News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-12-17
Nermo MT State Grange.

ANNUAL MEETING AT ST. JOHNSBURY.
The Vermont state grange assem-
bIed at Odd Fellows hall in st. ohns-
bury on Wednesday morning with a
good attendance. Windham county,
although at the southern part of the
state, is well represented. There was
present also the Oldest member ofthe
grangein New England, Mr.. Jonathan
Lawrence, whose tottering steps told
plainly the story of advancing years.
The address of State Master Messer
was given at the morning session.
He referred to the favorable farming
conditions which have prevailed dur
ing the past season, and said that
the year had been a gratifying and
prosperous one for the grange as an
organization in Vermont. He urged
strongly better attention to the edu-
catiOnal interests of the state, and re-
newed the earnest hope that the legis-
lature of next year may pass a good
school law which shall be allowed to
remain in force for at least ten years.
In his remarks upon taxation he COM
vanced that money, bonds and other
forms ofindividual investment should
be released from taxation on theplea
that this would increase the home use
OF money and make business better
Then came reports from different
officers. The afternoon session was
public The first speaker, Hon. j. ..
Sanford of the state board ofagTicul-
ture, showed the necessity for better
cultivation and for increasing the
quantity of fertilizers that our farms
may produce larger crops. Farm
wastes were spoken of as causing a
great loss. He urged the farmer to stu
dy well all the ways for making tertil-
izers. He suggested "intense farm
ing or more brain work added to the
labor and said the farmer must claim
his proper place as a business 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 agri-
culture, followed in which he 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 but
ter. The manufacturers of this state
were referred to, like the scale works
in this town which leads all Others.
He said Vermont was not only good
state to be born in, but good state
to live in, and that the tide of emf
grafton out had stopped. This ad-
dress was followed by two minute
talks by patrons in regard to the
possibilities of Vermont.
Pro. L. r. Jones Huntington gave
an 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 thepotato. He
described the new disease ofthat plant
which has come and threatens to be
very serious. This talk was very in
structive. 1t may be added that any
one can get full information upon
these subjects by sending to the Bur
lington experiment station for it.
The proceedings of Thursday in
cluded reports ofgranges, resolutions
and discussions. Education and tax
alton were discussed in the afternoon,
and Jonathan Lawrence gave an in
teresting address on the origin of the
grange. The session closed at night
after the sixth degree had been con-
ferred