The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-02-13
Boarding ArOund-..NO, 8.

COunl1f WuClC buC lCNOlublOh was DtRuu
at the courthouse fight at Westminster,
March ID, 1775, was the place of labor
for the board the past week. The great
northern storm made the trains late
down the Connecticut valley on the
morning of the 9TH, and for the first
time in two years no member of the
board was there to open the meeting
in the morning, as advertised; but all
hands arrived in season to get good
dinner at the Brooks House, and the
meeting was opened promptly in the
afternoon by the choice of Colonel
George w. Hooker as chairman. The
colonel gave the board such welcome
as only that eminent farmer, soldier
and statesman could give. Calling
each member by name, he recounted
their beauty, wisdom and virtue, until
it seemed really as though this board of
old, plain farmers had " swallowed all
the glory up that should redeem the
times" He allowed to Cooke learning
and science, to Davis wisdom and
virtue, to Smith honesty and sobriety, to
Winsow good breeding and culture, to
Vail beauty and subimity, and to Chaplin
common sense and winning ways.
Through with the board, the gallant
colonel trotted out the horses and sur
veyed the cattle and sheep of the state,
making them prance round right lively.
Then he plunged into vast fields of
corn, oats, barley and rye, and sat down,
amid great applause, with fair sprink-
ling of hayseed among the honest hairs
of his head Mr.. Chaplin responded
briefly for the board and returned
Colonel Hooker's compliments with in
terest. He said he was always glad to
meet so genial an old friend, and had
watched his career with great int est
since 1880. He was greatly rejoiced to
see by the papers, few years ago, that
the colonel had joined the Baptists.
He thought it might take little more
water to run him now, but less of some
thing else. He would advise the
church, when it come to the rite of i'm
mersion, to immerse Hooker in politics,
as he would be moe likely to stay
and all the people clapped their hands
Following this by-play, Mr.. Davis
gave Profitable Grain-feeding and
Professor Cooke Ensilage Us. Roots
pretty full ration for one afternoon.
DR.. Sholes of Dummerston, an extern
sive farmer and feeder, gave some
valuable facts as to corn-raising. He
raised 5000 bushels of ears on tw nty-
three acres and sliced the fodder after
husking. One hundred fifty tons of
ensiage cost $3.50. Although he comes
from the city of Boston, the doctor is
evidently no fancy farmer, but means
business, and came to the farmers
meeting to learn that business. Our
| fellow boarder, r. {. Smith, went
over the river to exchange with Mr..
Phibrick, and talked at Keene and
Walpole, and probably astonished the
natives.
In the evening George 5. Philbrick
of Titon, n. H., member of the New
Hampshire Board, talked on Milk and
Feed. Mr.. Philbrick appears to be
bright man of middle age, has had a
large experience in farming East and
! West, and is very earnest and inter-
experiments he has reduced the cost of
feeding his cows from twenty-six cents
| per day in winter 10 fourteen cents per
day, and at the same time increased
! the milk. He feeds at five O'Clock in
the morning one bushel of cut ensilage,
with two quarts of meal mixed with it.
| The meal is made of 100 pounds of
roller-process bran, 100 pounds of
cotton-seed meal and 100 pounds of
corn-and-cob meal. He waters at nine
O'Clock in the forenoon, leaving the
cows out one hour; feeds five pounds
of hay at noon, waters again at four
O'Clock in the afternoon and feeds at
evening the same as in the morning.
lie finds seventeen tons of common
corn worth as much as TWENTY-FIVE tons
of southern when grown for the silo.
Friday morning, by the kindness of
Mr.. Pierce, we were taken to see the
stock at the asylum farm, consisting
of 100 hogs and pigs-large Yorkshire
and White Chester Crossed-and 100
cows, oxen and heifers, mostly Short
horns, with cross of Holstein in the
younger animals. They look finely,
but are not large mixers. The Hol-
stein cross is intended to develop the
milking qualities. The hogs are fine
ones and nicely tended This is said
to be the best piggery in New England,
yet it is easy to see how it could be
greatly improved by basement and
plank floors instead of the cement ones
on the cold ground.
uc iolCuOOll ctoSlOu vi lludN was
taken up by Mr.. Chaplin with Guilt
waited Crops, and by Mr. Vail on dairy
matters, with discussions on both topics.
In the afternoon Mr.. Winslow talked
on horses, cattle and sheep and was
piled with many questions. AT noon
it was our pleasure to visit the farm of
Mr.. Miner, mile or two west of the
village. Here we found a hearty farm
er's welcome and some fine stock. His
son, Mr.. S. o. Miner, showed us some
of the finest specimens of Silver Span
gled Hamburg chickens and hens of his
own raising, or Importation, that we
have ever seen. In the evening Hon.
+. W. Stoddard of Brattleboro gave
some law points for farmers, followed
by Mr. Chaplin on the new school law.
Mr.. Smith advocated winter dairying
as more profitable than summer, and
this, with some discussion and spice
of fun at the close, filled up the time
and rounded out full and pleasant
meeting. 1t was a pleasure to meet
such men as our venerable and hon