^ijr^inncv s itknitl)li) uuntor. 



79 



riiliiir frngninoe rises up from the ground tn his 

 iioKtrils ; a stripliii!; (;c!]oiill»iy »• ^'i" sidi', looks 

 iiji kjiowiiifily ill Ilia l^iue, :iinl says, " I'lipa, do 

 yod know wlicre tlinl suet.t scent counts Iroiii:" 

 " Til lie siMH, child— y)om Me c;ronn(l.'^ " Yes, 

 hut what makes it coim; lirnu liie f;roiiiid r" — 

 "Why ilic niiii." "15ut uhal makes the lain 

 lirin;; it li mil the gCDNinl ?" I'apa luoks (ixilish 

 and i-onfunnded — whilst ihe junior hoy in the 

 junior class ol' aj,'rieultmal cliemisliy, eonies out 

 strong' will) his lir»t lesson : — "It conies from (At 

 (iniiudnin, hroii;^-hl clown in the rain more nipidli/ than 

 the c.irlk ain absorb it, anil which, bcini; n liii^hfy 

 rdlalilc ga.i, is risim; again into tht air." " Non- 

 sense! chilli." "lint, His .10, papa: I'rol'essor 

 Liel'ix and Dr. I'layliiir, and all tin; f;reat eheni- 

 isls say that it is so." " lint how can thcij prove 

 it, hoy ?" " Why, in this way : they say that al- 

 lli<ini;li the earhonati^ of ainnioiiia, uhieh smells 

 now so delieioiisly, is a vnlalUe ^as, the siilphtite 

 of ainnionia is ii fixed and visible hody ; and if 

 yon spread finely powilered {lyjisiim over a };russ- 

 field, \on miiy walk over it a/iera thunder show- 

 er wiiliont peiireivini; this scent; (iir the j;ypsiim 

 (w\i\i-\i i< suljihate of lime,) lay.s hold of the am- 

 monia, and ohli^'es it to make a \ery curious iii- 

 terchanj.'e — a sort of cross iiiarria,;,'e ; for the 

 snipliato leaves the lime and unites with the am- 

 monia, and hecomes sulphate of amonia, and 

 ihe carhonale, ahandoiied hy the amonia, con- 

 soles ihe deserted lime, and heconies carhon- 

 Ble of lime, commonly ciiIIimI chalk. And thus 

 pypsnni, not a manure in ii.self hecoems the 

 hasis of two maiimes — inlpliale of ammonia 

 Mild eaihon.ite of lime. And the leaeher says 

 that if powdered ^'ypsiim he spread occasionally 

 over ihe staliles and hainyard, it uill calcli all 

 the ammonia lliat now i;oes ofl' in smell, and, hy 

 tlie process hel'ore mentioned, increase the quan- 

 tity and value of the manure." 



Query: which is the hetser aijricniliirist, that 

 hoy or his father? 'I'lie one is an experienced 

 praciical farmer; the oilier, a youngster, just 

 ilipped in llin llrst iiidiments of Theory. * * * * 



II hat is 'I'heory .-' The condensed result of 

 the whole history of past practice, arranged and 

 classitied, enlightened and explained, hy refer- 

 ence to the eternal and immnlahle principles of 

 scientific trnlli. He who commences practice 

 with Ihe knowledge of theory, commences hiisi- 

 iiess willi a mind lit up l.y the recorded ex]ieri- 

 ences of those who went hefore him. 



Never, smely, can a (iirnier deserve the name 

 of master of his hiisiness, iiiuil he iindeistnnds 

 the nalure and high imporiance of those invisible 

 agents which the science of chendstry opens to 

 us. The wooden walls of our naval armamenls, 

 have derived their hiilky snhslance from the ehih- 

 oralion in the leaves of the oak, of the invisihle 

 cnihonic acid gas; the most mjlrilions pail of a 

 loaf of hread is derived from ihc ei]iiMlly invis- 

 ihle nilrogen ; the lionndless and falliomless wa- 

 ters of the ocean are composed of two gases, 

 each of them separately invisihle: and lastly, the 

 atmosphere, that supports llle and respiialion, 

 during every inslaiii of our existence, is itself 

 invisihle. homely, then, the existence of ammo- 

 n?V(,ilie life and soni of agricnlliiral feilility, should 

 not he neglected, and [iraclieallv disholieved, 

 merely hecaiiso it is invisible. — C. If. H., in Land. 

 Jig. Gaz. 



Texas Cattle. 



It will he pratifving to the reader to examine 

 (Jen. Houston's letter in reference to "cattle and 

 slock hreeding in Texas." 'I'he letter is from the 

 American Agrieullurisi, hut addressed to a friend 

 in New York. 



(ixLVKsroN, Ti:xAS, Dec. 1st, 1845. 



