282 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



and I can sell this more readily than any other 

 apple. 



" The trees put forth their leaves from ten to four- 

 teen days later than any other ajiple, and on that 

 account arc move secure from late spriiv^ frosts. 

 They are tine, smooth-barked, and thrilty-grovvin"^ 

 trees, making in the orchard a liner looking tree than 

 any other in the vicinity." 



This apple is a scedliuij;, and was first produced in 

 an orchard in East Bloomficld, a few mites east of 

 Rochester. The seed was brought from Connecticut 

 about fifty years ago. 



The tree, it is said, bears every year : many of the 

 specimens measure twelve inches in circumference. 

 The tree is of u])rii;ht and of compact growth. 



These apples have been selling this winter in mar- 

 ket for three dollars a barrel, when other good winter 

 apples were selling for seventy-five cents per barrel. 

 The Spy is remarkable for its freshness, juiciness and 

 delicious flavor. 



IMPROVEMENT IN CATTLE AND 

 HORSES. 



We copy the following from an article in the Al- 

 bany Cultivator, by one of the editors, who made a 

 tour of observation in some sections of Vermont. 



"Cattle. — Considerable interest is awakened in 

 several neighborhoods, in regard to the improvement 

 of cattle. A. Cha])man, of Jliddlcbury, kept for sev- 

 eral years a first-rate Ayrshire bull, from the herd of 

 Mr. Cushing, of Watertown, Mass. We have before 

 spoken of this stock ; but it has since been more fully 

 proved for the dairy. Mr. C. has several half blood, 

 and some three quarter blood Ayrshire cows. Some 

 of them are, in jjoints, about all that could be looked 

 for in a dairy cow : and we have reason to believe 

 that their ' looks do not belie them.' Mr. C. informs 

 us, ^hat in fourteen days of June, 1848, four of these 

 cows made eighty and three fourth pounds of butter, 

 besides supplying a family of fourteen persons with 

 milk and cream. One of the four made eleven and 

 three fourth pounds of butter in seven days. The 

 last of September, 1848, three of the above four 

 cows made thirty pounds of butter in seven days, 

 or ten ])ounds per week each. They are a small- 

 boned, thrifty stock. Mr. C. states that he killed a 

 pair of half blood steers, three years and six nionths 

 old, fed for two months mostly on sugar beets, — no 

 meal or grain of any kind, — and they weighed a 

 trifle over a thousand pounds each. 



" Messrs. Bingham, of Cornwall, have introduced 

 the full t)lood Ilerct'ords, from the late herd of Corn- 

 ing & Sotham, of this city. They look, generally, re- 

 markably well, and prove to be a very valuable stock 

 for this section. Their hardiness adapts them to the 

 climate ; they are easily kept, and thrive rapidly on 

 hay or grass. The general characteristics of the 

 Herefords have been stated in our columns. A. I>. 

 Bingham has several Durham heifers, purchased of 

 Mr. Roteh, of Otsego county, N. Y., which he is 

 crossing with Hereford bulls. 



" Paris Fletcher, of Bridport, has several full blood 

 Durham cows, and several good half bloods. Two 

 of the full bloods have lately been sold to Mr. Ilen- 

 shaw, of Boston. Mr. Chipman, of Shoreham, has 

 some fine cows, — crosses of the Durham breed. A 

 four-year-old cow of his gave, as was stated, twenty- 

 four quarts of milk per day in June. 



"Mr. Sanford, of Orwell, has some full blood Dev- 

 ons, and some highly crossed with the Devon. He 

 has a beautiful young bull, purchased of ^Ir. Atwood, 

 of Connecticut. He was by Mr. Hurbut's bull, 

 Bloomficld ; his dam from the herd of Mr. Washbon, 

 of Otsego county, N. Y. The Devons have thus far 

 done well in Mr. S.'s hands, and he is determined to 



increase them. We see nothing to hinder their 

 being a useful and profitable stock here. 



" Mr. Vander'ii]!, keeper of the hotel at Manches- 

 ter, has some Durham cows, from the herd formerly 

 owned by Hon. L. C. Ball, of Hoosick, N. Y. ; two 

 of which are great milkers. He has also some hnnd- 

 some cows and heifers from Connecticut, showing 

 much Devon blood, which a]i])ear well as dairy cows. 

 There are several bulls and considerable young stock 

 in the neiijhborhood, mixed more or less with the 

 Ayrshire and Devon blood ; and the fai-mcrs gen- 

 erally consider an infusion of the blood of these 

 breeds an isnijrovemeut. 



"Horses. — The inti'oduction of 'Black Hawk,' 

 has made an unquestionable and important imj)rove- 

 mont in the horse stock of this section. The oldest 

 of his progeny here are four years old, and have been 

 more or less proved. They have generally size 

 enough, and a large proportion of them are superior 

 in form, style, and action. The maximum of their 

 speed has not, of course, been ascertained at this 

 green age ; but that they will not be wanting in this 

 respect, might be shown by examples 'too numerous 

 to mention' here. As a specimen, we will refer to 

 the iicrformance of a mare, four years old, owned by 

 J. W. Holcomb, of Ticonderoga, which, as wo were 

 credibly informed, trotted in a sleigh, last winter, 

 twenty-six miles in two hours and ten minutes. 

 Tliose who wish further particulars in regard to the 

 stock, will obtain them by making inquiries in th« 

 proper quarter. 



"Mr. J. Hill, of Sunderland, has introduced a 

 horse which is a cross of the English draft horse. 

 We had not an opportunity of seeing him ; but he 

 was described to us as being six years old, — seven- 

 teen hands high, — weight thirteen hundred and 

 eighty pounds. He is said to be well made, and a 

 good traveller. It is thought he will be useful in 

 improving the stock of the neighborhood." 



THE BEST MERINOS. 



We copy the following proposal Irom the Ameri- 

 can Agriculturist. We hope that there will be a 

 large competition for the prize off'ered, that the pe- 

 culiar excellences of different flocks of sheep may be 

 known, with a view of improving this highly valua- 

 ble race of animals. 



" A purse of one hundred dollars having been 

 offered for the twenty-five best Merino ewes, and the 

 twenty-five best Merino lambs, under one year old, 

 by a private gentleman, the exhibition to be at the 

 Fair of the New York State Agricultural Society, I 

 purpose to be a competitor in that exhibition, against 

 any and all fiocks of Merino sheep that may be 

 brought against me. I give this out, not as a chal- 

 lenge, but simjdy as a proposition, which shall 

 call forth my l)rothcr farmers throughout the length 

 and breadth of the land. INIy object is to convince 

 myself where the best Merino sheep are. If I have 

 not got them, I must have them ; for I am resolved 

 to improve from the best, whatever may be the cost. 

 By a fair and manly comjietition, we may compare 

 the best s])ecimens from the best fiocks, and by that 

 means learn where the best sheep are to be found. 



" For a series of years, I have spared no pains and 

 expense to possess myself of the best sheep of the 

 pure Merino race the United States could afibrd, or 

 to be found in the Old World. It renuiins to be seen 

 whether these efforts have been successful; and to 

 this end, I earnestly invite the Merino wool- growers, 

 throughout the Union, to meet me on the show 

 ground, at Syracuse, next Sciitember, in honorable 

 competition, to compare the twenty-five best ewes, 

 and the same number of lambs from our respective 



