Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-02-20
Board Meeting at Marshneld.

Friday Of last week, there being n good attend |
ance and an equally good interest manifested
throughout the meeting l.. W Pitkin was chosen
president, with J. h. Pike as vice-president both |
OF Marshheld. The president read brief adj |
dress OF welcome after which Rev Paul Pitkin
invoked divine blessing ON those assembled.
J. q. A. Packer opened the meeting proper by
reading paper with the title Of Death In
Milk Pail" This title was not very cheering,
but the Doctor said that disease had come In that
way; that milk had contained large amount Of
living organisms which had been impaired to the
human system: these had been traced to impure
water where cows had drank: the same parasites
were found in the blood Of the cows drinking i'm
pure water. He spoke Of the III effects produced
from the drainage of houses and the litter from
sick rooms being thrown out Of doors ~ contani-
mating the air the litter ought always to he burned.
N. Skinner, Of Panfeld, read paper on =" Life
and Nouriehment" Commencing with the lower
classes he showed how by their death they
nourished those Of higher organism. and they In
their turn performed the same office for those
still higher Nature, he said, from the refuse of
her products produces larger crops, therefore we
should he ungrateful Il we do not restore all the
refuse matter and no one can gain the land ex-
cept in the sense of to die IL gain unless they do
50. lie strongly advocates the use Of absorbents
and cellars; does not believe in evaporation.
Mr. Tinlham gave his experience in bedding
Leaves are not good, neither do they make good
absorbent, hut he uses them largely in his pig
pen; they contain valuable properties as fer
tzer he prefers saw-dust to anything else Mr.
Chapman does believe in leaves for bedding, he
prefers them to saw-dust. A. r. Smith prefers
straw to ANYTHING else
As the discussion had drifted in the direction Of
manures, Mr.. Ora Paul, member OF the board from
Pomiret, read n paper ON "Manures. Home and
| Commercial" This Taper was very valuable and
every farmer present could make practical use
Of it. He strongly urged those present to protect
their manures from the weather and make free
use Of absorbents; he pows in manure thinking
it gave better crops by preventing evaporation he
believes in using commercial nanures 10 a limited
extent. but we must rely mainly on that made at
| home; we should also absorbents; advo-
Gates the raising Of clover and the feeding of
BRAN as the manure from feeding bran is worth
nearly as much rs the bran itself Mr. Fassett
said that he had applied in almost all forms,
spreading 1t on deep SHOWS and blowing it under,
and at most all times of the year, and all expert
ments had given about equal satisfaction The
discussion revealed the fact that manure applied
in most any form is not lost.
At the evening session paper on Corn and
Roses by Miss ,Etfie p Skinner, Of Painted
was read This was written when the writer was
seventeen years old, and was fine production
| for one Of her age.
| A. Chapman, OF the board, read paper on
| Size not an Index Of Merit" This was prac-
teal paper and showed what may be done in n
small. way; he gave an example Of three and one
fourth acres pasture in his neighborhood that had
sunmered COW, and an eight acre moving that
cut twenty tons Of hay; cows of medium size
had universally given better satisfaction than
overgrown ones; this he had ascertained by u
great number Of Inquiries and the same may he
said Of horses; those weighing one thousand
pounds are the best for all purposes, in his opin-
ion; medium-sized animals Of a,compact form will
give more meat, wool or dairy products, for the
cost, than large ones.
C. H. Heath. Esq, of Montpelier read paper
on Development of Home Industries " He
did not think 1t best to devote all our energies to
one branch of industry, hut have them diversified.
| We must, said Mr.. Heath, fall back on the wav
Of our fathers, who raised their own wheat and
corn, made their own clothing etc When we
needessly send out Of the state for articles we are
doing Vermont positive injury. The wheat
| crop of Vermont exceeds that of most Western
states per acre lie spoke highly of the timber
and water power unused in Vermont. lie ad-
vises the people to do their own manufacturing
and not send out of the state to get it done The
vershre mines support two thousand people
lie thought we Ought to keep mixed stock; a few
sheep, he said, would pay well, kept with our
Mr. II Smith u,
sheep running in the pasture with cows; this
was n question which had two sides to it, some
thinking the plan Of keeping both sheep and cows
in the same pasture good one, but the majority
thinking otherwise.
Friday morning the meeting was called to order
at the usual hour Prayer was offered by Rev.
George Forbes. j f. llollister read a paper on
" Poultry" He gave an experience with hens
only, but they paid. Fifty hens, he said prop
ery cared for would furnish enough of the best
manure for one-half acre Of corn. They will con,
sumo about one peck Of corn, or its equivalent,
daily. A. J, HOLSTER gave an account of his
poultry, consisting of thirty hens five turkeys and
four geese he had kept exact account with
them, and the net profits were sixtythree dollars
and forty-nine cents.
Mr.. c. NJ Fisher, Of Cabot, read paper on the
" Manufacture of Maple Sugar, the main features
of which are neatness and dispatch He uses the
round tin spouts and painted wooden tubs thinks
they are full as good IA tin, aud more durable
This discussion plainly showed that II sap is made
into sugar without delay and kept clean, good
sugar will be the result every time, A. NJ. Foster
said that he had made many inquiries of practical
sugar makers in regard to which kind Of tub was
the best on account OF sap sourng, aud the answer
was invariably in favor Of the painted wooden tub
T.. A Fisk, Of Waitsfeld, read paper on " Sue
cessful Farming" 1t does not consist in hoard
ing up money By neglecting the proper wants of
yourself Ard family, nor in large crops produced
by large outlay OF money, but in improving the
farm, yourself and your family at the same time
increasing your capital, IL possible In Washing
ton county no town had decreased in its grand
list in the last ten years; he recommended care
ful attention to fertilizers; some commercial ones
will pay well on certain crops; he repeated the
advice many times given in these meetings by
practical farmers, to use absorbents freely.
A. T. Smith, Of vergennes, spoke ertempore on
the profits Of feeding young stock he does not
keep them confined, but prefers to let them
run loose, and in the spring lets them into the
pasture early, drawing hay to them until they can
do without but confines them in stables when
fattening. In reply To how he would bridge over
the time between pasturng and feeding hay in
the fall, he said he used fodder corn; he has kent
young cattle and made them pay, but thought
that the dairy would be the foundation OF Yer
mont farming
j. II. Mead, Of West Rutland, spoke on the
| grass crop Grass in Vermont is king; we have
the finest grass in the world the animal hay crop
| OF Vermont Is about one million tons or one ton
to the acre; he advised blowing WORKOUT mowings
| in August or September, and manuring them and
seeding down with Timothy; thinks fall feeding
bad; approves Of alfalfa, thinks it one of the most
| profitable grasses we have; he also spoke highly
Of June griss Farmers In this vicinity would
not agree with Mr. Mead in regard to the latter
variety. Mr.. Chapman also spoke highly Of alfalfa
had known in California three crops of II cut in a
| single season, averaging three tons each time d.
d. Wooster had paper On dairying, which was
mainly devoted To describing his cooler draw
| ing of which adorned the walls Of the hall
Secretary o S Bliss, Of Georgia, spoke over an
hour ON the proper method Of raising cream; he
could not conceived more unphilosophical way Of
setting milk than setting in shallow pans exposed
to the air he condemns deel-settting AS a method
where we could not get all the cream, neither
does he approve Of cooling milk at the bottom,
but would have IL cooled at the top, in this way
| with shallow pans, can get all the cream and