ilton group, they become more frequent. Passing 

 over this shaly region, on every side yoii see very 

 good fields of wheat; but on the next series — the 

 limestone— wheat becomes the crop. While writing 

 of this striking fact, I am reminded of a Yankee 

 farmer from Connecticut, who, when the " Genesee 

 country" was far on the utmost verge of the west, 

 becoming tired of rye and Indian, determined to find 

 a. country that would bear wheat. He had heard 

 that on the Delaware river, in northern New Jersey, 

 was the land of this crop. He sold his paternal 

 acres, and emigrated to the banks of the Delaware. 

 Experience soon show'ed him that only the tirst crop 

 from the stump was good for this grain. The Chen- 

 ango valley then had a reputation for wheat. He 

 sold out, and reached " Chenango Forks." A few 

 years satisfied him that altliough he seemed to be 

 nearer the desired land, still he had not attained his 

 mark. A German emigrant, returning to Pennsyl- 

 vania from the "lake country," informed him that 

 limestone land was the land for wheat, and that 

 between the lakes he could find a good wheat soil. 

 Pulling up his stakes for the third time, he soon 

 reached his El Dorado, as happy as any recent gold- 

 hunter in California. In Sencea county he became 

 a successful grower of wheat to his heart's content. 

 How slight a knowledge of geology, and of agricul- 

 tural chemistry, would have taught this man the true 

 spot to strike in his axe and thrust in his plow, and 

 not be twice disappointed. A New Subscriber. 



REMARKABLE FLEECES. 



SIessrs. Editors : — An article headed as above has 

 appeared in the Cooperstown Freeman's Journal, 

 stating that Mr. C. Vanhorn of that town, sheared 

 81^ lbs. of wool fr„m 14 sheep, 12 of them being 

 ewes, 10 of which had lambs ; two were yearling 

 bucks, that gave 17 J lbs. : that five of the number 

 were full blood Merinos, and the others crossed with 

 the English breed ; that the sheep were well washed 

 and perfectly dry when shorn ; and asking if it can 

 be beat. 



If Mr. Va.mioRiN has sold his wool for cash, we 

 should like to know the price, as we could tell better 

 whether he could be beat. My sheep were shorn on 

 the first week in June last, and from 2 bucks three 

 years old, and 12 ewes, all full blooded Merinos, I 

 sheared 86^ lbs. of wool. Seven of the ewes had 

 lambs by their sides, the other five were yearling 

 ewes that of course had no lambs. The fleeces of 

 the two bucks weighed just 20 lbs. — one weighed 10 

 lbs. 11 oz., the other 9 lbs. 5 oz. They were all 

 well washed, and dry when shorn, and the wool done 

 up in good order and sold at home for 37 J cents per 

 lb., to E. Baker & Co., of Burdett, who have bought 

 my wool every year for five years past, and are there- 

 fore well acquainted with it. 



My flock consists of about 300. Fotir of my bucks, 

 three of which were three years old, the other five, 

 sheared 37i lbs. Two of them are for sale. My 

 stock buck "Columbus," which is three years old, 

 and which gave the 10 lbs. 11 oz. fleece, and has 

 sired all my lambs for two years past, is from the 

 flock of Mr. Stei'hen Atwood of Connecticut. I 

 think him the best buck I ever saw. Reed Burritt. 

 — Bnrdett, Tomp. Co., .V. Y., Jukj, 18.50. 



A FARMER should iicvcr allow his wood-house to be 

 emptied of wood during the summer months. 



IMPORTED FRENCH MERINO SHEER 



Messrs. Editors : — I was thinking that perhaps it 

 might be somewhat interesting to the readers of 

 your valuable paper, to give them a brief account of 

 my imported French Merino sheep, as there seems 

 to be some considerable excitement in reference to 

 them in your State. I will give you the weight of 

 fleeces of 83 of my French imported Merino ewes, in 

 comparison with the weight of carcass. I should 

 have been glad to have given you the weight of 

 carcass of each sheep separately, but it would make 

 too long a list ; I therefore give you the weight in 

 gross. Weight of carcass, 10,458 lbs. — average 

 weight of each sheep, 126 lbs. ; this includes 27 

 lambs only ten montlis old when shorn. Gross 

 weight of wool of 83 sheep, 1494 lbs. — average 

 weight of fleece of each sheep, 18 lbs. ; only one 

 year's growth, except 27 lambs ten months' growth. 

 This, I see by the figures, gives me 2 2-7 ounces for 

 every pound of flesh. I raise from these ewes three 

 crops of lambs in two years, which I think retards 

 the growth of wool in a measure, particularly for the 

 first four weeks after dropping their lambs, and for 

 two weeks after weaning time. The smallest fleece 

 was from a ewe lamb ten months old — 13J lbs. ; the 

 heaviest from a ewe three years old — 25| lbs. of one 

 year's growth, unwashed. Manufacturers and other 

 men tell me that it is full enough to deduct one 

 pound in five for river washing, so that it would give 

 each sheep 14 2-5 lbs. of washed wool, long, fine, 

 and soft. These are the sheep that I am now breed- 

 ing. 1 have 105 ewes, old and young. I have re- 

 cently purchased of Mr. John A. Taintor his entire 

 flock, so that I have in my possession all of the ewes 

 of this blood in the United States, except 27 which 

 are owned by other individuals scattered over the 

 country. I have made three crosses with the French 

 bucks on my old flock of American Merinos, with the 

 utmost satisfaction — it has proved the best cross I 

 ever made, by all odds. My half-bloods are selling 

 from $5 to $10 more per head than I used to sell my 

 old stamp of Merinos, and shear from 1 to 2 lbs. 

 more wool per head, and of finer quality. I have 

 sheared 100 of my American Merino sheep, to com- 

 pare with my French Merinos. I find the gross 

 weight to be, in the same condition of flesli and age, 

 9000 lbs. — the average weight of carcass for each 

 sheep, 90 lbs. ; the gross weight of fleece, 650 lbs., 

 unwashed — average weight of fleece, 64 lbs. ; giving 

 me 1 1-6 oz. for every pound of flesh, making a dif- 

 ference in favor of the French Merinos of over 1 oz. 

 for every pound of live weight. This is a very great 

 difi'erence, while the difterenco in weight of carcass 

 is only about one-third. The French Merinos must 

 be Ihe sheep. I have also kept a little track, the past 

 winter, of the relative value and difl'ereiice in the 

 consumption of food between the two breeds. I find 

 that the Frenchmen will consume only from one- 

 fourth to one-third more food than my old flock. 



I have noticed one very peculiar characteristic in 

 the French sheep — their cpiietness, and aptness to 

 take on flesh. I have turned 41 ewes into a pasture 

 of not more than eight acres ; tkoy have been in the 

 pasture three weeks, and I will venture to say that 

 they have not traveled over one-half of it yet, while 

 my other sheep would have traveled it over a thou- 

 sand times. This one thing is one groat reason why 

 they take on flesh so easily ; they eat and tlien lie 

 down. The more easily an animal fattens, the less 



