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may seem a small matter, but with ten cowg, yielding two hundred pounds a 

 year, apiece, it amounts in the aggregate to fifty dollars a year, just the margin 

 of loss or gain that keeps some farmers poor or prosperous. Yet it is astonish- 

 ing how much wretched butter farmers will continue to make. The committee 

 on butter at the Berkshire Agricultural Fair, this fall, stated that one third of 

 the specimens shown were unfit for table use, though the exhibit, as a whole, 

 was called an unusually good one ; and about the same proportion of butter 

 shown at our own Fair, perhaps, merited a similar verdict. A great deal of 

 butter is worked to death. While still in the granular form, before being 

 gathered, it should be taken out and washed in salt and water. Most of the 

 buttermilk will then drain off without that exhaustive working which takes out 

 all the natural sugar and leaves the butter insipid and unmarketable. Cows im- 

 prove up to five or six years of age, when possibly they should be fed a little 

 grain the year round. 



Levi Beebe, of Great Barrington, said he didn't expect any one to agree 

 with him. Forty years ago all cattle were tinged with Devonshire, and one of 

 them would kick a boy a rod and look so honest you would think they meant 

 to do it. He did not approve of thoroughbreds. 



A sparkling poem was read by Dr. Charles E. Heath, of Lee. 



Professor Bishop resumed his talk, and continued it for the remainder of the 

 afternoon. 



A vote of thanks was given for the bountiful hospitalility of the citizens 

 of Great Barrington, and the meeting was dissolved. 



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