vi BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



income. INIost of them own, in connection with their farm- 

 in<'- land, a hirger or smaller amount of woodland, which can 

 only be made of use to them by giving employment lo men 

 and teams in the winter months, when farming operations 

 must be at a standstill. The loss to the farmers in this 

 direction caused by the mild winter of 1888-89 was severely 

 felt. The present winter has been of like character, and 

 the inconvenience and loss of the last season are likely to be 

 duplicated. The large number of rainy and cloudy days 

 the past summer and autumn caused our pastures to produce 

 bountifully. As a consequence, our dairies furnished an 

 unusual amount of milk and butter during the summer and 

 early autumn, depressing the price of these products to an 

 unusual extent. More milk was furnished the milk con- 

 tractors than the market would take, and they were obliged 

 to make unusually large amounts of butter. This butter, 

 w'ith the increased amounts made by the farmers and 

 co-operative creameries, together with the large amounts 

 from outside the State, over-loaded the market ; and, as a 

 consequence, large quantities were put into cold storage, 

 where they remained for sale at low prices, keeping the fall 

 and winter prices below what they have been in former 

 y€flars. Oleomargarine has also been put upon the market 

 in larger quantities than ever before. This state of things 

 is not particularly encouraging to the dairymen of the State. 

 Still, our farmers must make milk and butter; for, while 

 those whose farms are in favorable locations can profitably 

 raise market-garden products and small fruits, those living 

 in more retired locations must depend on the returns from 

 dairy stock. Sheep-keeping would be profitable, were it 

 not for the increasing ravages of the dogs. The assessors' 

 returns of May last show an increase of 4,313 in the number 

 of cows, and a decrease in the number of sheep of 2,920. 

 It appears to be only a question of time when sheep will 

 only be kept on the farms of those who can afibrd to guard 

 them from the ravages of dogs by shepherds. The encour- 

 aging feature of the dairy business is the fact that the 

 fertilizers necessary to keep up the fertility of the soil are 

 furnished as a waste product. Experiments of chemists 

 show that the excrements of a well-fed cow in twelve months 



