52 



to bring up their poor lands. The farmer of Hmited means especially will find it 

 most profitable to expend his labor and resources on his best lands. 



Mr. Bullard considered the items of taxes and fences in relation to unim- 

 proved poor lands, as an expense more than outweighing the advantages to be 

 gained by devoting exclusive attention to the best lands. He reconnnended 

 general attention to the whole farm. 



Dr, Miller recommended the making of improvements on the farm which 

 should please the eye. Anything which makes the farm more beautiful and at- 

 tractive increases its money value. At the conclusion of his remarks the institute 

 wa;s adjourned sine die. 



- SIXTH INSTITUTE. 



• . The sixth Institute was held at the Memorial hall in Lee on Wednesday, De- 

 cember 29, at one o'clock p. m. The forenoon was occupied by an Institute of 

 the Berkshire Agricultural Society, when interesting business discussions on "The 

 different kinds of Cattle," were given by Isaac Augur of the Hancock Shakers. 

 axld several others. 



'■. In the afternoon the meeting was called to o:^der by President H. L. Smith. 

 The, following account of the discussions is copied from the Pittsfield Daily Eve- 

 ning Journal : "'The first subject discussed wa's "Farm Management in all its 

 Bra^iches." Merrit I. Wheeler, of Great Barrington, opened the question, and 

 the 'following is the substance of his remai-ks : Farmers should not confine them- 

 selves to any one thing ; they should raise differenl^crops, and he thinks the sugar 

 be6^^ will become a good market crop. Cultivate less laud and cultivate it to its 

 -fuliegt capacity, instead of going over so much. A. W. Brown, of Dalton, said : 

 Hav,|;'St)ine straight thing and stick to it. Have your cultivated crops together 

 and'^liake strkight furrows. Then have push and energy, and while you work 

 hav.^some Vim about it. ' Farm with your minds, and your brains, first and last. 

 H.A.' Barton, of l)alton. addx-essed the farmers at length, and gave an interesting 

 exp^'ence, saying, get up early, go to work, and stick to it. Study your branch 

 of fai^initig, whether grain or dairy. Fertilizers and manures we must have to 

 makgi'farming successful ; to buy costs too much, bulb study how to make it. He 

 begati^by keeping ' seven cows, and after beginning' to send milk to New York 

 though^t he had a way to make manure. Has now Increased his cows to thirty, 

 ' and m^*kes a load of manure a day the year round, and carts it out every week in 

 the y^r. He has forty cattle and six horses this winter. He uses sand to absorb 

 tJiB-liqi^d manure: He plants sweet corn, and last year raised 2,500 bushels of 

 roots/j-^pon which the cows' do splendid with very little grain ; feeds fifteen bush- 

 els of TC¥5ts a day without harm to the milk, because the cows are fed after milk- 

 ing... ^r. Barton raised 800 bushels of sugar beets oh an acre, and had 400 bush- 

 els of yellow turnips on a half acre. His orchard was successful, so he built ad- 

 der mill; and purchased an engine for grinding apples, and doing other farm work. 

 As for'^eam food, he finds but very httle difl'erence between that and food with- 

 out/steaming. ' Aimgto keep a portion of Jersey blood in his stock, for the milk 

 from one Jersey cow will color the butter of the whole. Mr. Hicock spoke up- 

 on the difference bet''<veen sweet corn and dry corn fodder, giving the preference 

 to the former. C. A. Mills of Wi^liamstown, thought the boys of the farmers 

 should have been present at the meeting, because they are leaving our farms, 

 which are passing into the hands of others. In the coming year do more for the 

 boys, and try to make it pleasant for them on the farm. Teach them also to keep 

 a farm journal, and interest them in raising thoroughbred cattle. 



John E. Russell, Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, then very eloquently 

 addressed the meering, showing the work of the board, since their start in 1858, 

 to be the securing of the dog law, the analyzation of commercial fertilizers, the 

 dealing with pieuro-pneumonia in cattle, and they have also ordered Farmers' 

 Institutes. What a folly it is, said he, for a Massachusetts man to go to other 

 parts to farm it 1 Farming is prosperous in this State, for 13,000 acres have been 

 improved the past year. The increase of cows has been 8,000; horses 7,000 and 



