So. 7. 



Native Stock. 



223 



successive years. "In a certain field, there 

 Is now growing the sixth crop in succession, 

 ?ery promising', although the land has had 

 10 sort of dung to any of these crops, or in 

 Several years before: the last crop — the fifth 

 —the best of the whole. In another field, 

 : t was found that a third crop in succession 

 rielded 48 bushels per acre, although it oc- 

 cupied but one-fourth part of the ridges, 

 vhich were six feet wide, three rows on 

 »ach. I have often weighed the produce of 

 •own crops of wheat, (i. e. broadcast,) but 

 'lever found them equal to the best of my 

 [rilled crops, although mine have been 

 •aised on land, noted as the poorest and 

 'hallowest in the neighbourhood ; but here 

 he crop enjoys all the earth; for between 

 •he last hoeing or ploughing, and harvest, 

 here remains nothing but space, empty of 

 nould, in the middle of the intervals, which, 

 f wide, we can raise a good crop with less 

 abour, less seed, no dung, no fallow; the 

 ast ploughing being civen as deep as the 

 taple of the soil will allow ; turning the 

 iirrows towards the crop, so as to leave a 

 ieep, wide trench in the middle of each in- 

 erval. I have numbered 109 grains in one 

 iar of my wheat, which was eight inches 

 png; and there is no year, when an ear of 

 ny wheat does not weigh more than two of 

 he sown ears, taking a sheaf together." 

 Sfow what more can be said] 

 C. — Well, perhaps nothing; and I confess 

 feel half inclined to practice what you 

 ave been preaching. 



E. — No one has so fair an opportunity; 

 he deep furrows between the 5 feet beds of 

 our upper four acre field — now considered 

 n eye-sore — offering the means of a fine 

 xperiment. J. P. 



Philadelphia, 21st January, 1843. 



Native Stock. 



It seems to be a principle recognised, that 

 attle degenerate with a change of climate, 

 ?ith few exceptions; accordingly, every dis- 

 rict in England has its peculiar stock, which 

 5 generally the native breed improved by ju- 

 icious selection. So valuable is acclima- 

 ion, that the judicious breeder seldom dis- 

 ards the native stock, but builds upon it hy 

 areful selection and crossing; and poor as 

 ur native stock of cattle may appear, we 

 re little aware how much of that appear- 

 nce is owing to indifferent keeping and bad 

 lanagement, or what vast improvement 

 lay be effected by a more judicious course. 

 Ve once knew a physician in a country 

 ractice, who had a fine eye for a cow, and 

 dio, when he met with one that pleased his 

 mcy, would pui chase her, perhaps for eight 



or ten dollars, and by judicious keeping and 

 management, increase her milk from a quart, 

 to several gallons at a milking; she then be- 

 came the wonder of the neighbourhood, and 

 was soon purchased by some less judicious 

 person at a very high price ; another was 

 purchased in her stead, showing the same 

 result. And this person, who was a man o*f 

 great observation and judgment, and de- 

 voted to agricultural pursuits, often declared 

 his conviction of the ability, if his profes- 

 sional engagements permitted, to raise from 

 our native cattle, a stock for the dairy, equal 

 to any that could be imported. The fact is, 

 that ibr producing a good stock of our own, 

 the material is not so much wanting in our 

 cattle, for nature everywhere affords favour- 

 able specimens of her work; we only require 

 more information and discernment amongst 

 our breeders. What avails it to advise the 

 best selection by the best individuals, if they 

 are ignorant of anatomy, and of points indi- 

 cating the qualities to be desired ] 



Cattle are used for three purposes; as 

 oxen for draught, as producers of milk, or 

 for the food they afford as beef. There arc 

 certain points of form giving activity and 

 endurance to the ox ; there are others, indi- 

 cating a milking propensity in the cow, and 

 there are others again, denoting a tendency 

 to convert food into fat ; the marks of each 

 are certain, and easily understood by obser- 

 vation and study, but they no more come by 

 nature^ than do reading and writing. We 

 then advise our farmers to make themselves 

 acquainted with these points of form, by re- 

 sorting to the best works and obtaining the 

 best advice they can procure on the subject; 

 let them select a certain number of our na- 

 tive cattle, according to the information they 

 shall obtain, and keeping them in the best 

 manner, let them select from their offspring 

 those individuals only, as breeders, having 

 the points they have learned to esteem ; 

 every year they will find the produce coming 

 nearer their standard of perfection. — Union 

 Agriculturist. 



The first element of good farming, is deep 

 and thorough tillage, and complete pulver- 

 ization of the soil. 



The second is copious manuring; adapting 

 the kind, quantity and quality, to the previ- 

 ous state of the soil and the probable wants 

 of the crop; bearing in mind, that no crop 

 can thrive and prosper, without a full supply 

 of nutriment adapted to its nature. 



The third is, to suffer no intruders to sit 

 down at the table, and partake of the feast 

 intended for your especially invited guests, 

 and which you wish to treat most kindly. 



