! JAN.40 
29 
fnkstrial ^ocitfas. 
CONVENTION OF THE CONNECTICUT 
BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 
SPECIAL REPORT. 
The Annual Convention of the Connecticut 
Board of Agriculture met at Willimantic Dec. 
17, 1879. 
It was near 11 o’clock when Gov. Andrews 
called the meeting to order and introduced Ex- 
Governor Hyde, who delivered the introduc¬ 
tory address. He congratulated the Board on 
the prosperous condition of the State and 
country. The cattle disease had no foothold on 
the soil, and science was liberating agriculture 
from the thraldom to which it had long been 
subject; it was doing more.it was elevating 
it. Old lands had been skinned and worn out; 
the old folks remained to die on them, and the 
young men had run away. Special rotation 
was not tried, if thought of. Soil had appe¬ 
tite, and needed food. It also had lungs to 
breathe. It needed drink also and, like the 
human family, it loves the sunshine, and smiles 
under good treatment. Our auimals show the 
effect of better breeding. The dairy cow of 
to-day if not the queen of hearts was a power 
behind the throne. The ideal cow of the future 
will have a full udder, with a copious supply 
of milk, rich in cream for butter and caseine for 
cheese. Her depth of loin would please the 
eye and her flesh tickle the palate of the epi¬ 
cure. Had we reached this ideal yet? If not 
let us strive for it, remembering that -‘one 
star differeth from another star in glory." At 
the Dairj Fair at Greenfield he was amazed 
and deeply impressed at the immense product 
and interests involved in the Dairy business of 
the country. 
R. S. Hinman read a paper discussing the 
right of the State to disseminate agricultural 
knowledge He had no question of the right, 
yet the impression prevailed to some extent 
that they had come together at the State's ex¬ 
pense to advance their own peculiar interests. 
While this might be true in a limited sense, 
there was no just ground for supposing that 
any other interests were to suffer in conse¬ 
quence. The lands of England were entailed, 
and the Government directed the care and 
management of them. To make the case 
analogous, let Connecticut be the landlord and 
the farmer the tenant. It was to Lhe interest 
of every merchant and manufacturer in the 
State that her agricultural interests be im¬ 
proved and her products increased. | 
Mr. Sedgewick opposed these views. Pri¬ 
vate means and enterprise had done much to 
benefit the farmer, and he thought them suf¬ 
ficient. If the State aided farmers with pub¬ 
lic money, why should it not aid merchants as 
well? 
Governor Andrews stated the increase of 
property had been confined to one hundred 
towns ; others had decreased. Of the twenty- 
six townships in Windham county only five 
showed any increase ; the others show a de¬ 
crease both in value and population. How 
can the producing capacity of a town that 
cannot support as much population as it did 
years ago, be increased so as to do it again ? 
This problem seemed a proper subject for the 
Board of Agriculture to solve. A merchant 
from Boston or New York, who comes here 
with plenty of money made elsewhere, buys a 
farm, puts up fine buildings, etc., for a home 
in which to spend his surplus wealth was not 
the one to be benefited. It was the great mass 
of farmers who had only their farms from 
which to make their living. 
W. P- Gates put the question differently 
How could the fertility of this country be pre¬ 
vented from going abroad in the way of gram, 
etc., exported ? Would it not be better to 
bring the manufactories and operatives here 
where we could board them, and by consum¬ 
ing our surplus products at home, retain also 
the fertilizing materials that now go abroad? 
Another speaker was surprised at Mr. Sedge- 
wick’s views; he thought the appropriations to 
the Board eminently proper and judicious; 
that people would differ as to the economy of 
their expenditure was to he expected, but he 
thought tbero was little ground for complaint 
on that score. There were farms in Connecti¬ 
cut, many of them, that could be bought for 
less thau the improvements cost, and they 
were for sale; how to improve these farms and 
increase their products, were matters of inter¬ 
est to the whole community. He believed the 
export of beef, pork and grain added to our 
wealth; but the export of bone, linseed and 
cotton-seed meat, to fortilizc the lands and feed 
the stock of foreign uatious, was wrong. Eng¬ 
land sets us agood example in the use of these 
things. 
Mr. Hinman asked if it were not to the press 
that Connecticut was largely indebted for 
the adoption of the Mapes s theory of plowing 
in manure, and to the Board of Agriculture 
was due the credit of exploding a system that 
had cost the State more thousands of dollars 
than the Board had hundreds. 
