News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-11-06
VERMONT AS A FARMING STATE.
a Paper Read at the farmers Meeting in Morris
vile, Jan. 80, 1873, BY William S. thorpe,
Esq., of MOrristOwn.

L shall perhaps he unable TO ad-
vance any practical knowledge to
this meeting. There are also Others
here who could occupy the time much
more ably than myself, but believing
that We are far from perfection 10
farming and all that pertains to it, |
will offer few remarks upon Yer
mont as a Farming State" | hard
ly know where to commence on so
great and interesting a subj ct.
Vermont is called an old state, and
in comparison with some others it is
so. But in reality it is new state,
it being only one hundred years since
the first permanent settlement was
made at Fort DINNER, ami for many
years there was but little lvance-
ment made either in the cultivation
Gifts soil or developing the resources
of the state. Undoubtedly all OF you
are familiar with our states history.
With Nv Hampshire on one side
and New York on the other, an the
English government ready to lay her
claims, the settlers did little more
than hold their own for many years,
but the settlers being men who pos
sessed the right mettle, thev de-
fled all claims and were admitted as
a state. Siace that time Vermont
has made as much advancement as
many of the older states, according
to the facilities with which she has
to do
Vermont is little state among the
mountains; she has almost been for
gotten; but being settled by a brave
and Industrious people, both firm and
law-abidins, she is now beginning to
make her power felt, both at home
and in the halls of legislation and
also in foreign countries |, myself
being aware Of the fact that person
travelling in Europe from M assa-
,chusetts or Vermont-aither OF these
two states-is almost as fortunate as
the person having free pass.
Vermont excels in many of her pro
auctions, such as are grown in this
climate. Ii we do not cultivate as
many acres as some other states,
what we do cultivate, we cultivate
better. 1t is true that our state is
mountainous, billy, and the surface is
sometimes nearly covered with rocks
and granite bOulders, but when once
cleared of these distractions it pro
duces cool and paying crops. As
most of our soils are rich in organic
matter, we can produce crops which
would astonish the most ardent ad-
mirers of the west.
Taking the grain-growing states of
the west, in the Agricultural Report
of 1868 we find that Vermont eXceIs
all other states in raising corn, eX-
cepting Calito mia, Chat is, she pro-
duces more bu shels to the acre, Cali
fornia excepted,) Vermont raising
3Sh bushels per acre, while IIliaois
Indiana and Ohio, the three great
corn states, only produce 81 bushels
per acre. Ga wheat she is oui beaten
by California, the Vermont average
being 16 bushels per acre, while Hi
nois, Indiana and OliO only average
liz bushels per acre. Onoats we are
only beaten by Minnesota and Iowa;
on potatoes only by Louisiana and
Minnesota, while on rye, buckwheat
and barley, We are more than an
average As for roots, such as man
colds, beets and carrots, ruta bagas,
and common English turnips, we are
destitute of statistics showing their
yield per acre when raised as field
crops, but from my own experience in
raising these crops | hesitate not in
saying that in a fit season Chat is
when not extremely dry | have not
only got good crops but have got
what | called large crops, with the
exceptions of mangolds, AMI the
reason that | failed on mangolds
was, think, because | failed in put
ting the seed deep enough in the
ground. The statistics of 1869 show
that Verm ont produces hay, in pro.
portion to her population and the
number Of acres improved, almost
double the production of any other
state, it be ng 30S 80 100 tons to
each OF her population
With a population OF $50 SOL, she
has invested 10 stock and implements
1926, 1899, 81. Consider the thou
sands and thousands of cattle, sheep,
horses aud swine that go to Boston
every week such an item in the
market that if we happen to send
more than our common supply the
market is depressed, and again if we
send a short supply prices are higher
accordingly. Ia dairy products YER
mont rules the market in the United
States, and very considerably infu-
ences the market of England, whence
good deal of our butter and cheese
is exported, myself having seen COO
siderable quantities of Vermont but
ter and cheese in their markets. It's
merits follow from the fact that it
has mild flavor combined with rich
ness, these two qualities being very
difficult to combine with satisfaction.
Our mountains are covered with
valuable timber only awaiting the
facilities for transporting to market
to be fashioned into wares and i'm
plements. They are aslo rich in ores
and minerals which will be open in
time. Our marble and slate quarries,
too, rank second to none in the
United States. We have plenty Of
wood and the best of water, two very
essential necessaries of life, while