The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-02
8srmont Matttlmatt.
WHAT A YOUNG FARMER DID.


A recent number OF the New Eng
land Homestead contains a most in
teresting story of the experiences OF
a graduate of New England agri-
cultural college, which should be of
value to many Vermonters. The
young man found himself in posses
sion of New England sidehill farm
of 140 acres, situated in narrow
valley. The cultivated land was in the
valley, while the hillsides were oc-
cupied by pasture and woodland. The
buildings were not in the best of con-
dition and the stock consisted of three
fairly good COWS, two or three head
of young cattle, about 40 small Mer-
inc sheep and a pair of small horses.
The farm did not produce enough to
feed this amount OF stock.
In three years time the young man
had increased his stock to "a head of
cattle and three horses and raised
sufficient forage for these animals.
The owner thinks that in five years the
stock on the farm may be increased to
30 or 80 head without the necessity
of buying forage.
The young farmer began in the fall
with a working capital of $6.16. His
first step was to cut some old hem
lock trees and with the lumber he
built silo inside the barn. The
sheep were sold and more cows were
purchased. One horse was sold and
pair of heavy horses purchased. He
also secured cream separator and
by employing the BabcocK test was
able to weed out the Improbable
cows. The second year another silo
was built, the material costing about
$45
The tillable land consisted of about
30 acres of a gravelly clay loan,
steep and stony. A system of crop ro-
tation was decided upon, the plan be-
ing two years of corn, of which part
was for the silo, followed by barley
or oats, and then three years in
grass. Ten acres was put into corn
five acres into small grains, and fifteen
acres into grass. The corn land was
manured as we'll as possible and
about 900 pounds Of high grade fertil-
izer per acre was applied in the hill
No fertilizer was applied to the small
grains and the land was stocked with
a mixture of clover, timothy, and red.
top. Land that had yielded less thar
half a ton of hay per acre in some
cases yielded from two and one-hal
to three tons. The writer says:
Every little corn or meal was
bought, and it was intended to buy
none at all as soon as the soil was
in fair condition for it was the writ
er's firm conviction that corn coult
be grown in New England cheaper
than it could be bought. The corr
was ground at the local mill, cob ant
all, the ears having been picked il
the field and the stalks cut into tn,
silo. White Sanford corn formed the
bulk of the crop.
1T must be confessed that in spite
of the results obtained there wer,
discouraging features connected will
this building up of neglected farm
nevertheless it was demonstrated tina
it would respond to treatment Thu
profits from the farm paid for only ;
part of the improvements and increas
ed livestock. The three years of la
Dor seemingly got things moving, anC
as one looks back it is with a feeling
that substantial start has beer
made.
This is a short chapter of persona
experience; of what actually happen
ed. Let the farmer place his mail
dependence on a good rotation o
crops, of which corn and clover form
the principal parts, silo and profit
able COWS. Then raise corn and clover
and feed it to COWS and make more
manure to grow more corn and Glove,
and make still more manure to grow
still more corn and clover; and out o
this will come increased fertility ant
value of the land and increasing dol
lars, and most of all greater salts
faction to the farmer
This is a story in no way unreason
able, and is reproduced here in thu
hope that it may encourage some Yer
mont farmer, young or old, to attemp
to develop some worn out farm, o
Intelligent methods, industry and pa
thence will accomplish wonders. Ther'
is great future for the Vernon
farmer who will employ the methods
which brought success to the writel
of the Homestead article.
REACTIONARY INSURGENTS.