Proceedings of the Farjiers' Club. 389 



and silicate of potash, and the mesenteric glands, and all that, but I 

 am perfectly certain that it pays for me to cut up the hay and straw 

 I feed out, and all the doctors in the faculty cannot reason me out of 

 a conviction founded on actual trials and the experience of years. 



Mr. A. J. Ca^avood. — I am a grape culturist, and have always been 

 a farmer and a gardener. My father was a large farmer, and kept 

 fifty and sixty cows. He used to say that his cows always did best 

 on pastures where they could fill themselves in two hours. The mus- 

 cular exertion of walking all over a big pasture and picking all day 

 to get their fill, cuts short the flow of milk in cows, and retards the 

 fattening process in animals fed for the butcher. When we keep an 

 animal for milk or flesh it won't pay to make it work for its boarc|. 

 I remember a story about an acute Frenchman who made an experi- 

 ment in fattening squirrels, ^me he fed on cracked nuts, and some 

 with whole. Those who had to gnaw their shells open fattened 

 slowly. Those who had nothing to do but eat the kernels took on 

 flesh very fast. Cutting the hay for a cow is Jike cracking the wal- 

 nuts for a squirrel. 



Mr. J. B. Lyman. — I am very glad this gentleman has written his 

 testimony on the point before us, and I hope others, and especially 

 those who keep butter dairies, will follow his example. 



Mr. K. C. Meeker.^Cows kept for milk only may be fed on cut 

 and steamed hay, but not when butter is the object. 



Mr. J. B, Lyman. — I do not consider that as proved by any means; 

 and I hope the country members of this club, those who advance their 

 ideas through the pen, will give us their experience. I know that 

 Mr. Warren Leland for instauce, of Westchester, who milks between 

 forty aiid fifty cows, and sends an excellent quality of miik to his 

 hotel, is a strong believer in cut and steam food. He has been con- 

 vinced bf the importance of treating his hay in this way, not by 

 agricultural" books, not by English practice, nor even by the wisdom 

 of this oracular club, but by actual and frequent experiments. He 

 cannot afford not to cut and steam. If the experience of other 

 large feeders is contrariwise, we hope they will write us facts and 

 conclusions. 



Bone-dust and Superphosphate. 

 Mr. John M. Bui't, Big Flats, ISTew York, writes that he was much 

 pleased with the paper on fertilizers, read by James A. Whitney, 

 some weeks since, and would ask of him through the club, if such a 



