Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-10-15
HRAS.S Or GRALNR
Report Of a DIscussisu by Wilmtngton
Grange.

Report Of a Discussion by wnmipgton
Grange.
Wilmington grange held an open air meet
ing Sept "a, which proved quite ah interest
ing one. After an opening song by the choir,
Mrs. F. Il. Smith read poem, THE Drum
mer Boy of Mission Ridge" and a charming
child. song was sung by May Averill Then /
followed a discussion OF the resolution, THAT
it is more profitable for the farmers TO raise
grass than grain" L. A. Fitch opened the
debate by saying that the resolution was not
a proposition that could be demonstrated
automatically II must be decided by the
judgment aided by experience. Shall we
raise grass or grain is practical question
and should receive the thoughtful oonsiders-
ton of farmers everywhere. OF course the
answer will be varied by circumstances, chief
Of which are location soil and climate. These
were all favorable to the raising of grass and
unfavorable to the raising Of grain, especially
corn, in the town OF Wilmington. Farmers
do many things from force Of habit, or be-
cause their fathers have done so, without real
" counting the cost Years ago, when west
ern corn, laid down in Wilmington, cost
other grains proportionally, there was some
excuse, perhaps a necessity, for raising grain,
but that day is past. Western corn can now
be bought for coo to zoo, and q good barrel
of -four for $500 or $500, and that is cheap
or than farmers in Wilmington can raise the
grain. Our farms are growing less produc.
tive every year the elements of fertility are
becoming exhausted. One Of the chief
causes of this is grain raising. Land on
which only grass has been grown is more fer
tile than that worn out by continual cropping.
We should plough, manure and seed to grass
as soon as possible. An acre of ground that
| will grow 40 or 80 bushels of oats or barley,
worth when threshed 500 to $50, would, IL
seeded to grass produce from to p tons
of hay worth nearly or quite as much money.
| There should be deducted from the value of
the grain the extra amount of labor, the ex-
pense of threshing etc, ETC., and when the
impoverishment of the soil is taken into &C.
count the balance will be decidedly in favor
of raising grass.
F. II. Smith said farmers needed grain and
must have it, How could they make the
money necessary to buy it, as easy Rs to raise
the grain He believed in mixed farming
Those farmers who raised all the crops nee.
essary for carrying on their business and for
the use of their families we're certainly the
most independent, and according to his OBJ
servation the most prosperous.
Clark Chandler, being called upon, remark
ed that be could not talk unless the board Of
decision Consisting Of three ladies) tooh
seats where he could look them in the face
This matter being satisfactorily arranged, he
said he sometimes thought it did not pay
farmers to raise anything. He thought il
paid better to raise grain than to raise weeds
Where grass seed was sown without the
grain, weeds grew faster than the grass; bu
where oats or barley were sown with tn,
grass seed, the weeds did not appear. Tn,
young grass was sheltered by the more Wig
orous growing grain, and not as liable TO b.
killed by drouth as when sown alone tina
grain required different elements Of soil, and
therefore did not impoverish the soil for sue
ceeding crops of grass. Heretofore, whei
Bro. Chandler has been called upon to speak
he has excused himself on the ground that b
was not talking man" Hereafter the Ell
that unlocks his tongue has been found
Geo. H. Streeter was opposed to raising
grain be thought the grass crop the sll-im
portant one for the farmers of Wilmington
and that they should bend all their energe
in that direction thought the raising {
grain and potatoes impoverished the sol
while grass could be grown, the hay fed o
the farm and the farm increase in fertility.
j. NJ. Bassett agreed with the last speaker
but thought farmers might even sell thei
hay, or part of it, and with the money bu
grain rather than raise it, He had notice
that the poorest farms we're those continual
n cropped with grain and potatoes His mett
il cd was to plough in the fall, manure an
n plant to potatoes the next spring. In til
. fall, when potatoes were harvested, he ha
a rowed thoroughly, sowed his grass seed, an
n seldom failed of good crop of grass Ii
= next five or six years.
N D. Mann, in closing the debate for IL
a affirmative, said he sometime raised graf
% from habit, or because he liked to see
= growing, but he was satisfied that he raise
+, it at loss, oftentimes at great loss. TW
years ago he took much pains in prepRrin
q an acre of ground, and planted it to corr
: He had vigorous growth, but an early fro
ruined his crop entirely. He turned his ca
tie into the field, but they would not eat il
he tried to burn it, but it would not burn
IS he had to pull it up by the roots and thro
d it into the river to be rid of it. He though
o farmers altogether too negligent about d.
: stroying weeds. They could not be foun
a growing on his farm.
:. j. H. Stowe, in closing for the NEGATIVE
e favored the raising of grain, and said as
e was always fed on the farm it did not mai
the farm poorer. He also believed in a Vi
: riety of crops, so that when one failed farm
e ers would have others to fall back upon. tt
|, farmers that make the most money raise the
/ own grain. He always succ seded in gettin
i good corn and thought that the fodder aou
4 paid for the labor of raising it.
n Decided in the affirmative
An excellent song was sung by "Singir
:, Charlie Boyd" and the meeting closed
II The question for the next meeting is, "Tt
u best team for fRrmers-oxen or horses ?"