^rm^rs Jloiitljlg fetter. 



im. < wmu.i»ig 



CONDUCTED BY ISAAC UIXL. 



*TKOSr. WHO L*n.in in the KARTM ark the CHOSKK I-KOPLK OV (ill 



VII03E BIlElStTK HC HAS MADt H13 PECULIAR DEfOSITE I'OR «Un9TA?ITIAL ABD GENUINE VIRTUE.'* JefftTSOH. 



VOL. 8. NO 3. 



CONCORD, N. H., MARCH 31, 1846* 



WHOLE NO. 87. 



TIIK FAKMKK'S BIOXTHIjV VISITOK, 



PUr.LISHKI) BY 



ISAAC HILL, & SONS, 



ISSUED ON THE I.AS-T DAY OK EVERT MONTH, 



At Athenian Building. 



J):5-(;i:N>nAt, AcEVTs.— n. Ci'oK, Kcelie, N 11.; Thomas 

 R. Uamitov, Wasliinglim Ciry, I). C. ; John Marsh, Wash 

 iri^loii St. Ho-MiMi, JIa.ss. i OiiAnLcs Wii-.EETf, Brinluy Ki.w, 

 NVoiifslt-r. .MasB. 



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 one subseriber. Twelve copies will be sent for the advance 

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 be made in advance. 



^/-Money and subscriptions^ bit a regulation of the Post Master 

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rO"-\" sentlemen who have heretofore acted afl .\yents aie 

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 (i.uie iitnU-r the new terms, will please notify us t.f the names 

 alieatlv on our books. 





Introduction of the Alpaca into the United 



States. 



We h.ave observed wUli pleasure the intention of the 



American Agricultural Association, at the sugge.stion 

 * of R. L. Pell, of Ulster county, to introduce the Peru- 

 vian sheep, or .Mpaca, into the United States. This 

 animal inhabits the slopes, table lands and mountains 

 of Peru, Bolivia and Chili, enduring all the vicissitudes 

 of cliuiate. They are found 12,000 feet above the 

 le\el of the sea, where they derive a subsistence from 

 the moss, &c., growing upon the rocks, e.xposed to all 

 the rigors of the elements, and receiving neither fond 

 nor care from the hand of man. The shepherd only- 

 visits them occasionally; yet such are their gregarious 

 habits, that the liinmbers of one flock selilom stray 

 away and mix vvilh another, being kept in discipline 

 by liie older ones, who know their grounds, and be- 

 come attached to the place of their nativity, to which 

 they return at night, evincing an astonishing vigilance 

 and sagacity in keeping tlie young ones together, and 

 free from harm, llence there is no need of bianding 

 them. So great is the intelligence of some leaders of a 

 flock, that much value is on this account attached to 

 them by their owner — part of whose duties they per- 

 forjii. These animals, says William Walton, are found 

 * on the snow-capped mountain Chimborazo, ll,(j70fcet 

 above the sea. In this tiopical region excessive heat 

 is experienced in the tjionth of August during the day, 

 and towards evening the thermometer regularly fills 

 many degrees below the freezing point, and the next 

 morning rises from eight to twelve degrees tibove it, — 

 all of which great changes they endure perfectly well. 

 In other parts of the Andes mountains, during half the 

 year snow and hail fall incessantly; whilst in the high- 

 er regions, as before noticed, every night the theruiom- 

 eter falls many degrees below the freezing point, and 

 the peaks consequently are constantly covered with an 

 accumulation of ice. The wet season succeeds, when 

 lightning H.ishes traverse the clouds in r.apid succession, 

 followed not by showers, but by torrents of rain, which 

 after collecting, fall headlong fioin the rocks, leasing 

 the slopes ahuost bare of soil, and spreading desola- 

 tion wherever they pass. Still thcMpacas abound and 

 thrive. Their teeth are so strong that they can easily 

 crush and masticate vegetable substances too hard .and 

 tough fur ordinary cattle. In the formation of their 

 stomach they resemble the camel, and can underfro ex- 

 treme hunger and thirst. Their meat is tender, whole- 

 some and savory, and in that country is recommended 



by physicians to invalids, in preference to fowls for 



all declare that their meat is extremely wholesome, and 

 as palatable as that of fat sheep in Castile. Mr. W. 

 further remarks, that in his time there were shambles 

 in the Peruvian towns where it was consl.intly sold. — 

 The quality of Alpaca meat could not fail to be good, 

 when the cleanliness of the animal and nature of its 

 food, and neat and delicate manner in which it feeds, 

 are considered. They eat the purest vegetable sub- 

 stances, which they cnll with the greatest care, and in 



habitual cleaidiness surpass every other (juadruped. — 

 The hardv nature and contented ilisposititni of the .Al- 

 paca, cause it to adapt itself to almost any soil or situ- 

 ation. 'Mie best proof of its hardiness is its power ro 

 endure cold, damp, hunger ami thirst — vicissitudes to 

 which it is constantly exposeii oii its native mountaiirs; 

 while its gentle and ilocile (pialilies are evinced ill its 

 general habits of aliection towaids its keeper. 



