Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-03
Barre Meeting.

Barre Meeting.
The superintendent meeting ut Barre
was held on the Goth instant at the Town
Hall, being assisted by f, d. Mason, pres
ident of of the dairymen's association, j.
w. Sanborn, Esq. of Hanover, N. H.. and
the agricultural editor Of the FREEMAN.
Barre is most fortunately situated in .
worldly point of view. Being good
farming town, it is the natural centre of
trade for quite II surrounding territory.
Beside these advantages, il has important
manufacturing interests which make a
home market for the products of the farm.
First, perhaps, in present Importance,
are the steel works of the Stafford &
Holden manufacturing company. This
concern make all sorts of hay, manure
and spadng forks and garden rakes, etc,
etc, in all some fifty or sixty styles, and
which are sent over this country. England,
ireland, scotland, Germany, Holland,
France, Norway, Sweden and Russia.
Formerly England was boss of all iron
and steel manufactures, but now her tools
are years behind ours in excellence, in
liahtness and fitness for their uses. For
their forks the company turns its own
handles, of which it carries an enormous
stock, and where the goods go may be
seen from the following: Eight thousand
dozens are exported; one firm in Boston
takes Two thousand dozen; Chicago the
same; ST. Louis three thousand dozen, and
so on through the principal cities of the
country. They employ over fifty men,
and their pay roll amounts 10 nearly fifty
dollars per month; and these men must
have homes and food, and fuel, and one
can well see how such a home market
must benefit the farmers of the town.
Another and rapidly growing industry
is that of granite quarrying and working
The Barre granite has long been known
rs valuable for its excellent quality and
beautiful appearance, finishing most beau
tihlly with mirror-likc polish Our
State House is an evidence Of its beauty
and excellence!
Of this stone there are hundreds Of
acres, and several quarricS are now work
ed, and several yards are working the
stone, They are located from two and
one-haf to four miles away from the rail-
road station, and are owned by Wetmore
& Morse (who also are working about
twenty hands this winter in their yard),
Ira p. Harrington and L. S. Smith.
Twelve years ago probably ten men were
employed in this industry, while now from
one hundred and twenty-five TO one hun
bred and fifty men are earning their bread
and butter in this work.
Sill further, Smith, Whtcomb & Cook
have Il foundry where castings of all
kinds are made and where Il number of
hands are employed.
Barre has long been celebrated for its
educational facilities, for here are located
the Barre academy, where the now veneer
able teacher, DR.. Spaulding, has for nearly
thirty years held successful sway, and the
Goddard seminary, the denom;nationa
school of the UnivcrsaliSts Of the state,
presided over by Henry Priest, A. NJ. Both
institutions are in ilourishing condition.
Will all these advantages the prosperity
of Barre must seem to be tolerably well
assured.
The meeting was organized by elecling
Y. B. Wheelock chairman, and after Il
short address II paper was read by j. n,
Ketchum, Esq, which we present entire.
In reply, Mr.. Ketchum said lie had
tried setting milk in deep pals, but now
uses old fashioned pans; finds he gets
more butter; feeds meal and shorts all the
year; is now trying cotton seed meal and
finds no taste from it in the butter; works
butter twice; uses Higgins salt. His
cows were now making about three hun
bred pounds Of butter per COW.
In the afternoon President Mason gave
a talk on dairy matters and Mr.. Tinkham
on feeding.
Stillman Wood gave an interesting talk
on small fruits, in which he recommended
the raising Of Strawberries, raspberres
grapes, etc. OF the first he gave the vii.
sou the preference; the common field
black cap and English orange for the Sec
ond, and tie Delaware and Hartford Pro.
life for grapes.
In the evening President Mason read 2
paper on Education for the Farmer,n in
which he handled the third-ratc lawyers
doctors and ministers without mittens, hnG
Il e practice of educating boys away from
the farm was condemned very strongly.
Following Mr.. Mason, Mr.. Sanborl
gave q talk on Making Farming Pay
after which Dr. Spaulding spoke il
strongest terms Of the superintendent
work, and of the possibility of retaining
worn out lands by artificial or rather
chemical fertilizers.
We should fail ofour duty and do create,
injustice to our personal inclination, if WE
failed to mention the music, which was
interspersed by fine quartette of male
voices, which rendered good classic music
in a fine manner, and added much to tho
interest of the meeting, which on the
whole is to be ranked one of the successful
and profitable meetings.
The Vermont farm machine company al
Bellows Falls are to have an opening >