davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
Growing Corn by Machinery.

The practicability of using the
Thomas smoothing harrow on corn and
potatoes is doubted by many good farm
ers, but so far as l know by none who
have given it a fair trial. I prefer a
good corn-planter, with a fertilizer at
tachment, for planting, to hand plant
ing. A man, boy and horse can easily
plant six acres per day, dropping much
or little fertilizer as required, covering
the seed uniformly two inches, and de-
pressing the soil over the seed an inch
below the general surface. Practically
the seed is three inches below, but only
covered two inches. This is a good
preparation for the harrow. As soon
as the corn can be seen breaking the
ground, start the harrow, driving the
horses between the rows. and harrow
the whole ground as if there were no
corn, except to keep the horses between
the rows. This breaks any crust that
may have formed, loosens the soil
about the corn, and destroys all the
little weeds that have started. This
process should be repeated once a
week till the corn becomes too large.
and this time is best determined by
experiments. The corn will be bent
down and some pulled up, but the
amount pulled will be trifing and that
left worth much more than the whole
would have been, as all the weeds are
killed. The cultivator should come in
when the harrow goes out.-Corres-
pOndence Home.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
A New Quackery.

The Neac England Farmer quotes
from New York medical journal the
statement that since the production of
cider has fallen off in New England
there has been a marked increase of
rheumatism and of stone in the bladder.
The facts are, that stone is, and always
has been, rare disease in New Eng
land. 1t is a disease of limestone
regions, and there are twenty cases of
it in Kentucky and Tennessee to one in
New England. We say this of personal
knowledge, having practiced medicine
in both sections. AS to rheumatism. it
has greatly decreased in the rural parts
OF New England, owing to better living,
less drinking of cider and spirits, and
less hard work, amongst the farmers.
1t has, however, increased in the cities.
in consequence of over-crowding, I'M
sanitary conditions, the increasing use
of spirits and beer, and generally UNI
wholesome and insufficient diet among
the poorer classes. These facts we also
state from personal observation, having
practiced medicine six years in Boston,
during four of which we were one of
the district physicians of the Boston
Dispensary, and necessarily well ac-
quainted with the condition of the
poorer class of people. There probably
never was more pernicious and false
notion spread, than the one that led to
the use of whiskey in cases of lung dis
ease; and close to that, in probable evil
results, would be the use of cider as a
preventive or cure Of the above named,
or any other diseases. Cider, as a GUS
tomary beverage, is a very unwholesome
drink
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
Floors for Horse Stables.

Our own horse stable, being in the
basement, is fioored with stone tagging,
which is kept well covered with saw
dust, and is perfectly satisfactory,
though many have criticised it as being
"too hard for a horses feet,' appar-
emily forgetting that the horses feet
stand upon iron. But the Rural Ne,c
Yorker says that the best floor for a
horse stable is "good stiff clay and
gravel, mixed in the proportion of half
and-half. Mix both intimately, and
wet the mixture to the consistency of
soft putty, and put in at least eight
inches of it, two inches at time,
pounding down each layer, solid and
hard, with heavy beetle. 1t cannot
be injured by pounding. After stand
ing till thoroughly hardened it will be
about as firm as rock, and still moist
and cool. A very good floor can also
be made of anthracite coal ashes; or
even good loan makes very good
floor. Of course, planks may be used,
but they are far from being the best.
The floor should be nearly level, say
descending two or three inches toward
the back part of the stall, and should be
we'll bedded with straw or sawdust,
moss, peat or some other absorbent.
and should be thoroughly cleaned out
every day. If not kept well bedded,
the horses are apt to paw or stamp
holes in dirt floors, and these should be
kept well filled up with the same ma
terial of which the floor is made"
This last is our own sole but serious
objection to dirt or even cement floors
the horses destroy them by paving,
no matter how carefully made, or of
what materials. We tried them thor
oughly before putting in the stone, and
found them delusion and snare"
After he has broken a hole in one a
paving horse will almost bury himself.
and then lie down with his shoulder in
the hole, where you will find him cast
in the morning.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
The New Apple Disease.

notice in THE WATCHMAN the arti-
Gle from Rutland in regard to new
trouble with apples. have a few trees
and find the Tolman Sweets as he de-
scribes, and worthless. The Fameuse
are nearly as bad; about three-fourths
of them look the same outside, but in
side, running through the apple in all
directions the size of pin, looks like
dry rot, with knotty places all through;
looks like worm marks, but l have ex-
amined carefully and have never found
worm in any one of the apples so
affected. The Northern Spy, Blue Pair
main, Pippin and other winter varieties
are not much injured, though fully half
of them grow imperfect from some
cause which 1 cannot explain. One
side of the apple will grow fair and the
other will grow shriveled and knotty;
no appearance of worms. The Duchess
and other early apples are not affected.
C. A. L.
Mortified, December 3, 1884
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17

