.456 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



This subject has received put little conside- 

 ralion ; but who can tell what effect, one week 

 of pain and suffering:, arising Ironi an inflimed 

 udder, miiiht iiave upon the healih of the cow, 

 and the quantity and quality of the milk dur- 

 inij; her whole Hie alter ? 



CARRIER PIGEONS. 



From tlie Kariners' Cabinet. 



On the 12th day of the 6th month, (June,) 

 1841, K. Bison, son of Evan Bison, of Gwyn- 

 .edd township, Montaomery county, Pennsyl- 

 vania, about 21 miles N. W. of Philadelphia, 

 sold a pair of common lame pigeons in the 

 Philadelphia market, lo a per.^on who was a 

 stranger to him ; six days alter, one of them 

 returned to its Ibrmer owner, and on the lol- 

 jowing morning, the other returned also ; and 

 they are now, the 20lh of 6ih month, (June,) 

 enjoying their old place ol residence, very 

 lovingly, 21 miles li-om the city. Durmijr 

 their absence, another pair took possession o! 

 -their coie, and the first employment they 

 .engaged in after iheir return, was to oust -ihe 

 interlopers, and repossess themselves of their 

 domicil ; which they effected much sooner, 

 and at less cost than a lawyer would accom- 

 plish a similar business ; and they are now 

 in the quiet, peaceable enjoyment of the 

 premises, without, as yet, any appearance ol 

 an appeal to a higher tribunal. 



Should the purchaser sec this article, he 

 Azau repossess himself of his property, by a 

 call at the pigeon cote, above staled, without 

 paying !br this advertisement, or being at the 

 trouble or expense of an action of trover. 



The Ibllowiug extract from a Ibreign pub- 

 lication is appended, to show that the earner, 

 or express piueon, performs feats far surpass- 

 ing the above; thouirh.it is very remarkable 

 that the common tame pigeon should find its 

 way lijr such a distance unaided by instruc- 

 tion. 



Expresses. — "The modern system of pigeon 

 expresses possesses an extraordinary inieresi, as 

 well on account of its rapid means of communi- 

 cating the most important events as of the 

 curious and laborious mode by which it is eel 

 in operation. The birds, by lar the most 

 valuable for this purpose, are of the Antwerp 

 breed ; ah hough it is not uncommon to train 

 the English pigeons, called dragoons, to carry 

 expresses. 



They are trained when very young, or, as 

 they are technically called, squeakers, to 

 fly between different towns and villages, com- 

 mencing first at a space of only a few hun- 

 dred yards, and so on, gradually increasing, 

 until they accomplish the required distance. 

 They are usually trained to fly to intermediate 

 stations, between Dover and London, at which 

 they are succeeded by other relays, but fly, 

 in many instances, the whole distance from 

 other places. The number lost in training 

 is immense. This trade is principally in the 

 hands of the Jews, and the emoluments arising 

 therefrom are very considerable. 



There are a few instances in which capi- 



talists and others having extensive moneyed 

 and mercantile operations throughout Europe, 

 nuiiniam an esialilishment nf iheir own, 

 arnong.-^t whom is the Baron Rothschild, who, 

 at Dover, rears and trams his own flight of 

 pigeons expresses, with connecting branches 

 throughout Germany, and others parts of the 

 contineiii.* The esiablishn^ent at Dover con- 

 sists of about 400 birds, with a keeper, whose 

 wages are 35 shillings a week. 



The expense of feeding the birds is con- 

 siderable, as much as 25 shillings a week 

 being consumed at Dover, in beans alone, 

 whilst the entire collection is supposed to have 

 cost at least £2000 sterling. The express is 

 sometimes tied to the middle leather ol the tail, 

 by passmg a thread with a needle through the 

 siem. but more commonly attached to the leg im- 

 mediately above the spur. The rapidity ol these 

 imporiant expres>ps n)ay be esiimaied by the 

 lolliiwing intormation obtained from a trainer and 

 proprietor. His pigeons have arrived in London 

 with ihe news of the vvmrier ol the Ascot cup, in 

 fifteen minutes ; — from New Market, f in sixty 

 minuies ; and iVdm Chichesier.J bringing the win- 

 ner of the Goodwood cup, in one hour and fifteen 

 minutes. 



At the Ascot races, last year, her Majesty hav- 

 ing expressed a wish to see one of these beauti- 

 liil birds, a carrier pigeon was flown, in her 

 Majesiy's presence, Irom the royal stand, and, to 

 the greai delight of the spectators, after indulging 

 in sundry gyraiiuns, daried onwards wilh its 

 winged intelligence to the metropolis." R. 



June 30, 1841. 



Por tlie Farmers' Register. 

 THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



To the Gerdlemen lately appointed members of the 

 Virginia Board of jlgi {culture. 



Without douhi you have read, (as I have,) 

 the law under which your appointment has been 

 made. But being utterly at a loss niyself to de- 

 termine what is best lo be done, I nmst ask per- 

 mission of our friend, Mr. Ruffin, who is " one of 

 us," — thus, publicly to consult you on the subject, 

 and 'o solicit a brief expression of your opinions 

 through the Register. 



The preamble of the law states very truly, 

 " That the agricultural community have various 

 interests, requiring the fostering care of the state, 

 which should be extended to them according to soine 

 system approved by observation, and regulated by 

 experience.'" And the sysiem which the bene- 

 ficent guardians of these interests have thought 

 proper to adopt is — to require of eight individuals 

 the discharge of more numerous, diversified, and 

 arduous duties than ten limes that number of ihe 

 oldest, most skilful and talanted planters and farm- 

 ers in Virginia could possibly execute, without a 



It may not be unnecessary to state that the object 

 of these pigeon expresses, is to obtain the earliest 

 news of changes of the money market, in aid of 

 stock-jobbing operations. — Ed. F. R. 



t New Market, 60 miles. 



I Chichester, 65 miles. 