No present to nie at ihis lime could have heen 

 more acceptahle than a tine Durham, as it is my 

 iiitenlioii to carry out the ohject which first in- 

 duced my location in this coiiniry — that of slock- 

 liieeding. The present condition of our eoiintrv, 

 ill conseipience of annexation to the I'niied 

 i^latcs, will leave men fieelo pursue the more 

 pleasing and pridilahle husiness of agricullnre 

 and herdsmen, than has heen allowed for many 

 years to our citizens, while under the various in- 

 tluences of excitement and uncertainty. Fortu- 

 nately tor us, we shall soon he at rest, when our 

 natural facijiiies will he inquired into, and our 

 resources developed, by those who have cajiital 

 and possess enterprise. 



Doiihtless no country on earth possesses equal 



advantages to Texas as a stock-rearing comiiiu- 

 nily. iSlock here requires no feeding either in 

 stiinmer or winier, and costs no troiihle nor ex- 

 pense save marking and liranding. Sailing is 

 not iii'cessary, as salines or licks are in every 

 pari of the coimliy ; so thai in fact an ox weigh- 

 ing one tlionsaiid weight, or the most valiiahle 

 cow, would iiol cost a liiriiier one cent in its rear- 

 ing. 



Our [irairies are cloihed wiih the most nntri- 

 lioiis grasses, snllicient for countless herds. — 

 lleretolore, the Diirhams have not prospered in 

 this country; hut lids, to my mind, is readily ac- 

 counted for. They have generally come hy wa- 

 ter, and remained on llii: stahord, where the in- 

 sects are more numerous than in the interior; 

 and « In.'re, too, the elimale is not so congenial 

 lo the conslitulioii as the rolling country, iiol only 

 of callle, hut likewise of horses. Some Dur- 

 liams have heen introduced Irom iMissoiiri, and 

 remained in ihe interior, ahoiit one hundred 

 miles from the seahord and they have done well. 



There is no good reason why hlooded callle or 

 hlooded horses should not do well in Texas, if 

 proper care he taken »if iliein the tiist year. — 

 The change of climate, from a northern lo a 

 soulhern lalilude, will have an influence upon all 

 animals, as experience has shown ; this fact lieing 

 known, should not he disregarded, while the ani- 

 mal is undergoing acclimalion. iMy opinion is, 

 that November would he the most tavorahle 

 n.'oiith for Ihe introdnclion of hlooded slock, and 

 dial they sIk.uIiI he fed on hay or corn-stalk fod- 

 der, \>illi very llile grain dining the wi'iler, and 

 he kepi sliehered. If this course were |Mirsued, 

 I am sa;ij|led that there would not be more than 

 one failure in twenty experimenls. 



The preseni stock of cattle in Texas is gener- 

 ally a mixture ot' Alexican, and cattl.-; liom the 

 United Slates. I'liey each show a distinctness 

 of character. The Mexican (or Spanish) cattle 

 are not so heavy or compaclly hniit, hut are taller 

 and more active; nor do they weigh as well in 

 (iroportion to appearance when slaiighlered as 

 the American callle. They are more active than 

 our callle, with remarkahly long, slim, and sharp 

 horns: lliey are not so good for milk as ours. — 

 A cross of the breeds I consider an iinprnvemcnt 

 and for oxen decidedly so, lor it blends the pow- 

 er of the American with the sprightliness and 

 aciiviiy of the iMexican cattle. There is a fiict 

 in the nainral hislory of 'I'exas, which has here- 

 toibre claimed but little notice, and which seems 

 to me not important. 



When the first colonists, under iMr. Stephen F. 

 .Austin , arrived in Texas, they found herds wild of 

 cattle on the Ihassos and iis ti ihutary streams. 

 There was no tradition of their origin, nor has 

 anything satisfactory on ihe subjecl yet been as- 

 eerlained. 'i'hey have receded as the settle- 

 ments advanced, and are now above the falls of 

 the Brassos, and princip.illy upon Little Kiver. — 

 They are of a biindle or reddish color, and are 

 represented by those best acquainted with iheni 

 as more « ild, and, when wounded iiincli more 

 dangerous than the liiifTalo. The males have o-- 

 casionally allached themselves lo herds of lame 

 callle, and become very gentle. Calves have been 

 caught by our pioneer sctilers, and reared. The 

 cross is said to be an improvement upon our 

 common stock, imparling to their offspring an 

 appearance, in color and propoi lion, ol' the w ild 

 callle. The mail's 1 have heen assured by hunt- 

 ers and other persons, are as large as the finest 

 Dnihiims. 1 have seen work oxen, said lo be 

 half breeds, much larger than any others vvhicli 

 have fallen under my observation in ihe I'liiled 

 Slates or Texas. 



For years past I have endeavored to procure 

 the full blood; hut in coiise pience of oiher du- 

 ties 1 could not use the atlention necessary lo 

 ensure success. 1 will now renew my exertions 

 willi increased interest, and I hope ii will be in 

 my power to produce a cross of the Durhams 

 w illi the original Texas cow. Should I he for 

 lunate in my elibrts, 1 shall he happy to apprise 

 \ou of the result. Sam. Housto.n. 



Farming on '1 weuty-Five Acres. 



