No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 831 



The PKESIDENT: This carries an aflirmative action upon the 

 recommeudation in the report. 

 Agreed to. 



The PRESIDENT: The committee already announced upon nomi- 

 nations of officers will govern itself accordingly in presenting the 

 list of nominations. 



The following illustrated lecture was delivered: 



*DAIRYING IN THIS AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



BY MA.TOR H. E. Alvokd, Chief of Dairy Division of AijricuJtiiral Department, Washington, D. C. 



Dairying is a prominent feature of the agriculture of France and 

 the industry takes very different forms in different parts of the 

 country. It is, therefore, necessary to travel about and often in 

 paths not frequented by tourists in order to find the places of special 

 dairy interest. 



After a visit to the Channel Islands and the homes of Guernsey 

 and Jersey caftle, one may cross the narrow strip of sea, only 15 

 miles wide, and laud upon the west coast of France, in the old pro- 

 vince of Normandv. Anv one of a number of little towns, all noted 

 as dairy centers, wiir answer as a standpoint from which to get a 

 view of Normandy, its cattle and its butter-making, so we will lo- 

 cate at Carentan, a place of about 3,000 inhabitants, at the head of 

 an inlet or arm of the sea, which is kept dredged so as to afford navi- 

 gation for 12 miles down to the English Channel at Isigny. 



The farms in this vicinity are quite large and mainly in grass. It 

 is a tide-water region and much of the land is low. The pastures 

 are permanent and the herbage superb. The very best of the Nor- 

 mandy cattle, of which France is so proud, the Cotentin strain, here 

 abound. They are large, coarse, heavy-boned, but sleek and fat. 

 In color they are red, brown and white, spotted and brindled. They 

 have a very wide, heavy, homely face and muzxle, but good, full eyes. 

 The udders are often large, but irregular in shape, with very large 

 and puffy teats. Good cows average 8 to 10 quarts a day for 10 

 months, or 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of milk per year. It requires 12 

 quarts of milk in the winter and 15 in the summer to make onfe 

 pound of butter. The butter product of good cows is, therefore, 200 

 to 225 pounds per year; ordinarily 100 pounds a week from 20 cows, 



•This lecture was very generously illustrated with lantern pictures made from photographs col- 

 lected by Major Alvord during recent visits to the places described. These cannot be reproduced 

 here and interest in the subject, as presented, is thus reduced at least one half. 



