St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-28
Farmers Meeting.

noon but a few were out in the after
noon, quite number were present, and
showed deep interest, and were ready
to give their experience on the differ
ent subjects. Peter Lindsay was chosen
Pres't, Stephen J. Hastings, Secretary.
Col Mead, in his opening remarks,
said farming in Vermont was on the
wane-that Vermont by the last census.
showed loss of population, that the,
farmers are doing their business on the
hap-hazard plan, not knowing whether
they were gaining or farming at loss.
He urged them to give greater care to
the management of their farms; to the
selection of their stock. He thought
if the state would give some aid towards
furnishing employment to the idle,
rather than pay out so much for the
support of prisons and reform schools
to care for bad men and boys, that a
great amount of vice and crime would
he prevented, and thereby increase the
prosperity of the whole state. And as
the cause of agriculture was advanced,
so would be the wealth and prosperity
of the state.
In speaking of the dairy, he said that
the average COW of Vermont produced
only II9 lbs. of butter, at an average
price of II cents, which was not enough
to pay for keeping. He thought that
the farmers would be benefited by the
exchange of cows, the butter men hav-
ing those rich in cream, while the cheese
makers should have those with large
amount of caseine. He thought the
demand for butter that would bring
from so to 80 cents was limited, but
that there was great call for butter
that was worth from 25 to 80 cents.
j. P. Foster thought that gilt-edge
butter would find a market with but
few customers, owing to the hard times,
while the great bulk of butter must de-
pend upon the foreign market: Now
we see that the English market calls
for butter at from is to 20 cents, while
the German uses only the low grades
from 10 to IA cents, and as we must
adapt our goods to the market, poor
butter would find a ready MAJ ket. The
meeting then adjourned for dinner.
Afternoon.-A paper was read by S.
j. Hastings, subject, Elbow can we in
DIR. Drew of Danville thought that
the test tubes were not exact enough
to determine the good cows. His method
of feeding was to give three quarts each
of meal and shorts to a COW. and did
not consider this high feed. Fed sweet
corn, preferred the Sanford to the COM
mon kinds, lis it grew larger and took
less seed to the acre. Thought that he
could make equally as good butter in
the winter as in the summer, only was
obliged to color it in winter. Preferred
Wells & Richardson's butter color to
carrots, us the carrots would injure the
keeping qualities of the butter.
Col. Mead then said that there was
no such thing as an over production of
good butter; the demand would in
crease as fast as the supply, and the
price would be good fol the best. The
farmers must put their butter up in
attractive packages, even if the cost
was more. In regard to fertilizers he
had used Prof. Stockbridge's, which
was said to raise 10, 20, or 30 bushels
of wheat, just as the farmers liked
but with him the crop did not come up
to the standard. He thought that there
was better way, by trying expert
ments find out what the soil needed,
then supply that want, and save the
cost of the other ingredients.
Mr.. Morrison, being called upon, said
that he used muck in large quantities
as an absorbent, thereby doubled the
amount of his manure and did not de-
crease it's value,
Deacon Ranney of st. Johnsbury
considered muck valuable he drew in
one year enough to cover his barn-yard
nearly one foot deep, let it remain all
winter, then drew it out upon green
sward, and never raised such corn. He
had 80 bushels to the acre. Does not
husk his corn but feeds it upon the fod-
der, thus saving the labor of husking
and the miller's toll.
DR.. Drew uses muck to bed his COWS,
using at the rate of five bushels to bed
IL cows. He thinks that there is no
limit to the amount of manure that can
be made if care and labor are used.
He buys less and less each year of
phosphate, and hopes soon to be able
to get along without buying any.
R. P. Harvey went on to a run-out
farm he had brought it up by blowing
deeper; thought most farmers plowed
only three inches deep; plowed in his
manure, and planted only what he could
manure well. Thought the cause of
the hard times was people were too ex-
traVagant could not live within their
means, but must all do as the wealthy
do.
Col. Mead in his final remarks said
that the farmers of Vermont went over
too much land they must either en-
ploy more help or cultivate less land.
In France they have paid off an i'm
mense war debt and astonished the
world. There farms average only Is
acres; while in England the tenant
| pays more rent than the land is worth