94 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



in a low condition, they may take the disease by grazing over 

 the ground where cattle that have the disease have passed. 



Mr. Bull, of Harvard. — One of my neighbors (Mr. Sawyer,) 

 had a cow that had swelled legs, first one side and then the 

 other. I should like to have him state what his treatment was. 



Mr. Sawyer, of Harvard. — I do not know as I can present 

 the case satisfactorily ; but there is a trouble which prevails 

 almost to the destruction of our milk cows, in some cases. One 

 of my neighbors has not had a living calf for a year. In the 

 fall of 1863 I bought a heifer, expecting her to have a calf. 

 She did not, and I sold her. She came back in the fall and I 

 put her in the pasture, where she lay quite late in the season. 

 I then put her up with the other cows. I tie my cows in 

 stanchions, and I found, sometimes, that this heifer seemed weak 

 when she tried to get up. She ate, and appeared well in other 

 respects. She has not recovered -yet. Some call it the bone 

 disease, which produces a disposition to gnaw bones. My cows 

 all lost their calves a short time before their time for calving. 

 One lost hers about four months before the time. I fed them 

 with a variety of things, to try to help the matter, such as oil 

 meal, bean meal, shorts, corn meal, barley meal and ashes. I 

 don't know but that kind of feeding caused the cow that lost 

 her calf to do so. No one in our vicinity knows anything what 

 to do for it. It affects, more or less, every animal in the herd 

 where it gets in. I have lost five, and one of my neighbors lost 

 seven or eight. 



The Board then adjourned till half past two o'clock, P. M. 



AFTEENOON SESSION. 



The Board met pursuant to adjournment. 

 Mr. 

 on the 



Mr. Edward A. Samuels, of Boston, addressed the Board 



AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF BIRDS. 



Gentlemen of the Boa^d of Agriculture : It was suggested to 

 me that I might, from the fact that I have paid considerable 

 attention to the habits of our native birds, prepare a short lec- 

 ture on them, with reference to their agricultural value, that 

 would, perhaps, in a measure, be interesting to agriculturists 

 and others, whose daily pursuits throw them into constant inter- 