SECRETARY ADAMS of the New
Hampshire Board of Agriculture said
he should advocate more hog and
hominy for New England Corn and
pork have both been too much neg
lected by New England farmers. He
is cultivating farm of forty acres and
aims to have about one-fourth of it in
corn each year. A yield of forty BUSH
els per acre is compensating crop if
the fodder is well secured by stocking
as soon as the kernels begin to glaze.
The short, cold seasons have taught
him to select an early eight-row variety
for his latitude. He had good word
for DIR. Hoskins' pedigree corn and
thought more northern New England
farmers should give it trial. He had
sometimes begun to cut it before the
10th Of August" So says an exchange,
reporting an agricultural meeting. The
pedigree corn " referred to originated
on the farm of Judge Pierce of Calais,
VT, where it has been grown since
1916. We received the seed, some dozen
years ago, from that enterprising far
mer, A. M. Foster of Cabot, but
neither he nor we claim any right the
name. 1t should be called the Pierce
Pedigree Corn.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
Clippings.

TIMOTHY stands below clover in ma
nurial value.
THE wash Stops should go on the
compost heap.
SANDY land cools rapidly as well as
warns up rapidly.
WITHOUT good feed it is absolutely
impossible to make good butter.
ORGANIZATION and union mean
strength. Farmers are not united, nor
do they organize.
THE best test of good farming is
when each years crop is superior to
the one preceding it.
A HORSE wearing shoes weighing six
teen pounds in the course of mile lifts
twenty-four thousand pounds.
ANY falling off in the condition of
farm stock should be strictly guarded
against as cold weather approaches.
LIME sweetens and enlivens the soil
releases all unassimiated fertility, and
so will greatly increase the vegetable
growth.
If you want TO make a good garden
or truck patch, pillow it deeply in the
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17

manufacture of cane per day has been
upwards of one hundred sixty tons.
The product is 100000 pounds of beau
tiful bright yellow sugar, worth for re-
fining ~ cents per pound, and 1900
barrels excellent molasses (about &C.,
600 pounds, worth thirty-fve cents a
gallon. The product of seed is placed
at $4,000 bushels, equal to a similar
quantity of corn for feeding. The
season, in spite of the low price for
sugar, is regarded as a very successful
one.
The Rio Grande factory is the only
one which has been run upon the Col
lier system, except two small ones in
Kansas and Nebraska, both reported
successful this season. The one in
Champlain, Illinois, run upon the sys-
tenn devised and patented by the chem
lists of the State Agricultural College,
has been bankrupted by the expense of
that method, which will not allow of
the production of sugar at the present
low price. Professor Collier claims
that, when the details of his method are
properly worked out, sorghum sugar can
be produced at cost of one cent per
pound, the whole cost of growing the
cane being paid by the crop of seed,
which Gas mentioned above) a three
years experience at Rio Grande shows
to be worth as much as corn for feed
ing hogs, and is produced from these
cane fields at the average rate of
twenty-five bushels to the acre. 1t is
also expected that the waste cane, after
pressing, can be worked into paper
stock at a fair profit.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17

in the way of this by their enormous
and wilfully prohibitory charges on all
small shipments. There is an easy
remedy for this by legislation. Every
state should have its board of railway
commissioners, with powerto compel the
railroads, as common carriers, to afford
due and proper rates and facilities to all
who desire to use them. 1t is just this
that our Vermont railroads have shown
their fear of, and have successfully
spent their money to defeat, and will
continue to do so, until the farmers will
take the pains to see that the right men
are nominated and chosen to the state
senate. Our worst middleman " is
the lordly and aristocratic railroad
" boss" who cares nothing for the peo-
pie so long as he can IDEAL" with
their Representatives in our legislative
bodies
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
Some Good from Dull Times.
An exchange says:

"The dull times are really bringing
some of the railroads to their senses.
They are actually investigating the op-
portunities for increasing business and
accommodating the public along their
roads. This is healthy sign. Even
the Long Island Railroad Company, in
New York, proposes to run trains for
the conveyance of farmers produce.
loaded upon their own wagons, to-
gether with the teams and drivers.
They also propose, at a nominal
price, to take these same wagons back
loaded with manure. A system of
mutual cooperation between farmers
and railway companies would prove to
the advantage of both. Practical sug-
gestiOns are in order"
1t seems to us that the chief "prac-
tical suggestion - in order is the sug-
gestion of common sense, that the
farmers should not wait for the acct
dental, partial and temporary action of
hard times. but should demand that
the railroads shall afford the needed
accommodations and reasonable rates
which they owe to the people, as the
price of the franchises which they
enjoy. If one set of men, or one
party, will not see that we have effec-
tive legislation to this end, there is
always another party that will, in re-
turn for our votes-and farmers votes
should be put where they will do the
most good-to farmers. If we do not
look out for our own interests they
will go-as so far they have gone-to
the dogs. " Who would be free, them
selves must strike the blow" But we
farmers are very patient people, very
patient. How long?
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
The Most Serious Problem.
The CtlltiUdtor says:

