St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-11-04
Ole Gateduniait.
st. Johnsbury. VT. Thursday, Nov. 4. 1886
A CALEDONIA COUNTY FARM.
The Way L. II. Harris Farms 1t.
n Farmer

". Z. Farmer.
a thousand acres of arabic land in
one body makes a pretty large farm in
New England state, but that is the
size of the farm owned and managed
by Mr.. Luther b. Harris of Lyndon, VT.
Some of Mr.. Harris's ideas of farm
economy would strike most farmers
as a little old, as when he asserts that
he cannot afford to use a moving ma
chine in heavy grass on large farm.
He contends that it costs much less to
secure the extra help required for hur-
rying in the hay crop at the right time
than it would to provide teams for do
ing the work in the limited time they
would he required. He has put in as
high as sixty tons of hay in single
day. He begins, in that northern sec
ton, the middle of June and has the
crop all in before the first of July.
The second crop is also cut when very
young and tender. He buys little or
no grain for his stock, but raises oats,
wheat and corn to feed at home. He
can grow oats for % cents per bushel.
and thinks highly of wheat as feed
ing grain for cattle. Turnips are also
largely raised, and after filling all
available cellar room large quantities
are stored in pits in the field. In OIdi-
nary winters snow covers the earth
and protects it from frost, though Oc-
casionally it may freeze several feet
deep. Even then the straw and earth
protect the turnips sufficiently. He
has 100 breeding cows, HerefOrds, Dew
Ons and Polled Angus, and will begin
herd of ShOrthOrns. His cattle on
the state fair grounds at Burlington
Al of for In
quite a risk for one man to take in car
rying to and from and showing at IL
fair. His sales are all in the state of
Oregon. We asked him why he did
not remove his large cattle raising bus
mess to the West, where others claim
to be doing so well ut the business.
His answer was, and it should encOur
age Eastern farmers, that if he were
proposing to do as large IL business as
the Western ranchmen are doing, he
would choose Vermont lands to do it
on. awe can beat all other states in
the Union," said Mr.. H., Sin raising
cattle that are gOOd-shaped, vigorous
and strong. Our best limestone lands
are equal to the best Kentucky, while
our climate favors, or rather ensures,
better constitutions" Mr.. Harris does
not fear the long or cold winters of IA
good stock growing state like Yer
mont. He says that one of his neigh
bOrs contends that as many head of
cattle should be wintered by every cat
tle-feeder us his farm produces of half
tons of hay. Straw, turnips and grain
should be the chief forage, while, the
ton of hay should work in as cOndi
ment or relish. New England farmers
fnr
much to learn yet regarding the posi-
bic uses and value of straw for feeding
beef-prOducing cattle. Mr.. Harris is
very systematic in all his farming bus
mess, keeping us accurate a set of farm
accounts as if he were running bank.
His animals are fed and all the work
abOat the stables is done with the pre-
cision of clock work. He loves farm
ing, believes in it lis II business, and
his boys are growing up with similar
ideas and feelings.