198 



Audi Alteram Partem. — Strength of Ir^n Pillars. 



Vol. V. 



to the amelioration of the country stock of 

 that vast region, where, for all that are raised 

 for a century to come, in all probability the 

 demand will be greater than at present — as 

 that must continue to be a beef-exporting dis- 

 trict; and after the lapse of twenty years we 

 find the same breed of animals still increasing 

 in value. 



But to repeat the opinion, the correctness 

 of which we believe time will prove — in the 

 non-provision-growing states, where ani- 

 mals have to rough it, and where the farmer 

 goes for beef, the yoke and the dairy, and not 

 beef alone, in the shortest time and from the 

 smallest number of animals — a combination 

 of the objects above mentioned — from food, 

 such as it is, and care, such as it is — the North 

 Devons will supersede the Durhams ; and this 

 is the opinion of a gentleman of Maryland, 

 who a year or two since purchased some 

 choice specimens of the Short Horns at 

 VVhitaker's sale in Philadelphia. It is now 

 twenty years since the first introduction of the 

 North Devons into Maryland, and those into 

 whose hands they originally came, still retain 

 them ; and good, genuine individuals of this 

 stock are very difficult to be obtained, either 

 here or in New England, where the Devonr,, 

 or cattle in which that blood greatly predomi- 

 nates, have been great favourites from the 

 days of the Pilgrim Fathers to the present 

 time ; and we know a herd that we would be 

 willing to show against any dairy herd of equal 

 number in any country, not perhaps for size 

 to age, nor for extreme diminutiveness of 

 either head or tail, but for clean, bony head, 

 fine muzzles, good handling, beef of fine 

 quality, snrenesfi to breed, sound constitution, 

 yellow skin, rich milk of fair qnantit}', and, 

 as respects oxen, of extraordinary docility 

 and activity : and it would give us pleasure 

 to introduce them to the notice of our worthy 

 friends the editors of the " Agriculturist," as 

 well as whatever else we can find for their 

 gratification ; amongst other things, some 



" WHITE BERKSHIRES," 



or at least, excellent white hogs, bought in 

 England, without restriction as to price, and 

 sent to this country under the name of Berk- 

 shires — large sized hogs, good breeders, and 

 good nurses, with, it is true, not very small 

 pipe stems, nor very short duck's legs, nor 

 coming quite up to such a portrait of beauti- 

 ful symmetry and proportion as a lively im- 

 agination might create, such as we sometimes 

 meet done in black letter, in certain agricul- 

 tural books and journals ; but such as have 

 legs under them that might be trusted to car- 

 ry them to market ; and amongst the rest, a 

 White Berkshire sow, so called at least, with 

 black spots on the skin, which was sold but a 

 few days since for 8 100, got by the white 

 boar belonging to Mr. Etches, spoken of in 



the " Agriculturist" by General Davie, who 

 says, " The Earl of Durham has a boar of this 

 breed pure white, estimated at two years old, 

 to weigh 45 score ! (900 lbs.) Mr. Etches of 

 Liverpool had a boar of the same breed, not 

 so pure a white ; the premium boar at the 

 Lancaster fair in 1838, at 20 months old was 

 estimated to weigh 800 lbs: these were repre- 

 sented as genuine Berkshires, and questioned 

 by none." 



Huntsmen say, there never was a good 

 hound of a bad colour; and after all, it is of 

 no great consequence what may be the colour 

 of the hog, provided always notwithstanding, 

 that if he be a Black Berkshire he have not 

 more than three white hairs in his tail ! — so 

 he is right in shape and proportion, and adapt- 

 ed in these to the condition of circumstances, 

 country and views of the purchaser, for, as 

 "a rose by any other name will smell as 

 sweet," so will this omnivorous quadruped 

 eat as sweet himself, by one name as ano- 

 ther : only observing, he who is desirous of, 

 improving his stock of swine should go for 

 the best, and not for the cheapest." 



Thus far the editor of the American Far- 

 mer — and it is refreshing to find such a man 

 coming out on the side of reason and common 

 sense. After all however, every thing de- 

 pends upon expediency ; in rearing stock for 

 ins own use, the farmer will be guided more 

 by the good points of the animal than by the 

 colour, either of the feet or tail ; but if his 

 object be to breed for sale, it is expedient that 

 his stock should have the requisites to suit 

 the fancy of his customers, be they white 

 with black tails, or black with white tails; 

 nor will it answer his purpose to offer one for 

 the other, any more than it did the storekeep- 

 er's, who, on being asked for white cotton 

 stockings, replied, he had excellent black 

 worsted, at the same price ! As has already 

 been said, however, for every good purpose, 

 a single "dip" with a good Berkshire and the 

 Chester county sow, will be found quite suffi- 

 cient; and, "in the language of an eloquent 

 writer, now no more," enough 's enough, and 

 that 's sufficient ! John Barnes. 



Lancaster co. 12th Dec. 1840. 



Strength of Iron Pillars. — At the late 

 meeting of the British Association in Glas- 

 gow, a paper was read by Mr. Hodgkinson 

 describing a series of experiments made by 

 him on the strength of iron pillars. It ap- 

 peared from these, that a pillar, square at the 

 top and bottom, is about three times as strong 

 as one rounded at the ends; that if the pillars 

 are not placed perpendicular, at least two- 

 thirds of their strength is lost; and that they 

 are one-seventh stronger when swelled in the 

 middle, like the frustrum of a cone with the 

 base in the centre of the pillar. 



