52 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Feb. 



strong dash of blood in the best class of large 

 breeds, hut in such of the smaller as have any 

 pretensions to merit, they constitute the greater 

 part of the improvement. Such are the Neapol- 

 itan, the Essex half-Mack, the Grass breed, and 

 some others. 



The BerksJiires are an ancient English breed, 

 formerly of large size, slow feeders, and late in 

 maturing. Their color was a buff or sandy 

 ground, with large black spots, and the feet, 

 lower part of the legs, and tuft on the tail, buff. 

 The latter color has given place in most of the 

 modern race, to white in the same parts. This 

 variation, with the more important ones of early 

 maturity and good feeding properties, are by 

 Professor Low ascribed to a Chinese cross, 

 which has added the only characteristic in which 

 they were before deficient. 



They were first introduced and reared as a dis- ! 

 tinct breed in this country by Mr. Brentnall, of 

 Orange county, and Mr. Hawes, of Albany, N. j 

 York. In their hands, and those of other skil- 1 

 ful breeders, their merits were widely promul- j 

 gated. No other breeds have been so exten- ! 

 sively diffused in the United States, within com- 

 paratively so brief a period as the Berkshires, ! 

 since 1832, and they have produced a marked 

 improvement in many of our former races. | 



They weigh variously, from 250 to 400 lbs. ! 

 net, at 16 months, according to their food and | 

 style of breeding; and some full grown have; 

 dressed to more than 800 lbs. They particularly 

 excel in their hams, which are round, full, and 

 heavy, and contain a large proportion of lean, 

 tender and juicy meat, of the best flavor. 



None of our improved breeds afford long, 

 coarse hair or bristles; and it is a gratifying! 

 evidence of our decided improvement in this de- 1 

 partment of domestic animals, that our brush- 1 

 makers are under the necessity of importing ! 

 most of what they use from Russia and Northern 

 Europe. This improvement is manifest not only 

 in the hair, but in the skin, which is soft and 

 mellow to the touch ; in the finer bones, shorter 

 head, upright ears, dishing face, delicate muzzle, 

 and mild eye ; and in the short legs, low flanks, 

 deep and wide chest, broad back, and early ma- 

 turity. — Alleri's Domestic Animals. 



Short Crops. — When a farmer complains 

 of short crops, and lays the blame to the season, 

 or the worms, it is at least j9rm« facia evidence 

 that he is a bad farmer. John Johnson, of 

 Fayette, Seneca County, and Archi Macumber, 

 of Springport, Cayuga County, rarely ever com- 

 plain of the worms or the season. Their crops 

 are always good. For obvious reasons, the soil 

 of each farm is, super first-rate, and compara- 

 tively speaking, the men are more than first-rate 

 farmers. S. W. 



Waterloo, N. Y., Dec, 1847. 



State Agricultural Society, 



The following is a list of the Premiums 

 awarded at the recent Annual Meeting of the 

 N. Y. State Agricultural Society. The names 

 of the officers elcted are given on next page — 

 and a notice of the Fruits recommended for cul- 

 tivation will be found in our Horticultural De- 

 partment. 



On Farms.— 1st premium to Jno.Delafield, Onkland farm, 

 Seneca co., $50 ; 2d, I'eter Crispel, Jr., Hurley, Ulster co., 

 $30 ; 3d, James Pendil, Batavia, Genesee co., $20 ; 4th. 

 L. V. V. Schuyler, Watervliet, set of Tran actions. 



Draining. — Ist, A. D. Spoon, Troy, Rensselaer co., $10; 

 2d, E. J. VVooisey, L. Island, set of Trans.; 3d, E. C. Bliss, 

 Westfield, Chaut. co., Transactions 1846. 



Designs for Farm Buildings.— Farm //m/se— Mrs. San- 

 ford Howard, Albany, $20. Piggery— ti. W. Jewett, Wey- 

 bridge, Vt., $10. 



Cheese Dairies. — Alonzo L. Fisk, Cedarville, Herki- 

 mer co., statements of management of Dairy, $50; New- 

 bu'y Bronson, Warsaw, Wyoming co., $20. 



Butter Dairies. — Benj. A. Hall, New Lebanon, Colum- 

 bia CO.. $50. 



Field Chops. — Indian Com — Geo. Vail, Troy, (2 acres, 

 67 bush, per acre;) $20. Spring Wheat— Kohert Eells, 

 Westmoreland, Oneida co., (2 acres, 20^ bu. per acre,) $8. 

 Barley — Benj. Enos. De Ruyter, Madison co., (2 acres, 39 

 bu. per acre,) $10. E. C. Bliss had not sufecient land for 

 premium. Oats — Chas. W. Eelh, Kirkland. Oneida co., 

 (2 acres, 85 25-32 bu. per acre,) $10 ; Benj. Enos, De Ruy- 

 ter, Madison CO., (71 bu. per acre,) $8. Beans — E. C. Bliss, 

 Westfield, Chaut. co., (1 acre,) $8. Flax — Wm. Newcorab, 

 Pittstown, Rensselaer co., (half acre,) $5. 



Root Crops, — Potatoes — Daniel Newcomb, Pittstown, 

 Rensselaer CO., (1 acre, 405 bushels,) $10 ; Martin Spring- 

 er, Brunswick, Rensselaer co., (360 bushels,) $8. Rata 

 Bagas — Joseph Hastings, Brunswick, (1 acre, 1,317 2-.5 

 bush,) $10. Carrots — Wm. Risley, Fredonia, Chaut. co., 

 (half acre, 557 bushels,) $8. 



Cooking food for cattle. — The November 

 number of the Albany Cultivator, contains a very 

 elaborate article on the comparative merits of 

 feeding cattle on cooked and uncooked food. — 

 The facts are derived from Scotch authority, and 

 are based upon experiments which appear to 

 have been judiciously conducted. The results of 

 these experiments seem to justify these conclu- 

 sions : that though in some instances cooked 

 food does produce a greater gain than the same 

 amount of raw food, yet the advantage of the 

 former is not sufficient to defray the expense 

 consequent upon the cooking of food. In feed- 

 ing hogs, however, especially where grain of 

 any kind is used, the advantage of cooking 

 seems to be generally admitted : that there may 

 be advantage in partially cooking some kinds of 

 food for cattle — such as corn stalks, chaff or 

 straw, they being thereby rendered more pal- 

 atable, the nutriment they contain more soluble 

 and more easily assimilated. — American Farmer. 



The examples of early rising, industry, and 

 punctuality, in a farmer, never fail to inspire his 

 hands with ambition, and to increase their ex- 

 ertions. 



We have had no sleighing, in this section, 

 since the 20th of December. 



I 



