Seely re-
plieo ne would recommend red top or
chard grass, alsike, Glover, and others.
Nj. Cummings thought boys were not
WORKED hard enough; it would be bet
Ter 10 nave them kept from being idle.
Nj. Clough that we had tried the
hardening process upon our animals. We
are changing 1t for better one, and
nna one less hard Is more profitable. So
with our boys, he thought we could use
more liberal course with them, and it
wo9ld prove more successful.
Mr.. Gates OF Peacham thought the
hardening process good one, and it
was peter to Keep the boys at work,
than nave thep idle. He thought he
was lair example OF the hardening
process;
Mr. cummings asked why the boys
were not so well behaved now as FORM
cry.
Mr.. Chapman asked Mr.. Cummings
why at TINS DAY we did not hear of the
ooys turning the teachers out of the dis
trict schooi houses about here now. He
would not acknowledge that boys were
woLeo now IMAM formerly. Cn the 9TH
er hand he would claim the boys were
improving, and behaved themselves
better now than in days gone by.
After this discussion, Mr.. j. H. Mead
OF the Board read paper upon
Thoughts ON Sheep Raising"
MI. FISK would express his thankful
ness 70 the speaker for his encouraging
WORDS III regard to sheep raising. He
nao learned within few days, and
thought he had proved it by his own OBJ
servation, that the improved Merinos
that were in western Vermont to-day
were the best that had been in the state.
Mr.. Gates asked if these sheep would
pay:
Mr.. Mead said his sheep paid. 1t had
been found in his section that under the
dairy system, the pastures did not keep
up TO their fertility. thew Wara unnuas-