Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-02-28
Agricultural Meetings.
At Middiesex.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON,

ana an INFORMAL Dut nearly welcome was given TO
| the board by William Chaplin, who said M this
was the first agricultural meeting ever held In
Middlesex by any board OF agriculture, perhaps
few words OF greeting to the present board and the
friends who have come In with them might not be
out Of place, When the buds shall start on the
| trees In the coming spring, 1t will have been n
| hundred years since the farming Of this county
| was begun on the banks Of the WDoosk one mile
above this village by Thomas Mead. whose stall
| wait grandsons walk our streets to-day elderly
men with gray heads And now as we prepare
| to start out on our second century Of farm work
in this county, we feel the need OF more skill, in
| telligence and knowledge In our noble calling
| There are many things that we need to know,
many that we ought to know, and some things
| that we must know, or we shall fail to keep In
| line with this age OF progress. We want TO know
something Of the nature and capacity Of the soil
| we cultivate, what crops and animals II IL best
adapted IN, and how to fertilize and work the
land so ~ to produce the best results at the least
cost. We need to know how to select, breed
feed and manage our farm stock 80 az to get the
| most profit and comfort from them; how to
make our maple sugar, butter, cheese and other
products, and how to pack, preserve and market
| them to our greatest advantage. We want to
know something, too, OF political economy
| enough. at least, that we may understand the
mutual and relative rights Of the producer and
consumer, the buyer and seller, the transporter
| and the insurer, and all the mddemen that come
into the line OF commerce and exchange In farm
| products, that we may maintain our own rights
| and not infringe on those OF others. Something
too, we ought to know OF the effect and applica-
tion of the protective tariff policy of our nation
and how II affects our interests AZ Vermont
| farmers. Will the repeal or reduction Of the
duties on foreign lumber wool, sugar, live ami
mails and their products, help us1 And especially
at this time, we would like 10 know II the repeal
| Of the duties on sugar (Which so many OF the
political and some OF the agricultural papers al e
| camorlDg for) would be good thing for this
| state or the nation2 Or would It, rather, be the
ruin OF the maple sugar interest as well as that
| OF the beet, corn, sorghum and other sugar In
dustries that Just starting into being, and
| give our fine maple forests up to the AZ and saw
| Of our lumbermen2 These are some Of the things
/ we want to learn more about, and 1t IL because
| we hope to gain some good ideas on these and
other subjects that we welcome the Vermont
| Board OF Agriculture here to-day With graceful
| and appropriate illusions to the governor, in
| whom he recognized q brother farmer, to his
| predecessors in office who like him had been
farmers, TO the members and officers OF the board
| Of agriculture and to the president OF the state
| agricultural college, Mr. Chaplin closed his very
| fitting address OF welcome.
After responding in behalf OF the beard, Mr.
Pember read his paper on milk" 1t was
| a very instructive and interesting lecture, CIV
| ing the composition and relative value of milk
for butter and cheese making of the differ
| ent breeds OF cows. Directions were given as
to feeding the cows, setting the milk, churnng
| etc, showing the strong points of good butter TO
be clean mess and the right temperature Of the
milk and cream. A discussion followed. The
| n
CELLAR that is directly under the stable 80 RI to
prevent the bad odor from the manure rising to
contaminate everything in the stable?" Various
plans were suggested Mr.. Pember recommended
| continuing the ventiators from the roof down to
the bottom Of the cellar Others thought that 1t
| would be sufficient to let them go down through
the stable fl ior, while others said that 1t was i'm
possible TO avoid the stencil OF the close warm
| stable with manure cellars under them. Evil
IDENTIFY there is more light needed on this subject
| The second question WAS how TO make the butter
| come without churning too long. Mr. Chaplin
said he bad overcome that difficulty by having
| new mich cows every month in the year. MIR
J. s. Wheeler said he had churned two or three
| days at a time this winter, but had found rem
| edy in heating the cream up to seventy degrees
before chnrnng. Mr.. Perrin of Berlin remem
bered OF their churning cream for three days Ia
| his fathers family and then selling it To a Ied-
der who tried to make butter OF it, but 1t never
"caoe" He had no trouble at present. feeds
meal largely and makes butter all winter. Mr..
c. T. Jones had trouble In chnrnirg about the
| first of June, when the cows had been MIXED
| four or FIVE months-had to use horsepower and
the boy had got tired driving the horse He
keeps Jersey grades for cows and uses the Fergu-
son creamery; by raising the temperature Of the
| cream he could get butter quicker but 1t was not
as good. ii. A. Sawyer advised Mr.. Jones to give
his creamery to some Of his neighbors that he
did not like, and get some OF the old-fashioned
small pans. Timothy Wheeler recommended the
deep setting Of milk at from forty to forty-six
degrees. The attendance at the session was
much larger than is usual at the opening OF such
meetings, consisting mostly Of practical dairymen
and their wives.
