The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-06-08
Editorial NOtings.

to plant his entire foot--and where to
plant it. -
AMONG our newer exchanges is the
Manchester, n. H., Weekly Union; and
we cannot refrain from speaking in
terms of warm admiration of the ability
and work put into its agricultural depart
ment. Editor Leavitt is man who
knows farming from the ground up
clear up He has both wit and wisdom;
and he takes nothing, however plausible,
on any mans say-so. This is the kind
of agricultural editor that the improv-
ing farmer wants; and we are getting
"quite good many" of them in New
England. -
For now a full quarter-century we
have been annually receiving from our
honored friend, Secretary Gold, his re-
port as Secretary of the Connecticut
Board of Agriculture. The last, for
1891, is his Twenty-ffth Annual Re-
port"; and as we place it on its
buCll, DOoluC IlO OnCo, ~ 10 III
terestiny to notice the yearly increase
in size until now, when this portly vol
ume can hardly bear more pages with
out becoming unwieldy. 1t is true that
the reports of the experiment stations
(and in Maine of the State Horticultu-
raj Society, have aided in this increase
1F .,o1,,,,,o ,l,nnnbant fhooo No
land reports. A very thin volume
marks the year of greenback rule in the
Maine Report while that of Massachu-
sets holds pretty even size through
its long range of shelf-room. 1t is in
teresting, on wet day, to glance
through these sets, and note, as we do
in the Massachusetts volumes, the be-
ginnings of the moving machines and
other farm aids, and the infancy of ag-
ricultural chemical research In this
line, Connecticut, by its good fortune in
possessing such eminent men as Pro-
fessor Johnson, and, later, Professor
Atwater, naturally leads; and main
tains its place at the top. There is no
slovenly editing in this Report-such a
thing and Mr.. Gold are incompatible
and every page bears its impress of
faithful care. May it be long before
the disabilities of advancing years shall
force on him the necessity of laying it
aside. 1t will be hard indeed to re-
place him.
WE have been severely censured by
a few interested parties and their
friends, for the frank expression of our
belief about the Dutch cows called
Holsteins" for our New England but
ter diaries. But we should have been
unfaithful to known duty to with
hold the facts from the readers of this
department of the paper. 1t was not
necessary, perhaps, so far as expert
enced old dairymen were concerned;
but the younger men, who laudably
seek for instruction through the press,
would have a strong bill of indictment
against any agricultural editor who
withheld the truth-especially if, as has
recently been the case, whole herds of
these cattle were being auctioned off
by disgusted-or busted "-fancy far
mers.
UNDER the head of "Breeds of
Stock" Mr.. Leavitt has likewise hewed
to the line, regardless of the range of
his chips. We can but be happy that
a man so we'll posted should take his
place by our side in so important mat
ter. In an article on " Breeds of
Stock "he first adverts to the compare
tive beef value of the Dutch steers, as
compared with Shorthorns and Here
fords, thus: SIN attempting to learn
the present standing of different breeds
of cattle, from lists of prices given in
reports of sales in one of the Chicago
papers, it was found that while in the
sales of Shorthorns and Herefords the
average price was given for all animals
sold, the Holstein reports only gave
such as brought $40 and over and gave
no totals or averages. From this it is
to be inferred that owners were not
proud of the average prices"
AT the same sale twenty-seven
Canada Shorthorns sold at an average
of S135,35, and ninety-six Herefords
averaged 5000, while the list of
twenty-one Holsteins which brought
$40 or over only averaged $50 80, and
the twenty-eight Herefords which
brought $40 or over, average $S5.71.
AS these herds were sold for breeding
purposes and in sections where dairy
ing is prominent feature of the stock
industry, it can be fairly inferred that
the Holsteins are not as popular at
they were a few years ago."
4.