Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-01-22
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
LECTURES AND DISCUSSIONS AT CROSBY HALL
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE STATE BOARD
OF AGRICULTURE.
A Two.Days' Session.

OF AGRICULTURE.
A TwO.Days' Session.
The farmers meeting opened Tuesday at
10 o'clock in the forenoon, at Crosby hall,
with good attendance notwithstanding the
storm. Mr.. j. o. Newton was chosen chair
man. Hon. James M. Tyler, in a few fitting
remarks, welcomed the board to the town Of
Brattleboro. DIR. Cutting then addressed the
meeting on various subjects connected with
farmers interests.
Remarks by Dr. Cutting.
DIR. Cutting spoke first OF the house
hold conveniences which should be, but are
not always found about farm houses, as pure
water easily accessible, good wood in con-
venient shed, the cellar properly constructed,
etc. Shade trees should not be on the east
or southeast side of the house II on the
southwest side they will shade the buildings
at the time Of day when ii is most needed in
the summer. Plant evergreens on the north
northwest side. Farmers barns might be
made much more convenient without increas-
ing the cost. The droppings Of the caves
ought always TO be conveyed away in cave
spouts. The sink spout should receive espe-
cisl attention. 1t is the cause OF dphtheIa.
The same membranous growth Is found in
side the sink spout that is found In the throat
in diphtheria, and the disease Is propagated
from this membrane and in no other way
Farmers should make study Of insects and
learn to distinguish their friends among them
from their foes. Flies are bred in the filth
about the premises, the removal Of which
will make less flies. BE recommended distrib-
uting salt over the manure in the pig pen and
in the stables, as it is q valuable fertilizer
and will kill the larvae of the fly. Salt was
also recommended as an eXterminator Of ants.
Hedges about the borders Of fields are a
harbor for vermin and nurseries Of weeds.
An instance was given where the loss from
the growth OF weeds and bushes about the
border Of single meadow was S72 year, but
at his suggestion the border had been cleared
up and that amount saved. By the roadside
also farmers might as we'll cut grass as to al.
low weeds to grow and rubbish to socumu-
late there.
Stones on the surface Of the fields we're
great hndrance to cultivation. He had found
sinking large stones beneath the surface out
of the way of the pillow cheaper and better
than to draw them away. Ploughing was
generally osrelessly done and a great loss
thereby incurred. He favored fall blowing
as general rule. He plows two or three
times in the fall and uses the wheel harrow
in the spring. The ground should be thor
oughly pulverized and made pact in seed
ing with grass. On his ground he does not
get the best crop OF grass the first year after
seeding-not generally till the third or fourth
year. The most seed is required for land in
high condition.
The hay crop is the greatest of all our
crops. The hay is best when the grass is cut
dry there is no gain in cutting 1t when
wet. Meadows should not be fed in the fall.
II of two fields equally good, side by side,
one is fed in the fall and the other not fed, a
wide difference in the crop will be seen the
next season.
Pastures should be kept free from weeds
Western farmers pay more attention to this
than we do. II the weeds are frequently
mown or stripped of leaves, most of them
will be killed. He advised moving brakes
and sowing clover where they grow.
1t is cruel to make cattle drink ice cold wa
ter in winter. 1t can be warmed to 80 or 55
degrees with little expense. He used wa
terng tank invented by G. c. Haynes Of
Wilmington by which the water could be ea-
silly warmed to that temperature. There
were other devices by which the water in
small tubs could be cheapy warmed.
The doctor spoke of weeds in hay and the
chance that some Of them might be poison
GUS to cattle. The yellow dock is one of the
most troublesome. 1t cannot be killed with
out cutting out the root. An instrument has
been invented for this purpose.
Fertilizers already cost too much, but the
manufacturers talk OF putting up the price a
little this year. You can save so per cent.
by making your own fertilizers 1t is no
more difficult than to make soap. In Eng
land the materials for making their CONNER
cial fertilizers are imported from abroad, yet
they sell fertilizer worth more than twice
as much as any offered in this state, for $50
per ton or about the same price at which our
fertilizers, of less than half the value OF the
English article are sold.
DR.. Cutting was followed by E. r. Towle,
member of the board from franklin who
gave paper on fodder corn. More fodder
corn is now used than formerly, and its use
is increasing The practice of supplement
ing the pastures with green crops or fodder
corn fed green in the summer, is found to be
profitable. He uses the Sanford corn snC
recommended that kind for soling or for dry
fodder. His cows prefer the well cured corr
fodder to hay. He uses fertilizers on his fod
der corn land and applies his manure to 9th
crops. few rows of corn left withou
fertilizers did not produce more than one
third as much He cuts his dry fodder corr
with a shredder. His experience with fod
der corn has been 80 satisfactory that he in
tends to raise more of it in future.
Mr.. @. 7. Pierce of Vernon inquired whs
power was used in shredding his fodder corn
and was answered by Mr.. Towle, a one hors
l2-inch machine.
Mr.. w. F. Richardson was called to stat
his experience in the use of a shredd ing ma
with dry fodder, but not if the fodder is we
or green, and the cost Of shredding is con
siderable.
Mr.. Pierce said he had shredded six acre
of fodder corn in three days and could do
in two days if the corn was dry.
Mr.. David Perry being called on for some
thing about ensilage, said that he was not q
enthusiast on that subject, but his slo ha
led him to think favorably of it. Ensilage
ha W a
rapidly. When he had filed slowly he ha
found the ensilage much sweeter. Anothe
gentleman who had a silo was convinced tbs
it was a very great help; he could keep NOR
stock. He had found slow filling made swee
er ensilage.
In answer to a question DR.. Cutting eI
planned in an interesting manner the natur
of microscopic organisms in the atmospherf
Prof Cooke On Farm Experiments
Tuesday afternoon Prof. W. W. Cooke {
the University of Vermont spoke on "Fsrr
Experiments" There are only three sui
stances, he said, that need be applied TO MOI
soils, and even these are found in abunC
ance in ordinary soils, but not in such forI
as to be available for the plants. Sometime
only one of these three is needed sometime
two, and again all of them. There Is onl
one way TO learn what your soil needs, an
that is by experiment The three thing
Whlch we need 10 nave are nitrogen, pho
phoric acid and potash. One or all of thei
may be required but all the other substance
that enter into the composition OF plants al
generally supplied in sufficient quantity b
the soil or by the atmosphere. In eIper
menting to learn the eject of a fertilize
poor land is best. Land of as near a un
form quality as possible should be selected
and the plots should be long and narrow
they need not contain more than on
twenty-ffth or at most one-tenth of an acr
Potash, phosphoric acid and nitrogen shoul
be used each by itself on a plot, and the
combined with one of the others then wit
both the others or all three The last is
complete fertilizer but perhaps the eIpeT
ment will show that one or more is not neeC
ed, the soil having sufficient supply. Chen
ioal potash is better than ashes for purpos
of experiment, because the ashes oontsi
phosphoric acid and large quantity of lin
to which the result may be due. He wou
use salt also upon one plot nearly all soils
thought were benefited by salt also plsst
and lime might be used. 1t is often four
that some of the incomplete fertilizers Civ
the best result according to cost. CONNIE
cial fertilizers need not necessarily be use
after finding by these experiments what II
H. a.. n q