AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 365 



I find the first seed saved sprout as well as the last. I may add 

 that I manured slightly my hills from the barn yard. 



I am dear sir, very respectfully yours, 



GILES HALEY. 

 To Henry Meigs, Esq. 



WELL OF WATER FOR STOCK— DRAWING IT THEM- 

 SELVES. 



Henry A. Dyer, Engineer, Secretary of the Connecticut State 

 Agricultural Society, exhibited to the Club a model of the appa- 

 ratus and explained its operation. It is the fruit of the ingenuity 

 of Mr. Jared A. Ayres : 



A movable platform only wide enough to admit one animal at 

 a time to approach the well, falls^enough with the weight of the 

 creature, as it reaches the well, to lift a bucket, which imme- 

 diately pours a sufficient stream of the water into a trough for the 

 creature to drink. When satisfied, the animal backs out and 

 another thirsty one takes its place; thus securing to a farm stock 

 a full supply of pure, refreshing water, without the least trouble 

 to the farmer. The idea pleased members very much. Some said, 

 suppose a large herd want to drink 1 Answer — Then have seve- 

 ral temperance platforms, so that several may be filled at once. 



Mr. Tompkins exhibited a model pig-pen, invented by Mr. 

 Abbe. By means of cheap iron frames projecting over the trough 

 so as to allow pigs to get their heads in to eat, but not their legs 

 or bodies, the food is kept clean, is not wasted by slopping over- 

 board, and the rear boards of the pen open so as to allow the 

 troughs to be supplied with the food from behind. 



This plan is approved and practiced by a larg^ number of our 

 distinguished farmers. The saving of food is about one third, 

 and is kept clean instead of being, as is usual, made filthy, full 

 of the hog dung of the pen, stirred in by the feet of the pigs, 

 making the pork smell and taste of the abominable stuff". 



Geo. E. Waring — I have witnessed the experiment of this Abbe 

 pen, and it is very good. 



President Pell requested James J. Mapes to take the chair. 



Prof Mapes in the chair — Desired to have the discussions here 

 limited wholly to statements of facts, curt and crisp — no theories, 



