THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



151 



been cslablished. Two principles have been as- 1 

 eumed. The fu3f, that like produces like. This 

 applies 10 vegetables, also. This is likely to hap- i 

 pen. But it requires many generations to fix this 

 matter, and lo render it sure that the ancestor 

 shall transmit Ids qualities to his oHspring. 



II a larmer plants only one kind ol corn, and 

 studiously avoids any mixture, he may preserve 

 it pure , but iT did'erent kinds have been intern)ix- 

 ed, it will take some time to recover the original, 

 or to separate one kind I'roin another. He had 

 had a colored corn intermixed with hia crop, and 

 it required five years to work out the colored. 



He believed that with breeding animals, the 

 imagination has considerable influence. For 

 twenty or thirty years, he had occasionally black, 

 sheep in his Huck. This lie believed was the 

 effect of imagination on the breeding animals. 

 There was an influence on the progeny, Irom 

 both male and (emale. It is said a superior male 

 has most influence. This was probably the case 

 with lull bred animals, because their prominent 

 properties had been fixed by a long succession. 

 In Arabia, the offspring, it is said, Ibllow the I'e- 

 male side, because there the mares are always ob- 

 jects ol" the most exact care and attention. As a 

 general thing, it could not be determined which 

 side would most strongly mark its progeny. It 

 was different with blood-slock, or highbred ani- 

 mals. 



Another principle, having a material influence, 

 had not been named. Which animal would de- 

 termine the sex of the progeny? He believed it 

 would be found that the most vigorous would set- 

 tle this matter. In an experiment made to test 

 this point, an individual had been able, by using 

 a young and comparatively feeble ram with a 

 flock of vigorous ewes, to produce 172 females, to 

 100 males ; and this individual had said, if others 

 would furnish the flocks, he would produce, at 

 pleasure, male or female. Wiih one fluck, by 

 usins very young rams, he produced 76 females 

 (o 30 males. By using a sirong and vieorous 

 ram, he produced 55 males to 30 fen)alcF. He di- 

 vided his flock, according lo strength of females ; 

 they were between lour and five years old, and he 

 produced 25. females to 15 males. In another 

 case, he took ewes under (bur years old, and put 

 vigorous rams wiih them, and produced 26 males 

 to 14 females. These were well authenticated 

 experiments which had been made in France. 

 From five young mares, the same individual ob- 

 tained five females ; and in another case, from 

 15 mares iie obtained 13 females. It was to him 

 (Mr. Cole) therelbre evident, that the sex Ibllovv- 

 ed the most vigorous parent. 



Another principle seemed to him well established 

 — that the female offspring resembled the sire, 

 the male offspring the mother. He had tried to 

 raise good cows from heifers from good cows, but 

 he always failed, and was at a loss (or the reason, 

 unless it were to be found in this principle. His 

 observations in respect to the human race seemed 

 to confirm this position. Daughters in general re- 

 semble their fathers ; sons resemble their mo- 

 thers. It was ofien said that there had been no 

 distinguished man in society who had not had a 

 distinguished mother ; and the character of the 

 son had been determined by her education, her 

 moral influence or character. He was of opinion 

 that this physical law, to which he had referred, 



had always much lo do in the case, as he believed 

 facts, if carefully observed, would fully prove. 



In making a cross, he thought the male should 

 he smaller than the female. If tiie cross is made 

 with large males, the offspring might suffer (or 

 want of sufllcient sustenance ; the animal will be 

 restricted in his growth. Collitigs reduced the 

 size of the animals, which he bred by selecting 

 small males to cross with large cows. In this 

 way, the Durham ox was produced, for which 

 £2,000 sterling had been refused. 



Mr. Weld of Sturbridge said that a person, in 

 order to determine what stock he should prefer, 

 should look to the character of his farm. In ma- 

 ny cases, the pastures are poor, and we have 

 nothing but meadow hay (or our stock. Our 

 pastures and meadow hay might suffice to keep 

 sheep ; and he had found sheep more profitable 

 than other stock. The grade sheep, 3-4ths or 

 7-8ih8 blood, had been most profitable. He kept 

 50 or 60, He wintered them on lowland hay, 

 and he obtained three to three and a half pounds 

 of wool. He usually got a lamb from each ewe, 

 and seldom lost more than one or two in a sea- 

 son. His lambs came about the middle of April. 

 If a man keeps sheep for market, he would ad- 

 vise that the native sheep should be kept ; if for 

 the wool, he would recommend the 3-4!hs Me- 

 rino. 



The stock already in the country was, in his 

 opinion, adapted to our soil. We should take 

 more pains in improving it. In general, farmers 

 raise the calves which first come ; and in this 

 very way, sometimes make a mistake. The best 

 calves will show the most activity. There is aa 

 much difference in animals as in men. In gene- 

 ral, the poorest cows will calve first. He raises 

 his calves on new milk. They should be well 

 treated the first j'ear ; the second year, they may 

 have poorer fodder. We may raise as good 

 stock here as may be found in any country. 



Gen. Low took occasion to add to his former 

 remarks, that sheep were uselul in destroying the 

 white-weed in pastures ; the ox-eyed daisy. He 

 had known a field in which, in three or four years, 

 they had completely eradicated this troublesome 

 weed. # * # # # # 



Col. Jaques remarked that he knew no way of 

 determining what the sex of the future progeny 

 should be. He himself and an able physician 

 had been making experiments and observationa 

 in this matter for thirty years, but without decid- 

 ing any thing. Males are likely to mark their 

 offsipring more strongly than females, because 

 they are bred with more care, and there is more 

 pure blood commonly in the male. 



ICE MOUNTAIN OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, 

 VIRGINIA, 



For the Farmers' Register. 



The existence of a mountain possessed of a 

 temperature independent of all external causes, 

 and which was so unaffected by the vicissitudes 

 of the seasons, or the diurnal variations of tem- 

 perature, as in midsummer, where exposed to the 

 ilill glare of the noontide sun, to preserve a uniform 

 temperature of 32 degrees, was too singular and 

 striking a phenomenon not to have early attracted 



