Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-07-19
agricultural department.
GRASS AND HAY.

labor than at any time before the war,
it is still of less value than the hay crop
of the Northern States. The value of
an average annual crop of cotton is now
about $2OO,OOO,O0O; the value of the
hay crop nearly S300,O00,0O0. This
estimate is exclusive of the value of
grass in pasturage. Including pastur-
age, the total value of the grass crop
of the country is probably near
S500,000,000. In Vermont it is of
much greater value than all the other
crops. Its value in this State may
be estimated at S11,000,000. The
aggregate value of the corn, wheat,
rye, oats, barley, buckwheat and pota-
toes produced in this State falls short
of $7,000,000. Adding the value of
pasturage, it will be seen that the grass
crop is more than twice the value of all
others. In Massachusetts the value of
hay alone is more than twice the value
of all other crops; in other New Eng
land States its value compared with
other products, is about the same as in
Massachusetts,. In New York it is
three times the value of any other single
crop, the annual product of hay in that
state being worth S50,O0O,000 or
$6O,OOO,OOO.
We have only to consider these figures
to comprehend what an immense addl-
ton to the wealth of individuals and to
the country would result from making
two spears of grass grow where one grew
before. The wisdom of Franklin's idea
of the greatest public benefactor becomes
apparent, even though his words had
not more general application. I'm
fortunately, on some of our neglected
lands, only one blade of grass grows
where two or three grew before; but,
happily, this is not the fact except in
limited localities, statistics showing an
increased product to the acre in most of
the States.
An increase in the production of hay
in this part of our State would allow the
keeping of more live stock with little
additional expense above the cost of
wintering, as there is abundant pastur-
age for more stock than can be wiDtered,
even after the most favorable seasons
for hay. For several years past many
fine pastures in Windham county have
been only partially stocked, or not at
all. Cattle have been taken to keep
for the season in good pastures for two
dollars per head. An increase in the
number of cattle, once carried through
the winter, would supply the means Of
so improving the meadows that an in.
creased production of hay would follow
and thus, within a certain limit, per.
manent increase of live stock could be
maintained. 1t would seem as though
the best means of improving the agri
culture of this section would be found
in this direction.
Nothing on the farm gives better
return for the labor bestowed than The
grass land. There is nothing to d.
with a field of grass but to cut ant
house it. Unless it fails from excessiv,
drouth, such as seldom occurs in thi
climate, it is sure crop. Other crop
may prove failure from various cause
that do not affect the grass crop. W.
have observed that farmers that rel,
mostly on their grass crops and tn
rearing of live stock are most successful
Among several others that have bee
eminently successful in this branch Q
farming, we have in mind a farmer Q
Il one of the towns of Windham county
y who heard with apparent unconcern G
t his loss of $4,000 by the recently-di:
r covered bank robbery, merely maxim
! some remark about what he still had LEI
q "a property reputed to be worth nc
i less than forty or fifty thousand dollars
This man is the owner of 1900 acre
of land. He has made large share {
his money by what might be Gale
grass farming-the rearing and fatter
ming of live stock. His success demon
strates what it is possible to do with tt
hill farms and grazing lands of Vino
ham county. They are worth occupyin
and caring for. Let them not be d
serted.-PhBnSr.