Vol. I.— No. 15. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



117 



individual disadvantage, for the time, in many 

 cases. We mean In* timi> when agricultural 

 societies became the rage through the state. 



This was an over action, but lias produced 

 some good, though at great expense ; and we 

 consider it has done much towards producing 

 the present spirit of inquiry among our farm- 

 era. For a time this spirit was gratified only 

 with quotations from foreign writers, whoso 

 theories were not calculated for our climate or 

 circumstances. But it has been the cause of 

 tbo establishment of a number of Agricultu- 

 ral Journals, many of which are becoming 

 strictly American, confining their observations 

 to facts presented by our own Agriculturists. 

 Such papers, we think ,will ultimately meet with 

 success, although the prejudice against reading 

 may linger with us for a time like a Demon of 

 darkness, yet the day break of improvement 

 will banish him to the confines of ignorance 

 and superstition; and we bope the time will 

 soon arrive when American farmers will strive 

 for a name among the first agriculturists in the 

 world. Nature has given them the means — it 

 is only for them to make suitable application. 



We give the following letter, receh ed by us 

 from one of the bos; informed ag'iculturists of 

 Marcellus, as containing correct ideas upon the 

 subject of supporting Agricultural Journals : 

 Marcellus, April 5th, 1831. 



Dear Sin — I have cursorily glanced over 

 all the pages ol those numbers which you sent, 

 and am prepared to decide- in favor of the 

 claims of your paper. A well conducted pe- 

 riodical paper, chiefly devoted to the para 

 mount interests of agriculture, and its kindred 

 arts, and emananng from nearly the centre of 

 the far-famed Genesee coun'ry, can scarcely 

 fail to pieseut strong claims to patronage. 

 If the Agriculturists of that region under 

 stood their interests, the patronage of the 

 Genesee Farmer would be overwhelming. 

 Every cultivator of the groundJn all that coun- 

 try, how small soever may he his scale of bu- 

 siness, would be profited by taking that pa- 

 per, or some other, aiming at the same ob 

 j-cts. I have for many years, taken a period 

 leal paper, devoted 'o agriculture, and it- kin- 

 dred pursuit*. The expense of this has not 

 been great ; but whatever it m iy have been, I 

 doubt not, 'hat it has been remunerated, al 

 least, ten-fold, perhaps, u hundred fold. It 

 has been my practice, as soon as the volumes 

 were completed, to get them bound, and I 

 have now 9 or 10 well bound volumes, some 

 ofthemofihe Plough Boy, but chiefly of the 

 New England Firmer, the whole constituting 

 a valuable library. A strange s> ntiment pre- 

 vails, and that too to ft great extent, that nei- 

 tlier hooks, nor periodical papers, can teach a- 

 ny thing that will be profitable to farmers. — 

 Deep prejudices exist against what is called 

 UiniK farming. 



1: is indeed strange that, while, as all admit, 

 useful instruction may lie deiived from books, 

 in relati n to all other interesting concerns, 

 nothing can be derived from them for the bene 

 fit of agriculture, and yet agriculture is the 

 most important, and at the same timo, the 

 most complicated and difficult art practiced by 

 man. A sentiment, so obviously founded on 

 gross ignorance, it may be hoped, will not long 

 be sustained in a community so enliglnened as 

 that for whose benefit your labours are intend- 

 ed. If you can cause to be broken down -hat 

 silly prejudice against book farming, which 

 now exists in the minds, perhaps, of most far- 

 mers, and bring 'hem io see. a< the truth cer- 

 tainly is. that immense advantages may he de 

 rived from reading on subjects of agriculture, 

 vour paper will soon have the patronage of 

 1)»iiy thousand subscribers. 

 It is easy to Eee that, iri making calls for 



patronage, you will labor under Hisadvamages. 

 Presentations of the subject, made through 

 the medium of your paper, must meet the 

 eye of but hero and there an individual, and 

 chiefly of that class, who know already how to 

 appreciate such a work. In this concern, yo.i 

 will need, and must have, the aid of your pat- 

 rons. The philanthropist should consider, that 

 here lies before him a great field of usefulness. 

 and that, by labouring to break down those 

 prejudices which contribute to hinder the pro- 

 gress of improvement, he may render impor 

 tant service to his fellow men. 



The subject of patronizing agricultural jour- 

 nals is a proper one to be presented before 

 the people in the common newspapers. I 

 doubt not that you have patrons who can, if 

 they please, afford you great aid, and at the 

 same time do much to benefit their country. 



As to myself, I can say that I wish great 

 success to your undertaking. The country in 

 which you are located, obvioHsly needs an es- 

 tablishment of that kind ; and I trust there is 

 too much patriotism there, to suffer it io sink 

 for want of patronage. 



1 am, sir, very respectfully, yours, &c. 



ON BREEDING ANIMALS. 



