The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-03
SUBJECT OF FORESTRY.
Instructive Address Delivered Before
Mad River Cow Testing Convention

|
o. f. Hall in Marshfield on Wednes-
day evening, February 90. The speak
ers, were Hon. A. f. Halves, State
Forester and Prof. r. NJ Washburn
of Burlington. Mr.. Halves stated
that the amount of timber cut each
year was equal to three times the
growth, that the same amount was
cut now as was cut 20 years ago, and
now that soft wood was becoming
scarce lumbermen were cutting hard
wood; that farmers were only inter-
ested for themselves and cut where
| they could get the most money. lie
said that there was plenty of waste
land in Vermont capable of growing
timber, which If planted with trees
would soon yield profit, although
the young trees would not be large
enought to cut for % years. Yet as
the timber grew the land would in
crease in value.
In the last year the government
had sold over 100000 plants and al
ready had orders for 100000 for next
season, the cost of planting being
from 5000 to $1,000 per acre
White pine was the best, although
in high elevation spruce was better.
He also showed the danger from
drought caused by removing for
ests.
Prof. Washburn spoke of himself
as an American of the Americans and
although he did not come in the
Mayf1ower, his ancestors did, and
boosted of his American independ-
ence, but at the present time ne
thought we carried the boasting too
far and to prove this he drew two
pictures. The early Puritan fathers
cut the timber with homemade axes,
did the work with their own oxen,
made their own bob sleds.
made their harrows and other imple-
ments, grew their own wool. The
good danes spun it, wove it and made
their own garments, which had not
only style but durability. Every
thing was homemade and the farm
er was Independent. Another picture.
Now in the twentieth century, when
dairying is the foundation of agri-
culture, the farmer goes to work with
trousers made in New York, milks
his COW in pals made in Philadel-
phia, squeezes the cream out in lit
tie bowl made in Bellows Falls, sits
in chairs made in Michigan, gets his
breakfast food in Minneapolis, his
sugar in Porto Rico, his buggy in
Cincinnati, his kerosene oil in Penn
sylvania, leather in Philadelphia, his
feed from Minnesota, drawn home by
gray horses brought from Montana.
phosphate from North Carolina and
even axe and hammer handles were
bought ready-made
He did not claim that Colonial
women were slaves or that the wo-
men of today were in any way infer
ior to them.
The farmer of today is dependent
on the other fellow. When he sells his
pork, beef or butter he does not set
the price he asks how much he will
give; if he buys anything, he asks
the price which is set by the other
fellow.
Another great evil was the manu-
facture of bogus butter. In st. Louis |
alone $4,000 pounds per month were
made and if they came to grief 9th
ers in the combination came to their !
aid They were organized and able |
to resist or evade the law. What the !
farmer needs is organization and CO.
operation, trus cooperation that will |
cooperate. Men that are willing to |
compromise this cooperation should |
begin in the home, but here it did |
not always work, and sometimes
compromise comes hard.
He regarded the Grange, if prop
erly managed, as help to farmers !
and advocated farmers raising their
own grain, stating that Vermont
could raise more corn to the acre
than any western State, and that a
Mr.. Brewer in the southern part of
the State had raised 100 bushels to
the acre. The amount per acre de-
pended more on the method than the
location.
Great stress should be laid on ru-
raj education, of which the mother
was the great educator.
Prof. Washburn spoke of different
feeds but expressed a great dislike
to molasses feed.
He said education was the great
thing, but that the best definition of
education was given by the Irishman
who said that education was that
which puts a man onto his Job.
He urged cooperation and closed
by saying cooperation was the key
note of success.
Prof. Washburn held the audiences
close attention and after the meet
Ing was surrounded by a knot of
farmers who drew more and more
information from the State official.
Suicide ut 20 Years.