davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

VERMONT WHEAT.-Last year raised
eighty-four bushels of the Clawson wheat
on one acre and l43 rods of ground. This
was the first crop of Clawson wheat raised
in this section. Last fall l sowed foul
acres, which harvested last week. The
crop is nearly OF quite equal to that of last
year. sold my last years crop for seed,
mostly to my neighbols, and there are
some very fine crops of it harvested-l
think quite forty bu ,hels per acre. When
the country was new the clay soils in the
Champlain valley produced abundant
crops of winter wheat, in fact it was the
principal crop raised for an income on the
farm. Some thirty or forty years ago. the
wheat crop was troubled with weevil. In
Il few years, this insect was so destructive
that raising winter wheat was abandoned
II good growth of straw could be produced,
but little or no wheat. For the past five
years farmers have been sowing winter
wheat, and with good success and nc
trouble from weevils. l have examined
my wheat very thoroughly and fail to find
Il single one Of these insects. The area
sowed to winter wheat is on the increase
from year to year, and the clay soils that
fifty years ago produced such abundant
crops of No. l winter wheat, are again
growing crops equal in yield and quality
to those grown when the country was first
settled. We hope that destructive pest,
the weevil, will not again trouble u.s.
Henry Lane, of addison County, w., in NJ
Il. Farmer Of July.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

ACCIDENTS FROM PARIS GREEN.-This
has been an unfortunate season as regards
accidents from the use of Paris green
" Familiarity has bred contempt for this
dangerous substance, and there have been
more horses, cows, pigs and fowls lost by
poisoning than ever before. There have
been some curious accidents. A horse tied
to a wagon in which was II can of green,
reached over, opened the can with his
teeth, licked the poison and died in a
short time. A portion of a barrel of water
in which the green had been mixed for
application, was upset on a meadow and
neglected. Cows pasturing on the field
ate the grass and three died, and the others
recovered with difficulty. A workman
coming into dinner left the shaker, con-
tanning some "greened" -four at the door
step, some fowls came and pocked at the
flour, when the MN came ont, the fowls
lay dead. A calf chewed up piece of
paper, in which some green had been
wrapped, and which was thrown down
carelessly, and blown about by the wind.
The calf died. Such accidents as these
show that people have become careless.
Carelessness always leads to loss, if not
disaster, and carclessness with posons is
criminal Record and Farmer.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13
Save Ahsorhents for tha StnhI0-

1t is good time now. while the weather
is comparatively dry, to collect and Law up
dry soil to use in the stables for absorbing
the urine which would otherwise be par
TALLY or wholly wasted. Loan. dry
muck, sand or sawdust may each be used
with advantage for taking up and holding
the liquid excrements of the stable. That
substance will be the best which can be
obtained most readily. Sawdust near
mills, muck from the low meadows. and
loan or sand from the fields will each be
preferred by different farmers, according
to the circumstances surrounding them.
In those sections of the country where
grain raising is carried on as a leading
business the straw is used as an absorbent
quite freely by the best farmers. We
have seen it spread over cattle yards to
the depth of a foot or more in some Sec
lions Of Vermont and Canada, and such
practice is highly commemorate where
straw is abundant, but in dairy districts
the farmer often finds il far more prolita-
BILE to use his grain straw for feeding
purposes. Muck from the swamp makes
an excellent absorbent for the stables, hog
pens and cattle yards, but it should be
dug out and exposed 10 the action of the
weather at least Il year before being used.
Wet muck fresh from the swamp is nc
absorbent ut all, and some kinds NAV be
really injurious to the land if applied in
the crude state as it comes fresh from the
boys. Any farm soil, if tolerably free
from stones, will make Il good absorbent
for the stable and barn yards.
Ii one has waste land that he does not
care to cultivate, or if he has more than
he can properly use by the ordinary
methods, it may not be bad plan to sci
apart small area in some out of the
way corner to draw from for this pur.
pose. Plow the ground to kill vegetation
and make it easy to shovel, then cultivate
occasionally to dry the surface, when the
top may be drawn AS wanted, or II large
pile may be stored for use in wet weather
Some years ago, we built shed adjoining
the cattle stables, for the express purpose
of laying up dry soil or other material tC
be used as bedding and absorbent under
the cattle, and although we find II pile Of
dirt little hard on the wood work of the
building, yet we are convinced that nc
investment we have ever made has paid Il
better per cent on the outlay. All the
year through, from January to December
there is dry material at hand for taking
up all the urine from the animals, much
of which would be entirely lost under
ordinary methods. We know the prac.
| tice makes some extra work, but it is
work that pays. 1t will not do for farmers
to spend their hard earned dollars fol
purchasing fertilizers and freighting them
miles across the country, while the liquid:
from their stables are soaking down int
the soil beneath, or being washed by
every rain into the street, Or down some
ravinc, as is far too often the case, Thes,
hot, sunny days are just the time for pre-
pairing dry material for the stables, anc
one should only need to be reminded of i
to set about the work in good earnest
Nc,0 England Farmer.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13
The StAie Fair.

