162 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
VERMONT FARMING. 
We are indebted to Mr. J. P. Fairbanks for a copy 
of the Caledenian, containing- the statement of Mr. Ful¬ 
ler, who obtained the second premium for the best man¬ 
aged farm, from the Caledonia county (Vt.) Agricultu¬ 
ral Society. Mr. Fuller's chief attention is given to gra¬ 
zing and the dairy, his farm not being, as he says, -well 
adapted to cultivation. He appears to be a good farmer, 
and his course of management is undoubtedly in many 
respects worthy of imitation by others in similar circum¬ 
stances. 
What land he tills, is broken up from the sward in au¬ 
tumn, and sowed the next spring with oats; the stubble 
plowed in soon after taking otf the crop, the next spring 
manured and planted with potatoes. The third season it 
is sowed to wheat, and seeded down with ten to twelve 
pounds clover-seed, and four to six quarts herds grass, 
(Timothy ?) to the acre. He states that within two or 
three years, he has found the furrows of green sward 
which laid one against the other at an angle of forty-five 
degrees, produce a much better crop of oats than when 
turned over flat. He does not particularly inform us in 
regard to the nature of his soil, but from the remark that 
it is better adapted to grazing than to cultivation, we sup¬ 
pose that it is rather moist and heavy. If this is the case, 
it would account in some degree for the advantage of the 
mode of laying the furrows which is spoken of. 
Breeding stock. —In regard to the question whether cat 
tie can be best improved by foreign blood, or by atten¬ 
tion in selecting from the native breed, Mr. Fuller gives 
a decided preference to the latter mode; and observes 
that were two or three farmers in each town in the coun 
ty to turn their attention to the matter, the object would 
soon be accomplished; whereas by the other ’'course, he 
thinks “half a century may elapse before any think like 
a general improvement is effected.” The grounds for 
the opinion thus so positively expressed, Mr. Fuller does 
not give us; but we should think a very extensive expe 
rience and observation were necessary to justify so broad 
an assumption. He does not tell us what trials he has 
made, or has seen made, with particular breeds, or their 
crosses, which it is important to know before we can 
judge of the correctness of his opinion. An experiment 
with a single animal, or with two or three animals, by 
no means proves the character of a whole race or breed; 
much less does an experiment with one “ imported 
breed,” prove any thing in regard to the character or use¬ 
fulness of other breeds. As to the lapse of “ half a cen¬ 
tury” being required “before any thing like a general 
improvement is effected,” we will just remark that W’e 
could point to hundreds of cases where a great and ack¬ 
nowledged improvement has been made in a single gen¬ 
eration of stock; and what is the insuperable obstacle to 
such improvement becoming “ general” in Jive years in¬ 
stead of fifty ? Let all the best bulls in the country be so 
disposed of that they may be used to the best advantage, 
and we are much mistaken if a “general improvement” 
is not effected and admitted in the time we have men¬ 
tioned. 
In saying this, we would by no means discourage im- 
provemenis by selections from the best of the common 
stock, especially where better animals can be had than 
are offered by the imported breeds. Mr. Fuller’s course 
for example, has been attended with advantages, though 
we can perceive no evidence that he has effected greater 
improvement than could have been attained by proper 
crosses with some imported breeds. His principles, so 
far as any are given, for breeding dairy stock, are un- 
doubtedly good. He says, “ care should be taken that 
the mother of the bull should possess all the qualifica¬ 
tions of a good cow.” He gives his mode of rearing 
calves, which appears to us to be economical; while at 
the same time, the results show that his stock are not on¬ 
ly well managed and cared for, but from the size they at¬ 
tain at an early age, and the butter obtained from the 
cows, they must also be of good blood. His calves are 
taught to drink when two days old, ami for eight weeks 
are allowed seven quarts of milk per day. For two or 
three weeks afterward, they are allowed a less quantity, 
wY»en they are weaned and turned into good pasture, with 
salt always by them. When the potatoes are being gath¬ 
ered in the following fall, the calves are let into the lot, 
where they soon learn to eat this vegetable. The fol¬ 
lowing winter they are each fed with a quart of potatoes 
per day till spring. By this method he says he has “ne¬ 
ver failed of having 2 year old steers that would girt 
from 6 to 6^ feet the fall after they were two years old. 
