Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-04-09

be characterized as the silo period Of
Orleans county agriculture. Sheldon
Miller Of the class OF 1914 at the Uni
VersIty OF Vermont states in his Sc
Nor thesis that 1870 Of the farms of
the county have silos and about TIC
OF the corn raised is put into silos.
A great need IS presented by this
condition of affairs to the scientific
agrlculturist Of Northern United
States The benefits of the silo are
being realized in these northern re-
glons, yet there Is no variety of corn
thoroughly adapted to the climate.
The county agent has been doing ex-
ceIlent work in testing various vari-
cites of corn for silage purposes, the
greatest opportunity apparently lying
IN finding better strains of corn for
the valleys and other silage crops
where corn will not mature.
Maple Sugar and Syrup.
Orleans and Franklin counties lead
the state in the production of maple
goods, producing $40 of all that is
made IN Vermont. Franklin has a
greater production, Orleans reports
the most trees tapped. In Orleans the
average yield was 10 pounds per tree
IN 1899, good average production
The seventh report of the state com
missioner OF agriculture shows 6l2,
S14 trees available and not tapped.
Since the better trees are tapped at
present II : not safe 70 assume a
WELD Of 10 pounds from these trees
# they were tapped. vet a Weld of / >
pounds al Zoe per pound would mean
an added income TO the county Of
So. 1872, a sum that would add appreci-
ably 10 the scanty labor income Of
many farms.
The Potato.
The crop producing the greatest
gross income IS the potato, one Of the
BEST cash crops the farmer can raise.
With the average yield of IT'S bu. per
acre Orleans exceeds the state ave
rage by 20 bu., and approaches
Names record yield.
With this record as a basis upon
which to act there Is no reason why
Orleans county should not become as
great potato-grOwing section as
ArOOstOOk Of Maine. Mr.. Brigham
Is enthusiastic over the prospect of
the potato in Vermont and saws. Il do
not believe there is a more promising
opening for our Vermont farmers
than to go into this seed potato bust
ness" adding, ''all the difficulty is in
the human factor" His observations
apply with especial fitness to the Or
| leans county region, which statistics
show to be perfectly adapted to the
production of this crop. AS Mr..
| Brigham points out, we have the
market and we can raise potatoes ex-
celled by none-all that we need is a
| concerted cooperative action of the
| growers.
Apples.
One of Vermont's profitable crops
which is possibly the best advertised
of any excepting the maple sugar of
the Green Mountains, is the apple A
glance at the table will suffice to
show that the county under consider
| alton is not prominent in the produc-
| ton of fruits. Many of the best COM
merclal varieties, as the Baldwin and
the Greening, will not survive the
/ rigorous winters and the large
| healthy orchards so common in other
parts of the state are not found here.
| Blight Is very common and little at
! tempt is made to limit its ravages
The county reports over loo trees,
though there is little interest in or
charding among the people. James P.
Taylor of the Greater Vermont asso-
citation complained of this while con-
Quoting an apple survey of the state
=
Orleans county were slow in coming
in and only a few correspondents re-
| ported. There is reason to believe
that an orchard of hardy varieties
would be profitable investment If it
were given the care that producing
orchards of Addison, Bennington or
Grand Isle counties are given, yet
such an undertaking would contain
too large an element of risk to make
-
Newport had q large orchard at Der
by and advocated extensive planting
of hardy varieties. He was one of
the pioneer orchardists of the county
during the period when many new and
hardy varieties were being imported
from Russia and Central Asia. Many
of these were tried out at Derby II
his extensive orchards.
Diversity.
The matter of diversity is more
j properly a study Of the individual
farm. II a farmer refuses to accept
, all the opportunities for increasing
. his income that are offered to him his
| business viii not be as successful a.
| | il otherwise would. As a whole the
: county offers a wide variety OF
. products and apparently is adapted II
all kinds of stock raising
! The table below, table 13, shows the
I sources from which the gross farm
J income is derived. Il is seen thai
dairy products amount to $3.50 anc
. dairy products and the sale of animal!
; / to $50 of the total income, Will.
{ these two are the only sources of in
come in excess of 5000. Experienc'
: has shown that the most profitable
: dairy farms are those that have sew
: eral products bringing in 800 o,
. more per year. The Orleans Farm
. Survey is authority for the following
] From this comparison it is eviden
: that the labor incomes of the arei