We visited the grounds Of the Washing
ton county agricultural society. where the
state fair is to be held, a few days since,
and found matters in active preparation
for that event.
The roads on the grounds have been
widened. the track regarded and widened.
There are abouttwenty-fve acres enclosed,
and so situated as 10 give from one portion
q good view of the rest, intending the
track. The old floral hall. So by 100 feet.
is 10 be kept for the same purpose, and a
new agricultural hall, IS by 100 feet, is
under way. There will be about four
hundred pens for cattle and sheep, and
there are besides one hundred and fifty
box stalls for horses, which are in a fine
location, handy to the track, yet out Of the
way of all the rest CT the show, and are
in such position that the horsemen can see
from the doors of the stalls the movement
of any horse on the track its entire course.
The supply of water. heretofore some.
times scant, will be increased beyond any
possible demand which may be made on
1t, and distributed conveniently about the
grounds. An excellent spring near the
grounds will be brought in. which will
furnish good water for drinking in album.
dance.
For reaching the grounds the Montpelier
and Wells river railroad company are
making due preparations. which will Sc
cure ease and convenience 10 exhibitors
and visitors. Superintendent Slowell is
putting in side track at the western en-
trance to the grounds. where there will be
suitable yards and platform for unloading
and loading stock and other articles of
exhibition. Extra trains will be run from
and to the village at intervals daily, with
tickets at ten cents for the round trip,
while the road will sell excursion tickets
from points along the line at low rates,
probably less than half fare
Altogether. appearances indicate ample
Preparations for grand exhibition, and
il only remains for the exhibitors and WIS.,
itors to make it 80, which we think, with
favorable weather, they will do. Let lis
have rousing big time.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

CRATCHEs.-Scratches is the disease
which affects the heels of horses, and is
often called grease in the heels, or mud
fever. 1t is disease of the skin, caused
originally by wet or filth. and the absorb
ton of diseased matter in time produces a
diseased condition of the blood which
renders cure very difficult. If it is not
very serious if may be treated by frequent
washings with warm water and soap. In
severer cases melt together two ounces of
be8swaX,two ounces of resin, half a pound
of fresh lard; add to this four ounces of
tnrpentine, and stir until nearly cool; then
stir in one ounce Of finely powdered
acetate of copper, and well mixed until
cold The heels should be bandaged to
preserve from injury or from irritating
matter. mud sand or filth. If the disease
is unusually virulent. medicine should be
given. This may be free saline laxative,
as twelve to sixteen ounces of salts, and
the usual antiseptc, hyposulphite of soda
in small, doses, repeated daily till the
disease is overcome. If purging occurs,
reduce TO half ounce doces.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

