STATISTICS OF MIDDLESEX SOUTH. 295 



grain. Different plants require different elements. In a word, 

 it is as essential to supply plants with that kind of nourishment 

 which their peculiar organization'and design demand, as it is to 

 furnish man or beast with that kind of food required to impart 

 vitality, vigor and strength. The average number of bushels of 

 wheat raised per acre in this district probably does not exceed 

 fourteen, but some of our best cultivators obtain from twenty to 

 thirty. This would be considered a large yield at the West. 



As a saving of time and space, I will reduce the expression in 

 this Report, as far as possible, to the form of figures. 



This district embraces 1,859 farms; these support 5,880 

 milch cows. The number of gallons in milk sold was 621,929 ; 

 average price per can was 45 cents, amounting to $139,558. 

 From the 209,695 pounds of butter sold, averaging 42J cents 

 per pound, was realized $89,220. Veal, per carcass, averaged 

 $4, amounting to $23,129. Cheese is not manufactured to any 

 extent, only 6,940 pounds, at an average of 13 cents per pound, 

 amounting to $920. The aggregate income from milch cows 

 appears to have been, from these statements, $252,827. This, 

 however, does not include the amounts of these several products 

 consumed in families supported on the farms. This presents an 

 an average income of about $50 per cow. 



The number of oxen and steers owned in the district is 1,351, 

 valued at $101,451. It will be borne in mind that ours is a 

 farming district, and yet we have 3,397 horses, valued at $341,- 

 330. I do not propose here to discuss the relative value of 

 horses and oxen as a stock to be adopted by farmers. More 

 than one-half as many horses are included in the district as 

 there are milch cows, but all of these are not the property of 

 our farmers ; if they were, this section might well be charac- 

 terized as one of horse-farming. 



We can report only 55 bulls of all bloods, valued at $3,993. 

 Can we reasonably expect to improve the blood and quality of 

 our stock with this proportion of one bull to one hundred 

 and seven cows? 



Our farmers have, during many years, raised nearly all their 

 swine. The loss by disease has been comparatively small ; 

 whereas, from several lots purchased in Brighton, for farms in 

 Southborough and Framingham, in the autumn of 1866, large 

 numbers died of the so-called " hog cholera." I am informed 



