NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



391 



the weevil on accovmt of its earliness only ; and for 

 the same reason, nearly as sure against the rust. If 

 the grain tills before the muggy, dog-day weather 

 arrives, there is no danger from rust. Sown in 

 August, it will ordinarily ripen early in July follow- 

 ing, and that is before the weevils arrive, or the rust- 

 ing weather begins. 



I have taken a little pains to ascertain the average 

 yield of this wheat the past season, and so far as I 

 have been able to gain facts, I find that it has aver- 

 aged twenty-five bushels per acre of one bushel's 

 sowing. I ascertain, too, that in the counties of 

 Kennebec and Somerset, on the Kennebec River, 

 there have been, within a month past, three hundred 

 bushels of it sown. Perhaps it would be but a rea- 

 sonable calculation to say there has been as much 

 sown in all the other (eleven) counties in the state ; 

 and if so, Mother Earth has already received six hun- 

 dred bushels of that rich grain. Should what is 

 sown now, yield as well next year as it has done the 

 present, there will be in our state, by another July, 

 fifteen thousand bushels, which will seed the whole 

 state pretty well. I believe every farmer may find a 

 piece of land on his fai"m, on which that wheat will 

 be as sure as is corn ; and if each man raised but one 

 acre, it would greatly stop the terrible clanking of 

 New York mills, so far as Maine ears are concerned. 



A PROPOSITION TO STOCK BREEDERS. 



We hope that the following proposition will be 

 well considered, as the subject is of great interest to 

 the agricultural community. Will some of the prin- 

 cipal stock breeders in New England give their 

 views upon it ? Our columns are at their service. 

 We copy from the Ohio Cultivator. 



The idea has frequently occurred to me, and I 

 have no doubt to thousands of others, while attend- 

 hig agricultural fairs in different sections of the 

 Union, how both pleasing and profitable it would 

 be, could the amateur stock breeders, throughout the 

 United Slates, see the very best animals from the 

 diffeicnt sections brought together, and thus have 

 an opportunity of ascertaining their real and relative 

 merits. They could gain more knowledge which 

 \ would be practically beneficial, at one such exhibi- 

 tion, than by attending all the state and county fairs 

 helri in one year in America even, was it practicable. 

 They would have the animals of the different classes 

 side by side, and thus be able to make strict com- 

 parative examinations. We presume the very best 

 only would be presented, and consequently there 

 would not be so much necessity for exercising a 

 good oblivion as well as a good memory, in order to 

 prevent the storehouse of memory from being over- 

 loaded with images of inferior animals, as when at- 

 tending state and county fairs. Each one could 

 readily ascertain what section produces animals hav- 

 ing the traits he would especially desire developed 

 ill the greatest degree. Many other advantages of 

 such a national exhibition might be enumerated ; but 

 I think they will at once suggest themselves to the 

 enlightened stock breeder. I will therefore allude 

 to bvit one more, which I consider far from the least 

 important. 



The opportunity by such an occasion for forming 

 acquaintance, and an interchange of knowledge, at 

 the time, and in future, would be v,orth five times the 

 cost of attendance to most of the competitors, inde- 

 pendent of other considerations. What intelligent 

 stock breeder in the United States would hesitate to 

 travel one thousand miles, if he knew, by so doing, he 

 would liavc an opportunity of becoming acquainted 

 with even the fifty most successful breeders in the 

 Union, of the kind of stock in which he is particu- 



larly interested, and at the same time see their best 

 stock ? Then add the other inducements, and how 

 could he stay away ? I do not know that it woidd 

 be best, at present, to have such a national fair an- 

 nually ; but I do think such a one, at least as often 

 as once in five years, would be expedient, profitable, 

 and every way desirable. 



In order therefore to give so laudable an object a 

 commencement in some definite form, I shall proceed 

 to make the following proposition, which, if accepted 

 by a sufficient number of my brother wool-growers, 

 and responded to by similar propositions from breed- 

 ers of other varieties of stock, will secure at least 

 one national fair, and, if it is then thought desira- 

 ble, give an eligible opportunity for forming a Na- 

 tional Agricultural Societj^, and making arrangements 

 for future exhibitions. 



I propose to meet any number, not less than tM'enty 

 breeders of Saxony sheep, at any suitable time and 

 eligible place in the United States, and exhibit each 

 one Saxony ram, as competitors for the following 

 premiums ; the anrount necessary for obtaining said 

 l^remiuras to be raised in equal sums by the competi- 

 tors in the same way it is done by the members of 

 the dift'eront agricultural societies. 

 To the best, silver cup or pitcher worth $30, other 

 silver ware worth . . if>3.j, and $10 in money. 

 To the 2d best, silver ware worth 40, and 40 " 

 " 3d " " " 40, and 30 '< 



" 4th " «' " 30, and 30 " 



" 5th " " ♦' 2.3, and 25 



" 6th " " '« 20, and 20 " 



" 7th « " « 15, and 15 " 



" 8th " « «' 15, and 10 " 



" 9th « " " 14, and 8 



" 10th '< " '< 10, and 8 



The silver plate, of course, to have the owner'.s 

 name, with the award, engraved upon it. 



I am willing to suggest that the exhibition in con- 

 templation be held at Cincinnati in the autumn of 

 1850, at the same time as the Ohio State Fair, pro- 

 vided that fair docs not occur before the middle of 

 10th month, (October.) Any time earlier would be 

 ineligible on two accounts ; the wool would not be 

 long enough to show to advantage, and the Ohio 

 River would in all probability not be in good navi- 

 gable condition before about that time. I wish my 

 suggestion, however, with regard to time and place, 

 to only receive the consideration due to it, as coming 

 from one individual proposing to compete. Should 

 any other competitor think any other time and place 

 more eligible, I shall for one be glad to see his sug- 

 gestions. As it will be essential to a fair test, that 

 the sheep be shorn as nearlj' as practicable on the 

 same day, and there will be other arrangements to 

 make, it is very desirable that those intending to 

 comjjete, report themselves to T. C. Peters, editor of 

 the Wool- Grower, or M. B. Bateham, editor of the 

 Ohio Cultivator, before the 1st of 3d month, (March,) 

 and the names be published in the different agricul- 

 tural papers, as reported, that they ma}- have an op- 

 portunity of communicating. W. H. LADD. 

 Richmond, Jefferson Co., O., lOth Mo. 16th, '49. 



P. S. I am very desirous that those, at least, own- 

 ing other distinct varieties of sheep, or their crosses, 

 which appear to be advantageous, should make and 

 respond to similar propositions, varying the terms to 

 suit themselves. W. H. L. 



Remarks. — We heartily approve of the foregoing 

 suggestions and proposition of our friend Ladd ; and 

 we hope the subject will receive that consideration 

 on the part of stock breeders which its importance 

 demands. We trust that editors of agricultural pa- 

 pers, throughout the Union, will call the attention 

 of their readers to this matter, so as to elicit discus- 

 sion, and eventually lead to the adoption of some 



