NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



279 



the qualitj' of its productions. The farmer who 

 applies a jieculiar species of manure, -which has been 

 found beneficial to his ground, beinp; himself ignorant 

 of chemistry, only follows the practice of his prede- 

 cessors or neighbors ; but while he sneers at the 

 theorist who woixld direct his attention to the studies 

 of the first principles of his art, both ho and those 

 whom he follows were probably originally indebted 

 for that pi-actice to the observations of men of science. 

 No one who is at all convei'sant with the subject of 

 manure can be ignorant that, notwithstanding the 

 management of intelligent husbandmen, a great 

 want of knovvledge prevails among the common run 

 of farmers regarding the best modes of its preparation 

 and application. I think, if wo were to pay a little 

 more attention to the nature and properties of ma- 

 nure before we apply it to the soil, we may in that 

 way sometimes reap great benefit. I think these 

 things ought to be more seriously considered, not 

 only for the benefit we may ourselves derive from it, 

 but also the community. I know not that more 

 cogent arguments for the union of chemistry with 

 agriculture can be adduced than already exist in the 

 stimulus all parties possess for advancing their indi- 

 vidual interests ; but of this we may feel assured, 

 that as the end and object of all knowledge in con- 

 nection with this subject is to increase the produce 

 »f the earth, so those who will not avail themselves 

 of the assistance chemistry affords will be left behind 

 in the struggle which is going on ; and further, those 

 who do rely on the science for an elucidation of the 

 hitherto mysterious operations of nature, will not 

 only derive a direct and immediate benefit from the 

 application of chemistry to agriculture, but they will 

 also proceed with less difficulty, from being assured 

 that the laws of nature are uniform in their opera- 

 tions, and that a certain cause will always induce a 

 certain result. Withoiit a fair trial being given to 

 the opinions of the one or the power of the other, 

 the hints thrown out b}" the scientific are often over- 

 powered and put down by that concentrated mass 

 of ignorance and prejudice through which the light 

 of science can rarely penetrate. Every year shows 

 VLs more and more clearly that we must find a surer 

 way of obtaining good crops than our forefathers ; 

 we have the foreign grower to contend with, and 

 must now look to science, not leave it to the next 

 generation of farmers, for the aid which practice 

 alone cannot afford us. I do not mean to say a 

 farmer must be a professed chemist and master of 

 analysis ; on the contrary, I think it would be use- 

 less for him to trouble himself with the sixty-two 

 elementary or simple bodies which the numberless 

 forms of matter, of which the crust of the globe is 

 composed, are capable of being resolved into ; but it 

 is necesfciary everj' farmer should have a certain 

 amoxmt of information on scientific subjects, more 

 esjiecially with those that point out to him the com- 

 position of the various plants he cultivates, and of 

 the manures he carries on his land. Liebig says, 

 in his excellent work on " Chemistry in its Applica- 

 tion to Agriculture and Physiology," "Now that 

 the conditions which render the soil productive and 

 capable of aff"ordiug support to plants are ascertained, 

 it cannot well be denied, that from chemistry alone 

 further progress in agriculture is to be expected." 

 G. S., A Young Farmer. 

 — The Ploujh, Loom, and Anvil. 



DEVON CATTLE. 



Among the improved breeds of cattle in this coun- 

 try, the Devons are held in high estimation, and 

 probably the most generally admired. As a distinct 

 breed of neat cattle, they possess several features 

 peculiar to themselves, of which they are very tena- 



cious — retaining them in a great degree, even 

 through their distant crosses with other breeds, and 

 particularly our native stock. The color of pure De- 

 vons is always red, varying to a dark mahogany. The 

 dark color is generally most admired, although the 

 light shades are equally profitable. There is occa- 

 sionally a little white on the belly, which is more 

 common with the heifers than the steers, and the 

 cows' udders are frequently white. The hairs which 

 form the brush of the tail are very remarkable : on 

 calves they are a darker shade than the other parts 

 of the body, but always turn white before the ani- 

 mals are three years old. The hide is thin, soft and 

 mellow to the hand — the hair silky, and ire(iuently 

 curled. The horns are long, fine and smooth, and 

 frequently yellow at the root when young ; the muz- 

 zle and round the eye yellow, with a bright, keen, 

 and active countenance. 



The Devons are fine-boned, clean-limbed, and very 

 active — resembling in cattle what is called blood in 

 horses more than any other stock. They are good 

 feeders, and make as much beef in proportion to the 

 food consumed as any other cattle. Their beef is 

 also of the best quality, being what ficshcrs call 

 marhled, (or well mixed with alternate fat and lean ;) 

 and they always prove well when dressed — weigh- 

 ing heavy to their appearance. In size they are 

 about the medium of neat stock. When dressed, 

 the cows weigh from six to eight hundred, and o.xen 

 from ten to fifteen hundred pounds, grass fed. 



The bulls of this breed are usually inferior in size 

 and beauty to the oxen ; but his stock is the best 

 proof of the value of a sire, and not his appearance. 

 For labor the Devons are not excelled by any other 

 breed ; and their uniformity of color and build ren- 

 ders them easily matched. They are very active, 

 docile, and tractable, as well as tough and hardy, and 

 when carefully used, will perform much labor from 

 four to eight j'ears of age, without diminishing their 

 size or aptness to fatten. 



As milkers, the Devons are similar to our native 

 cows, but the quality of their milk is always rich. 

 On this point, Mr. Allen, author of " Domestic Ani- 

 mals," (pubhshed in 1848,) remarks — "The cows 

 invariably yield milk of great richness, and, when 

 appropriately bred, none surpass them for the quan- 

 tity of butter and cheese it yields. Mr. Bloomficld, 

 the manager of Lord Leicester's estate at Holkham, 

 has, by careful attention, somewhat increased the 

 size, without impairing the beauty of their form ; and 

 so successful has he been in developing their milking 

 properties, that his average product of butter from 

 each cow is four pounds per week for the whole )'ear. 

 Ho has challenged England to milk an equal number 

 of cows of any breed, against forty pure Devons, to 

 be selected out of his own herd, without, as yet, 

 having found a competitor." 



We believe the Devons were first introduced into 

 Western New York, about twenty-five years ago, by 

 William Garbutt, Esq., of Wheatland. In 1835 or 

 1836, Mr. G. stocked his farm in Sheldon (m charge 

 of Mr. Beck, an experienced Scotch farmer) with a 

 portion of his home stock. In 1838 or 1839, Mr. 

 Vernon, of Roanoke, Genesee county, imported a 

 bull and two heifers from the best stock in Devon- 

 shire, England. Messrs. Garbutt, Beck, and others 

 bred fi-om the Vernon bull, (now known as the Dibble 

 bull,) and produced many valuable animals. This 

 stock is now scattered over much of Western New 

 York, and some of it in Michigan and Canada; so 

 that purchasers can be accommodated with thorough- 

 bred Devons, not inferior to any, at much less ex- 

 pense and trouble than to import them from England. 

 — Genesee Farmer. 



The earth is said to be 7616 miles in diameter, 

 and 24,880 miles round. 



