Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-02-20
Meeting of the Board of Agriculture al
johnson.
TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
The meeting of the Board of Acricul-
ture ut johnson was held in normal hall,
commencing at 2 o'clock, P. NJ, on Tues.
day, the 18th inst. The meeting was call
ed to order by Mr.. Fassett, who briefly ex-
planned the objects and aims of the board
meeting, when the meeting was organized
by electing Robert Christy, president, and
ii. A. Waterman, Esq, vice president,
when prayer was offered by Rev. B. F.
Rattray After prayer the choir sang
" Our native land" with excellent effect.
Mr.. II. A. Waterman, of johnson, made
the opening address. He spoke of the
benefits Of education and one who contrib
utes to it is u public benefacor and the
education which should teach our farm
ing communities to increase the fertility of
or soil is doing Il noble service, and lie
trusted our state might stand as a pattern
for her sister states, and be not only what
Mr. Douglass sarcastically called her. "a
good state to emigrate from" but GOOD
state TO live in as well. lie would only
add, gentlemen, we cordially welcome Won.
DIR. II. P. Wakefield formerly of the
Massachusetts state reform school at Mum
son, now of Morrisville, Vermont read n
paper on the saving and preparation of
manures. How shall the manure from all
sources be saved and the compost heaps
made larger? The barn should be con
structed with cellars to protect the solids
and save all the liquids, which were worth
rs much as the solids, and the better the
animal is fed the more valuaae the ma
nures will be. The barns should be So
located that the drainage should not he
carried way off the barn by stream or
flow into the highway. The yard should
be SO located us to receive 10 water from
outside to wash the contents. The hoo
pen might be source of value instead OF
source of contagon, disease and death.
The farm house should have pleasant sur
roundlngs, bed of roses has pleasanter
perfume than the odors from pic pen.
whlle Inc cess pool and privy were often
rank nulSances. These were necessities in
well ordered households, but they mioht
by proper care he made inodoro1s and n
source OF valuable fertilizers and this could
he done by the addition of plenty of dry
earth. No man could afford to buy COM
mercial fertilizers when he was WASTING
those made on his own farm. No decay
ing vegetable matters should be allowed
about the house or in the cellar. The seeds
of typhus fever or diphtheria are often
disseminated from the poisons of decayinr
matter IN the cellars. These should be
carried 10 the barn cellar and mixed
with absorbents; all bones, old wooden RAGS
etc, should be saved and utilized, When
he has saved all these and still comes
short, then the question might be discuss
Ell whether he should purchase commercial
fertilizers. He thought such fertilizers
might be proftably purchased when the
farmer wished to cultivate temporarilv
more land than lie can manure well with
what he has made or when manure is to
be applied at places far distant or djricnlr
OF access from the barn Not all failures
OF crops are to be attributed to lack of
manure; the weather, the elements were
sometimes unfavorable to securing the
best results, or the entire benefit Of thc
manure applied. He would say for the
encouragement of farmers that he has a
business safer, with less risks, and better
remuneration as class than any other call.
ing, and II he has not the advantages in
buildings, location and facilities possessed
by some of his more fortunate neiphbors.
let him take courage and put forth every
effort to make the most of his opportuni- |
ties to improve his farm, his home and his
condition, remembering that he labors in
an honorable calling, the earliest business
of man, one which lies at the foundation
of every other business, one that has less
perpleXties less failure, and more sue !
ceSses and which gives anobler indepen.
dence, than falls to the lot of any other
business, calling, occupation or profession
on the face of the earth.
The next was the discussion, "How |
Vermont farmers can realize better results
from manures," by Mr.. Mead of West
Rutland and Mr.. Paul. Mr.. Mead said il
was estimated that half the manure which
might be made on the farms was wasted
lie advocated the top dressing of meadow
lands inclined to be wet, and turninp over
the mowings in the summer after HAVING.
getting it down smoother and puttino on
say live cords of manure to the acre. sow.
ing three pecks of herds grass seed per
acre, and the result was of the best. and
the more grass we have the more fertilizers
we gained. Mr.. Paul followed Mr.. Mead
Mr.. Paul contrasted the condition of the
earliest husbandry with that of centuries
later, and that with the condition and
practice of to-day and concluded the pres.
emit was Tar In advance of earlier times.
Nlr. Pauls paper was mainly that reported
ut Tunbridge. (Mr. o. NJ. Tnkham here
sang song by earnest solicitation. true.
hut not pertinent.-Ed) Prof. G.. N,
omyth followed on the same subject. lie
sad there was very general misundcr-
Standing concerning commercial fertliz-
crS they were not complete manures that
Is, substances containing all the food need
Ell by plants, but are used us supplement-
my OF naturnl manures, which were not
saved in sufficient quantity to make GOOD
In the soil the drain made on it by fine
pant, In plants were present in some
combination potash, soda, magncsia, man.
ganese, iron, chlorine, sulphuric and phos.
phorlc acids, and nitre. In case of fail.
ures IN crops the cause had been some
times found to be owing to the absence Of
some of these ingredients, which lack
chemistry has undertaken to supply. Barn.
yard manure contains all the clements of {
plant life, but all these special fertilizers .
guano excepted, are only partial fertile.
ers' and he thought they might be profit
aoly used IN connection with the natural
fertilizers. If soils lack in any one partic.
nIar salt or component part, would it moi
DC mere profitable to add that particular
Ingredient, and save the more valuable
manure? >'''''''
How to find out what soil needs
Chemical analysis had not Welded the S
results IN determining that which had
been hoped for, and it could best be done
BY experiments made by farmers on their {
own soils, and such experiments could he I
'ried by applying the different fertilizers /
o oinerent plals of ground, and note t
results obtained. These experiments to be a
valuable should be made for number of a
years and by many different persons S
some questions followed which elected /
nothing OF certainty or importance.
TUESDAY EVENING.
The exercises were opened by music bv 7
lie choir =" We come again with song to n
greet you" The attendance was excel. n
ent. there being nearly or quite four hnn.
ired people in the hall. After tbn ,,,,.io :,