The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-11-04

and three times as much cheese as
the other Ave New England States.
Vermont furnishes 81 per cent. of the
dairy COWS for Boston markets. SO
Vermont's future development must
be largely along dairy lines. Sheep
husbandry is coming back to Yer
mont somewhat, but cannot secure its
former prestige until our Legislature
has enacted more stringent dog laws
to encourage our farmers to once
more habitate our green hillsides with
the producers Of the Golden Fleece"
for such indeed they are with the
present tariff rates retained and our
proximity to the mutton market of
the metropolis of the United States.
The Morgan Horse industry is
again coming into its own, as was
shown by the exhibition of Morgans
at our last State Fair, and the indus
try is being offered further encour-
agement by liberal special premiums
available at the State Fair of 1909.
Agricultural Fairs.
The Agricultural Societies of the
State seem to be meeting with fair
degree of success. The fairs of 1908
were mostly favored with fair wealth
err. The attendance was good and
the quality of the exhibits above the
average. There is evident tendency
toward improved stock, the registered
sire being much more popular than
decade ago. While the OK has been
largely supplanted by the draft horse,
string of thirty pairs of oxen was
exhibited by one firm at the State
Fair, after which they furnished
Christmas beef for the Boston mar
ket.
The management seem to be aim
ing to make their Fairs educational
which is the proper motive. Judging
contests for boys and girls, as to the
superior points of both animals and
seeds, are features much to be. adj
mired and encouraged.
Test Associations.
|, During the year four Cow Testing
Associations have been formed and
have worked very satisfactorily for
the most part believe these associa-
tions are Of great economic value to
the dairy farmer and should be fos-
tered and encouraged There seems
to be growing interest in this mat
ter and more Test Associations will
doubtless be formed before the ad-
vent of winter.
Education.
AS agriculture in it's diversified
forms is the basis upon which prog
ress and prosperity must stand, it is
highly essential that the farmer
should have broad, liberal educa-
ton. "The best school house in the
world" says Yale professor, sis an
eastern farm where variety of
crops are produced and variety of
work goes on" But in addition to
this your commissioner believes that
a special training In agriculture Is a
desirable acquisition, and to be most
efficient, should be taken up in the
public schools. This gives the farm
boy an opportunity to learn the
science of his vocation and paves the
way for higher education in our
State Agricultural College.
Our Experiment Station is doing
we'll her part to attract and instruct
the young men in scientific agricul-
ture. and increased interest in the
station work is becoming manifest
throughout the state. Agriculture is
the most noble employment of man,
and so we, as State, should put
forth every effort to prevent the
thought, the culture, the statesman
ship that is rightly ours by heritage
from our Puritan fathers whose brain
and Drawn were developed among the
forest clad hills of old New England
o L. MARTIN,
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