Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-02-21
DR.. Hoskins said that if man has


family. in growing grass and dairyiDg. |
The average mechanic lives on $500 to
$400 year, and man ought to till
twenty-five acres so as to yield as much
as that in dairy products. A man that
cannot farm twenty-five acres cannot
farm one hundred acres.
Many men in debt had best sell out
and free themselves from it, than to
continue under the harrow. Why should
a man work forever at the mercy of his
creditors? Our farms are not exhaust
ed, but can be easily restored by good
skill in handling. Small farms made
fertile are better than large ones half
titled. Two tons per acre of grass is a
reasonable crop.
Mr.. j. S. Smith favored small farms
because the owner need not hire help.
He had found much of the help ignor-
ant and not trusty. Every dollar gain
ed in hired help costs in care and
wages two dollars. Ashes on moist
land are not with me profitable manure.
Some soils do not respond to farm yard
manure.
H. G. Cleveland spoke of profitable
experience with saw dust manure. His
wheat, grass and sugar beets responded
generously to saw dust and manure.
Thirty tons of beets grew on one and
one-fourth acres. He beds very freely
with saw dust in all his stables.
EVENING.
E. M. Goodwin in the chair, an ad-
dress was given by DR.. H. A. Cutting,
in which the wonderful power of rootlets
to seek out and obtain food, and the ju-
dicious manner in which fertilizers may
be applied was discussed.
DIR. Hoskins of Newport explained the
different methods of applying bone as
fertilizer, and recommends the farmer
to burn his bones and pulverize them,
rather than have them ground, as the
miller takes one-half as toll. AS it
costs one-half to grind he thinks the
loss in burning less would much pre-
fer to have the bones charred or burned
in a coalpit, as in that case the animal
matter is burned in them instead of out.
as it would be if burned in an open fire.
DIR. Hoskins was asked his opinion of
saw dust as an absorbent. He spoke in
high terms said it was not only good
for that purpose, but valuable on the
land also.
Mr.. Goodwin also advocated the use
of saw dust on clay land to render it
lighter and more easily permeated by
the air.
Prof. Sabin made remarks upon bone
and its digestion by sulphuric acid. and
advised that in all cases the boLe be made
very fine, and if it be dissolved and then
precipitated, that its minute fneness af-
ter such precipitation, even in lnsoluble
form, might be of use on account of its
great 6neness.
DR.. Hoskins advocates the buying Of
ground bone at $40 per ton rather than
the purchase of acid phosphate at $40,
which. after the addition of the acid
and absorption of water, weighs double
as much.
Gen. Grout gave the history of his
silo, which he calls a success. 1t is up.
on his farm in Kirby, and was built
last season, in which he put twelve acres
of corn fodder. The cost of two silot
was S4OO. One-the larger of the two
was of sufficient space for twelve acres
of corn. On account of delay in hi:
work the corn was not put in until il
was much damaged by frost; SO much
so that in cutting with the horse power
cutter he did not dare to pack without
putting much water with it to drive ou
the air in pressing. as in his opinion
this was necessary to the keeping. HI
thought the frost an injury. but not a.
great as it would have been had he fec
in the usual manner.
His cattle were fed upon fine Gu
straw mixed with two pounds of shorts
for each full grown creature. and TWEEN
ty-fve to thirty pounds of ensilage al
} their only feed, and they are gaining il
flesh and in looks rapidly. He said th'
feeding was entirely satisfactory, ye
next season he should put his straw int,
. the silo with his corn, as he believed
that the better way; but he would thus
need more storage or larger silos. Th'
, one filled was Is feet long. IL feet wild
! and l3 feet deep. 1t was full when i
; was covered over with boards and tw
} feet deep of rocks piled on top. 1t set
tied it four or five feet. The ensilag,
) as taken out weighs 53 pounds to tn
; square foot; had kept we'll yet wa
) slightly fermented. The cattle liked i
and ate it all up. being more fond of i
| than any other feed; is going to feet
cotton seed meal when it arrives. as b
expects it will soon. He thinks thi
7 system of ensilage will be of the mos
e use to the smaller farmer that has fe,
t acres. as he can thus compete with larg
f, er farms, as it is his opinion that fror