VOL. XI. sro. lu. 



AND H O R T I C U L T b* W A J. R E G I S T E R 



117 



of tlio iiiolhoni and ilatightcre of tho hardy rannors 

 ol'tiiodo days. 



With all ihc chang^es thai have been goinj; on 

 ia lh« freat world, iho course of oiir .America has 

 b««n "onward and upward." Wu have had as 

 Presidents, our Washington, Jefferaun, .Madison, 

 Monroe, .\dani8, father and son, Jackson, Van Uu- 

 ren, Harrison, and now Tyler. Kn;,'Und has had 

 her Georges III. and IV-, her Williiiin IV., and 

 now hos her Victoria. France h.is had more chang- 

 es, has bet-n the scene of more violence and more 

 •xciting and terrible commotions than almost any 

 other part of the civilized world, and from wliicJi, 

 thanks to a kind Providence, we have been meas- 

 urably exempt. Within fifly years, Russia and nil 

 the countries of the old world have had their 

 changes, soino natural, others startling and im- 

 pressive. The South Sea Islander has become 

 converted to the goapel — the whole continent of 

 Now Holland, fifty years since u barren wildor- 

 oesj, has ben partly peopled. The Turk has ro- 

 :ogniied tho Jew as a human being and a brother ; 

 >ie has exchanged dress with the Christian. 



Within the past fifty years, science has done 

 onJers for the human race; she has by her dis- 

 :overies, the facilities she has created, the powers 

 he has developed, added to the wealth and happi- 

 less of almost every class in our land. The far- 

 ner, among others, is indebted to her for his well 

 onatructed plows, his improved breeds of cattle 

 nd Bwine, new varieties of seeds and grain, as 

 rell as trees, shrubs and vines, and his improved 

 mplements of every kind, from the simple apple- 

 leeler to the steam threshing machine. Domestic 

 iconomy too has been indebted to science for im- 

 loments to add to our convenience and comfort. 

 !\ritbin the past fifty years, commerce has made 

 r«tbren and friends of the remote inhabitants of 

 he earth ; tho cause of peace has, as we trust, 

 leen progressing ; that of philanthropy and tem- 

 •nnce is rapidly advancing, and we trust as na- 

 lone grow wiser, better acquainted, more civilized, 

 lat vice and ignorance will give place to virtue 

 nd knowledge, and the horrors of war to the quiet 

 lessings of peace and good fellowship. 



Though wi! have now accomplished what has 



ildom been done in this or any other country, as 



e believe, the getting op and publication for half 



century of a manual, edited by the same person, 



ven as unpretending as our modest and homely 



Tnual, we do not mean to rest here; should we 



? -DEired, we shall go on, as we trust, to a good 



:i; and though we may not reach the lOOlh 



r of the "Old Farmer's Almanac," yet 



ill endeavor to improve as we progress, and 



iiitiniie to unfold our yearly budget to our pat- 



.ns :i3 long as Providence permits, hoping always 



' I them with a srniling face, and ihat they 



l be disposed to cut our acquaintance, as a 



a dandy would a rusty cousjn from the back- 



oiMlfl, because we look, as we pride ourselves in 



eking, a littlo old-fashioned, a little (oo indepen- 



mt to change our dross for each new-fangled no- 



on — a little " t'other side of fifty." 



Friends and Patrons ! The form of the editor 



ho ha» jogged along side by side with the older 



of you for fifty years, will, with many other 



now full of life and vigor, before another 



llf century, be crumbling in the dust! The 



orld that now seerns so joyous, will ere that time 



ive passed away from many millions now alive, it 



tj be from the reader as well as from ug ; and if 



>, may we receive the reward of the pure in heart, 



may our sins be forgi\oii uii, and may our virtuvH 

 be hold in fond rcnionibranco by thuno who have 

 best known us on earth, and miiy »o pa»a to our 

 filial account as thoso 



" Who wrap lli» drnp' rr "flhoir couch 

 About Ihsm, ond lio itown lo |ilcnaniil ilnainn!" 



ROBKRT n. THOMAS. 



Prom ih« Albany CulliTaior. 



driven, never bu fed nt unsuasonablo liouri, and 

 above oil things, never bo allowed lo want for food. 



FATTENING ANIMALS. 



There are some rules which may be advonta- 

 geoiisly adopted in feeding animals, ivliicli hiiwev- 

 or obvious they may he, nre too often past^cd over 



or neglected. Some of these will be specified 



and 



Ist. Tht Preparation of Food. — This should be 

 so prepared, that its nutritive properties may be all 

 made available to (he use of the animal, and not 

 only so, but appropriated with tho least possible 

 expenditure of muscular energy. The ox that is 

 obliged lo wander over an acre to get the food ho 

 should find on two or three square rods — the horse 

 that is two or three hours eating the coarse food 

 he would swallow in fifteen minutes, if the grain 

 was ground, or the hay cut as it should be — tho 

 sheep that spends hours in making its way into a 

 turnip, when if it was sliced it would oat it in as 

 many minutes — the pig that eats raw potatoes or 

 whole corn, when either cooked, could be oaten in 

 one quarter of the time now used, may indeed fat- 

 ten, but much less rapidly than if their food was 

 given them in the proper manner. All food should 

 be given to a fattening animnl in such a state, that 

 as little time and labor as possible, on the part of 

 the animal, shall be required in eating. 



