Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-03-08
Farmers, Meetings at Charlotte.

luo CtOiCc Vi IL. l.. LctfcuNOltut Issq.t as
president, and DR.. Cutting as secretary.
The opening address was by DR.. Cutting
upon the Capabilities of Vermont as
farming state. and how the land can be
best rendered productive
He spoke of the native fertility Of the
soil, which by some was thought to be
but such was not the case. An
soil was barren. They had
such in Spain and elsewhere in Europe,
but not in Vermont. As far as his ol,ser-
walton went, he had never found any soil
that had even partially exhausted more
than two elements Of plant food, and they
we're such as could easily be supplied.
Our fathers had to clear the land and
then have the stumps for many years, and
the proper fertilization of the soil would
not cost half what it did to clear the land;
but the true way was not to put sixty loads
of manure on the acre, but four or five
loads each and every year, and supple
ment the same with a little superphos-
phate. ashes or such other mineral fertil
izer as the land needed, such need to DO
ascertained by actual experiment.
The farmer should use no guess work,
but always determine beforehand the needs
of the soil, and feed with the discretion
and care that he would feed his cattle or
horses.
He had tried experiments about manur-
ing and found the best time to top dress
was when the roots of the plant were
locked in frost. Then as the ground
thawed the food for the plant was at hand,
and gave it early nourishment. He also
believed that on plowed land it was better
to put on manure in the winter than any
other time. He asked all to try it and
Judge for themselves.
A farmer present said he had done so,
and found 1t so much better that he had
adopted the practice.
Several said their custom was to put
out in small heaps in the winter.
The doctor did not like that custom, as
where the small heaps were the grass or
grain would lodge, and lodged crop was
never half a crop; hence he would always
spread it on where he wanted it.
He urged farmers to save all the fcrtil-
izing material possible, but never to mix
manures unless they knew something of
the elements gained or lost. Many a
farmer mixes his hen manure and ashes,
losing half the value by so doing; would
put salt in his horse manure, enough TO
prevent heating. as the heating was pro-
ductive of great loss. He said plaster
might be used rs an absorbent in stables
or with stable manure. Should never use
ashes that way, but put them on by
themselves.
He advised tho farmers to make their
own fertilizers, and gave various formulas
which have been before reported; advised
burning bones in coalpit if there was no
bone mill, and then they could be pounded
and ground in any provender mill, and
used on the land with great advantage.
The finer they are made the better.
Many questions were asked and answer.
ed, but as the lecture was thus prolonged
until IL; 80, adjourned until p. NJ, when
the rest were answered by the speaker,
and as no other members of the board
were present. he gave lecture upon
The seed and the plant"
He illustrated from various seeds the
peculiar principle we call life, and that in
many seeds it soon departed, yet the seed
looked as before. and the keenest eve
even tho magnifying power of the micro,
scope-failed to show that life principle
Thus, when seeds like our grass seed
were mixed year after year with old seed
much of it would not grow. The farmer
provided for it by sowing much more seed
than was needful, but he did not realize
the amount sown to the square inch unless
| he made mathematical calculations. Should
| he make such he would find he sowed from
ten to twenty. five seeds to the square inch
where really but one or two WAS wanted
This was illustrative of how farmers
should have care about selecting seeds and
If possible raise their own.
He then spoke of the sprouting seed and
the nutrition drawn from the seed itself
then of the roots which took no nourish.
ment and the rootets that took il in. He
gave numerous illustrations of their i'm.
mense length and power, and advised al
farmers to observe for themselves, asking
them to wash out the plants with q garden
force pump and then examine the wonder
full root development. If they would dc
so they would gain new IDEAS of fertliza.
ton, and probably never manure in the
hill after, as they would see they could not
hide pulverized manure where the rootlets
cauld not find it, and yet they would moi
penetrate masses of II for long time, and
then with imminent danger, as a heavy
rain soaking out the juices would kill the
rootlet with its many mouths whereby the
plant was nourished. He gave many illus
trations where plants were killed with
kindness, and then OF the capabilities Of
the soil properly handled. He said t1at il
was natural for every state to brag about
being the best, but he would ask whai
other state could raise over six hundred
bushels of potatoes 70 the acre, as had been
done in Essex and Orleans counties? And
what state could raise one hundred and
twenty bushels of oats per acre, as had
been done in Washington county, or one
hundred and fifty bushels of corn, as done
in Windham county. and three tons and
over of hay, rs could be done in every
county of Vermont? He did not say this
to disparage any state, but to show what
could he done in our own.
Then the world acknowledged tina,
Vermont raised the best sheep, and no one
doubted the old Morgan horse, and now
the COW to beat the world had been sold
from Vermont, provided no accident hap
pened to the Jersey Queen" until she
completed her. trial year.
with such encouragement the farmer
only need awake to realize that with Judi.
cious management he is at least all isht in
Vermont.
Yet, when one part of the state did no,
believe in warm barns, but in tho hay
stack. and let their cattle run upon their
meadows all winter; and another part
built the closest, warmest barns possible
and fed mainly straw and corn fodder
which the hay stack men called worthless
and one gave his cows warm water while
the other let his cows lick snow or drink
ice water, he thought it high time that
farmers compared notes ami l. armed o.
each other, for one surely could not BIZ
right, and hence could improve.
lie advocated improvement everywhere
and as Improvement was born of observa
ton, he urged the farmer to observe; t.
observe his crops and the insects that ia
Ijured them; to observe the birds, that he
might protect the crow and believe thai
the robin and buejay were not his friend.
unless he would encourage them for thei,
music. Such observation would also teach
him 10 spread his manure on the top an(
broadcast, and never pillow under, as tn,
harrow was better pulverizcr than tn,
pillow, and the freezes ard tbaws that cav,
us our maple sugar would liberate NOR,