hesitate to make a meal from the sweet
of peaches. This selection is trGSpdSs,
and annoys the lords of creation who have
fine orchards of peach trees Still, who
can blame the beetle? He Is fond of
sweets, and peaches contain a quantity Of
sugar. He has never attended the Sab
bath school to learn the moral right Of
mortals. and hence is not responsible, If
he has infringed upon them.
On the approach of cold weather these
beetles disappear, but no naturalist has yet
found out where they go to spend the win
ter in torpid state.
The second species of beetle mentioned
above are very large, measuring an inch
and tenth in length. The body is broad.
oval and fattened. and of purplish black
color. The females are generally much
larger than the males, but lack their pol
isA. They conceal themselves through
the day, and do their flying in the night.
They emit an odor which is disagreeable.
and which has given them their name.
In autumn each grub makes an oval cell
or pod of fragments of wood strongly
cemented together. In this he goes
through Transformation, and in the
month of July he comes out perfect
beetle.
We have another scented beetle, equal
in size, but of different color from the
species last mentioned. The male has n
deep pit before the middle of the thorax.
The family of beetles, including the stag
beetle, horn bug and flying bull come
next in the natural order. They are
named from their peculiar form and large
size of the upper inv, which is much
larger in the male than in the female.
These beetles do all the good and mis-
chief that come in their way in the night.
They frequently enter houses without inv-
tation, to alarm the occupants, but they
never bite without provocation. Who
does? They pass the day in trunks of
trees, and live upon sap, which they gath
er by means of the brushes of their jaws
and lips Their eggs are deposited ia the
bark of trees. From the eggs come the
grubs, which are six years in maturing.
When full-grown they enclose themselves
in eggshaped pods. which they have con-
structed, and remain there until trans
formed into perfect beetles, when they
burst the walls of their prison and crawl
out into the open world This is their
resurrection and life.
The largest species in New England is
called the horn bug, which is of deep
brown color, with Il polished surface.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13
FArrENING CATTLE.-In fattening cat.

FATTENING CATTLE.-In fattening cat.
tie, we have preferred to divide the grain
into three parts, and give it with twice OF
thrice its bulk of cut hay or other fodder
This mixes the concentrated with the
bulky, and insures it all being raised and
remasticated. But two feeds of grain and
hay, with one of hay alone, are thought by
many TO produce as good a result.
Young and growing cattle are the better
for some exercise, and should have the
opportunity, daily, of stretching thciI
limbs in the open air, except during
storms. But fattening cattle need very
little exercise, and may be probably kept
in stall during the three or four months o.
fattening. In fact, it is expensive exercise
to allow a free daily run to fattenins
cattle. 1t will take considerable per
! centage of their food to sustain this ex
penditure of muscular force. Comfortable
quiet must accompany the rapid deposit o
fat.-LiUe Stock Journal.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

WOMEN AS POULTRY RAIsERs.-The
custom practiced in France, of allowing
the wife so many francs a month or year
as "pin money" TO use as she pleases is
one that should be generally adopted,
especially in the United States. On the
farm the care and profits Of some If not all
poultry, could be very properly transfer
red to the women of the household. The
care of poultry is a business naturally
adapted to woman. as it requires patience
and attention, and at the same time, kind
ness and gentleness. traits 100 often lack
ing in the sterner sex.
There is no event in connection
with poultry raising during tho whole
year, which has not interest for those who
care for the innocent creatures Of the
farmyard, whether 1t be feeding the CRATE
full bipeds, gathering the eggs, hatchin g
the chickens, or reducing the hocks in the
fall to suit winter quarters, all have their
charm, and excite the interest and sympa-
thy of their faithful attendants. There is
much complaint among psychologists that
American ladies lose health and beauty
earlier than they ought for want of suffi.
cient out-of-door air and exercise; and
this occupation has, among its other ben
fits, that of sending hem into the pure,
outer air, and melting love for rural
natural beauty not found among those
whom no such duty tempts from the ire
side. Poultry World.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

SOWING SEEDS AND NUTs.--Mary
Wager Fisher tells the New York Tri
bnne that three years ago, having some
choice seeds and nuts that she wished to
grow without fail, she proceeded to treat
them according to the very approved
method one often sees advanced in jour
nas-to put aside the seeds, ETC., in sand
during the winter and plant in the ground
in the spring. The result was, that not
one of the seeds or nuts terminated. Last
fall she again had seeds of large variety
of fruits. including grapes; also several
varieties o. nuts. And one day-to be &C
curate it was the 10Th of November she
had a bed spaded up for the purpose, and
into it she tossed the seeds and nuts. duly
labelling each kind, and sprinkled bit of
earth over them. A few days later slight
layer of straw from the stables was added
The result of this planting is a complete
success-everything grew.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13
For the freeman.
A Chat with Farmers.
BY AGRICOLA.
ABOUT NOXIoUS INSECTS.

