1871. 



NEW ENGLAND F.\EMER. 



611 



that you tlius put it in such condition that the 

 animal will eat it and can utilize it. All the 

 heat you put in is equivalent to so mu h food. 

 Nearly all diseases of animals in wint r arise 

 from constipation, which is almost wholiv ob- 

 viated by feeding steamed food. It ac'ds to 

 the value of the food by rendering the indi- 

 gestible parts digestible. The risk of fire is 

 not materially increased. 



The whole subject was discussed in a man- 

 ner that showed that farmers had thought upon 

 it and had discussed its importance. 



Afternoon. — A very carefully prepared pa- 

 per was read by Mr. Wasson, of Hancock, 

 upon "The Comparative Value of Hay and 

 Corn for Feeding Farm Stock," a subject 

 upon v/hich all are ready to talk, and upon 

 which very few have s.v.} accurate knowledge. 

 No general rule will apply because of widely 

 varying circumstances. Bulk, to a certain ex- 

 tent, is as essential as nutriment ; and it is 

 safe to say that one-fourth can be saved by a 

 warm barn over a cold one. Have regard to 

 the increased value of the manure from good 

 food. Commence to increase your fodder by 

 weedine out the poor and mean animals whieh 

 ought to go to the butcher or to the dogs, 

 even were hay ever so plenty. The feeding 

 of meal will not induce disease in milk cows 

 if the meal is mixed with one-third shorts and 

 the cow fed upon half bay or other fodder. 



In the animated and interesting discussion 

 that followed, the general idea seemed to ob- 

 tain that fifteen bushels of corn fed judiciously 

 was ecpial to one ton of merchantable English 

 hay. The general opinion seemed to be that 

 meal should be fed wet rather than dry. One 

 gentleman expressed the opinion that cattle 

 for beef exclusively could not be grown at a 

 profit in Maine. One of his friends said they 

 paid a profit to somebody, for the gentleman 

 had himself made 81500 the past season, by 

 buying cattle at grasshopper prices. Query, 

 Is the New England Faioier read in his vi- 

 cinity ? 



This was followed by Mr. Scammon, of 

 Scarboro, on "Improvement of pastures." 

 The base of all successful farming is the ma- 

 nure heap, and the base of the manure heap 

 is the farm stock, (true, every time, — Bep.) 

 No farmer can afford to raise weeds and 

 and worthless bushes. Reclaim pastures ac- 

 cording to circumstances, but do something 

 to improve them. Clean up the bushes and 

 weeds, pasture with sheep, manure with muck 

 composted with ashes or with lime and salt. 

 Some places should be drained ; some are 

 benefited by resting every seventh year. If 

 your pasture is large, plant a part to forest 

 trees or let a portion grow up to wood of 

 itself. This is nature's system of rotation. 



The paper was followed by remarks from 

 Secretary Goodale, Messrs. Farrington, Su- 

 perintendent of College farm, Robinson, Gil- 

 bert, Thing, Wasson, Prof. Fernald and 

 others. The general, and indeed almost the 



universal opinion, was that land intended for 

 permanent pastures ought not be ploughed. 



I ought to have said before that soon after 

 the business of the day conunenced, we were 

 disturbed by an unusual tramping upon the 

 stairs, and a confused hum as of the sound of 

 many voices. The door was unceremoniously 

 thrown open, and in walked Rev. Ur. Allen, 

 our newly elected President of the Industrial 

 College, followed by Prof. Fernald, Prof. 

 Pike, late of the Boston school of Technology, 

 Farm superintendent Farrington, and between 

 thirty and forty of the finest looking young 

 men, all college students, that I ever saw 

 together. (Tell Amherst to look out for her 

 laurels.) The President of the Board pro- 

 tested against being thus overawed and ovei*- 

 sloughed by larger bodies, but was assured 

 by I'resident Allen, that they were merely re- 

 serves ordered up for active duty, and right 

 manfully did they discharge it. 



Evening Session. — President Allen in the 

 chair. Address by U. FI. Thing of Kenne- 

 bec, subject "Pay as you go." Of the ad- 

 dress it does not become me to speak, but it 

 was followed by earnest, eloquent, impas- 

 sioned words by President Allen, Prof. A. P. 

 Fernald by and Hon. A. M. Robinson, who was 

 extremely eloquent and intensely earnest in 

 his words of advice to the students. He 

 closed by saying, "when you make up your 

 minds to stay in ]Maine, then will you begin to 

 make such homes as you will be willing to, 

 dwell in. Therefore decide to stay in Maine;. 

 Improve all your time, educate your minds,, 

 hearts and bodies, get yourselves farms, take- 

 to yourselves wives, settle down, multiply and 

 replenish the earth. Thus will success attend 

 you and contentment sweeten your life." 



Second Day. 



(Notes of Thursday forenoon mislaid or lost.) 

 Afternoon. — Papers by Maj. Adams of 

 Franklin, on "Manures,"' and Col. Swett on 

 "Clean Cultivation" were read. The former 

 argued that our principal source of fertility 

 was at home, and dwelt upon the importance 

 of economizing every available thing suitable 

 for the compost heap. Col. Swett plead 

 earnestly for clean culture, and gave some 

 startling statistics of the cost of raising weeds, 

 premising that it lessened the crop at least 

 one-fourth to raise the w^eds annually grown 

 in Maine. (An argument in favor of cooking 

 food for stock, and thereby killing the seeds, 

 — ^Rep.) When the Colonel got through, the 

 Hon. T. Fvdler asked him how he could kill 

 witch grass. The Colonel raised quite a 

 laugh by replying that his own farm was full 

 of witch grass, aud that he considered it one 

 of the very best grasses, and no weed at all. 

 Mr. Fuller thoiight if witch grass was not a 

 weed he could see his way clearly to clean 

 cultivation, for the witch grass would subdue 

 everything else. 

 The evening was devoted to "Fruit and 



