The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-20
Farmers Institute at Orwell.

rHTUtTS IHStltule Ut orwell.
On Friday, Feb. 6, the second day
/ of the farmers institute held at Orwell
under the auspices of the State board of
agriculture, A. E. Perkins of Pomfret
read paper on planting and Hoeing
| Made Easy; H. ID. Branch of Orwell
read paper on "Soiing;" f. Il. Doug
las OF Shoreham, one on "Jersey Cat
/ tle"; f. ID. Douglas of Whiting one on
GLOW to Improve the Farm" and NJ.
/ W. Davis of estminister an essay on
Farmers, Farms, Homes" G. E.
Abel of Orwell had a paper on "Wool
Growing" The printer made his sub
lect as announced on the programme
"Word Growing" We give Mr.. Abell's
paper in full below:
Mr.. President, Ladies' and Gentle
| men:- The secretary of our Farmers
! Club. under the auspices of which this
| institute is being held, assigned to me
the subject of "wool growing" not be-
cause he supposed | knew much
about that subject, but for the
triple purpose of killing a little
time, allowing the audience to re-
| gain their breath, and having this pa.
/ per served as n sort of sticking plaster
10 hold in your minds what you have
already heard before receiving your
| final lecture which ends, as you will
notice, i'll home.
Whether the word "wooP was chang
ed to "work' with malice prepense, or
whether it was a autographed error,
or yet whether it was changed for some
tiendish purpose by a printers devil
| lurking abou, the Office of the watch
/ man. and JoUTHdi where these pro-
! grammes were brought forth, have
no way of determining, but DIS the pro-
| grammes for this institute have cost the
State S2l.13 will conform to the pub
lished subject aud save the State from
/ loss. This is what is called political
economy.
And i'll changing my subject ct this
late hour, you can see how beautifully
] can adapt myself to circumstances.
| This, ladies and gentlemen, shows Gull
| tivation, but if you will allow me lit.
tie "poetic liceuse,' ! will say few
words on "work growing" admitting
by such license that "work growing"
may express the idea that farm labor is
more laborious or constant than it was
in former years or growing less so, as
the case may be. Now, to the casual
observer, it is perfectly clear that the
farmers of the present time are enjoy
ing protracted recreation. Look at
the beautiful agricultural implements
and labor saving machines the most
| perfect labor saving machines that were
ever invented. Your team does all the
work. All YOU have to do is to rise at
four O'Clock III the morning, and man
age that machine till eight or nine in
the evening, and the rest of the time
you can sit around in the shade. If
you keep dairy and are not crowded
with work, you need not rise until
three O'Clock to do the Churning before
commencing your fun for the day. The
chores you can do while you are resting
after your meals. The above work
should be done in the spring when you
haven't much to do. You will neces-
sarily be more busy during the sowing
and planting season, tor you will be
called out by the highway surveyor to
spoil the roads before hoeing. 1t is
not advisable to have a large highway
tax. The hoeiug will be put off too long
and the weeds get the start of the pota-
| toes and corn. When hoeing comes on
one Is expected to do more work. Here
is where "work growing" comes in.
1t takes more "elbow grease" to do
hard piece of hoelng than almost any
! thing we have to do in June. The next
day after hoeing comes having. In the
hay field man is expected to do his
"level best" This is called the "hurry-
ing time of the year" One must get
up earlier in the morning in haying
time than at any other season, except
! ing when he has some work to do.
Farmers should not mind seeing some
stars in the evening before going home
| to milk, for milking is said to rest the
cows after hard days work. | have
seen great deal of poetry about hay
ing. 1t is mostly written without
rhyme or metre by city people who
have never had their hands bistered.
Having at the present time is mostly
done by machinery. The moving ma
chine is considered great help-to a
mans team. Moving by hand is very
easy to see done. Its also remarkably
easy to see men pitch hay with the
beautiful forks of the present day.
Harvesting, which follows haying so
closely that, usually, there is but a
night between them, is very much like
haying, only more so. 1t seems neces-
sary that farmers should work little
harder than at any other part of the
year, with one exception-and that is
the other seasons of the year Some
farmers, who, by this time feel the need
of exercise, draw their grain directly
from the field to the thresher. The old
time implements for threshing now
hang upon peg by the barn door
"the OK that treadeth out the corn" is
a beast of the past, and steam or horse
power makes threshing one of the east.
est and most desirable parts of farm