68 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ashes and lime thrown upon the loam. After thoy have uaed this for a month, 

 it becomes excellent manure for the garden, orchard or field, and should be 

 removed for that purpose. 



The yard should be seeded with English grasses. Ample provision ought 

 to be made for their nests. This may be best accomplished by cutting holes 

 through the fence, and placing on the outside of the inclosure boxes with 

 holes to correspond, made with moveable covers. In this way the eggs may 

 be more easily taken out, and when a hen wants to set, the communication 

 with the yard may be effectually prevented by placing a board over the aper- 

 ture and raising the lid, so tliat she can step out at pleasure, without being 

 annoyed by others laying eggs in her nest. 



For laying hens, a constant supply of oats is recommended, not that they 

 will do well on oats alone, but should be fed with crumbs from the table, 

 pieces of fresh meat and fish, sour milk, egg shells, broken crockery, oyster 

 and clam-shells, well pounded up, and gravel, unless it is contained in the 

 yard or in the loam. 



For fatting hens, corn and bean meal, in the proportion of one peck of 

 beans to one bushel of corn, or peas instead of beans will make a good diet. 



Mr. Chamberlain, for committee on ninth topic, reported as fol- 

 lows on the 



Culture of Buckwheat. 



The Committee commend this crop to the favorable attention of farmers, 

 briefly, from these considerations : This grain is a wholesome and nutritious 

 food for man and beast. It is adapted to our soil and climate, and succeeds 

 well, giving fair returns in each section of the State. On the poorer soils, 

 where the other and usually cultivated crops cannot be grown, it is especially 

 successful. From the trifling cost for seed, this crop becomes a cheap fertil- 

 izer when turned under before ripening. 



In 1850 the value of this grain returned in this State was $104,000. In 

 1860 it had increased to $340,000. This gain is in part through increased 

 farm operations on our northern and eastern borders, but not wholly in that 

 direction, as it has, during the last decade, been adopted in older settlements, 

 where its claims had not before been recognized, and where it retains a place 

 on the best conducted farms. 



The rough seed variety is now preferred, as being less subject to blight on 

 the more fertile lands, and equally productive on the poorer soils. When 

 sown to plow in green as a manure, in the preparation of land for succeeding 

 crops, the smooth seed variety is best, as it gives a larger amount of foliage. 



Mr. Chamberlain presented the following preamble and resolve, 



which were adopted : 



Whereas, A knowledge of facts is the only safe basis either of private enter- 

 prise or of legislation, therefore 



Resolved, That this Board once more renew its oft-repeated recommenda- 

 tion to the Legislature, to adopt some efiicient system by means of which 

 reliable statistics of the agriculture of the State may bo obtained. 



On motion of Mr. Cargill, it was voted to raise a committee to 

 confer with the Legislative Committee on Agriculture, with a view 

 to the adoption of measures for the encouragement of sheep hus- 

 bandry, by a tax on dogs or other suitable means. 



Arguments and statistics bearing on this branch of industry were 

 presented at some length by Messrs. Wassou, Cargill, Rogers, 

 Dill, Martin and Jewett. 



