Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-02-21

for the support of life as will make life
not burden but a pleasure. and really
the most desirable place on earth to us.
Pleasant recollections will not cling to
home of poverty. deprivation and hard
ship. There must be measure of plen-
ty and comfort for the full enjoyment of
home.
We cannot expect in Vermont to ac-
quire wealth by any rapid means or
sudden fortune. We must here make
up our minds to add to our comfort and
wealth, and to the conditions that
ameliorate life by steady and persistent
practice of habits of economy and thrift.
We must learn to make every acre of
land produce little more than it ever
did before do our work easier and
cheaper; make better sugar, butter and
cheese raise better and fatter cattle
and sheep; produce wool that the
market will crave, and horses up to the
former standard of Vermont horses.
Vermont has produced breed of sheep
with peculiar characteristics, more
marked and more surely transmitted
than those of the original focks from the
hills of Saxony or the mountains of
Spain. One breed of horses, the Nor
gan, once gave name and fame to all
her horses. In these two products, men
and nature wrought together to produce
the best of each kind. We must do the
same with other products. Let labor
and skill 60 hand in hand with the eff
forts of nature, and We thus should get
the best products of our soil and climate.
This can only be done by intelligent,
skilled labor on the farm.
It lies with you. gentlemen of the
board of agriculture, to foster the right
spirit. Induce not only the cultivation
of Vermont soil, but also Of Vermont
character. Interest, in some way, all
of the people in your work. Reach ev-
cry individual in the locality where
your meetings are to be held. Adver-
tise freely; but personal appeal of some
kind must be added. Your work will
undoubtedly be good, but it will avail
nothing if it does not reach the people.
1t is not enough to hold good meetings
and complain that the people do not
come. 1t is part of your duty to see
that they do come. You are appointed
among other things for "the promotion
of agricultural education throughout the
state" How can you perform that duty
unless you meet the people, compel
them to come by some powerful induce
ment of interest?
Thus far the meetings have been re-
markably we'll attended. The able sec
rotary has evidently we'll done his duty
The enterprising. intelligent men viii
come of their own accord. They ar,
mostly large farmers and are learning
all the new methods of reducing th,
amount of labor and increasing tn,
products. If you propose any methoc
of Improvement they are on hand to TAX
, advantage of it. But you must reacl
the men and women on the small farm
who do most of their own work. Teacl
them every step forward SO they ma.
take advantage of it. If ensilage
J economical. and silos are to take tn
) place of stacks and mows of mould
} corn fodder, let the men of small mean
, know it at once, so that they may b
{ benefited. So urge all these improve
t ments upon the small farmers that the
) will put them into practice at once.
: When hear of somebody's large farI
e and many acres under tillage may fee
t little pride in it OF behalf of our state
but it brings no comfort to me. car
not forget that several small farms hay
: been swallowed up in these broad acre
/; and many independent farmers and the
families have become day laborers an
e dependent upon more fortunate lant
D lords. Our laws against the entailin
of property prevent this to any DANCE
q Gus extent, but am sorry to see an
such tendency. I don't like to see IL
!. equality of our people SO disturbed.
o is the condition, mental. moral an
physical, of our small farmers that Civ
character to our state. It is the cond
!. ton of our small farms for the nurtu
It and bringing up of children and the
It education at home, in the district schoc
i in the town and freemen's meeting, al
7 from contact with neighbors, that is
n affect our population and the charact
d of their homes rather than the succe
i of great farmers.
e This lecture, which was we'll receive
b was followed by lecture on Forest
1t by DR.. H. A. Cutting. He said tn
d our waste of timber was prodigali
d that we could not afford, and that
re was further likely to injure the fertili
re of our state by decreasing the amou
m of rainfall; that the remedy was to fl
If ter the growth of our woodland. T
n arguments were we'll put and the addre
p was of much interest.
r This closed the meetings of the boa
-. ~ portop T andinO The opneral atten