Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-11-10
AGRICULTURAL NOTES
Agent A. W. Sweeton Reports on
Activities for Month of October
Would Develop Producing Cows-Bet-
ter than Depending on Uncertain
Boston Milk Market.

bOSbOu MILK udlktD.
In his monthly News Letter for Octo-
Der County Agricultural Agent A. W.
Sweeton of Brattleboro reviews the ac-
tivities for the month and makes some
valuable suggestions, besides giving
some interesting notes. The more i'm
portant parts of the letter, not already
covered in news reports, are given here
with.
National Dairy Showroom figures
received from our town directors we
would Judge that about $50 attended
the National Dairy show at Springfield,
Mass, from Windham county. We are
very much pleased that so many found
it possible to attend this splendid show
of dairy cattle and other attractions.
1t was great sight to see the beauti-
full prize-winning animals that were
paraded about the arena of the colse
UNI, but those who attended from our
great dairy state must have felt a lit
tie bit sorry not see more winners from
Vermont. Our near neighbors, the
Mount Hermon school, made an excel
lent record there, but the winners from
this state were very few.
The Vermont tent held some first
rate exhibits, but the exhibit as a
i whole was altogether too small to give
Z true impression of Vermont s agri-
!. cultural activities aud the quality of
her agricultural prosluets. 4, The Maple.
!. Sugar Makers association had very
Z attractive exhibit of maple products,
and did very fine piece of advertising
work. In one corner of the tent was
small counter where maple sugar and
maple cream were sold at a nominal
price. Mogens Tolstrup, field agent for
the Vermont department of markets,
had charge of this and great pains were
taken to see that each purchaser knew
that he was buying Vermont sugar,
and that he was informed as to where
he could get more of these products
later when his palate called for more
of the delicious sweets. This feature
was so successful that it was impossi-
BILE to get enough sugar to anywhere
near satisfy the demand. Five hundred
pounds of sugar were disposed of in
this way in an hour and half on Mon
day, and 1000 pounds during the show,
but in spite of this there was great
number of inquiries for more
The National Dairy show was a great
source of inspiration and we hope that
the officials will be so well satisfied
with results this year that they will
decide to hold it in Springfield next
time
Prevent 1917 Grasshopper Infesta-
tions.-lf you have been troubled with
grasshoppers this summer, we urge you
look over the fields which were in
tested and locate the breeding grounds
and then pillow those fields this fall
being sure to disc them over either
this fall or very early next spring.
For breeding grounds the hoppers
select welldrained field, where the
soil is sandy or light sandy loan, and
which has been in sod for some time.
Run-out sod lands are especially favor
able for these breeding grounds. The
eggs are laid in these fields from the
middle to the last of the summer. They
are placed in clusters or sacks an inch
to an inch and half under the sur
face. Here they remain until they are
Matched by the warm sunshine around
the middle of the following May, but
depending somewhat on the season. If
these eggs are plowed under in the fall
or very early in the spring and har-
rOwed over so that there are no places
where the hoppers can get up between
the burrows most of the grasshopper
troubles will be ended. If you were
troubled this season, you will be on the
safe side and save yourself trouble an
other season if you will first seed all
the land which was cultivated in 1876 |
then pillow a little more than usual for
corn, and lastly, plow as much more as
possible of the breeding grounds and
SOW them to oats and peas TO be cut
for hay and take the place of the hay
which might have been expected if
there were no hoppers. If you cannot
pillow all of the possible breeding
grounds, pillow as much as you can and
reduce the crop of hoppers and the
area which will need to be gone over
with the poison bait next spring.
Plow this fan and don t put it off
until next spring. A little attention to
this now may save you a good many
dollars.
Boston Milk Market. The strike
called by the New England milk pro
ducers on October ! extended to Wind
ham county and since that time milk
producers in East Putney and West
minister have held back their milk from
the Boston market until the dealers
would pay the increase in price de.
manded by the producers association.
Formerly car of milk was picked up
on the Boston & Maine between Brat
tleboro and Bellows Falls, but since
the strike the amount had been reduced
to one half car. The few producers
around BrattlebOro have failed to CO.
operate with the New England Produc-
ers' association and are sending their
milk at the old price. Those who went
out have held firm and sent their cream
to the Amherst creamery ever since
This is not quite as satisfactory as it
would be if they were following this
system permanently and had the right
sized separators to handle this milk
quickly and had calves and pigs to take
the skim milk
We hope to see our dairy farmers cot
a fair price for their products. We are
inclined to believe, however, that the
matter should be figured pretty care
fully before our producers go back to
shipping milk to Boston at the old
prices. They should consider that dairy
cows are bringing record prices, which