The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-01-27
Local Affairs.

AGRICULTURAL MEETING. fourth
meeting of the Legislative Farmers and
Mechanics Club, was held in the Hall OF
the House OF Representatives Thursday
evening. In the absence OF the President,
Judge Dayton presided.
Mr.. Wells of Fillmore county, made
few remarks, showing the benefits to be
derived from the meetings Of the society.
He thought Minnesota was now the best
and most profitable stock-growing country
in the United States, but that it would not
always continue to be so. He thought cat
tie were fatter here in three or four weeks
after grass started, than in other places at
the close of summers pasturage. He also
urged the Importance of keeping good stock
on the score of economy.
Mr.. Buchanan, of st. Paul, said that four
years ago he imported Durham bull and
heifer and crossed with common stock which
made a remarkable breed--the calf was
heavier than its sire, and twice the value OF
its mother-putting Durham bull to COM
mon stock will double its value. The
Devon stock does not mature so we'll as the
Durham, but was better for work, while the
Devon was best for beef. He thought this
was great stock raising country, and par
ticularly good for sheep. He called this a
good country for stock on account of its
being so we'll watered, and because it had
supported for so many years such hordes of
buffaloes. He thought it was the rain that
injured stock and not the cold weather, but
that stock ought to be will housed in the
winter-that the Durham stock was also
the best for this climate, and that to get
good bull was the first thing to be thought
of by the stock raiser. The South Down
sheep was the best of all Others for meat,
but not for wool. He had at first hogs of the
Berkshire breed, than the Essex, which
matured earlier, and at nine months old
averaged 200 pounds. The Suffolk matured
the earliest, but had too much fat, and he
had crossed Suffolk sow with an Essex
boar, and had plenty of fat and lean, with
out feeding on corn--should have them litter
by the first of March, if possible.
Mr.. Brooks, of Winona, believed the
dairy and wool business to be the most prof
liable for the farmer, and that this was as
good country for the dairy business as
Orange county, New York. His wife had
made butter here that had all the fine flavor
of the Goshen. He said that milk that
would make good butter would make good
cheese, and that we could always have
good southern market for all the products
of the dairy. A COW would be purchased
here for S25 that would make 300 pounds
of cheese, if fed on roots, besides fifty pounds
of butter, amounting to $32. He made
calculation to show that this was better than
beep raising, and said that we should al
WAYS have good market for all that was
raised here and that if the farmers would
turn their attention to dairying, they would
make more money than they now DO.
Mr.. Andrews of Stearns, asked if any
gentleman present could tell him the result
of the expectation from Rochester to Boston
of cattle--whether it was attended with
any profit or not.
MIR. Whitcomb, of Olmsted, was able
to state that Mr.. DIN, who bought the
cattle for the Boston market had returned
for another drove, and that he paid the
highest prices, and he supposed he had done
well.
Mr.. Andrews had seen, at Crow Wing,
in 1856, fine drove which had been driven
from the Selkirk settlement, which had fat
tened on the way down. He would like to
be informed of the effect of cold weather on
stock, for the reason that some had said
they had done we'll when left out. He be-
lieved that Minnesota would succeed in
stock raising, and also believed it would be
demonstrated Stock raising was the most
agreeable and interesting occupation far
mer could follow. He spoke of the material
benefit science had been to farming, and OF
the Importance of cleanliness and ventilation
of barns.
Mr.. Abbott, of LIE Sueur, thought it was
bad policy to leave stock out. He lived
in wooded country where the winter was
not so rigorous as on the prairie, and the
farmers provide no shelter for their cattle,
unless it was for COWS and helfers, and no
bedding, but the cattle looked we'll in the
spring, better than in the East when fed
on tame hay and when they had good shell
ter-but he thought they would do much
better if sheltered in clean and we'll ventila-
ted barns from the wind and snow. A
neighbor of his having fifteen head of cattle
got out of hay ID February, and from time
till grass came, they got their living in the
woods, like the deer, and were looking WE'LL
All animals should be kept clean. Mr.. A.
thought it more profitable to raise cheese
than butter, and pork than either, at the
present time in Minnesota. Hogs could
get their living from the abundance OF
succulent roots Astounding in the woods in
the summer, and in the winter would grow
fat on ruta bagas. He had raised seventy
seven bushels of shelled corn to the acre on
his farm.
Mr.. McLaren, of Goodhue, thought that
grain raising would never be very profitable
here,-that the dairy business would be
good where the land was we'll watered, but
in a blufy country sheep would be best.
AS general rule, the raising of wool or
hogs would be most profitable. To ship a
bushel of wheat to New York would cost
thirty.three cents, while pound of wool