Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-29

There were now two ways of removal
ing worn out soils ;one by buying manures
the other by keeping more stock and buy
ing meal and shorts TO feed, and with thu
present prices. he thought this the cheap
est method li0 had heard in Vernon
and New Hampshire, the cry-"Our farm
ave running down, how can we bring then
up?' VIII sheep bring up worn on
pasture? How can the animal of thu
golden hoof make something iron
nothing? If the pastures are grown VI
with bushes and briers. the sheep MAJ
browse them down and so return some
thing TO the soil. 1t costs us much to pro
duce Il pound Of the oil in Il sleeps feec,
rs it does to produce a pound of butter
| The oil in both comes from the almost hert
but in the yolk of the fleece are minera
constituents taken from the soil. The ami
NAL of the golden hoof is an impoverlshe
of the soil, but it may also be a renovato
Of The soil by feeding it grain in the pas
lure which will enrich the droppings which
are distributed over the surface of tn
land. Mileh cows are the most thorough
eXhausters of the soil They are brough
from the pasture at night, full of the rlcl
products of the SOIL to leave their drop
pings in the yard, where they are mostl,
wasted, and are sent out in the mornln!
empty to again do the same thing. Tn
wastes should be saved and returucd to TIL
soil, and meal and shorts should be fed t,
supply the ,ck. He advocated II system
OF partial soiling for cattle; some winte
rye for feeding in carly spring before
good bite of grass could be had.
lie described the system practiced b.
him with his cattle, which is largely soil
ing and buying grain. He had bought few
commercial fertilizers, but has made all h
could by gathering leaves and by buyin:
meadow hay using them for bedding 70
die pigs and cows. At the present price
Of porA and corn, it Will not pay 10 fee
pigs.
| His COWS are grades and natives, and h
aims 10 make more milk in winter than il
summer, and then his feed is 10 the barn
lie buys his butter of Il neglbor at 2
| cents II pound, preierring TO sell his mill
for thirty cents ior s l2 quarts. lie gav'
The results he had obtained in his dairy o
ten COWS as 2,474 quarts each on in aver
age yearly.
He next described the farm connected
w,th Nassar college which formerly KEEP
only twenty one cows and they had to buy
~ 900 worth OF milk per year. Now by
careful saving of wastes and sewage ant
buy ing meal and shorts they keep 10 cow!
and supply all the milk needed. He some
INES mak,s butter in winter but not wher
he can sell his milk at so cents per eau .
5 II quarts, unless he can sell his butter
ut over 40 cents per pound.
He SETS his milk in six-quart pans in
room where it will not Eceze, for lively,
hours, then puts it over hot water ant
brings the temperature up 10 about l9(
degrees, when it is again set away ful
twelve hours, when it is skinned, whcI
takes out all the butter and leaves poor
skim-milk, indeed. We cannot all follow
The the same methods, but we can al tt
the best of our ability, work in our owl
sphere.
In reply to the question. how best to re
store tlc fertility Of our pastures, he said
Keep more stock than the pastures woul,
carry, and feed them meal and shorts
bran is rich in potash and phosph tie o
Ilme, and its value has not been IL preri;tL
cd, and it is Il reflection on the intelligence
Of our people that they had spent so mucl
to take out these valuable ingredients from
our food.
Col. Sprtgue said he had found greu
benefit in having shade trees on the higl
portions of the pasture where the animal
would leave their droppings which woul,
be washed down, and asked what WAS tn,
relative value of The manure by analysis
to which Mr.. Whitaker answered TIA
they would vary largely with the qualit,
of feed given.
Col. Sprague gave the results of an Eng
fish analysis which gave the manure o
sheep us yielding 65 per cent of value, thu
horse 50, the COW 81, and pig 2S per cent
and here it was found the manure of til
pig which the gentleman classed as til
best, shows rs more than two hundred pc
cent noorer than that of the sheep.
Mr.. Whitaker followed with tal
showing the uncertainties of accutat
chemical results rs determined by analyst
and instarced a man who one year foun
great benefit from the application of phos
pNate, and the second year showed no up
probable benefit.
DR.. IIoskins asked whether the lack q
benefit might not be referable to the at
sence of other necessary ingredients.
Mr.. Whitaker replied that he though
not, as oher manures were applied a
we'll.
Mr.. Peck asked how we should know
what ingredients were lacking in our soil
to perfect the crops. Mr.. Whitaker repli
ed that the only way he knew of was t
try it and see. Analysis of soils to shoy
such lack was entirely inadequate, as no
only were certain substances necessary, bu
must be present in certain cor dtions.
Mr. Vail, of Pomfret. asked whelhe
dairy cows at a distance from the cit
were us exhaustive of soils rs those nea
where milk is sold. Reply: They are not
for the mineral constituents are largely LEI
behind.
Mr.. Tinkham said he was forcibly re
minded by this discussion of II remark q
Dir. Sturtevant ut the National Agricullur
III Congress. that We should know on
farms. He had been studying his for te
years, and did not feel on speaking term.
with it yet; and that in some cases on hi
land manure applied had in some instan
ces apparently decreased the crou." II
was satisfied the discussion on manure
had served the purpose of showing no,
little we know of them and their best ar
plcalion, and how much we had to learn
if indeed it WAS not one of those things u
Dundreary says which no ftllah can fin
OUT In reply 10 the question, can Ian
wotth $500 per acre be proftaby used /
pasture dairy cowsP he said lie though
not.
q. VIII the feed which will make
pound of beef, fed to II good mich co,
make Il pound of buterP A. I don
know.
EVENING SESSION,
The gathering was called to order at 7 %
and was opened by the introduction by tn
President, of Col j b Mead, State Superin
tendent of Agricultural Affairs. Col. Mea
said be would just give IL picture. In lS7
there was appointed Il Board Of Aglicu
ture, since when there had been four. A
about the same time this association W.,
organized, and now us he was going abou
over the state he was constantly meetin
men who had told him that they dated thei
increased interest in their work to some
thing they had heard ut some meeting ,
The board, or this association; and in tn
meetings he had held, the attendance ha
been excellent, which shows the good re
suits achieved hy the former boards an