Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-03-06

anu eva pOraIOIS' :. tbo
Mr.. Pike of Marshfeld spoke IN tne
highest terms Of an evaporation mace ioi
him by the Vermont farm machine Co., u
Bellows Falls, .r,oo
Col. Mead read his paper on " Educa-
tion," which we have reported, and whlch
was followed by sharp and interesting
discussion on education, participated IN py
DR.. Hoskns, President Buckham' MI
Tinkham, Prof Atwater and Others
EVENING SESSION.
Ora Paul, Esq, chairman: Inc hrst pa
per read was that of Sidney Fisher, ESQ
of Knowlton, p. Q. He spoke OF tract OF
land there, which, years ago, was great
wheat producing district; now, from con
tnded cropping with no return, might DC
called u tract of thistles. A custom which
operates to the detriment of the farming
interest is the custom Of dividing the farm
at the death of the father, among all the
sons, and that, by running the lines
through the length Of the farm, making
sometimes tract one.hqlf acre, IN wldth'
on the highway, and thirty or forty acres
in extent, in length.
The old French farmers used no manures
but, when their yards became too crowded
with manure, used to draw it on the ice SO
it might be carried away, and later when
some of the fuga Scotch farmers came and
bought tracts of land, they used to get pay
for drawing the manure on to their own
farms and save the others the trouble OF
drawing it to the ice.
The water supply is poor, it chiefly be-
ing drawn from wells. He spoke OF tle
value of the meeting he had II. tended ana
the wish that many of his neighbors could
be here and hear what had been said: lie
thought many Of our farms were too large
the work entailed was too great, The results
too disastrous in premature old age nom
over work. and lack of culture and socla-
bility from the too great isolation. lie eX-
pected great things from the fruit interest
there, where the seedlings were quite nu-
merous and very promising, and he hoped
an unity of interest might bring us nearer
together to the benefit Of both, and the
speaker closed by expressing desire to
see an inter-colonial exhibition in which
we might join and to the benefit Of all.
Prof. Peter Collier, the chemist of the
department Of agriculture, Washington,
d. c., spoke in very pleasant terms OF the
satisfaction he experienced in thus coming
back to the field of his hbors'in years past,
and though his hearers would no doubt be
disappointed in what he might say he was
sure he Should not be disappointed in them.
The tree is growing, and its roots had
struck so wide and deep he believed it
would still flourish and bear fruit lie
spoke of the working Of the depart
ment Of agriculture in the past, and that
among those criticising it none were more
severe than the present commission, and,
indeed it was question of whether it was
worth preserving at all. He spoke of the
former work of the department in distribu-
ton of seeds, and the general dissatisiac-
faction attending it, and the same OF the
statistical department, which he heard
compared to the old farmer, who, when he
wanted to sell II quarter of beef and hay
ing no scales, put plank across the fence
to balance and then putting the beef or
one end, piled stones on the other to equa
weight, then guessed at the weight of the
stones. The figures of the customs show
that we import 23G,000,O00 dollars wortf
of products which might be raised in oul
own country.
The press had criticised very severely
the commissioner action concerning The
tea business, but he had seen within few
days tea leaves from trees as large a!
huckleberry bushes that had stood u zer'
temperature, though it might not be profit
ab1v roicn1 nt thnt 1nrrnn b1t hn thOuUh
it would prove u success, us it was nov
raised in, and the commissioner was usn2
tea from South Carolina. lie spoke of tn
sugar interest the amount imported reach
ing 100000 dollars per year, and an.
industry here which shall, in whole or il
part, supply that lack would be u nationa
blessing He was now analysing lively
samples of grasses from Texas to ascertain
their nutriive value, and perhaps som
one of them may be of value here, an
which work no private man could hardl.
afford to do. This work the department
does, and for the good of the whole. IL
spoke Of the work done in the department
by his predccessor-eXamination of ba
, guano, which might look like small bus
! mess; had examined the American suma
a and found it as valuable at n certain stag
of rpeness as the foreign, He also spok
, of other work being done by the depart
ment and of his interest in it and of il
value to the farmer.
Professor Atwater and Rev. l.. b. Hill
bard went in for more department.
. Secretary Secly was called out and e2
Z pressed his sense of the hearty work don
I by the board, of the interest shown in tn
{ work by the railroads who had granite
Il reduced rates of fare, and the hotel keeI
: ers who had done the same.
; Rev. l.. b. IIbbard offered rcsolutio
of thanks to the board, which was unar
imously adopted, after which the meetin
Il adjourned, having been II very yaluabl
n one.