Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-08-01
FRANCIS D. DOUGLAS.

our Board OF Agriculture, ana OF our
State Dairymen's association, of which
he has been twice president-very many
of our readers will feel sense of per-
sonal loss. TO us, individually, it is the
deprivation of long and much-loved
friend, ever ready with kind word and
a helping hand to every measure for the
advancement of the agricultural inter-
est of the State, of New England and
of the whole country. No Vermont
farmer was more widely known, none
more highly esteemed when known.
Francis belong Douglas was born
August 81, 1928, in Cornwall, Vt. He
was the youngest son and child of four
teen born to Col. Benaah Douglas, who
did not live TO welcome this son into the
world.
Educated in the common schools at
Brandon, and at Castleton seminary,
MIR. Douglas at first proposed to fit him
self for the legal profession; but weak
ened sight made it necessary for him to
abandon this purpose. In 1876 he mar
ried Miss Charlotte G.. Flower, and in
the succeeding year began life as "A
farmer in the town of Shoreham. An
intelligent thinker, he was early writer
on agriculture and on other subjects of
public interest a series of articles in
the Middlebury REGISTER upon the sub
iect of Usury, written in 1869, first at
tracted general notice. These articles
elected the attention of James NJ. Slade,
attacked his position on the subject;
but, in the opinion of most of his read
ers, Mr.. Douglas made it good against
all corners.
farmers of his time and location who
became deeply interested in developing
the qualities of the Merino sheep, and
bred, among other notable animals, the
ram "Monitor,'' which took the second
prize at the worlds show of Merinos at
Rutland, early in the COS. For this ram
he was offered $1,000.
In 1866 he removed to Whiting, where
he acquired a beautiful estate of 3SG
acres in the Otter Creek valley, known
as "Riverside Farm" on which he re-
manned for the rest of his life Here he
established a herd of dairy cows, and
devoted himself to butter dairying, in
which he soon became leader in in
telligent experimentation. 1t was soon
after this removal that, as the editor of
the Vermont Farmer, and contender
of the Board of Agriculture, we first
made Mr.. Douglas acquaintance, and
had the pleasure of visiting him at his
farm. He was a pioneer in the deep
setting of milk for cream; and there can
be no doubt that his example and his
instructions, as given in the addresses
on the subject which, as member of
the Board of Agriculture, he made in all
parts of the State, led to the general
adoption of this method of handling
milk for butter. All the notifications
thereof. includngng the Moseey, the
Wooster and the Cooley. were brought
out very soon after. The big-pan meth
cd. which had Just before been much
advertised and widely adopted, was soon
discarded for deep setting in ice-Water,
as advocated by Mr.. Douglas, and eX-
emplitied in his daily parctice in advance
of all these notifications.
Mr.. Douglas experimental with cans
or pals of varying depth. from six to
twenty-four inches. For these expert
ments he had the watts and pals made
which he has used continuously since,
extending over period of twenty-three
years. During that time he had his no
ted trial contest with the Cooley sys-
TEN. in which Mr.. Douglas demonstra-
ted slight superiority.
During all the succeeding time, up
to the last winter, Mr.. Douglas has been
in demand as a speaker at dairy meet
ings in all the New England States, as
well as in New York. In 1855 he was
elected president of the United States
Agricultural association, at the sessions
of which he four times represented the
Vermont Dairymen's association as its
demonstrated by his being called to oc-
cupy all the town offices, in addition to
that of representative in the legisla-
ture.
Mr.. Douglas first wife died November
10, 1873. January Is, 1876, he married
Mary A. RCssegue, who survives him.
His only child is Il son by his first wife,
Frank NJ. Douglas, young man of fine
abilities and excellent character.
In this brief. and hurried sketch we
have gathered together only few lead
ing facts in the life of typical, and we
fell justified is saying, model Vermont
farmer-a man not satisfied merely to
advance his own personal interest, but
one eager to promote Improvement, and
the cOnseouent welfare of the commune