The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-01-06


Farm accuses agricultural college pro-
fessors of concealing the valuable parts
of their reports behind torrent of
words, or else writing about things
that the average farmer cares nothing
about. This is the natural conse-
quence of organizing industrial schools
in imitation of classical colleges, and
putting second-rate graduates of the
latter in charge of them.
THE Homestead tells an inquirer that
" rust on beans is caused by fungus
growth, which is brought on by damp
weather We know no remedy" The
remedy is to plant rust-proof varieties.
There is great difference in beans in
regard to rusting and spotting. We
tested many varieties, last season,
to sift out those with vigorous, rust
and spot-proof constitutions. We shall
print our notes on them soon.
THE "heroism" with which rich
Jersey breeders are testing foods, in
reckless pursuit of astonishing butter
yield, "would amaze the ordinary
farmer" says an American cores
pendent of The London Agricultural
Gazette. The writer knows man who
"klled four cows with heavy pea-meal
rations," and not one of these abused
useful creatures cost him less than
81 500. He "blew up the machine "
by high pressure-regardless of ex-
pense, prompted by the gambling spirit
to "beat the record" and unrestrained
by the divine law of kindness to
animals.
Mrs. J. B. OLCoTT, in an address to the
Connecticut State Grange, says: "The
word grange signifies the farm-home, or,
as the Scotch call it, the farm steading."
This is not quite correct " Grange" is
word closely related to the word
granary," the latter meaning the
place or building where the threshed
grain is stored, while the former names
the place where the unthreshed grain
is kept-the "grain barn." as we should
call it. Subsequently, as the grain barn
is the principal building on grain
farm, the name grange" was trans
ferred to all the buildings, and finally
to the whole estate.
The Rural NeU Yorker says truly:
"For the farmer who seriously enters
on the work of improving his farm there
is really no rest and no end to the labors
he is obliged to undertake. The work
may pay or not, but it must be done.
The first step necessitates the next,
and so on to the end. It requires the
very best of judgment to attempt only
those improvements which will pay as
they go. In default of this, the man
with limited capital may be soon
swamped by expenses incurred in i'm
provements ultimately profitable, but
which will not pay soon enough to re-
turn in time the money he has adj
vanced."
"THE states at present protecting
the abominable English sparrow are
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey
and Ohio. There are also protective
laws in the District of Columbia and
Canada. Such laws should be at once
repealed and state encouragement Of
fered for the destruction of this danger
Gus and destructive pest, whose mar
velously rapid multiplication makes
its utter extinction a matter of public
necessity" So says the Homestead.
but it is easier said than done. 1t is
full easier to import foreign pests than
to get rid of them. But one ought to
learn little by our experience, and
not be led away so easily again by silly
enthusiasts.
THE New England Farmer shows
some sense in saying: "Some of the
dairymen of the country would like tc
have laws enacted that would prevent
the manufacture of oleomargarine anC
butterine, making it criminal offence
to do so, and for no other reason thar
that its manufacture Injuries their owr
business. Laws enacted on such basis
would be the laws of might rather thar
laws of right. The oleo and lard vend
ers have as good right to pursue
their vocation as dairymen have to pur
sue theirs. The consumer, however
has right to know what he pays hi
money for, and both dairyman and con
sumner have the right TO demand tina
the term BUTTER which has so Ions
been used to designate the fatty produc
of milk. shall mean butter and nothing
else. The demand made by the dairy
men that limitations of, or substitutes
for butter, shall be sold for just wha
they are, is just one"
THE Boston CultiUdtOr says: " Pro
fessor Budd states that the success an
ticipated from the introduction of Rus
sian apples has not been wholly real
lied, and the attempts to improve thu
ordinary race by crossing with the Sibe
rian race were equally unsatisfactory,
We supnose that the (hltirdtOT did no