No. 7. 



Raising Wheat and Cattle in Pennsylvania. 



225 



' my trials of sowino- on the clover pod liave 

 '■ obtained less than 25 bushels to the acre, 

 and in no instance of sowing on oafs stubble 

 have I had more than 20 bushels. The prac- 

 tice undoubtedly increases the quantity of 

 wheat ; but the objection urged by my neigh- 

 bours is, tiiat it will decrease my timothy. 

 I am not able to decide whether it does or 

 not, and that is (he point I wish the experi- 

 enced to settle. ]\Iy crops of g-rass have not 

 been so large as is desirable, but most of my 

 neighbours are in the same condition. 



JosErHus. 



If the practice of our friend Josephus " umlnubtedly 

 increases his wheat crop five or ten bushels, and if he 

 is not able to decide" whether or not it decreases h 

 timothy, it appears pretty plain to the Editor, Iliat he 

 hardly need go to his neighbours for their opinion or ex- 

 perience. A man's own experience, on his own crops 

 and on his own land, is certainly preferable to that of 

 others on other land, and consequently uider other 

 circumstances. A fanner need never call in question 

 the soundness of his practice, while he is from year to 

 year continually wanting more barn and crib room; 

 that is, he need not fear, lost, while increasing Bis 

 crops, he may be injuring his land. — Ed. 



For the Fanners' Cabinet. 

 Raising Wheat & Cattle in Pennsylvania. 



Mr. Editor, — It was not my intention to 

 treat Mr. Govven's letter to Gen. Richardson 

 unfairl3^ My object was to elucidate some 

 facts worth knowing to the farming commu- 

 nity. If I have misunderstood the letter, 1 

 must beg Mr. G.'s pardon. 



My assertion is, that it is unprofitable for 

 the farmer of Pennsylvania east of the Alle- 

 gheny mountains-, to raise cattle to any ex- 

 tent. Mr. G. says, that I stand singularly 

 alone in this view. I call upon the farmers 

 of Chester, Berks, and other counties, who 

 fatten yearly for the market from 20 to 40 

 steers each, to bear me out, and say if they 

 would find it profitable to raise their cattle, 

 instead of buying them from the western 

 drover. 



Mr. Gowen says, I should recollect that 

 these well-built cattle — meaning the Ohio 

 cattle — are almost uniformly a cross from the 

 im ported Durham. Now, for nearly 14 years 

 I have almost every year bought western 

 cattle for f tttening ; they are now the same 

 breed as I found them 14 years ago. Farm- 

 ers who fatten cattle, will judge whether or 

 not I am correct. 



I further assert that, if we had taken the 

 same care of our cattle that they do in Eng- 

 land, there would be no necessity for import 

 ing any new breed, and that directly it has 

 produced very little beneht, but indirectly it 

 may have given a salutary lesson ; viz : that 



in cattle well nur.sed and fed, all the organs 

 will be developed as to shape, milking pro- 

 perties, &c. The gentleman who brings his 

 young bull and heifer home, for which he 

 has paid the snug sum of $300, takes care 

 that the best of hay is given them ; a warm, 

 clean stable is furnished ; they are curried 

 once or twice a day ; and the best pasture in 

 summer js given them: and he wonders how 

 it does happen that they thrive so much bet- 

 ter than his domestic stock, that has been 

 feeding on straw through the winter without 

 shelter, and never touched with a curry- 

 comb; and which are sent in summer time 

 to prowl about the fence corners in the lanes 

 to hunt up a living. No attention is paid, 

 by the way, in breeding to prevent consan- 

 guinity. 



I take it for granted Mr. Gowen farms for 

 his pleasure, without being desirous to real- 

 ize profits on the capital he has invested. I 

 refer to his Report to the Committee on 

 Farms, which will be found in the Cabinet, 

 vol. 9, p. 338. 



His practice is to hire one man for gene- 

 ral work, at $25 per month, $300 00 

 Two men from early spring to 1st 



December — this makes 8 months, 



208 working days, at 75 cts. per 



day each man, 312 00 



One hired man, at '$12 per month 



and found, 144 GO 



One hired man, at $»10 per month 



and found, 120 00 



Boarding of two men, at $1 50 per 



week, 156 00 



$1,032 00 



Here is a single item of more than one 

 thousand dollars for manual labour, to work 

 a farm of 100 acres. 



Mr. Gowen no doubt is sincere in his de- 

 sire to promote the interests of agriculture; 

 his farm is in the highest state of cultivation, 

 and too high an encomium can hardly be ren- 

 dered him for his praiseworthy eflorts; but 

 it may be forgotten that farming to make a 

 living by, and farming for pleasure, are two 

 different things. H. S. 



Bethel, Berks Co., Pa., Jan. 28, 1846. 



American Flour. — It is asserted by one 

 of the most eminent bakers in London, that 

 American flour will absorb from 8 to 10 per 

 cent, more of its own weight of water in 

 manufacturing it into bread or biscuit, than 

 the English wheat; 14 pounds of American 

 flour vv'iil make 21 pounds of bread, while 

 the same quantity of English flour will make 

 but 18| pounds. 



