162 



KENNEBEC SOCIETY. 



grass, witliout provender, is five and one-lialf months old. The 

 mother was a grade American merino. The ewe is the same 

 blood. Half blood ewes last spring, sheared eight and nine 

 pounds per head, washed wool." 



From the Report on Butter. 

 The committee on dairy products examined twenty-one en- 

 tries of very nice butter, the quality and appearance of which, 

 we venture** to say, cannot be excelled by the most celebrated 

 dairy districts in our country. Some few lots, however, had 

 the usual objections, of being a little too hard salted. Had 

 this objection been removed, the same butter would be entitled 

 to a premium. The idea existing with many of our dairy 

 women, that salt will preserve butter is a mistake. Butter 

 will keep just as long, and just as sweet without salt as lard, if 

 no other substance is incorporated with it. Butter should be 

 worked until absolutely free of all butter milk or particles of 

 sour curd, and then just enough and no more, salt added to 

 make it palatable, and if packed in a sweet tub or stone jar 

 and just so long as the air is excluded, the butter will remain 

 sweet. It'is gratifying to the committee to report, that evi- 

 dently there is a growing improvement in this very important 

 branch of our agricultural interest. 



Report on Crops. 

 " The past season has been one of singular results in regard 

 to most of the crops cultivated among us. The spring and 

 summer were propitious to the germination and growth of 

 seed, and the good growth of almost every kind of vegeta- 

 tion led the farmer to anticipate an abundant harvest. In this 

 lie was much disappointed, for notwithstanding the good growth 

 of the crops, the rains and fogs of the latter part of the 

 season, injured them very much, and the harvest was in most 

 cases very light indeed. This we consider the reason why 



