196 [Senate 



My potatoes never have been affected by the rot, the general yield 

 has been 300 bushels per acre ; the two seasons past the crop was 

 light, owing to the dry weather. The large variety of red clover and 

 timothy are the only grasses that I cultivate. 



The average stock on the farm for several years past, has been 

 eight horses, fifteen head of neat cattle, from thirty to forty hogs, and 

 from two hundred and fifty to three hundred sheep. 



At present, have a yoke of oxen, six cows, and twelve head of 

 young cattle, principally Devon ; have not tested their relative 

 value by weight or measure, but am satisfied that they yield more 

 profit for the food they consume than any other breed of cattle in 

 this section ; only make butter and cheese sufficient for our own use ; 

 raise four or six calves annually. 



Have nine horses, five of them Cleveland bays, which I consider 

 the most valuable for farming purposes, also two blood mares ; they 

 are excellent breeders, but are rather fine in the bone for hard ser- 

 vice; the other two horses are of common breed. 



At present 250 sheep, two-thirds of them pure Merinoes, the others 

 a cross with the New Leicester and Merinoes ; the fine wool generally 

 averages 3| pounds per fleece, and the cross bloods 4h pounds per 

 fleece ; generally have 80 brood ewes, that raise the same number of 

 lambs, which are generally reared ; lambs when sold to the butchers, 

 bring from eight to ten shillings per head, and fat weathers and dry 

 ewes, bring from twenty to thirty shillings per head. 



This season have 35 hogs, which are here known as the Leicester and 

 Byfield cross ; they are pure white, fine boned and easily fattened ; 

 frequently kill them at twelve months old, which' weigh when dressed, 

 from 200 to 250 pounds, at eighteen months old they average 

 from 300 to 350 pounds ; generally feed my hogs with potatoes and 

 mill feed, and finish with, corn, cook by boiling all the food for fatting 

 hogs ; have not made any pork for market the past three years ; 

 formerly fatted from thirty to forty per annum ; at present sell the 

 surplus swine on foot lean. 



Never have tested the relative value of roots and grain for feeding 

 by actual weight, but am convinced that cooked potatoes are the 

 cheapest food for feeding swine, and that Swedish turneps, sugar 

 beets or mangel-wurtzels, are the most valuable for neat stock, and 

 especially to grain growers who have abundance of straw ; carrots are 

 the most profitable as extra feed for horses in winter ; the large sugar 



