88 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



as much as for the benefit of factory-men. We ought to 

 lessen the amount of cholera infantum in our cities. I 

 believe that ninety per cent, of the infantile diseases among 

 those children brought up on cow's milk is caused by the 

 adulteration of milk. I take this position, and I take it con- 

 fidently. I believe it as surely as I believe I am here, — that 

 if I select the milk of a cow to feed to my child, that cow 

 eats for my child, drinks for my child, breathes for my child. 

 If that cow is kept quiet, comfortable and composed, that 

 child enjoys that composure. If that cow is irritated and 

 excited, that child shares the excitement with her. 



Mr. Root, of Barre. A few moments ago, when Mr. 

 Hubbard was up, he alluded to myself as having tried the 

 experiment of placing some birch branches near my pans of 

 milk, and said that the odor of the birch leaves was found, 

 when the cream was taken off, to exist in the cream. I must 

 correct the gentlemen there ; he was mistaken in the name ; 

 it was Mr. Ellsworth. But I will make this further state- 

 ment in regard to that matter, having a bearing, as it does, 

 upon the question just proposed by Prof. Stockbridge. Mr. 

 Ellsworth apprehended trouble from the presence of the 

 flavor of the birch in the butter, and until the cream was 

 churned and the butter brought into a proper state, his fears 

 were not removed, but then they were ; not a particle of the 

 flavor was found cropping out in the butter. He tasted it in 

 the cream, but it all passed off in the process of churning. 



One word in reference to turnips, in which I feel an 

 interest. We all know they produce milk. Can they be fed 

 safely? is a question which has been asked and answered a 

 thousand times, and yet, as our friend says, it is an unsettled 

 question. We in Barre uniformly feed turnips up to this 

 time of the year, commencing the last part of September or 

 the first of October, and feeding them as long as our cows 

 remain in milk. That is the uniform practice among all our 

 farmers. I have yet to learn of a farmer who has had any 

 unfortunate results from such a course, and our butter has 

 brought the highest price in the market. But I want to state 

 one other fact, — they are fed immediately after milking the 

 cow. My oAvn theory about the matter is this'>: That imme- 

 diately before and during the process of milking, the mam- 



