TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT. 87 



I have no doubt the same effect would have been seen if they 

 had been fed so high with anything else. I well recollect a very- 

 nice heifer that I was satisfied I spoiled by feeding her shorts. I 

 am somewhat persistent in this, because I am strongly in favor 

 of cotton-seed meal from the experience I have had. As I said 

 before, I have used it for several years, and I have seen no 

 unsatisfactory results. 



FKUIT CULTURE, 



The subject of Fruit Culture was then taken up, and the 

 discussion opened by the Chairman, Captain Moore, who said : 



Fruit culture, the subject assigned for discussion to-Jay, I 

 need not say to this Board, is one of the leading interests of 

 farmers and gardeners in Massachusetts. 



According to the returns of Industry of Massachusetts for 

 1865, the value of fruit returned amounts to $1,713,240. This 

 does not include the small fruits, but is confined principally to 

 apples and pears, and was compiled from the returns made in a 

 year of a failure of the apple crop to a large extent, and is prob- 

 ably underestimated. To this might safely be added a sum 

 sufficient to swell the whole amount to $2,000,000 for small 

 fruits ; this would be the estimated product of fruit for the 

 State. 



The amount consumed is very much more than produced, 

 particularly of apples, peaches, grapes and strawberries, most of 

 which are brought from distant places to supply our markets ; 

 and this fact shows that there is still room to extend the culti- 

 vation of almost all varieties of fruit now grown here, with a 

 reasonable prospect of remuneration to the producer. 



"With land well adapted to the production of the apple, is 

 there any good reason Avhy we should not only produce suffi- 

 cient for home consumption, but for export also ? I know that 

 some persons say that the apple is failing ; that they do not 

 produce as much as formerly. 



That there has been a partial failure of the crops for three 

 or fqur years is true, but is there any crop grown by the fai-m- 

 ers of this State, weeds excepted (which never fail if you give 

 them a chance,) which has not at times been a partial failure? 

 Have we discarded potatoes because they rotted extensively, or 



