854 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



CATTLE SHOW AT NORTHAMPTON. 



Wc copy from the Hampshire Gazette a short ac- 

 oount of this exhibition. At another time, we shall 

 refer to the reports of some committees. 



The cattle show and fair of the Hampshire, Frank- 

 lin, and Hampden Agricultural Society was held in 

 this town, on Wednesday and Thursday last. On 

 account of the threatening aspect of the weather, or 

 for some other reason, the crowd of people did not 

 appear to be quite so large as usual ; but neverthe- 

 less, our streets were thronged, and oyster pedlers 

 and auctioneers were as numerous and as noisy as 

 ever. 



Tlie show of cattle, in respect to numbers, was 

 inferior to that of many former j'ears ; but the quality 

 of the animals would not suffer in comparison with 

 those of any preceding exhibition. There were but 

 two town teams — one from Easthampton, of twenty- 

 six yoke, and one from South Hadlcy, of sixteen yoke. 

 Both took the highest premium — the one for the 

 greater number, and the other for the better quality. 

 Of swine there never has been a better exhibition. 

 The sow and ten pigs, of the Suffolk breed, owned 

 by Dr. Bardwell, of Whately, elicited universal ad- 

 miration. 



The exhibition at the Town Hall, though inferior 

 in some respects, Avas, as a whole, quite as good, per- 

 haps, as on former years. The show of fruits was 

 never before equalled. Through the efforts of the 

 Northampton Horticultural Club, the variety and 

 number of specimens of apples, pears, grapes, etc., 

 presented, would have done honor to any similar 

 exhibition, in the best fruit-groANang districts. Tliore 

 was also a fine display of dahlias, for which the pub- 

 lic were indebted, as the largest contributor, to Mrs. 

 Thomas Bridgman, of the Eagle Paper Mill Village. 

 The show of vegetables was small, and wholly un- 

 worthy this rich valley. 



The specimens of needle-work were not so numer- 

 ous as usual, but there were some which displa5"ed 

 much taste and skill. In the more substantial arti- 

 cles, however, there appeared to be no abatement of 

 female industry. The rolls of domestic flannel and 

 frocking showed that the distaff and the loom had 

 not been idle, and their soft, flexible texture inspired 

 a sensation of comfort. 



The ploughing match, on Wednesday afternoon, 

 was quite spirited. It took place on Venture's field. 

 Eighteen competitors entered the lists — seventeen 

 horse teams and one ox-team. The ploughing was 

 all good, and the ease with which it was done com- 

 manded the admiration of the numerous spectators 

 who surrounded the field. 



The show of horses was much less than it would 

 have been on a fair day. Forty entries were made, 

 but not all the horses entered were present for in- 

 spection. Those present were of a good quality, and 

 (^icited the high commendation of the committee. 



The address by Professor John P. Norton was un- 

 usually interesting, and well adapted to the wants 

 of the farming community. 



NEWLAND'S STRAWBERRY. 



On p. 242, we have given some account of this 

 fruit. Since we published that article, we have 

 had many reports confirming the statements which 

 we made. It appears that Newland played off a 

 gi'oss imposition ; and we are astonished that culti- 

 vators should be so duped by the incredible state- 

 ments of a stranger, as to run largely into the pur- 

 chase of an unknown article, when half a dozen 



plants would have been sufficient for an experiment. 

 This humbug should be classed with those of the 

 Rohan potato, and Chinese Tree corn. It must be a 

 large state that produces so many famous things. 

 We copy the following item from the report of the 

 Fruit Committee of the Worcester Horticultural So- 

 ciety, in June last : — 



" Gardiner Paine ; Hovey's Seedling, Alpine, and 

 a specimen of ' Newland's celebrated Mammoth 

 Alpine ' strawberries. The only celebrity of the 

 latter consists in the number of those who have been 

 imposed upon by it. It is either the old Alpine, or 

 a seedling from it, in no respect differing from its 

 parent." 



TILE DRAINING. 



We hope that tile draining will be tried in differ- 

 ent sections of the country, where there is an abun- 

 dance of clay, and a scarcity of stones. With good 

 machines, tiles can be made at a very small expense, 

 and the making of tile drains requires but little labor. 

 In England, this business is carried on to a great 

 extent, and with excellent success. On some farms 

 a great many miles of tile drains are laid, and the 

 improvement of the land, as shown by superior crops, 

 is paying a large profit on the capital invested. We 

 copy the following article, on this subject, from the 

 Ohio Cultivator : — 



Under-draining with the tile is doing wonders for 

 every one who tries the experiment. John Johnston, 

 whose great farm management you noticed in your 

 last Cultivator, has already received from ISIr. Whar- 

 tenby, the master tile-maker here, about forty thou- 

 sand two and a half inch tile, more than three thou- 

 sand rods ; his tile machine was imported from 

 England by the enterprising president of our Agri- 

 cultural Society, John Delafield. It is worked by 

 two men, and makes daily about hfteeu hundred tiles, 

 fourteen inches long ; they are afterwards dried and 

 baked ; the current price at the kiln is ten dollars 

 per thousand. Last spring, several gcntlenicn called 

 to see Mr. Johnston's farm ; he purposely omitted to 

 tell them which wheat field was under-drained, and, 

 the better to elicit their surprise, he led them over 

 one field, where the wet, heavy soil adhered to their 

 boots, much to their annoyance ; then, crossing the 

 fence to another wheat field of like soil and forma- 

 tion, they one and all uttered their surprise at its 

 dry and mellow surface. " Gentlemen," exclaimed 

 Mr. J., " you are on my tile." They are laid from 

 twenty to thirty inches deep ; a little straw i> placed 

 over the joints as they are covered : although the 

 edges of the tile are laid on the bottom of the ditch, 

 experience proves that they sink no deeper into the 

 soil. Soil thus drained possesses a sort oi capillary 

 attraction, and power to retain a due equilibrium of 

 moisture, during the most trying drought. 

 Very truly yours, 



SAMUEL WILLIAMS. 



Waterloo, N. Y., August, 1849. 



PULSE OF VARIOUS ANIMALS. 



The pulse of several of our domestic animals, as 

 given by Vatcl in his "Veterinary Pathology," is 

 nearly as follows : Horse, from 32 to 38 pulsations 

 per minute ; ox or cow, 35 to 42 ; ass, 48 to 54 ; 

 sheep, 70 to 79 ; goat, 72 to 76 ; dog, 90 to 100 ; cat, 

 110 to 120; rabbit, 120; Guinea pig, 140; duck, 

 136 ; hen, 140. 



