318 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[April 28, 



We have seen no notice of any attempt to horses ; and raise oxen or rather steers merely 



rai'^e hops iVom the seed. Perhups some advan- < for beef." 



tages might accrue from raisinaf young plants in u My real object is, to improve, by the best 



that manner. Like other small seeds it is prob- j ^p^^s, our native breed of cattle, "if on fair 



able that those of hops would lose ihpir poiver j 3„,] (-jji experiments, crossing with the imp.ov- 



of Tegetation, if exposed too long to air above ; ^^j ^]ipr, ho^s, or with any other foreign breed, 



ground. We should therefore advise those, g],jj|| f,^ proved to he most etficient and advan- 



who might feel inclined to make experiments f^^p^.j^ ,pp ,1,3 combined objects of New Eng- 



on this branch of husbandry to commit the seeds i j^j^^j farmers, labour— beef— butter— cheese ; and 



to the earth as soon a? they are thoroughly ripe !,j,^lljy|j,p]y jf all these mav be obtained, as is | not be answered except by accui 



in autumn. In other words to sow them by art ' ^pjjj:;^^^^,! g^j^ „, \g^g expense of keep, than j ments, of several months,' if not yes 



great power, and they have much quietness and 



docihty." 



This is strong testimony in favour of the 

 short horns, and as respects certain properties, 

 perharis as conclusive as the nature o( the case 

 will admit. It does not answer the questions 

 proposed by Col. Pickering in his tenth letter 

 " on Improving the Native Breed of New Eng- 

 land Cattle." Some of those questions could 



accurate experi- 

 srs' duration. 



as soon as nature would have sown them, if the ' „\i\^ j^g nrcsent breed then let every one ex- 'he results carefully noted, and all the circuin- 



hop vines were left without gathering iheir pro- \ p^, jjjfnseif to partake of the boon. I have been U'fl'icfs, which could affect those results taken 



and 



duce. A few lulls might be left lor the purpose 

 of ripening surae seed for experiment. It is ! 

 not impossible that hops as well as potatoes may ; 

 be benefitted by renewing the kind, or introduc- ! 

 iog new varieties from seed. But this is mere-) 

 ly conjecture, we speak without books, or other \ 

 authorities on this point, and our hints may pass 

 for what ihey are worth. 



When hop plants tirst shoot in the spring, and 

 are not more than 3 inches long, they may be 

 cooked and eaten like asparagus, and are said to 

 be not only f)alalable but wholesome. They 

 are recommended as useful in scurvy, jaundice, 

 costive habits, &c. VVillich's Domestic Encyclo- 

 pedia says, " in medicine, decoctions and syrupy 

 of hop-flowers are «aid to be attended with much 

 benefit in ppstilentinl fevers; a pillow filled 

 with them, and laid beneath the head, has been 

 found to procure sleep to patients afflicted with 

 delirious fevers. Dr Cooper adds, " the tinc- 

 ture of hops is also a very u«eful and not in- 

 flammatory narcotic ; in many cases preferable 

 to opium. Fill a bottle with hops, pour in 

 fourth proof brandv ; keep it warm for three 

 days; strain it; from two to three tea-spoonfuls 

 is a dose." 



BREED.S OF CATTLE. 



{Conlinutd'from page 287.) 

 In our preceding observations on this subject, 

 we gave a number of British testimonies relative 

 to the distinctive properties oflheshsrt horned 

 breed of cattle. VVe will now direct our atten- 

 tion to the character given of their race by some 

 of those American cultivators, whose opinions 

 have come within our notice. And we would 

 observe that Col. Pickering does not appear to 

 entertain sentiments so hostile to this breed as 



willing to be one, to make the experiment 

 accordingly sent a large cow, of the Bakewel! 

 blood, to the Admiral ; and it was the anticipa- 

 tion of a bull on my farm, which prevented my 

 sending a second, one of the two just above 

 mentioned. 1 also recommended to the farmers 

 of Essex (by handbills distributed through the 

 county) to make a similar experiment." 



The Memoirs of the Pennsylvania Agricultu- 

 ral Society contain a communication, made by 

 His Excellency Levi Lincoln, Governor of Ma« 

 sachusetts, President of the Worcester County 



into consideration. But more of this hereafter. 

 The Massachusetts Agricultural Repository, 

 for June 1823, vol. viii. No. iv. contains the fol- 

 lowing observations, which are selected from 

 other remarks on the same subject, favourable 

 to imported braeds of cattle, as well as to im- 

 proving our n.itive stock, as recommended by 

 Col. Pickering. " We say nothing of the pro- 

 fessed exhibitions of rare animals, but this we 

 do say. that when we travel through England, 

 \ we find ourselves among a race of horned cattle, 

 nearlv every one of which we cox'ei. Let Mr 



, c ■ . c 1. u .u., ivii„.„;„„ I Marsha or Mr \oung(old writers) say what 



Aerculural Society, from which the lollowing ,'""'■"".," ' ' = /> A ■ r 



/i^i n,uiiu..ii u . , o I nothing can destroy the eflect of ocu- 



13 extracted. I lar "demonstration. The cattle of England are 



"Upon the subject nj Denton s progeny {^'j^^ superior to our own, as a body, and it is not 



precisely correct to compare individual excep- 



buU of the short horned breed, imported from 

 England, and owned by Stephen Williams, Esq. 