No animal in the universe is less affected by the 

 changes of cliiiiate and fond, nor is there any one to be 

 found more easily domiciliated than this. Another re- 

 markable feature in the .Mpaca is, that it does not pers- 

 pire; for which reason, and its peculiarly cleanly hab- 

 its, the fleece does not require washing before it is 

 taken frotn the back. Although often confined to re- 

 gions where 



" Snow, piled on snow, each mass appears 

 The gathered winter of a thousand years," 



The Alpaca is free from all diseases incidental to 

 cotniTion she(!p. The chest is guarded by a collosity 

 which comes in contact with the ground while the ani- 

 mal reposes, and protects it from catarrhs, or other dis- 

 ordei's disabling the limbs. In whatever point of view 

 we contemplate the properties and habits of this aiii- 

 nial, it will be found suitable stock for all our western 

 and northern Slates; waste and unprofitable pastures 

 would sndiec thetn; ihev would browse on wild grass- 

 es and herbage that sheep and cattle reject. 



They will yield 12 to 15 pounds of wool, which is 

 suited for the finest class of goods, and calculated to 

 compete with silk. It is ainiost as fishionable now ns 

 that fabric, being worn by her Majesty Victoria. In 

 1834 the quantity of Alpaca wool imported into Eng- 

 land was 5700 lbs., valued at $16 per quintal — in 

 1842, to July 9th, 1,200,000 lbs., valued at #25 per 

 quintal — up to 1844, 8,657,164 lbs. were imported into 

 Liverpool alone, valued at #30 perquintal. In France 

 the wool is used instead of Angora for cashmeres and 

 inerinoes. It has been proved to be admirably well 

 suited for mi.xed goods; and so firmly is its reputation 

 now established, th.it there is every certainty of a grow- 

 ing demand, to meet which an additional quantity will 

 annually be required. It is supposed that ow'ing to 

 neglect of the inhabitants of Peru, there has been an 

 enormous decline in the number of .Alpacas, which will 

 eventually render them dillicult to be obtained. We 

 would therefore urge strenuously genllemen of wealth 

 — manuficturers — merchants — and iigrtculturist.s — and 

 in fact all who feel an interest in the welfare of the 

 country, to come forward at once and assist the Socie- 

 ty in an undertaking so worthy of all praise. We un-* 

 derstand the cost of bringing out three hundred will be 

 $10,500, delivered in New York; of which suiTi throe 

 thousand have already been promised. We sincerely 

 hope those engaged in an enterprise so noble will not 

 allow the matter to flag. — A". Y. Journal of Com. 



.Artificial Uuck-ii.atching in China. — 

 One of the greatest lions in Chusan — for we have lions 

 here as well as you in London — is an old Chinaman, 

 who hatches duck-eggs in thou.sands evei-y spring by 

 artificial heat. The first question put to a sight-seeing 

 stranger who comes here is, whether he has seen the 

 hatching process; and if he lias not, he is immediately 

 taken out to see tlie old (.Chinaman and his ducks. An 

 account of the house and the process will probably in- 

 terest you, and I therefore send you a leaf of my pri- 

 vate journal, which I wrote on the morning of my first 

 visit. 



It was a beautiful morning in the end of May, just 

 such a morning as we have in the same month in I'.ng- 

 land, perhaps a liltle warmer; the sun was upon the 

 grass, the breeze was cool and refreshing, and altogeth- 

 er the effect pi-oduced upon the system was of the most 

 invigorating kinil, and I suppose I felt it more, having 

 just arrived from Uong-Kong, and suffering slightly from 

 the unhealthy atnuispliere of that island. The mist 

 and vapor were rolling lazily along the sides of the 

 hills which surround the plain on which the city of 

 Tinghai is built; the Chinese, who are generally early 

 risers, were already proceeding to their daily labors; 

 and although the greater part of the l.iboring popula- 

 tion are very poor, yet they seem contented and happy. 

