242 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Charles Oakley, Mr. Pepper, Paul Stillman, Judge Scoville, 

 Leigh, Austin Church, M. D., Mr. Hite of Morrisa:nia, D. Poole, 

 Dr. Wellington, Toucey, Vail, Stacey, Geo. Bacon, and others — 

 49 in all. 



Hon. Eobert Swift Livingston in the chair. Henry Meigs, 

 Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following paper and translations pre- 

 pared by him, viz : 



SOUTH DOWN SHEEP. 



The models on the table, presented by Messrs. Morris of Ford- 

 ham, and Thorne of Dutchess, are without doubt worthy of their 

 high reputation. 



We extract some account of the race from the general review 

 of the agriculture of the County of Kent, England, published in 

 London, in 1796, with a respectable drawing of "a small South- 

 down ram, weighing alive only 169 pounds in July 1793.'' 



Kent has long been famous for a fine breed of sheep, called there 

 Eomney Marsh sheep, remarkable for arriving at an extraordinary 

 degree of fat at an early age, and for a large fleece of very long 

 fine wool; no horns; face and legs wiiite. The fat wethers weigh 

 from twenty-two to twenty-eight a quarter, at two years old. 

 The fatling wethers' fleece weighs eight or nine lbs. each. 



These sheep are on sale in the town of Lewes, on the Downs, in 

 the October fairs. In feeding them, much use is made of turnips, 

 oil cake, grain, hay, sainfoin, &:c. Great caution is necessary in 

 feeding tliem on clover in summer and on turnips in the first part 

 of the winter — by their being hlown — a great swelling by wind, 

 which kills them. South Down farmers say however that half a 

 pint of linseed oil given to a sheep when it is first blown, is a cer- 

 tain cure. 



[London Farmers' Magazine, June 1855.J 



Ed. Wilson quotes Varro : " Our experiments (says the learned 

 o d Roman,) should be directed by reason and not by chance. 

 We should obtain all that which is obtainable by rational inquiry 

 into nature and her laws." 



On drainage Mr. Wilson says : "Agriculture has almost ceased 

 to be a ' gee- wo' occupation and is taking its station among the 

 kindred and dignified sciences." 



[From the London Farmers' Magazine.] 



BUTTER. 



Mr. Horsfall informed the council that the greatest amount of 

 butter obtained in his dairy from a given amount of milk, was 