Live weight from 20 to 23 cwt.” 
We cannot avoid calling particular attention to the di¬ 
mensions and w-eight of these steers. The girth, though 
not extraordinary, shows good steers for that age; but the 
weight in proportion to the girth is wonderful! We 
know not what may be the peculiar shape or proportions 
of these cattle, but from twelve to fifteen hundred is as 
great a live weight as we ever heard of in animals of the 
girth given. Again, what would be the dressed weight 
of such cattle ? Ordinarily, the dead weight of cattle of 
the girth he mentions, would not exceed 675 to 875 lbs., 
hide and tallow included. But the usual dead weight 
from as great live weight as he mentions, “ 20 to 23 
cwt.,” is not less than 1350 to 1550 pounds. Mr. Camp¬ 
bell's prize ox, which was slaughtered in this city in 
Feb. last, weighed alive only 2546 pounds, yet he girth¬ 
ed, by our own measurement, nine feet, and w r eighed, as 
we stated in our last, 2102 lbs. in beef, hide, and tallow. 
Is there not some mistake in Mr. Fuller’s calculation 
about the weight of his two year old steers ? 
Produce of butter per coiv fyc —Mr. Fuller states that 
he has never given his cows meal or roots, “ worth nam¬ 
ing,” but for ten or fifteen years past, they have av¬ 
eraged 200 pounds of butter from each cow. Has had 
cow r s which in the month of June would give 52 pounds 
of milk per day for one week, but considers 30 pounds a 
good yield. He has made from one cow, in the month 
of July, sixteen and a half pounds of butter per week— 
the cow being fed only on grass, and allowed salt. He 
milks his hows early in the morning, and between five 
and six o’clock in the afternoon, they are milked again. 
In summer, he never yards his cows. Much of’his pas¬ 
ture has never been plowed, and he doubts whether 
plowing would improve it. 
Address to the Addison county (Vt.) Ag. Society, by 
the President, S. H. Jenison. This is a valuable docu¬ 
ment, containing sound practical remarks, and much sta¬ 
tistical information in reference to the agriculture of that 
section. We have not room for an extended notice, or 
for long extracts, but would call attention to one or two 
important facts mentioned in reference to stock. He ob¬ 
serves that the excellent grazing qualities of the soil of 
Addison county,, have been long known. It would seem 
from what is stated, that the herbage was believed to 
possess some peculiar qualities, for Mr. J. states he has 
“heard it remarked that the butchers of Brighton could 
distinguish by the appearance and feel, the fat cattle from 
this part of Vermont, from those in market from other 
places, and that cattle from this part of the State, of the 
same apparent flesh, had always the preference, opening 
better, having a greater quantity of tallow, and beef of 
superior quality and flavor.” If there was no mistake 
about the superiority of these cattle having been as obvi¬ 
ous as represented, was it not attributable in a good de¬ 
gree to the breed ? This seems probable, as we are in¬ 
formed by Mr. Jenison, that about the period alluded to, 
“improved breeds of cattle were introduced into various 
parts of the county by public spirited individuals.” And 
in reference to the benefits of the introduction of this 
stock, he observes “ every neighborhood can even now 
furnish a trace of it. I am aware,” (he continues,) 
“ that some are strongly biased against improved stock; 
but I venture the assertion that, where a favorite individ¬ 
ual is found, could the pedigree be traced, in most instan¬ 
ces you would not go many removes back before you 
would run against some one of the imported, improved 
breeds.” 
Cotton Beds. —In relation to the article on cotton 
beds, which appeared in the Dec. Cultivator, the Louis¬ 
ville Journal says—“Cotton beds are becoming very 
much used in steam-boats on the western rivers, and are 
considered superior to any but hair.” 
