66 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



atter.tion generally to the raising of cereals and vegetables. 

 The- great cry to-day in New England is, " Our farmers 

 are going West and to the cities, and our farms are being 

 abandoned and left to relapse into the condition of nature." 



And let me ask, Shall all this territory, once cleared up 

 and producing a respectable and easy living to so many 

 thousands, be allowed to grow up to worthless weeds and 

 brush, while there is a demand for pasturage which will yield 

 a handsome revenue ? 



I can perhaps convey an intelligible answer to this inquiry'- 

 by stating that the pasturing used by some of the gentlemen 

 I have discovered engaged in fattening beef for our own 

 market was and is some of these very abandoned farms. 



And these farms have furnished not only the grazing for 

 cattle, but also some fodder for winter feeding, and shelter to 

 some extent, so that the business has not been entirely 

 confined to the warm, summer months. 



Inquiry has furnished ample evidence that thousands of 

 acres of good grazing land can be purchased in New Eng- 

 land at much less cost than estimated by Mr. Von Richthofen, 

 including much formerly improved land now lying fallow, 

 on which this business of fattening cattle can be profitably 

 prosecuted. 



I have in mind, at this time, large areas of good pasturage 

 on which I have seen young cattle grazing, and have found 

 them in excellent condition year after year, as I have visited 

 the same localities in search of rest and recreation on the 

 trout brooks among our New England hills. 



On these trips I have not omitted to inquire the price at 

 which these lands are held, and have often been surprised to 

 learn how cheaply from one hundred acres to five hundred 

 or seven hundred acres could be purchased. 



Often I have been informed that the owners were living 

 in some far distant city and would be glad to dispose of their 

 lands, but there were no purchasers. This and many other 

 facts have strengthened my belief in the perfect feasibility ot 

 establishing a lucrative business in beef-fattening, which will 

 supply to some extent the growing demand for better beef 

 for home consumption. 



We are doing much in New England in the way of pro- 



