60 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



VEBMONT STATE AGKICUIiTUBAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The annual meeting of this society was held 

 in Rutland, Jan. 2d, President J. W. Colbum 

 in the chair. The treasurer's report shows 

 $2015.00 surplus receipts sifter deducting ex- 

 penses paid for the year, and $8094.15 now in 

 the treasury. Resolutions in favor of protec- 

 tion of the wool-growing interest to the extent 

 of the House tariflf bill were passed. The fol- 

 lowing officers were elected : 



President — John Gregory, Northfield. 



Vice-Presidents — Henry Keyes, Newbury ; Henry 

 G. Root, Bennington ; Henry S. Morse, Shelburne ; 

 Victor Wright, Middlebury. 



Treaszirer — Joseph W. Colbum, Smithfield. 



Secretary/ — Henry Clark, Rutland. 



Board of Directors — Edwin Hammond, Middle- 

 bury ; Win. R. Sanford, Orwell ; George Campbell, 

 Westminster; Elijah Cleaveland, Coventry; Hen- 

 ry Hayward, Clarendon; Henry B. Kent, Dorset; 

 Wm. Q. Brown, Fairhaven; N. B. Safford, Wliite 

 River Junction ; Crosby Miller, Pomfret ; Law- 

 rence Brainard, Jr., St. Albans ; David Goodall, 

 Brattlcboro ; Henry Chase, Lyndon ; Henry Boyn- 

 ton, Woodstock; Pitt W. Hyde, Hydeville; E. S. 

 Stowell, Cornwall; James A Shedd, Burlington. 



Hon. Joseph W. Colbum, the retiring Pres- 

 ident, was invited to deliver the address at the 

 next annual meeting of the Society. He also 

 presented a memorial to Congress which was 

 unanimously adopted. 



Hon. Edwin Hammond was elected a mem- 

 ber of the National Wool-Growers' Association, 

 and the Society accepted the provisions of the 

 legislature, changing the name of the Society 

 to the "Vermont State Agricultural Society 

 and Wool-Growers' Association." 



Our cattle reporter informs us that he has not 

 heard of any being bought for this purpose, as 

 yet, either at Brighton or Cambridge. 



"Feeding." — The farmers of the Connecti 

 cut valley have been in the habit of buying 

 oxen in the fall which were only in fair, thrifty 

 condition, and feeding out to them not only their 

 own surplus grain, but buying western com in 

 large quantities. One of the great items of 

 profit from this course is the rich manure which 

 is thus produced. Last faU these feeders paid 

 as high as 14c. per lb. for much of their stock. 

 After feeding on meal through the winter, and 

 transforming these "stores" into the celebrated 

 "River cattle," the market had so declined that 

 these fanners were obliged to sell at a less 

 price per pound than they gave. Those who 

 fed sheep suffered greater losses even than 

 those who fed cattle. In consequence of these 

 reverses, and also in consequence of the great 

 advance in the price of corn, we understand 

 that but very few of these River farmers will 

 feed either cattle or sheep the coming winter. 



For the New England Farmer. 



FIRST AGRICUIiTURAL FAIR AT 

 CHESTER, N. H. 



Mr. Editor : — Thoughts, like seeds, sprout, 

 but often wither away through neglect, or a 

 barren soil. Yet, by digging into the soil and 

 turning it over and over to the sun and air, the 

 earth may at last be so enriched that the feelile 

 roots are enabled to draw sufficient nourish- 

 ment to force the buds into shoots, and, in 

 time, by constant labor and watchfulness, such 

 as pinching in, pruning, and spading up the 

 soil, it attains its growth and greets the eye 

 with its fi'uits. 



A few years since, in this town, some indi- 

 viduals endeavored to plant a seed called 

 '■'■Agricultural Society,'''' and thought it would 

 grow, even if it were not watched and pro- 

 tected, and as is too often the case when trans- 

 planting a seedling from the nursery, either 

 owing to the mental soil of this town at that 

 time, or lack of energy on the part of those 

 who planted the seed, it grew feebly and at 

 last apparently died, — a death called " .5me 

 die." But this fall, about the middle of Octo- 

 ber, to the surprise of those who planted the 

 seed, and amazement of those who would not, 

 or did not, assist in keeping the feeble plant 

 from pining away, it started out anew and grew 

 rapidly into a tree, which bore such a great 

 abundance, and so large a variety, as almost to 

 endanger the branches ! But the inhabitants 

 of the town, seeing its danger, rallied to its 

 support, and with the aid of tables, benches, 

 settees, cord and t'svine, so secured its brittle 

 limbs that the fruit hung on, and ripened to 

 the satisfaction of all interested. 



I have heard it said, that if the farmers of this 

 town Avill keep up their energy, with the 

 aid of God, and the ladies of this town, — who, 

 by the way, are never backward in a good 

 cause, or niggardly of their time, — it will 

 again display its fiiiits, even if it takes the 

 Town Hall and horse sheds to hold it ! What 

 is most astonishing about the tree, is, that it 

 only required eight or ten days to stir the earth 

 about its roots, before it blossomed and ripened 

 the fruit ! The blossoms were but few, yet by 

 a miracle its fruit was so abundant as to fill the 

 Town Hall, and barely afford room for the as- 

 tonish(!d visitors to look and express their 

 gi-atitudc. And that the names of those who 

 so readily came forward to its support may not 

 be lost, I pray you to find room in your widely 

 circulating journal, not only for their names, 

 but also lor the wonderful variety of fruits, 

 flowers, grain and vegetables ; and last, but 

 not least, the nccdle-work and drawings that 

 were wrap[)ed around its trunk, lor its future 

 support and protection from the chilling winds 



