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NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



Aug. 



irer pays according to quality, why should not 

 the wool buyer ? 



The object of the association is declared to 

 be the attainment of "a higher standard and 

 improvement in quality and condition of our 

 Michigan wools." But instead of doing this 

 by grading prices according to "quality and 

 condition," they adopt a system that practi- 

 cally discourages individual efforts for im- 

 provement, by insisting on a ft-xed shrinkage 

 for "greasy and gummy buck fleeces," for 

 "heavy washed buck fleeces," and for all 

 other "unwashed or partially washed, «S:c., 

 fleeces," whether the foreign substances in 

 them amount to 30 or 70 per cent, of the gross 

 weifirht. 



Large Steers. — About one year ago our 

 correspondent, "B. D. W.," sent us a brief 

 notice of the stock of E. D. Works, Esq., of 

 West Fitchburg, Mass., in which he alluded 

 particularly to a very fine pair of yearling 

 Durham steers, which then weighed 1800 

 pounds. Having again "swung round the cir- 

 cle," our correspondent has recently visited 

 bis pets again, and writes that these steers, 

 now two years old, weighed 2700 pounds be- 

 fore being turned out to pasture, and that he 

 believes, with their owner, that by next Fair 

 time they will balance a 3000-pound weight. 

 Mr. Works has also a pair of native two-year- 

 old fiteers, weighing 2100 pounds, which are 

 thrifty and fine cattle, and away from the Dur- 

 bams, would be considered a very extra pair. 

 In view of the fact that Mr. Works has been 

 offered $300 for the Durhams and $200 for 

 the Natives, "B. D. W." asks, does not rais- 

 ing good stock pay ? This question he respect- 

 fully submits to the calculation of those who 

 know the value of calves and the cost of feed- 

 ing and caring for them two years. 



Milking Machines. — Mr. Benj. Chase, of 

 Auburn, N. IL, writes to the Mirror and 

 Farmer that he purchased a machine, paying 

 $7, and $.^ for the patent. He tried it on 

 an easy milker, and after a good deal of effort 

 succeeded in getting it adjusted on the cow's 

 teats, and by working it could draw some 

 milk, but by the time the cow was half milked 

 the teats would not fill the cups, and the ma- 

 chine would drop off, there being no suction. 

 He wrote to the agent stating the difficulty, 



and asking to be referred to somebody who 

 had one in successful operation. The agent 

 replied, giving no reference ; but saying that 

 he must persevere, for it required a good deal 

 of practice to learn to use one. He and his 

 hired man tried until they had exhausted all 

 their mechanical talent, but without success. 

 The machine is offered for sale at a large dis- 

 count. 



For the Xew England Farmer. 

 "WHAT SHALL FABMERS SELL? 



Shall we sell our hay and grain, or buy stock to consume 

 it? Winter Care and Feed of Milch Cows. Ab.-tract 

 of a discussion of the Iraaburg, Vt., Farmers' Club, 

 by its Stcretary, Z. E. JameBon, Esq. 



AVm. L. Jameson said it had been his prac- 

 tice to sell some hay every year ; yet his crop 

 constantly increased, and his farm is in better 

 condition than when he bought it. He believed 

 It will pay well to buy stock to winter and sell. 

 He once bought three cows in the fall, and the 

 butter made from them and the increase of 

 price was forty dollars on each cow. Another 

 winter he contracted his butter at twenty cents 

 per pound, and made from four cows eighty 

 dollars worth to sell, and estimated that twenty 

 dollars worth was used in the family, which 

 would be one hundred dollars for wintering, 

 without Including the value of the manure. 

 This spring he fed his cows two quarts of meal, 

 — oats, barley and peas ground together — each 

 per day. In addition to their hay, and they 

 averaged six and a half pounds of butter each 

 per week. Some claim that they can get as 

 much j)rofit in milking cows eight months in a 

 year as ten ; but he said he knew it was not 

 so. By going dry only two months, his cows 

 do well the next year. 



G. B. Brewster said when his brother and 

 himself bought their place, they were In debt, 

 and at first sold their grain, but never sold 

 much hay. Now he believes it is better to 

 feed the grain as well as the hay. Last fall he 

 fed his cows fodder corn when the pastures 

 began to fail, and It seemed to keep them in 

 condition, after which they had the fall feed 

 In his fields, and in winter good hay ; so they 

 have done well, except a few old cows that 

 looked a little rough, ])ut were in good heart. 

 Toward the last of winter he began to feed 

 two fiuarts of meal each per day. Four or 

 five of his cows come in during February, eight 

 or ten more in March, and others later, till he 

 had about twenty, and within a few days two 

 more have come in. He has raised thirteen 

 calves that are turned to pasture, and has sold 

 four hundred dollars worth of butter up to 

 June first. Now, he would not say that he had 

 done as well as he might, but he would say he 

 had done $150 better than ever before in the 

 same time. He thought It paid to feed well. 



Wm. Jameson, who has made a half ton of 

 butter from four cows iu a year, remarked that 