Mr. Whitaker thought the course of the Ex¬ 
ecutive in coming here to take part In this 
meeting was encouraging. Such conduot tend¬ 
ed to the elevation and attraction of Agricul¬ 
ture. Last year butter at St. Albans sold at 
eight cents, cheese at 4 cents. Who could raise 
them at such prices ? There was no sale for 
them here; they were sent to Europe and 
brought the gold that set the wheels of return¬ 
ing prosperity in motion. It was the patriotic 
sacrifices of American farmers on the altar of 
their country, that turned the tide of prosper¬ 
ity in our favor. Can the Board enable ns to 
successfully compete with the West ? It has 
been said that nootber classhad asked for State 
aid; but the manufacturing interests had been 
continually knocking at the doors of Congress 
for aid in the shape of a protective tariff. Some 
years ago he met in New York a gentleman 
who had expended large Bums of money to 
secure this object, who assured him he thought 
it ought to be a penal offense to wear an article 
of foreign manufacture! These discussions 
consumed the morning hour. 
Afternoon Session. 
The first Daper was by Secretary Gold on the 
preservation of food. 
Temperature was of great importance; in 
addition, chemicals, sugar, salt, etc., were 
essential agents. Slowly riptned meat at a low 
temperature accounts for the superior quality 
of city beef over the country article. Veal and 
lamb need less ripening than beef. When fully 
ripe the meat should be put in hot water at 
once. Beef for ordinary purposes should not 
freeze; it would keep best in the quarter if 
allowed to hang tor a week or more. Salting 
should be deferred until the meat is ripe. The 
fat of pork only should be salted, the lean 
should go for sausage. Pack pork in clean 
barrels on the edge. For curing hams he used 
&ix gallons of water, nine pounds of salt, two 
pounds of sugar, one quart of molasses, four 
ounces of saltpeter, two ounces of saleratus, 
for 100 pounds of meat. First cover with salt 
and let lie. flesh side up, for two days, then 
pack in barrels rather close and pour on the 
above brine For small hams three weeks will 
suffice; if.large, six weeks. The latter he would 
take up and repack at the end of three weeks. 
At the end of the three or six weeks he takes 
them out, dries them thoroughly and tmokes 
them without freezing. The preservation of 
graiu and butter received due attention. The 
latter after workiug and salting to taste, was 
rolled in cloths, packed in barrels and covered 
with a saturated solution of salt- In reply 
to au inquiry from Mr. Fish, how to keep 
eggs fresh, he said: pack on end, cover with 
lime-water and 6ome sail, and put in a cellar; 
they will keep for a long time. 
Mr. Morrison asked if cellars differed in 
keeping butter. 
Mr. Gold—" The temperature alone would 
make a difference.” 
Mr. Morrison could not keep his June butter 
in his cellar, but in a neighbor’s it kept satis¬ 
factorily—a circumstance he could not account 
for. * 
Mr. Hart had put down two barrels in June; 
the brine, not being strong, had extracted the 
salt from the butter. 
—*• This was because the brine was not as 
salt as the batter; on the other hand, it it was 
more so, the butter would not absorb from it to 
any extent.” 
Mr. Augur’s rule for salting butter was one 
ounce to the pound. 
Mr. Hart—‘‘This meets the taste of most 
people, while some wanted only an ounce of salt 
to 18 or 20 ounces of butter ; cleanliness, good 
feeding, care in making, keeping in an even 
temperature and putting on the market at the 
proper time are essential to profit.” 
Mr. Cheever—“ It should be kept under the 
brine, otherwise it will be apt to spoil; so with 
pork.” 
Mr. Wetherell—“ Is salt essential to the 
keeping of butter ? This question was asked 
at the Dairymen’s Association a year or two 
ago and some one cried out he would like to 
have that question answered." 
Mr. Hart did not think butter would keep 
without salt. Lard was mentioued in support 
of this theory, but the lard being cooked, they 
were not analogous. How should we compete 
with the West ? The best hotels are supplied 
with butter from there, aud it takes all the pre¬ 
miums and trade. He urged the cooperative 
system as the best means of meeting this com¬ 
petition ; otherwise fanners must provide their 
wives with ice houses and other facilities. 
Mr. Alpheus had noticed a great difference 
in quality of butter and concluded it was due 
to beiug hand-worked. In some suspected 
cases this was admitted, 
Mr. Hinman 6aid saLt deepened the color of 
butter and w as useful in extracting the butter¬ 
milk that the water failed to do, thus improv¬ 
ing its keeping qualities. 
Mr. White did not doubt good butter could 
be made without salt. His practice was to 
wash the butter two or three times, so that the 
last water ran off perfectly clear. Salt to 6uit 
the taste and It will keep a year. One can’t 
make first-quality butter without good feed and 
clean and perfect manipulation, Cellars differ 
in keeping qualities. 
Mr. Gold thought that under the best con¬ 
ditions the cream could all he obtained by the 
use of shallow nans ; but perhaps some of the 
improved systems are superior to this. No 
doubt Connecticut farmers would expend 
$100,000 in dairy apparatus during the next 
five years. The Board were urged to conduct 
a series of elaborate experiments to ascertain 
the merits of the different methods. The gilt- 
edged butter of Dr. Grant and Mr. 8tarr were 
frequently quoted. 
