452 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



myself, that, if God please to spare my life, I 

 will use my best entleavors, year after vear, to 

 brintT my farm to this staie of things. Brethren 

 of the Asrieulturai and Horticultural Society of 

 Henrico County, will not you pledire me to the 

 same? Then the work is in a j^reat measure 

 done. If each individual will act, tlie whole 

 mass must necessarily be moved. 



I close with one more remark. Citizens of 

 Richmond, who are no tarmers, hut who are 

 deeply interested in the events of this day. You 

 see the objects of this society — it is to make our 

 country smile with beauiy.— it is to make it leem 

 with pleniy and atynndnnce -it is lo elevate the 

 characier of our lartDi^rs, and to make them, in 

 all instances, intelligent and useful members of 

 society. Will you not come Ibrvvard and aid us 

 in this tjood work 7 



HOW DOES CLIMATE AFFECT THE STAPLE 

 OF WOOL? 



From tlic Farmers' Montlily Visitor. 



Hopkinton, N. B., jlug. ls<, 1840. 



Hon, Isaac Hill. — iu the Visitor of yesterday, 

 now before me, 1 find a very interesting account of 

 Col. Jaques, his larm, and his stock — but more 

 especially intereating is the account of the ma- 

 nagement of his slock, and his theory for its im- 

 provement. I wiU touch only u|)on his theory 

 respecting his flock of South Downs. Ho, states, 

 that " to give them the finer and unilorm quality 

 of wool down to the ietlock, and an ini-,reased 

 quantity over llie whole body, he had so disposed 

 pf their breeding that they should present their 

 lambs in the fall, instead of the spring." He 

 Ibunds the improvement of the wool of his sheep 

 on the principle, " that the economy and provi- 

 dence of nature are such, that animals clothed in 

 wool or flir will increase or diminish the quaniiiy 

 of eiiher, according to the climate, which requires 

 more or less wool or fiir to warm the body." 



It is on this san)e principle of the ■' economy 

 and providence of nature," that I found the im- 

 provement of the wool of my sheep ; but my man- 

 ner ol doing it is the reverse of that ol Col. Jaques. 

 If my views are right, ihey may be of some ser- 

 vice to wool growers, who would be likely to 

 /oilow a principle laid down and reduced to jirac- 

 tice by a person of so much influence as Col. 

 Jaques. iVly reasons for adopting a different 

 manner of improvement, may be seen in the fol- 

 lowing account. 



In the fall of 1821, I bought a small number of 

 full-blooded JVlerino sheep, for the purpose of in- 

 creasing my flock and raising fine wool. For a 

 number of years I allowed the buck to go with 

 the flock the year round, in order that my lambs 

 should come in the winter, supposing birth at that 

 season would have a natural influence in produ- 

 cing a more'ubundant quantity, and a mucli finer 

 quality of wool. In breeding in this way, with 

 the nicest care as to male parentage, I found all 

 my young sheep bore wool of an inferior quality 

 lo my original stock. I had nearly made up n>y 

 mind that our country was not suited to the growth 

 of fine wool, and that in the course of time the 

 oflTspring of fine Spanish sheep would become as- 

 similated \o, and loiL in, our native breed. From 



conversation and reflection on the snf.jpct, I con- 

 cluded to chanire my course, and let the month 

 of May be the yeaning month, and a few years 

 only were needed to produce a change for the 

 belter, as apparent as day from night. All agree 

 that a cold climaie is calculated to produce a finer, 

 softer and more abundant covering for the animal 

 creation, than a hoi one; and for that reason a 

 lamb that is dmpped in May, or th^ lore part of 

 June, will produce more and better wool ilifm one 

 which comes in the Dill or winter. By allovving 

 the male fogo to the female in Decentber, we have 

 the whole of the winter lor the formation of the 

 animal, and with all the other parts, evt-ry fibre 

 of the wool is formed, and the lamb is fitted lor a 

 cold climate wiih a fleece of ihe finest and warm- 

 est kind. After the perfect formation and pro- 

 duction of the animal, the heat of our summer 

 produces no change in the quality of the wool, or 

 if any, it is so slight as to be wholly nnperceived. 

 Sheep that are at all times kept in a perfectly 

 healthy condition, continue to produce wool equal- 

 ly fine, soft and beautiflil, year alter year, till vi- 

 sited by old age, and then, like the hair of an 

 aged person, it becomes in some degree more 

 harsh and rigid. By providing lor the birth of 

 lambs in the fall, gestation is going on during the 

 heat of Slimmer, and nature, true to her work, 

 prepares the lamb with a hairy, coarse covering 

 suited to a warm climate. Stephen Sibley. 



THE CURCULIO. 



From the New Genesee Farmer. 



We are but partially acquainted vviih the 

 curculio. Its manner of providing for its young 

 by depositinu the nit in our stone fruit, may be 

 familiar lo most of our readers, — to^jeiher with 

 several other particulars: but its Ibod after it has 

 passed into ihe perlect state, its place of abode 

 during the autumn and win'er, and the age it 

 may attain, are things which appear to be very 

 imperfectly known. 



It the life of this insect extends to several years, 

 the chief advantage to be derived from having 

 hogs and geese under the trees, must be to prevent 

 its increase. A few of the old ones, indeed, may 

 be trampled to death ; but in a large fruit garden, 

 it is likely that most of the young ones will escape ; 

 and il to these we add such as immigrate from 

 other places, there will be an increasing array of 

 them in the trees, beyond the reach of the hogs, 

 geese, and poultry. 



That such has been the case in our fruit garden, 

 we are much inclined to believe. Six years ago, 

 the hogs were not permitted to run there: and 

 without doubt many hundreds of young curculios 

 were added to those already in possession. We 

 have lately undertaken to lessen their number by 

 catching them on sheets ; and we now have 

 about 1700 on the list. 



From their difference in size, we infer a differ- 

 ence in age. Further proof, indeed, is wanted ; 

 but some of them are not less than four or five 

 times as large as others. It they live through a 

 period of years, they must continue lo provide for 

 their offspring in some kind of stone Iruit. If we 

 exclude them from the plum tree, the apricot, and 

 ncctaiiae, they will attack the peach and the 



