70 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



I rose, however, more particularly to move a vote of thanks 

 to Prof. Stockbridge for his address, and for the information 

 that he has been kind enough to give us this evening. 



The motion was carried, unanimously, and the Board 

 adjourned, to meet on Wednesday morning, at 9 o'clock. 



SECOND DAY — Morning Session. 



The Board met at the hour assigned, and the consideration of 

 the question of Cattle Husbandry was resumed. Captain Moore, 

 of Concord, occupying the chair. 



J. M. Smith, of Sunderland. I regard this question as one 

 of the most important that can come before us. "We discussed 

 this question thoroughly at our meeting last year ; our discus- 

 sions have gone upon record ; they have gone abroad through- 

 out the Commonwealth ; the people have read them eagerly, 

 and they arc looking to-day to learn what shall be result of our 

 ■discussions here. I asked myself yesterday. What have we 

 learned, or in what respect will our discussion be different from 

 what it was last year ? What new ideas have come to our 

 minds ; what advances have we made ? What have we learned 

 in breeding or in feeding ? It is well known that the old patri- 

 arch Jacob knew how to breed so that his cattle were regularly 

 streaked and speckled. Can it be said of us at the present day 

 that we have brought breeding to that perfection ? It is a ques- 

 tion which is often asked by ourselves, " How shall we breed at 

 will either of the sexes ? " and I have an idea that even our own 

 world-renowned Agassiz cannot answer that question. But it 

 will be answered, and fully answered, I believe. 



The question of feeding has properly come up here, and it is 

 an important question. This subject is an important one, for 

 the stock of cattle in a community or on a farm is an index of 

 that section or that farm. The rearing of stock is an important 

 branch of farming, and feeding is an important branch of rais- 

 ing and rearing stock. Any farmer can fill his barn with hay 

 and grain, but not more than one in a hundred knows how to 

 feed out that hay and grain to a profit ; and I presume I can 

 say that but one in five hundred knows how to feed out his 

 crops so that he shall receive the market price for them. 



