206 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



them embracing with their delicate fibres every 

 atom of the vegetable matter within their 

 reach, and undoubtedly drawing their natural 

 sustenance from them. There is nothing that 

 I have tried as an assistant fertilizer that holds 

 so much liquid or retains it so long, where 

 only the sun and air operate on it, as hard- 

 wood sawdust. 



"There is much difference in sawdust. It 

 would be : — 



1st quality, hard wood, hickory, maple, «S:c. 

 2d quality, poplar, basswood, chestnut, &c. 

 3d quality, spruce, hemlock, pine, &c." 



Mr. J. Cross says, — "I have used sawdust 

 for bedding for ten years, and would not be 

 without it, if I could obtain it by going four 

 miles after it. My cows go from the bam as 

 clean as they came from the pasture in the fall. 

 "A. L. W." of Hope, Me., says it is the very 

 best thing to use for bedding under horses and 

 cattle. 



We have thought it well to refer to this mat- 

 ter, as there are mills in nearly every town 

 where quantities of sawdust are allowed to run 

 to waste. In some places, where a large 

 amount of lumber is cut out and manufactured, 

 almost any quantity may be obtained. 



•WOOL-QROWEKS' ASSOCIATION. 



The New York State Sheep-Breeders' and 

 Wool-Growers' Association, — Hon. Henry 8. 

 Randall, President, and E. B. Bottle, of Na- 

 ples, N. Y., Corresponding Secretary, — will 

 hold an annual Fair at Auburn, May 8, 9 and 

 10, 1867. 



This Association of the Wool-Growers of 

 the Empire State is doing a good work. Two 

 annual Fairs have been held, at which facts of 

 the highest importance to every sheep farmer 

 were developed. At the ensuing Fair in May, 

 prizes of $30, $20, and $10, respectively, are 

 offered on the following six classes of sheep ; 

 with a sweepstake of the society's diploma on 

 each class except the 4th. On the 4th class $15, 

 $10 and $5 for the first, second and third best 

 five lambs, without respect to sex. 



First Class — Amehican Merinos. 



Second Class — Fine Meuinos — yielding a wool 

 adaitted to the manufaeturcoflinc broiulelotlisand 

 other fahrios rcqiiiriiifiC a staple of equal quality. 



Third Class — Deeaine Mekinds — yielding a 

 wool adapted to the nianufactiirc of delaines and 

 Bimilar fabrics — length of staple l)eing a leading 

 consideration, but in which neither extreme line- 

 ness of libre, as rc(pnrcd in the second class, nor 

 great weight of fleece, as required in the lirst, arc 

 to be regarded as absolute essentials. 



Fourth Class — Lamus — of preceding classes. 



Fifth Class — Long Wooled Sueei' — including 



tne Leicesters, Cotswolds, Lincolns and other breeds 

 and varieties usually comprised under that designa- 

 tion. 



Sixth Class — Middle Wooled Sheep — includ- 

 ing Southdowns and other sheep usually so classed. 



Special prizes are also offered as follows : — 



D. D. T. Moore, $25 for the Merino Ram's fleece, 

 of one year's growth or thereabouts, sheared at the 

 Fair, which, on being cleansed, shall be found to give 

 the greatest weight of wool, in proportion to its 

 time of growth and to the live weight of the animal. 

 A. F. Wilcox, $25 for Merino Ewe's fleece, same 

 conditions. 



William R. Pitts offers a prize of $25 for the, Me- 

 rino Ram's fleece, of one year's gi-owth or therea- 

 bouts, sheared at the Fair, which, on being cleansed, 

 shall be found to give the gi-eatcst weight and value 

 of wool, in proportion to its time of growth, without 

 refercucc to weight of the animal. David Cossit 

 $25 for Merino Ewe's fleece, same conditions. 



Henry S. Randall, $25 for English Long Wooled 

 fleece, conditions same as for the Pitts and Cossit 

 prizes. 



Prizes of $10, $8 and $6 will be awarded 



to the three best shearers. 



NEW ENGLAND AG'L SOCIETY. 

 The annual meeting of this association was 

 held in Boston, March 7. The following offi- 

 cers were elected : — 



President — Hon. Geo. B. Loring, of Salem, Mass. 

 Secrete/-)/— Daniel Necdham, of Groton. 

 Treasurer— Isaac K. Gage, Fisherville, N. H. 



vice presidents. 

 S. L. Goodale, of Saco, Me. ; Hon. Frederick 

 Smyth of Manchester, N. H. ; Daniel Kimball, of 

 Rutland, Vt. ; William Birnie, of Springfield, 

 Mass.; Amasa Sprague, of Cranston, R. I.; E. H. 

 Hyde, of Statfoid, Conn. 



TRUSTEES. 



Maine — Seth Scammon, of Scarborough; Colum- 

 bus Stewart of North Anson ; Waldo T. Pierce of 

 Bangor; Geo. W. Ricker of I3ath; and J. F. An- 

 derson of South Windham. 



Xew Hampshire — Moses Humphrey of Concord ; 

 S. W. Biifluni of Winchester; W. F. Estcs of Do- 

 ver ; Geo. W. Riddle of Bedford ; Virgil C. Oilman 

 of Nashua. 



Ver?nont — Geo. Campbell of Westminster; D. 

 R. Potter of St Albans ; Henry Clark of Poultney ; 

 Ebenezer Bridge of Pomfrct ; and Thomas Saun- 

 ders of Brooktield. 



Massachusetts — S. H. Howe of Bolton ; G. T. 

 Plunkett of Hinsdale ; Levi Stockl)ridge of Am- 

 herst ; Charles P. Preston of Danvers ;" and S. B. 

 Phinney of Barnstable. 



Ilhode Island — Edward P. Pcarce of Cranston ; 

 David Pike of River Point; A. B. Chadsov of 

 Wickford ; J. D. W. Perry of Bristol ; and thos. 



B. Buflum of Newport. 



Connecticut — J. J. Webb of New Haven ; Benj, 

 Sunnier of Woodstock; H. S. Collins of Collins- 

 villc ; Bnrdett Loomis of Windsor Locks; and G 



C. Hitchcock of New Britain. 



Governor Dyer, of Rhode Island, moved that 

 the sulijeet of the next exhibition be referred to 

 one trustee from each State, wiih instructions to 

 rei)ort to the full board. The motion was carried, 

 and the chair appointed as the connnittcc Messrs. 

 Anderson of Maine, Estcs of New Hani)ishire, 

 Bridge of Vermont, llowc of Massachusetts, Pearco 

 of Rhode Island, and Webl) of Connecticut. 



At a subset^ucnt meeting of the trustees, the ex- 



