The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-01-28

exhibition Of oratory, advocating farmers
syndicate for doing business farmers lead
ers in legislation, and many other things
good, bad and indifferent. This was the
best specimen of talking machine we have
met yet The second prize may go to
SwantOn, and it may not. The returns are
not all in yet
The next gathering was among the islands
of Grand Isle county. Isle La Motto, dis
covered by Samuel Champlain July 4, 1909,
and fort built there by the French in
1865, is one of the most pleasant and fruit
full places in Vermont In the words of one
of their own writer's
There is no island pure and bright
More fair at morn. more sweet at night
There Is no happier isle than this"
This is but a small town and we had a
small meeting, but a rare good one. The
rest of that week was spent with the dairy
men at st Adams, in whose annual meeting
the board took part. That meeting has
been so fully reported that ] need not say
much about it. l confess | was greatly sur
prised to hear Governor Smith come down
so hard on the middiemen, and if it would
be in order | would suggest that the gov
ernOr Of he feels just as he tdikS) would
make good master of the state grange.
Hut not being granger myself, probably
my motion is entirely out Of order.
January 20 the board met at Guildhall,
in Essex county-one of the old towns of
the state, having been settled in 1904 Here
we found fine hotel and a good room in
the courthouse for meeting, but a very
small audience. Professor Cooke talked to
six besides his fellow boarders. The peo-
pie are all busy numbering and could not
stop in the daytime, but in the evening we
had good attendance. Some fine samples
of corn and maple sugar were exhibited,
but, on the whole, this was tine poorest
| meeting yet. The next one in this county
ought to be in summer or autumn when
! they can't draw logs. At Ryegate, January
% and %, things were different. All hands
men, women and children-took hold and
gave us rousing welcome. At every
! house we found kindly and generous hos
| pitality. The old church was well filled,
the discussions lively and intelligent, the
music sweet and appropriate. In spite OF
my age, | fell in love with these people
They are mostly of Scotch descent thrifty
religious, intelligent, cheerful. Instead OF
mortgages, they have bank accounts. Many
of the dairymen make from 275 pounds tC
325 pounds of butter per COW per year-fne
butter that sells from twenty-eight cents
| to thirty-two cents per pound. Good feed
good barns, good cows and good men anC
women, lads and lassies, all these tend tC
good profits, content and happiness.
Writing this brief sketch wholly from
memory, | can not begin to give all the in
teresting facts, incidents or accidents of oul
annual tour. If at any future time yor
shall desire to hear of the coming meeting
at Williston, Weybridge, Fair Haven, Wal
ingford, Pownal, Wilmington, Springfield
Bethel, Thetford, Braintree, Cabot, and per
haps other towns, will try to give NOR
detailed account.
Now, Mr.. Editor, allow me to say to tn,
people of Washington county that it SEEM
to me we might get up rousing meeting t.
close with at Montpelier the second weel
in March. Can't we call out the best talen
in the state and some from outside? Put
little effort and, if necessary, n little none
into getting up good programme and hav
two or three days meeting that will b
worth attending. Montpelier has many ad
vantages for gathering of the whole state
What do you say, fellow-farmers and work
ers2 Send your answers to the WATCHMAn
or TO Professor w. w. Cooke, or to
TRANSIENT BoARDER