The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-01-21

gent Work,
GOVERNOR HOARD of Wisconsin made
some remarks upon the improvements of
western farming, and especially commended
the use of plaster as an absorbent and dis
| infeCtant in stables.
Another speaker called attention to the
| little known fact that over half the weight
of land plaster consists of the strongest of
mineral acids, "ol of vitriol," and the
probability that its somewhat mysterious
effects as a fertilizer are due to the action of
this acid upon the soil, setting free manurial
elements before locked up in nsoluble
combinations He thought plaster would
often do the work of ashes, and even Of
nitrogen, by thus setting free those sub
stances in the soil which would be otherwise
beyond the reach of the crop.
Still another speaker referred of the high
price at which plaster is sold in some places,
and said he had got first class Nova Scotia
! plaster in Boston for 81 ton, delivered to
| the car. He procured il of the BOwker Fer
! tilzer Company along with his fertilizer
| The WATCHMAN agricultural editor called
attention to the fact that half of every pack
age of our complete fertilizers consists Of
| plaster, not added to make weight, as some
suppose, but the result of the chemical
| action of sulphuriC acid on the lime of the
bone or mineral phosphates used. This
acid takes away lime from the crude phos-
| pilates, making them more quickly soluble,
and holds it as sulphate of lime, that is,
| plaster. This costs nothing, its value not
useful in making the potash of the soil avail
able, and so far it acts in the same way as a
| dressing of ashes. In view of this fact it
would often be waste to apply superphos-
| pilates and ashes Co the same crop.
| Mr.. G.. S. FAssETT of EnOSburgh then
read a paper ON the d" Pressing Needs of
| Private Dairying." In this he stated that
| notwithstanding the high repute of Frank
! lin county dairying, many Of its farmers do
not exceed 125 pounds of butter annually
I ia 1. .
100 pounds. AS regards marketable quail
! ity, many dairymen make good butter most
! of the time, but fail to make good butter all
| the time. This last is essential to that good
reputation which is the sole basis of high
success in this branch Of our industry.
There is six times as much profit in $50
pound COW as in 100 pound COW. We
must increase our product per cow, and
make it in IA manner which will gain a
! sound business reputation, so that buyers
shall feel safe in dealing with US. Ia re.
gard to crealneres, it is a serious question
whether a farmer can afford to pay them to
make the butter. 1t did not pay him to do
so, and all over the state there are farmers
who show practically that they hold the
same opinion. MIR. Fassett evidently thinks
it is more in the man than it is in the
| land, or even in the cow. If the man is
all right the land and the COW will come
right. If not, neither good land nor good
cows, nor both together, will ensure a sound
| success.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
This session was mainly given up to the
address of Ex-Governor Hoard of Wscon-
sin on The Dairy Temperament" 1t
was illustrated 10y large portraits, sus-
pended against the drop curtain of the
stage, of famous Jersey, Dutch, Hereford
and Guernsey cows. BY means of these,
Governor Hoard illustrated very clearly
what he meant by a " dairy temperament,
in a COW, or breed of cows. The dairy COW
he said, has the - mother evident all over
her The beef COW has little of this. She is,
as it were, but mother on cOmpulsion, and
hardly furnishes enough milk to raise her
calf. On the other hand the cows of the milk
breeds have the maternal element strongly
developed, and this it is which modifes her
structure and form so fundamentally that
she seems almost distinct species. The
dairy COW should have a good dishing face,
a full eye, "a wide nostrl and an active
nervous system. she should have large
lungs, for milk comes from the blood and
is indeed but modified blood and the free
production of good blood from food de-
ponds upon an abundant access of good air
TO the lungs She should have a thin neck,
prominent spine, slOping ribs wide apart.
a large abdomen, prominent milk veins and
soft distensible udder, for which there should
be plenty of room. good COW should he
high at the hips and with a long thin tail
for the tail is but continuation of the
spine, which conveys nervous force from
the brain TO all parts of the body. The
governor drew a strong distinction between
nervous force and what is commonly called
nervousness" which is really lack of
nervous force He said in this he found it
most diff ;ult to make his hearers under
stand him. 1t is the nervous cOw,-the COW
of nerve, and not the weak, eXcitable nerve
less cow,-that he contended for as the
typical dairy COW. He plainly meant by
this a COW of well developed and healthy
nervous system, in distinction alike from
the stolid beef COW, and the tlashy, nerve
less COW. Cows for the dairy should have
good constitutions. The famous cows have
been cows of wonderful constitutions,
great powers of digestion, assimilation and
secretion.
The governors address was so vivid, so
carefully thought out and so well delivered,
with wealth of illustrative wit, sentiment
and good common sense, that mere sketch
like this gives no idea of it. We suppose it
will appear in full in the secretary's Report,
along with all the other good things said and
done. Those who could not attend should
at once send the dollar which makes one a
member of the association and entities to a
copy of the report.
WEDNESDAY EVENING
This was supposed TO be governor 5
evening, in which number of our govern
ors and Acknowledgements were adver-
tised to be present with Governor Hoard,
and make ten minute speeches." but eX-
cept our granger ex-Lieutenant-G Governor
Cotton, not one put in an appearance.
Whether the secretary of the association, or
his invites, were chargeable with the awk
ward default, we do not know There was
a screw loose somewhere, but we earnestly
hope that it was not an intentional slight to
our distinguished, able and popular guest
from Wisconsin on the part OF the men who
have been placed by the votes of Vermont
farmers in high stations OF honor The time
is well past when an insult of this sort can
fail to meet with very awkward conse-
quences to the offenders. But we hope no
offence was meant.
Failing the governors, ex-Lieutenant-Go Gov
ernor Il. p. Cotton made a brief address
upou Farmers Organizations Then
some singing, and finally Editor Cheever of
the NeiS England Farmer was prevailed
upon to fill the gap with very interesting
and pleasing paper upon The Bright Side
of Farming" Governor Hoard followed,
with a lively talk, and the evening wound
up with genial and amusing little address
by M. w. Davis of Westminster
THURSDAY MORNING.
Thursdays sessions were much more