1881. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



101 



The Board then adjourned to meet on the 22d 

 inst., then to examine the manuscripts, and take 

 into consideration the expediency of publishing 

 an Agricultural Manual for Schools. 



LSGISLATIVE AQHICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



The second meeting of the Legislative Agricul- 

 tural Society was held at the State House on 

 Monday evening, and was particularly well at- 

 tended, all present seeming to take much interest 

 in the discussion. 



Col. Faulkneu, of Acton, was appointed Chair- 

 man of the evening, and Dr. F. W. Mason, of 

 Dartmouth, was chosen Secretary for the series 

 of meetings. 



On taking the chair. Col. Faulkner announced 

 the subject for discussion to be, "The winter man- 

 agement of Farm Stock," and said that beyond 

 returning thanks for the honor conferred on him, 

 he would not occupy the time which he hoped 

 ■would be devoted to a discussion of the question 

 by practical men. 



Mr. S. Howard, of Boston, said that the usual 

 food of cattle in the country in winter was hay, 

 with more or less roots, but in cities, or near 

 them, where milk in quantity was the prime ob- 

 ject to be gained, the food was more varied. In 

 alluding to the nutriment derived from the differ- 

 ent kinds of food for cattle, Mr. Howard read a 

 table of Boussingault in reference to the muscle- 

 forming substances. Taking common hay at 10, 

 as the standard, clover hay would stand 8, rowcn 

 8, green clover in flower 3, straw of different 

 grains 52 to 55, potatoes 28, carrots 35, turnips 

 61, Indian corn 6, oats 5, oil cake, peas and 

 vetches 2. 



Thus the equivalent of a pound of common 

 hay would be about 3 lbs. of potatoes, 3i lbs. of 

 carrots, 6 lbs. of turnips and 5 or 6 lbs. of straw. 

 The equivalent of a pound of Indian corn 41 

 lbs. of potatoes, nearly 6 lbs. of carrots, and 

 about 10 lbs. of turnips. 



There was much difference of opinion as to the 

 value of root crops as feed, but he thought de- 

 cidedly that every farmer should have them al- 

 ways within his reach in good quantities. It is 

 objected by some, said he, that root crops con- 

 tain too much water, but he could not see where 

 this held good, as grass, and other feed would be 

 liable to the same objection. He had heard some 

 farmers with whom the quantity and not the qual- 

 ity of milk was the prime object, advocate feed- 

 ing cows on slops, but this he could not speak on, 

 as he had not had experience in it. 



The sul^ject of cooking food for cattle had nev- 

 er been fully settled, many condemning the prac- 

 tice as too expensive, even if there was any ad- 

 vantage in the quantity of milk or the growth. 



In general it has been found in the case of cattle 

 kept for growth or fatting that it does not pay. 

 In England and Scotland, where numerous ex- 

 periments have been tried, and where the expense 

 of cooking is much less than here, coal being 

 bought for about 70 cents per ton, none of 

 them paid, and, of course, if it would not pay 

 there it would not here. 



In the matter of cooking food for milch cows 

 in winter, there is a difference of opinion nov/ in 

 Scotland, but it is generally thought there that it 

 pays, as they produce more milk. He said he 

 scarcely knew of one farmer in Massachusetts 

 who put up steaming apparatus ten years ago that 

 continued it now. There have been very many 

 and valuable improvements made, and these, he 

 thought, might be used to advantage in some lo- 

 calities. Mr, Howard said that Mr. Birney, near 

 Springfield, has carried on the process of steaming 

 the food for his cows for two winters, and says he 

 is satisfied that it pays, and Mr. Peters, of South- 

 boro', also speaks well of it. The Scotch dairy- 

 men mix up all the food for their cattle, but many 

 p?ople there entertain extravagant ideas in rela- 

 tion to the value of straw for food, and Mr. Me- 

 chi, at a meeting of the Central Club, had stated 

 that he could get 16 or 18 lbs. of fat from every 

 100 lbs. of straw, but when the Club had a chem- 

 ical analysis made it was found that only 1 to liJ 

 lbs. could be obtained. 



In regard to the relative value of vegetables, 

 Mr. Howard said that it was admitted that pota- 

 toes contained the most nutriment, and next came 

 the carrot. This, he said, had medical properties 

 which were not fully known, but there was no 

 doubt that they assisted the digestive organs, as 

 also in forming the mucous coat of the stomach 

 and bowels. Livery stable keepers had told him 

 that they found it profitable to pay as high as $14 

 per ton for them, and that half a peck per day, 

 given to a horse, would pay better than the same 

 quantity of any other food ; but if horses had been 

 driven hard, the quantity of carrots should be 

 lessened. Many farmers, said he, object to raise 

 carrots, thinking them a small crop, but he re- 

 ferred to a statement of one of the members of 

 the West Springfield Farmers' Club, who had 

 raised carrots for 6 cents per bushel, mangel wurt- 

 zel or sugar beet for 5 cents, and turnips for 4 

 cents. 



Mr. Howard said that cotton seed cake had re- 

 cently been introduced in a new form with much 

 success ; formerly it was found that the outer cov- 

 ering of the seed destroyed cattle, but a process 

 has been discovered by which this covering has 

 been removed, and now it is thought as good as 

 linseed oil cake. [Mr. Howard presented a sam- 

 ple of this cake for inspection.] 



Dr. Cole, of Cheshire, thought that horses with 



