49 



Such persons are not well-posted. These societies are in reality the best and 

 cheapest means of diffusing agi'icultural information. They also make people 

 think, and a thinking person is better morally, is a better husband or wife, a bet- 

 ter neighbor than one who is ignorant. Farmers learn in the discussions called 

 out at the meetings to trace cause to effect and effect to cause. Agricultural soci 

 eties correct much prevalent error regarding fai-ming, counteract wrong hobbies. 

 Wordy orators possessed of superficial knowledge, advocate deep plowing, as a 

 rule, but practical farmers know that under certain conditions deep plowing is 

 bad. Another hobby is the plan of di-awing great quantities of muck to the barn- 

 yard and mixing it with manure. Beyond what is necessary as an absorbent in 

 the stable the carting of muck to the barnyard is labor lost. If muck is to be used 

 as manure, it should be carted direct to the farm. Another hobby relates to com- 

 mercial fertilizers. To a certain extent it may be well to use these fertilizers, but 

 they cannot be profitably bought in large quautities by the average farmer who 

 has a family to support, doctor's bills and taxes to pay, and has to cover all these 

 expenses with the money realized from the sales of farm products. Agricultural 

 societies are the best teachers for both theoretical and practical farming. These 

 societies ai-e good for the influence they have in keeping boys on the farm. Farm- 

 ers and then- children work too hard, it is said. Not so. Means should be found 

 to interest the boys on the farm, and then they would not wish to leave. The 

 Housatonic Agricultural society has taken a right step in offering premiums to 

 boys who shov/ the best trained colts. But the paying of premiums in cash, is a 

 mistake. The money is spent. Premiums should be of such a kind that they 

 will naturally be kept and a full sense of the honor they have conf en-ed upon their 

 winners, will thus be preserved. The boys who took the premiums at the last 

 cattle show on colts and steers, will tell their children of it with pride, and their 

 children will be stimulated to achieve some like success. 



The next thing on the programme was a discussion, opened by Dr. J. Leland 

 Miller of Sheffield, on ''The comparative cost of Team Work on the Farm as be- 

 tween Oxen and Horses." Dr. Miller said that he could offer no light on the sub- 

 ject further than that obtained from his own experience. In early times almost 

 every farmer had at least one yoke of oxen. His father owned from two to six 

 yokes of oxen, and in those days when transportation was done by teams alone, 

 frequently made three or four trips a year with his oxen to a distant city, and 

 found them very satisfactoiy for this purjjose. Dr. MiUer himself has owned 

 about a dozen yokes of oxen during the past twelve or fourteen years. They do 

 all his work except mowing. As he manages, oxen increase in value while he 

 owns them. From buying and selling oxen he is some $~>0{) ahead, besides their 

 labor above cost. It is his custom to buy a thin yoke of oxen in good condition, 

 work them ten months or a year and then seU them for beef or as working oxen. 

 He has made as high as $7') on a yoke. During the grass season he gives them 

 but httle feed except what they themselves obtain. He feeds working oxen with 

 oats. His oxen will generally foUow horses in plowing. It has been his experi- 

 ence that oxen will do as much hard plowing as horses will. The breed and ca- 

 pacity of oxen makes considerable difference as regards their utility. He prefers 

 the Devon breed for farm work. They are easily kept, are always in the right 

 place, and he never knew one to be sick or to meet with an accident. Durham 

 oxen are thick-headed and not handy, but for heavy work they are the best. Here- 

 ford oxen are good. Holsteins make good docile oxen although he has not had 

 much experience with them. 



Dr. Miller next spoke of the gain reahzed by keeping oxen rather than horses. 

 Colts are hable to meet with accidents. A horse team and its elaborate appurte- 

 nances costs more than a pair of oxen with their simple outfit. Horse shoeing 

 costs more than ox shoeing. He doesn't shoe the oxen used on his farm and their 

 feet keep good. In his opinion it costs three times as much a year to keep a pair 

 of horses as a yoke of oxen. He can get into the field earlier with oxen than with 

 horses. Horses must be groomed and harnessed, and to do these things takes 

 time. There is no expense- of any account for oxen beyond that of their bare 

 keeping. Feed oxen well and they will take care of themselves. But horses must 

 be watered, and in other ways their keeping requires care and fussing. Had he 

 done his work with horses he would have been ijjsl.OOO out, but having used oxen. 



