26 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



of us as wonderful that their lessons in harmony are not more 

 fiilly appreciated and heeded in adjusting our relations to the 

 needs and opportunities of our lives. 



The Chairman. Gentlemen, an opportunity will now be 

 afforded for a discussion of the important subject which has 

 been considered in the interesting lecture to which you have 

 just listened. The discussions are the most valuable part of 

 these meetings, because in them are presented the impres- 

 sions and opinions of the men who have tried these things 

 and who give their experience. You are now at liberty to 

 question the lecturer upon any points in his discourse upon 

 which you want further explanation or further elucidation. 

 Professor Cheesman will be very ready to answer any ques- 

 tion. 



Prof. I. P. Roberts (of Cornell University). I would 

 like to ask the speaker if he would recommend that the 

 farmers of Massachusetts raise their corn and nitrogenous 

 foods, or that they purchase them largely? 



Professor Cheesman. I have recommended both in the 

 paper^ with this qualification, that, wherever land is available 

 for growing crops, that is, arable land, we should take off a 

 crop of oats in the course of our rotation. As a matter of 

 fact, we do all purchase very largely the nitrogenous foods. 

 I suppose, per acre, per cow and per quart of milk raised in 

 the State of Massachusetts, we purchase more cotton-seed 

 meal, linseed meal and gluten meal than any other State in 

 the Union, — and rightly, because we have the very best 

 market in the world. We have in the city of Boston 

 certainly a better market and get better pay for our dairy 

 products than in any other city. 



Professor Roberts. I believe you are making the same 

 mistake in Massachusetts that we are making in New York ; 

 and it is the same mistake that a man would make if he got 

 a cow and did not know how to milk her, and then should 

 go down town and buy concentrated milk. He had better 

 learn how to milk the cow and make use of his own resources. 

 The yield of corn per acre in Massachusetts is consideral )ly 

 higher than it is in the Southern States. If we take an acre 

 of corn we can raise it without hoeing, and we can raise three 

 tons of dry matter per acre, or about twelve tons of matter 



