REPORT OF MR. N. WOLTERTON 



323 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The following table gives the length of the milking period, the number of pounds 

 of milk, the average daily yield, and the percentage of butter fat. 



Nanae. 



! 'liristie . 

 Uretclifn 

 Jenny . . 



L^iy 



\"e. 



years. 

 8 ,, 



3 M 



4i .. 



Breed. 



Days , 



Grade . 



Ayrshire. 



427 

 271 



2(;g 



318 



Pounds of 

 Milk. 



11,24.31 



io,on5| 



4,2r,9l 

 4,854| 



Daily 

 Average. 



26fi 

 37-2 

 16 

 15 8 



Percentage 

 bntter-f;it. 



3-5 

 3-6 



4-8 

 51 



The grade cows Christie and Grotchenare not only valuable milkers, but their 

 calves are of superior quality. A steer, calf of Gretchcn, now weighs 1,G00 lbs. at 

 just 30 months. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH SWINE. 



In this line a new experiment, which will extend over a series of years, has been 

 inaugurated. To begin with, a drove of six, of the best pure breds obtainable, has been 

 assembled, viz. : 1 Berkshire male and 1 female ; 1 Yorkshire male and two females ; 

 1 Tamworth female. Pure Berkshires, pure Yorkshires and crosses with Berkshire 

 and Yorkshire males and Tamworth females will be bred. * 



The first cost, the feed, an estimate of the pasture, the labour and repairs to 

 quarters will be charged against the herd; while it will be credited with animals sold, 

 service, manure and stock on hand at the end of each year. The year, for this pur- 

 pose will begin with December 1. An effort will be made to secure two litters from 

 each sow each year. The financial results will be reported. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH POULTRY. 



During the year no special experiments with poultry have been conducted. The 

 incubator was not used and the hatching was not very successful. 



Barred Plymouth Rocks, White Wyandottes and Rose Comb Minorcas have been 

 kept. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH BEES. 



Early in April the bees, fourteen hives, were removed from their winter quarters 

 in the cellar to their place in the arboretum. They all came out in good condition and 

 needed no feeding. 



Hives in the spring 1-4 



New swarms 15 



Absconded 2 



Queen died, colony dwindled 1 



Found empty in fall 1 



Sold 2 



Weak colonies united 2 



Went into winter quarters in good condition 21 



During past years every effort has been made to increase the quantity of honey 

 and to reduce the number of swarms. This plan seems to have reached its limit for 

 this vear; nothing could stop swarming. They ran to swarms rather than to honey. 



16— 21i 



