126 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



ewes; the result of this cross would be a large, heavy-wooled, 

 robust mutton sheep. The next cross would be a Cheviot; 

 the offspring would be a robust mutton sheep with a little 

 lighter fleece than the first cross; this cross would be some- 

 thing like the Coredale breed which originated in New Zealand. 

 The next cross would be Delaine merino; this crossbred sheep 

 is a robust, heavy-wooled mutton sheep, and after an experi- 

 ence of many years I would recommend this stamp of cross- 

 bred sheep as the most profitable sheep for the average farmer 

 to keep in New England. Now you can hold those half-blood 

 ewes at this stage by using a Coredale ram. 



I believe that the decline in the sheep industry in New 

 England is largely accounted for by farmers attempting to 

 keep sheep that are not adapted to New England conditions. 



Evening Session. 



The evening session was called to order at 8 o'clock by 

 Secretary Wheeler, who introduced Dr. Kenyon L. Butterfield, 

 President of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, as chair- 

 man of the meeting. 



ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT BUTTERFIELD. 



Secretary Wheeler has asked me to say just a few words, 

 before introducing the speaker of the evening, along the line 

 of the subject of the evening, with special reference to the 

 situation in Massachusetts, and I shall take but a very few 

 minutes, indeed, because I do not want to rob you of any 

 time or to rob the speaker of any time. It seems to me that 

 Massachusetts in some ways — and perhaps this may be said 

 of New England — is rather fortunate with respect to the 

 credit situation, and I put it that way because I think our 

 people — our farmers and people interested in agricultural ad- 

 vancement generally — have scarcely realized, and many of 

 them do not now realize, the significance of this whole credit 

 question for American agriculture; and so, I say, it seems to 

 me that Massachusetts is rather fortunate. Interest rates, I 

 think, in this part of the country for farmers are comparatively 

 low, perhaps lower than in any other part of the country. We 