We have described the metamorphoses
and habits of the rose bug. The eqq, the
grab, and the papa are beyond our reach.
We cannot destroy them. We must wait
until they have issued from their subter-
ranean retreat and congregated upon our
vines and other vegetables. Even then
| there is no way to destroy them but bv
assault and battery" They must be
caught and crushed, or scalded or burned.
II Is IN vain to attempt to starve or poison
them. The most effective way to get rid
OF these bugs is to pick. shake or brush
them from the plant into tin vessel con-
tanning little water. This must be done
daily, if we would save our trees and
vines.
Mr.. John Russell states in his Agricul-
tural Repository that in 1928 he discovered
on single apple tree rose bugs in such
numbers as could not be described or be-
lieved, except by an eye witness. These
were shaken from the tree upon sheets
spread underneath and burned.
DR.. Green of Mansfield found eighty.six
OF these bugs upon single rose bud!
These he crushed with his hand.
Sometimes they gather in vast Numbers
on the common white weed of our mas
lures. 1t is then worth while to NOW the
worthless plant and commit it to the
flames, thus destroying the noxious in.
sects. Many insect-eating birds, including
the domestic fowls, destroy large numbers
of them. The dragon fly and some other
species of this race also aid in the work
of their destruction.
The tribe called cetomans or flower
beetles are not generally regarded as in
furious TO vegetation. Some of them eat
leaves, but the greater number live on the
pollen and honey of flowers, or sap from
the wounds of plants, or the crumbled
substance of decayed roots and stumps
Some OF these beetles are brilliantly col
ored, and are very large. Such are the
Incas of South America and the Goliah
beetle of Guinea, the latter being more
than four inches long, two inches broad
and thick, and heavy in proportion.
The two American species are called
the Indian antonio and the rough osma-
derma. The first makes his appearance
the last of April or the first of Nav.
aud is seen in dry and open fields, or
around the borders of woods, flyinp lust
above the grass, with loud sound. lie is
about six-tenths of an inch in length. of
a darkish color, and thickly covered with
short hair. He is not seen in midsummer.
About the middle of September new
brood comes forth. Now they may he
fonnd on flowers, cornstalks and trunks of
trees, eating pollen or sap. Nor do they
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

NorES FROM THE FARM AND GARDEN
STACKS AND STACKING Stacking hay
and grain is Il cheap and safe practice. 1t
is cheap because it avoids the cost of
barns, sheds and barracks. 1t is safe, or
may be made us safe, us putting a crop
away in NOW under roof. There are
some remarkable new ideas prevalent
One is, that to pack green grass in an air.
tight barn will preserve it fresh and green,
without mold or damage. This is doubt
less an otfshoot of the recently popular
French idea of eusilage of green corn
fodder. But the two are entirely different.
Eusilaged fodder does not dry, but
ferments and cures by becoming acid or
alcoholic, just rs cider or wine ripens in a
barrel, if kept free from the air. Hay, on
the contrary, must dry, or it will spoil,
become moldy OF rotten, unless preserved
in air tight receptacles. A barn cannot
be made air tight, and unless the hay is
well cured before it goes into the barn, it
cannot remain green and sweet, as has
been stated it will. 1t cannot help but
heat and ferment and this turns it brown
if the heat can escape; otherwise it will
become moldy and spoil 1t will not be
safe to put damp or green hay away into
Il barn, however tight the walls may be,
if the top is open to the air. The more
open the barn walls are, so that rain can.
not enter, the better for the hay. Indeed,
there is no hay so sweet or good for use
as that taken from IL well made stack
NcU York. Times.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

