Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-10-31

fathers to buy seed wheat, not but thai
| hey had wheat. but they had everything
else with it. They wondered how n ma,
could raise wheat and not have it mixed
with oats, kale and cookie, buckwhcat
etc. knew as it was a bart of my worl
| to pull out those tares. Father, though n
Christian, did not believe in letting tare
and wheat grow together until harvest.
Those who knew how he raised whca
that was clean said that it did not pay, bu
when they came to buy seed wheat they
grumbled at the price, but father used to
sav, do not eat York -four for nothing
We raised more bushels of potatoes to tn
acre and of more uniform size than mos
of our neighbors, they cutting their seeo
coarser than we, planting two or thre,
pieces in n hill, while we only used on
piece in bill and the hills were nearer
together making the rows look like one
hill.
Ten and eleven years ago my home was
in the Connecticut valley, near me wer,
two meadow farms divided simply by u
fence. The one yielded three hundret
tons Of hay per acre; the other, thre'
hundred pounds. Farmer number tw,
complained of drouth; farmer numbe,
one rejoiced in an abundant harvest :;
farmer number one is the third generation
of the same family, living on the SANE
farm; farmer number two loses his boy.
from home as soon as seventeen or eighteet
years OF age; farmer number one tool
care of his farm and his farm took care
him; farmer number two watched at th'
depot nights for his support. The pas
season near my home in Lnnenburgh -
board fence divided two fields, owned by
wo men. The fence could have bccl
dispensed with. From one field, d.
Cuttings, there was harvested three an,
three-iourths tons of hay per acre, from
he other not more three. fourths tons pc
tcre. One man fed his field, the o,he,
man fed himself The past season
oought one and one-half acres of grass 70
hirty dollars. Those who had neeer
weighed an acre of stout grass laughed a
he minister's. but when it was htrveste,
had four tons. one hundred and ninety
six pounds of well cured hay Two wear,
go Dir Cutting bought field of iou
acres. The hay was all drawn from lh
field at two loads, one one horse load an,
one two horse load. The next winter on
acre of this field was treated to a coat
manure spread on the snow. In the sprin.
he rest of the field save one half acre wa
llso top dressed, the manure spread upol
the grass at the rate of five loads an
Two hundred of land plaster to the acre
Last season the hay Was drawn from th
i'ld at eight two horse loads ana two Oh
orse loads. The part where the manu-
VAS spread on the snow yielde about on,
h If more than where the III tnure WIS
prrud on the grass. Similar experiences
md Others have not time to ion, AL
deserved by every one who is on he wuc
for them. Should we test them and know
from our own experience that they wer'
rue. might we not easily increase our hi,
crop? Many farmers seem entirely indi
use and as n result the farmer who il
penny wise in the spring finds hlmsel
pound foolish at harvest. remember
neighbor once complaining that hs
potatoes were ali small; they would no
grow large. Father, seeing him plantins
one day, told him it was no wonder for b,
had planted small potal oes year after yeal.
He was advised to buy seed suitable t.
plant, but being a penny wise man b,
hought he could not afford the outlay, bu
tinalIy concluded to invest two shllling-
md buy a whole bushel. They yielded
double per rod compared with the rest Of
his field, yet this man could not afford t,
buy potatoes to plant. When some farmer
mas introduced Il new variety of potatoes
which yielded abunoantly, many farmers
say, They will be plenty in few years
and then can exchange bushel and gel
into the seed in that way. cannot afford
two or three dollars per bushel for potatoes
to plant. when money invested then would
have yielded one, two, three, four or five
hundred per cent. This was once illus.
trated in the town where | now reside
Hon. jonah Brooks originated potato
known as the Brooks seeding. This
variety was started from the ball of the so
called Hastings potato. This variety the
Judge selected from others and continued
planting it until in 1868 he planted little
over One-half acre from which he harvest
ed between four and five hundred bushels
Mr.. Brooks then offered them for SAFE al
four dollars per bushel. Many could moi
afford to buy, but others invested and IN
harvest regretted they bought so sparingly
John Smith Of Acworth, N. H., raised
seventy.fve bushels from one half bushels
seed. Hon. Milton Cook of Bloomfield
raised thirty five bushels from fifteen
pounds of seed. l. NJ Dodge of Lunen.
burgh six hundred and forty bushels from
one acre. The second year that the Early
Rose potato was planted in Essex county
f. G. Grant of Concord raised four hun
ired and eighty bushels Of that variety.
Last fall when Esq. Grants neiehbor,
were wondering why their Early Rose
did not yield as in former years he (GranD |
was harvesting three hundred bushels pei
acre of the Early Vermont. Last season |
was very unfavorable one with us for |
potatoes, yet those Nho planted the Early
Vermont where the ground wns properly |
did not come much Short if any |
Of three hundred bushels per acre.
| will call your attention to but ONE |
more mistake that impoverishes our Yer |
mont farmers and makes farming with
hem drudge speak now of the indif
ference of many farmers as to tho quality |
IF his stock. With them horse is IA
horse, an OK is an OK, GOV is COW, |
calf is a calf, a hen is hen, and they fai
o sec any difference in the value of two
lnmals of the same kind. l have heard
armers say they did not care what male
neY used With lhelr 0eTu, one was as
,ood as another; all they cared for was
he right number of calves at the righi
line. One farmer told me within the
,ast year (and he is man who mlks
rom twenty to thirty cows) that he would
lot give any more for a heifer calf from
me COW than from another. How few
nen know the relative value Of the COWS
hey keep. l once bought two cows oil
he same man. Both cows had beei
'wned by him for Two or three years
)ne COW thought l wanted, The tlher J
hought | did not want; but in order l.,
ecure the COW | wanted | was obliged to
my both When came to test the COW !
ound the one dtd not Uant was Just the
ow l did want, while the one l wanted
vas worthless as u dairy COW. Many
ows run their owners in debt every year.
'ut they know it not. With proper breed
ng and proper feeding, with proper care
n manufacturing the butter. the cows OF
Termont could in a few years be made to
ield one hundred per cent more than at
hs present day. know of men who
we're called good persons ten years ago
'ut they werc dissatisfied and by paving