138 



NEW ENGLAND FAE^IER. 



Maiich 



subject of his lecture was "The Diseases of 

 Cattle and the influence of those Diseases on 

 Milk." We have not space for any abstract 

 of this address, which is given in full in the 

 Herald. 



Some idea of Prof. Gamgee''s knowledge of 

 his subject, and of his ability as a writer, may 

 be formed from the extract we publish in 

 another column from his report to the Agri- 

 cultural Department. 



Officers for the year were elected, as fol- 

 lows : — 



President — Horatio Seymour, of Oneida. 



Vice-Presidents — T. G. Alvord, of Onondatra; L. L. 

 Wiaht, of Oneida; 8. T. Miller, of Lewis; A Barnham, 

 of Cliautauqua; John W. Bufh, of Chemung; B. O. 

 Moss, of Green; C. E. Chadwick, Canada West; N. 

 Dwight, Muss.; W. G. King, Illinois; A. Bartleit, 

 Ohio: li. O. Wickham, Vermont; T. S.Gold, Connect- 

 cut; E H. Wilder, Wisconsin; S. Howard, Michigan; 

 N. W. Woodbine, North Carolina; J, Stantou Gould, 

 Poughljeepsie; M. J. Hiirden, Kentucky. 



Secretary and Treasurer— Qardaer B. Weeks, of 

 Syracuse, N. Y. 



WOOIi AT THE CUSTOM HOUSES. 



The attention of Dr. Randall, as President 

 of the National Wool Growers' Association 

 and by virtue of his office as representative 

 of the interests of the wool growers of the 

 country, has been called to the fact that in- 

 voices of foreign wool finer and different in 

 other particulars than the carpet wools de- 

 scribed in the tariff act as admissible in the 

 third class, at three and six cents duty, have 

 been offered at the Custom Houses. We 

 learn by an article in the last Rural New 

 Yorker, that this information was communi- 

 cated to Mr. Randall at the same time, and as 

 soon as such wool was offered, by the respec- 

 tive appraisers in Boston and New York, and 

 without any concert of action between these 

 gentlemen. Both of these appraisers believed 

 that the wool alluded to should fall in class 

 one, under the clause in the law which includes 

 in that class "all wools not described or 

 designated in the other classes." 



Dr. Randall says, "these 'very fine carpet 

 wools,' as those who handle them would fain 

 term them, are severally applicable to the 

 manufacture of the lower grades of cloth, cas- 

 simeres, satinets, &c., and perhaps some of 

 them can be used as combing wools. They 

 are sometimes mixed in the same bales with 

 true carpet wools. To an unskilled observer 

 they might appear to be the same. A custom 

 house officer, inexpert in his duty, or ready to 

 commit a fraud, might pass them for the same. 



No important amount of this wool has yet been 

 imported, butt rumors have reached us that 

 more of it is to arrive. It is said that a large 

 Boston house has a partner or agent looking 

 after such wools in Europe, in the full expec- 

 tation that they will pass the Boston Custom 

 House, at three and six cents duties, as carpet 

 wools." We must again repeat the question. 

 Is this a good time for wool growei-s' associa- 

 tions to go to sleep ? 



SMUT ON COEM". 



The newspapers have reported the death of 

 cattle in different parts of the country, sup- 

 posed to have been caused by eating the smut 

 which is said to be unusually abundant on corn 

 this year. Many Western farmers, however, 

 do not believe that these deaths were caused 

 by the smut. A correspondent of the Prairie 

 Farmer suggests that over eating of dry stalks 

 without sufficient water to moisten them is the 

 true cause. Of a drove of cattle which were 

 turned into a field of fifteen acres after har- 

 vesting, twenty years ago, in which there was 

 no water, and in a very dry time, eleven died 

 in two or three days. On examination, the 

 mainfold in every case was full and tight with 

 dry corn fodder. The cattle, being let into a new 

 kind of perfectly dry food, had gorged them- 

 selves. Having no water to aid the gastric 

 juice, the mainfold had become perfectly ex- 

 hausted from incapacity to soften so larae a 

 quantity of dry fodder ; inflammation, stupe- 

 faction and death followed. Many cattle in 

 the same county died that fall from the same 

 cause. The preventive adopted was not to 

 allow cattle to remain long on such large 

 quantities of dry fodder, and to have them 

 fully supplied with water, before and after go- 

 ing into the field. 



Another farmer was very careful this fall 

 while husking his corn to throw out all the 

 smutty stalks, and pile them on one side of 

 his barn out of the reach of his own stock. 

 One pf his neighbor's cows, however, got to 

 the heap and has eaten of it for the past six 

 weeks, and thrives well. He therefore doubts 

 whether smut is ever injurious to cattle. 



Pure Bred Stock. — We learn by the 

 Couniry Gentler,. an that Mr. C. Horace Hub- 

 bard, Springfield, Vt.,has purchased from the 

 well known Short-horn herd of Paoli Lathrop, 



