372 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



our agriculture, I regret he had not more ma- 

 turely considered. Yet, if he be still sanguine in 

 his confidence o( the superiority of the Massachu- 

 setts "native slock" as milkers, could the thing 

 be made practicable, I would gladly make a trial 

 of merit by actual test. I would propose that Mr. 

 C. or his fritnds produce ten or twenty cows, 

 which should be a fair average of the native 

 slock, without admixture of foreign blood ; against 

 which, I would produce a like number of grade, 

 or thorough bred short horns, of average quality, 

 or taking them as they rise, in any lair herd. 

 The time of their calving should be noted, and 

 the cows should be of nearly corresponding ages 

 — the trial should commence on the first of June, 

 and continue one month ; the cows all to be kept 

 • itj one field, or in as good grass, and on pasture 

 only, as each party should please, if not conve- 

 nient to bring them together. The quantity of 

 milk should be accurately weighed, and the pro- 

 duce, eiiher of butter of cheese, duly registered. 

 When the trial should be fully made, ilie winning 

 party to be entitled to the whole herd, with the 

 product, after paying expenses. If the advantage 

 should be on the side of the native owners in 

 value, as it probably would, each animal should 

 be appraised, and a sufficient sum to make up 

 the difl'erence should be deposited to render the 

 premiums thus submitted of equal value. This 

 would test the whole question, and give it suffi- 

 cient of interest to engage in the trial with spirit. 

 The season is, perhaps, now too far advanced to 

 make the trial this year ; but if this proposition 

 be accepted, I would enlarge it, and name the 

 first day of Noven>ber next, for selecting the 

 animals on both sides; they should be then placed 

 together on one fafm, and both subjected to the 

 same treatment through the winter, and kept to- 

 gether till the trial was thoroughly made, which, 

 if either party preferred, might extend through 

 the next season, or until the first day of October 

 following. 



If it be objected, that this proposition will incur 

 too much expense, or inconvenience, I will at once 

 propose that Oneida county, in this state, shall 

 be the place of trial ; and that myself; or my 

 friends, the advocates of the short horns, will fur- 

 nish a farm for the operations, the fitness of which 

 shall be assented to by the other party. The 

 imparlance of an accurate knowledge on this 

 subject is a sufficient object for such a trial, and 

 it is perhaps the only method of testing this moot- 

 ed question fairly. It will be readily seen, there- 

 fore, that this proposition arises in no spirit of 

 banter, or gambling, but in that of an earnest 

 desire to settle an important and doubtful point, 

 of great interest to our agriculture generally. 



i may, at a future time, pursue this subject 

 further, but have for the present trespassed suffi- 

 ciently upon your patience. 



Lewis F. Allen. 



mack Rode, Jpril 10, 1841. 



sum of $300. The animal is well known to breed- 

 ers of Berkshiies, as one of the largest of her 

 kind in this country. Mr. Lossing has also sold 

 his imported boar Newberry^ to the same gentle- 

 man, tor S200. He was shipped a {'evi days since, 

 and weighed, including cage, 880 lbs. 



SALES OF BERKSlilRES. 



From tlie Cultivator. 

 Mr. Lossing, of this city, informs us, that he 

 has recently sold his famous breeding sow Maxi- 

 ma to Mr. Curd, of Kentucky, for the handsome 



THE farmers' register, AND ITS COURSE 

 IN REGARD TO THE BANKS. 



Our good' and highly esteemed friends, the 

 editors of the Richmond Compiler and the editor 

 of the Petersburg Statesman, have lately gotten 

 into a small controversy, in which our journal is the 

 matter in question ; and in their cuts and thrusts 

 across our body, the blows do not reach the an- 

 tagonists, but fall short upon us. To the first ar- 

 ticle, of the editors of the Compiler, we took not 

 the slightest exception. Their kind expressions 

 of approbation we appreciated, as the unsought, 

 disinterested, and candid opinions of Iriendly 

 and favoring judges. Their exception, convey- 

 ing censure on a particular point, did not at all 

 lessen our gralelulness of feeling lor the previous 

 approving expressions, nor abate one atom of our 

 always kind leelings towards our friends of the 

 Compiler ; and, quiie willing to submit to iheir 

 censure, or to let it pass lor what it was worth, we 

 did not deem it necessary to reply, for the purpose 

 of defence, and still less lor recrimination. But 

 our also good friend of the Statesman, by a jo- 

 cular squib, or paraphrase of the censure, has 

 drawn forth a rejoinder, of which we are still the 

 subject, and which seems to require something 

 of defence ; and which we shall offer in all courte- 

 sy and kindness, and in the same friendly spirit 

 towards our Iriends of the Compiler, as is manifest 

 throughout their censure, and also in their gene- 

 ral praiseworthy deportment towards those whom 

 they oppose. If we fail to convince them (as ia 

 most likely) that they have viewed our course 

 through a false and distorting medium, we trust 

 that we shall at least leave them satisfied that 

 we view them as much our friends as before, and 

 as we have long had reason to deem them. But 

 lest we should fall into the unfair mode of contro- 

 versy usual with most editors, (and which we 

 have always avoided,) of replying to an opponent 

 before presenting the article replied to, we will 

 here present at length all the three articles re- 

 ferred to, and then submit our defence. 



« Mr. Ruffin's Register, of date May 30th, is re- 

 ceived. Its table of contents indicate much use- 

 ful matter for ihe farmer; and we trust the Re- 

 gister is meeting the encouragement it deserves. 

 We beg leave, however, to except to some sweep- 

 ing phrases which the intelligent editor is pleased 



