Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-03-07
Board of Agriculture.
f1eetings at Richmond, Highgate and
Jacksonville.

i
r1eetings at Richmond, Highgate and
JeffersonviIIe.
The meeting of the Board at Rich
mond opened on Tuesday, Feb. rs.
| G. M. Winslow gave talk upon
Tuberculosis" in the forenoon.
In the afternoon, Prof. J. L. Hills
gave talk upon "What Experiment
Stations Have Done for Agriculture"
j. 0. Sanford Of the Board gave a
talk in the evening upon EARN I'm
provement." He said that the de-
mands of the present time render it
necessary for the farmer to be a bust
ness man, and he must establish in
connection with his farm some definite
| line Of work. The prejudice that has
existed against scientific farming is
wrong. Doing work in a scientific
manner is simply doing the work in
the best way. 1t makes no difference
whether the system adopted is learned
from books or from experience, if it is
the right way of doing any certain
work, it is scientific. Our agricultu-
raj colleges are aids TO the farmers be-
cause by their experiments and inves-
LEGATIONS they are ascertaining the
best way to do some of the work Of
the farm; and they have at their dis
posal means for making experiments
that are not possessed by the ordinary
farmer.
A farmer should love his work. If
he does not like It, then he should
choose some other occupation. But
the successful farmer is the man who
loves his work, and to such a man the
work Of the farm becomes a pleasure.
Thought the farmer should devote
his whole time to his farm and not
have side issues, like numbering or
drawing wood,to take him away from
his proper work. By mixing up bust
ness, will fail TO succeed in either. The
farmer should be careful in his pur-
chases and not buy any farm machin-
cry that is not needed. The farmer
is often the victim of the agents for
the various implements and prepara-
tions that are put upon the markets.
The farmer should learn to exercise
good Judgment and only buy what he
is certain he needs. The farmer
should regard his business as a perma-
nent occupation. The farmer who OPP
crates farm with the idea Of selling
out at the first opportunity will not
improve and develop his farm as he
should. Ordinarily the present farm
is too large. The small farm, culti-
waited intensely, is the profitable farm.
1t is the acre from which the large
crop is harvested that is producing the
cheap crop. 1t costs but little more
to harvest the crop of the acre that
produces three to four tons of hay
than il does the acre that ony pro-
duces one half ton.
The high price of farm help rem
ders it necessary that the help be en-
ployed to the best advantage.
Believed that the dairyman should
keep as many cows as he cultivates
acres.
AS to the matter of suitable barns
for stock, said there was no necessity
for mourning large expense in put
ting up the large modern barn and
did not believe the farmer was justi-
fiel in contracting large debt for
lnis purpose. A very cheap barn is
good enough to store fodder in, and
in many cases only a stable needs to
be built of sufficient size to hold the
cattle. This may be constructed cheap
ly. Does not need to be high nor to
have any place in it for storing fod-
der. Put in plenty of windows and
build it warm.
Should arrange to draw manure
from the stables to the field and spread
it Immediately, and thereby avoid all
loss Of fertility from the manure. Said
that while the state was paying out
yearly from $780, 900 to $500, 900 for
commercial fertilizers. there is being
wasted several times this amount in
fertility by want of care in handling
the manure of the farm. On many
farms no effort is made to save the
liquid portion of the manure, and vet
it is known that the liquid manure
has about twice as much Of fertility as
the solid portion.
Farm improvement means an inn
provement in all the lines of making
business more profitable. The farmer
should be a specialist should look over
his conditions and adopt some one
field for his work. The farmer who
spreads out in all directions attains
but little success in anything. 1t is an
age of specialties, and we see in the
professions and in other kinds of bust
ness that the men who succeed best
are those who take up one line of
work and master it. Farming is not
an exception to this general rule.
In the matter Of farm crops, said
that hay was the main crop of the
1 r., Il