132 



in New England. Either cotton seed meal, gluten or mid- 

 dlinfjs would make a orood substitute. 



In answer to questions Prof. Whitclier said that the change 

 of feed does not affect the quality of the milk, though it 

 does the quantity. A possible exception to this rule may be 

 found in the case of swill fed cows near the city, but even 

 here the speaker was in doubt. If the feed changes the 

 quality of the milk the cow is not in her normal condition, 

 and the farmer is milking a sick cow. Cotton seed meal 

 in the feed will produce hard butter, and some creameries 

 rule it out altogether on that account ; but gluten meal 

 makes soft butter ; no feed affects the butter fats. He did 

 not believe cotton seed meal would cause garget if fed un- 

 derstandingly. 



The 79th and last Institute of the season was held at 

 Topsfield, Friday, March 27, and was weU attended. The 

 subject for the forenoon was " How can farmers increase 

 their profits " and was opened by a paper by Mr. E. A. 

 Emerson of Haverhill. In opening he referred to the mis- 

 taken policy of considering only as profits the money gain 

 of a business, while in farming there are advantages that 

 money can't buy, the freedom, the out of door life, and 

 close communion with nature. It was man's first occupa- 

 tion, and is now his most important one. The only one of 

 all callings without which he could not live. And while, 

 financially, nine out of ten in other business fail, very few 

 farmers meet such disaster. 



There are three ways in which a farmer may increase his 

 profits, first, by education, second, by business methods, 

 and third, by organization. 



The farmer needs as thorough an education as the pror 

 fessional man, both in practical farming and business meth- 

 ods, and his opportunities for acquiring such education 

 have greatly increased, with agricultural colleges, farmers' 

 institutes, &c. 



In business the average farmer can better himself in 

 many ways. As a rule he is troubled about his help ; his 



