1850. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



189 



discovered a lot of lambs at the bottom of a deep 

 ravine called the Flesh Clench, and the indefatigable 

 Sirrah standing in front of them, looking ronnd for 

 some relief, bnt still true to his charge. We con- 

 cluded that it was one of the divisions which Sirrah 

 had been unable to manage, until he came to that 

 commanding situation. But what was our astonish- 

 ment when we discovered that not one lamb of the 

 flock was missing ! How he had got all the divis- 

 ions collected in the dark, is beyond my comprehen- 

 sion. The charge was left entirely to himself from 

 midnight until the rising sun ; and if all the shep- 

 herds in the forest had been there to have assisted 

 him, they could not have effected it with greater 

 promptitude. All that I can say is, that I never felt 

 so grateful to any creature under the sun as I did to 

 my honest Sirrah that morning." 



The New York State Agricultural Society offer a 

 j)remium on the best well trained dog, at the next 

 State Fair, and our reference to the subject now will 

 be in season. 



Mr. A. L. Bingham of Vermont, passed through 

 this city with a drove of sheep last winter, and had 

 a fine dog with him as an assistant, who [ the dog ] 

 honored us with a call. We certainly appreciate the 

 compliment, as we have a great respect for the useful 

 portion of the race. But we have no regard for the 

 hosts of lazy, worthless curs, that infest our cities 

 and villages, eating up food that many half-starved 

 children would consider a luxury, and making the 

 night hideous with their yelping. We have a per- 

 fect hatred of all such. We have no particular love, 

 either, for those little watery-eyed fellows that seem 

 to be so peculiarly the favorites of some ladies. We 

 know of nothing more disgusting than to see a lady 

 carrying in her arms a little cur, wiping its eyes 

 with her handkerchief, or purchasing cake from the 

 stores and feeding it. Better had she take care of 

 some poor v.'oman's child, if she must have a pet, and 

 give her pennies to brighten the eye and gladden the 

 heart of the first bare-footed, disconsolate looking 

 child she might meet in the street. Or, indeed, if 

 the pet must be something other than human, why 

 •not take a nice little grunter of a week or so old ? — 

 what could make a prettier pet to be led by a riband 

 or carried in a lady's arms ? 



engraving. This is constructed on the endless chain 

 principle, with India rubber bands, instead of links, 

 and is said to work admirably — some fifty having 

 already been sold and tested this season. The man- 

 ufacturer states that it is easily operated by a dog, 

 sheep, or goat, and can be applied to any size or kind 

 of churn. Attached to a Thermometer Compressing 

 Churn, it makes a very complete and perfect churn- 

 ing apparatus. The power can be instantly applied 

 to any size of the ordinary dash churn. 



We are glad to l^arn that Horace L. Embry of 

 Albany, has devised a plan for giving useful employ- 

 ment to dogs, and of making many now useless of 

 some advantage on the farm or the dairy. It consists 

 of a dog-power for churning, as seen in the above 



GAME FOWLS. 



Messrs. Editors : — 1 have been much pleased with 

 your remarks on fowls ; but I have a kind that I 

 think you have never described. They [a pair] 

 were sent to me by a brothei in New Jersey, some 

 two years ago, as Game fowls. I didn't prize them 

 much at first, as 1 supposed the Game fowls were 

 principally valued for their fighting qualities ; and 

 as I love peace, and can not bear to see suffering, 

 even in the meanest creature, I found it difficult to 

 overcome my prejudice against what I had supposed 

 to be the bullies of the poultry yard. But my preju- 

 dice is somewhat giving way. They are a very 

 neat, pretty fowl, and not half so quarrelsome as I 

 had supposed them to be. They show a disposition 

 to fight when quite small chickens ; but with a little 

 care I manage them so that they seldom injure each 

 other. The hens lay about as many eggs as our 

 common breed, and they are the best mothers I ever 

 saw. The old hen will de(y man or beast that at- 

 tempts to interfere with her brood. Some of my 

 neighbors think my fowls are too peaceable for 

 Game. What is your opinion ? J. W. — Erie Co., 

 July, 1850. 



We give at the head of this article a portrait of a 

 Game cock, from Browne's American Poultry Yard, 

 which our correspondent can compare with his fowls. 

 We have no doubt, from J. W.'s description, that 

 he has the Game fowls — perhaps not in their purity, 

 — but they show strong characteristics of the breed. 



