No. 11. 



Soiling Horses. — English Agriculture. 



367 



Society five Hundred dollars; but if Dairy 

 Maid beat Blossom, Mr. Canby was to pay to 

 the Philadelphia Society for promoting Agri- 

 culture a like sum. This was not betting — 

 no such thing; it was to be an interesting 

 trial for the benefit of agriculture. On the 

 2d of October, Mr. Canby responded through 

 the "Inquirer," and says: "I will accept his 

 bet, but not on the terms he proposes, for 

 though as friendly to agricultural societies 

 as lie can be, I think to risk that amount for 

 their gain, would be paying too dear for the 

 whistle;" and adds, "I will therefore accept 

 Mr. Gowen's challenge, the winner to keep 

 the money, (or hand it over to the Society, if 

 he prefers so to do.") 



Now, I put it to " Correspondent," whether 

 it was fair, with these facts before him, to put 

 the declining of the trial on grounds that re- 

 flected to my disadvantage] 



Respectfully, your obedient servant, 

 James Gowen. 



Mount Airy, June i, 1841. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Soiling Horses. 



Sir, — At the suggestion of an intelligent 

 neighbour, I have commenced a novel mode 

 of soiling my farm-horses, and am desirous 

 of describing it for the adoption of your read- 

 ers generally. 



Mine is a dairy-farm, and as I devote all 

 my pasture-ground to this purpose, it is not 

 my practice to turn out my horses until after 

 the hay harvest, that the cows may have the 

 benefit of a fresh change of pasture weekly. 

 At the bottom of my cattle-yard is a small 

 meadow, about two acres, wliich has been 

 enriclied for many years by the overflowing 

 of the yard; this I have commenced cutting 

 by piecemeal for the soiling of my horses in 

 the stable, and it is really surprising to find 

 how very small a portion of land is mown 

 every morning for the supply of four horses 

 during the day and night: the labour of mow- 

 ing and carrying to the stables is as nothing, 

 the work of about half an hour only. As the 

 land is cleared, it is immediately spread with 

 a covering from my compost heap, which is 

 BO near that a boy can carry on a sufficient 

 quantity for the purpose in a very short space 

 of time : the cfiect is beyond my conception, 

 for, judging from present appearances, I shall 

 be able to cut the grass from this piece of 

 land four times the present summer; and it 

 is my intention to keep my horses in the sta- 

 ble the whole time, by which I shall save 

 many acres of pasture and tons of hay, as also 

 many loads of the best manure. Now, can 

 any other crop pay me equal to this small 

 portion of my farm ? R. 



May '21. 



English Agricultnre. 



Whateveu opinion we may form of Bri- 

 tain — her pride, arrogance, insolence, pre- 

 sumption, vanity — faults, too, that will have 

 to be amended within ten years by the com- 

 pulsory process of a general alliance of na- 

 tions against her; yet we must all confess 

 that her agriculture is the most stupendous 

 thing under heaven! When it is remem- 

 bered that the crop of turnips grown in Nor- 

 folk alone is greater than the value of her 

 trade with China; that the market-price of 

 the geese brought from the Lincolnshire fens, 

 is more than her trade with Denmark ; that 

 you shall see as a common iking a hundred 

 acres of turnips, or a hundred acres of beans, 

 or thirty acres of cabbages in a single field — 

 a farm of 300 acres, all mown — or a farm of 

 the same size, 300 acres, all in crops — the 

 live stock on a single farm worth §i50,000 — 

 twenty or more horses employed on one farm 

 every working day in the year, and by means 

 of thrice ploughing (heavy clays) turning 900 

 acres in a single year; — I say, when this is 

 remembered, it will be seen that "great" as 

 Britain is in every thing, the superlative de- 

 gree of greatness is in her agriculture — in 

 her soil, naturally poor, but made rich by the 

 application of capital and unwearied assidui- 

 ty, good sense and enterprise. While in this 

 country, we fail most from the want of capi- 

 tal, and from the circumstance, that agricul- 

 ture does not rank as an employment with 

 others — especially with trade — it is not 

 valued as it ought to be. The English con- 

 tend, that it never was so valued in a demo- 

 cratic country; agriculture being, in their 

 estimation, substantially an aristocratic em- 

 ployment: and it must be confessed that this 

 is true of England, and perhaps of Europe 

 generally. In England, to be wanting in the 

 dignity conferred by landed possessions, is, 

 to want that which conducts to the highest 

 oflices and the most exclusive society. The 

 term country gentleman, is in England al- 

 most an actual patent of precedence ; and so 

 far do they carry this, that no man in trade 

 can marry into a family of landed descent and 

 possessions, unless he add to wealth an emi- 

 nent character for talent. — Far. Mon. Visi- 

 ter. 



0.\E pair of pigs will increase in six years 

 to 119,169, taking the increase at fourteen 

 times per annum. A pair of sheep, in the 

 same time, would increase but sixty-four 

 times. 



Dr. Lcttsom ascribes health and wealth to 

 water, happiness to small beer, and all dis- 

 eases and crimes to the use of alcohol. 



