The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-06-28
Editorial N0tings.

but it is not necessarily feasible thing
to follow in New England-though it
might be so in Virginia. The climate
of the Channel Islands (of which Jersey
is one) is of uncommon mildness. The
ground rarely freezes, and then only
for short periods. Parsnips may be
harvested as required, and fed to the
cows on the ground, if desired, thus
avoiding much work that would be re-
ouired in our northern states, or in
Canada. 1t is the difference of condi-
tions which makes European precedents
of such doubtful value in America.
The thoughtful, wise and experienced
agricultural editor of the Mirror and
Farmer writes thus of the careless
handling of farm products. How can
these costly evils be cured? Can farm
ers' organizations do anything to help?
Not if tainted with that narrow and
lf-destroyng selfshness which would
withhold action in fear that somebody
not belonging to "us "would be helped,
too:-" If the consumers of any kind of
farm products get hold of sample that
is not up to the standard the blame is
put upon the farmers, with the apparent
belief that there has been no change in
such goods since they were put on the
market. Butter in country stores is
put down cellar or in a back room with
onions and salt fish, and where it does
not escape the smoke from the gang of
loafers about the store. Butter is
simply butter in the minds of many
people and good and bad are put in to-
gether, and like evil tendencies the bad
tastes and odors are ready to defile the
whole. Then it goes to the larger mar
ket and is graded according to its flavor
in part and in part on account of the
company it is in, and as it is called new
butter fresh from the country (stores),
the city dealer very properly blames
the farmers for making such stuff. The
plain fact is that farmers and their
wives are, as rule, more careful about
handling butter than those who handle
it after them. Eggs, if they are fresh
when they are brought in, are put in a
show window where the sun will shine
on them, and no more care taken to
preserve their freshness than if they
were bricks or bars of soap. Then
farmers are scored for sending stale
eggs to market"
OUR wide-awake contemporary, the
Maine Farmer, tells US that the sweet
corn area planted in that state never
was before so large. Several new can.
ming factories are being built, while
many of the old ones have an average
planted of twenty to twenty-five per
cent more than usual, and it adds that
"yellow corn, too, is receiving increased
attention, there being large fields raised
for fodder purposes alone. Altogether
corn is being each year more and more
appreciated as an economic crop" We
are glad to further add the news that
a canning factory is going into opera
ton close alongside of our farm near
Newport village. We hope it will be
the successful pioneer of dozens more
in Vermont. Wake up, boys! and
punch up your elders. Let the state
that has done 80 much for the West, do
something more and better for herself.
REPRESENTATIVE government al
ways has been and always will be a
failure, because the masses can't keep
lobbyists at legislative halls, while mo-
nopolists can and do" says an ex-
change. But are the people going to
allow this to be true in our govern
ment? Are we going to be made, by
our venal politicians, worse off than the
working men of Europe?
HERE ls an instance of how a poor
but industrious man in Aroostook has
got a start: edward Sperry has sold
his farm, two miles from Caribou viii
lage, to John Gahagau. Sixteen years
ago Mr.. Sperry bought thirty acres of
land of Hon. S. W. Collins, for which
he agreed to pay $780, AT that time
his capital consisted of two heifers and
an old horse. He has worked hard,
and besides making good living for
himself and family, now finds himself
with a capital of so, 800"
1T seems as though some of our
statements in past years, in criticism of
the extreme statements of city people
in regard to the devastation of our for
ests, were bearing fruit. We have
been withheld, by our own life-experi-
ence, from taking stock in the idea that
it was going to be the work of CEN
turtles " to re-forest our mountain
woodlands. In a oood daal lass tban