No. 85.] 431 



and exterminated many weeds which before were a great annoyance 

 to him. He cuts his hay and pastures his meadows in the fall. His 

 fall grass is of great use to him for his milch cows, and as a compen- 

 sation for the loss he sustains by fall pasturage, he gives his meadows 

 a top dressing of manure every spring; in tliis way he generally gets 

 an average crop of two tons of hay of the best quality to ihe acre. 

 He has cut this year eighty-five tons of first quality hay, besides con- 

 siderable of salt hay and sedge grass, which answers a good purpose for 

 bedding for his cattle, &c. 



Grain Crops. — Mr. Bell raises wheat, rye and oats ; sows the two 

 first after potatoes ; sows the grain in the fall, and seeds down in the 

 spring ; would however sow his timothy seed in the fall, but his occu- 

 pation of the land is so uncertain that he pursues this plan. His plan 

 is to plow twice, sow his seed — using two bushels to the acre — and 

 then harrowing slightly, leaving the ground as rough as possible. He 

 thinks that the earth, by the action of the frost, crumbles down, and 

 covers the exposed roots and feeble plants in the winter and spring, 

 very much to their advantage. 



Fruit. — His orchards yield a handsome income. He has sold this 

 year $250 worth of cherries ; last year $400 worth of first quality 

 apples ; $150 of second quality of apples ; $200 of early apples. . 



Stock. — He has some full blooded Durham cows, and young stock. 

 Mr. Bell took several premiums for his animals at this Fair, and there- 

 fore it is unnecessary to give a description of them. He has some 

 fine half bloods from Mr. Emmet's Durham bull, and his choicest 

 milking cows. 



Dairy. — He keeps forty cows, which average eight quarts of milk 

 daily the year round. His cows are pastured six months, and tied in 

 their stalls only to be milked, and are fed six months on half a bushel 

 of cut hay, four quarts meal, and four quarts ship stuff, twice daily. 

 His hay is cut by Green's Straw Cutter ; one man can feed this ma- 

 chine, and cut a bushel easily in a minute, and can cut enough for 

 forty cows in about fifteen minutes. He feeds his cows in tubs, and 

 when a cow leaves her feed it is immediately taken from her ; in this 

 way nothing is lost. They are secured by means of a light chain 

 hooked over their necks ; at the other extremity is a ring, which is 

 secured to a round standard, and so arranged that it can move up and 

 down with ease at the cow's pleasure. The stables were kept very 

 neat and clean. The cows are curried regularly daily, and turned 

 out ; after which the stables are always swept clean, and the manure 

 removed to the compost heap. His cows are always selected for their 

 quality, without regard to price, and he adopts the plan of fatting 

 those that are not extraordinary milkers, and purchasing fresh cows 

 \o supply their place. His Durham cow " Shakeress " is an extraor- 

 dinary milker ; she took the first premium at the late Show ; she 

 milks thirty-three quarts daily, after calving, for two months, and ave- 

 rages fifteen quarts daily for the year. He has a building near his 

 pump 10 + 15, and fifteen deep ; in one part is a well eighteen inches 

 deep ; this is supplied with water from the pump ; all the waste wa- 

 ter during the day passes in this well, and when it arisesto the height 



