S57. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



83 



.ndicate the portions which struck me as worthy of| would become Indians ! Mr. Browne's opinion is 



especial 



r.trikin" 



notice, at my first perusal, I find some 

 facts recorded under the title — 

 DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



The following illustrations of the eifect of food 

 and climate upon animals, are given from a former 

 report : 



"If the London dray horse be conveyed to Ara- 

 bia and subjected to the same influences as the na- 

 tive horses of that country are exposed to, in the 

 course of a few generations, he will present the 

 leading charactei-istics of the Arabian horse. The 

 head will gradually diminish in size, the limbs will 

 become fine and clean, the massive proportions of 

 the whole body will disappear, and, not only will 

 the external form of the native be acquired, but 

 aside from this, something of the chivalrous dispo- 

 sition or spirit. Again, if the race thus improved 

 be conveyed back to the central or northern parts 

 of Europe, it will gradually deteriorate, and in the 

 course of some generations, will assume all its orig- 

 inal proportions." 



Now that strikes one as rather strange doctrine ; 

 but we may as well "season our admiration for 

 awhile," till we read what follows : 



"If sheep are carried from either of the temper- 

 ate zones to the burning plains of the tropics, after 

 a few years material changes take place in their 

 covering. The wool of the Iambs, at first, grows 

 similar to that in the temperate climates, but rath- 

 er more slowly. When in a fit state for shearing, 

 there is nothing remai'kable about its quality, and 

 when shorn, it grows out again, as with us, but if 

 the proper time for shearing be allowed to pass 

 by, the wool becomes somewhat thicker, falls off in 

 patches, and leaves underneath, a short, close, shin- 

 ing hair, exactly like thai of the goat in the same 

 climate ; and wherever this hair once appears, there 

 is never any return of wool." 



One can readily enough conceive that in process 

 of time, a truck-horse may become an Arabian 

 courser, but it is a severe trial of faith to be asked 

 to give up ihe familiar old Scripture distinction be- 

 tween sheep and goats ! A sheep covered with 

 goat's hair would hardly know whether he belonged 

 on the right hand or left. However, this may all 

 be literally true, although the facts as to the horse 

 would be difficult to verify, because it is said to 

 take "a few generations to try the experiment." At 

 all events, the extracts will furnish new arguments 

 to those v;ho think that "native stock" is just as 

 good es the best improved, from abroad, and 

 those men need some help. It is not uncommon 

 to hear men insist that the "natives" are, after all, 

 just as likely to make good cows as the Ayrshires. 

 I once heard a distinguished agriculturist insist in 

 a public address in Massachusetts, that it was use- 

 less to attempt to improve our neat stock by impor- 

 tations, because our soil and climate would soon 

 modify the foreign stock and make it precisely like 

 the native. I ventured to suggest at the time, that 

 pure Jersey cattle would breed natives, about the 

 time white men or negroes imported into America 



that though food and climate may work singular 

 changes, especially in the external appearance of 

 animals ; yet that "it is not to be understood that 

 these variations constitute the differences in the 

 races or varieties of our domestic breeds, but that 

 they have long existed with similar forms and hab- 

 its, as at present, either acquired and accumulated 

 through a series of generations, which, in the course 

 of time, have become hereditary, or that they have 

 ever retained their original and typical casts from 

 their earliest progenitors." 



On the whole, they who believe in native stock, 

 had better begin with bufTalos, so as to be sure their 

 blood is pure, and when they have been improved 

 carefully, as long as the North Devons and Jerseys, 

 perhaps they will prove as valuable for the yoke 

 and for milk. In the mean time, the rest of man- 

 kind will probably prefer to derive some advantage 

 from the knowledge and care which for generations 

 has been bestowed in reproducing and perpetuating 

 the qualities which are deemed most valuable in 

 our animals. 



CHINESE SUGAR CANE. 



This Report has some facts as to this new plants 

 but Mr. Hyde, of Newton Centre, Mass., Mr. 

 Boylston, of Amherst, N. H., and others, have al- 

 ready given us facts enough to render it more than 

 probable that wherever Indian corn will grow, the 

 same land will produce syrup and sugar from 

 the Chinese sugar cane. Whether the crops will 

 prove more profitable than that of corn, is the ques- 

 tion to be settled. To the Patent Office we are in- 

 debted, I believe, entirely for the introduction, cer- 

 tainly for the distribution, of the seed of this plant. 



It comes first, when it is most needed. The su- 

 gar crop of Louisiana is failing, and although gov- 

 ernment has taken the extraordinary step of send- 

 ing a ship abroad to procure a new supply of cane- 

 cuttings for the southern sugar plantations, yet we 

 shall continue to hope, for the present, that our 

 buckwheat and syrup will grow side by side on 

 our own farms, and that free trade and sugar may 

 yet thrive together on free soil. 



An old clergyman, taking final leave of his peo- 

 ple, said to them, "My friends, I know I have done 

 a great many foolish things, I may have done some 

 wicked things, but you will all bear me witness 

 that I have never done a long thing." 



Fearing I may fall into that unpardonable sin 

 alluded to, I will defer the subject till another num- 

 ber. 



Black Hawk's Disease. — The following is from 

 a letter received from Dr. George S. Gale, too late 

 for publication last week : — 



"Black Hawk's disease is what might justly be 

 called gout — many, perhaps, would call it rheuma- 

 tism. He was taken on Thursday, November, 27th, 

 with chills, succeeded by febrile symptomsj and on 



