VERMONT DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 8l 



three years. They have made me a handsome profit. Yet my neighbors 

 tell me I am not pratcical. 



Here is a conversation between one of them and myself: "Hoard, 

 how much did this ventilation cost you to put in?"' "Three hundred and 

 fifty dollars." "Gracious, you can't afford any such money as that on 

 a herd of cows just for air. It ain't practical." "See here, my neigh- 

 bor: How much do you figure that this thing of pure air costs me?" 

 "Why, $350." "Oh, no, it costs me annually the interest on that sum. I 

 have loaned $350 to the herd of cows for this one thing. The interest on 

 that at 6 per cent, is $21. Look them over: note how bright, healthy 

 and efficient at the pail they are and then tell me if you don't think it 

 was a good loan?" Still, he shook his head and said, "It don't look 

 practical to me." 



You see, my neighbor could not comprehend this idea of loaning 

 money to the cows or to the farm, even if it paid three times six per 

 cent, interest. Was he practical? But to skin it out of the farm and loan 

 it to a neighbor, that would be practical. Do such men have the first 

 true idea of the meaning of the word "Practical?" 



Now, it seems to me that the first thing a farmer ought to do is to 

 set to work to obtain a wise, broad judgment of the meaning of this 

 word. Such a judgment is needed very greatly, for a host of men are 

 misleading themselves with it. They turn their backs on the light 

 and say that is practical. Is darkness practical? They refuse to 

 exercise their own powers of mind; refuse to do what they can to 

 broaden their minds by better study on this thing we call "Agriculture." 

 the biggest, deepest thing in the world, and as true as you live they 

 call that condition of mind "practical." Is it? Here is the best definition 

 of the word I have ever seen: "Anything is practical that you can 

 profitably put in practice." 



A COVER CROP. 



For three years in September I have gone on to my corn ensilage 

 and stubble ground, with a disc harrow both ways, and sowed a 

 bushel and a half of rye on it as a cover crop for the winter and to plow 

 under in the spring. It has proved a grand investment in adding humus 

 to the soil, thus helping me out in every drouth. It tells on the crop of 

 corn or grain every time. If you try it, be sure to roll the land after it 

 is planted with corn in the spring, following the roller with a good 

 harrowing just before the corn is up. If grain is sown, roll after sowing 

 and follow with harrowing. We must put more humus into our soils. 

 This is practical. 



"WHAT IS A GOOD LAMP?" 



In that wonderful little book, "The Simple Life," occur these words: 

 "What is a good lamp? It is not the most elaborate, the finest 



wrought, that of the most precious metal. A good lamp is a lamp that 



gives good light." 



