53 



cases the colts which receive the premiums are never used 

 upon the farm. True, the raising of steers cannot be very- 

 profitable in Essex county ; our pastures are too poor and our 

 hay finds too good a market, yet there are many farms in 

 the county, at some distance from the cities, where the farmer 

 must feed out all his fodder in order to keep up the fertility of 

 his land, upon which a pair of steers for the boys to train can 

 be raised to the age of oxen without the farmer feeling the 

 expense as much as he would to purchase a pair of full grown 

 cattle. The training of these steers will make excellent 

 recreation for the boys, and tend to make them contented upon 

 the farm. We have heard of an instance where a father gave 

 a boy a pair of steer calves to raise wdio sold them when four 

 years old for iSOO. This is, of course, more than can often be 

 realized ; but that good cattle can be raised even in Essex 

 county is proved by the steers on exhibition by Mr. Poore, 

 which never have been fed with anything but grass and hay. 

 Unless, however, one has an extra breed of cattle, we think 

 the farmer would do better to select good yearlings from the 

 State of Maine than to raise the calves, for in this county a 

 calf six weeks old will usually bring nearly enough to buy a 

 yearling, and a majority of the farmers here can buy better 

 yearling steers than they can raise, for in this county we breed 

 too much for milking qualities to get good steers. 



D. A. Garleton, Benjamin Titcomb, John M. Danforth, 

 Rufus Kimball. — Committee . 



STALLIONS. 



The Committee on Stallions would report that they have at- 

 tended to the duty assigned them. Five horses were present- 

 ed to the Committee for premium. After a very careful and 

 thorough examination of the horses in harness, the Commit- 

 tee were unanimous in the opinion that no one of the horses 



