St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-11-10
Schools Of Agriculture.
State Commissioner Martin Suggests
Them in Place of Farmers
InStituteS.-HiS Annual
Report.

The annual report of Hon. Orlando l..
Martin, of Plain6eld, State Commission.
er of Agriculture, has just been made
public. In addition to Mr.. Martins re-
port the book contains the laws of
1908 relating to agricultural matters,
a report of the State Fair of 1908, a
series OF excellent addesses delivered dur
ing Farmers Week and the report of the
State Forester. A full report of the
thirtv-ninth annual meeting of the Yer
mont Dairymen's Association isincluded,
also the sixth annual report of the Yer
mont State Horticultural Society and
the sixteenth annual report of the YER
mont Maple Sugar Makers Association.
In his report Commissioner Martin
saws: Farmers Institutes were held in
four counties. To our best local talent
were added professional lecturers from
Maine and Connecticut with leading
agricultural subjects.
The attendance, while about the aver
age of former seasons, was not satisfac-
tory, and unless increased interest can be
brought out toward these local insti-
tutes, recommend the adjustment of the
system and the institution in lieu thereof
of movable schools of agriculture such as
have been adopted by some of our sister
states. These schools are meetings OF
several days length in centrally located
town where the very best of talent can be
secured to teach by means of lecture
charts, demonstrations, etc. Several
such schools could be held in the State
with no greater expense and with more
efficiency than our old Institute system.
Something of this sort was the First
Annual Farmers week held uuder the
direction of the State Agricultural
College and Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, March S-12, 1909. The total reg
istration of this initial meeting was one
hundred sixty nine, which was especially
gratifying to those having the matter in
charge, and it is believed that, as the
value of this annual event becomes
known it will prove an incalculable bene-
fit to the Agricultural interests of the
State of Vermont.
The numerous requests for all the
printed matter OF this department would
Indicate that farmers are reading more
and taking more interest in agricultural
publications, by awaiting themselves OF
the information contained therein.
FARM CROPS.
The products of the farm the year just
past have hardly been up to the average,
caused by the prolonged dry weather OF
1908. River farms held up fairly well but
hill farms suffered badly. The hay crop
1909 has fallen somewhat below the
average. Corn is small and backward,
because of the cold, late spring, but at
the time this reports made potatoes bid
fair to be bountiful crop. Oats show
some rust, and it is feared will not be an
average crop. Apples are bound to be a
light crop, especially the early varieties
Not enough of attention is given to the
growing of apples in our state. With a
large expanse of the Champlain valley
without our borders whose soil is second
to none for the production.of fine apples,
and the New England fruit show as a
stimulus for the sale of our fruit, Yer
mont should come rapidly to the front,
and | believe the indications are that
there is an increased interest in the pro-
duction of fruit as shown by the fact that
this past spring something like 900 APP
pie trees were planted in the vicinity OF
Brattleboro by young men who took up
the work as business proposition.
LIVE STOCK INTEREST.
Vermont keeps more dairy COWS pei
acre. Vermont produces nearly as much
butter and three times as much cheese
as the other FIVE New England States
Vermont furnishes 81 per cent OF the
dairy COWS for the Boston markets. Sc
Vermont's future development must bt
largely along dairy lines. Sheep hus
bandryis coming back to Vermont some
what. but cannot secure its former pres
tige until our legislature has enacted
more stringent dog laws to encourage
our farmers to once more habitate ou
green hillsdes with the producers OF thu
Golden Fleece" for such indeed they ar
with the present tariff rates retained ant
our proximity to the mutton market
the metropolis of the United States.
The Morgan horse industry is agaii
coming into it's own, as was shown b.
the exhibition of Morgans at our las
state fair, and the industry is being OF
fered further encouragement by liberia
special premiums available at the stat
fair of 1909.
AGRICULTURAL FAIRS.
The agricultural societies of the stat
seem to be meeting with fair degree
success. The fairs of 1908 were mostl,
favored with fair weather. The attend
ance was good and the quality OF the ex
hibits above the average. There is eyl
dent tendency toward improved STOCK
the registered sire being much more pop
ular than decade ago. While the o.
has been largely supplanted by the dral
horse, string of thirty pairs OF oHel
was exhibited by one firm at the star
fair, after which they furnished Christ
mas beet for the Boston market
The management seem to be aiming
to make their fairs educational when