Mr. Day—“It iB well known that these 
makers are surrounded with the best appli¬ 
ances; our farmers’ wives would make gilt- 
edged butter, too, if so supplied.” 
To the questiou : When was the cream in 
best condition for churning ? Mr Gold replied t 
“ Just as it is ripe on the point of turning 
sour.” 
Mr. Hart agreed and would go a little further 
and say it was ripe just as it was sour, and if 
it could be kept at that point a few days, all 
the better. 
Mr. Perkins compared the Grant and Starr 
dairies with the condition of Connecticut far¬ 
mers generally, and claimed their profits were 
due more to the calves and stock sold at prices 
the latter could not command. He also wanted 
to know if it was a fact that the addition of an 
ounce of salt to a pound of butter did not in¬ 
crease its weight. 
Mr. Hinman—If a reply must be based on 
his own positive knowledge he must waive 
it, but he believed it was a fact, on the 
assurance of the butter maker. The salt was 
worked into the butter at the first working and 
allowed to stand till the second working, its 
action being to eliminate the minute particles 
of buttermilk which the worker failed to do. 
In this view it was not difficult to believe the 
buttermilk thus obtained equaled at least the 
weight of salt added. 
Mr. Whitaker’s wife used three-quarters of 
an ounce of salt to the pound of butter, but 
6he uever sold as many pounds as sbe salted. 
Ab to hand-working butler, a man having three 
cows, his wife made the butter and took some 
to the Greenfield Fair and took all the prizes, 
and it was hand-worked, butler, 
Mr Augur—Gov. Andrews alluded to Cole- 
brook’s depleted farms this morning; he would 
add that butter making did not produce these 
effects. Our farmers want the best appliances, 
and he thought the Board would be justified in 
experimenting in this direction a6 had been 
b te ll - 
In response to inquiries Mr. Cheever said 
salt did color butter, and it would not keep 
without it. He agreed with Messrs. Gold and 
Hart as to the ripeness of cream, and in sum¬ 
mer he used salt to keep it at that point. His 
price for years was 85 cents per pound; he 
now gets but 75 cents, owing to competition. 
A man in Boston commenced to make a spe¬ 
cialty of gilt-edge butter a year or so ago ; he 
began at 40 cents ; it was in such demand that 
the price advanced to 50 cents, and, being sat¬ 
isfied with the profit at that figure, he de¬ 
clined to advance it further. The price of 
even gilt-edge butter, like other commodities, 
was subject to the law of supply and demand. 
Mr. Sedgewick was informed in New York 
that the surplus of these fancy dairies was sold 
in that market for 30 to 40 cents. 
Some discussion occurred in favor of an ex¬ 
perimental farm and of testing improved dairy 
apparatus. Messrs. Gold and Augur thought 
these things could be accomplished without 
additional appropriations. 
morning session. 
Dec. 18th.—The convention met at 9 o'clock. 
The Question Box was opened; the first ticket 
drawn requested Mr. Fish to give his experi¬ 
ence in growing corn. 
He thought he generally obtained the most 
bushels per acre from a large Dent variety. 
The stalks were large, grain white, cob red ; 
did not know any special name for it, except 
Western Dent. He plowed sod as late as the 
middle of May. If the manure was coarse, he 
plowed it in; if fine, harrowed it in; plowed 
about six inches deep and harrowed thorough¬ 
ly. Could not harrow too much. Used a Ran¬ 
dall harrow, and if possible would harrow the 
whole depth of the plowed ground. Planted 
his corn in drills 31 to four feet apart and 
dropped two kernels about every foot, and 
afterwards thinned to one. Did this to secure 
an even stand. As soon as it was up sufficient¬ 
ly, harrowed with a Thomas smoothing harrow 
till it was four inches high, then cultivated till 
it was about four feet. Thought his success 
was mainly due to his thorough and frequent 
harrowing aud cultivating. Horse labor was 
cheaper than hand labor, and the latter must 
be avoided if we would successfully compete 
with the West. His first experience in har¬ 
rowing corn was with a brush on potatoes, in 
crossing which he went over the end of a piece 
of corn adjoining. After doing so he repent¬ 
ed, for he thought the corn was ruined, but it 
came out so well, the next year he ventured to 
put the harrow on, and any one as timid as he 
was, after making one trial, will not hesitate 
to repeat it. On a very stony piece of 6J acres 
it took his boy half a day to go oyev after the 
harrow and remove any stones that happened 
on the hills. On one piece he applied 100 
bushels of leached ashes from Canada to the 
acre, costing 17 cents per bushel at the rail¬ 
road station, and harvested 120 bushels of cars. 