2d. The Food should be in abundance. — From 

 the time the fattening process commences, until the 

 animal is slaughtered, he should never be without 

 food. Health and appetite are best promoted by 

 change of food, rather than limiting the quantity. 

 The animal that is stuffed and starved by turns, 

 may have streaked meat, but it will be made too 

 slowly for the pleasure or profit of the good farmer. 



3d. The Food should be gi'rtn regularly. — This 

 is one of the most essential points in fooding ani- 

 mals. If given irregularly, the animal indeed con- 

 sume.s his food, but he soon acquires a restless 

 disposition, is disturbed at every appearance of his 

 feeder, and is never in that quiet state so necessa- 

 ry to tho taking on of fat. It is surprising how 

 readily any animal acquires habits of regularity in 

 feeding, and how soon the influence of this is felt 

 in tho improvement of his condition. When nt 

 the regular hour the pig has had his pudding, or 

 the sheep its turnips, they compose themselves to 

 rest, with th<; consciousness that their digestion is 

 not to he unseasonably disturbed, or their quiet 

 broken by unwonted invitation to eat 



4th. The animal should not be heedlesshj intradid 

 upon between the hours of feeding. — All creatures 

 fatten much faster in the dark than in the light, a 

 fact only to be accounted for by their greater quiet. 

 .Some of those creatures that are tho most irritable 

 and impatii!nt of restraint while feeding, such as 

 turkeys and geese, are found to take on fat rapidly ' 

 when confined in dark rooms and only fed at stated 

 hours by hand. There is no surer proof that a pig 

 is doing well, than to see him eat his meal quickly 

 and then retire to his bed, to sleep or cogitate un- 

 til the liour of feeding returns. .Animals while 

 fattening should never be alarmed, never rapidly 



BEE IS FOR (JATTLR. 



.\* cxporiencc, and not speculation, i« whit far- 

 mers need, I will give my observations in fording 

 beets 1(1 my co«s during the two pa»t winters. 



In lf:<8, I put up about ;I00 bushelo of mangel 

 wurtzel bpRts, 100 bushels of turnips, and soinr 

 potatoes, for the purpose of experiiiientiiig in feed- 

 ing my cattle through the wintor. I knew noth- 

 ing but what I learned from books, as I was oc- 

 quainted with no farmers (nor am I yet,) who fed 

 with roots. .\t first I was nt a loss lo know how 

 to feed them — whether in a row state or cooked — 

 but having determined ti> try b<ith plami, I com- 

 menced the work, and each did well. Young ani- 

 mals are peculiarly fond of the raw beets, and 

 thrive astonishingly on them ; but fur cows that 

 give milk, they are better boiled, parliculorly if a 

 steamer can be used in the process. Though 

 milk cows should liave raw beets once in every 

 two or three days if grass cannot be had. 



The turnips and potatoes were given precisely 

 as the beets: but I could not determine that either 

 had the preference over tho other, as the cows gave 

 about the same quantity of milk, and their condi- 

 tion did not seem changed by either. In feeding 

 the same animal with beets, it was easily told that 

 one third less than of the turnips or potatoes would 

 make them give the same quantity of milk, of bel- 

 ter quality, and they showed better keep. The 

 beets made the milk better, the butter better, and 

 the cows look much better. On one half bu^'hel 

 of beets per day to each cow, without straw, and a 

 little meal or bran mixed in, Ihey continued in 

 good condition through the winter, gave as much 

 milk as in the summer, and the butter was full as 

 good as in May. — If'estern pgper. 



CAUSES OF THE DECAY OP TURNIPS. 



The following is submitted to the opinion of oil 

 that are interested in the inquiry made in the first 

 number of the present volume of the New Genesee 

 Farmer, which ia for the cause of the decay of ru- 

 ta baga turnips. 



I hare come to tlio conclusion that early sowing 

 in warm seasons, will lead to the true cause. When 

 turnips are forward in the season, they fail for 

 want of sufficient moisture during the extreme 

 wann and dry weather, which aflTects the heart or 

 centre of the tnrnip, and commences the decay, 

 whicli first appears by the top turning yellow when 

 the outside appears sound and healthy. This ef- 

 fect is produced on largo turnips, when small ones 

 will escape. Another cause may sometimes be 

 observed, .\fter the turnip is nearly matured, wtt 

 weather will produce a new life, and cause them to 

 crack open, and during warm weather, water stand- 

 ing in the crevice will cause the decay. 



It may be well to stale, that the turnip and cab- 

 bage tribes flourish best in a climate something 

 cooler than the summer in this section, and that 

 warm, dry weather is equally injurious to both. 

 Therefore, the time of sowing should be delayed 

 as long as possible, and have them mature before 

 the winter too nearly approaches, nnless some is 

 wanted for early use. — Genesee Far. 



If we read the history of disordere, we are as- 

 tonished that men live; if of cures, we are still 

 more astonished that they die. 



