St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-02-15
For the Caledonian.l
Meeting of the Board of Agriculture.

The meeting OF the Board of Agricul.
ture Feb. 9TH and 9Th, at East Hard,
wick, was all entire success. Thursday
afternoon, the first session, the Congre,
gatiOnal church was about half filed
the majority being from out of town
Meeting was called to order by Prof
H. NJ. Seely, Secretary of the Board, by
some very appropriate remarks. Hon
j. ID. Bell was elected President c. NJ
Bailey, Vice President; and H. Blake
Secretary.
The first exercise upon the program
was opening address by H. Blake.
Briefly abiding to the past success OF
the Board in these winter meetings, III
gathering large assemblies in every
place where meetings are held, and
holding these gatherings with increas-
guarantee of the adaptation of the pres
ent Board to the work assigned them,
and as an approval of the taxpayers of
the appropriation of money to sustain
them. The speaker welcomed the Board
to this particular field of labor.
Next an essay by j. r. EMERSON OF
Peacham Fertilizers their preserva-
ton and application" He eniOined
upon farmers to keep the manure heap
M low Tn
lions by absorbents; place muck under
the heaps to absorb the teachings that
barn cellars were almost Indispensable
to successful manufacture of manure :
save every thing which will enrich the
soil-slops from the sink, suds from the
washings-utilize every thing in a com
mon sense manner. If you lack ma
nure still, buy the concentrated ma
nures. Plow in the manure; never
attempt to harrow it in, for you can't
do it.
Mr.. Paul followed in the same strain,
saying also that only those in his sec
ton bought commercial fertilizers who
were too shiftless to gather up those
materials which abound on every farm
into the compost heap. Nj. G. r. Drew
had used from 500 lbs. to a ton and a
half of commercial fertilizers in a year ;
but from his experience he wished that
it were not possible to buy any. After
he had used all of the home made fer
tilizers that he now had at home, he
did not lack and every farmer could
do as well as he.
President M. H. Buckham, of Yer
mont University and State Agricultural
College, was in the audience and spoke
of the need of discrimination in the ap-
plcation of the commercial fertilizers 4;
and being recognized by the president,
was called to the platform and intro
duced to the audience, and continued
to speak for few minutes upon the
topic of the essay. He said the Agri-
cultural College was preparing to make
experiments with the fertilizers in the
market, and would furnish them to re-
sponsible, careful men, in different parts
of the state, with instructions for their
use to be reported after harvest.
Thursday Buening-G. R. Drew spoke
without notes on the reasons "Why our
farms ale mortgaged" The slip-shod,
half-and-half way of farming; wasting
every where; never half doing what
should be done well spending time at
the grocery drinking bad whiskey ;
paying lawyers fees to settle quarrels.
ETC., were all fertile of farm mortgages.
II. Blake would not deprecate a mort
gage which a young man without capt.
tai had put upon his farm, using his
credit as capital. He would prefer to
see young man with good forecast,
being careful who he bought of, with
rigid economy and industry buy farm
on credit than work by the day. He
could make for himself and family
farm, and home. Others have done
it, and it can be done again, Mr.. Fas-
sett would have people more careful of
mortgages that come with bonding
towns to build railroads. Railroads are
good things if not purchased at too
great cost.
Prof b. NJ. seely's Sermons in
stones" was scholarly production, ac-
counting for the soil of our planet which
was once solid rock, by glacial and at