284 Bakewell Sheep — Centre -Draught and Subsoil Ploughs. Vol. VI. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Bakewell Sheep. 



Mr. Editor. — By the hand of Mr. Aaron 

 Clement, I present you with a piece of my 

 Bakewell mutton; also, the live and dead 

 weight of my thirteen sheep, advertised in the 

 Ledger of the 22d March, slaughtered and 

 sold in the Washington Market, Philadelphia, 

 on the 26lh. — Should you think them worthy 

 notice, you will please publish them in your 

 useful "Cabinet," 



Live weight. Dead weight. 



231 lbs I33i lbs. 



188 •' 104i " 



108 " lO/i " 



195 " Si* " 



181 " 81i " 



](i2 " 100 " 



17ti " 85i " 



177 " 98 " 



183 " Ill " 



181 " 94| " 



154 " 84 " 



156 " lOOi " 



153 " 109i " 



23;l5 1298 



The enterprising purchasers, Messrs. Henry 

 Schafferand John Youcker, realized all which 

 was stated in the Ledger of the 22d instant. 

 The mutton when on the stalls was decidedly 

 the fattest ever offered for sale in this market, 

 although not as heavy in the carcase as others 

 of a larger breed. The full-blooded Bake- 

 wells cannot be excelled for their delicious 

 flavour and taste to the epicure, and appear- 

 ance of beautiful meat. These sheep were 

 allowed to e.xcel all others for colour and 

 handsome appearance ; they were of the pure 

 breed, (one or two excepted,) and were raised 

 and fed on my farm, New Castle county, slate 

 of Delaware. 



A word in season to the stock-breeder may 

 not be amiss on this occasion. My judgment, 

 with many years' experience, corresponds 

 with that of my worthy friend. Gen. Emory, 

 See Cabinet, vol. vi., p. 236: — "Keep your 

 breeds entirely distinct, both cattle, sheep, 

 &c. — Bring in your crosses from distant fami- 

 lies of the same race, and do not give them 

 even one cross of another breed, unless you 

 have a definite object — some specific point of 

 form or quality which you wish to correct or 

 improve, and then, you must be sure that you 

 do not introduce at the same time another de- 

 fective point, and pursue the object with unde- 

 viatmg steadiness, &c." — My sheep's ages 

 were from one, to two, and four years, the 

 two year old nearly equalled in weight and 

 quality of meat those of four years old. 



It is well known that the great Bakewell's 

 object and aim was to raise a breed of sheep 

 which should come to perfection in the short- 

 est given time; this might well be termed 

 time and money saved, and this is the supe- 

 rior quality of the true-bred Bakewell sheep. 



By referring to the weight of Mr. Bakewell's 

 sheep in his day, we find they averaged from 

 22 to 30 lbs. per quarter at the age of two 

 years; this has frequently been accomplished 

 by myself within the last thirty years, during 

 which I have been paying strict attention to 

 this valuable race of sheep; my object is still 

 to keep them as pure in the biood as possible, 

 being fully convinced there is no advantage 

 to be derived from crossing with other breeds. 

 John Barney. 

 Port Penn, New Castle county, Del., March 'J8, 184i. 



We are indebted to Mr. Barney for the remarkably 

 fine cut of very fat mutton — we presume from No. 1 of 

 the list of his thirteen sheep of the Bakewell breed, than 

 which a finer race cannot bu found. " Little Delaware" 

 takes the lead in fat sheep, and is destined to become 

 great, in the best acceptation of the term. — The mutton 

 is to be seen at our office, in company witli the specimen 

 from Major Reybold's "Clayton," whose portrait will 

 appear in our pages for May. And there also will be 

 found a sample of the very finest improved Mercer po- 

 tatoes, a present from Mr. Jacob Shalcross, which go to 

 show what might be accomplished by an union of 

 ability and perseverance. — Ed. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 The Centre-Draught and Subsoil Ploughs. 



Mr. Editor. — Happening on a visit to a 

 friend at New Castle, I accompanied him to 

 Delaware City, on Tuesday last, where, at 

 the post-office, I saw a notice that on the af- 

 ternoon of that day there would be an exhibi- 

 tion of the Prouty Centre-Draught Plough, 

 accompanied by the Subsoiler, at the farm of 

 Mr, P. Reybold, St. George's; and never 

 having witnessed the performance of either, 

 my friend and I determined to be present on 

 that interesting occasion. In spite, therefore, 

 of the weather, which was so bad as to pre- 

 vent many from being present, i found some 

 first-rate ploughmen on the ground, and saw 

 what I shall never forget — the working of the 

 most perfect implements that I ever expect to 

 see, although the pleasure of meeting you 

 there was denied me, you having just left the 

 scene of operations. My friend was so struck 

 with the working of these remarkable ploughs, 

 that he has ever since been urging me to say 

 something about it for publication in the Cabi- 

 net, considering it worthy record ; and as the 

 scene is still fresh in my recollection, I have 

 complied, in the hope that those who were 

 absent might become acquainted with a few 

 particulars relating to a trial at which they 

 might well wish they had been present. By 

 the way, Mr. Editor, that is a capital plan of 

 yours — to visit parts of the country for the 

 purpose of exhibiting improved agricultural 

 machinery — it is legitimate with your editorial 

 duties, bringing you into contact with practi- 

 cal men on the field of their labours, and join- 

 ing them heart and hand in a business which, 



