92 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



while there upon a visit odIj a few days ago, and that, too, where much 

 of the laud caunot be profitably used for anything else but sheep-walks. 



Mr. Silliman, a farmer of Westchester county, stated that he had just 

 lost S40 worth of sheep by dogs. 



Mr. Weaver, of Maryland, corroborated the opinion that dogs prevented 

 the keeping of sheep — they certainly did in that State. 



T. W. Field. — I don't know of any use of dogs except to make sausages, 

 and as for crows, they are in the same category. I have had a dozen 

 fowls destroyed of a night by dogs. They are the greatest nuisance in 

 our couuty. I have seen the dogs hunt in packs upon Long Island and 

 New Jersey. The poorest class of community are the class that own most 

 dogs, for which they have no possible use. 



The discussion was further continued with great animation, and an 

 almost unanimous opinion that dogs are a great nuisance generally, and 

 that the people of this country are generally mistaken in their views 

 about birds, and that' they should be protected and encouraged to dwell 

 side by side with man. 



Solon Robinson stated that crows always follow instead of preceding 

 settlements of men in a new country ; and that he had kept a good many 

 sheep on the western prairies, and always had more sheep destroyed by 

 dogs than by wolves, where the former are supposed to be more sparse, 

 and the latter numerous and ravenous. He could poison the wolves or 

 trap them, but he must not touch a neighbor's dog. 



REAPIXa MACHINE. 



By Mr. Meigs. 



An article upon their history says that the first reaping machine was 

 made by the Gauls, before the time of Julius Caesar. By the description, 

 it was something like the Illinois header, being pushed before the team, 

 and gathering the heads, leaving the straw standing in the field. This 

 was given to the club by the secret;ary long ago. They adapted the height 

 of the wagon body to that of the grain — to reap the heads only. They 

 had a clipping apparatus for that purpose, moved by the action of the 

 wheels. The wagon was pushed forward by the team, so that the straw 

 was trod into the soil as it always ought to be, to preserve its fertility, /or 

 no straic should he taken off except for beds for the farmer and for his 

 stock. So the Gauls understood it nearly ttvo thousaJid years ago. 



SMALL FRUIT. 



This regular question was now called up, and elicited remarks from 

 several persons, of which the following is a brief synopsis. 



T. W. Field. — With regard to the raspberry business, I have yet to 

 learn that it is entitled to precedence over any other crop as a profitable 

 one. The plant requires such an amount of labor, and almost as much 

 care as plants in a green-house. It is very difiicult with me to grow per- 

 fect berries. As to strawberries, I do not see why as many bushels of 

 strawberries cannot be grown upon one acre, as of potatoes, with the same 



