Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-10-13

Most plants get their food from the sur
face soil; but others get it also from the
subsoil, and in this way the nutritive mat
ter of the subsoi may be brought to the
surface; but by this method it is impracti.
cable TO manure the subsoil, so there is an
advantage in getting at it by deep blowing,
Prof. Sabin. though of on old and well
known Franklin county family, was for
many years a resident of Wisconsin, and
referred 10 his experience in farming in
the west to illustrate some points in the
| paper.
am sorry that am unable to give his
whole paper, just as it was read. rs it was
very interesting and instructive, and not
delivered in a high toned way, with
big scientific words as most scientific men
do; but in plain, common sense way, SO
that any body could understand it all
The use of different kinds of fertilizers
on different kinds of soil for different
crops, as on the same soil for different
crops is something which the farmers OF
Vermont have got to learn sooner or
later, as the soil becomes more and more
impoverished, or else give up farming.
Prof Sabin says that he is perfectly
willing to go and talk with the people of
Vermont on the above subject, whenever
he can, if they would like TO have him do
so; and | think the farmers all through
the state will make a great mistake if they
do not seize the opportunity.
Wednesday evening DR.. Hoskins read
a paper to Il crowded house, entitled,
Profits on Small Farms The doctor
is IL live man. and talked about things of
which he was perfectly well acquainted.
and in Il social kind of way. | wish |
could give his paper entire, but it is too
long, and | will mention only the main
points;
He said that from almost all kinds of
business in which the people are engaged
would go out the universal cry for " more
capital. From the south and west comes
the cry for northern and eastern CAPT
tai The merchants, steam ship lines and
colleges are demanding of the government
more capital; but he thought after care
fully looking into the matter we would
find that most of these demands were of
An imaginative nature. They imagine
that they have found mine of gold if
they can only induce some one to invest.
No matter whether the investor ever gets
dollar of it or not They will be at the
head of the business, and will get good
salaries AS long AS it lasts. So with the
colleges. A large endowment means
larger salaries, and quicker paid. to the
presidents. He thinks the general expe-
rience Of those who respond to these de-
mands for more capital by an investment
Of their savings is. that the investment ="
has at least the merit of being permanent
one,
This might be all well enough, but he
wished tn call the attention of the people
to the tact that our New England ances
tors developed " the resources of these
states without the aid of ''foreign capital"
and by their own unaided industry" by
g main strength and awkwardness y
and elbow grease He spoke of how their
industries had increased, after they had
freed themselves frnm the " mother coun-
try" not from " borrowed capital but
from their own earned and Sdued capital
and tnat now their commerce crossed the
seas; their manufactures have increased
untu they are now able to compete with
their antagonists on equal terms in all the
markets of the world. He thought it
" pretty poor pork that could not furnish
fat for for its own frying If he were
in any business from which he, together
with what bel p was needed, could not get
out enough to pay expenses and "develop''
it, he would let it alone. He thought
college that could not offer good enough
instruction to induce students to come and
pay the cost of their education had better
come to the conclueion that there was at
least one too many that the steam ship
lines and railroad companies that could
not maintain themselves without addition
Il subsidies and "land grants had
Jetter wait, even if they waited forever
he country would be much better off for
I, and he would 60 still further and say,
hat church for the building of which
he money could not be raised, had better
not be built. What has this to do with
small farmingP 1T has a mighty sight
to do with it,. The same spirit of spec
ulation that sinks SO much money in the
various enterprises mentioned has taken
hold OF agriculture, not alone in the south
and west, but right here in good old Ver-
mont
In many towns in this state most of the
farms are mortgaged, am told; had
lately heard that one man in the town of
Stowe owns ten thousand acres of land
to him by those whose notes
he had taken, secured upon their farms
That the number of foreclosures in the
county of Franklin alone was perfectly
irghttul. If those notes were held by
farmers it would not be SO bad but, as a
general thing, they were mostly held by
the lawyers, merchants and professional
money lenders of the cities and villages,
No man could realize the misery that
comes from these forced settlements: and
1t all comes from the misuse of other
men money AS general thing farmers
are not considered among the class of
spectators, but why, he asked, is not the
man who buys more land than he can paw
for as much of speculator as any of those
spoken OF? and it is too often an "unfor-
tunate speculation" The ease with which
Il man with little money can buy large
farm has the tendency to tempt many to
DO so, which puts up the price of land,
and the vast Indebtedness thus established
INCREASES the demand for money, which
raises the rate eff interest. The man who
runs in debt for large farm generally
runs IN debt Tor his stock, farming tools,
and too often for family supplies and
clothing, for which he must pay II heavy
percentage either in interest or increased
prices. If times are good, and he is in
duslrous and has an Industrious family,
he will get along for while and make
some payments on the principal, but if
farm produce sinks down, then whatp
Everybody is pressing him, for most of
his creditors are themselves debtors to
somebody else; land declines; his notes
become due; his creditors must have their
money or additional security with higher
rate of interest, which means ruin-a
broken down man.
Far rather would work out by the day
than be the proprietor of "a large farm
which | did not own. The man who can :
not support himself and family on a small
fam paid for will very rarely do it long
On large farm owed Tor.
Mr.. hoskns cited the success of MANY
men, besides himself, with small farms, to
show that it was not by any means the
men who owned the largest farms that
were doing the best. He gave us long
account of what he had done and was
doing on his farm of only twelve acres,
and referred to many men with less acres
"a a IL tr