No. 9. 



Shade and Fruit Trees — Insects, S^-c. 



281 



United States. His cattle were chiefly sold 

 at public auction, at Powelton, near Phila- 

 delphia, the residence of Mr. Powel. During 

 these years, Short Horns had become an ob- 

 ject of great speculation, and many were 

 sold in Kentucky and Ohio, at prices ranging 

 from five hundred to one thousand dollars 

 each ! Several smaller importations were 

 also made by individuals on their own ac- 

 count, and during the time from 1824 up to 

 1840, probably not less than three hundred 

 Short Horns were brought into the United 

 States. 



Among the individual importations from 

 1836 to a late period, were those of several 

 select and valuable animals from the most 

 reputable herds in England, by Mr. E. P 

 Prentice, of Albany, Mr. George Vail, of 

 Troy, Mr. James Lenox, and Mr. John F. 

 Sheafe, of New York ; Mr. Whitney, of 

 New Haven, Connecticut, and sundry other 

 ones not now recollected. 



In 1835 a considerable number were 

 brought out by Mr. Weddle, from Yorkshire, 

 who settled near Rochester, N. Y. He bred 

 these cattle for a few years, and from 1838 

 to 1841 disposed of his principal stock. Many 

 of them were scattered through the Genesee 

 country, and some of the choicest were sold 

 to Gen. Dudley, and Mr. Harrison Blanton, 

 of Kentucky. 



The success which has thus far attended 

 the breeding and rearing of Siiort Horns in 

 the United States, is altogether satisfactory. 

 Our climate, soils, and food, are highly fa- 

 vourable to their growth, and development. 

 They are hardy to withstand our cold, and 

 our heats, and with an abundant forage, even 

 of the coarser kinds, they flourish. They 

 are probably less cared for, and fed, than in 

 England ; yet no neat cattle pay better for 

 their care and keep than these. They are, 

 as a race, good milkers, remarkable in the 

 richness of its quality, and the quantity is 

 frequently surprising. For beef, they are 

 unrivalled. Their capacity to accumulate 

 flesh is enormous, and they feed with a kind- 

 liness and thrift never witnessed in our na- 

 tive breeds. In milk, instances have been 

 frequent in which they have given 24 to 3G 

 quarts a day, on grass pasture only, for weeks 

 together; yielding 10 to 15 pounds of butter 

 per week. Were it necessary we might 

 produce many cases in proof. In beef, cows 

 have slaughtered 1200, and 1400 pounds, 

 neat weight, with extraordinary proof; and 

 bullocks upwards of 2500 pounds. Still, 

 few could be spared for such puri)oses. 



Those who have bred them longest, like 

 them best. And the deepest point of depres- 

 sion in their value liaving been reached, we 

 trust that their future career is to be vigor- 



ously onward and prosperous. Their full 

 history in the United States, is yet to be 

 written ; and with this brief notice, we leave 

 them to the good opinions and confidence of 

 the enlightened friendsof American agricul- 

 ture. To say nothing of them as a creature 

 of utility, every farmer of abundant means, 

 which tor this purpose need not be great, 

 and every country gentleman, where pro- 

 perly situated, should cultivate Short Horns. 

 With the increase of wealth and refinement 

 in the United States, the quiet and elegant 

 pleasures of country life are more appre- 

 ciated. Numerous gentlemen of leisure an- 

 nually retire from the bustle of city life, pre- 

 ferring the heathful and invigorating recrea- 

 tions of a farm to the exciting cares of the 

 town. Many of this class become deeply 

 interested in rural pursuits, and in a few^ 

 years are known as eminently practical agri- 

 cnlturists. Among the most fascinating of 

 their retired pleasures, is that of cultivating' 

 a taste for fine domestic animals. Among 

 these, the Short Horns stand pre-eminent; 

 and we can perform no more grateful ser- 

 vice to ourselves, nor a more beneficial 

 one to such individuals, than to suggest the 

 breeding, rearing, and, if possible, the im- 

 provement of this superb class of cattle, as a 

 prominent object of their labours. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Shade and Fruit Trees— Insects, «5irc. 



Mr. Editor, — I notice that the Philadel- 

 phia papers are discussing the propriety of 

 cutting off the tops and otherwise mutilating 

 the shade trees in the city, in order to avoid 

 the disgusting insects that attack and infest 

 them during the summer. It would give me 

 pleasure to prevent such mutilation, as I 

 greatly admire the beautiful shade trees of 

 Philadelphia, 



I am induced to believe that the reason 

 why these insects attack and infest the trees, 

 is that they find in the sap a sweet substance 

 which is formed by a chemical action in the 

 pores of the tree. This chemical action in 

 this case is opposed to the vital action, and 

 is a consequence of a determination of vital 

 force. This loss of vital force is caused, in 

 my opinion, by a surplus of carbonic acid. It 

 is well known that sulphuric acid, properly 

 added to starch, under favourable circum- 

 stances, changes it to sugar. I think that 

 carbonic acid acts in a manner similar to the 

 sulphuric acid, when it is added to vegetable 

 fibre. Starch and vegetable fibre are com- 

 posed of the same elements, carbon, oxygen, 

 nitrogen, and hydrogen. The vegetable 

 fibre has more nitrogen in it than starch has, 

 and on that account is more easily changed; 



