42 



Berkshire Hogs. — Early and Late Soioing. 



VOL.V. 



Blossom is a tliorough-bred short-horn Dur- 

 ham, roan colour, calved in 1835, bred by 

 Charles Henry Hall, Esq. of New York, (of 

 whom I purchased her when two years old) : 

 she was got by Fox''s Regent, dam the im- 

 ported cow Leonora, (a great milker) by a 

 Bon of Lancaster, c|-c. 



Very respectfully, 



Samuel Canbt. 



Woodside, June 29, 1840. 



Blossom's yield of Milk for one week. 



morn'g. noon. ev'o. total. 

 June 13, 12 quarts .. IH .... 11a .... 34^ 



14, 

 15, 

 16, 

 17, 



18, 

 19, 



12i 

 121 

 , 121 , 

 ]2i. 

 13 

 13i. 



11 

 12i 

 Hi 

 12 



m 



11 



Hi 



11 

 11 



Hi 



11 



Total, 2471 



Being on an average over 35 quarts per 

 day. — Del. Jour. 



To the Editor of the FarmerB' Cabinet. 

 Berkshire Hogs. 



Mr. Editor, — I have just seen a Bement, 

 •which, for the honour of old Berkshire, I trust 

 is no Bement. It would be in vain to attempt 

 to describe him, for from the sole of his foot 

 to the crown of his head he is about one of 

 the ugliest little wretches that can be im- 

 agined ; his capacity for improvement is how- 

 ever great, for his belly would serve two such 

 and to spare. If, however, upon trial, it might 

 not contain quite all that two may wish to eat, 

 there is a hollow behind his shoulders that 

 would take some, and add not a little to his 

 figure. But, strange to say, this pig is the 

 best of four that were sent from Albany, to a 

 person in this part of the country, as very su- 

 perior — in short, as little Bements I Where 

 the other three are located I know not ; but if 

 this pig were mine, he would soon find his 

 way " bock agin." I understand that his pre- 

 sent possessor cannot believe that he is so old 

 as he is represented to be — he is so small. 

 This reminds me of the Negro's pig, which, 

 although he was very little, as the purchaser 

 complained. Sambo assured him he was " ber- 

 ry ole." There is, however, a Lossing in 

 the same pen with him, which has been sent 

 to show the difference ; he is much better to 

 be sure, but if that gentleman would come 

 this way some day, the owner could show 

 him a pen of pigs, a single Berkshire cross, 

 that would astonish him, although he is not 

 a native. 



Now, I have a strong suspicion, that the 

 four very inferior pigs above-mentioned, were 

 pigs of the first litter — and if so, all is ac- 

 counted for ; for it is a fact that I have often 

 proved, the first litter of pigs are always very 



inferior, and it is oftentimes with difficulty 

 that they can be raised at all — I should say 

 never, to credit or profit, unless the breeder 

 has an order for pigs from persons living at a 

 distance, who are pretty sure to come in for 

 the cullings after the best have been selected 

 by the purchasers in person, — then, there 

 might be profit, but I should prefer \he credit, 

 I must confess. The fact has .been so long 

 known, namely, that pigs of a first litter are 

 always inferior, that out of it has grown the 

 old adage, " The calf of a young cow, the pig 

 of an old sow," that is, for rearing stock; and 

 I have had repeated proofs of the truth of the 

 observation. 



There is no one who approves more of the 

 Berkshires as a cross than I do, but I fear 

 there are some men in some parts who are 

 hasting to grow rich; and there is another 

 proverb, you know — but which I am not of 

 course going to apply to them — which says, 

 " he that hasteth to grow rich will scarcely 

 be" — but there . Siam. 



N. J., July 30, 1840. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Early and late Sowing. 



" Who shall decide," Mr. Editor, indeed ! 

 I vow it makes me weary when I meet with 

 such conflicting testimony on the most com- 

 mon of all our operations, namely, the culti- 

 vation of wheat, a crop that has been grown 

 for ages, but hitherto, it would seem, with 

 perfect ignorance of its habits, and the mode 

 best adapted to its well-being and success. 



In an agricultural paper, now before me, I 

 read, " Though much of the wheat was in- 

 jured by the fly, oiving to late sowing, in this 

 neisfhbourhood, it has recovered in a consi- 

 derable degree ; and, should the weather be 

 favourable, the crop will be an average one." 

 While another writer says, "Za/e planting, 

 both in respect to winter and spring wheat, 

 seems sometimes to carry the crops beyond 

 the time when, from the habits of the fly, the 

 plant is most exposed to injury !" 



On conversing with an intelligent friend, 

 on the very opposite systems here promul- 

 gated, he observed, " We have often heard 

 the remark, extremes meet; and in the in- 

 stances above-mentioned, there we have them 

 — and, in my opinion, they are in a certain 

 sense both right. I believe that the fly in 

 wheat, in the present year, has been caused 

 by the remarkably changeable state of the 

 atmosphere, the variations from cold to heat, 

 and heat to cold, having been very great and 

 sudden ; and the fly, and many other species 

 of blight, have been the effects. Now, in 

 some instances, the very early sown wheat 

 has been enabled, by its strength of growth, 

 to throw off the affection which has prostrated 