 of Northborough, Mass.] I should fear to write 

 to any one less observing and sanguine than 

 yourself With nineteen of them, of different 

 grades and ages, in my possession, I can safely 

 =av, that my most confident anticipations have 

 been entirely answered. I have now seven 

 heifers in miik,four of them 3 years,and three 2 

 years old : and for richness in n'lafi'j'i -"J "'"»■- 

 "dance in quantity, they are not excelled by the 

 very best cows of any a^c of the native stock. 



tions in our country with general and average 

 statements of whole counties in England. VVe 

 are sorry to say farther, that the cattle of the 

 low countries, and of Normandy, appeared to 

 us much finer than our own, in a visit made to 

 the=e countries eight years since. They were 

 in better condition, and much fewer miserable 

 imJividuals among them. They had learned 

 the important lesson that a poor animal is not 

 worthy of its support. We have always thought 

 with Col. Pickering that our country possesses 



A heifer of 3 years, with her second calf, has j j,, ,jj,^ moment, a race of cows, and possibly of 

 not been dry since she dropped her first, hav-; ,,,j||g^ which selected with care, their progeny 

 ing given four quarts on the morning of her raised and kept from contamination with inferi- 

 second calving. 



" Next (o the Merino sheep, I consider the 

 introduction of the short horns, in the blood of 

 Denlon, as the richest acquisition to the country 

 which agriculture has rfceived. For the dairy 

 and the stall I speak with the utmost confidence 

 of Iheir pre-eminence. From my three years 



or animals, for five or six generations would 

 produce a race of cattle which we might show 

 with pride in Smitbfield. But who are our 

 capitalists that will select and lake due care of 

 them. Where is the man who has so cautious- 

 ly guarded the progeny of a fine cow ? and if 

 be did, unless he should raise her bull calves as 



have been altribu'ed to him. In his last E«say j old heil'ers 1 have calves of the most promising ; husbands, how can he hope to keep the race 



' On Improving the Native Breed of New Eng 

 land Cattle," (New England Farmer, vol. iv. p. 

 89.) Col. Pickering observes " that the half 

 breed offspring of the improved short horns is 

 larger than our native breed, 1 suppose is not 

 to be, controverted. English writers declire 

 the short horns to be the largest breed in Eng- 

 land ; and this with the quality of fattening at 

 an early age may recommend it to farmers in 

 those parts of our country, whore oxen are rais- 

 ed tor beef XiCii for labour ; and where they have 

 richer pastures than are generally to be found 

 in New England, at lea=t in Massachusetts." — 

 Again, in the same essny (N. E. Farmer, vol. 

 }». pages, 90, 91.) Col. Pickering says " I have 

 no disposiiion to question the character of the 

 seveial tesliinonie" Mr Powel has diligently col- 

 lected and published to prove the superiority of 



the short horns." "•' Nor did I write for 



the wealthy fumers of Pennsylvania who culti 



earance, and greatly excelling any 1 have : pure ? 



"PP - - . 



before seen. One of the heifers gives from 16 



to 20 quarts of the richest milk, by the day 

 since calving ; the other a little less, from the 

 circumstance of having been in milk continual- 

 ly for more than a year; but her milk is in no 

 degree inferior in quality. The last season she 

 gave eleven quarts at a milking, with grass only, 

 and this not unfrequenlly. They keep as easily 

 as the native stock, and are as hardy. 1 have 

 this year a three fourths heifer calf from a half 

 blood of Denton by Admiral, the famous bull 

 sent out by Sir Isaac Coffin last year, to the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Society, and two 

 others by the celebrated bull Coelebs, or Den- 

 ton's half blood. They are fine promising ani- 

 mals, although in no respects superior to the 

 three fourths ot Denton. I have no knowledge 

 i ot' the properties of this stock for labour, never 

 having altered but one of the males. I cannot. 



vate the rich soils of the finest parts of that state; however, perceive any reason to doubt their 

 iarmers who pei lorm their team labour with | value io this particular Their form indicates 



Would there be any question in the mind of 

 my sensible cultivator about to raise his own 

 stock, that if a neighbour had improved bis own 

 race so that they were erainentl^-litted for the 

 various uses of this most important agricultural 

 animal for milk, for beef, and for draught, that 

 it would be for his interest to procure that slock 

 and to sell off his own miserable breed ? We 

 trust not. Well, then, another nation has done 

 thisforus. Sheoffersyou the effect of 60 years' 

 experiment. Will you refuse it ? We hope not. 

 " The Massachusetts Agricultural Society of- 

 fered a premium for the importation of the best 

 races of Great Britain. They came. The pre- 

 miums were awarded. The public admired the 

 animals. The public may hafe been deceived; 

 Ibey may have been carried away by the nov- 

 elty. Still Ibey lingered and looked and crowd- 

 eed round these imported animals. They thought 

 that they were superior to any of their oivn. — 

 Experienced farmers, herdsmen, butchers so 



