The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-03-07
Farmers Institutes.

The farmers Institutes, held in Mid
dlebury last week by DR.. II. A. Cut
ting, Hon. Henry Lane. f NJ. Good
win and Hon. E. r. Pember of the
State board of agriculture, closed on
Friday evening. Although the wealth
er was bad nearly all the time, the at
tendance was good and the meetings
were profitable and successful. In
our last issue we gave report of the
proceedings up to Thursday noon.
Thursday afternoons session opened
with the presentation of paper by A.
d. Evarts of Waltham, entitled " A
Review of Modern Dairy Methods"
lie began with an enumeration of the
methods most approved by successful
dairymen. The importance of judic-
iously selecting cows was dwelt upon
at some length. There is a great diff
ference between good COW and a
poor one. A COW is worth what she
can produce above the cost of keeping
this is the real standard of value, and
according to ii cows should be bought
and sold. lie believes in quality rath-
er than quantity of milk, and thinks
corn meal, early-cut hay, clover and
orchard grass are excellent foods for
dairy animals. lie would have some
of the cows come in in the fall. The
sooner milk can be made into butter
the better. His method is to raise
cream by cold setting, warm to 20 or
80 degrees, then cool to 60 degrees and
churn the next day. In his opinion
butter should be worked but once; and
cream or butter is not improved by
coming in contact with ice.
The reading of the paper was follow
ed by Il discussion, led by Mr.. Pember
and participated in by j. E. Crane of
Middlebury, f. ID. Douglass and f. b.
Douglas of Whiting and others. 1t
was generally agreed that butter ought
not to be worked more than once. 1t
was also said that frst-class butter
could not be sold in the local markets
for what it is worth. The finding OF
special customers for such an article
Was recommended.
Mr.. Goodwin followed with a paper
on Indian Corn and its Culture" He
gave an exhaustive history of the plant,
and stated nature, habits, manner
of growth, etc. 1t does not grow
wild; but tlourishes throu- hout a wild
er range of latitude than any other
cereal. There are 800 varieties of it,
which may be divided into two gener-
al classes-the flint and the dent. He
favored the S-rowed rather than the
proved, saying the frmer would
produce more bushels of shelled corn
to the acre. The ground should be
thoroughly pulveTized and the ma
nure broad casted on the surface. His
way of planting is in rows 3 II feet
apart, with stalks s to 10 inches apart
would use horse planter, harrow and
cultivator and the hand hoe only for
the purpose of getting at the few
weeds remaining in the rows. The
corn should be cut as soon as the ears
are glazed. Corn can be produced in
Vermont for 30 to 40 cents a bushel
but yet this State pays $1,000, 000
every year Tor Western corn. He ar
gued that farming must pay in Yer.
mont or else such a sum could not be
spent for this one article, which is con.
sumed chiefly by the farmers. Brief
discussion followed, after which all
adjournment was taken till evening.
The whole of the evening session
was oNNupiCt W ali dIhltsN utllNeTtU
by the secretary, Dr. Cutting. His
subject was, How May We Improve
the Quantity and Quality of Our
Crops" There are, he said, twelve
ingredients of the soil necessary to
perfect plant growth. All of them
may be present in abundance, but the
probability is that three of the most
mportant-potash, nitrogen and phos-
phoric acid-may be absent. Plants
take from the soil the elements they
need and convert them to their owl
uses. The sugar maple, for instance
produces sugar, which does not come
directly from the soil, but is manufac
tured in the laboratory of the tree
from materials supplied by the soil
The roots take up just what the PLAN
or tree needs. 1t is by observing how
plants grow that we can best discover
the way to apply fertilizers. They
must take food only in soluble form
In preparing food for plants, as fol
animals, that which is suited to theil
needs should be given. BY the same
course of reasoning it follows tina
crops require to be fed each year. TIT
elements lacking in particular sol
are most readily ascertained by exper
iments. An imperfect crop-lodget
gram, for example - indicates tina
something is lacking in the soil. liz
thought the spring not the most suita
BILE time for the application of manure
He would put it upon the frozen soil
before the heavy rains of the spring
which will dissolve it thoroughly ant
fit. it for the use of the plant. Com