Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-02-16

and has applied commercial fertilizers which have |
not paid him. lie knows OF no prevention for the |
onion msggot. He also has applied special fertil |
izers to beets but not with satisfactory results
He applies twenty-five or thirty loads to the acre
plants them not less than two feet apart 80 the |
horse-cultvator can be run between the rows. 1t |
will not do TO spend too much labor on roots to be
fed to stock. In his opinion beets will do best |
when each one has four square feet of land. lie |
plants early-is one Of his firstsowed crops, but
does not believe the farmers raise them for |
sugar-making at the price sugar-makers say they |
afford to pay--from FIVE to six dollars per ton
Plaster has most beneficial fleet on his SOIL |
while ashes showed no benefit there. Mr.. Davis |
thought plaster very valuable and he had used 1t |
with excellent results especially in growing clover
and had kept one piece Of grass in good burden |
for seven years by top-dressing with plaster. He |
believes he can buy commercial fertilizers with |
profit, but first OF all we should save all made on
the farm. Colonel Mead In the main approved OF |
Mr.. lane paper, but not entirely 1t must de |
pend largely on the location and condition OF the |
soil. First, the fertilizng elements in stable
nures and commercial fertilizers are Identical |
No chemist has ever can ever invent new fer |
tilizing element lie did not believe the soil had |
ever become exhausted. It may, by cropping, be |
poor In some particular ingredients and when |
these are supplied the equilibrium ia restored and |
good crops result Mr.. Tinkham gave his method
Of applying bone black and potash He has spread |
on a smooth floor layer Of dry dirt, then a
sprinkle Of potash and Of bone black, and then
more dirt, and till all is applied then 1t
should be thoroughly mixed, and then may be
spread from a cart with shovel The muriate Of
potash is in appearance like coarse fine salt To
secure the best results 1t should be evenly and |
carefully spread.
"WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
At the afternoon session the question-box was |
opened. Mr.. Spear and others thought manure
applied in winter would result in loss still others
could see no difference when 1t was applied. Mr. |
Lane believed In surface manuring, and did not |
believe that any valuable part OF the manure
evaporated. Mr.. G. +. Griswold read a paper on
Ensilage, farmers and farming" He believes
ensilage would enable farmers to keep double the
stock they now do believes 1t could be proftaby |
fed alone but thinks it best to feed meal with that
as well as with other fodder. The second part OF
his paper took up the whole field OF agriculture
He severely criticised the agricultural fairs for
selecting some shrewd politician to deliver their |
addresses, and for making their fairs kind OF
their lack Of system their lack Of knowledge Of
their business He insisted that farmers should |
read more Of what pertaned to their business, as
lawyers and doctors keep well read up In their |
professions Rev. W. H. Baisdell read paper |
on Bee culture in which he gave some simple |
rules for their profitable keeping and naming the |
flowers from which they made the honey, and the |
times Of their bloom. In reply to questions
a;la NJ l.l,. Al
rious gases escaping from it to harm stock Stock
can thrive on this fodder alone, but he would |
feed some food richer in heterogeneous matter to
supplement It, The afternoon session closed with |
the reading Of Mr.. Davis paper on Adaptation" |
WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The question box was again opened In the
evening and Mr.. Tinkham said in reply to the
question " How much feed in value does 1t take
to make the milk which will make one pound OF
butter?' that one could answer with GER
tainty, as 1t would depend on so many uncertain
conditions-cow, feed temperature, treatment
and sundry other conditions. Farming is not
science One cannot from mass of uncertainties
reach an absolute certainty. Mr.. d. Morse
thought hay cut soon as 1t was In the blow was
the best for mch cows. He would feed twice
day Mr.. Walker OF Chelsea thought there was
no danger Of overlooking II 1t eaten up clean.
The president read short paper from J. G. Gray,
Esq, OF New York, on 1.-THE most profitable horse
for farmers to raise and concluded that
the park and carriage horse Of sixteen hands
| would be most profitable. The farmer owning
| mare which is a trotter or has trotting inheri-
| lance, may breed for speed with some hope Of
| success; but the average quality of brood mares
ahould DO bred Tor sire and quality for more use
| ful purposes. Mares during CESSATION may be
used carefully, and should have plenty OF good
food; colts should have plenty Of exercise mod
crate amount OF grain, soft food, roots, etc. and
| kept free from vermn After Mr.. Gray's paper
| Mr.. Goodwin read paper on " Grasses" and
| was asked of orchard grass and said it was the
rich mans grass, the land should be rich and
kept so. After a brief internission Professor
| Perkins Of the agricultural college read paper
on " Vegetable Growth" At the close OF Profess
| sor Perkins lecture a vote OF thanks was ten
dered the board, to which Mr. Davis responded,
thanking the people for their attendance their
interest and bountifu hospitality, when the meet
ing, most successful in all respects, was de-
clared closed.
AT MONTPELIER.
The meeting was called to order Thursday
morning, February 10th, and some letters read by
the secretary. One OF an inquiry as to the cause
Of the rust and blotches upon potato tubers, was
answered by DR.. Cutting to the effect that 1t
might be due to an excess Of potash in the land.
He had found it worst where the sweepings and
ashes Of backsmith's shop had been used as
manure. He presumed there might be other
causes. The trouble does not appear on new
land. Another question was regarding the best
| cure for lice on calves and cattle. Hon. j. G
| Crawford Of Lancaster, New Hampshire, said he
used kerosene, filling the card with it and using
the card on the beasts 1t was success. DIR.
Cutting favored the application OF fine road dust.
| But he said the oil was unobjectionable. The
| third question was, "What is the best corn to
plant for fodder, and how should it be planted"
| Mr.. Ketchum advocated the Sanford or some
large sweet corn, TO be planted in rows three feet
asunder and hills eight inches to one foot apart.
Dr. Cutting favored the Sanford, and would plant
| three feet each way. Mr.. Leland planted thicker.
Mr.. Ketchum said he raised fifty bushels of ears
| from one eighth OF an acre. Mr.. Tinkham's ex-
perience was against growing corn for fodder
broadcast. Cows do not eat 1t near as well as
when planted in drills Would plant Sanford
rows three and half feet apart and one kernel
| every foot in the row.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
Hon. Clark King was chosen chairman, and the
meeting was opened by an excellent address upon
Beneficial and Harmful Birds, by Professor Per
kins OF Burlington The professor thought the
crow and English sparrow, on the whole, hurtful
the robin and blackbird both hurtful and bene-
fetal. but the balance in their favor the cat-bird
| thrush, bluebird. smaller owls and hawks, wrens
and bobolnks decidedly beneficial. The wood
peckers are all useful, but the balance in regard
to the yellow-beled species (sapsucker) uncer-
tain. Called up by the secretary, DR.. Hoskins
expressed himself unfavorably regarding the robin
| and sapsucker and the fence as regards the
crow. Judge Baldwin spoke very favorably OF
| the crows on account OF their killing many
white grubs that eat off the roots Of grass In pas
lures and meadows. DR.. Cutting was strongly
against the robin and equally strong in favor Of
the crow, Several spoke pro and con about the
! crow question, and then, hand-vote being taken,
about two to one seemed to think the crow should
| be left unmolested.
| THURSDAY EVENING.
Governor Farnham made an interesting address
in which he insisted upon the importance OF ex-
| tending the work of the board rs to reach the
small farmers and especially those in the back
towns. These he said were really the representa-