The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-12-25


The balance of testimony was about
even. The people will have 20 decide
Most of the prize butter at the shows
is washed in the grain. Do they lose in
quantity or gain in quality2 That's the
question. Professor w. w. Cooke then
took up the subject of "Pig feeding"
as an incidental profit in dairying. He
thought it more profitable TO feed the
skim-mik to pigs than to calves. He
gave his experience with six pigs at
the Experiment Station farm, bought
Nav ID, at five weeks old, and fed until
November II. They gained ,0SS
pounds, sold for five and one-fourth
cents per pound, and gave profit of
$685., reckoning the skim-milk at fifteen
cents per hundred, meal at SIS per ton,
bran at Sl5 per ton, and calling the
manure an Offset to the work of feed
ing. The subject was full of instruc-
ton on various points, but the main
lesson was to make your gain and
market your pig at six months old, in
stead of keeping him a year at a loss.
At the close of Professor Cookies adj
dress many big hog and pig stories
were told by J. b. Pike, Ira Dodge and
many others, the siz3 OF the pigs in
creasing Gin the stories) about fifty
pounds minute. 1t is of no use,
gentlemen. The market doesn't de-
maud these great overgrOwu hogs and
pigs at this day. Two hundred fifty
pounds is better weight than 500 or
500. When the Dragging was done,
Brother Pike got up the third time,
and | thought he was going to tell a
fish story, but he only remarked that
he was expecting to have a litter of
pigs the 18th day of February" That
will be an anxious time in his family.
| hope he will do well.
In the evening we had fine organ
music by Miss Jenny L1zell and a fine
old Farmers Song by the male
quartette - Messrs. Dwinen, Batch
elders and Kimbal. After that INV.
Davis gave an eloquent and patriotic
address on Vermont and the Farmer"
in which he set Vermont on the very
pinnacle of glory and beauty. He wants
to save it all for the native stock; would
shut the door to immigration closer;
thinks our soil the most fertile and last
ing, our people the best; all the girls are
! beautiful and all the boys are strong"
| He pleaded for progress, union and edu-
cation in the farming class and the
adaptation Of their business to the
| changes of the times.
Following this was the question-bOX.
Many queries were written on slips of
paper by the audience and handed in.
Answers were given by the various
members of the board. The question,
"What is the best remedy for the pres
ent hard times?" was referred to Mr..
Chaplin, who said: "The doctors disa-
gree. The best remedy know of is
faith and porkS. Trust in God and keep
your powder dry. We have had hard
times before, from 1887 to 1910, from
1857 to 1861, and in 1873. Some way
shall get through this. should like to
hear from other men," Hon. Albert
Dwinell of Calais said: 1T is time to
take a higher stand, to make our calling
more honorable, to make the most of
what we have" i. w. Pltkin of
Marshfeld said: "Put knowledge
enough into your work and it is not
hard times. Three hundred pounds of
butter to a cow each year means a gain,
one hundred pounds means a loss.
Fifty dollars will keep a COW year.
Three hundred pounds of butter brings
S66. Profit. SIG. We don't feed well
enough. The same rules apply TO
crops. We want a more intense farm
ing" Hon. J. NJ. Fisher of Cabot
said: 'Mr. Pitkin is right in some
things. Raise more corn, oats, wheat
and pork and buy less. Don't buy too
much fertilizers or meal" Answering
the question, "Can Vermont raise her
own corn cheaper than to buy it from
the West?n Charles HOLSTER of East
Montpelier said he had raised some
three hundred or more bushels of corn
this year, at cost of thirteen cents
bushe of ears. Hon. a. j. HOLSTER
said many farmers of East Montpelier
raise from five hundred to eight hun
bred bushels of ears of corn year,
and some have raised l 800. He thinks
we can compete with the West if we
will but use horse power and modern
machinery, like Breeds universal
weeder, etc. The question-boX proved
great success in stirring up the audi
ence to take a part in the speaking.
From my imperfect memory can not
do anything like justice to the many
useful, short speeches made by the
men of Washington county at this meet
ing. The entire board joins in thanks
for the valuable aid received.
This paper is already so long that 1
shall have to omit any report on " Re-
moving Obstacles" by William Chaplin;
Ensilage," by II. w. Vail, and
" Should Farmers Breed Trotters?" by
c. NJ. Winslow, with discussions on
each that fully took up the time of the
second day and evening.
The music on the last evening was
by the quartette, assisted by Miss La
zell, and at the close the school chill
dren, with Mr.. Kimball, their teacher,
gave us some sweet songs. Their sing
ing was strong argument for music
in the common schools. A resolu-
ton of thanks to the board was pre-
scented by Mr.. Stone and passed by
unanimous consent. After a recess,
filled with mirth-provoking stories by
Davis and others and sweet songs by
the children, the meeting closed with
music, cheerfulness and good feeling.
1t was one of the best ever held in the
| cOuntv and our thanks are dine tn