PROP. LEE— IMPROVING STOCK— FARMING IN POTTER CO. 



177 



said county can never depreciate in value for agricul- 

 tural purjioses. It is such manuring — returning to 

 the soil one atom in one hundred of what it parts 

 with — that malies the great staples of the country 

 so high, intensified locally by local incidents of vari- 

 ous kinds. Let us not be undcretood as saying that 

 this system of deterioration is near its final catastro- 

 phe, for it is not. 



PKOFESSOE LEE. 



For the last few weeks, we have listened with 

 much interest to Dr. Lee's Lectures on the Science of 

 Agriculture. His lectures prove him to be well 

 versed in Botany, Geology and Chemistry — the three 

 sciences most intimately connected with Agriculture, 

 an accurate knowledge of which is indispensable to 

 success in farming on scientific principles. 



Dr. Lee has consented for his introductory lecture 

 to be published in the agricultural papers, so that 

 the public may have an idea of the objects of the 

 Professorship. In this Lecture will be found a state- 

 ment of facts, which are to be thoroughly examined, 

 and commented upon, in future lectures. The State 

 of Mississippi is endeavoring to establish an Agricul- 

 tural Professorship in its University. AVe hope it 

 will ; and that Agriculture, the parent and most use- 

 ful of all occupations, under the dignified title of a 

 science, will be studied with more interest and atten- 

 tion. — Georgia University Magazine. 



On our return to the Genesee Farmer OtEce, it 

 may be permitted us to say that Agricultural Edu- 

 cation is making considerable progress at the South. 

 Nor can we well restrain the expression of our deep 

 regret that this educational interest at the North has 

 suffered, and is likely to suffer so much by the unex- 

 pected and untimely deaths of the late John Dela- 

 FiED of this State, of the Rev. Mr. Fox of Michigan, 

 and of Professor Lathrop of Wisconsin. Had the 

 valuable life of the first named gentleman been spared, 

 he would have had by this time his Agricultural 

 College in successful operation. The labors of 

 Messrs. Fox and Lathrop are known to many of our 

 readers and remembered with gratitude. 



In the recent decease of C. P. Holcomb, Esq., of 

 the State of Delaware, agriculture and the scientific 

 education of young farmers, lost an influential and 

 devoted friend. He was one of the first men we 

 applied to for aid in getting up the United States 

 Agricultural Society ; and at our request, he drew 

 up its Constitution, which was adopted at the first 

 meeting in AVashington of the earnest friends of ag- 

 ricultural progress. If we are not misinformed, 

 $30,000 has been raised in little Delaware to be de- 

 voted to agricultural education. In Maine, the good 

 work has made some progress ; and in Pennsylvania 

 there is a promise of success in the same direction. 



IMPROVING STOCK 



AVe commend the attentive perusal of the follow- 

 ing extract from an agricultural report of the county 

 of Perth, (England,) to all who desire to improve 

 their stock. There is a much closer connection be- 

 tween kinds of stock that may be profitably kept, 

 and the quality and productions of the soil than 

 many are aware of : 



" There is one circumstance relative to the intro- 

 duction of new breeds, which must not be passed 

 over in silence, because no farmer can neglect it 

 without a certain loss. Every kind of pasture is 

 fitted to raise animals to a particular size; when 

 beasts of a larger size are brought in than the quali- 

 ty of the food is calculated to support, these animals, 

 whether cows, horses, sheep, or any other kind, will 

 degenerate apace, and never prove useful until they 

 come down to that standard or size adapted to their 

 situation and suited to their food. On the other 

 hand, when a smaller breed than ordinary is brought 

 in, they continue to increase in bulk until they come 

 up to the pitch which is suited to their nourishment. 

 But there is this remarkable difference betwixt the 

 two progressions in respect to profit, that in the re- 

 trograde process, where animals are brought from 

 rich pastures and a comfortable situation to the re- 

 verse, they are in every instance worse than the in- 

 digenous breed ; whereas the animals which are 

 brought from worse to better, continue to improve 

 till they arrive at that perfection which the change 

 in their situation is calculated to produce. These 

 causes may not immediately have their full effect, but 

 in a few years they certainly and evidently will. He 

 makes, for this reason, a much safer experiment who 

 brings cattle from worse to better, than he who 

 brings them from better to worse." 



FARMING IN POTTER CO., PA 



The following is an extract from a letter received 

 by us a short time since, in relation to the farming 

 operations in Potter Co., Pa. : 



Mr. Editor : — Of the fruit at home I cannot 

 speak, but the peach around this place does not 

 appear to have suffered either in tree or bud. 



The unimproved lands of our county range from 

 $2,50 to $5. LTpon the portion known as the Bing- 

 ham Lands, comprising originally about 2.50,000 

 acres, located in the north half of the county, and 

 embracing a large majority of the settlements, I do 

 not think a farm could be located for less than $3 

 per acre. Improved farms however, can be bought 

 for SlO to $15 per acre, a few have sold higher than 

 this, but I speak of the average rate. If a few farm- 

 ers of the right stamp, who are about to change 

 their location, could be induced to turn their 

 attention this way, we might soon rival Orange 

 County of your State in her dairy productions. 



