386 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



swine. And we all go much farther than this, for 

 we expect the young to resemble the parent — we 

 believe that qualities are transmitted, as the old 

 Divines expressed it, by "ordinary generation." 

 This is all very well so far, and indeed it is rather 

 going too far, than not far enough, on the princi- 

 ple in question; and the error lies in the idea that 

 qualities are derived only from the immediate pro- 

 genitors. Now every thorough breeder of stock 

 Jinoios this to be an error. He knows, what any 

 observing man may easily satisfy himself to be 

 true — that the young often bear a stronger resem- 

 blance to some remote ancestor than to the imme- 

 diate parent. Especially is this the case in violent 

 crosses — by which we mean crosses of breeds very 

 dissimilar. 



A pure Durham bull introduced into a region of 

 mixed stock, which, for want of a better name, we 

 term native, will produce a race which will be very 

 diverse, some individuals manifesting strongly the 

 peculiar traits of the Durham, while in others 

 scarcely a trace of the blood is seen. Even stock 

 from lirst rate native cows, bred by such a bull, oft- 

 en proves worthless, although the chances are cer- 

 tainly great for improved grades. Where breeds 

 are thus crossed, occasionally an animal is pro- 

 duced as we have said, bearing a striking resem- 

 blance to some ancestor, two or three generations 

 back, and perhaps very little to its immediate pa- 

 rent. 



In a word, the difference between breeding pure 

 and mixed stock is this, that the one is matter of 

 certainty, the other of accident. The principle 

 that lilic produces like is maintained in both cases. 

 There being but one blood and that of ascertained 

 qualities, the progeny can have no hereditary taint 

 which may come out and disappoint us. The 

 young must resemble the immediate parents, be- 

 cause they are of the same blood, and so was their 

 progenitors. Hence we find in thorough bred 

 stock, as the Devons, a striking resemblance in 

 form and size and color, and may calculate with 

 certainty, that every animal will be good — the av- 

 erage of the stock being far above that of acci- 

 dental crosses. 



Of course, we do not mean to countenance the 

 idea of breeding in-and-in, nor to disapprove of ju- 

 dicious and systematic crosses of improved ani- 

 mals. 



We merely wish, at present, to insist on the 

 importance of attention to breeding, upon some 

 principle, and to suggest matters for reflection to 

 those who have given no serious attention to the 

 subject. 



In our future numbers, we hope by our own or 

 some other hand, to pursue this subject more in de- 

 tail, and give it the attention which its importance 

 demands. 



Ij^" A drop of water has the properties of the 

 sea, but cannot exhibit a storm. 



COAL-TAR FOR APPLE TREES— CAU- 

 TION. 



A writer of high authorship, a few years since, 

 recommended the use of coal-tar, to prevent in- 

 jury to apple trees, by mice gnawing the bark. 

 The directions were, to apply it with a brush, in 

 autumn, directly to the body of the tree, near the 

 surface of the ground. We have heard of several 

 persons who have ruined their trees by this appli- 

 cation. One gentleman in New Hampshire killed 

 more than a hundred young trees, by this means, 

 about three years ago. He is inclined to the 

 opinion that the tar acts chemically on the bark, to 

 its destruction. 



It is not improbable, that the injury might re- 

 sult from the greater absorption of heat by reason 

 of the black color of the substance applied. It is 

 quite probable that mice may dislike tar with theii 

 food, but the risk of injury from them is far prefer- 

 able to this destructive remedy. 



If trees are liable to injury from mice, carefully 

 remove all straw, turf, and rubbish, make the sur- 

 face smooth around the tree in the fall, leaving no 

 comfortable hiding place for the rascals, and throw 

 up sand, or light soil about the trunk, to the height 

 of a footer more, and there is little danger. Manure 

 likely to ferment at all, must not be heaped up in 

 this way about trees in autumn. We have known 

 the bark peeled off of young trees by the action of the 

 heat and cold of spring upon manure thus applied, so 

 as to destroy them utterly. Thoroughly composted 

 manure would probably have no such injurious 

 effect. 



WORK AT HAND. 



Review. — Before the snows fall, and the earth 

 is closed with frost, take a careful survey of the 

 whole farm and its occupants. Remember that the 

 comfort of all your animals is in your keeping, 

 and that if you expect them to return you a profit 

 for the care and labor bestowed upon them, they 

 must be well fed and comfortably sheltered. 



Fences. — Visit these, and when out of line, 

 straighten them up, so that the winter winds and 

 snows may not snap the posts and rails. Where 

 a few stones are leaning in the wall, reset them, 

 or the heavy frosts in spring will be likely to throw 

 down many feet. 



Stones that have been turned out of the earth, 

 or blasted, should be laid upon other small ones, 

 so that they will not become frozen to the ground. 

 A single horse hitched to a stone boat fitted with 

 shafts, will draw off almost any quantity in a day, 

 when the ground is covered two or three inches 

 deep with snow. Or the drag may be chained to 

 the hind cross bar of the sled, and used in that 

 way. 



Implements. — Place all your wagons, carts, 

 plows, harrows and all other implements under 

 cover. If any of them need repairing it may be 

 done during the boisterous days of winter. Tools 



