No. 5. 



Helinnthus Tuberosum. — Breeding of Horses. 



151 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Helianthus Tuberosum. 



Dear Sir, — I am very much pleased with 

 your description of the Chester County Sow, 

 and am surprised at the number of pigs raised 

 by her. Several of my Woburns have had 

 as many, but I never had a full Woburn raise 

 more than ten pigs. I once had a half Wo- 

 burn which raised fourteen ; the Woburns 

 generally, have but ten teats, and I have 

 never known a sow raise more pigs than she 

 had teats, for each pig steadily sucks his own, 

 and the weaker ones that cannot get a teat, 

 perish.* 



I am really gratified to hear of the disco- 

 very of making sugar from corn-stalks. If 

 the process is a cheap and simple one, and 

 the expectations of Mr. Webb as to quantity 

 should be realized, it will be of incalculable 

 advantage to the northern and middle states. 

 I should fear the use of the corn-stalks after 

 the juice is extracted as food for cattle, for in 

 my neighbourhood, we cut some corn whilst 

 in the roasting-ear state, to commence fatten- 

 ing our hogs for the early market, and threw 

 to them the corn and the stalks; the hogs 

 chewed the stalks, and after extracting the 

 juice, put out the remains, and cattle were 

 very fond of eating the pieces from which the 

 juice had been thus extracted, but a number 

 of those that eat of it died with inflammation 

 of the bowels: this disease is called with us, 

 the " mad itch." The cow appears to have 

 an intolerable itching of the head, and com- 

 mences rubbing the head, which inflames and 

 swells until the eyes are either rubbed out or 

 closed from the swelling; some become furi- 

 ous, but others continue to rub until tliey die. 

 It is a very dangerous disease, generally prov- 

 ing fatal: the only remedies that I have 

 known to relieve them have been copious 

 bleeding and purging, with large doses (two 

 or three pounds) of Epsom salts. 



The sugar-beet is a very worthless article 

 with us, and contains very little sugar. I 

 have procured seed from various sources, even 

 direct from France, and yet the result has 

 always been the same — an insipid root of 

 very little value: I should have supposed that 

 it was owing to our soil, but for the extraor- 

 dinary sweetness of the turnip blood-beet. 

 The sugar-beet, from its extraordinary yield, 

 may be made valuable as food for calves, 

 milk cows, pigs, sheep, and other stock that 



* The Chester County Sow here spoken of, raised se- 

 venteen pigs, but not without the assistance of the 

 suckling-bottle, the owner being willing to encounter 

 the trouble of attending them. Tliis fine animal has 

 Bince brought sixteen pjgs at a litter, but died within a 

 week after farrowing, to the regret of the whole neigh- 

 bourhood. — Ed. 



require green food during the winter, if it 

 should be mixed with something that is more 

 nourishing, but I should not like to depend 

 upon it alone. 



I put in a large crop of roots last spring, 

 but had them very much injured by the pota- 

 toe blister-fly and the grass-hoppers ; they 

 almost entirely destroyed my potatoes, sugar 

 and blood beets, carrots, parsneps and turnips; 

 and seriously injured my artichokes, (Helian- 

 thus Tuberosum) by eating the bark off the 

 stalks. I planted one of my apple orchards 

 that contains 100 trees, in artichokes, and 

 have now had fifty sows two weeks upon 

 them ; there are apples and artichokes in this 

 orchard, and the sows appear to me to fatten 

 as fast upon them as the hogs in my fattening 

 pen. I think the artichoke will yield twice 

 the quantity upon the same ground that will 

 be produced by sugar-beets, but 1 have known 

 of no experiment to prove which is most 

 nourishing. Hogs are much fonder of the 

 artichoke, and cattle eat them equally as 

 well. I think I shall make a larger experi- 

 ment with them next year, if nothing should 

 prevent. They have one advantage over 

 most roots — they are not injured by frost, for 

 they keep as well one inch under ground as 

 if they were entirely protected from its influ- 

 ence. Yours, very respectfully, 



Saml. D. Majitin. 



Colbyville, Ky., Nov. 8, 1841. 



French Establishment for the Breeding 

 of Horses. 



The French government has been for a 

 long time so much impressed with the im- 

 portance of this branch of national resources, 

 tiiat they have formed different establish- 

 ments, called haras and depots, or stations 

 for stud horses ; and in some cases, with 

 grazing land for brood mares, no expense 

 being spared, either as regards accommoda- 

 tion for the horses or their selection. Many 

 of the best-bred English horses have been 

 bought, the prices given being as high as 

 2,000 or 3,000 pounds sterling, and much 

 judgment has been shown in the selection of 

 the English thorough-bred horse. But with 

 regard to the half-bred stud horse, in many 

 instances, an imposing presence or fashiona- 

 ble colour appears to have decided the choice 

 of animals — in which evident mal-formation 

 or organic disease exists. In the spring, a 

 large proportion of these horses are sent out 

 to serve different districts, where they re- 

 main until July, and no charge, unless it be 

 something very trifling, is made to farmers 

 for the use of them. But sufficient discrimi- 

 nation is not exercised respecting the mares { 

 for, instead of allowing those only to be served 

 which possess decided merit, and are free 

 from hereditary or other disease, no distinc- 



