338 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



time 13 as much an object of ambition to the fanciers 

 as an extearfion of distance. But, thanks to science, 

 their "occupation's gone;" the Electric telegrapli, 

 which anniliilates space, throws the Canier pigeon 

 entirely in the back ground. 



To describe or particularise all the varieties known, 

 would require a volume in itself; as, in addition to the 

 permanent races, or those which, when kept pure, 

 transmit their likenesses to their offspring, there are 

 intermediate castes produced by particular crosses 

 between individuals belonging to the different varie- 

 ties, and which, though highly prised in the first gen- 

 eration, are not considered worthy of further exten- 

 sion; as their progeny cannot be depended upon, but 

 are found to degenerate, and are liable to run into 

 still more distant and less valued races. 



The group in the annexed illustration comprises 

 the most conspicuous varieties of the Domestic 



for they breed oftenest and feed their young ones 

 best. They are also the most hardy. They begia 

 to breed at about nine months old, and if well kept 

 they will give you eight or niae pair in the year. 

 Any little place — a shelf in the shed, a board or two 

 under the eaves of the barn, or in short, any place 

 under cover, even on the ground-floor, they will hatch 

 and breed up their young ones. It is not supposed 

 that there could be ranch profit attached to them? 

 but they are of this use: — they are very pretty crea- 

 tures, very interesting in their manners; they are an 

 object of delight to children, and to give them the 

 early habit of fondness for animals and of selling a 

 value on them, which as we have often had to observe 

 is a very great thing. A considerable part of all the 

 property of a nation consists of animals. Of course 

 a proportionate part of these cares and labors of a 

 people appertain to the breeding and bringing bo 

 perfection those animals; and if we consult oar ex- 

 perience, we will find that a laboror is generally 

 speaking of value in proportion as he is worthy of 

 being entrusted with the care of animals. The most 

 careless fellow cannot hurt a fence or ditch, but to 

 trust him with a team or the flock is another matter. 

 And mind for the man to be trustworthy in this re- 

 spect, the boy must have been in the hahit of being 

 kind aadconsiderate towards animals; and nothing 

 is so likely to give him that excellent habit, as his 

 seeing from his very birth, animals taken great care 

 of, and treated with great kindness by his parent^ 

 ;uid now and then having something to call his oivtu 



C. N. Bement. 

 Springside, Po'keepsie, JV. Y. 



Pigeon. All these birds, except the Carrier, the 

 Pointer, and the Tumbler, are very similar in their 

 habits, and need no description. 



For the last two or three thousand years at least, 

 certain pigeons have been kept by man as domestic 

 creatures, with the object of making them fulfil a 

 rather varied round of character,?. Their office has 

 been to aSbrd a ready supply of food, convenient to 

 have at hand in hot weather, when animal food must 

 be eaten almost as soon as it is killed; to furnish 

 manure, for the cultivation of vegetables — the melon, 

 and the cucumber — to render efficient and ready serv- 

 ices as messengers under circumsfances of extremest 

 difliculty — and to be pampered at home as domestic 

 pets, whose value lies in their docility, their beauty, 

 or even in their strange and anomaloufi peculiarities. 



A few pigeons may be kept about any cottage, for 

 they cause but little trouble; they take cure of their 

 own young ones, and they do not scratch or do any 

 other mischief in the garden. They require to be fed 

 with corn, peas, oats or wheat screenings. They are 

 ailso fond of buckwheat. To begin keeping them, 

 they must not \v3.\eJloivn at large before you get 

 them. It is necessary to keep them for two or three 

 days shut up into the place which is to be their home, 

 and then they may be let out, and will never leave 

 the premises as long as they can get oroper food, and 

 are uudisturijed by vermin or unannoyed by lice. 

 The commoa house pigeons are the best to keep, 



CROPS IN SENECA COUNTY, &c. 



AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM MR. JOHNSTOI^ 



ME.SSRS. Editors: — I plead guilty in not writing 

 you at harvest, respecting the crops, &c. In the 

 first place my wheat crop was the worst I ever raised, 

 perhaps 1828 and '31 excepted, as I have not all 

 thrashed, and none cleaned, except what we sowed. 

 I can tell the failure was mainly owing to the great 

 drought last fall. My wheat, and many others, came 

 up very badly, and I am sure that two-thirds of it 

 never caine up until May. Now, any wheat-grower 

 knovN's that it is impossible to get a crop of winter 

 wheat when it does not vegetate until spring. The 

 reason why even those who were favored with show- 

 ers last fall to bring up the wheat, had inferior crops, 

 was the excess of rain in June. No man ever saw 

 a good crop of wdieat when there was a great excess 

 of rain in summer. I believe it is the same in aU 

 countries — at least such has been my experience. I 

 noticed last year, on an adjdiuing farm, where the 

 wheat was drilled, it came up very much better than 

 mine. In fact, it came up right. I could not ac- 

 count for it at the time, as my land was in as good a 

 state of cultivation as his, and both sown at the 

 same time. His is a good crop for this season, and 

 far above an average crop for this county for soiiffi 

 years past. It never occurred to me until tliis sea- 

 son, that it was owing to his wheat beiB>g drilled in, 

 and to mine being sown broadcast. This season we 

 both sowed at the beginning of September, and my 

 land being fallowed, that never was excelled by any- 

 thing I ever saw. A drought set in at the time of 

 sowing. His drilled wheat came up luxuriant^, 



