APPENDIX. 155 



calf drinks it freely, and very soon becomes very fond of it, and hav- 

 ing got the taste, will eat hay at three weeks old, with as much eager- 

 ness as a calf will usually eat grass at ten weeks old. As they in- 

 crease in age, I decrease in the quantity of milk, unless I hap- 

 pen to have a large quantity of poor milk. I make the tea 

 pretty strong, and give them about as much as they would usually re- 

 quire of milk, twice a day, with a few carrots cut up fine, and also, as 

 much good hay as they will eat. The hay that the tea is made of is 

 not lost, as the cattle will eat it all. I generally have a kettle with hay 

 in it on the fire all the time; a small quantity of hay will make 

 enough for morning and night. I have been very much indebted to 

 the Hon. John Welles, of Boston, for the breed of my cattle ; have 

 had them of him ; and without exception, I think his breed of cattle 

 is by far the best in this country. I have found no difficulty in selling 

 my cows, from fifty dollars to a much higher price. I think a calf 

 may be raised till it is ten weeks old, in the manner I have adopted, 

 for the small sum of three dollars — the trouble is but trifling. If the 

 above remarks, or any part of them, are of any service to the public, 

 they are at your service. 



With much esteem. 



Your friend, and 



Humble Servant, 



MINOT THAYER. 



[C] 

 Cheese-Shelves. 



"Wilbur's semi-revolving slide cheese-shelves is an admirable contri- 

 vance to save labor in the cheese-dairy. By it two men can easily 

 turn twenty-four heavy cheeses in a minute, and are enabled to rub 

 them without their being lifted from the shelves. The model consists 

 of an upright frame, suspended by an axis passing through its horizon- 

 tal centre; and into which slide eight pair of shelves, the distance of 

 which may be graduated to the size of the cheeses. The cheeses are 

 placed alternately above and below the axis. Slats are fixed upon the 



