358 



The Toad. — The Strawberry. — Editorial JVotices. Vol. XII. 



climate of New South Wales, are very much 

 longer in staple than formerly, and are much 

 used for the above object. It is a query, 

 however, whether a fine and very compact 

 fleece, possessing a long fibre, can be pro- 

 duced on the same sheep. Very close, fine 

 fleeces, are always comparatively short in 

 staple; and close fleeces are indispensable 

 in our rigorous climate, to protect the sheep 

 from the effects of cold and wet; on the con- 

 trary, open fleeces are usually long in staple, 

 but a poor defence against a low temperature. 

 It is, therefore, a question for the wool-grow- 

 er of the North to consider whether, in oblig 

 ing the manufacturer, he will not adopt a 

 policy injurious to the constitution of his 

 sheep. In a more southern latitude, this 

 consideration is not so important. 



The alteration of the colour was the first 

 recorded improvement of the sheep, and its 

 purity, its perfect whiteness, should never 

 be lost sight of by the sheep-master of the 

 present day. It is, however, not so much 

 considered as it should be. Manufacturers 

 desire none other fine wools than those of 

 the purest whiteness, for the reason that 

 those of a black or dun-coloured hue, do not 

 receive a perfect fancy dye, and therefore 

 can be converted only into black cloths; 

 hence, they are valued accordingly. Flock- 

 masters should never breed from individuals 

 that are otherwise than purely white ; for, 

 independent of the above consideration, black 

 or smutty sheep mar the appearance of a 

 flock. — MorreWs Shepherd. 



The Toad. — That poor, despised, and 

 harmless reptile is admirable in its proper 

 tions, and has an eye of such transcendent 

 beauty, that when I find one I place it on 

 my hand to view it more minutely. Its 

 skin, too, so completely adapted to the suh 

 terraneous places into which it goes for 

 shelter, is well worthy the attention of the 

 philosopher. As this little animal is innoc- 

 uous, I feel sorry when I see it trampled 

 under foot by inconsiderate people, who have 

 learned from their grandmothers that it is 

 full of venom. — Essaijs on Nalural History. 



Cultivation of the Strawberry. — In 



order to show the importance of cultivating 

 the strawberry, we give the following statis- 

 tics: — In 26 days of last summer, 1847,4572 

 bushels sold in New York, — 514 in one day: 

 80,000 baskets, equal to 833 bushels, weigh- 

 ing 25 tons, were brought in one day over 

 the Erie railroad. Whole number of bas- 

 kets sold in New York, equal to 602,040, 

 being an increase of 212,000, or 24 per cent. 

 over last year, (1846) value $!20,000 in a 



season ! — American Journal of Agriculture 

 and Science. 



THE FARMERS' CABI1¥ET, 



AND 



A7!(II:B.10A.N herd-sook. 



Philadelphia, Sixth Month, 1848. 



The Stnithfielil market, long a great nuisance ia 

 London, is about to be done away with, or removed. 



The attention of farmers will be drawn to the sale 

 of fine Durham cattle on the 12th of next month, at 

 the Rising Sun Hotel, on the Germantown road. The 

 advertisement will be found on another page. This 

 herd has been long celebrated as among the very best 

 in the country. 



Through the kindness of Edmund Burke, Commis- 

 sioner of Patents, we have recently received the .An- 

 nual Report for 1847, containing as usual a large 

 amount of valuable matter, connected with the great 

 farming interests of the country. A tabular estimate 

 of the crops for the past year, will be found in the 8th 

 No. of the current volume of the Cabinet. 



53= Subscribers to the Cabinet, will please observe 

 the Notice on the first page. There are a good many 

 who still owe for this paper. Its publication in this 

 city will cease with the next number, and as bills have 

 been recently forwarded to those in debt for it, they 

 are earnestly requested to remit the amounts due by 

 mail. 



T7ie jimerican Agriculturist, to which the subscrip- 

 tion list of the Cabinet has been transferred, is edited 

 by A. B. Allen, well known to our farming community 

 all over the United States, as a man well qualified to 

 conduct such a paper: and we trust our readers will 

 very generally be disposed to continue their subscrip- 

 tions; where, however, they determine otherwise, they 

 will please not fail to comply with the recommenda- 

 tion at the close of the JVoticc on the first page of this 

 number. 



JCr SHORT ADVERTISEMENTS, 

 The subject matter of which, may correspond with the 

 agricultural character of this paper, will be inserted 

 at the rate of one dollar for each insertion often lines 

 or less; and so in proportion for each additional line. 

 Payment in advance. 



Agency for the Purchase & Sale of 



IMPROVED BREEDS OF CATTLE & SHEEP. 



The subscriber takes this method of informing his 

 friends and the public, that he will attend to the pur- 

 chase and sale of the improved breeds of cattle, sheep, 

 swine, poultry, &c., for a reasonable commission. All 

 letters post paid, addressed to him at Philadelphia, will 

 bo attended to without delay. 



Jlpril 15th, 1847. 



AARON CLEMENT. 



