The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-09-26

through the cutter into the silo. AL
though our cattle did not eat them as
greedily as corn ensilage, there was no
difficulty in getting rid of it. 1t APP
peared to be perfect food; the butter
made from ii was the nearest to grass
made butter that we ever made in win
ter. We saved the threshing bill and
the toll for grinding, and had no coarse
fodder This year we shall put into
the silo, besides our oats, four acres of
wheat.
The above is a specimen of the sort
of practical notes most acceptable to
the agricultural editor, because of the
most value to his readers.
Pig FEEDING.-The Massachusetts
report for August gives the following
summary of the conclusions derived
from its long series of experiments on
this subject
FUSt-A gradual change from rich
heterogeneous diet to that of a wider ra-
ito between the digestible heterogeneous
and non-nitrogenous food constituents
of the feed, is recommended in the in
terests of good economy. Second
The feeding effect of one and the
same diet changes with the advancing
growth of the animal on trial. Third
The power of assimilating food and of
converting it into live weight decreases
with the progress in age. FOutb-It
is not good economy to raise pigs for
the meat market to an exceptional
! high weight. To go beyond from 175
to $50 pounds is only advisable when
exceptionally high market prices for
dressed pork can be secured.
THE VALUE OF MANURE.-We be-
lieve in the frequent repetition of the
fundamental facts of farming, and for
that reason we reprint the following
from a writer in the Rural Ne,o Yorker.
The farmer can feed his stock in such
way that the manure will be of little
value. Many times the farmer hauls
out large bulk of manure and applies
it to his crops, and is astonished to see
but little response, when the fact is
there was very little plant food in the
manure. 1t is too much the idea with
the farmer, that the manure from ami
mails was all the same-that it was all
manure in the fullest sense of the word.
You may stamp lead in the same die
that gold coin is stamped in, yet this
does not make it of the same value of
gold. Just so with feeding animals:
you may feed food rich in the elements
of plant food and have rich manure, or
you may feed food with but few of the
elements of plant food and have ma
nure of little value.
A WOMAN FARMERS JUDGMENT
Amelia Louise Smith remarks in the
New York Tribune:
Perhaps one farmer in hundred is
able to keep pure blood of whatever
breed his fancy may dictate, and such
farmer is a boon TO his neighbor-
hood but the ninety-nine must be con-
tent with what they have. Their sue
cess lies in making the best of every
thing in their hands. Let these farm
ers breed to the best they can afford,
of course, but let them take as good
care of their inferior stock as they
would of thoroughbreds, and mark the
result. To the good food and warm
shelter let them add the currycomb and
brush; exact kindness of their hired
help in their care; in few years they
will be as proud of their stock as the
neighbor of his thoroughbreds, and in
most ways they will bring just as good
return, without that heavy expenditure
which the ninety-nine cannot afford.
No man ever talked on the subject
with better sense than that
SMALL FRUITs.-The Ohio report
for August is devoted to small fruits.
In regard to strawberries, the station
regards Crescent as the standard for ear
illness and productiveness, and among
the newer sorts reports Candy to be
one of the best to withstand drought,
very vigorous, with healthy foliage.
1t is late sort and very promising.
Jessie is also well spoken of-not so
productive as Crescent, but larger and
more attractive, with better quality.
Belmont, Jewell, Parry and Gold are
unfavorably regarded. In raspberries
Golden Queen, Shaffer and Turner are
ranked high, and for drying Ohio takes
the lead as producing more weight
when dry than any other black-cap
while Shaffer leads for the same use
among the reds. In blackberries, Sny-
der is the hardest, but has tendency
to overbear, and should be pruned
quite closely. The Lucretia dewberry
(trailing blackberry is thought to be
valuable for home use.