180 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug, 



To Correspondents. 



During the past month Coniiminioations have 

 been received from Joim Dickie, F. W. L., *, 

 H., A Farmer, T. C Peters, Observer, An Api- 

 arian, A Female Reader, J. H. Hedley, Edward 

 Sayers, and A Subscriber. 



Books, &i,c. have been received since our last, 

 as follows : — 



From Messrs. (iRKF.i.Y <Sc .McElkath, tlie tlrst volunios 

 of the " Fanners Libnir), and Journal of Agriculture." 



From the Author, a copy of " The American Herd Book," 

 by Lkwis F. Allen, Esq. 



From Mr. James H. Watts, agent in this city. No. G of 

 " European Agriculture and Rural Economy." 



From J. B. iXott, Esq., a copy of the Transaction.s of I he 

 N. Y. State Ag. Society for 1845. 



From the Author, a copy of" The American Flower G.Tr- 

 den Companion," by Edward Saters, of ("incinnau. — 

 Also, " A Manual on the cultivation of I^ive Fences, with a 

 Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of Evergreens, Oriri- 

 roental Trees," &c., by the same author. 



From Mr. Benj. Mortimer, agent, a copy of " Lyman's 

 Historical Chart." 



From a pamphlet containing PremiunuList of 



Oneida Co. Ag. Society, rules and regulations of the Soci- 

 ety, &c., &c. 



From E. C. Wilder, of Wolcott, Premium List, &,c., of 

 Oswego Co. .4g. Society for 1846. 



We are indebted to several unknown friends for copies of 

 Premium Lists, &c., of various Agricultural Societies. 



Experiment in Wheat Culture. — The 

 Transactions of the State Society contain an in- 

 teresting experiment in Wheat Culture, made by 

 Samuel Davidson, Esq., of Greece, Monroe 

 county — for which he was awarded a premium 

 of $8. We shall endeavor to publish the state- 

 ment of Mr. D. in our September number. Its 

 publication will be seasonable, and prove valua- 

 ble to those who are not averse to learning or 

 deriving benefit from tlie knowledge and experi- 

 ence of others. 



Farm Premiums. — We notice in the Trans- 

 actions of the State Ag. Society for 1845, tliat 

 of the three premiums on farms, two (the second 

 and third,) were awarded to residents of Monroe 

 county. The first premiurn, $50, was awarded 

 to Geo. Geddes of Fairmount, Onondaga county; 

 Ihe second, $30, to Wm. Buell, of Gates, and 

 the third, $2Q, to Wm. Garbutt, of Wheatland. 



The New England Farmer. — This old, 

 staid, and useful agricultural journal has been 

 discontinued. Its Editor, Mr. .Ioseph Breck, 

 has become interested in theMorliculturist, which 

 is to be published situultaneously at Boston and 

 Albany. We shall miss the N. E. Farmer, and 

 although not [jcnsonally acquainted with its con- 

 ductor, the good sense and taste tliat characteri- 

 zed his paper have given us a higii opinion of 

 the man. He has our best wishes for his success 

 in his new enterprise. 



Several articles from correspondents are de- 

 ferred, for want of space, till next month. 



THE AMERICAN HERD BOOK, containing the pedigrees 

 of Short Horned Cattle. To which is prefixed a concise 

 history of English and American Short Horns ; by Lewis 

 F. Allen. 



The appearance of an "American Herd Book" 

 marks another step in the progress of Agricultu- 

 ral Intprovement in this country. Its Author is 

 distinguished not less as a skilful and successful 

 breeder of Short Horns, than as one of the ear- 

 liest and ablest writers on rural subjects in West- 

 ern New York, In his hisloi-y of this, his favor- 

 ite race of neat cattle, as well as favorite kind of 

 domestic animals, he claims for the Short Horns 

 a decided superiority over all other races, for 

 making beef, butter, and cheese. According to 

 Mr. A. the Short Horns are not the product of 

 modern skill in breeding, nor the result of good 

 keep ; but a noble stock descended from pure, 

 aristocratic blood, wliich can be traced back in 

 England 400 years, or through 50 generations. 

 This will do in point of antiquity. But whether 

 a Short Horn can elaborate more flesh, butter, or 

 cheese, from 2000 lbs. of any given food, than 

 any other race of cattle can make, under similar 

 circumstances, needs proof by a fair trial, side 

 by side, with perfect weights and measures. — 

 That one cow will give more milk, butter, and 

 cheese, than another, proves nothing, unless she 

 does it by the consumption of less food than an- 

 other cow requires for producing a like amount,, 

 and equal in quality. If a Short Horn will gain 

 200 lbs. in live weight on a quantity of food, and 

 in a period of time, which will add only 150 lbs. 

 to the weight of a Hereford, Devon, or a good 

 Native, then the story is told. That the powers 

 of digestion and assimilation are alike in all neat 

 cattle, no one pretends. But in what race these 

 functions are performed most vigorously, giving 

 the largest product in rich milk, muscle, and 

 tallow, from any given amount of forage, is a 

 question yet to be decided. 



The Author estimates the value of the neat 

 cattle in the United States at one hundred and 

 fifty millions of dollars. There are over one 

 million of cows in this state alone, and about that 

 number annually milked. Mr. A. urges with 

 great force the importance of improving not only 

 the cows, but the whole stock of neat cattle in 

 this vast country which is so admirably adapted 

 to the production of choice beef, and to dairy 

 purposes. As this book is designed mainly for 

 the use of those engaged in breeding Short 

 Horns, and necessarily at a high price from the 

 small number of copies that will be sold, we are 

 happy to notice a pi'omise of another and popular 

 work on the care and management of neat stock, 

 as well as breeding generally. Such a work is 

 greatly needed, ;iiid we know of no one more 

 competent to do justice to the subject than the 

 writer of the "History of the Short Horns." 



The Herd Book is from the press of Messrs. Jew- 

 ett, Thomas & Co., Buffalo, and does much credit 

 to their taste and skill in the art of book-making. 



