Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-02-27
AGRICULTURAL.


j q Sanford Of Ryegate gave the lee
ture last week in the farmers winter course
at the Burlington experiment station. His
talk was ON Natural aud artificial fertiliz
ers and he took strong ground in favor Of
an intelligent system Of saving and using
all the manurial products Of the farm, in
stead Of paying out money needlessly, as so
many do. for commercial fertilizers which
are often of doubtful value, aud which al
ways cost high in proportion to their actual
fertilzing worth In the early days Of
Vermont farming, he AID, all farmers had
to do was to clear up the land it was fer
tile, and they found a ready sale for all of
their products. Today times have changed.
We must adopt different methods Some
farmers are complaining and at the same
time farming just as their fathers did 40
years ago Others have taken into cousid-
GRAFTON that we live in different times A
rich farmer years ago would own a large
farm, while today he would have a small
farm carefully cultivated and everything
well looked after.
The manuria value Of all crops must be
returned to the farm A great deal de
ponds on the construction of barns Some
farmers throw the solids out doors, and the
liquid runs through cracks and holes. More
than one-half Of the manure is wasted in
that way Manure drawn out and put in
heaps is the old-fashioned way. Feeding
cattle out in the fields is not the best way
General rules will not apply to every farm
er.
A barn should be constructed with a eel
- al
loss of manure. ANY farmer can do the
cement work himself Hen manure is no
better than other kinds il the urine is saved
The sink spout is another thing that most
farmers let go to waste. dug round a
place about seven feet deep and put some
thing in there to absorb the liquid Clean
it out several times year. For an alb
sorbent | use sawdust have used other
things; wooden waste is good, 1t is well to
use plaster with all absorbents it holds the
gases and absorhs the ammona it is also
one of the cheapest of materials | use a
ton of it in my barn every year.
The question of crop rotation is a great
one. Contne your operations to a few crops.
Oats cannot be raised in Vermont at a prof
it. If hay, corn, etc, are fed on the farm
it keeps up its fertility. Never allow your
land to retrograde take fewer acres and
you can keep the farm up all crops should
be marketed upon the farm. The manu-
rial value of crops does not belong to our
pockets. Every ton of hay farmer sells
carries off So from his farm. Two years
ago the Vermont farmers paid out $780,
600 for artificial manures, and today there
is $500, 600 of it wasted here in Vermont
Farmers are paying hard-earned money
out of their pockets for stuff that they can
save themselves A man must know the
condition of the soil of his farm; must
know whether the soil lacks potash. nitro
gen, or what, and then buy Just what the
land needs. Keep the land constantly at
work. Cut grass early later on again,
and if it grows sufficiently cut it three
times Dig potatoes early and seed the
land. Brakes that grow in pastures should
be let alone; by and by the naples and
beeches will grow up and we will have
splendid forest.
There are brighter days ahead for old
Vermont. Our dairy maple sugar and
many other products are the hest in the
world, and why not say that there are
brighter days coming.
In answer to questions the speaker said
if he had "A worn out farm he would begin
by ploughing and in the spring SOW oats /;
next year plant corn give it dressing of
manure: take portions of the field aud go
over it twice in that way.