One gentleman thought he made a mistake 
in plowing so late. To this Mr. Fish replied 
that possibly he had. He was at one time 
prejudiced in favor of fall plowing; but found 
his crop was more injured by cut worms. He 
once plowed in a heavy application of manure 
eight inches deep; he thought the manure 
would rot and be just where the crop wanted 
it; but it was a complete failure. He thought 
he had lost his crop and manure, too ; the next 
Beason he turned the sod and manure up again 
and found it all there and only partially decayed. 
He planted to corn again and got the benefit 
of his manure in a heavy crop. He considered 
the corn and fodder to be one of the most 
valuable crops he could raise. By deferring 
plowing until late, the weather was warm and 
soon warmed the ground, and if the grass had 
made a good start, be thought it was green 
manuring in a small way. 
How to Kill the Rose-bug was the next ques¬ 
tion. 
Mr. Augur—“On a small Beale hand-picking 
may be resorted to." 
Mr. Hall bad been deluged with them on 
a young strawberry bed and used Paris-green 
effectually. On fruiting beds this would not 
do, of course. 
How to Relieve Choked Cattle ? Mr. Fish 
stated that a stick of wood put in the month, 
like a bit, and fastened by each end to the 
horns was an effectual remedy for choking as 
well as hoven. The animal’s efforts to get rid 
of the stick would soon give relief in either 
case. Mr. White had never found but one case 
where the obstruction could not be removed 
from the outside by the pressure of the hands. 
The hour for the regular order having ar¬ 
rived, Dr. E. L. Sturtevant read a paper on 
Thoughts and Facts Concerning the Food of 
Man. Custom, habit, taste and prejudice 
were all shown to exert, a vast influence over 
our palates. Soup, a permanent article of diet 
in France, in America was seldom used. The 
mushroom, in America almost unknown, in 
France. Belgium and Italy was almost a daily 
diet. The potato was cited as an instance of 
the difficulty of introducing a new article of 
food, as it was used in this country in the 16th 
centnry, whereas it took till the 18th century 
to get it into use in Europe. Flowers are in 
many instances used as food to a great extent, 
the chief instance in this country being the 
cauliflower. He had recently enumerated 
about 3000 varieties or species of edible plants 
and no doubt there were from 4000 to 5000. Of 
Cassava there are two species, the sweet and bit¬ 
ter ; the former is perfectly harmless and little 
grown, and although the juice of the latter is 
intensely poisonous, yet the root is used for 
food and makes the catsiv; | tarch agely used 
in some countries. Saw-dust is sometimes 
used as food; so are grasshoppers. An in¬ 
stance occurred in Massachusetts the past sea¬ 
son of a school-boy whose play-mates had 
played trickB on him by holding him down and 
feeding him grasshoppers by force, which he 
afterwards learned to eat from choice. 
Geo. Hyde called on Prof. Brewer to state 
what he knew about grasshopper diet. 
The Professor stated that happening out 
among the Indians, he was tempted to try 
grasshopper pie, and it was not so bad. He 
gave the modus operandi of the Indians in 
making the ’hoppers up into what they called 
cachowda, which is really nutritious and deli¬ 
cious and much liked by the Indians. Pre ju¬ 
dice affects our diet more than likes and dis¬ 
likes. Pork was despised by millions. There 
is no good reason why horse flesh is not good, 
wholesome, nutritious and palatable. Time 
will overcome the prejudice against it. 
Mr. Cheever related an instance of a man 
near Crawford Notch. N. H., a mechanic who 
it was reported ate live frogs. He sought him 
out, caught the frogs for him and saw him eat 
them. 
Mr. Cressey—"Habits of diet are sometimes 
due to a morbid condition of the system.” 
Mr. Brewer—" Analysis shows that the clay 
so largely eaten by Indians and by people in 
some parts of the South, contains some ingre¬ 
dients that are palatable and nutritious. The 
crow, skunk and owl are mentioned by Mr. 
Capen as very palatable—the latter really de¬ 
licious. Youug crows are as good as squabs.” 
Mr. Webb—The hawk and raven are good ; 
the buzzard and prairie dog passable. 
After this repast the Question Box was ap¬ 
plied to and asked that ubiquitous and never- 
to-be-settled question—What is the Best Straw¬ 
berry ? 
The nearest approach to an answer was 
given by Mr. Capen, of Boston, that of the old, 
well-tested sorts for general use the Charles 
Downing would give as good general satisfac¬ 
tion on all occasions as any, and this view was 
generally concurred in. The Duncan was well 
spoken of; the Crescent, Monarch, Boyden, 
&c-, were also mentioned. 
Afternoon Session. 
DfiQ. 18.—A paper on butter aa au article of 
