126 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



ance of the grasses upon which they feed. These 

 examples, with similar ones which I have observed 

 in other places widely remote, would seem to shed 

 light on the perplexing question so often asked, 

 how shall I reclaim my old pasture ? All over 

 New England there are thousands of acres pro- 

 ducing little or nothing, that might be renovated 

 by the introduction of sheep upon them, while the 

 profits of the sheep themselves I believe would be 

 larger than from the same amount of money in- 

 vested in cows. I have been told of an instance 

 where a hundred acre pasture fed scantily only 

 twelve sheep and six cows the first year, but on 

 the second summer fed well twenty sheep and 

 twelve cows, and continued to increase in fertili- 

 ty until more than double this number was fed 

 upon it." R. S. Fay, Esq., the highly intelligent 

 Secretary of the Massachusetts Agricultural So- 

 ciety, remarked in 1855, "The great diminution 

 of sheep husbandry in this State, is much to be 

 deplored. Sheep are the most active and profita- 

 ble agents in the work of amelioration and farm 

 improvement." There is abundant testimony 

 from intelligent and observing agriculturists to 

 the same eff'ect. 



The principal objections to sheep culture are 

 the destruction occasioned by dogs and the ex- 

 ,pense of fencing. The former objection we trust 

 is obviated by the wise provisions of the existing 

 law. If they are not sufficient, the matter is in 

 the hands of the farmers themselves. They can 

 have such legislation as will meet the necessities 

 of the case. 



The second objection would have more weight, 

 if we had only the long legged agile breed of 

 sheep that roamed ever our hills sixty years ago. 

 But breeds are now to be found, that are quiet 

 and orderly, and may be easily restrained by a 

 common fence, or at most by the addition of an 

 extra rail, or a pole on the wall, and these are 

 the breeds which both interest and convenience 

 will induce our farmers to keep. 



Our conclusions then are that the farmers of 

 Middlesex should return to the keeping of small 

 flocks of long wooled or middle wooled sheep, 

 that they will find their products of wool and mut- 

 ton a source of profit, and especially that it 

 would be the means of ameliorating the condition 

 of the exhausted pasture lands, and restoring them 

 to their former fertility. 



Straw Cutters. — A correspondent of the Bu- 

 ral New-Yorker says : I am so great a believer 

 in the economy and utility of cutting all our 

 coarse fodder, not only for feeding, but for bed- 

 ding in the yard and in the stable, that I have 

 urged some of our geniuses to attach to the tail 

 of a threshing machine a contrivance to cut every 

 particle of straw into half, three-fourths, or inch 

 pieces, as fast as it passes from the machine. 



The Lime Business. — The Rockland, Me., Ga- 

 zeite, gives the following statement of the condi- 

 tion of the lime business at that place : 



We learn from Alden Ulmer, Esq., General In- 

 spector, that the whole quantity of lime manufac- 

 tured in this city, during the year just closed, 

 was 899,400 casks, being an increase of about 

 50,000 casks over the manufacture of the previous 



year. Messrs. F. Cobb & Co. have manufactured 

 about one-fourth of the whole quantity. Of the 

 thirty-five patent kilns in the city, only five are 

 now in operation, business having been closed 

 for the season at all the others, A few of the old 

 kilns are in operation, but there will be little or 

 no demand for lime until the opening of spring 

 business. Wood and casks command but very 

 small prices. 



J'hr the New England Farmer. 



MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OP TECH- 

 NOLOGY. 



A MOVE IX THE RIGHT DIRECTIOX. 



We have, already, in Massachusetts, a great 

 many institutes of learning, and any one who has 

 the means and time can perfect himself in almost 

 any branch of science or art. Yet there is a great 

 want, at present totally un supplied. We need 

 some kind of an Institute which shall be a central 

 point of art and science, to which any one may 

 bring his store, large or small, and from which 

 all may be free to cull that which may be most 

 useful to themselves ; a grand exchange of 

 knowledge and store house of art, to which the 

 humblest and greatest shall contribute, and from 

 which all may receive ; a university and muse- 

 um in which the student shall spend an hour, or a 

 life time as his means and inclination shall de- 

 termine. 



At present there is a division between men of 

 science and men of art ; for the benefit of each, 

 this should cease to exist. The theorist needs 

 facts that his theories may approach the truth and 

 be useful ; these facts he cannot obtain for him- 

 self, but must receive from the artisan, the dealer 

 in facts. In his turn the artisan must have rules 

 to guide him to intelligent labor, and these can 

 only be obtained from the generalization of facts, 

 which is the work of the philosopher. In short, 

 the minds of the theorist and artisan must be in 

 communion. 



Within a short time a scheme has been devised 

 which, if matured, will supply all of these wants 

 in the most ample and generous manner. I refer 

 to the project of establishing an institute to be 

 called the "Massachusetts Institute of Teclinolo- 

 gy.'" The committee having this enterprise in 

 charge, have already issued circulars setting forth 

 the object, and means which they hope to employ 

 to bring it to a successful end. Pursuant to a 

 call from this committee, a meeting was held in 

 Boston on the 11th inst., at which Prof. W. B. 

 RoDGERS, Chairman, briefly stated the object of 

 the meeting to be the inauguration of some for- 

 mal and direct action by which an association may 

 be formed, and a charter obtained. On motion 

 of Mr. E. IB. BiGELOW, a committe-e was appoint- 

 ed to procure an act of incorporation and endea- 

 vor to obtain a grant of land upon the Back Bay 

 for the use of this institution. The committee 

 consists of Prof. Rogers, James M. Beebe, E. S. 

 Tobey, S. H. Gookin, E. B. Bigelow, M. D. Ross, 

 J. I). Philbrick, T. I). Storer, J. D. Runkle, C. 

 II. Dalton, J. B. fVancis, J. C. Iloadley, M. P. 

 Wilder, C. L. Flint, Thos. Rice, John Chase, J. 

 P. Robinson, F. VV. Lincoln, Jr., Thomas Aspin- 

 wall, J. A. Dupee, E. C. Cabot. 



The meeting was eloquently addressed by sev- 

 eral gentlemen. Prof. Pierce likened knowledge 