LESSONS IN JUMPING -" Animals learn
to jump as little boys learn the same
thing. If animals were never exposed to
a fence easily jumped, they would never
learn the art.'-Old Farmers Ainlapdc.
Too many of our fences are rough
monuments of laziness, tossed together
for no other purpose than to afford the
quadrupeds Of the place the means OF TAX
ing practical lessons in the art of jump
ing."-NeU England Farmer. 1873.
Our farm animals may be taught to
90 over any of our common fences by the
training they get First, starve them to
make them light and restless. As soon AS
they go over the lowest part of the fence
after better provender, make them jump
back again and put on one more rail
Next day repeat the process, adding an
other rail. In a short time they will take
care of themselves and harvest the crops.
-RegjSter of Rural AfurS.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

English farmers have been experiment.
ing on the time for cutting grain for fifty
wears, and now the wheat harvest ol
England is secured fortnight earlier
thln it was in the first half of this century
though, owing to the popularity of the
cimate-abundance of moisture and want
of sunshine-the grains, fruits and vege-
tables of England mature much more
slowly than in this country. AS long age
as 1910 John Hannah, of North Deighton
England, made some interesting expert.
ments on the results of cutting wheat ut
different times, and as his conclusions
have been confirmed by subsequent ex-
periments we will briefly note them. On
the 4th of August Mr.. Human cut Il
sheaf from his field of 1" old square headed
red wheat when the straw was jus,
commencing to turn yellow, and the
grain was so full of milk that the slight
est pressure reduced it to pulp. August
18th, or fortnight later, he cut another
sheaf when the straw for foot from the
roots was decidedly yellow and the chat
well tinged, but the grain, though plump,
was still soft. A fortnight later, when
the farmers of that town considered wheat
to be ripe, and were generally commenc-
ing the harvest, the straw and the chat
beng uniformly yellow, Mr.. Hannah cut
another sheaf. From each of these
sheaves he selected one hundred heads on
the LIST of November, which were carefully
thrcshcd and weighed with the following
result:
No. l (green) weighed 1920 grains
Troy.
No. Gmmature) weighed 2,453 grains
Troy.
No (ripe) weighed 2,1G6 grains Troy
The gain in weight, therefore. from
cutting wheat before it is perfectly ripe is
over thirteen per cent.
The next thing Mr.. llannam desired tc
ascertain was the quality of his produce
harvested at different times. He took his
three samples to market, and asked Il
large wheat-grower what he ought tC
charge for his different crops. The ex
pert priced No. l at sixty-one shilling,
per quarter, No. 2 at siXty-four shillings
and No. at sxty-two shillings. Further
to test the value, he put the same samples
into the hands of an experienced miller
and asked how much he would give, who
after careful examination, replied sixty
one shillings for Nos. l and 3, and sixty
three shillings for No. 2. The gain in
quantity from harvesting wheat before il
is fully ripe being thirteen per cent, and
the gain in quality from the same cause
being about three per cent, it is certainly
an object for farmers to start the reaper
rs well as the mower early. We arc
aware that one swallow does not make Il
summer, and one experiment in the time
of harvesting wheat does not warrant a
general conclusion. We refer to Mr.
liannam's case because it seems to have
been made with great accuracy and can,
dor, and one conclusion that there is great
gain in cutting wheat early is drawn, not
from his experiment alone, but from SINH
lar experience and observation for the
last forty years.-Alegander Hyde, in
NeW York Times.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-08-13

l have just come in from my potato
patch, which is in piece of new land
The tops of the vines look exceedingly
well, but owing to the continued dry
weather | may get but light crop.
frequently save all the hen manure for
the crop that can. This manure is the
best that can get for the purpose. This
year | am trying wheat bran on two rows
the rows are fourteen rods long, and plant.
ed in drills. One bushel of bran was put
on the two rows, sowed in the rows with
potatoes, and these rows look as we'll as
those with hen manure. On four other
rows put mixed lime, ashes and plaster
but these rows are not very thriving. The
seed in the rows treated with bran all
came up, not one missing Farmer