50 



asked by Mr. Bradley if he favored the feeding of ensilage to butter and cheese 

 cows, objection to the practice being made in England as detrimental to the keep- 

 ing qualities of these products. Mr. Palmer could not say as to this, but he yet 

 believed that ensilage is destined to take the place of the root crops. All who 

 try ensilage like it. 



James Bullard of Lee wanted to know what grain produces the best results, 

 prices considered. Mr. Palmer feeds seven to eight pounds of No. 1 middlings 

 and corn meal, half and half, and feeds roots in connection ; oats are too expen- 

 sive for a profitable feed. 



William H. Day of Great Barriugton inquired what flat turnips are worth to 

 a cow. They play their part in promoting digestion, and they, or something of 

 the kind, are almost indispensable. 



Jared Lewis suggested that turnips might taint the beef, if killed while on 

 this diet. Mr. Bullard gave it as his opinion that to avoid the turnip taste, these 

 roots should be thoroughly expelled from the system by feeding something else 

 after them. 



J. A. Kline of Egremont asked T. S. Baldwin also of Egremont, if turnip 

 feeding made any difference with the flow of milk. The reply was that it in- 

 creased the milk, and, in answer to George H. Wheeler of Monterey, he said that 

 the quality remained high. 



F. K. Hinckley of Lee had no doubt that turnips made milk, just as water 

 does. Sugar beets, a peck to a cow with grain, increase the flow of milk, but not 

 the cream to any appreciable extent ; the best turnips are inferior to beets. Mr. 

 Wheeler believed that no line of feeding would benefit all dairy purposes. 



S. H. Nye of Great Barrington declared that he would rather have a ton of 

 ensilage than a ton of any roots, and that, as much more ensilage can be raised 

 from an acre than roots, it is much more profitable. 



E. W. B. Canning of Stockbridge felicitously reminded several of those pres- 

 ent that while he had taught them algebra, they were now teaching him some 

 thing. He recalled many pleasant memories of the time when he was a farmer's 

 boy, and called attention to the profitableness of the Institutes and of the experi- 

 ments of " gentlemen farmers, 11 who sink money on their farms every year. 



The lunch had a bad effect on the meeting, for after it was over, two thirds 

 of the no longer hungry farmers departed, when they should have remained to 

 listen to the interesting description of a visit to the Isle of Jersey by E. L. Heath 

 of Stockbridge. 



In the first place, however, Dr. J. L. Miller of Sheffield, said that roots do 

 not save hay or grain, but increase the flow of milk and make the cattle more 

 contented For twenty years he has fed sweet corn, an early variety planted from 

 the 25th of May to the 1st of June ; it is the cheapest and best food, fed green 

 when the ears are nearly matured. 



Mr. E. L. Heath of Stockbridge, was asked to give some account of his 

 recent travels in the Isle of Jersey and England. He said he went nearly the 

 whole length of England, found fifteen or so in one field gleaning, fifty cents a 

 day was paid there for labor, meat was almost unknown to them. In the Isle of 

 Jersey he found excellent roads, the wagons very heavy, faims from two and one 

 half to twenty acres, rents from $40 to $60 per acre. They make everything 

 tell. The tides are fifty feet high and tons of sea weed are gathered every day 

 to be used for fertilizing. They top dress some lots as we do. The ploughs are 



