The Newtown bee., 1890-02-28
FRIDAY, FEBRu AIRY as, 1890.
Annual Convention of the Greens
 Farms Farmers Club.

when the sixth annual farmers conven- tlon, held under the auspices of the Greens Farms farmers club was called to order by President John II. Jennings, the Greens Farms school house was well filled with representative farmers, men of brain and brawn, who met to share their experiences with others, to the prof it of all. They were mostly from Greens Farms and vicinity, members and friends of the famous farmers club, with d few from out of town. Among these were Messrs Platt, Fenn and Clark of Milford, Augur of Middletown, Prof ThaXter of New Haven, with others from nearer home. The BEE was the only paper rep resented by an accredited reporter.
 President Jennings spoke briefly in welcome and invited all to join in the discussions and to make use of the ques- tlon box which had been provided. The first paper was by k. c. Birge on ''The new agriculture" and was full of practi- cal thought. The old agriculture was un- profitable; farmers were now facing the same crisis that alarmed manufacturers in the panic of 1873. The West was not the only prime location for farms; in the future, some Western Horace Greeley would immortalize himself by saying "Go East, young man." In leaving the old agriculture, a good word should be said for the mighty work it had done in the great march of civilization. There were four principal points in which the new regime was widely different from that of other days Land and taxes; ensilage manure; cooperation. Farmers should decrease their acreage, but, at the same time, increase their average output per acre. The farmers had for years believ- ed that they were unjustly taxed and that the wealthier people, those who owned stocks and bonds, etc., were apt to con- Ceal their true value. Farmers should believe that a small farm well titled Is more profitable than large farm half worked. It will be more apt to burst the barns, with less danger of "busting'' the owner. Mir Birge spoke n good word for corn feed in general and for ensilage in particular. The silo had robbed Winter of it's terrers for the dairyman, but he be- lieved that it was meant to be in use all the year. Mir Birge quoted excellent au- thOrity to prove that COW or other ani- nal can be supported on an acre of land and added that an open barnyard should on no account be used as a lounging place for cattle; cows and young animals re- qulre but little exercise, if comfortably housed. But the subject of cooperation, subject about which too little is said, engaged MT Birge's especial attention. He struck the keynote of the failure of so many farmers alliances when he said that, although farmers used intelligence in choosing leaders, they were too apt to begin to crticise and to fear that the leader would reap benefits from which they were debarred and, consequently, went Into battle jealous of the leader be- cause he was on horseback and they were afoot. Southern New England farmers were said to be more steadfast in such matters than their brethren of adjoining States.
 David II. Sherwood described visit to Massachusetts, before the days of en- silage, when he was told that COW could easily be kept on an acre of land.
 In answer to questions, Mir Birge stat cd that, on seven acres, he had raised 4S tons of stalks and 32 tons of corn.
 Mir Belden asked to what kind of stock he could most advantageously feed the products of his farm and was told by Mir Birge that each farmer must settle that question for himself.
 Pre- esident Jennings told of visit to famous creamery, where $l950 was clear ed from 75-acre farm. The creamery, however, was supplemented by general farming.
 In regard to farmers taxation, D. II. Sherwood stated, at their assessed value, the farms of this vicinity were rated as bank and other stock, although the latter was considered exorbltant by the owners.
 William Burr of Fairfield talked about "Potatoes," giving figures to prove his statements. He had an acre and an eighth on which he planted potatoes in hills, two feet 10 inches apart each way. He put on 10 loads of mannre and 400 pounds of phosphate and found that the potatoes without phosphate were small and infe- rior. He found that work, manure, fer tilizer, seed, cost $71; the credit side was lOs bushels of large potatoes, $S1; eight bushels small potatoes, $2 40; leaving a profit of SIP 40. He did not, however, allow for interest on land or for shrink age in the crop.
 Mir Belden, who had raised about 20 acres of potatoes, had about POS bushels to the acre. He planted his potatoes in drills, which were also strewn on the sur face and narrowed in.
 The question of deep or shallow plant ing, year after year, called forth consid- erable discussion and remarks were made by Mir Fenn, who had observed that the larger potatoes were nearer the surface of the soil; President Jennings, who quoted Penn Yan farmer as raising 1030 bushels on an acre; F. M. Augur, who enquired whether any late planted potatoes wore successful.
 President Jennings, who had experi- mented with a potato planting machine, was pleased with the result.
 ''How we farm 1t in Milford1 was in- terestingly told by Mir Platt. He said farm matters in Milford were in state of transition. Seed raising, once the prin- cipai industry, was giving way to other branches of farming. Calf fattening is carried on and OK raising is likewise fair ly profitable. Hay and straw are gener- ally sold, the proceeds buying ashes and