 Walking through the city, out at the norlh gate, and 

 leaving the ramparts behind, I passed through some 

 rice fields, the first crop of which is just planted, and 

 a five minutes' walk brought me to the poornuin's cot- 

 tage. He received me with Chinese politeness; asked 

 me to sit down: ofir-red me tea ;ind his pipe, two things 



always at hand in a Chinese house, and perfectly in- 

 dispensable.. Having civilly declined his offer, I asked 

 permission to examine his hatching-house, to which he 

 immediately led the way, and gave me the following 

 account of the process. First, however, let me describe 

 the house. 



The Chinese cottages generally, are wretched build- 

 ings of mud and stone, with damp earthen floors, scarce- 

 ly fit for cattle to sleep in, and remind one of what the 

 Scottish cottagers were a few years ago; which now, 

 however, are happily among things that were. 'J'he 

 present one was no exception to the general rule; bad 

 fitting, loose, creaking doors, paper windows, dirty and 

 torn; ducks, geese, fowls, dogs and pigs iu the hooso 

 and at the doors, seemingly as important, and liaving 

 equal righlsvvitli thei4- master; then there were child- 

 ren, grand-children, and l^r aught th;it I know, great- 

 grand-childt*n, all togetlier, forming a most motley 

 group, which, with their shaved heads, long tails, and 

 strange costume, would be a capital subject for the pen- 

 cil of Cruikshank.. 



The hatching-house is built at the side of the cottage, 

 and in a kind of long shed, with mud walls, and thick- 

 ly thatched with straw. Along the ends and down one 

 s'ide of the building are ;i number of round straw bas- 

 kets, well pla.stered with mud, to prevent them from 

 taking fire. In the bottom of each basket there is a 

 tile placed, or rather the tile forms the bottom of the 

 basket; upon this the fire acts, a siuall fire-place being 

 below each basket. The top is open, having of course 

 a straw cover, which fits closely, and which covers the 

 eggs when the process is going on, the whole having 

 the appearance of a vase which we sometimes see 

 placed upon a pedestal at home, or rather exactly like 

 the Chinese manure tanks, which perhaps are less 

 known. In the centre of the shed there are a number 

 of large shelves placed one above another, upon which 

 the eggs are laid at a certain stigo of the process. 



When the eggs are brought, they are put into the 

 baskets described above, the fire is lighted below, and, 

 according to some observations made with a thermom- 

 eter, the heat kept up seeming to range from 95 to 102 

 degrees; but the Chinamen regulate the heat by their 

 own feelings, and not by thermometer, and therefore it 

 will of course vary considerably. In four or five days 

 after the eggs have been subject to this temperature, 

 they are taken carefully out, one by one, to a door in 

 which a number of holes have been bored exactly the 

 size of the eggs; they are then held in these holes, and 

 the Chinamen look through to the light, and are able 

 to tell whether they are good or not. If good, they are 

 taken back and replaced in their former quarters; if 

 bad, they are of course excluded. In nine or ten daya 

 after this, that is, about fourteen days from the com- 

 mencement, the eggs are taken out of tha baskets and 

 spread out on the shelves which I have already noticed. 

 Here no fire-heat is applied, but they are covered over 

 with cotton and a kind of blanket, remaining in these 

 circumstances about fourteen days more, when the 

 young ducks burst their shells, and the poor Chinaman's 

 shed teems with life. These shelves are large, and 

 capable of holding many thousands of eggs; and it is 

 really a curious sight, particularly during the last two 

 days, when the hatching takes place. The Chinese 

 who rear the young ducks in the surrounding country, 

 know exactly the day when they will be ready for re- 

 moval, and m two. days after the shell is burst, the 

 whole of ihese little creatures are sold and conveyed to 

 their new quarters. Hhciiaum., 



Wilson, the Ounothologist. — The following 

 is an extract from a letter written to a friend by this 

 clever and amiable naturalist : 



" One of my boys caught a mouse in school a few 

 day ago, and directly nmrched up to me with his prize. 

 1 set about drawing it the same evening, and all the 

 time the panting of its little heart showed the extreme 

 agonies of fear. I had intended to kill it, in oi;der to 

 fix it in the claws of a stufled owl ; but happening to 

 spill a drop of water near where it was tied, it lapped 

 it up with such eagerness, and looked in my fiice with 

 such an eye of supplicating terror, as perfectly over- 

 came me, I immediately untied it, and restored it to 

 life and liberty. The agonies of a prisoner at the stake, 

 while the fire and instruments of torture are preparing, 

 could not be more severe than the sufl^erings of that 

 poor mouse; and, insignificant as the object was, I felt 

 at the moment the sweet sensations which mercy 

 leaves on the mind, when she triumphs over cruelty."' 



