Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-12-11
VERMONT STATE GRANGE.
The Annual Meeting at st. John.bury.

The Annual Meeting at ~. JOhnsbury.
The Vermont state grange assembled at
Odd Fellows hall in st Johnsbury on
Wednesday morning with a good attend
ance. Windham county, although at the
southern part of the state, is well repre-
scented. There was present also the old
est member of the grange in New England,
Mr.. Jonathan Lawrence, whose tottering
steps told plainly the story of advancing
wears The address of State Master
MeSser was given at the morning session.
lie referred TO the favorable farming con-
ditions which have prevailed during the
past season, and said that the wear had
been a gratifying and prosperous one for
the grange as an organization in Vermont.
He urged strongly better attention to the
educational interests of the state, and re-
newed the earnest hope that the legisla-
ture of next year may pass a good school
law which shall be allowed To remain in
force for at least ten years. In his re-
marks upon taxation he combatted the
idea which has been speciously advanced
that money, bonds and other forms of in
diyidual investment, should be released
from taxation on the plea that this would
increase the home use of money and make
business better.
ers. The afternoon session was public.
The first speaker, Hon. J. O. Sanford of
the state board of agriculture, showed the
necessity for better cultivation and for in
creasing the quantity of fertilizers that our
farms may produce larger crops. Farm
wastes We're spoken of as causing a great
loss. He urged the farmer t. study well
all the ways for making fertilizers. He
suggested intense farming or more brain
work added to the labor and said the farm
er must claim his proper place as a bust
ness man. He thought it best to root out
the trees from the meadows, especially the
cider apple trees which are such a curse to
the farmer, or at least the cider is
An interesting address by Hon. V. |.
Spear, of the state board of agriculture.
followed, i'm which he plainly showed that
Vermont stood very near the head in all
the crops she raised, and in some cases
stood first, like the production of maple
sugar and butter. Also that her horses
ranked among the first, Kentucky leading,
and that state having procured her first
stock from Vermont. Sheep also were
first. The manufacturers of the state were
referred to, like the scale works in this
town which lead all others. The marble
quarries of Vermont excel all the others
ne Sdlu ' tIllOnl was not ONLY a good
state to be born in, but a good state to
live in, and that the tide of emigration out
had stopped. This address was followed
by two minute talks by patrons in regard
to the possibilities of Vermont.
Prof. l.. r. Jones of Burlington gave an
interesting and instructive lecture upon
'plant Diseases illustrated with charts.
He spoke upon diseases of the apple, pear
and plum tree, of the different grains, and
especially the potato, He described the
new disease of that plant which has come
and threatens TO be very serious. This
talk was highly instructive. 1t may be
added that any one can get full nforma-
ton upon these subjects by sending to the
Burlington experiment station for it.
The proceedings of Thursday included
reports of oranges, resolutions and discus
sions. Education and double taxation
were discussed in the afternoon, and iona
than Lawrence gave an interesting address
on the origin of the grange The session
closed at night after the sixth degree had
been conferred.