NORFOLK SOCIETY. 453 



with a view to encourage a continuance of similar communi- 

 cations, award, — 



First. To the honored and senior member of the society, 

 JosiAH QuiNCY, their grateful acknowledgments for his kind 

 compliance with the society's request to submit the result of 

 his long and valuable experience. And, further to evince our 

 gratitude for the service performed, the committee award 

 him, instead of a pecuniary consideration, the diploma of the 

 society. 



Second. To Sanford Howard, for his essay on the Princi- 

 ples of Ploughing, a premium of ten dollars. 



TJiird. To John Fleming, Jr., for a paper on the Basket 

 Willow, its cultivation, &c., a premium of ten dollars. 



The committee have ascertained that the author of the prize 

 essay, " The Wise Man is Strong," published in the Transac- 

 tions of last year, is Mr. Edward Lillie Pierce, of Dorchester. 



For the committee, 



Marshall P. Wilder, Chairman. 



ON THE SOILING OF CATTLE. 



BY HON. JOSIAH QUINCY, SENIOR. 



To the Trustees of the Norfolk Agricultural Society: 



Gentlemen, — In conformity with your request, I proceed to 

 state "my experience, practice and views," on the subject of 

 "soiling;" by which I understand the keeping cattle in the 

 barn and feeding them with green food during the summer 

 months, allowing them, daily, only a few hours' liberty of a 

 yard, instead of feeding them in pastures. I do not, however, 

 expect to communicate anything which may not easily be 

 gathered from European writers; knowing, also, the great pro- 

 portion of land in the State thought to be exclusively appli- 

 cable to pasturage, I do not anticipate that any statement on 

 the topic can be generally useful. Yet, to those farmers who 

 have no land which may not easily be subjected to the plough, 

 and to that increasing class who possess only ten, fifteen, or 



