Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-02-28
swell tho population and enhance the wealth OF


| To- ~ loWle OF ffAnKln READ paper IN relA-
ton to the deterioration and recuperation Of pas
lures When the character OF the ground per-
mitted such treatment, he recommended fencing
| oil portion Of an exhausted pasture, plowiDg,
| fertilizing and seeding, and when the sod had be
come firm using again as pasture. During these
operations portion Of the meadow may be uaed
Tor pasturage. Select for this treatment the most
desirable portions OF pasture frat. The great
| drawback In the work OF restoring pastures Is
want OF manure. Mr.. 1owle would not recon-
| mend the work Of renewal without using manure
Use phosphates to supplement stable manure. Ey-
| perience has shown that good crops OF oats and
grass may be raised In these pastures by the use
| OF p barrel OF phosphate 10 the acre Narrowing
while the frost Is coming out Is another means
| The roots OF brakes and weeds will be destroyed
Sow grass seed and fertilze with plaster or what
may be required. Fence of part OF the pasture
to keep the cows In nights TO reduce brakes and
gain fertilization. Pastures thus treated have not
been plowed for years and are increasing in pro-
ductiveness Knobs covered with brakes moases
etc, may require three years to subdue Plow
II possible and raise buckwheat upon them
Craze with sheep when cattle cannot be profits-
| bly pastured Supplement poor pasturege with
soiirg, ensilage, and in this way keep more stock
| Pastures that cannot be renewed should be al
| lowed to grow up to trees In some parts OF the
country miles OF stone wall are found running
through forests, occupying lands that had become
Improbable FOL cultivating and by being suffered
| to relapse to woodland had become very valuable
In the discussion which followed A. J. Hollis
ter recommended pastuIing heavy in June to keep
| kiare uoWn WINE lteu Is ROOd. lie would put in
twice the stock and keep In barn. using for solipg
rye, grass, oats, corn-anything that is handy
| Russell Sawyer Of Moretown thought II stock was
fed they would not touch the coarse feed, bushes
| etc, OF the pastures. lie desired to know what
| should be done with the rocky ledges-pastures
| that cannot be cultivated with pillow and harrow
| Mr.. Towle would leave these to grow up to trees
Dr. Cutting prescribed superphosphates for the
| knobs, advising the mixing OF seed with the
superphosphate Of lime and sowing II upon the
falling pastures. Sheep pasturage for tough cases
was advised by William Chaplin. Stephen Herrick
gave "reminiscences Of the farming Of half a
century ago Judge Janus Crossett Of Duxbury
az decrept pasture doctor original and
an effective remedy. lie fences off few acres
OF the invalid field and turns his hogs into the
enclosure: To stimulate their researches among
brake and briar roots he puts few ears Of corn
| In the earth here and there. Inspired by the
pious fraud, the deluded porkers, like searchers
| for Captain Kids treasures, dig away for dear
life among the brakes and briare with the firm
conviction that they will unearth corn crib II
they persevere. Their explorations are encour-
aged from day to day by judicious placing OF a
few ears Of corn where they will "do the most
good" His first patient was one acre of stony,
brake-infesed land. The dose was six hogs. In
| six weeks time cure was effected. The cancer
growth was taken out, roots and all, every stone
to tillaRe depth brought to the surface and the
| soil thoroughly worked over and fortified as the
| treatment preceded. The lot grew excellent corn
| the next year. The following season four
teen acres were rejuvenated in this manner
Growing blackberry bushes as well as brakes
| disappeared bodily. crop Of potatoes was
raised and the piece stocked down. Next
year fifteen acres will be renovated The
work must be accomplished during wet time,
rs moist localities are best adapted to the swine
| method. Judge Crossett mows one season after
stocking down in order to get a firm and we'll
| rooted sward before pasturing again. There IL
no speculation bout his method. lie has work ed
1t out In detail and tested 1t by several years
practice, and knows it is no quack remedy. What
ever may be said Of 1t as a matter Of morals
agriculturaly Its merits are beyond dispute. The
| remainder of the afternoon devoted to the
subject of Maple sugar making" and Timothy
Wheeler Of Waterbury Center was called upon to
unfold his u iries relating to SAP flow. The sub
| stance OF his remarks Is embodied In a communica-
| ton from him in another column unavoidably left
over from last week. DIR. Cutting spoke at length
upon the same subject, communicating much in
| teresing Information and agreeing on some i'm
portant points with Mr. Wheeler To the question:
| What produces inter in sugar. the doctor gave
| II as his theory that 1t was the result of chem
zeal combination between the lime in the sap
and malic acid the ellen ent which gives to maple
sugar its peculiar and delicious flavor. At a GER
| tain point in the process of evaporation this
| combination is effected at high Temperature
and when the sap is allowed to cool, it usually
Ia at the halfway station In its reduction to sugar.
some Of this combination is precipiiated and
| forms what is called inter but Is in fact malic
| lime. IL strained off 1t improves the sugar but
takes away some portion Of the fine maple taste.
| IL allowed to remain the farmer may be charged
| with putting sand in his sugar. The way to
| avoid its formation IL to crowd the syrup by the
| point OF combination by rapid boiling, by reduc-
ing the sap to sugar without suffering 1t to cool
The more rapidly sap il evaporated the lighter
colored will be the sugar and the more delicate its
| flavor.
