Farmers- Institute. 43 



Parrots, Master Harry Quackenboss, Great Barrington, $1 



Magpie, Marcus A. Dearing, Great Barrington. 1 



Guineas, Miss Martha Leavitt, Great Barrington, 1 

 Committee. — Charles L. Shaw, E. Van Deusen, C. F. Holmes. 



ORCHARDS. 



Whole number of entries, 2. Pears, 2. 

 Best Pear Orchard, Dr. C. E. Heath, Lee, $10 



Committee. — Reuben R. Brewer, Abner Roys; 



FARMEES 1 INSTITUTES, 



THIRTEENTH INSTITUTE. 



The thirteenth Farmers' Institute of the Housatonic Agricultural Society was 

 held in the Town Hall, Friday, February 23. Both sessions were quite well at- 

 tended by farmers from Sheffield, Egremont and Great Barrington, only a few 

 others coming from other towns. President Kellogg opened the discussion on 

 sorghum, and mentioned several manufactories that are successfully making 

 sorghum molasses and sugar, especially the Rio Grande works in New Jersey, 

 that cultivate 1,000 acres of land, and raise their own cane. He called to mind 

 Dr. Blackweirs statement to the State Board of Agriculture, that cane is worth 

 to the farmer $2.50 per ton where there is a mill to take it. There are 50 varie- 

 ties of sorghum cane, the best being the amber and the orange. The Rio 

 Grande works made from 6,000 tons of cane 950 barrels of sugar and 1,100 bar- 

 rels of syrup, 50 gallons to the barrel. From an article in Bradstreet's it ap- 

 peared that from 3£ to 17 tons can be raised on an acre, the usual crop being 10 

 to 12 tons. 



Merritt I. Wheeler of Great Barrington, delegate to the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, reviewed the question of State bounty for raising sorghum, and in connec- 

 tion with it, said that the Housatonic Agricultural Society had discontinued the 

 premiums for sugar beets because it was thought hopeless to encourage the 

 making of beet sugar here. Sorghum was said to be as good as corn fodder and 

 ensilage. 



President Kellogg, said that he had raised a crop of sorghum, and found the 

 tillage easy and the work light. A mill was then in existence in a neighboring 

 town, for the making of molasses, but that which he received in exchange for 

 his cane, was so poor that it was not worth while to raise the cane. 



M. S. Bidwell of Monterey, said that he, also, had raised sorghum and tried 

 it as fodder, but his cattle would not eat it if they could get corn stalks or hay. 

 He had cut it up and fed, green and cured, to horses, but it was inferior to corn 

 stalks. 



Levi Beebe of Great Barrington, was another who had tried this crop for 

 fodder, but his experience was the same as Mr. Bid well's. He was opposed to 

 all State bounties, and believed that instead of increasing taxation, the State 



