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men do and will depend on. Though the days of paying fabulous 

 prices for pure-bred animals are past, and good registered cows may 

 be had at a reasonable figure, yet grade cows are and will continue 

 to be the reliance of our milk and butter producers. This class of 

 cows was very sparingly shown at the Hampshire fair when they 

 might have made a very interesting factor in the show. It is here 

 that all prejudice of color, markings, breed, etc., disappears and the 

 animal stands on her merits, and is valued for what she can do. 

 Almost as good animals may be found among our grades as in any 

 of the pure breeds. A carefully selected herd of grade cows mated 

 with a pure bred sire will be found a paying investment. Good cows 

 are the cheapest, and cheap cows are the most expensive. A poor 

 cow requires as much feed as a good one and will not give half the 

 return for the same. The Agricultural College bought twenty grade 

 cows at an average cost of $50 per head when fresh, that produced 

 nearly ten pounds of butter per week apiece and yielded a profit 

 above the cost of feed nearly $60 per head the first year. Such a 

 herd is a credit to any farm. Such a herd will put to shame many a 

 herd with pedigrees as long as your arm. Such a herd shown at our 

 county fairs with a statement of what they were doing would be 

 something every farmer could understand and appreciate. It seems 

 to me that by promoting the work of improving the common herds of 

 grade stock, by creating an interest in breeding and feeding such 

 stock in a better and more systematic way, the Hampshire Agri- 

 cultural Society would be taking a step in the right direction and 

 become still more a real factor in forwarding the agricultural interests 

 of the community. 



Respectfully submitted, 



F. S. COOLEY, 



Chairman of Committee on Herds of Cattle. 



REPORT ON VEGETABLES, SEEDS, AND GRAINS. 

 It was gratifying to the committee to note the size and excellence 

 of the display of vegetables, seeds and grains at the Hampshire 

 county fair this fall. It was really a formidable undertaking to 

 award the premiums because of the close competition. Dame Nature 

 must have smiled long and well on the gardener's efljorts all through 

 the section. Two exhibits especially worthy of notice were those of 

 W. L. Boutwell of Leverett and W. H. Comins of Hadley. The 



