1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



303 



instrumentality. It is one of God's chosen forms 

 of power. We never see creative energy without 

 something beyond mere existence, and hence the 

 whole universe is a teacher and inspirer of beauty. 

 Every man was born to be an artist, so far as the 

 appreciation and enjoyment of beauty are concern- 

 ed, and he robs himself of one of the precious gifts 

 of his being if he fails to fulfil this beneficent pur- 

 pose of his creation. — Southern Times. 



For the New England Farmer. 



DECREASE OF HORNED CATTLE. 



Messrs. Editors : — The lovers of beef, butter, 

 cheese and milk begin to show some symptoms of 

 concern atthe rapid rise of those articles of food with- 

 in a period of the last two or three years. At the pres- 

 ent time the demand seems to be greater than the 

 supply, and scarcity is the consequence ; this stiar- 

 city causes high prices, and high prices induce farm- 

 ers to sell and reduce their stock of cattle so low 

 that it will require years of careful attention to stock 

 raising to produce a supply equal to the demand. 

 When cattle multiplied faster than consumers, then 

 beef was very plenty, and of course cheap, but now 

 there is a great disproportion between the consum- 

 ers and the ability to supply, and beef is dear. If 

 the slaughter of grown cattle and calves should con- 

 tinue a few years longer, to give our growing pop- 

 ulation a full supply of meat, it seems that the race 

 of horned cattle must be exterminated. For many 

 years past, good calves would bring from four to 

 ten dollars a piece, a price entirely disproportion- 

 ate to the value of grown cattle. Till within a few 

 years, two year old heifers might be bought for 

 from ten to fifteen dollars, according to size, which 

 afforded very small pay for keeping them two years. 

 This disproportion between the value of grown cat- 

 tle and calves induced farmers around the seaboard 

 to sell their calves and trust to back country farm- 

 ers for a supply, but since the railroads have begun 

 to freight cattle, the remote country farmers, from 

 the same motives of gain, have sent their calves to 

 the shambles instead of rearing them, which has 

 caused the scarcity of cattle and high prices of beef. 

 The advance on calves latterly has been less than on 

 grown cattle, which is an inducement to all farmers 

 to i-aise their calves. As far as my knowledge ex- 

 tends, but very few calves have been reared since 

 they could be sold for veal at from five to ten dol- 

 lars apiece, and cows and two year-olds be bought 

 for ten up to thirty dollars apiece. 



There is as little wisdom manifested in this uni- 

 versal slaughter of calves, as there was in the miser 

 who prematurely cut open the goose to get the 

 golden egg. If none of us raise calves, who will 

 furnish us with oxen and cows ? and where are our 

 butter, cheese, meat and milk to come from .'' 



I will relate a little practical transaction to show 

 that calves may be raised to as much advantage as 

 other farm produce. 



In the year 18o5 we raised two heifer calves 

 which are now both in a fair way to multiply and 

 furnish us with milk this season; before they were 

 two years old we could have sold them at a high 

 price ; one of our best farmers gave his opinion that 

 the largest one would fetch us $70 if we would sell 

 her. This circumstance has encouraged us to raise 

 more calves this season, and do our part toward 

 restoring the supply to the demand of the consum- 



ers. Who, that ever saw the sight, does not fee 

 annoyed at the barbarous custom of conveying 

 crowds of starved calves in the railroad cars, des- 

 tined to the shambles, vociferating with vehemence 

 enough to afflict the sensibility of the most hardened 

 sinner ? In addition to our native population, 

 foreigners, as laborers or paupers, are constantly 

 landing on our shores, to be fed from the produce 

 of our farms ; these hungry hords that stay in New 

 England, with few exceptions, are destitute of the 

 capital required to buy land, and, of course, they 

 are dependent upon their labor or public charity 

 for a subsistence ; the enormous quantities of beef, 

 of every description, both parties consume daily, is 

 reducing the number of our cattle to such an ex- 

 tent that none but the wealthy, in a short time, will 

 see it steaming on their tables, if measures are not 

 taken to augment the race of cattle. 

 J\f. IVilmington, Jlpril, 1857. SiLAS Brown. 



For the New England Farmer- 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE FRANKLIN 

 ' CO. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Much of this rainy day (May 4th) have I spent 

 in examining the instructive and neatly arranged 

 lessons of culture in this handsome pamphlet of 

 more than 100 pages. The publication is a model 

 that should raise a blush on the cheeks of many of 

 those more central, and more favorably situated. 

 Few of the societies in the commonwealth have ren- 

 dered a more creditable account. O f the address, it ir 

 only necessary to say it was by Mr. Secretary Flint; 

 who adorns whatever he touches. Fortunate are 

 those who have the wisdom to draw instruction 

 from such fountains; and who are not ambitious of 

 the "sonorous generalities" put forth by those of 

 more conceit, and less knowledge. I have more 

 than once noticed the very fine cattle grown in this 

 region, and it appears there are more of the same 

 sort left. Their crops of Indian corn are very ex- 

 traordinary. Where half a dozen acres together 

 can be found, yielding an average of more than 80 

 bushels to the acre, (solid measure) this must be 

 esteemed good culture. When such men as Cush- 

 man, Davis and Field put their hands to the plow, 

 the work must go ahead. *. 



For the New England Farmer. 



LUNAR INFLUENCES. 



Mr. Editor : — In your correspondent's commu- 

 nication "about raising onions," in Hampshire coun- 

 ty, he says he "sows his seed in the old of the 

 moon," &c., just as though the age of the moon had 

 anything to do with the growth of the onions. 

 That he may raise good crops, in the manner he 

 describes, I have no doubt ; but that the moon has 

 anything to do with them, I have no belief. A la- 

 dy who sits near me while I write, says she has 

 often heard it said that pork must be killed while 

 the moon is full or increasing, and while the tide is 

 coming in, or else it will shrink in the pot. Now I 

 respectfully say that there is just as much proprie- 

 ty in one of these remarks as the other, and none 

 at all in either. I have often told of the rebuke 

 given by a distinguished gentleman of Essex to a 

 conceited farmer, who was boasting that bushes 

 must be cut at a certain stage of the moon, in the 