THURSDAY EVENING.
| In the evening DR.. Cutting delivered his lee
| ture on "Plant Growth" ard the subject of en-
| silage was discussed. Several farmers v no had
built silos; gave their experience and all recon-
mended this method of adding To the feeding
capacity OF farm The discussion was continued
| To late hour when very interesting and profit
able meeting came to an end
At Cabot.
TUESDAY MORNING
The meeting was called to order by IL A. Cut
| ting secretary OF the board, and Judge Fisher
was elected chairman, after which II. A. Cutting
| spoke on What we may learn by observation"
| He advised farmers TO select the best seed In the
| market at whatever cost and to plant no seed
which has not been tested No seed should be
allowed to freeze while there Ia moisture In 1t.
In making maple sugar, sap should always be
strained, no matter how pure 1t may seem, aud the
sap should be made into sugar as fast as p ssible.
lie rec mmended experiments to find out what
the soil needs for the production Of crop.
Farmers dry their hay too much. Too much sun
shine on hay hurts II and the quicker the NOW Is
filled the less dust there will be. The odor from
the stable is detrimental to the stock. The best
way to ventilate barn Is to have a wooden
| chimney from the cellar to the roof and connected
with the stable. He believed salt to be great
help to fields and plaster to pastures and that
land should be fertzed every year.
TUESDAY AFTERNOON
Mr.. Davis spoke on the subject, Wastes OF the
farm" The chief cause Of poverty among farmers
is the little wastes Of the farm, among which are
poor, cold barns, poor stock, unhoused manure,
etc. We should not spend our time at the store
and tavern The farm products should be sold
m rais
own wheat and corn We should cultivate fewer
acres and till them better. Farming tools should
be housed We should use absorbents to save
the liquid manure. To obtain the best results in
butter-making we should select dairy of cows
OF the same breed and then endeavor to make the
best article possible
J: S. Kenerson of Peacham read paper on
making and marketing butter. He advised farm
ers to select good stock, feed regularly and well
be careful not to work 1t too much and when
| ready for market 1t should be sold.
TUESDAY EVENING.
Mr.. Davis thought that grade Jerseys were
preferable for butter, and that green fodder should
be fed in the dry season to keep up the flow OF
milk.
DR.. Cutting then spoke upon the subject, 1.-THE
plants we cultivate" He believes that fertiliza
| ton with nitrogen is not needed, as the plant
gets enough OF IL from the atmosphere; that salt
is good for all land as 1t helps to hold the mois-
ture. He thinks the best way TO use bone meal
Is to SOW 1t on the land instead OF feeding 1t to
ftocki tnht IN al crops experiments snOuld De
made to find what they need. He says that an
excess OF fertilizer OF whatever kind Is a damage
to crop; that manure should be applied in win
ter as the snow helps to dissolve the plant food
In ii; that it Is not profitable 10 manure in the
hill, and that bone is better fertilizer than phos
phate rock.
WEDNESDAY MORNING.
:" Social position OF the farmer" was the sub
ject treated by T.. Nj. Goodwin Of Hartland He
said that the agricultural population occupies
a second rate position In the social circle that II
we would make our influence felt we must edu-
cate the masses and place farming n par with
the profession; that farmers M class are discon-
tented with their lot; that the future Of
try depends on the condition OF our rural homes:
that we should make them attractive and en-
deavor to raise the standard Of moral and intel
lectual culture; that the greatest opposition to
improvement in educational matters Outlines
comes from the farming class, who are benefited
the most by II.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Henry Lane OF Cornwall spoke on " Fertiliza.
ton" lie thinks that stable manure Is the best
fertilizer for land, aud that manure should be
saved without teaching or heating. Mr.. Lanes
lecture showed clearly TO farmers what they
should use for fertilizers and how they should
be used Mr. Levi j. Walbridge Of Cabot gave
his manner OF fertillzlng land that was worth but
IS per acre so that he raised twenty mine hun
bred bushels Of marketable potatoes on thirteen
acres
"Our pastures" was the subject treated by T.
r. Towle Of Franklin. MIR Towle says that old
pastures AXE the best OF fields when titled; that
with reasonable outlay our pastures would be