Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-12-28
PROFITABLE FARMING.

\ report OF the proceedings of the
State board of agriculture since it began
the seasons work is at hand. As was
perhaps to have bccu expected. tubcrcu-
losiS IN cattle has been a prominent sub
jpct Of discussion. but the breeding aud
care of dairy COWS. home life on the
farm. cattle foods and other matters of
more or less consequence have received
attention.
Ii seems to Us. however. that the
brethren of the board do not get at the
root of things What they 30 is well rs
far a. II goes, but it does not reach far
enough down to he most useful, at least
to Us hrrrabouts. ItiS, no doubt worth
while to treat Of the breeding and care
OF the dairy COW in regions where dairic>
are numerous ANA the farmers are salts
fed that daryl = i IA prof able branch
of fai ming and Mr.. Vail i capable of
talking on dairylng in an enlighteuing
fashion. 1t look, here in Addison coun-
" as if The farmers needed chiefly en-
lighteumpnt upon what branches of
farming Ina best be followed. Con-
rapidly with us. i the past few years. 1t
is not so very long ago that The fine-wool
sheep industry brought thousands Of
dollars into the county annually. There
was time, TOO, when it paid AN Addison
county farmer to raise beef. In recent
years he has come to believe that he can
not produce beef at IA profit in compete
tion with the Western rauchman. Some
tine-wool sheep, while others are certain
thar there is none Whatever. 1t used to
br Il cardinal doctrine of agriculture that
the sale Of ones hay was poor policy,
but Cf late it has been the great money
bringing crop of our farms. Are the farms
the worse for the sales of hay: l.
eep-raSlng worth while, and, if 50,
what breeds of sheep should I've
kept; Is dairyiug good business. how
good is it and how long is il likely to
stay good: l. there money in raising
beef? These aud dozens of other fun
damental questions need to be answered,
and correctly answered, before our
farmers will be Ou solid ground. DlS
cussions of details are of no avail till
they are. The I'rterkin family of the
story discovered one day that they
could not get along without IA library, 50
solomon John. the oldest son. volunteer
ed to write the books. Paper, pen aud
ink were obtained for him after some
trouble, aud he sat down 10 write. Then
it dawned upon him that he didn't know
what to say, and the library project
stopped. The average farmer of this
region is exactly in the same fix about
his farming as was solomon John about
writing, he doesn't know what to do.
Till he finds out, he Will make little
progress in any direction. The compe-
ttion of the West. the fall in the price of
wool, the necessity real or imagined for
many things that were once regarded as
luXurles, aud other things too numerous
to catalogue have upset the calcula tons
of many farmers, aud have discouraged
them. Like all business men, they are
not working for their health. but for
money: and they VIII not do much en-
thusiastic work till they are reasonably
sure where the money is coming from.
Possibly when the gentlemen of the
board get around to visit us they will be
able to shed some light on these dark
spots.