Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-01-26


gradual incline, and this should lead |
to a cement vault. This will make |
possible greater cleanliness, and also
the husbanGine of every part of the
valuable fertilizing material. In his |
judgment the manure should be ap-
piled to the soil early, and shoul be |
worked in by the harrow from one to
three inches deep. As far as possible
it should be removed from the vault to
the field at frequent intervals, as the
3ss of ammonia from heat in the
vault viii! more than Offset that by
evaporation in the field.
Prof. Sanborn said that all plants
are made up of ID constituent differ
ent elements, 1 of which are absolute
ly essential to their growth. Of
these Ii elements most soils are def.
cient in Only three: nitrogen, potash
and phosphoric acid. By process of
experiments with commercial fertili-
zers any farmer can tell which of
these elements is most lacking on his
farm, and apply that, and so can come
to raise large crops, and no New
England farmer can afford to raise
small crops.
Prof. Sanborn said that fertilizers
were not mere stimulants but real
plant food, and should be used in
creasingly by Vermont farmers. But
they should be used in the hill or in
the drill very sparingly: the place
for fertilizers was broadcast over the
entire field, and then narrowed in
good shape.
Evening Session.
The first speaker of the evening
was D. II. Lamherton of Burlington,
he Of publicity fame. former editor,
and a schoolmaster of yore in Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut. Mr..
Iamberton was call there, and those
who know his avoirdupois know that
that is considerable. After lengthy
Introduction dealing with historic Pc
RODS in nature and the history of the
human race, he launched out into a
description of the common schools of
the day, criticising them unsparingly
and styling them as being adapted
for the classes rather than the mas
ses. To rescue them from their low
estate, and to lift them to usefulness
for the rural population he would re.
write the text books for their use
and cause them to have agricultural
rather than urban illustrations both
as regards cuts and examples, and
would have all subjects taught by the
New Schoolmsam" with reference
to their adaptation to farm work and
home life. In this way, rather than by
a scientific agricultural curriculum,
Mr.. LambertOn maintained that the
common schools would ere lorg do
more for Agriculture and the agricul-
tural classes than any other one force,
and would transform farm, lif MAX
Ia, i G.
Following this Col. Rouderbush
again took the floor and gave a snap
py speech on corn and corn raising,
New England may be nearly IL not
quite doubled. And also how the Sc; .
sons for maturing corn may be ap
preciably shortened.
The first thing to do is to select
the seed, which should be secured on
| ones own farm. and not from a dis
lance, as corn is outbred and not in
bred. Seed should not be taken from
hills containing but one stalk, hut
| where there are three; nor adjacent
to stalk barren of ears. The half of
the STALL from which the corn is select
ed should be broad and green, and the
ear should be midway on the stalk.
Care in selecting the ears which have
no defects, which are full to the end,
and the like, will aid to gradual in
crease in the size of the crop. If one
| wishes to ripen the corn earlier the
way to do is to go early and mark the
ears ripening first, hut the shorter
the season for ripening the smaller
| the size of the ear. other things
equal. When husked the corn should
| be kept indoors, not outside, and
where extremes of temperature do
not eat away it's vitality. He himself
| kept his seed corn in loft over the
kitchen.
AS corn is a great nitrogen consun-
er it should be planted on a clover
soil. clover filling the soil with nitro
gen taken from the air. The sod
manure after cutting and in the ear
" warm months, and then 800 to 400
pounds of commercial fertilizer when
the soil is plowed the next spring
| All commercial fertilizers should
| be sown broadcast. Col Rouderbush
maintained, as, if put in drill or hill,
they kept the roots there instead of
| leading them to branch out and get
more nourishment and water as would
be necessary when the fertilizer is
sown broadcast.
The corn should be planted in deep
drills and covered lightly. This will
ensure early and sure termination
| and will avoid the necessity for high
chilling" He cultivates it from six
to ten times, and until the ears are
about the size for roasting. In this
way he keeps down the weeds, and
also increases the fertility of the soil
by constantly stirr'nr it. Tillage
alone is as good as fertilization with
out tillage. The corn should be plant
ed in rows three feet eight inches
apart, and with three stalks in a hill,
if hills are used; otherwise single
stalks IA inches apart. This method
will, in time, assure New England as
large crops as any section of the coun.
| try, and will enablethe Vermont farm
er to be independent of his western
brethren. and to so fill his cribs with
ears and his silos with silage as to
line his pockets with greenbacks.
| The last speech on the program
| Was on sExtpnsiVe Intensive Farm