have. If we were to attempt to accomplish it in detail, and should undertake to make one and a half miles of stone road per year, it would take thirty-three years to complete the task, and the cost of the one and a half miles of stone road would oblige us to more than double our present tax rate. So that it would take thirty-three years of double taxation to make these roads in our town. Now, there are dozens of towns among our hills whose valuation is less and whose road mileage is more than that of our town. So you see the impossibility of undertaking to do anything of this kind without State aid. There are those who are in favor of State aid; there are those who are opposed to it, believing in the old idea that towns and communities should take care of themselves.

I have some ideas which have occurred to me on this subject, which I will suggest to you. One is, that the State might undertake to build a road connecting each town with its natural market or its most eligible railroad station. Those roads would not only be valuable in themselves to the community, but would be an object lesson to the towns, and if the cost, the system upon which they were made, and the reasons for the plan being adopted for that location were reported in detail, the towns could see what they could afford to do in that line upon the remainder of their roads. It seems to me that along with this policy should come a system of bounties or gratuities offered by the State, to induce the towns to do something in this line. For instance, suppose the State should say to the towns, by legislative enactment," If you will build one mile of road to the acceptance of the State engineer, the State will build another in your town." Or, if it is thought that the State could do the work better than the towns, the State might say to the towns, "If you will appropriate money sufficient to build one mile. of stone road, the State will build two miles, or in that proportion." I believe in State aid; I do not believe in laying all the burden on the towns; and I think that something of that sort has got to be done.

Along with this there should be provision for the appointment of an engineer to go out to any town and make plans and specifications for a proposed road, and estimates of the

cost in detail. Such roads, built under the direction of a thoroughly competent engineer, would, of course, have a properly graded and thoroughly drained road-bed, and they could use such material as was best under the circumstances. An excellent road can be built by thoroughly draining the bed and applying from six inches to a foot of good gravel. Many of our towns have a convenient supply of good gravel, and where that is plentiful the engineer could order it to be used. If that is not accessible, broken stone could be used, and perhaps would be economical.

These are some of the crude thoughts that have occurred to me in regard to the improvement of the roads in our State. The only way we shall ever accomplish anything is by discussing the matter, by getting the ideas of one man and rubbing them against the ideas of another, and perhaps we may get the best plan from the man of least experience.

I see that Mr. CHEESMAN has come in, and we will take up the subject assigned for this morning.

The CHAIRMAN. I think that we will consider this subject. of road-making which Mr. Sessions has opened as laid upon the table. It may be taken up again whenever there is opportunity.

You are now invited to listen to a lecture on "Homegrown or Purchased Cattle Foods," by Prof. JAMES CHEESMAN of Southborough, a man whose name only needs to be mentioned to insure attention anywhere in Massachusetts on any subject connected with the dairy.

Professor CHEESMAN. When our secretary did me the honor to invite me to present the subject of cattle foods to you this morning, I was in doubt whether to treat it from the standpoint from which I am accustomed to consider it in addressing agricultural societies and farmers' institutes, that is, a local stand-point, or from the stand-point of general principles. Inasmuch as this is a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture, what I shall ask you to consider this morning applies not to any particular county merely, but to the whole State of Massachusetts and inferentially to all of New England. I have chosen to treat the subject from the stand-point of general principles, introducing only here and there figures illustrating the question of cost relating to various localities in New England, parts of New York State and Canada.

HOME-GROWN OR PURCHASED CATTLE FOODS.

BY PROF. JAMES CHEESMAN, SOUTHborough.

The history of farming in Massachusetts is the history of migration of the rural population, and the transformation of industries.

From necessity the Bay State farmer early became an intensive cultivator. The physical conformation of his land · and its rocky surface have compelled him to limit the area of tillage.

In every system of farming well-kept grass land and a large proportion of the cultivated area maintained in grass have formed the foundation of animal industry. Inasmuch as we must all have grass land for hay, it is important to consider how much land we should use, and what quantity and quality of herbage we should produce.

