204 MOiNTflLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, 



ital in this branch of business in this county is $1,000,000. This amount in 

 mechanical business would be sufficient to create in the mechanic a strong desire 

 to be in possession of all the improvements and facilities within his reach, fof 

 the more profitable prosecution of his business." " There are," he farther says, 

 " only two branches of agricultural and nine of mechanical industry in the whole 

 Commonwealth, that yield a greater income than that derived from cows " — 

 meaning, we suppose, their dairy products, not their natural increase. *" 



Here we may mention that we heard from Mr. John Bkooks, of Princeton, 

 Massachusetts, another evidence in favor of the reality and truth, in the main, 

 of the " Cow Book," translated from the French and published in this journal. 

 Mr. Brooks is one of the most exemplary, industrious and intelligent farmers of 

 New-England, and he avers explicitly that he has no fear of ever being again 

 mistaken in the qualities of a cow, or in the milking promises of a calf, being 

 guided by the marks for judgment and selection laid down in that work. He 

 tells of a dairy of eight cows whose yield of milk he pronounced accurately 

 within one quart, when they were in full milk. Several gentlemen of unques- 

 tionable truth and judgment, have declared their belief in " the signs," (as far as 

 they had used opportunities of observation.) Among them are Col. B. Taylor, 

 of Columbia, S. C, Mr. Bell, of Morrisiana, proprietor of a very large dairy near 

 New- York, and Mr. Randall, well known to the whole agricultural commu- 

 nity. Supposing that to be a reliable guide, and that •' like begets like " in 

 breeding cattle, and there is nothing to prevent a great, and general, and rapid 

 improvement of the stock of milch cattle throughout the country. 



About the show of sheep at Worcester, the least said, perhaps, the better , 

 so we will not butt our head against them. " A beggarly account of empty 

 boxes "tells the story literally and truly. There was one gentleman of that race 

 who was not ashamed to sport his four horns publicly ; but for the honor of 

 our country he was said to come from Africa ! His fleece had the appearance of 

 being uncommonly coarse and long, as if it might suit peculiarly well for the 

 clothing of another woolly race, also originally from his own country. There 

 was, too, an uncommonly large, fine-looking young ram, apparently of "country 

 blood," labeled " long-wool sheep.' We know not what respect was paid to 

 him by the Committee. He went away in the afternoon Avith a sullen air, 

 (probably without any dinner,) riding in a cart alone and magisterially, drawn 

 by a pair of noble oxen. 



The cheese exhibited on this occasion v/as pronounced by the appropriate Com- 

 mittee never to have been better. That cheese should improve is one of the 

 fruits of a better and more steady market in Europe. In their gallantry they as- 

 cribe its excellence to the careful attention and nice management of Worcester 

 housewives. In this we doubt not in the least their correctness ; and when we shall 

 have shared with this Committee, if that should ever be our happy lot, the honor 

 of having been let into the mysteries of their nice dairies, and the enjoyment of 

 their buttermilk and other nice products, we will go as far as he who went the 

 farthest in saying that Massachusetts dairy women excel in all that is commendable 

 and requisite, " the goddess of the ancients, who presided over this department." 

 For the nonce, however, we would respectfully suggest that, in our poor judg- 

 ment, this Committee would not have erred if they had recommended that their 

 premiums for clieese and butter, and all household products, whicb are in fact 

 usually the fruit of good housewiferi/, rather than good husbandry, should be 

 bestowed not in money on the husband, but in pieces of plate, or appropriate 



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