12G STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



they distorted the growth of the hoof and produced a decay of the interior 

 bone of the hoof which extended from the toe upwards. lie exliibited speci- 

 mens which revealed a groove deep enough to coutahi half the linger, lie 

 found that horse-shoers, as a class, had set notions of their business. They 

 considered that they had learned their trade and resented anything that looked 

 like advice. Few of them had correct ideas of the structure and anatomy of 

 the horse's hoof, and most of them i)ersistently worked against nature in their 

 shoeing operations. lie had proposed to tiie horse-shoers of Detroit to form au 

 association for mutual improvement, and volunteered, if they would do so, 

 that he would lecture to them weekly for a year, without cliarge, upon matters 

 connected Avith horse flesh. But the association was not formed, lie had read 

 in the Free Press, in a report of the farmers' Institute at Rockford, that Dr. 

 Fraser advocated a flat, level shoe, without calks, lie quite agreed with him 

 iu the principle and had urged it for the last thirty years, having fully ex- 

 pressed himself in a work on the subject published many years ago. Dr. Jen- 

 uing insisted that the bearing of the shoe should be perfectly level ; that a 

 straight edge laid upon the inside should touch flatly all through. The natu- 

 ral sliape of the horse's hoof and the way in which it rests upon the ground is 

 a sufiicieut guide. He also condemned the useless trimming of the hoof and 

 deprecated tlie cutting of the frog, an operation which was extremely injurious. 

 A healthy hoof could not be foundered, no matter how the animal was 

 treated. A healthy hoof "was not necessarily shapely, but it was elastic and 

 sound, not hard and rigid. 



Robert McKay, Esq., of Bruce, gave au address on 



FARMING AS COMPARED AVITII OTHER OCCUPATIONS. 



Iu this paper a comparison was made between farming and other industries, 

 greatly to the advantage of the former. Mr. McKay lauded the pursuit of farm- 

 ing and gave high praise to farmers as the conservative element in the country. 

 The honor and welfare of the nation to a large degree rested upon the farmers. 

 Mr. McKay expressed himself very decidedly in favor of farms of not less than. 

 160 acres of laud. Occupations might change, indeed did change, and some 

 trades of a hundred years ago had entirely disappeared, but the tilling of the 

 soil would continue until the end. 



DISCUSSION. 



R. G. Baird could not agree with the necessity for such large farms, however 

 desirable they might be. Nor did he think it best for all the "boys to settle 

 around home." In fact he thought it better for all concerned that tliey should 

 "scatter." It was better for their growth and prosperity, better for the old 

 folks, too, always supposing the children to be the right kind of "boys;" that 

 is, sound, sober, energetic, honest and intelligent. 



J. Webster Childs opposed the 160 acre idea. It would do well for the " boyj" 

 to begin as best he might upon forty acres if he could get so much, but if not 

 upon less. At the same time, as a business interest, it must be admitted that 

 160 acres were necessary to good success, and the larger the farm, with intelli- 

 gent culture, the greater would be the returns. He did not think that farmers 

 would become millionaires ; it was not desirable, perhaps. But there was no 

 class of people who stood uj^on the independent ground of the farmer; no class 

 who had fewer perplexities and conflicts with other business men. 



Mr. Adams, of Rochester, thought that professional men — the doctors and 

 the ministers — were usually the narrow men. They were confined to "pathies" 