We do not know of a more common error 

 than exists in the opinions of farmers respect- 

 ng the breeding of horses, cattle, sheep, and 

 hogs. Most of them think that they cannot 

 improve their stock wit bout crossing with some 

 other, and for this purpose select the largest 

 males they can find. 



We do not rightly understand the meaning 

 of the term breeding, as applied to horses and 

 cattle, unless it is to improve their valuable 

 qualities. When we say a high bred /torse, we 

 mean a horse of valuable qualities. As differ- 

 ent animals are bred for diffeient purposes, she 

 breeder, before he commences, should inform 

 himself, and endeavor to fix upon an imagina- 

 ry standard for his animals, in which are con 

 gregated the most valuable points, all local c.ir 

 cumstancos considered. When he has thus 

 matured his judgment, he should be steady t 

 his purpose, and remember that he is engaged 

 in a work of importance, and one which wi 

 be perfected in proportion to the time it is 

 steadily pursued- 



In maturing his judgment, he should Dot on- 

 ly make himsblf acquainted with the external 

 form of animals, bui he should become familiar 

 with their internal structure. In the former lie 

 may improve himself by examining the most 

 approved breeds, in the latter by studying 

 their anatomy ; for, says a modern writer on 

 this subject, "the external form is an indica- 

 tion only of internal structure. The principles 

 of improving it must, therefore, be founded on 

 a knowledge of the structure, and use of inter- 

 nal parts." 



When a breeder Iras matured his judgment, 

 hit upon his standard of perfection, and selec- 

 ted his slock, having the most good points of 

 those he can procure, let him be very careful 

 about any innovations upon his breed. Hi 

 should becomo fixed in certain rules, which he 

 should never depart from. First, that to in- 

 crease an animal in size above the naturnl fa 

 mily, is often attended with a loss of valuable 

 points. His object should be, therefore, the 

 improvement of the latter. 



Let every fanner remember that the great 

 est benefits which have been obtained in bree- 

 ding, for the last hundred years, have been 

 where trsey breed "in ariilin." But tho com- 

 mon error which I first referred to, is the ur.i 



vcrsal desire to breed from large mules with 

 mall females. 



This is diametrically opposite to the course 

 which has been pursued by the best breeders 

 u England, On the contrary, they select the 

 males smaller in proportion than the females 

 The following is from the writer above refer; 

 red to : 



'• To obtain the most approved form, two 

 modes of breeding, described as litem andin, 

 and crossing modes, have been practised. The 

 first mode may be the better practice, when a 

 particular variety approaches perfection in 

 form ; especially for those who may not be 

 acquainted with the principle upon which im- 

 provement depends. When the male is much 

 larger than the female, the offspring is generally 

 of an imperfect form. If the female be propor- 

 tionable larger than the male, the offspring isoj 

 an improvcdfnrm. The proper method of im- 

 proving the form of animals, consists in se. 

 lecting a well formed female, proportionateh 

 larger than the male. 



The improvement depends upon this princi- 

 ple, that the power of the female to supply 

 her offspring with nourishment, is in propor- 

 tion to her size! and to the power of nourish- 

 ing herself, from ihe excellence of her consti- 

 tution. The size of the foetus .s generally in 

 proportion to the male parent ; and therefore, 

 when the female parent is disproportionately 

 small, the quantity of nourishment is deficient 

 and her offspring has the disproportions of a 

 starveling. 



But when the female, from her size and good 

 constitution, is more than adequate to the nou- 

 rishment of a fmtus of a smaller male than 

 hersulf, the growth must be proportionately 

 greater. The larger female has also a larger 

 quantity of milk, and her offspring is more a- 

 liundantly supplied with nourishment after 

 nirlh. Abundant nourishment is necessary to 

 produce themest perfect formed animal, from the 

 arliest of i's ezistenct until its growth is com- 

 plete. 



The power to prepare the greatest quantity 

 of nourishment from a given quantity of food, 

 depends principally on ihe magnitude of the 

 lungs, to which the organs of digestion arc 

 subserviont. To obtain animals with large 

 lungs,cro?sing is the most expeditious method, 

 because well formed ten. ales may be selected 

 fi-om a variety of large size, to be put to a well 

 formed male.of a variety that ts rather smaller. 



By such a mode of crossing, the lungs and 

 heart become proportionately larger, in conse- 

 quence of a peculiarity in the circulation of 

 he foetus, which causes a larger proporlion of 

 the blood under such circumstances, to be dis* 

 trihutcd to the lung- than to the other parts of 

 the. body ; and as ihe shape and size of the 

 chest depend upon that of the iungs, hence a- 

 rises that remarkably large chest which isprov 

 duced by crossing females that are of larger 

 size than the males.'' 



Now allowing the above to he correct, how 

 inconsistent is the coursp pursue! by most of 

 ,ur farmers. Every day our eyes bear testimo- 

 ny of the opposite course. We see horses led 

 .bout, the street which have nothing but weight 

 of carcase, and perhaps color, io recommend 

 hem to farmers, as stock to bread from. Let 

 such farmers aB would improve their breods bf 