The Cuttlcdtor says:
"The most serious problem now de-
handing solution at the hands of the
farmers is how to reach consumers di-
rect with their farm products. Our
farmers to-day are not so much con-
cernedin widening the area under cult
walton, as in growing larger and better
crops on present areas, and in securing
more remunerative prices for that
which they do raise. The middleman
exacts by far too large a percentage of
the farmers profits for his services.
Some practical system of cooperation
among the farmers in buying and sell
ing is essential to their success"
The truth is that our most valuable
and profitable farm products cannot be
produced and shipped in carloads, and
in order that the farmer can reap the
just reward of his labor in producing
them he must have a chance to deal di-
rectly with the consumer. The rail-
roads of New England stand invincibly
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
Relative Value of Roots and Corn.

Professor Jordan of the Pennsyl-
vania Agricultural College makes the
following statement on the above ques-
ton in the Philadelphia Press;
The relative value of different cattle
foods depends in general upon three
things: O The percentage of dry or
solid substance. (2) The composition
OF the dry matter. (3) The effect of
the food upon the health of the animals
to be fed, or upon the quality of the
products to be obtained. Let us see
what is the composition of several cattle
foods mentioned for comnarisnn.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17

lT was the splendid art and not the
splendid "wit - of the old Greeks that
we would have referred to in "The
Greeks are at our doors,' if the printer
would have let us; and it was of "spread-
ing" and not speaking" useful
knowledge that we wrote in our article
on Experiment Stations-both in the
issue of December 3.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17

That is, if one hundred pounds of
corn are worth one hundred cents, then
one hundred pounds of potatoes are
only worth twenty-siX cents, etc. In
other words, one bushel of corn
would be worth not far from four
bushels OF potatoes. The estimates of
such table should be taken with
great deal of allowance, but they serve
at the same time to give us a pretty
good hint as to the relative values Of
cattle foods, and are the best expression
OF relative values that are now availa-
BILE. Roots may have value in serv-
ing to give variety to the winter food
of young cattle that cannot be estimated
from anything pertaining to their COM
position. Moreover, a farmers lOca-
ton and resources determine for him
what are his most economical cattle
foods, and the estimates that will serve
one farmer may be useless to another.
1t is our own experience that pota-
toes, judiciously used in connection
with hay and grain, have a feeding
value of more than one-fourth that of
corn. When corn is dollar bushel
we consider potatoes worth thirty-five
cents, and in that proportion, whatever
the price Yet to feed at the best adj
vantage we need to have both. We
fully believe, after long years of ex-
perience and of trials in feeding, that
potatoes are the most profitable feed
ing root that the farmers of northern
New England can grow, yet being
cash crop the temptation is great to
turn them directly into money. But a
wise farmer will resist that temptation
when he can do better by turning them
first into milk, meat and manure. Po-
tatoes are very exhaustive crop when
sold off, but not when fed and the
manure well saved and used.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17

1t is easily seen from the above table
that corn contains over three times as
large percentage of dry matter as po-
tatoes, and from six to ten times as
much as the various roots. Again. the
dry substance of the corn is more highly
heterogeneous than that of the potatoes
and roots, so it is somewhat better
adapted to the needs of a growing ami
NAL that is forming muscular tissue,
especially where the roots and corn are
to be used as a supplement to coarse
fodder. Roots have one point in their
favor, which is that they are the most
digestible of ordinary cattle foods.
German fodder tables give about the
following relative values to the above
cattle foods:
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
agricultural.

~ This department is wholly under the control
of the agricultural editor T. II. HosKINs. MD,
Newport w. and he alone is to be held responsible
for the opinions herein expressed.
The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-17
A Successful Experiment.

We are told that the Rio Grande
sorghum sugar factory, in New-Jersey,
has completed its operations for the
season, with the following result; The
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-01-03
UNDER SHROUDS OF SNOW.
Twenty-Seven Lives Lost and Immense
Damage Done to Mining Property in Col
OradO by Avalanches of Snow.

