THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



57 



and stock commanded exorbitant prices ; the low 

 prices oC beef /or a year or two past, have, how- 

 ever, arrested the tendency to accumulate the 

 lands of a few large proprietors. 



Corn and rye fields are planted and sown here 

 for the purpose of feeding cattle upon them, stand- 

 ing in (he field. Rye is ne\^er gathered lor 

 domestic use, and it strikes an eastern man as a 

 most wasteful and improvident mode ol liirming, 

 to turn a herd of cattle into a rich and ripened 

 field of grain to feed upon and trample it under 

 their feet, and when they have feasted and gorged 

 themselves upon it for a few days, the swine are 

 let in to gather up the scattered and mutilated 

 remains of the harvest. 



The farmers in the vicinity of Lexington possess 

 now the finest breed of cattle in the world. For 

 many years large sums have been paid, and much 

 care and labor incurred by them, to procure the 

 best specimens of English stock. Agents have 

 annually been sent to England to purchase, with- 

 out regard to cost, the choicest bulls and cows of 

 the most famous breeds. These being transler- 

 red to the luxuriant pastures and genial clime of 

 Kentucky, their offspring improve in all their 

 characteristic points of excellence and surpass 

 their progenitors in size and beauty. I saw yes- 

 terday, heifers three years old, that would weigh 

 fifteen hundred pounds, and which were the most 

 perfect models of beauty ; and their calves of this 

 season, now four or five months old, would weigh 

 down an ordinary cow of full growth, and these 

 lusty fellows were bleating after their dams and 

 tugging away at the teat like young sucklings; for 

 here cows are not kept for milk, but to raise calves; 

 and no butter and cheese are made upon these 

 large stock larms for the market. 



The rearing of horses and mules is also a 

 source of great profit, and the echo is awakened 

 through the sylvan pastures by the perpetual bray 

 of the stultified ass, and the neighing of the pran- 

 cing blood horse, which, like the beeves, being 

 kept principally for breedinjr, are seldom subjected 

 to the bit and harness, and in their wild freedom 

 they start at the sound of strange footsteps, snufi 

 the air, and bound off in the unrestrained liberty 

 of the untamed prairie horse. From twenty to 

 fifty horses are kept upon the large estates, and 

 usually as many mules. A few days since, upon 

 the rich bottoms of the Scioto, near Columbus, I 

 saw upwards of 300 mules grazing in one pasture. 



In a country where pork is so important a sta- 

 ple of production, it would be supposed that great 

 care would be given to procure the best breed of 

 swine ; but the long-snouted, lank and slab-sided 

 race, seen running wild in large herds through the 

 woods, exhibit an astonishing indifference in their 

 owners to the improvement of this description of 

 stock. 



# # « * * * * 



There is no class of men who enjoy a greater 

 freedom from the cares, anxieties and labors of 

 life than the planters of this fertile region. They 

 are the princes of the land — free from debt, liv- 

 ing in the enjoyment of princely incomes, and 

 upon estates, some of which almost equal a small 

 German principality in territory. 



Vol. IX.— 4 t 



AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



A friend, for whose opinion we entertain great 

 respect, writes as follows '. 



December 3rd, 1840. 

 " I do not exactly agree with you, in your dis- 

 like to agricultural societies and all their works. 

 I think there are many persons, who, like myselfj 

 need such an institution, to make them write. You 

 may, perhaps, have observed many who never 

 displayed any energy, unless when placed some- 

 what under the control of others. They make 

 good public officers, that is, attentive ones, while 

 I hey are certain to neglect their own business. 

 Such persons will write " by order of the society," 

 when they never could be induced to do it, on 

 their own responsibility. If there were many so- 

 cieties formed, lor the purpose of collecting and 

 diffusing information, and suitable committees of 

 revision and publication appointed, so as to throw 

 the odium of rejection from you, the Register 

 might soon be deluged with matter." 



As it is our misfortune, or the effect of our fault, 

 to be frequently misunderstood, we should not 

 have been much surprised at the above construc- 

 tion, by a more slight and careless remarker. But 

 we are greatly surprised that an inference so differ- 

 ent from our intention, should be drawn by one 

 who we know attentively reads and highly values 

 our publication. We are very far from entertain- 

 ing "dislike to agricultural societies and all their 

 imrks.^'' It is not for their works, but their no- 

 ivprks, that we value many of them at a low rate. 

 Really working agricultural sucieties would be of 

 incalculable value to agricultural improvement — 

 and, directly or indirectly, we have expressed that 

 opinion again and again in the Farmers' Register, 

 and urged the establishment of such societies with 

 all our power. And every work performed by 

 one, every experiment made, every communica- 

 tion of practical instruction sent forth by any of 

 our agricultural societies, we always heartily wel- 

 come, and are sure to publish. But our friend 

 must know that such works are among the small- 

 est and rarest operations of agricultural societies in 

 general. All that ihey do, in any of the various 

 modes of ascertaining and establishing truths, 

 making experiments, collecting facts, and diffusing 

 information on agriculture, is excellent — and if our 

 friend will use his zeal and influence to increase 

 such good fruits, he will find us equally zealous to 

 extend their circulation through the Farmers' Re- 

 gister, and thereby multiply the good effects. In 

 all such things, the existing agricultural societies, 

 and all that may be established, will find no more 

 hearty approver of, and zealous and efficient aid to 

 their labors, than the Farmer's Register. 



INOCULATING. 



To Uic Editor of tlia Farmers' Register. 



Being somewhat dextrous in inoculating trees, 

 and wishing to ascertain whether the process of 



