Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-02-25

| tuIal WTltcTS llSlSl, lll;tL AL Inc Farmers
boys should stay on the farm or choose
farming for an occupation. believe q
man should do what he has Il taste for
provided he has natural ability for thai
occupation, and whatever his bushes,
may be, he should be thoroughly prepared
for that business. The time has gone by
when billiards can succeed in farming
| Though agriculture is not one of the ex
act sciences, it is something of each and
all.
And this reminds me, by the way. thai
there IS something lacking in our school
system. Many branches are taught in our
| higher schools only for discipline. Why
not teach what will discipline the MIND
and be of practical use in the business OF
farming? The best school for u young
man intending to be farmer now, is to
20 to work for some one of our most intel
igent and successful farmers. He could
| better afford to give his services than to
| work for poor farmer for large pay.
| Now mean by the poor farmer not nee
essarily one who is poor in this worlds
goods, but one whose farming operations
are Il failure, and by success do not mean
simply TO make money, for many foo!
has made money; but TO live such life
that he will be Il blessing to his family. the
neighborhood and the whole CONN unity
6 1t is the little foxes that spoil the vines
and it is the little things that 90 to make
life success or failure.
Farmers, as y class, are careless, and
many are shIftless. Some are naturally
tired and great majority lack discipline,
which is essential TO success in other bus
mess. They work hard enough. most too
hard, but their efforts are instructed; they
lack judgment,or rather want of system in
the management of their business. Many
still cling to the old methods of doing
business, walking in the same rut that
their fathers walked in before them. Now
| believe he should be continually progress
ing, and well informed in regard to the
farmers interests all over the country by
taking some agricultural paper that is full
of interest and news. lie need not accep,
all the fol-de-rol" that is written by
these amateur or fancy farmers who have
more theories than common sense; but
every paper is full of facts and expert
ments from practical farmers which is of
vital interest to every one who is striving
to learn.
How many still cling to the old tools!
Why, passed man the other day with
one of the old fashioned OK slcds, twelve
or fourteen feet lsng, and heavy enough
for ten yoke, with one pair of small stays,
drawing wood mile up hill. How few
comparatively use swivel plows. Some
of our good farmers still cling to the old
land side because it turns it over flat, AS
va aplI hpar.lS i'll 4 Al,
convex mold board or swivel pillow will
pulverize ten times as much and turn
equally as well.
When see Gas every one can in the sea
son of plowing) two strong men with ii
pair of little horses, full harnesses on,
hitched to poor, old, WORKOUT land side
plow, think, no wonder farmers are poor
A good, strong, healthy man that hasn't
skill enough to pillow stubbe ground with
out n driver has mistaken his calling and
ought to go to preaching or at something
easy. And then our harrows-there are
more of the old fashioned crotched har-
rows of nine or eleven teeth within two
miles of me than all other kinds combined,
and when man has followed his team
over the field till he calls it finished, it is
packed so hard Except about one inch on
top) that you can scarcely thrust crow
bar into the soil; and so it is with all the
tools on the farm.
Gentlemen, we cannot afford to use Door
tools, because we lose by our time and in
the crop enough to pay for better ones,
usually in one year.
A year or two since had an opportuni-
ty to observe the way in which nearly
all the farmers in our town managed with
their stock in the winter season, and can
say that most of them are humane and
economical in the care of their stock, but
some continue the old way of turning out
the cattle in the morning, and letting
them remain out all day, no matter what
the weather may be, scattering the fodder
about the yard at noon,
Some of my neighbors water their stock
just Mt night, and of course they 90 into
the barn cold, filled with cold water, and
the barn being open, that is cold; conse
quently, it takes half of the night to get
warm again. Isn't it better way to turn
the cattle out in the forenoon, when it's
growing warmer, say at 10 O'Clock, and
let them remain until room. if pleasant ?
Then they 90 into the barn in the warm
est part of the day. comfortable.
The stable should be light and warm
and well ventilated, but am sorry to say
many are dark and cold. | was in one
that was only single boarded, and all open
next the feeding floor, and | thought
the stock actually suffered more than they
would out of the barn without any shelter.
| was in another, boarded up rs tight as
boards could make it, pitch dark, without
any ventilation whatever. l nearly suffo-
Gated the few moments was in the stable,
I was in another containing thirteen cows,
and think every COW was on its knees,
straining to the utmost to reach little
farther. The stable floor was raised four
or six inches higher than the Manager floor,
the manger floor being on level with the
barn floor and open on to it, sliding the
hay from the barn floor into the maDcer.
| think the manger floor should always be
on a level with the cattle's feet, and also
should be boarded up at least three feet
next the barn floor. Where it is open to
the floor-the stable being the warmest-
of course the cold air rushes in right under
the cattle. and they stand in draft con-
tinually.
Now | do not expect you to follow my
plan, but if | can call your attention to it