The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-04-21
Farm and Garden Notes.

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drives mills; it is the drink of lions and
horses, and Samson never drank any
thing else.
SOME mixers keep their nails pared
close, while others pay but little atten-
ton to them. Long, sharp nails cause
a great many cows to rebel against
being MIXED.
AN extra yield of butter will naturally
follow the use of richer feed, if the COW
has been well selected; but similar re-
suit may not follow in the case of an
ordinary COW.
COMPETITION has reduced the profits
to the minimum in many branches of
the seed business. Nevertheless, the
call for good seeds to-day is greater
than ever before.
FARMERS should try to consume at
home as much of their hay and grain as
possible, and then sell the products of
it at those seasons of the year when the
prices are the highest.
SUCCULENT food increases the flow
of milk, but does not materially increase
the proportion of water in it. The flow
is undoubtedly greater in June than at
any other time of year, but the milk is
no poorer.
"A WASTE of two per cent of the mat
ter discharged by our live stock would
represent all the phosphoric acid and
thirty times all the potash sold in the
state for fertilizing purposes" says the
Maine Farmer.
"CAN any one believe that farmers
who depend upon running out their
pastures making eighteen-cent butter
are doing better than those who, in
business-like way, are getting thirty
cents pound and large price for their
winter-fed hay?" asks Brother Cheever.
IT is not absolutely essential for the
market poultryman to obtain fowls
which are beautiful in figure, carriage
and plumage, although these external
| qualities do not detract from useful
ness and do add much pleasure to the
business; but it is necessary for him to
get strong, vigorous and productive
fowls if he wishes to succeed.
A DOG has no rights that any farmer
is obliged to respect unless accompanied
by its owner or on his premises. Away
from home and unattended the dog is
a wild animal, and its owner ought not
to recover for any damage received.
On a farm where sheep are kept the
presumption always lies that a strange
dog is present, if at all, for predatory
purposes.
MAINE apple-growers have increased
their business till the barrel question
has become pressing one. Old flour
barrels are not in supply, nor are they
really fit for shipping first-class fruit to
any distance, especially across the
ocean. Bits of flour left in the crew
ices of the barrels mould in damp at
mosphere, and soon impart an I'M
pleasant flavor to the fruit.
AN industry has been growing in
Canada, the importance of which can
not be overestimated-th of shipping
horses across the border. The impor-
tation is now some over twenty-five
thousand annually. Formerly the av-
erage price paid was about ninety-fve
dollars per head, but now it has adj
vanced to one hundred forty dollars.
The industry is worth millions yearly
to our neighbors.
"A COMPANY of New York capitalists
have purchased tract of 225,000 acres
in Eastern North Carolina for colonial
ton purposes. 1t would be a good
thing if large share of our surplus
city population could be induced to
emigrate to some agricultural region
and get theirliving from the SOIL" says
an exchange, which, like so many
others, has the idea that getting
living from the soil " is very simple
matter. Surplus city population
would probably starve quicker on farms
than in the city streets.
WHEAT takes more out of the soil
than oats, yet a field cropped for six
consecutive years with oats produced
less the seventh season than did one
that had grown oats and wheat alter
nately during the six years at the gov
eminent experiment station at Copen-
hagen. Professor Ferguson says the
cause of this difference is a secret of
nature not yet understood" So says
the Homestead, but we think it is a mis-
take to say that crop of wheat will
take more out of piece of land than
crop of oats, and that consequently
there is no secret about it.