The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-01-06
Editorial NOtings.

------------
Editorial Notings.
THE way that an ingenious writer
can depreciate thing, without SEEM
ing to intend it, is illustrated by the
following item cut from an exchange:
"The varieties of Russian pears which
have been tried in Illinois blight badly"
Now let it be printed with very slight
transposition of words, thus: "The
varieties of Russian pears which have
been tried, blight badly in Illinois"
Is not the impression made upon the
mind of the reader quite differentP In
the first form the idea is that the Rus
sian pears are in fault. In the second
form no such impression is made upon
the mind. Tue real truth simply is
that upon the black prairie soils of all
the states of the West almost all pears
blight 80 badly that they cannot be
planted with success. 1t is the soil
that is in fault; and in the wooded parts
of the West-the rolling and hill coun-
try-the Russian pears, so far as tested,
prove very successful, and are much
more hardy against winters cold than
the conmonly-planted kinds.
THERE is nothing new in the line of
fruits brought out, and offered for sale,
that does not meet with similar and
often very much more open depreci-
alton and obstruction from parties in
terested in the sale of older sorts al
ready occupying the field. A good
many nurserymen, in newspapers which
are not smart enough to see the animus,
have been attacking the Russian tree
fruits in this way; and for time they
will obstruct the sale of them. But these
very nurseries, as soon as they catch on
to their merits, and work up stock,
will boast of their enterprise in the
propagation of Russian fruit-trees, and
laud their merits to the sky.
THIS method of doing business works
evil to the public in two ways: First, it
prevents the trial of these foreign apple,
pear, plum and cherry trees in those
sections of the country where they are
needed, because the older sorts do not
succeed. Afterwards, it causes the
needless and sometimes injudicious
planting of the Russians in sections
where our old and well-tried popular
sorts can be successfully grown. Few
of the Russian tree fruits are better in
quality than those we already have; but
nearly all of them are very good, hand
some, thrifty and productive, and
should have an immediate trial wher-
ever the winters are too hard for the
older and more widely-grown sorts.
IT is stated that the national grange
has fund of upwards of $4,000,
safely invested. This is well, Though
the sum is much too small for a national
organization of so long standing. In
these days nothing of importance can
be effected without the aid of money.
Money is called for on all hands in
carrying out any great work, and es-
pecially any work demanding continu-
GUS effort. The national grange ought
to have had at least half a million at
this time-and would have it if the lead
ing men of the organization had pos
sessed sense and real leadership.
WE were, as editor of the old YER
mont Farmer, in at the beginning of
the grange as an organization of East
ern farmers. The first grange in New
England was started at st. Johnsbury,
where the Farmer was published, and
the first meeting of the Vermont state
grange was held there. The move
ment had created a good deal of ex-
element, and new oranges were
formed all over the state with remark
able rapidity, until the number of them
ran up into the hundreds. Much OF
misconception existed in the public
mind in regard to the purposes of such
a novel organization, and we remember
having been taken to task in very Sc
rious way by worthy, and in general
way well-informed, minister, for being
an advocate of such dangerous society.
THE people, however, who were
most alarmed, and the most earnestly
opposed to the grange, were the village
merchants and the railroad managers.
Cooperative buying frightened the
first, while the demand for lower rates
and better service (both of which we
now have, beyond the farthest expec-
tation at that time,) disturbed the rail
road men. Many of the St. Johnsbury
store-keepers withdrew their advertis-
ing from the Farmer, aud all the rail
roads sent the editor annual passes.