Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-02-01


dairy stock and thus build mp a herd Every
farmer should be a breeder of his own
cows.
WINTER DAIRYING.
Mr.. Smith of the board on the second
morning spoke of winter vs. summer
dalrying, giving the pros and cons of each.
In answer to questions he said: | feed my
grain dry and do not cut the feed but
would prefer to if the expense was less. |
would advise it where farmers are situated
so they can noisten and mix grain with Tod
der. do not think grain fed in the form
of slop of any advantage.
Deacon Perrin said he had practiced feed
ing his grain in slop form for a number of
years and knew he got more milk than if fed
dry.
Mr.. Smith said he would not warm water
unless it was very cold, thought many farm
eis were OVERRIDING the practice
pne OF the best farmers in Berlin said he
had warmed water for his stock nine years
and should continue. Others who had tried
1t had given it up as useless expense.
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
Prof Cooke spoke in the afternoon on the
question, Are commercial fertilizers a fail
IRE - They may be for some things and
i'i y
with nothing else and sell the produce it
would soon he an utter failure. If near
largo cities you could afford to put all the
farm into a garden and could buy some sta
bic manure and commercial fertilizers, as
they do in New Jersey at very good profit
Farmers in Vermont must keep stock and
maize more or less manure. We may need
some phosphate, but just what kind on the
different soils is what we want to learn
They are Used more in Vermont to act as a
kind Of stimulaut, which we can do to a Ger
tain degree, and it acts upon the plant as
extra !eeb does TO an animal. 1t is a helper
to the natural functions of the soil. The
after effect is not from any bad
results Of The fertilizer, but lack
OF proper clement in the soil.
1t must have plant food all the time
till the crop i matured. You can raise
crop on nothing but phosphate if it is put on
literally. If the crop does not use it all the
first year it viii benefit the next years crop,
bat would not advise farmers to buy that
which was not sohlable the first year. Corn
would not use 400 pounds per acre Potash
and phosphOroUS acid will not leech but nj
trogen will and also evaporate. If you put
ON more than the crop needs you are loosing
the interest ON Your money.
Vigorous growth OF plants caused by
phosphate; la, this advantage 1t has a
stronger set of roots and natures sooner and
early crops are better than late ones The
cheapest plant food we can get comes from
barn yard manure and the articles fed have
great influence on the value of this Of
grains hat we feed there is great difference
in the iertiliaing value of the manure made
and ii is not in any ratio with its feeding
value.
TERTGLIZING BY FEEDING.
Manure contains about 50 per cent of the
fertili2ing value the feed contained before
feeding the animal taking only one fifth of
it. If skim milk should be fed to oxen at
rest you would get back nearly its full
manurial value, but if fed to young grow
ing stock they would take up much more of
the value. There is a great waste in all our
Vermont farms. If farmer sells nothing
from the farm but butter he sells no feItil-
izers and the skim milk fed on the farm is
great addition TO the manure.
Cheese takes away the nitrogen as
curd contains nitrogen equal to is of its
weight. Phosphate of lime is in the whey
All parts OF the State are deficient in phos-
| phate. | think the best and surest way to
! fertilize a farm is through animals. although
it takes longer, Butter is of no fertilizer
value but high feed value. Ashes are of
no feeding value but very high fertilizing
value. Corn meal is rich for feed, but
about the same as hay for fertilizing. We
| analyze corn fertilizers to see that they con
tain what they represent. They generally
contain more than they represent Clover
| contains very high manurial value, much
| more then corn meal. Corn meal has the
least fertilizing value of any of our grains.
| Oats and barley come next Bran is not
worth as much to feed, but the manure is
| worth as much again. Bran made by the
new process is more valuable both for feed
ing or tcrtilizing than the old. Flour is
worth less for feed than whole wheat ground
Take away the flour and what is left is bet
| ter still.