ANIMAL GROWTH AND NUTRITION. 257 



But I do not wish to have it understood that I am de- 

 nouncing the results of these chemical analyses. I approve 

 of them by all manner of means ; and we want all we can get. 

 But chemistry has not yet attained to its highest develop- 

 ment in my opinion : and in order to obtain the best results, 

 that we must have in order to have a certainty, we must have 

 something else besides the chemical laboratory ; we must 

 have the laboratorv of the animal stomach to investig^ate, 

 and we want that done under the eye and care of these very 

 scientific investigators. The only way to obtain that, that 

 I know of, is by the establishment of an experiment station, 

 where those experiments can be pursued in a scientific man- 

 ner: not under the general observation of farmers, which 

 was so strongly denounced here this forenoon, and rightly, 

 it may be, for we do make great mistakes ; and we go grop- 

 ing in darkness, without this very accurate knowledge that 

 may be obtained at an experiment station, under the eye 

 and care of scientific investigators. We, as farmers, cannot 

 do it : we have not the ability to do it. We can only go on 

 in our way without this help, and judge from the results at 

 our milk-pail and at the slaughter-house. But we want to 

 know more — we want to know, as the gentleman said this 

 forenoon, before *we come to that point, just what material 

 to obtain in order to bring about these results in the most 

 economical manner. 



Now, I suppose there are some gentlemen here who feel 

 that I have got ensilage on the brain, or, as one gentleman 

 has expressed it, that I am a " crank " on that subject. I 

 am ; but I tell you I have no axe to grind : I only want to 

 know how to feed my cattle in the best way; and, when I find 

 it, I am very glad to tell my neighbors all I know about it, — 

 I am very glad to inform them of all my experiments ; and 

 now, when I have a silo built in a substantial manner, and 

 have about one hundred tons of ensilage in it, I think I shall 

 try to feed out that ensilage ; and if next spring I find I have 

 made a total failure, depend upon it, I will let you know. I 

 will not keep it from you, if I find I have made a mistake : I 

 will own up, back down, ask your pardon, and do every thing 

 I can to redeem any mischief that I may have committed. 



Mr. Sanborn. I have been very much interested in the 

 remarks of the gentleman. I have been taking some notes 



