Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-02-09


the milkman,-for butter, the Jersey; for cheese,
a cross Of Ayrshire and Shorthorn and for the
milkman the Ayrshire. The feed should also be
adapted to the end desired Keep only the best
animals 1t costs as much, or more to keep
poor animal as a good one. Mr.. Turner thought
the principle of adaptation should be carried into
the breeding. Mr.. Crawford thought we could
not breed the best draft horse and best troter in
the same ANIMAL or the best animal for milk, but
ter and beef. Mr.. F. c. Grant Of Concord gave
his experience with Jerseys for butter-making,
and thought it decidedly the best breed. He at
tributed his success in butter-making chiefly to
this but partly from better care and better food.
Mr.. Goodwin also commended the Jerseys He
WAS at first opposed to them. Wednesday was a
cold rough day, but there was good attendance
and the subject Of feeding was taken up. Mr..
Tinkham advocated the feeding Of coarser fod-
der, such as is usually wasted, and when fed
make up the lack with richer food, oil cake, corn
meal and cotton-seed meal. Mr.. Goodwin be-
lieved corn-cobs OF value as food. Mr. Lane gave
some experience in feeding roots with straw, show
ing that roots were not what was required to sup
plement the feed OF straw His sheep had not
done so well as when fed on hay. He had found
carrots Of little or no value as food. Mr. Davis
thought that summer feeding was OF equal i'm
portance with winter-feeding Unless cows re-
ceived some addition to the feed Of the pasture,
there would be falling off in the yield of milk,
which it would be difficult to bring back by high
feeding. He advocated the planting OF fodder
corn at different periods and thought it Of most
value at the time when the corn is just fit to boil
1t may be then cut and dried for winter fodder
The afternoon was chiefly devoted to CONNER
cial Fertilizers" Mr.. Lane was skeptical OF their
value upon Vermont lands at present. and GER
tainly until they could be laid down cheaper.
Mr.. Tinkham thought we could not dispense with
them, but care should be exercised in selecting
them so as to get only what the soil needed He
urged buying OF first hands. Quite discussion
arose on a question by the president, whether
there would be a loss by spreading manure upon
the surface in the fall or winter, which went off
into the question Of blowing or not blowing in
manure, which was finally settled that mans
farm must be consulted as to how the manure
should be applied, rs much as man for his food,
and no more exact rule could be laid down than
how large a coat should be cut. 1t depends on
who is to wearit.
At the evening session Professor Sabin read
paper on Relation OF Plants to the Soil, which
will be reported hereafter. After desutory dis |
cussion, the meeting broker up, Mr.. Lane thanking
the people Of Lunenburgh for their Inequalities,
AT BARTON LANDING
The meeting at Barton Landing was held Feb |
ruary Sd and 18th. The members OF the board |
were unable to reach Barton at the appointed |
time, but the farmers present organized and held |
a meeting for discussion. Mr.. Z. Z. Jameson OF |
Irasburgh addressed them on the subject, "what |!
hall \ n.
it?' He gave four answers to the question
First learn the peril OF debt; second, acquire |
knowledge of the greatest productiveness OF soil
and a knowledge Of how to make it produce;
third, learn what are sure crops, doubtful crops,
and impossible crops; fourth, learn the total de-
pravity of weeds, and how and when to destroy
them. These are a few OF the many things a far
mer ought to learn Mr. Jameson's address was |
thoroughly practical, and only regret that our
limits preclude full abstract of it, DR.. Hoskins
urged farmers to get out Of debt and not work |
forever at the mercy Of creditors. Small farms |
made fertile are better than large ones half titled.
A man that cannot farm twenty-five acres cannot |
farm one hundred acres. Mr. J. s. Smith also |
favored small farms, because with large one |
the farmer must hire help which is usually I'M |
profitable. At the evening meeting Dr. Cutting |
gave an address, in which the wonderful power |
OF rootlets to seek out and obtain food and the |
judicious manner in which fertilizers may be ap-
Piled was discussed. DIR. Hoskins explained how |
to prepare and apply bone as fertilizer sub |
stantially as he has described it in this paper. |
Professor Sabin spoke of the digestion of bones |
by sulphurc acid, and said that in all cases bone |
should be very fine DIR. Hoskins advised the |
buying of ground bone at $40 per ton rather than |
acid phosphate at S45 per ton. General Grout |
described his silo "A description OF which has APP |
peared in these columns. He believes in the sys- |
TEN. He does not think 1t would be best to en- |
siage all our hay crops, but advises small farm |
ers TO build silos and press few acres OF corn. |
Henry Lane, member Of the board, addressed the |
meeting upon. the economy Of purchasing com
mercial fertilizers. We ought not to use them |
until thoroughly convinced by actual experiment |
OF their value, Buy the fertilizer which contains
the elements lacking in the soil. Manufacturers
should be compelled TO put the true anal ysis upon |
the packages His address was interesting aud |
instructive. In reply to a question, he said he |
had reservoir In his barn cellar into which the |
urine dripped, and he pumped it from that into |
the manure in the same cellar. The manure will |
absorb 1t all Mr.. Goodwin had had poor success |
with absorbents, Mr. Story Of lrasburgh also \
had reservoir and from fourteen cows in one |
year he had saved 4, 800 gallons OF urine, which |
was of great value to his grass land. DR.. |
Hoskins was proud of Orleans county the |
pioneer county in saving liquid manure. Pro |
lessor Sabin said urine was not perfect manure,
as 1t was Of as much value as the droppings. Mr. |
Jameson thought the value depended upon the |
land to which 1t was applied. II we need phos- |
phate solid manure Is best II alkalies, the liquid
Mr. Jameson followed upon " Productive ln- |
dustry." After speaking OF the wonderful re- |
suits attained by the workers in farming mining |
and manufactures, and OF the great loss TO the |
world when industries cease, and great loss to |
communities when sickness and death cause in |
dustries to and workmen scattered, referred
10 the reasons why men voluntarily cease work
and showed how delusiye these reasons were |
Among them are these: Wages are too low; some |
young men are too smart; another class is too
rich still another class say they are too old but
this excuse is often given when they are full OF
yigor, Professor Sabin then addressed the meet |
ing. He said II was essential to success in farm
ing, in any other business ~ take advantage OF
every experience OF others, and OF all the help
that we could get from science. While we may
ask much from agricultural chemistry, we must
remember that 1t Is comparatively new science
which, although 1t has accomplished much, Is
still unable To answer great many questions that
we may hope to hear OF In the future: lie spoke
of the manufacture OF glucose, describing the way
II was made an illustration of the way other in
dustres were protiting by application OF scientific
discoveries, and urged the farmers TO use such
discoveries as others DO me sapleG, Oh glucose
journment At the afternoon session Mr., Davis
gave an address upon Adaptation, and was
followed by Mr., Jameson and DIR. Cutting, Mr.
Goodwin then spoke upon The value OF the hay
crop" and discussion followed upon the question
of how much seed to use to the acre, which de-
yelop6d a diversity OF views. The session closed
with Professor Sabns address upon adaptation OF
plants to the soil, which replete with interest
Governor larnham addressed the the meeting In
the evening upon Vermont As Home for Yer
mont Farmers" This lecture, which was well re-
ceiyed, was followed by a lecture on Forestry"
by Dr. Cutting, who said that our waste OF timber
was u prodigality that we could not afford, and
that 1t was further likely to injure the fertility
OF our state by decreasing the amount OF rainfall
that the remedy was to foster the growth Of our
woodland The arguments were well put and the
address was OF much interest This closed the
meeting of the board at Barton Landing, The
general attendance was good and the meetings an
apparent success