93 



stimulated the manufacture and sale of many that wei"e worth- 

 less, so that the Committee, who pass judgment on the com- 

 parative merits of these implements, have a most responsible 

 and delicate duty to perform. 



The report of ]\Ir. Hubbard on Mr. Appleton's experiment 

 in underdraining is instructive as far as it goes, but it would 

 lie of far more positive value in answering the question, Avhich 

 lie rightlv considers as the important one, that is, how such an 

 experiment pays — if he had been able to give us a statement 

 of actual profits instead of an estimate. This, however, could 

 not be done this year ; therefore it seems to us that a report on 

 the success of an experiment in underdraining cannot properly 

 be made until some time after the first year. 



The Essav on the Oakes C^ow gives us some interesting sta- 

 tistics, but it did not seem to the Committee to be of great 

 practical value. The records of the achievements of cows of 

 exceptional excellence would be exceedingly valuable if they 

 would stimulate other cows to go and do likewise ; but Ave fear 

 that even the success of the Oakes Cow in gaining a posthu- 

 mous fame, so much exceeding that of most of her human con- 

 temporaries, will have little effect on the production of milk. 

 Such rare excellence we presume is accidental, and not the re- 

 sult of care in breeding, or in the management and treatment 

 of the animals ; and their history is curious rather than instruc- 

 tive. DAXL. E. SAFFORD, 



Dec, 1870. For the Committee. 



