Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-03-26

tvs participation in the war in men,
western ranges, the tariff manipula-
tions, the dog menace and diseases
and parasites. No attempt was made
to determine the losses from dogs, as
/ 1t was impossible to get accurate fig
ures. The table below shows that the
| decrease still continues steadily, indi-
| eating the seriousness of the situa-
/ ton. OF course this section has shown
an increased interest in the industry
within the last year or two, due to the
efforts of the government to encour-
age sheep raising in the East but
/ time only will tell ii it is a perma-
nent change. A recent bulletin of the
department of agriculture named the
! southern part of Orleans county as
one of the leading sheep raising areas
! of Vermont.
1860, 81 1898 sheep in Orleans county.
(U. S. Census)
! 1890, 27,038 sheep in Orleans county
(U. S. Census)
| 1910, 8,317 sheep in Orleans county
/ ~. S. Census)
! 1915, 3,148 sheep in Orleans county.
/ (Vt. Comm. Agr. 1879
! Orleans county has always claimed
/ the state and nearly every farm in
/ the prosperous farming regious has
/ large barns, though scientific modern
! barns are rare. It is a saying of the
village people of the county that the
farmers worship their big red
barns" A drive through the valley re-
gious previously mentioned and to the
prosperous hill towns will show many
farm structures without rivals. The
southern counties can show nothing
like the barns found in the northern
tier, Franklin, Orleans and Caledonia.
These barns are all tie three-storied
type with an upper floor from which
the hay is dropped into deep mows, a
feed floor and a stable below, and
manure cellar in the basement, where
the manure is stored, generally being
hauled to the fields twice a year.
These conditions necessarily have
their disadvantages. The high hay
floor and the driveway to it require a
greater expenditure to build, though
nearly all are built with lumber
grown on the farm. The manure Gel
lar is very economical of the manure,
and since the snow is too deep in win
ter for daily hauling, serves very well
in place of a pit for storage. On the
other hand it causes a very unsani-
tary condition in the unventilated
stables above, since an attempt is
made to keep the stable as warm as
| possible by excluding all air.
Little attempt is made to produce
/ high quality dairy goods The stables
are unventilated, the separator is gen
orally in a corner behind the COWS and
/ in most instances bad conditions are
! ignored if the farm does not produce
milk for the city market. The I'M
/ progressive farmers over the county
and farms in the poorer farming re-
gions of the hills still cling to the old
| low, foul barn with the manure pile
under the caves. These barns are
giving way rapidly to the better type
wherever the farm returns warrant
| the expense. Sanitary modern barns
with the best equipment and ade-
quate ventilation systems are rare in
the county.
Orleans occupies a position inter
mediate among the IA counties of the
state in agricultural lines. 1t is ex-
celled in most agricultural matters by
the prosperous counties of the level,
fertile Champlain valley, while on the
other hand it stands at the head of
| the group composed of the hilly coun-
ties of the Connecticut valley and the
midlands of the state. A glance at
| the accompanying figures will show
| that the county average follows close
| ly that of the state as whole.
| In total area it is sixth, being ex-
ceeded by Windsor, Rutland, Wind
ham, Addison and Washington, in
that order, and holds the same po-
sition in total improved area. Further
study of the per cent of improved
land reveals interesting facts. Grand
Isle leads far ahead with almost 1870
of improved land, while the other
Champlain valley counties addison,
Chittenden and Franklin) show a
high percentage, averaging 1880.
Caledonia and Orleans follow with
per cent just above the state aver
age, of 27.9To. All the Connecticut
counties, Lamoille, Rutland, Benning-
ton and Washington, are below the
average of the state. Another meth
cd of comparison is that of total val
ue of farm property. Here again Or
leans occupies sixth place, the four
Champlain counties and Windsor
leading.
These results show that the agri-
culture of Orleans county is holding
its own with the rest of the state and
that the county is a fair representa-
tive of rural Vermont. Sixth in area,
it is likewise sixth in total farm
wealth, and in total area of improved
land.