50 



he is to-day $500 ahead — making a difference of $1500 in favor of oxen. I*ride 

 and fashion have caused farmers of the present day to largely substitute horses 

 for oxen. Fine horses and equipages that will make a show, are now the rage. 



James Bullard of Lee could not agree with Dr. Miller that oxen were so much 

 more profitable than horses. Most farmers could not make oxen pay as well as 

 the doctor had. In his experience horses would do much more plowing than 

 oxen. Another objection to oxen was that when fatted they could not be disposed 

 of at nearly as high prices as butchers some years ago gave for them. 



Henry Sheldon of New Marlboro said that he had found the ox team the 

 cheapest on the farm. Horses are expensive to keep. They eat per day from 8 

 to 12 quarts of oats apiece. The outfit of a horse team also costs much more than 

 that of a yoke of oxen. When he began farming on his own account, he kept 

 one horse and a pair of cattle. He now keeps two or more yokes of oxen and one 

 pair of horses. He has bought and sold oxen considerably. He has lost large 

 sums of money on horses, but has always made money on oxen. If oxen are 

 rightly kept they will be in good condition to turn into beef any day. Plowing 

 can be done easier with oxen than horses. He keeps horses for convenience. 



Mr. Rowley was strongly of the opinion that horses, as farming is nowadays 

 conducted, are cheaper on the farm than oxen. Dr. Miller had evidently made 

 his money on oxen by speculation. Mr. Rowley has had good luck with horses, 

 never having lost one. If a man understands how to keep and handle horses, 

 they will seldom become sick or meet with accidents. He can keep horses almost 

 as cheap as oxen. Horse shoeing costs more than ox shoeing, but he had rather 

 pay the difference for horse shoeing, for very few blacksmiths can shoe an ox 

 properly. He can get into the field quicker with horses. Oxen are not good for 

 harrowing, ought not to be put before the mowing machine, and for some other 

 kinds of farm work they are not equal to horses. Thirty years ago there were 

 one hundred and fifty yokes of oxen in the town of Egremont ; to-day there are 

 not more than ten yokes of oxen owned in that town. What has made this great 

 difference ? It is largely to be accounted for by the fact that there is much more 

 hauling done nowadays. Fai-mers have to cart their surplus products to the vil- 

 lages and towns where they can be shipped on the railroads. Once buyers came 

 to the farmers' doors. Our whole system of farming is changed. There is much 

 more hauling on the road, and for this purpose the horse team is cheapest. The 

 day has gone by when we could substitute oxen for horses. 



At one o'clock the meeting was adjourned until two to allow those present 

 time to eat dinner. At the beginning of the afternoon session Dr. Miller said a 

 few more words in favor of oxen as compared with horses for farm work. For 

 breaking roads oxen are better than horses ; the former wiU haul a load through 

 deep snow better. A cart drawn by oxen is handier than one drawn by horses, 

 for picking up stones. He can remember that in his younger days jolly compa- 

 nies of girls and boys used to go to parties or singing school in carts drawn by 

 steers. 



" The Best Means to Make our Towns More Attractive," was the subject next 

 discussed. Mr. Richard Goodman, Jr., said that this was a subject which in- 

 terests us all, theoretically and practically. The question has been largely dis- 

 cussed within a year or two by vai*ious magazines. The principal end in view is 

 to get farmers together socially. There should be an attractive place to meet 

 like the hall in Great Barrington. Six years ago a fine hall was built in Lenox, 

 and since that time a most gratifying social change has taken place in the town, 

 The first notable move in the right direction was the formation of a literary so- 

 ciety. Soon an interesting paper called the Bugle was started by the members, 

 and read at the monthly or semi-monthly meetings. Many contributions were 

 furnished, and articles which seemed most suitable were used by the editors. Lo- 

 cal talent has been developed and cultivated by this society. It is very evident 

 that the first thing to do to make our towns attractive is to provide a central and 

 attractive meeting place. A great improvement in village property can be made 

 by removing fences. He has recently visited villages where all the fences of va- 

 rious sizes and colors have been taken away. The effect is wonderful. Each 

 citizen feels an ownership in the whole village, and every householder notices 

 more quickly what improvements his neighbors are making in their grounds. He 



