Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-02-11
agricultural department.
Farmers Lecture Course


University about 60 farmers-a good
ly number, considering the bad con-
dition of the roads and the fact of its
being the first lecture in the course.
President Buckham made few intro
ductory remarks, stating that the
present program ought to be an inter
esting one by reason of the variety of
subjects, and urging in consequence
intelligent farmers to attend. He
said: 81 am glad to see so many old
faces and hope many new ones will
appear as the course advances.
While you have been studying farm
inc, l have studied farmers. This
investigation has led me to inquire,
Why do farmers, unlike all other
classes, improve so slowly? | feel
sure that the conservatism, which is
the farmers virtue, can not be attrib-
uted to lack of intelligence on their
part, and / am ready to hold the
opinion of a certain judge of the Su-
preme Court, who said that jury
composed of farmers was the best
better even than one of experts and
college professors, and more trust
worthy than himself. | have come
to the conclusion that the slow adj
vance in improvements is due to the
fact that farmers are taught more by
nature and live nearer to it, for its
processes are all very slow. AS the
growth and decay of plant are slow
but sure, so in looking back fifteen
or twenty years we can see that there
has been the same silent growth as
in the process of nature. If you
compare the state of things a few
years ago with the present, who can
say that there has not been an adj
vance? We hope to maintain this
steady growth by this course of lee
lures as we'll as by other courses of
lectures, agricultural meetings, and
similar gatherings
President Buckham then introduce
ed Prof. W. III. Jordan, director of
the Maine Experiment Station, who
spoke on Economical Stock-feeding.
Prof. Jordan first mentioned the
aversion of the average farmer to
scientific improvement and knowl-
edge, and referred to some of the
benefits that science had conferred on
agriculture, and the way in which
farmers were making an almost I'M
conscious use of scientific instruction.
He then went on to say: "Vermont
is largely dairy state. The amount
of milk that your cows produce de-
ponds largely upon the food they eat.
All cattle foods are composed of the
same materials and the difference lies
in their relative proportions. On the
blackboard here you have the figures
showing the proportions of water,
ash, starch, protein, sugar and fat,
inclued in equal amounts of pasture
grass, timothy and clover hay, corn
ensilage, oat straw, turnips, corn
meal, wheat bran. peas and cotton
seed meal. What fodder contains
does not always decide its utility,
which lies in the proportion the ami
NAL can use. Each of these different
nutriments has part to perform and
a proper mixture is therefore essen
tial. Your cows must be kept warm,
and starch and sugar will do this
nicely. However, to build up the
framework of the animal, protieds
must be given, and then heterogeneous
substances, which are essential to the
production of milk. Gluten meal
(made from glucose) is a first class
article for mich COWS, but it has one
NAioelNAN OlO6S uOG
any bonemaking substance, and so
mineral matter must be given with it.
A certain proportion of these various
kinds of substances in food will in
sure marked economical results, but |
each individual must settle the rela- |
ton for himself Farmers have in
times past made a great mistake in
not feeding more of the heterogeneous
or matchmaking foods. AS regards |
corn for food, | believe that more
time and labor is wasted by husking,
Smelling and grinding than is lost in
imperfect digestion when the corn.
stalks and all, is fed, after being cut
up by machine. [ do not advocate
the practice of warming the water in
winter for stock, unless it can be
proved in each particular case that
the beneficial results overbalance the
extra expense. Water at tempera-
ture of about 81 deg. F. should be
warmed, but not too much. A tenn
perature from 80 to 60 deg. is about
right. The lecture was clear and
comprehensive, and closely listened
to by the farmers. A STUDENT.
Burlington, Jan. 50.
Calving Cows.