Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-01-15
Improvement in Vermont and vermont


WIZ Slbhc rs lOllOWSs
Improvement in Vermont and vermont
Farming.
In choosing this subject as his theme
Hon. Josiah Grout of Derby took for the
keynote of his address, improvement"
Improvement, - "Improvement'-th set
ting of high ideal by every Vermont
farmer, and constant effort to attain it I'M
til revolution in farming methods has
been brought about and the best has been
attained. We are too much Inclined to de
preciate our state and our calling. the speak
er said. As man thinketh so is he, is as
true now as when ii was said in Bible
times. Instead of grumbling and despond-
ency make it your habit to take a cheerful,
hopeful view of your life and work and
life will become cheerful and hopeful.
Don't ALLEVIATE and discourage your chill
drcn by respondent talk. Make them real
partners in the home work. Make the
home life pleasant. Give them books.
amusementS, innocent pleasures, and more
OF the boys will want to be farmers, and
more of the girls will be farmers wives.
\ cheerful spirit will eliminate a very large
percentage OF the inevitable hardship and
drudgery of the farmers work. Begin the
Improvement of your stock. not by selling
what you have and buying new. but hv i'm
proving what you have. When you kill or
sell, kill or sell the poorest and let the fit
test survive. Put Improvement in motion.
for improvement is motion. II is stagna-
ton that kills. Mai. Grout believed that
a real improvement in Vermont farming is
taking place, that a turn in the tide of the
affairs of our state has come at last, and
the wave of life is surely mounting this
way. Talk chcerfully about our state.
Let others know that We are happy and
prosperous, that our resources are abund-
ant, that good farming pays, that taxes are
light, that we are out of debt. that our
schools and churches are good and free.
and that things are generally looking up.
Let the Vermont farmer remember that
the world belongs to him who gets there,
and that the hustler generally wins the
prize.
Gov. Hoard Appears on the Scene.
Ex-Gov. w. ID. Hoard of Wisconsin
was then presented; the spontaneous APP
plauSe that greeted him showed what ia
vorite he is in such meetings. His subject
was, "The Milk Producer" He said what
the dairymen wanted was to hear some
thing they could put to practical use. 1t
was not Western competition that hurt the
Vermont farmer so much as it was the lat
ter's own errors and bad methods. The
first thing we need for successful milk pro-
ductiOn is intellgence-the putting of the
dairyman's intelligence to practical use: it
will tell him first he must have a better
COW; he cannot afford to do business with
poor cow Don't let the cows he out of
doors in the cold weather. 1t results in
lessened production of milk i'm quantity and
of poorer quality; the fat that should be in
the milk goes to give animal heat to the
COW to keep it warm in the exposure. The
COW should he treated tenderly; darymen
ought to remember that she is a mother:
they should be guided by what would guide
them in the care and attention given TO the
human mother. If this bovine mother is
i'll treated or made nervous and irritated.
there is at once lessening of milk i'm guam
tity and failing in quality.
The stable and barn should be kept clean
and well ventilated. 1t should not be con
tinually clouded with the fumes of ammo
mia. Dry earth or common plaster should
be used to spread on the floor: this will
hold the ammonia in solution so that it can
be used to best advantage where it should
be, as manure. The COW should be fed
according to the draft made upon her.
having regard for the demands of her
motherhood.
Produce your own feed instead of buying
it. Pea meal is an excellent thing for the
COW. On an acre of Vermont land can be
produced % bushels of peas The ground
should be plowed in the fall. In the spring
the pease should be planted from four to
six inches deep; SOW broadcast y bushels
of dwarf or Canada pease, or of marrow
fats three bushels Two pounds of pea
meal is worth six pounds of bran. You
will get 1900 pounds of pea meal, equal to
400 pounds of bran, worth S33. Is. The
pea meal will cost you S15, a saving of
about $50. Timothy hay is about the poor
est butter feed you can use. The cost of
the production of butter can be brought
down much less than its present rate by
intelligent work in this direction.
DO not get discouraged remember, the
speaker again said, you have to compete
with your mistakes more than with your
brethren in the West. There is no more
competition between us than there would
be If we were all in one state. We do not
need to be jealous of each other. | want
to see such a scientific improvement that
creamery butter can be sold for 20 cents
per pound. That will crowd out Oeomar-
garine, and the greater demand will bring
up the profit where it should be. Don't