I have never known a successful farmer who could not manage well his grass lands. The conclusion is forced on us that every cattle man who has achieved distinction as a cultivator won it by learning how to grow for the least amount of money what is admitted to be the costliest ingredient of an animal's ration. In a mixed ration it is usual to figure the cost of hay at the ruling prices in towns and cities, and to value it for what we get out of it in comparison with the yield of such concentrated feeds as new-process linseed meal, cotton-seed meal, bran and other cattle foods. The value of the several components of these substances determines for us the relative value of hay. Calculated by any process of reckoning, we must acknowledge that hay is costly; we cannot argue against the hay crop because it is costly. The lesson suggested is rather reduction of cost, and such a management of grass lands as to enable us to grow the largest yields per acre at the least cost.

Next to a careful selection of seed of known vitality and proper variety, the preparation of the seed-bed and its thorough treatment are of paramount importance. The assumption that grass crops will take care of themselves is too common among us. There is no essential difference between the food wants of the plants which compose our grasses and the nutritive requirements of the tillage crops. When we harvest good crops of oats, corn or potatoes, it is because we have fertilized them generously. The law, of life which so closely connects efficient nutrition with large milk, egg and meat yields in animals is the same for plants. If the grass crop could have as much attention as the corn and potatoes, it would yield as liberally in proportion.

NITROGENOUS PLANTS.-GRAIN RATIONS.

A great deal has been said, during the past two years, of the need of growing more nitrogenous plants. This advice has been urged as an argument for lessening the outlay for such purchased feeding stuffs as we buy from Western growers, whether in the form of bran or corn meal. I don't think the time is near when it will be economical to stop buying cotton-seed meal or linseed meal. These two substances form the very cheapest sources of nitrogen purchasable by farmers. The largest and most prosperous milk producers in our State are the men who use most liberally and intelligently mixtures of these two substances. I would therefore start out with this rule for feeding: A mixture of cottonseed and linseed meals in equal weights; that these foods should form from three to four tenths by weight of a mixture of other grains, as bran, oat feed, corn or cob meal, and middlings; that the cotton-seed and linseed fed to cows should equal one-eighth of the weight of milk. Thus, a cow giving twenty-four pounds of milk daily should have with other grain three pounds of these two. Another giving forty pounds daily should be able to eat five pounds of this grain. A cow producing that quantity of milk, if not more than twelve and a half per cent of dry matter, produces five pounds of dry food. No beef animal ever produced such a

yield of dry meat. The income and expenditure is a liberal

one.

EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON HIGH FEEDING.

Everything depends on this mode of high feeding of animals, with special reference to the value of manurial residues. This is the key-note of feeding on two of the most interesting farms in Southborough. On one farm about four tons of hay to the acre are grown, and no succulent food of any kind. On the other no hay is grown, but the animals are kept to make manure to feed garden crops designed for the Boston market. In the human and all animal life we rightly regard the complexion-its touch, color and general tone or appearance as the best expression of health. In plants we do not attach enough importance to shade of color, touch, tone and general appearance; and yet all these features are powerfully affected for good or ill by the amount of nutrition they obtain during their growth. Everyone knows there is a great practical value in a lusciously ripe orange; a mellow, richly scented pear; in the color, ripe flesh and delicate aroma of an apple, apart from their æsthetic features. Can anyone calculate the value of these things in promoting digestion? We all accept as true the proposition that digestion governs nutrition, and that unless we digest what we eat we get no nutriment from our food.

TWO EXAMPLES.

These two instances of diverse farming in the town of Southborough illustrate principles of manuring which determine how animals shall be fed and what forms of fertility shall be bought. The one farmer has concluded that, as milk is his primary product, hay is the best and cheapest food he can grow on the farm for foundation fodder. Who shall say that the nutritive value of such hay is not much greater than the ordinary article? and, judging it on the basis of color, tenderness of fibre, scent and flavor, it ought to be reckoned the best in our town. On this farm I have seen the hay crop increased and improved by the use of linseed and cotton-seed