Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-12-19
Grange Meeting,

VAnA8V mCCsAhBS
The annual meeting Ct the Vermont
State Grange was opened at Union Hail.
Bellows Falls, at 10 o'clock Wednesday
the 18th instant. The morning session
was devoted to the usual business of the
order. Organisation In form, acting on
the amendments offered by the National
Grange, one amendment being to allow
the State Grange to hold biennial sessions,
another to change the time of holding the
annual meeting to some time In Novem-
ber-both Of which we're ratified. The
AFTERNOON SESSION
was opened by the reading of paper by
E. NJ. Goodwin of the State Board OF Ag-
riculture on the "Social condition OF the
farmer" Following him Hon. Henry
Lane of the Board spoke on Feeding
stock in winter" He had suspended be-
fore the audience chart of the feeding
value of several substances--hay, clover,
straw, roots and grain-from German
authorities evidently. Mr.. Lane spoke OF
the different feeders--the over feeder, the
under feeder. the irregular feeder-one Of
which was as bad as the other. The
feeding troughs should be clean, the an
imals contented and comfortable or they
will not thrive. He advocated purchas-
ing food for cattle rather than to buy the
chemical fertilizer at an exorbitant price,
the composition of which they do moi
know. lie gave instances showing the
necessity Of various food nutrients, q
sheep weighing 50 pounds, fed on sugar,
lived but 20 days; a cog fed on sugar,
starch and butter, lived but about three
weeks; goose fed on starch lived p
days. lie also cited instances of his own
errors in feeding pigs, where be fed to-
much fattening food and not enough Of
the material for making bone and mus
Gle. One food has an influence in assist
ing the digesting of other foods. A lib
eral supply IF albuminoids is necessary
for the production OF wool, milk or ia ,
and he commended cotton seed meal al
the cheapest source of supply. lie read
the constituent properties of various foods
and how they should be combined fo
profitable food. Stock mast gain in win
ter as well as in summer, If they ar
grown profitable. Kept without growth
1t Is stunted in growth, which they sci
dom recover from. He spokeiof ensiage
briefly. saying that 1t was now coming
down from the enthusiastic estimate o.
its earlier stage to common sense evel
It will, no doubt, have a food value, Blu
it is not complote food and should b.
supplemented by some concentrated food ,
and large crops of fodder corn are raised
IS other large crops are raised. He dis
agreed with the opinion expressed by
Prof. Sanborn on the proper time for cut
ting hay. lie would have clover cut be-
foro any Of the heads are out of bloom,
meadow hay within week after blos-
soming and timothy in blows, rather thai
ten days after.
He spoke of the importance of earl.
fattening Of stock. inslancing the remark
Of Mr.. Gillett of Illinois. THAT he SHOULD
fatten no more steers over two years DID,
and of the veteran sheep feeder Of New
England. Mr.. Hooper of Walpole, (whose
barns we visited year ago and gav'
some accounts OF, who was then feeding
1000 head Of lambs) that he feeds nov
lambs only, having them fattened by th'
time they we're one year old. We will say
that Mr.. II. feeds only coarse and mixec
woods. One of the greatest mistakes farmers
make is In feeding their horses too mucl
hay, and corn is not SO good for them as
oats, shortening the period of their use
fulness and their life.
DIR. Cutting said. that taking the same
values that the chemist placed on com
mercial fertilizers, when sold for 80, 40, so
and 60 dollars per ton, the fertiiizing ma
terial in the product of one ton OF herds
grass, fed to stock, would be $500
One ton of Clover, 1900
Indian Corn, 10 SO
Wheat II ,0(