Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-01-29

The Secretary opened the meeting 10y reading
brief paper by J. NJ. Hale, of Georgia, Vt, on
Making and Packing Butter" in which the
usual rules relating to neatness and care in maxi
ing and packing were laid down in a plain and
concise manner.
EXHAUSTION AND RENOVATION OF SOILS.
MIR THOMAS WHITAKER of Needham, Mass,
read an ESSAY on "The Exhaustion and Renova-
ton of Soils" Mr. Whitaker began by an allu-
sion to the fact that the decadeuce Of nations has
followed always the exhaustion of their agricul-
tura soils The history of Rome and Spain were
especially cited in proof The waste of plant
food through the sewage OF great cities was al
luded to a. n great drain upon the fertility of
tile country from which these cities draw their
supplies Of food England pays over eight hun
dred millions dollars annually for artificial fer
tzers, yet the waste of its cities is of greater
value, if it could be saved and applied to the land
Besides these imported fertilizers, the products
of all the feeding material imported go on to the
land of Great Britain.
There great losses in this country, not only
from preventable waste, but also from the export
of food for man and beast Already our Western
| states, whose soils few years ago were thought
nexhaustibe, are now saving their once wasted
manure, and even using artificial fertilizers.
The political questions of the day are of small
| Importance compared with the question Of the
waste of fertilizing material. The whole future
of the nation is at stake in it,
We are too prone to initiate the English in the
use of purchased fertilizers. The conditions are
not the same The Englishman must purchase
either grain, or fertilizers to raise grain. Our
| farmers are not thus situated Corn and meal to
| feed to stock are the cheapest fertilizers New
England farmers can Hse, il the excrement pro-
duced is properly saved and used.
| The cry in New England is that our farms are
running down and pastures running out,
Sheep keeping was alluded to as a remedy, but
wool takes the best elements out of the soil--the
ammonia phosphorc acid and potash--the very
elements of fertility which we buy in artificial
fertilizers. The carcasses sold as meat carry of
much more, The only way sheep can be made tc
renoyate the soil is to feed them large quantities
of food outside Of what the pastures yield, and
letting them spread this over the land in til,
form of excrement Horses and milch cows draw
severely upon the wealth of the soil but especially
the latter where the milk is sold off the farm.
The reason why we must manure is because we
want to draw fertility from the land in the form
|
must meet the demands, or the land is rapid,
Impoverished. The cows bring from the pastur
to the barn large quantities of fertilizing matter
part Of which is saved in the manure. II VI
make butter we take nothing from the soil il
that, aud II we save aud feed the skim milk +
! pigs we lose little of that, which loss may be mad
o mp by feeding them meal Butal farmers canno
make butter Fine feed, shorts and bran mus
be bought and fed to the cows If we sell tn
, milk. This, with cornstalks, hay and straw wi
ID make much and rich manure, aud serve to kee
9 up fertility,
Twenty wears ago Mr. Whitaker bought farm
d so poor that nothing but moss grew on much G
IT, The whole would not keep more than tw
: cows now he has ten with some young stock
d lie soils almost altogether has but little pastu
! age Sows winter rye for early feed In May an
i June lie advises this to Vermont farmers in al
I, of their pasturage overstockng the pastures, an
q feeding this and other green material 10 pioduC
e fertility lie sows clover with barley and oats
I feed. This is made into hay hungarian is al,
= sown in June for both hay and green feed Fo,
\ der corn Is grown to feed in the fall Has used bI
d little artificial fertilizers, mostly Bradleys pho
- phate, which he has used with success Won
y feed pigs with purchased feed II meat brlngi1
y fair prices, but it will not now pay, At presel
d prices II farmers can make living and keep Il
! land improving, it is all we can expect Ills pre-
ent object is to keep up a uniform flow of mi
winter and summer, and his mode OF feeding
adapted to that His sales for the past year we
twenty-tw thousand seven hundred and fort
two quarts, besides using one thousand quarts
the family and raising three calves, which toe
at least one thousand quarts more The aveml
was six and eighttenths quarts per day, per 90,