The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-08-28

State Experiment Farm, Burlington.
Whether because of insufficient adver-
Using or indifference among the gran
gers of the state, the attendance was
very small. What the few who at
tended at that time saw, however, and
the accounts of the work that is being
done at the experiment farm that have
since been written in some of the state
newspapers have borne fruit, and the
attendance at the second annual picnic
held at the Experiment Farm last
Thursday was as big. a success as the
one last year was dismal failure. 1t
was basket picnic, and at the tables
in the evergreen grove north of the
farm buildings nearly 300 grangers and
their families spent the noon hour in a
very happy frame of mind. Many who
reside within ten miles of Burlington
drove in during the morning hour, and
others arrived on the noon trains, where
teams were in waiting to convey them
to the farm.
Among the prominent grangers of
Vermont present were noticed Hon. G..
j. Bell of Walden, master of the State
Grange; Hon. Cassius Peck of Brook
field and Hon. G.. S. Fassett of Enos-
burgh, members of the Board of Con-
troll of the State Experiment Station;
F. w. Ayers, master of Essex Grange;
Wesley Metcalf, master of Williston
Grange and Frank Martin, master of
Williamstown Grange. President Buck
ham, Professor Hills, and Farm Su.
perintendent Howe devoted their en-
tire time to the entertainment of their
visitors, and never for a moment
wearied of answering the thousand and
one questions in regard to the work at
the farm that the practiced eyes of the
farmers present suggested. The de-
partments in and out of the buildings
devoted to agricultural pursuits had
peculiar charm for the visitors, who
were not slow in showing their ap-
probation of what they saw and heard
there.
At the conclusion of the dinner hour,
Mr.. Howe called the company to order
in the grove and happily introduced
President Buckham, who, in behalf of
the University, welcomed the visitors
to the farm. The cordial words of
welcome extended by the president
were generously applauded.
Hon. G. j. Bell, master of the state
grange, was next introduced by Mr..
Howe as gentleman who needed no
introduction to company of Vermont
grangers. Senator Bell referred espe-
cially to the state pride we all have,
which is surely commendable. He
closed by saying: "This state pride
makes of US better farmers, better gran
gers, better men and better women.
Vermont leads in good homes, in men
and women, and this is known through
out The nations of the world. Let US not
forget that Vermont is what we should
live for. 1t is where we hope to live,
and where we want to die when our
work is DONE"
Professor J. L. Hills was next intro
duced, and he assured the company
that the welcome extended to them
was warmer than WAS the weather. He
said satisfied man is failure, and the
Experiment Station that is satisfied
with its work is failure. Continuing
he said: We of the Vermont Expert
ment Station are not satisfied with our
work, and we hope and expect to do
more and better work for the farmers of
Vermont in the future than we have in
the past. Our work is very largely of
an experimental nature, and we want
you to avoid our failures and profit by
our successes. Our Experiment Sta.
ton is becoming more and more a
bureau of information, and what there is
of it is at your SERVICE"
President Buckham and Professor
Hills then led the way on tour of in
spection of the college and farm build
ings. The new and elegant Converse
Hall was first visited, then the barn,
where the herd of sleek Jerseys and
Holsteins and their records were exam.
ined by men and women who had prac-
tical knowledge of the good points OF
COW and of what constitutes a good
record for butter fat. Scattered in
groups the company visited the green
house, the apiary, and the farm proper,
where the experiments now in progress
were explained by Mr.. Howe and Pro,
fessor Hills. One member of the Board
of Control said to the WATCHMAN rep.
resentative: We farmers are realizing
more and more each year the value to
the agricultural interests of Vermont OF
this experiment station. We let them