CIRCUl^An,— COKRESf ONDSiN CE. 



Dear Sir : — During the past year, I have been 

 enquired of, by several Short Horn Cattle breeders, 

 when I intended to issue a second volume of the 

 American Herd Book. My reply has been, " Not 

 until the She t Horu breeders would come forward 

 in sufficient number to patronize the work, by fur- 

 nishing the pedigrees of their stock, and to buy the 

 book to an extent sufficient to warrant the expense 

 of its publication." The firet volume of the Ameri- 

 can Herd Book, which I published in 1846, is still 

 indebted to me in the cost of the book_ itself, throw- 

 ing in the time and labor 1 spent upon it 



At the late " National Cattle Show," held at 

 Springfield, Ohio, a large number of Short Horn 

 breeders were assembled, from ten or twelve States, 

 and the Canadas. The subject of a continuance of 

 the publication of an American Herd Book was fully 

 discussed by them. It was agreed that, with so large 

 a number of Short Horn Cattle as are now owned 

 and bred in the United States, and the Canadas, a 

 Herd Book, devoted to the registry of Amkrican 

 Cattle was imperatively demanded. The e.xpense 

 and trouble of transmitting their pedigrees to En- 

 gland, and the purchase of the voluminous English 

 Herd Book, now costing at least one hundred dollars, 

 is no longer necessary; and that as the breeding of 

 pure Short Horn blood must depend much upon hav- 

 ing a domestic record at hand, when the requisite in- 

 formation can be obtained, and that of a reliable 

 character, a Herd Book is indispensable. 



In pursuance of the unanimous request of the gen- 

 tlemen engaged in breeding Short Horns, above allud- 

 ed to, together with many individual solicitations, 

 which I have received from other breeders during 

 the past year, I have concluded to issue this, my pros- 

 pectus for a second volume of "The American Herd 

 Book," and to request you, if you feel an interest in 

 the work, to inform me at your earliest convenience, 

 whether you will aid in its publication by sending a 

 record of your animals registry, and to designate the 

 number of volumes of the book you wiU take. The 

 size of the work will, of course, depend upon the 

 Bumber of animals registered, which, if this opportu- 

 nity is embraced by the breeders generally, will be 

 several hundred pages octavo, and illustrated with 

 portraits of such animals, properly engraved, as the 

 owners may be desirous to have inserted, they furnish- 

 ing the cuts for the purpose. 



I shall also give an account of all the recent im- 

 portations into the United States. A copy of the 

 Catalogue of each separate herd will be given, when- 

 ever they can be obtained, together with the account 

 of their sales, their prices at which they were sold, 

 purchaser's names, &c. In short, every matter of in- 

 terest in relation to them, so far as it can be obtain- 

 ed, will be given. 



All papers relative to such information will be 

 thankfully received, sent to my Post Office address at 

 Black Rock, New York. 



As it is necessary that I get to work by the first 

 March ne.xt, you will obhge me by replying imme- 

 diately, and informing me whether you will have your 

 eattle recorded, and if so, what the probable number 

 will be, and the number of volumes you will take. 



The recording fee for each animal will be fifty cents; 

 the price of the book five dollars. The recording 

 fees will be expected to be remitted in advance, 

 when the pedigrees of the cattle are forwarded, and 

 the book paid for on delivery. 



If, by any casualty, the book should not he issued, 

 the advance money will be promptly refunded. 



That there may be as little uncertainty as possible, 

 I wish that the reply to this may be as prompt as 

 convenient, that I may know whether I shall be justi- 

 fied in undertaking the work ; if so, I will give you 

 notice of the fact as early as the first of February, 

 18,i5, on receiving which, your pedigrees and inser- 

 tion fees will be required to be sent immediately. 

 Very respectfully yours, 



Lewis F. Allen. 



Buffalo, Blaok Rock P. 0., N. Y, 



We give below the analysis by Prof C. Dewey, 

 of shell-marl found on the farm of Dr. J. B. Brisbak, 

 Schuylerville, Saratoga Co., in this State. The sug- 

 gestions made by Prof. D. are valuable as a means 

 of supplying deficient elements in a soil. 



Rochester, Dec. 30, 18.54 



J. TnoirpsoN, Esq., Dear Sir: — The marl yoa lefl 

 with me, from Saratoga, I have examined as you pro- 

 posed. It is the common shell-marl of the country, 

 found often in what are called sphagnose swamps, 

 on account of the vegetable (sphagnum) which cov- 

 ers the surface. 



This marl is composed of decayed and decaying 

 shells of snails, clams and the like, and has diffused 

 through it remains of the above named vegetable. 

 I took of the medium quality, 100 grains 



and found the vegetable matter to be 46 " 



leaving as nearly pure carbonate of lime, 54 " 



This marl is useful for the dressing of soils, as the 

 vegetable matter is nutritious to vegetation, and the 

 lime portion is specially fitted to improve heavy and 

 clayey soils, or light and sandy soils. Where there 

 is lime carbonate enough in soils, the marl would be 

 useful only by its vegetable matter. It is well known 

 that the soil of Western New York abounds in this 

 Ume, which is most important for a wheat-growing 

 country. It is to be presumed that there must be 

 fields of sandy soil about or near the locality of the 

 marl, which would be much benefitted by this dres- 

 sing. Yours, &c., 



C. Dewet. 



Mr. Editor: — The season was uncommonly dry 

 — an unprecedented heat prevailed for three months 

 — yet the corn crops in Jay were good. Notwith- 

 standing the excessive drouth I had a middhng crop 

 of potatoes; a good many weighed twelve ounces — 

 one weighed over one and a half pounds. A richer 

 and more productive soil an industrious man could 

 not wish than there is in Jay and adjoining counties. 

 On ground brought up by the roots of fallen trees, 

 and which was so tenacious the team could hardly draw 

 the plow through two or three inches deep, there is !&• 



