1846.] Merino Sheep — Cooking Potatoes. 155 



MERINO SHEEP. 



The Hon. William Jarvis, in a letter published in the Boston 

 Cultivator, maintains that the Paular Merino sheep are not in 

 existence, and that all those pereons who pretend to breed this 

 variety are either deceiving themselves or trying to deceive others. 

 He maintains, moreover, that it is impossible to increase the 

 weight of the merino fleece over 7 or 9 lbs. without injury to its 

 properties. This is asserted on an experience of thirty -live years. 

 We desire our patrons should attend to these statements; as we 

 have some friends whom we believe have proved that they possess 

 the Paular sheep, and we know, at any rate, that these sheep yielded 

 a fleece much heavier than Mr. Jarvis states, and that too, equal 

 in fineness to any Saxon in the state. It is undoubtedly true that 

 the light fleece of the Saxon is finer than the Merino as usually 

 bred, but take the best bred Merinos of this state and they com- 

 pare well wdth the best imported Saxons. We have in our mind 

 the late Mr. Groves' flock. The fibre though it may possess a 

 greater silkiness is not after all finer than that of the best Merino, 

 whose fleece is four times heavier. 



A GOOD METHOD OF COOKING POTATOES. 



Mr. Norton, in one of his letters published in the Albany Cul- 

 tivator, describes the Copenhagen method of cooking potatoes for 

 stock. The potatoes are well washed and steamed, and while still 

 hot cut or crushed by a revolving cylinder furnished with knives. 

 To this pulp is then added three pounds of ground malt for every 

 one hundred pounds of mashed potatoe. This mixture, at the 

 temperature of 150°, is then kept in motion for four or five hours, 

 or until it has acquired a sweet taste. It is then ready for use. 

 Its advantages are, 1. that it is richer food for milk cows than 

 thrice the quantity of potatoes in a raw state; 2. that it is excel- 

 lent food for fattening cattle and sheep, and for winter food. 



