386 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



ent spring. Eight ewes of the same flock had 

 eleven laml),s. The wool was thoroughly washed 

 and dried before weighing. 



Mr. W. II. Sotham, an Englishman now living 

 in Michigan, after giving a description of some 

 Cotswold sheep owned by L. T. Taft' of Pontiac, 

 of Avhich one two-year old weather sheared seven 

 and a half pounds of well washed wool, adds : — 



I am inclined to believe that there is no better 

 breed of sheep for profit than Cotswolds in Amer- 

 ica, and I am sure that no breeder of animals of 

 any kind have made more monev, or kept their 

 farms in higher condition than the Cotswold ram 

 breeders on t4c Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, 

 England. Many of them have made an hidcpcnd- 

 ent fortune. Those who do not breed rams, breed 

 for the butcher, selling off their cull ewes, and 

 wether tegs every year. By this course of breed- 

 ing, they keep a very uniform flock of ewes, and 

 go to the regular ram-lireeders for their males. 

 By this system they winter their wether tegs and 

 cull ewes on turnips and good early cut hav, and 

 in April or early in May, send them shorn to 

 Smithfield. By this means the mutton and wool 

 brings in a good yearly income, keeping their land 

 in a high state of cultivation. I know a great 

 many ram l)reeders and sheep breeders who breed 

 for the butciier, as above, and I never knew one to 

 fail. Good farming and sheep husbandry go hand 

 in hand, and I cannot see why it will liot answer 

 in this country. 



For the yew England Fminer, 

 VERMONT BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



This organization did not get into working 

 order until toward the last part of winter ; con- 

 sequently as winter gives leisure to some far- 

 mers and long evenings to all, the Board lost 

 what is considered the best time to hold meet- 

 ings for the discussion of agricultural tooics. 

 Nevertheless Prof. P. Collier of the Vermont 

 Agricultural College, and Secretary of the 

 Board, with commendable energy, set about a 

 new enterprise in this State. 



The Board, on invitation, held a meeting 

 at St. Johnslniry in April. The meeting was 

 rather thinly attended, but some of the papers 

 and discussions were published by the local 

 press, and awakened some interest. 



Tlie Board were then invited to meet with 

 the Brandon Farmers' C^lub, and also with tlie 

 club at Kandolj)h. A meeting was held at 

 Brandon. June 8 and 'J, and at Randolph 

 June 15 and 16. 



The Braiulon Club have a good room, with 

 fifty chairs, a library of 200 volumes, and 

 meetings have been held quite regularlv for 

 twelve years. The Otter Creek Valley, in 

 ■which the township of Brandon is located," is a 

 good farming country, and it is evident that 

 the farmers desire to do justice by their pro- 

 ductive soil. 



At llandolph, some of the subjects M'cre the 

 the sa.iie as those considered at the meeting 

 in Brandon with the addition of papers on 

 "The Management of Woodland;" "Farm 

 Buildings :'" 'Ploughs and Ploughing ;" "The 

 great want of Vermont Farmers;" "Our 



Manufacturing Industries;" "Relation of 

 Chemistry to Agriculture." 



The importance of manufactures to oin* 

 prosperity was very ably and elo(|uently set 

 forth by lion. C. li. Ileatii of Plainfield. 

 Those present were profoundly impressed with 

 the truth of his argmnents, which made it 

 evident that by a little effort, the water power 

 of the State might be more fully utilized, the 

 raw material in woodlands, quarries, and 

 mines should be wrought by many mofe per- 

 sons Avho would become c(^nsumers of produce, 

 and producers of valuable commodities that 

 would add to our wealth as a State. 



The Board were entertained by the citizens 

 Avith such open-hearted hospitality that they 

 seemed to be the recipients of pleasure while 

 they bestowed it on others. 



Between the hours of meeting, teams, 

 double and single, were hitched up and mem- 

 bers of the Board taken to places where the 

 scenery or farms were most attractive. The 

 roads were splendid, especially the one that 

 runs north through the village along the sum- 

 mit of a liigh hill, on each side of which were 

 beautiful farms, old orchards, grand maple 

 shade trees, &c. Here I saw the homes of 

 some of the occasional correspondents of the 

 New England Farmer, — Rufus Nutting, 

 George Nutting, J. J. Washburn and Col. J. 

 B. Mead. The farming that comes in their 

 experiences and observation must give them 

 material for many more good articles for your 

 paper. Although these are hill farms, they 

 are nearly free from stone, and the fields are 

 smooth and easily tilled. 



The meetings here were attended by ladies 

 as well as men. Gov. J. W. Stewart pre- 

 sided. The interest manifested by neighbor- 

 ing farmers was very encouraging to the 

 Board . 



Probably there will be another meeting at 

 St. Johnsbury at the time of the State Fair in 

 September. Zuar E. Jameson. 



Irasburg, Vt., June I'J, 1871. 



For the Xeic England Farmer, 



THE MICROSCOPE AND POST-MORTEM 



EXAMINATIONS. 

 The value of the Microscope, and ihe importance of 

 Poet-mortcni Examinations, as aids in our Investiga- 

 tions of the Diseases of Animals. 



I have often seen in the columns of the Far- 

 mer, and in those of other agricultural jour- 

 nals, descriptions of diseased horses, cows, 

 swine and other domestic animals, with a re- 

 quest in each case that the editor or some 

 other person, name the disease and prescribe 

 the best method of treatment. In some of 

 these descriptions, mention is made of tumors, 

 swellings, &c., situated upon, within or near 

 some important organ, with dilficidt respira- 

 tion, obstinate diari'ha'a, extreme emaciation, 

 t%e., &c. 



Now, each of these ailments or symptoms 



