133 



grain is needed with it, with orchard grass and timothy they make 

 a "complete ration," that is — a food supply containing all the 

 elements necessary for it. Wonderful results in increasing the 

 fertility of the soil is obtained by ploughing in clover, a good 

 first crop cut, and the second turned under. Clover in blossom 

 is worth 25 cents, and in hay 77 cents. Rye hay cut on the 

 edge of blossoming has 72 cents value, and rye in silo 14 cents. 



A mixed feed of one third bean meal, and two thirds corn 

 meal was recommended by the speaker. Corn meal is fatten- 

 ing, but lacks the albumeuoid or muscle-making qualities. 

 Middlings are rich in phosphates. The waste of the onion crop 

 he had boiled and fed to his hens, with no objectionable flavor 

 to the eggs. Pumpkins are lowest in the list, only 8 cents per 

 cwt. 



Aftermath is often lost sight of. He had land from which he 

 cut three tons of hay, and then turned in his cattle to feed 

 there, without apparent injury. Such land must be well fed, 

 aud he put on six cords of rock-weed to the acre. 



Exceptions were taken by C. S. Emerton and Frank Marsh, 

 of Peabody, to the practice of turning in cattle on mowing Jland, 

 contending that it injured it. 



President Ware endorsed it, and said it was generally prac- 

 ticed in Marblehead. He believed that sugar weed, (known as 

 wild beet in Plymouth County), was a valuable forage crop, 

 and knew of nothing yielding a better green crop. In a discus- 

 sion, whether Hungarian injures land for other crops, the im- 

 pression was, that it did. 



In response to questions, Mr. Gregory gave more relative 

 values, barn grass 65 cents per cwt., witch grass 71 cents, 

 timothy ha} - 62 cents, clover 77 cents, and best meadow hay 62 

 cents. Linseed meal ranks a little less than cotten seed meal. 



Some half dozen speakers followed, and brought out these 

 points. That second crop clover makes superior ensilage cut 

 rather past blossoming, and put in the silo whole, (some wet 

 and some dry), with cut corn on top. Hungarian and ensilage 