Twenty-Seven Lives Lost and Immense
Damage Done to Mining Property in Col
orado by AvaIanches of Snow.
DENVER, COL, Dec. %.
A special dispatch from Telluride, Col,
| dated the oath, via Montrose och, states
that about noon on Monday a snow-slide
came down in the Marshall basin and car
ried off the shaft-house Of the Mendoza
Mine, which at the time of the accident
contained fourteen men. Eight of the oc-
cupants were killed outright. Four sue
| ceeded in digging themselves out, and
these four subsequently rescued the two
r, naming men in a badly injured condi-
ton. AS the telephone wires from the
mine to the camp were in a damaged con.
dition the news was not received in the
camp until five o'clock that afternoon, and
then only these few meagre details were
given. A large number of men immedi-
ately left for the scene of the disaster. But
as yet they have not been heard from. It
has been showing for week, and it is now
over four feet deep on the level. The pres
emit storm is the most extensive and dam.
aging of any ever known in that region. A
stage-driver who had made his way on
foot over the surrounding country reports
that twenty seven men have lost their lives
by snow-slides within the last few days,
while the damage to mining proper
ty is enormous. Two men named
Gunter and Peck were killed
by a snow-slide at the Nevada mine, also
at Telluride. The latest information from
Ophir and Ames, neighboring towns, re-
ports that the mail.carrier from Silverton.
who was due on Friday, had not been
heard from and he is supposed to have
been lost and persisted in making an at
tempt to cross the range. The Mendoza
mine is the most promising in the San
Miguel mining district of the San Juan. It
employed the largest force of men, and was
one of the few mines which continued work
during the winter months. There is the
greatest interest here to learn the names Of
the unfortunate miners, as some of them
have families living in Denver.
A special received at one O'Clock this
morning gives the names of killed at the
Mendoza mine as follows: J. Il. Bond, c.
1or, John Davis, VIM. Applewhite, r. Sla-
ter and Lewis Hutchins. The latter lived
about twelve hours after being rescued.
Thomas Wheatly was found about twelve
feet under the snow, with his leg broken,
but still alive, and it is expected that he
will recover. He was buried forty six
hours. Two men, Joseph Frelinghuysen
and James Burns, were found dead to-day
by George PoIivar in the GoldbuS cabin.
A slide struck this cabin on Friday and
moved the cabin about 100 feet. Many
more accidents are known to have occur
red, and an excited crowd is around the
telephone office, the only means Of com.
munication, all day.
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-01-03
CONDENSED TELEGRAMS.

A WHOLE square of buildings burned
| at jamestown, OAK, on the Both; loss,
| $4,000.
II was expected that the Bond trial
| at Hillsboro, ILL.,, would close by the Sd.
The collieries of the Reading pa
Company at Wilkesbarre resumed full
time work on the 31st.
A REBEL force who recently attacked
an Egyptian force near Berber was re-
pulsed with a heavy loss.
The recent murder of Lieutenant
Colonel Suderkin OF the Russian gendarmie
was the work of NihiIists.
FooTF, one of the negroes killed by
the lynchers at Yazoo City, Miss, was a
graduate of Oberlin, o.
THE Mississippi River rose eleven
inches on the 3Uth at Vicksburg. Extraor-
binary heavy rains had fallen within few
days.
The Navy Yard Commission gives
the country an impressive warning of the
dangers Of foreign great guns.
The International Health Exhibition
is to be to London in 1884 what the Fish
cries Exhibition was in 1889.
BUREAU officers at Washington ask
for an increase OF appropriations for sala-
ries TO the amount Of Ss45, 900.
THE rebellion in the Soudan has cut
off the supply OF gum arabic, and the candy
market s affected accordingly.
The White Star steamer Celtic was
spoken ON the I'D by the steamer Gellert.
She had broken O shaft and was proceed.
ing under SAIL
IT is suspected that the official in
spection OF American pork III french ports
will be so managed as to amount to a vir-
tual prob bition Of importation.
TIE Swedish br g Natal. from Boston,
arrived recently % brisbane, Queensland,
with a mutinous crew on board. Several
lives were lost in the effort to uphold the
Captains authority.
INVESTIGATION of the Phpbe Paullin
murder in New Jersey has closed W thout
throwing any light on the mystery. The
prevailing impression is that tramp COM
mitted the deed.
THE Egyptian Government is declared
a compiet- azure.
ADMIRAL GoETZ has been made Di-
rector the German "A 'miralty.
II is again reported that the Chinese
have wi.Dorawu ironsB - ANN.
TIE New York banks hold 80, 74s, $50
In excess 81 ~ Hi 4 reinea
THE " estcrn nail mills ali closed the
nigh OF the zOib lor SIX weeks, leaving
5,00J men out OF work.
MASKED robbers murdered George
Siicox at 81. hoinas. Can, on the night Of
the 29tn. and Numbered Lis store.