NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



403 



HEREFORD BULL. 



The Herefords take the name from the county 

 in which they originated. The oxen of Hereford- 

 shire are much larger than the Devon, and of a 

 darker red; some are dark yellow and a few 

 brindled ; they generally have white faces, bellies 

 and throats. They have thicker hides than those 

 of Devonshire, and they are more hardy, and 

 shorter in the carcass and leg; are higher, heavier, 

 and broader in the chine ; have more fat, and are 

 rounder and wider across the hips ; the thigh is 

 more muscular, the shoulder larger. This is near- 

 ly Youatt's description. Marshall, a good judge, 

 long since described them with favorable opinions. 

 The oxen fatten rapidly at an early age. This breed 

 is not now much used for husbandry, though it 

 seems doubtful whether the Devons or Short Horns 

 are any better in the yoke than the Herefords. 



The Hereford cow seems to be considered on all 

 hands as an inferior animal. Youatt states that 

 while there are many dairies of Devon cows in 

 various parts of the country, a dairy of Herefords 

 is rarely to be found. The Devons and Herefords 

 have been mixed, and the breeds of both improved. 



his Synopsis of the communications on the cause 

 and cure of the Potato Rot, received by the Execu- 

 tive of the State. These copies we shall be happy 

 to hand those persons who have made inquiries for 

 them. 



We would also express our obligations to the 

 Secretary for a correct report of the proceedings 

 of the first meeting of the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, which may be found in another column. 



ggp We are under obligations to the Hon. Amasa 

 Walker, Secretary of the Commonwealth, for a 

 few copies of the Transactions of the Agricultural 

 Societies of this State for 1851. It is a large and 

 beautifully printed volume, and filled with reports 

 of experiments by the practical farmers of the 

 State, brief extracts from the annual addresses, 

 &c., &e. 



He hr>.? also placed in " ,,, ' hands a few copies of 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A NEW DEPREDATOR. 



S. Brown, Esq. : — Dear Sir, — As I was walking 

 in a pasture the other day, I saw an old gentle- 

 man under an oak tree. I walked up to him and 

 found the ground completely covered with boughs. 

 What do you suppose ails that tree, said he. I 

 told him I supposed there had been some high 

 winds which broke them off. He said he sup- 

 posed it was the locust. But I soon convinced 

 him of his error ; I took a branch and examined 

 where it was broken off, and found that some in- 

 sect had entered the bark and cut the wood com- 

 pletely off as smooth as though it had been sawed 

 off, and then ascended the branch through the 

 pith. I followed the excavation till I came to a 

 borer varying from one-half to three-fourths of an 

 inch long, resembling the apple tree borer, but of 

 a darker color. On continuing my walk, I found 

 that small trees as large as my thumb were broken 

 off three feet from the top, by the same agent. 

 As I am a green hand, as you will perceive by this 

 communication, I wish you would communicate 

 some light on this subject. E. M. 



Sherborn, July 26, 1852. 



Remarks. — We have observed the same mischief 

 done on our white oaks, but in the midst of press- 



