1857.] Correspondence of tlie Cincmnaius. 451 



Brady, Whitney and Egberts, who are engaged in scientific farm- 

 ing, some of tliem considerable amateurs. Mr. Joseph Goudie has 

 raised two acres of Chinese Sugar Cane looking remarkably fine 

 and purposes giving it a fair trial. Both he and Mr. Brady have 

 thrifty Osage hedges; the latter gentleman has one of the neatest 

 farms to be found, but complains that with all his attention, his 

 hedges don't do well, and he has been obliged to pull up several 

 roods of it — the cold winters cut it down (the 400 rods he has under 

 cultivation is three and four years old) and field mice, moles or in- 

 sects from the ground, eat oif the lower branches and cause it to de- 

 cay. I hear of many large farmers in Preble county, Ohio, and now 

 in my travels in Indiana, who are being very much discourao-ed at 

 the prospect, after all their care, of being able to succeed with live 

 fence. The plants are set four inches apart according to his direc- 

 tions. 



Mr. Sam'l Shirk, who owns a half section of land, is an old 

 settler, and with his son are dipping into science. A portion of their 

 farm is kept for grazing purposes, and their cattle and sheep are 

 nearly equal to the best in Kentuky ; indeed the son is bound to 

 emulate the Bourbons, and the Faculty of Farmers' College need not 

 be surprised, if at no distant day, these and other sterling agricult- 

 urists in Franklin county, should visit them, perhaps, with speci- 

 mens of their soil for analyzations. 



Of the various kinds of wheat raised, the Mediterranean does the 

 best on the uplands of this county. Those fruit orchards, too, on 

 these high grounds, evidently from the observations made, are far 

 the most productive where protected by forests to break off the cold 

 winds of winter. 



At Metamora, in the " bottoms," but on the side hill particularly, 

 Mr. H. Blacklidfe is giving the fruit business considerable atten- 

 tion. 



Around Laurel, also, in the same county — Franklin — T found many 

 enterprising farmers'. Between the two places, I was caught in a 

 drenching rain, and happily found a port in the storm wherein to 

 newly rig and prepare for my journey at a good farm house of a 

 widow— not soon to be forgotten for the excellent cheer of the 

 family. Those Murray boys are worthy young men, uniting their 

 bold endeavors with the younger members, for the support of a 

 widowed mother aud the adornment of scientific agriculture. 



