FAEMERS' INSTITUTES. 311 



to keeping sheep on account of goitre in lambs. Tlic conclusion is hastily 

 arrived at that the locality, or the herbage, or something else is at fault, and 

 the sheep are sold and shunned ever after as unprofitable servants. 



While congenital goitre, or swelled neck Avitli other conditions rendering a 

 lamb wortliless, may at times be found, we think much depends on tlie man- 

 agement of sheep in the hindering of this disease. Close confinement of the 

 ewes in the winter season will help to bring on this condition in the lambs. 

 Let the flock bo jnoved about, have plenty of f resli air, fed — say forty rods from 

 the barnyard — worked enough as a necessity, if not from choice, and the chances 

 are that no goitrous lambs will put in an appearance. Such has been the expe- 

 rience of the Vermont farmer, and I am satisfied may be of the farmer in Mich- 

 igan. 



Mr. Benjamin Hulic^i addressed the Institute on the subject of '' Wayside 

 Ti'ee-Planting," in which he deprecated the stripping of the country of trees as 

 extremely detrimental to crops, especially wheat, and urged upon farmers the 

 importance of cooperation in setting out trees along the highways. In the 

 report of tliis institute in the Owosso Press the editor makes the following appro- 

 pos remark in connection with this subject : 



"It does not seem to be as well known as it should be tluit the laws of Mich- 

 igan provide a compensation for planting trees along the road-sides by the 

 deduction of a certain amount of highway tax proportionate to the number of 

 trees planted. More general information on this subject should lead to more 

 tree-planting, as it seems to encourage it, and in view of the direct compensa- 

 tion derived from the improvement, the law really provides a ])ounty." 



Mr. E. L. Brewer read a paper on "Farmers' Poultry." He spoke of the 

 little care and thought bestowed by farmers generally upon the raising of poul- 

 try or the profit of poultry, and gave a graphic description of the more common 

 unclean poultry house and yard, and little cared-for fowls, and followed this 

 with the statistics of successful, profitable poultry-keeping. Poultry must be 

 cared for and tended as faithfully as other farm stock. He urged regular 

 attention. He prefers the large breeds, would eschew black legs as less mar- 

 ketable for the table, but whatever breed be chosen, to make them profitable 

 they must be regularly cared for and fed, and he specified the kind of treat- 

 ment the fowls needed, feed, pure water, boxes of charcoal dust, large houses, 

 roosts, — low for large fowls, — dirt floor, whitewash yearly at least, fumigation 

 with sulphur to destroy vermin, etc. 



AFTEEIS^OON SESSION. 



Prof. Beal read a portion of his paper on the "Apple Orchard." See lec- 

 tures and addresses following this record of the Institutes. 

 The following paper was read by Kev. G. M. Keynolds on 



"EOTATIO]Sr OF CROPS." 



The work assigned me in the discussions of this Institute is the presentation 



