The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-03-18

cessfully in Vermont. Not with equal adj
vantage on all farms, but more or less on
all farms which should be cultivated at all.
Success is question of intelligence, energy
and economy.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
Henry Lane gave an address on Making
and Saving of Manures on the Farm and
their Value in Comparison with CONNER
Cial Manures." He said the principal re-
sources for manure should be the stable,
shed and barnyard, and all the vast ma
terial on the farm; and not until after all
these resources are exhausted, and care
fully saved aud intelligently applied, should
the farmer invest in commercial fertilizers
that are of uncertain value and, from past
experience, give such unsatisfactory results.
The matter of dollars and cents is the first
consideration for most farmers. Manure is
like money, the more you have the easier it
Is to make more, but the experience of the
speaker was that the purchased fertilizers
had not increased his crops sufficient to pay
cost, and thus enable him to make more ma
nure, sufficient to return the money in
vested. Certain elements of plant growth
are absolutely necessary for the growth of
our farm crops If they are not contained
in the soil, they must be supplied. If all
the crops are returned to the soil it will in
crease in fertility and on many soils, If the
manure made from these crops after being
fed to animals is returned to the soil, they
will constantly improve. All good soils are
composed largely OF Ulle tlclntHlS VI pldub
growth, but not always in a soluble condi-
ton for the crops to take. On many soils
the action of frost, water, heat and the roots
of plants are liberating and making availa-
BILE these elements Some of these elements
are in sufficient supply to produce a good
crop, if small amount becomes soluble
each year as the crop needs Farm manure
on some soils will seem to maintain their
fertility for several years, while other soils
will need an application nearly every year.
f1n
crops raised are restored to the soil, except
those sold in the animals, wool and products
of the dairy that leave the farm, a we'll
managed farm will increase in fertility
from year to year. But small proportion
of farmers have their stables arranged to
save all the solid and liquid excrements
from their stock. The liquids from our
farm stock contain two-thirds as much nj
trogen as the solids 1t is but the truth to
say that the present system of making and
keeping manure by many farmers is most
wasteful. 1t is beginning in the wrong way
to purchase special fertilizers before all the
manure possible is made and saved on the
farm and inteligently applied. 1t has
been ascertained that an animal weighing
one thousand pounds will void seven tons
of manure in one year. If this is all saved
it is worth, on the basis of valuation OF COM
mercial fertilizers, S215S. Farm manure on
most lands is worth more than its manurial
value. 1t acts beneticially on the physical
three courses for farmers to pursue before
purchasing special fertilizers. First i'm
prove the condition of the soil by drainage
when needed We may have good soil in
wretched condition, containing all the ele-
ments necessary to produce good crop
but not in form that is available. The
work of the farmer is to first to put his land
in good mechanical condition. Second,
he would advise a judicious rotation of
crops. Land may be exhausted for one
o,,1 1,,a "a IF Gonna OF ar
kind. The third means for improving the
farm is to procure concentrated food to mix
with the corn fodder, and feed stock freely
all the grain and fodder crops raised. Care
fully save all the manures We cannot
hope for a general improvement of farms
until we recognize the fact that the making
of good manures is just as indispensable a
part of farming as blowing, sowing and
harvesting the crop. The value of manure
can be doubled by hoeing, working over,
using absorbentS and making judicious
application to the soil.
FRIDAY EVENING.
Mr.. Douglas spoke on the subject of the
"Dairy." He pointed out its importance
to the state and the field for improve
ment which this branch of our agriculture
presents. Dairying is what we make it. We
may make it a pleasant business, or one o
slavish drudgery. We may make it profta
BILE, or be financially ruined by it. II,
dwelt upon the means by which we SHOULD
make it pleasant, and contrasted improved
systems with those in use in his boyhood
and even now, on many farms in Vermont
He explained why some dairymen get bu
one hundred pounds of butter per COW
while others get three times that amount
One reason for small yields is the total wan
of adaptation of stocks to the kind of dairy
ing persued. There is as much difference il
the characteristics of milk, as there is il
woods and the same necessity for selection
and a1antatiop for gnppitip nurppSpS in tl
one as in the other. The cow yielding
large amount of caseine and small amour
of the buttery element is entirely untitled
for the butter dairy, and so the reverse w
must adapt our stock if we would succeed
in either branch of the dairy. The mixin
of milk of different characteristics is anothe
reason for failure. Milk having large butte
globules, has correspondingly sma
amount of caseine, and consequently tn
cream rises rapidly; and when this kind c
milk is mixed with caseine milk, it rises,
at all, much slower, and the dangers are tina
it will not rise at all. The question of fee
was discussed. Profits will be in proportio
to amount of food consumed above tn
amount required to supply the wastes {
nature, and to the elements which the foo
contains and their digestibility. Feed gel
erously with food rich in the right element
and easily digested and assimlated. TIL
stables through the state must be improved
They are too cold, dark, filthy and uncon
more for his butter than another was take
up. The absurdities in common practic
were pointed out, and the details of what TIL
speaker believed to be correct system pre-
scented. He said we must have systeI
every detail of which must be based upon
good subtantial reason, and when once d
termined upon, it must be followed. Gu
great reason for small prices is want of un
formity, the result of a want of systemat
effort. The philosophy of the ripenir
process and of churning were explained
and also how perfect granulation may a
ways be obtained. The Importance of
good reputation in marketing was dive
upon, and why good butter sent into IL
general market must go for low pric
The subject of western creamery butter WI
taken up and the reasons for the high pric
received for it explained. The speaker hf
visited many western creameries, attendt
the meetings of the Elgin Board of Trat
and has had the best of opportunities f
learning the facts Western creamery bu
ter is not so good as our best Vermont bu
ter. The milk is collected from a larl
number Of patrons, carried long distance
of all shades of structure and quality, b
is systematically and uniformity manufa
tured. This uniformity alone gives it
good reputation.
Farmers Institute at Waitsfleld.