130 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



He said he put up a hundred sheep last fall to fatten, and fed 

 seventy bushels of corn, exactly ; and when that was gone, with 

 what hay they had eaten during the time, he realized an advance 

 of four hundred dollars on the hundred sheep. 



Mr. Smith, of Sunderland, said he had to build high fences to- 

 keep his sheep. 



Mr. Hubbard. — I have always kept a small flock, and at a 

 small profit. I disposed of them because they had not been so 

 well taught but that they would go beyond my limits. I had 

 my lambs come early, — about the first of February, — and by the 

 time they were four or five weeks old they had a separate pen 

 where they could go beyond the sheep and be fed with meal, up 

 to nearly the time they were ready for market. I could always 

 get them to bring from one to two dollars more than they would 

 if not so well taken care of. I feed with linseed meal, corn 

 meal, and oats, mixed together. They were always taken in at 

 night, and when the weather was stormy. A few years ago, 

 when prices ruled about half what they do now, I sold the lot 

 together for five dollars each. A fair average price was three 

 dollars for common lambs. I do not think it best for us who 

 keep small flocks to go into fancy stocks. My object is to keep 

 good-sized sheep and take good care of them, and keep them 

 more for the lambs than the wool ; the wool, I think, is a 

 secondary object. The West can raise sheep for wool better than 

 we can. We can get almost as many lambs as there are sheep, 

 as there will be some twin lambs. 



A Member. — Did you not lose lambs from the cold ? 



Mr. Hubbard. — Very seldom. They were housed in the barn. 

 I used to cut down the hay to the bottom of the bay ; and when 

 the sheep came in I admitted the lambs into that part of the 

 barn. I could get lambs the first of February that would weigh 

 eighty pounds by the first of June. They weighed all the way 

 from fifty to eighty pounds. 



On motion of Mr. Stedman it was voted that an opportunity 

 be given to Mr. Capen, of Boston, to present his views on 

 Meteorology at the opening of the session to-morrow morning. 



Mr. Stedman. — In the notice sent to us, as members of the 

 Board, respecting this meeting, we were each requested to 

 prepare an essay concerning the agricultural interest of our 

 respective districts. In my own case, the notice reached me so 



