NORTH KENNEBEC SOCIETY. 185 



yielded two pounds of butter per day through these months on 

 grass feed. He bred her himself. She had the milk of her 

 dam until three months old, and was reared on hay with turnips, 

 and turned to grass in summer. The first and second winters 

 was kept on coarse fodder, such as straw and corn-stalks, with 

 a plenty of ruta bagas. " The Durhams are large, symmetrical, 

 and almost uniformly docile, and the Ayrshires are free milk- 

 ers, and their milk is of a very superior quality. Combining 

 the qualities of each makes an animal nearly perfect." 



He also received the first premium on a flock of sheep, con- 

 sisting of two bucks, ten ewes, six ewe lambs and three buck 

 lambs. They were Leicesters, in age varying from six months 

 to three years. " I prefer this breed, because they are large in 

 the carcass, come to maturity early, and the ewes abound in 

 twins. Two-thirds of my ewes raised twins the present season, 

 and my flock averaged nearly five pounds of well washed wool, 

 I feed on hay, straw, &c., with turnips and carrots. Seldom 

 feed grain. With this feed the lambs come strong, and the 

 ewes give a large quantity of milk, and the lambs are fit for the 

 butcher early." 



Dairy Products, 



John B, Stratton received the first premium on butter. His 

 dairy consists of three cows, which are a cross between the 

 Durham and natives. In winter he gives a plenty of good hay, 

 and keeps them in a warm place; and in the summer in a good 

 pasture, with brook water, aud at night sheltered. He con- 

 siders a variety in the kinds of grasses in a pasture the best. 

 He sets his milk from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, according 

 to the temperature of the weather, always takes the cream off 

 while the milk is sweet, and churns that alone. The cream 

 must be churned at exactly the right temperature to secure nice 

 butter. Wash the butter in pure spring water, and work thor- 

 oughly twice at intervals of twenty-four hours. He averages 

 one pound per day per cow. " Salt we consider of but little 

 account in keeping butter sweet." 



Sidney Howard received the second premium on butter. 

 His dairy consists of three cows, a cross of the natives and 



