NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



277 



the natural pasisage-ways of the water, or by the 

 opening of a ditch sufficiently large to carry off a 

 superabundant water, and reduce the soil to that 

 consistency which is the best calculated to secure the 

 sustenance and support of a vigorous and profitable 

 ve<'etative force. In some low Uuuls, no superhcial 

 indications of the presence of water, in excessive and 

 permanent quantities, are exhibited ; yet the opening 

 of a drain will evolve the true cause of their barren- 

 ness. The subsoil, in such cases, requires amending, 

 for it is here that the real evil is found to exist in the 

 form of stagnant or cold water, both of which, in 

 such circum'stances, are unfavorable to vegetable life. 

 On this subject, an able writer remarks, " Lower- 

 ing the water one foot, in some instances, may be 

 sufficient ; the mud in swamps that have been sub- 

 merged for ages, may be brought into action as the 

 best of soil, yielding hay and other vegetable pro- 

 ductions, for a long time, almost without the aid of 

 manures. If cold springs come in near the edges, 

 these may be cut off and carried away by means of 

 ditches, tilled in with rocks that are often found near 

 at hand ; or, where rocks are not to be found, the 

 logs and stumps dug from the land may be used in 

 the place of stones, leaving aiiertures in the drains 

 for the water to pass oif. Large swamps arc by 

 these means reclaimed, and a vast quantity of the 

 richest soil brought into use." The substitution of 

 stumps for stones, in filling the drains, is not a judi- 

 cious practice, as by the tendency of these to decay and 

 rot, and, from their peculiar formation, to choke and 

 arrest the transmission of the water, they operate 

 harmfully, and should always be rejected except 

 where stones cannot be obtained unless at great ex- 

 pense. It is generally the case that the high and 

 elevated, and commonly rocky lands, surrounding 

 swamps and bogs, render the procurement of suitable 

 materials for the accomplishment of this departinent 

 of draining comparatively easy; and where this is 

 not the case, most farms of any extent furnish an 

 ample supply. 



On the subject of surface-draining, our author 

 observes, " Of the hard lands, continually suffering 

 from surface water, there are thousands of acres that 

 may be changed entirely by drainage : when an under 

 drain, cutting off cold springs, and receiving the 

 water from the surface, is once made, the ground on 

 subsoil may be stirred below ; and the deeper we go, 

 less than eighteen inches or two feet, the greater will 

 be the capacity of the land to produce. Even stiff, 

 clayey soils rnay be drained so as to become light 

 and permeable. ' The action of stimulating manures, 

 upon such grounds, often brings out of the ground 

 giant productions. In the cultivation of lands, 

 whether they be wet or dry, the stirring of the sub- 

 soil is productive of great advantage. The ground 

 cannot be stirred too deep." 



Bv siitrinff, the writer docs not mean inversion, or 

 the bringing to the surface large quantities of cold, 

 unencrgetic soil, while the vegetable stratum of the 

 top is turned down and buried beyond the ordinary 

 range or reach of the roots. This would be to inflict 

 steriUtv and barrenness upon the most afHuent soil. 

 But bv the use of the subsoil plough, w^iich loosens 

 and somewhat pulverizes the substratum or subsoil 

 without elevating or bringing any portion of it to the 

 surface, the capacity of all land for vegetable pro- 

 duction will be greatly and permanently increased. 

 Of this fact, the Scotch and English agriculturists 

 have long been aware, and many in this country 

 have used the subsoil plough with the best and most 

 flattering results. A PRACTICAL FARMER. 



Bald E.vgle Farm, July 12, 1850. 

 — Germaniown Telegraph. 



SAXON AND MERINO SHEEP. 



Nothing is more frightful than active ignorance. 



Is there not great confusion among wool-growers 

 regarding the above-named breeds of sheep? And 

 do'cs not that confusion lead to many bad results in 

 breeding, as well as in the choice of flocks ? "We 

 think it does. 



What now constitutes a Merino r We answer, A 

 certain kind of .sheep originally from Spain, and 

 known there as the Infantado or Xegretti. They are 

 generally known in this country as a compact-built 

 sheep, w"ith a dark fleece of fine wool, and showing a 

 great deal of loose skin under the throat, and gen- 

 erally over the body. It is a further characteristic 

 of this breed to have wool upon their legs down to 

 the hoof. Their fleeces are filled with gum and yolk, 

 which gives the peculiar dark color to the outside. 



The Saxon is a finer wooled sheep than the Merino. 

 There is little or no loose skin under the throat ; the 

 face and Ics are clean ; the wool much clearer of 

 o-um or yolk, verv fine and soft ; and the fleece much 

 fighter than the iSIcrino. This breed was known m 

 Spain as the Escurial, a branch of the Merino family ; 

 the term " Merino " meaning, as applied to Spanish 

 sheep, all their fine-Avooled sheep, as " Chunah " 

 means their coarse-wooled. 



\re these separate and distinct breeds, and have 

 thev been so for a length of time ? We incline to 

 the' opinion that they are distinct breeds, and that no 

 reasonable time can change thcna We do not for 

 instance, believe that from a pure-blooded flock of Ls- 

 curials it would be possible to breed a flock of Infan- 

 tados • nor do we believe any amount of good breed- 

 in'' could produce from a flock of pure Infantados 

 the li"ht-formcd and gracefully-shaped Escurial. 



We"' are aware that the attempt has been made, 

 both in this country and in Germany, to procure a 

 breed bv crossing that should combine the excellence 

 of both^ We do not know of any person who has 

 been successful in this country, while in Germany 

 the attempt has been entirely abandoned. The breeds 

 raav be improved, there is no doubt ; but it must be 

 bv keeping the blood of each class pure. Since the 

 German sheep-breeders have adopted this plan, they 

 have met with the most happy results. Ihe late 

 importations of Saxons show a very great improve- 

 ment, both in carcass and fleece, and are as unlike 

 the early importations of that breed as can well be 

 imagined. We hope our flock-masters in this coun- 

 try will turn their attention to a more careful system 

 of breedin--. Keep the breeds as pure as possible, 

 and in a few years we probably can boast of as good 

 sheep as any country. , , , t v,„ 



There are those who believe that the breeds can be 

 mixed to advantage, and we should like to hear their 

 views on the subject ; but we confess that, so far as 

 our own observation goes, a good race of sheep can- 

 not be produced. 



There perhaps cannot be a better place nor a more 

 appropriate opportunity for us to define our position 

 in regard to the various sheep interests of the coun- 

 try than here and now. , , .v 



'We wish it distinctly understood, then, that, as the 

 conductor of this journal, we recognize no party, sect, 

 or faction of wool-growers or shcep-brecders Wc 

 will not submit to Jic dictated to or controlled by any 

 of them. All who desire it may have a fair lieanng 

 — each may put forth his claims before iho i)ublic — 

 and any co'ntroversy. while conducted in a decorous 

 manner, and made i'nteresting by facts and arguments, 

 will be permitted. This journal is intended to be the 

 organ for the wool-growing interest of the whole 

 Union- impartial and inlopcndcnt. Me have no 

 partiaUtics — no favorites. Our liighest ambition is 

 to see this great interest placed upon a hrm basis, 

 and in a sound and flourishing condition ; and it the 

 wool-growers will rally around us, we shall have no 



