Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-02-05
Meeting at South Hero.

Inc farmers meeting appointed by
the superintendent ut South Hero was
called to order by the superintendent, and
by choice Of Mr.. Henry Harrington as
chairman, aGd Mr. Seth Gritliths, Mr.
Calvin Robinson, and j. \. Chamberlin
chosen committee on programme, after
which the superintendent explained the
method of his work through the state, and
the benefits received by means of these
meetings acting us vehicle of conveying
information from one section of the state
to another.
The subject chosen for the afternoon
was How plauts grow, fertilization and
exhaustion of soils, which the supern-
tendent treated, and first, the needs of the
farmer of education, and no profession or
occupation had need of Il more thorough
education than the farmer. The clergy
man, the doctor, the lawyer the engineer
were all supposed to need an education,
but that Il man did not need to know much
to be a farmer, but this was now changing.
The chemist formerly taught that we could
ascertain the needs of our soils by anay-
sis, but they had seen their error, and
acknowledged it. Now it was ascertaned
what the land wanted by applying the
different ingredients and see how it re-
spends. There is no such thing us II bar
rem soil, there are these elements of fcrtil-
ity not available, which the addition of
some simple ingredient will unlock and
make available for the production of crops.
He explained the application of iertllizing
materials to the soil, which might lack
only one ingredient to raise good crops,
and the addition Of the other ingredients
Would not materially increase the crop,
and the increased cost would be so much
lost, and illustrated his remarks by speei-
men growths of plants.
Mr.. Chamberlin told Of one experiment
where fine manure was applied to part of
a piece of corn and narrowed in, while
the remainder was MANFRED heavily with
coarse strawy manure pIowed under deep;
the corn WAS the best where the coarse
manure was applied, but when wheat was
sown the next year the result was re-
Versed, and when it was stocked the grass
was equal on all parts. He also spoke of
Il crop # cabbage, twenty-five heads in Il
row. and four rows. These he hoed about
once II week, and one end of the rows he
hOed several times each week, and those
so treated gave about four times us much
Of Il crop; from which he concluded that
cultivation was fertilization as the super
intendent had stated.
Mr.. Kinney said he believed in what the
superintendent had said. He bought n
farm, which he was laughed ut for buying,
which had not been cuItvated it had been
rooted over an-inch-and-a -half deep. lie
plowcd it about four inches, and had "A
I MIL, g.,
next time he plowed Il little deeper, and
in like manner got a good crop, and the
third time the same, and he believed in
thorough cultivation.
Mr.. T. Kinney said the soil so treated
was Il grayelly loan, and asked whether
other soils 50 treated would give the same
results
The superintendent said he thought they
might.
EVENING SESSION
was opened by S. Griifiths, Esq of Grand
Isle, who read an essay on Some Adricc
10 FtwmorS, which we give entire:
propose to instruct the younger por-
ton of our farmers-to tell them how they
can prosper without fretting their giz-
yards"
lst 1t is taken for granted you have
farms, of larger or smaller dimensions.
Farms must be open or incosed. There
is no other alternative. Respecting in
closures, about which we have been so re-
Gently agitated, | shall tell you plainly
and plumpy what may, perhaps, help
some in this matter. have lived where
they had many fences, and | have been
where they had none; and didn't learn
that the people or cattle lived longer or
grew fatter in one than the other. There
fore take it both are equal in point of
advantage-in expense not so. Fences
cost money. Money is scarce and better
applied to hundred other purposes; for
example, at the merchants and grocer's,
for gewgaws, gum and tobacco.
ID. If you have Il large farm, scratch
over as much us possible, Your neighbors
will think YOU are doing wonders. You
will not have much trouble in gathering
your harvest. 70 reduce labor and eX.
pense TO their minimum. in anything, is u
desideratum. Il think | shall have a
patent for this.) Besides, great crops are
great robbers of the soil. As moral men
and good citizens, you must by all means
discourage robbery.
Sd. If your farm be small, don't raise
great crops TO make mischief by getting
into newspapers, provoking envy in your
neighbors. Envy is an odious, abominable
passion. If you are the cause you must
be answerable for the consequences.
Again, large crops are II great nuisance in |
more ways than one--you get your barns |,
full. Then comes an outlay for more /
storage, moro threshing more marketing |