A genilemaii at the North, who had iriveii for- 

 ty years of his life lo a speculalive jiursuit, tnrneil 

 farmer at the age of (iO, and his example iii'ght 

 safely be imitated, lie had nothing wrong lo iiii- 

 leiirn in his prai^ise, and by ihe light of the New 

 England Fanner, and other Agricultural papers 



he performed all his operations. This is, eni- 

 phatically, « " Book Farmer." Hear him speak 

 lor hiniKelf; — 



"1 divided my land, levoled to rotation cro|)S, 

 into six fields, of about 3.i acres ench : a new 

 field was taken up every year, and first planted 

 wilhcorn, then with polatos.and sown with win- 

 ter rye in the hdl after the poialo harvest, and 

 seeded down, remaining in grass ihree years he- 

 line tin: rotalion comes around. This course 

 gives nic one field to corn, one to poiatos, and 

 one to r\e, each year, and ihe other three to 

 grass. I have, in addiiion, 2 acres of reclaimed 

 hog, which is not plowed, and Ii acre foi raising 

 loot crops and garden vegeiahles planted every 

 year, the whole making about 2,) acres, which, 

 with J or 3 acres of salt marsh, and a small piece 

 of woodland conslilule my lariii. 



The first lesson I took in my new calling, was 

 to plow no more than could he u-ell manured, and 

 lo have help enough lo do every'lhing in season. 

 This has not been lost si;jiit of. ,My first crops 

 were pretty fair, and have hi'en gradually increas- 

 ing Irom year lo year, so that ihe same land w liicli 

 seven years ago would not rent for 4 per cent, 

 has yielded more than '20, the past season, after 

 paying all the expenses of cnllivalion. My last 

 crops were eslimalcd at JjOOO, and after deduct- 

 ing the cost of labor, board, manure, seeds, liirm- 

 iiiir tools, taxes, &c., it leaves a balance of ncore 

 $mO for rent land. Have sold over $(iOO worth 

 and the hulanci; is laid in lor my own enn- 

 simiption, which is estimated at the same price., 

 as that sold. 1 could give a copy of the account 

 in delail if required. 



It is no exagirntiou in saying, that I am more 

 than a thousand dollars bitter off' for the. informa- 

 tion I have derived forom agrirultnr d papers during 

 Ihe lust seven ;/cars, in a small way of liirming. — 

 From that source I have learned the best mi th- 

 oils of composting inanure.o, and the kinds best 

 aihi))teil lo distinct soils; the best rotation of 

 crops, and the seleclion of seeds, and the meth- 

 od of cnllivating each kind ; also, how to reclaim 

 hogs, of which 1 had iwo acres of no value, but 

 which since thai time have produced six tons of 

 good hay annually. All this and much more 1 

 have gleaned fro;ii the exp:;rience of oiliers, com- 

 mimic.iled through the mediiiin of the. press. — 

 lint slid, I am not so much of a " hook farmer," 

 as to believe one half that is pnbliahed is of any 

 henelit to ordinary liirmers, like myself. 1 have 

 tried some ex| eriments recommended in your 

 paper, that proved a real disadvantage. Yet I 

 am fully of the opinion, that every farmer who 

 can read, ought to lake an agriciillural paper ; for 

 hy selecting such advises as will apply to his 

 particular soils and crops, he can treasure up 

 something, in the course of the year, that will be 

 worth more to him than the cost of the paper.'' 



A.N Extraordinary Cow. — Mr. John Jones, 

 an extensive farmer in New Castle coniiiy, Dela- 

 ware, in a statemenl to the Committee on Farms, 

 of his stock of cows, farming operations, &lc., 

 describes his cow " Yellow Flower as having 

 given milk about four year.", and made an aver- 

 ;'ge of one pound and len ounces of butler each 

 day for that len^'lh of time!" He says: Tims 

 joii see her lowest milking may be [ml down 

 at 14 qls. per day. 



Crealesl milking, Ufj " " 



Greatest yield (d' liutter, 2A lbs. " 



Lowest, Ii " " 



.Average, 2 lbs. 10 oz. 



Yellow Flower is an annual culver, and bents 

 Mr. Frost's most famous cow in England, which 

 made on an average 2i lbs. of biiller each day 

 lor fiiiir years. Yellow Flower is a native cow, 

 and will be 10 years old on the lOlh of June, 

 I84(). Mr. Jones has eight cows, all nalives, 

 which make an average of 48 lbs. of butter per 

 week. 



Mr. J. keeps what apfieais to he accurate fiirm 

 accoimis, and has made a foriime by purchasing 

 some 800 .-icre.s of poor land on a long credil at 

 an average of $10 per acre, and then buying 20,- 

 000 bushels of lime, also on credit, at over 20 

 Cents a bushel, beside gypsum and clover seed, 

 to renovate the soil. The estate now pays the 

 nnnual interest of .§100 per acre over and above 

 all exjieiises. 



We gather the above interesting facts from the 

 Ballimore American Farmer. — Gen. Farmer. 



