THE GENESEE FARMER. 



817 



SPIRIT OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRESS. 



Lxoreasing Price op Stock.— The American Stock Jour- 

 tal says the demand for horses for army and other pur- 

 poses is such that the prices paid for them are from 

 *rentv-five to thirty-three per cent, higher than the same 

 luality of horses sold for one year ago, and yet they are 

 •ising and will continue to rise so long as the supply is 

 uadequate to the demand. Farmers who give their at- 

 «ntion to the raising of good horses, will find it a remu- 

 lerative business for the next few years. Cattle for beef, 

 tfork and milk, though not materially higher than one 

 rear ago, must advance considerably in price in the year 

 to come, or we much mistake the signs of the times, 

 rhose who have large stocks, or who have the means to 

 aroduce them, will do well to double their efforts, with a 

 aertainty of realizing large profits. Wool, and especially 

 the coarser grades, has not been so high for many years 

 as now, and it is still rising. We have heard the opinion 

 expressed by intelligent gentlemen, in whose judgment 

 in such matters we place much confidence, that should 

 son tin ue as high as now, wool in fair lots will bring from 

 Bighty cents to one dollar per pound within the coming 

 r ear. 



In these facts the farmer will not fail to see much to 

 aucourage him to greater exertion to put into the market 

 the greatest possible amount of the products of his farm, 

 »f whatever kind, and wisdom would dictate to man}' who 

 we eugaged in other pursuits, the propriety of giving their 

 best energies to the proper cultivation of the earth, with 

 svery assurance of a bountiful return. 



Over-Fattened Show Cattle. — The American Stock 

 Journal says : In our observations of the cattle at several 

 Exhibitions in England, we were very much surprised to 

 observe that nearly every animal exhibited for premium 

 was so overloaded with fat as« to be almost shapeless. 

 And this was not confined to animals shown as fat cattle, 

 but milch cows, young stock, and even breeders, all were 

 in this gross condition. One gentleman took us to a dis- 

 tant pen, in the class of breeding cows, to point out to us 

 what he said was " the best cow in England." Of course 

 we pictured to ourselves a finely developed milky mother, 

 devoting all her faculties to the peculiarly feminine busi- 

 ness of rearing and feeding her young. Instead of such a 

 picture, in which we should have pardoned somewhat of 

 thinness, as a necessary result of what our farmers call 

 I running all to milk," we beheld an animal with fine 

 head and limbs, to be sure, but loaded with fat, and with 

 about as much appearance of milkiness as a two year old 

 Steer. "Does she give a large quantity of milk ?" we 

 innocently inquired. "Why no," was the reply, "she 

 has not given milk for nearly a year." Of course, as she 

 had given no milk, she had had no calf for a long time, but 

 the exhibitor seemed perfectly satisfied as he expatiated 

 on her fine points, indicating the highest blood, that she 

 might be the best cow in England, without discharging 

 any of the duties of lactation or maternity which are gen- 

 erally esteemed among farmers and other practical men, 

 as the true tests of value. 



Topping Corn, or Cutting it by the Ground. — The 

 Country Gentleman says : " By topping corn before it is 

 ripe, you prevent the corn from receiving that portion of 



the elaborated nutritive sap which it would have received 

 from the stalks and leaves cut off, had they not been sep- 

 arated from the corn. On the other hand, by cutting corn 

 by the ground before the leaves and stalks become dry, 

 and the corn fully ripe, and setting it in shocks as soon 

 as cut, the circulation of the sap continues, until the stalks 

 become dry, and the corn improves in the shock. The 

 same thing is observed in wheat, by cutting it before the 

 kernel is hard, and placing it iii shocks before it wilts ; 

 the wheat improves in the shock, and will make more 

 flour, and of a better quality, than if it was allowed to 

 stand until the kernel was hard. 



We have two objects in view when we cut corn by the 

 ground. Namely, the preservation of the corn and stalks 

 from frost, which frequently occurs before the corn is 

 ripe, and spoils corn and stalks. Whereas, if corn is cut 

 by the ground before the frost strikes it, both may be 

 saved and be of good quality." 



Facts about Appletrees. — The Farmington (Me.) 

 Chronicle says : The most important of all fruits that can 

 be produced in temperate climates, if not the most impor- 

 tant fruit which the Creator has bestowed upon man, is 

 the apple. Were people generally in possession of infor- 

 mation which would enable them to form conclusions in 

 relatiou to the value of a single appletree, no one who has 

 a spot of terra firnia large enough for a house lot, would 

 neglect to plant one. 



Hatward speaks of an appletree in Duxbury, Mass., 

 which was upwards of 100 years old, was 16 feet in cir- 

 cumference eight inches above the ground, and which 

 produced in one year fruit from which 10 barrels of cider 

 were made, besides 30 bushels of apples for the cellar. 



An appletree in Natick, Mass., was grafted to the Porter 

 apple when 75 years old, and the 7th year from grafting 

 produced 15 barrels, which sold for 30 dollars. 



The original Hurlbut appletree produced 40 bushels in 

 one year, and 20 the next. 



The original Bars appletree produced GO bushels in one 

 year. 



In Orange, N. J., a Harrison appletree produced 100 

 bushels in one year. 



An appletree in Farmington, Me., produced 16 bushels 

 the 16th year from the planting of the seed. 



Cole says he has had fruit from an appletree in Ply- 

 mouth, Mass., when the tree was 200 years old. 



An appletree brought from Englaed and planted near 

 Hartford, Ct., produced fruit when 209 years old. 



Several appletrees in the United States have trunks 12 

 feet in circumference. 



Loss of Weight in Salting Pork.— A correspondent ol 

 the Germantown Telegraph says he finds it more profita- 

 ble to sell pork at the usual killing time than to salt it, 

 as it loses so much in weight. Last fall he killed two 

 hogs which weighed 659 lbs. ; after drying and salting in 

 the usual manner, they only weighed 411 lbs. That is to 

 say, 100 lbs. of fresh meat only gave 62 lbs. of cured 

 pork, or a loss of 38 per cent. 



The same writer states that " one shoulder weighed 

 before salting 64 lbs., after drying but 57 lbs." This is a 

 loss of 11 per cent. We suppose in the former case tha 

 weight of the lard, &c, was not taken into the account. , 



