412 [Senate 



Mr. S. spoke briefly of the properties of different races — though 

 as the evening was far advanced, he could only give a general notice 

 of them. In general he thought the Devons were not good milkers. 

 Some breeders, however, had cultivated the milking property, and 

 had obtained Devons good for the dairy. He cited the stock of Mr. 

 Patterson, of Maryland, which had been obtained from the Earl of 

 Leicester, and his tenant, Mr. Bloomfield, as being of this character. 

 The milking qualities of the Short-horns that have been brought here, 

 as he had before said, had been very various. Mr. Heaton, of Throg's 

 Neck, Westchester county, imported some in 1793. They were 

 good milkers and a useful stock. The late Samuel Miles Hopkins, 

 esq., imported some to Cayuga county, which were also good, and 

 taking them for all purposes, he did not know that he had ever seen 

 better. The stock of the late Matthew Bullock were good milkers, 

 but many of them, especially of those bred in early times, had bad 

 constitutions, — they had narrow backs and big bones. The Herefords 

 were not formerly considered good milkers, but he thought they 

 had been latterly improved in this respect — a Hereford having re- 

 ceived the highest prize of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1839, 

 as the best cow for dairy purposes, in competition with the Durhams 

 and others. He had reen the Herefords of Messrs. Corning and So- 

 tham, and though he (Mr. Stevens) was a " Durham man," he must 

 say he liked them. Several of the cows in that herd showed good 

 developments for the diary. He could not say how the stock in gene- 

 ral might prove in this respect. If, as their advocates contend, 

 they are as good as others for dairy purposes ; they were certainly a 

 valuable stock, for he thought their properties for the yoke, and for 

 fattening, were unquestionable. 



Mr. Stevens made some remarks on the anatomy of cattle, of which 

 no notes were taken. 



Subject for discussion — " The proper state for cutting grass and 

 the best modes of making hay j with the proper time and manner of 

 seeding grass land." 



Mr Bement said he had formerly been in the habit of cutting timo- 

 thy grass quite late. It was much easier cured after it got pretty 

 ripe. But he found in using hay thus cut, that it wanted substance, 

 and he had ascertained that the best time for cutting: was while the 

 grass was in blossom. In making clover hay, he had adopted Judge 

 Buel's plan. He thought it best not to expose it much to the sun. 

 His practice was to cut it in the morning, let it lay till noon, and then 

 cock it, and let it sweat for two or three days according to the state 

 of the weather. On putting the hay in the barn, he had used about 

 four quarts of salt to the ton. Hay thus managed came out in the 

 spring very bright and sweet. In the ordinary way of curing clover 

 hay, the best parts are wasted. 