WEDNESDAY EVENING.
In the evening more young people came in,
nearly two hundred being present. The lecture
was by NJ W. Davis Of the board subject What
farmers need look after" very eomprt hen
Davis But little discussion was had. The
large range Of topics brought into this lecture
renders any synopsis OF II impossible in this brief
report. A. j. HOLSTER gave some of his expert
ence In the ensilage method Of feeding but the
lateness OF the hour prevented any general consd-
GRAFTON OF that subject. The meeting WAS ad-
jonrned at $50 and the audience seemed well
satisfied that the meeting so far was very good I"
THURSDAY MORNING.
Henry Lane Of Cornwall member of the
board OF agriculture, read paper upon Fertili-
cation " Mr. Lane eDjoiDed upon farmers most
OF the stable and barDyard Not until all these
resources had been fully utilized should farmer
think OF buying artificial fertilizers. Manure is
the food OF plant growth and stable manure il
richest In the native elements OF the soil. 1t is
beginning at the wrong end to buy fertilizers
before complete saving Of manures from the
stable liquids and solids is effected. Analysis OF
plants shows what elements have been taken
from the soil in their growth. These elements
must be returned to the soil to maintain its fer
tility. But all the elements need not be returned
Some may exist in the soil in sufficient abun-
dance to produce hundred crops. Potash may
be contained in the soil in large quantities. II 1t
is in condition to use, why L. 1t necessary to re-
store what has been taken out? Some soils will
continue 10 produce abundantly by restoring a
single element. The farmer must know what
element the crop requires and which bis soil lacks
to cultivate 1t to advantage. To produce manure
Is an essential point In farming The manural
qualities OF different kinds Of feed varies widely.
The relative value OF manure from one ten Of oat
straw Is 81 10; wheat straw, So 6S; barley straw,
81 %; meadow hay, So AZ; clover hay, 50 Ga
Indian meal S665; peas Sl3.3S; wheat bran,
Sl4 80; linseed meal, S1972; cotton seed meal,
S27S6 The liquid execrement contains all the
elements OF plant food and some Of them like
nitrogen in the average ratio of thifty-four to
tnrty-nDe per cent in solid. II the question were,
Shall we purchase feed or fertilizers? he would
say, buy feed rich in plant food. He had used
commercial fertilizers but d, uhted II even In
the best Of them, he got back the Coz IN the crop
Many of these fertilizers are utterly worthless,
ard in the use OF the best OF them the farmer
must make careful experiments, studying all the
conditions well. Their agricultural value depends
as much upon the farmer as upon their CONNER.
cial value. To get from the soil the benefits OF
fertilization he advised l) Improvement in the
condition OF the soil by drainage or by other nee
essary means. All the elements OF plant growth
may exist, but not in a condition TO use (2) Ro-
ttion OF crops TO utilize the varying elements OF
the soil. Any crop cannot be raised successfully
several years In succession, (3) Feed stock in
ofutt 10 MAKE more manure on tine farm. In
reply TO enquiries Mr.. Lane would recommend
no particular brand OF commercial fertilizers.
He thought these msnures could be used 10 ad-
vantage In raising corn on gTeensward 1t don't
get hold OF the native elements in the sward quite
soon enough sometimes TO get il out of the way
OF dry times Artificial fertilizers will give il an
early start, making the crop about two weeks
earlier. Mr. Lanes address was full OF interest
ing matter, valuable information and sugg estions.
Limited space comp els a very brief abstract.
Following Mr.. Lanes address, there was an in
teiesiing general discussion participated In by
DR.. Cutting William Chaplin aud A. j. HOLSTER.
Mr. Chaplin thought these fertilizers could be
used to advantage in rough and billy places, in
accessible to heavily laden teams. lie had used
artificial manures in places to which he could not
crops. Upon piece OF land thus situated, so
poor that 1t would not raise a mortgage, he used
sli worth Of fertilizers and planted to sweet
corn. The corn did not mature, but he got fl
teen tons of good fodder. DR.. Cutting enioined
judgment directed by experiment in tho use OF
maDuTes. There ID a minimum and a maximum
quautty-a little Is not advan age GUS too much is
destructive or wasteful. Study to gauge the
amount and kind OF fertilizers used to the secur-
ing OF the greatest possible advantage. The far
mer must understand his soil In order to feed IL
well. One-half the money may be saved II he
understands just what manure his soil requires
good on one farm may be unfit for another. The
doctor showed up the worthless character OF
many OF the commercial fertilizers, and In gem
eral agreed with Mr.. Lane In the superior value
OF stable manure, A. j. HOLSTER told how he
was breaking out roads over his fields, drawing
out and spreading manure on the snow lie used
twelve loads To the acre Believed he got better