378 



NEW ENGLAND FAlli^-ER. 



.Tunc 20, 1828. 



out at the end farthest from the fountain. Care, I legsiid, to produce the sort of attention, which not so much, and in about six days and nights they 

 must be taken that the pipe be perfectly air tiglit the dictates of interest alone would beget ; yet , all disappeared. And wnat is very strange, we 



through its whole extent, and that the end of wc have scarcely found except on the estates of a 

 the pipe through which the water is delivered by | few gentlemen in New England and New York, 

 the action of the pump is not more than thirty- anything like an approach to the systematic, and 

 three feet perpendicidar height from the fountain, regular course, wliich a profitable piggery, as 

 If the pi])e or piunp-stock is very long, it may re- • much as a profitable dairy, requires, 

 quire considerable time and labor toexhaust the j There are many distinct breeds of swine, with 

 air through its whole length, and it has been found peculiarities as determined, and properties as fix- 

 by experience that a pipe of nearly half a mile, ed, as those which characterize any race of do- 

 not carried in a direct line from the well to the mesticated quadrupeds known. In England, ev- 

 place of deUvery, is liable to inconveniences. If ery county almost lias a separate breed designat- 

 the pipe waves up and down, the air and water, i ed by its name, occasionally affected by the pe- 

 it is said, will be so distributed in different por- cuUar management of the breeder by whom it 

 tions of the pipe that it will not easily be affected has been reared although in this country, in the 

 by the operations of the piston. Besides, it may common language of the fanners, we hear of the 

 be difficult, in a iong pipe to prevent the occur- English breed, as if it were a distinct race. The 

 rence of some siuall crevice, which v.ill admit air Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Suffolk, Sussex, Stafford- 

 into the water coiirsc, and thus defeat the object, shire, and Norfolk, are the families with which 

 But for small disi, nces, such obstacles need not ; we are most familiar, and are perhaps best fitted 

 be apprehended ; aid the convenience of bring- for general use. To Mr ParsoiNS and Mr Prince, 

 Ing watev in pipes, b; suction in a slanting direc- of Massachusetts, we are indebted for breeds of 



never found one dead. I am perfectly satisfied that 

 not O'le fourth of tliose sagacious animals ever got 

 a taste of the fried cork ; but those that got troub- 

 led with it, must have alarmed and carried off the 

 rest. Now you must know that this has been done 

 more than ninety days, ai;d I heg you to excuse 

 my not telling you of it sooner ; but the fact is, I 

 was afraid that their absence was too good com- 

 pany to last, but I see no sign of any as yet ; there- 

 fore tiiink the experiment worih trying through 

 the United States, as they are troublesome board- 

 ers. — American Farmer. 



From (he Americ-aii Farmer. 



ON WASHING WOOL ON THE SHEEP'S 

 BACK. 



J. S. Skinner, Esq. — I observed is the Amer- 

 ican Farmer of the 16th inst. Mr Dickinson's ac- 

 count of the manner of washing wool on the 

 tion to places wliere wanted, is very great in pigs which have been the basis of some of the I cheep's back in Ohio, 

 many cases. Nothing can be more convenient for best crosses we possess. Their varieties as well | The process described by him is the old meth- 

 house keepers, &c. than l'> have pumps in their as the other, wliich I have enumerated, and most j oA practised in New England by oiu" forefathers, 

 kitcliens, which will draw vater from wells situ- of the famihes which have been derived from and is still the practice with many. But since 

 ated at a distance. them, do not afford flesh, with the fine grain, and the introduction of fine sheep, the people of this 



When the place in which ti.e water is wished delicate flavor, sought in our markets. Their car- region have improved upon the old system. As 

 ^(i '■''■■ delivered is lower that the fountain, a syphon cases have not suiiicient proportion of muscle to ' the improvement is considered of importance, 

 may be used, according to principles described in fat. Some shades of difference have been eftect- , both in regard to saving of labor, and, what is of 

 the New England Farmer, vol. v. page 345, and ed by the introduction of Mr Cobbetfs breed, j mow consequence, the better cleansing of the 

 vol. vi. page 178. I which uniting all the perfections of the best of the 1 wooll I will give you some account of it. 



With re"-ard to the materials for aqu-.luct pipes : others in smalhiess of bone, early maturity and ^^e build a vat near some pond or stream, 

 or conductors of water, we would observe that ' great disposition to become fat, possess other ad- "'heije the water can be let into it m sufiicieiit 

 whenever it is wished to draw water from some ! vantages, s;nallness of entrails, great fleshmess in I quantity ; a very small stream will answer. The 

 distance, by suction, the pipes must not only be ; the hams, and great.er delicacy in the flavor of the : vat fe 34 inches deep, 12 feet long and 4 feet 

 water tight but air tight. Lead is perhaps most meat. | ^vid(^, and elevated at the upper end 4 inches, and 



easily made air tin-ht ; and if the water is fre3 To Commodores Chaiu.cy and Stewart, we <or convenience ought to be sunk into the ground 

 from any mineral acid', may be the best materi.i! ! owe the introduction of some excellent families of, one half its depth. On one si(je is the i>en for 

 for water pipes. Sometimes, however, water, in Spanish liogs, wliich when crossed, with those of the sheep before washing, the vat forming a part- 

 its natural state, contains minute quantities of sul- :>Ir Parsons's and Mr Prince's stock produce the ■ of the enclosure. On the other side a platform 

 phnric or carbonic acids, which would corrode 



lead, hold it in suspension, o'r render it soluble in 



iety I have seen. The late Mr Tomlison pos- ' or walk of boards or plank is laid, connected to 

 sessed a large stock of swme whicii I had deriv- ; and level w ith the top of the vat, extending to the 



water, thus causing the fluid to becorie poisonous ed frcmi individuals of the breeds I have named. ! grf ^s ground, on which one stands to tag and re- 



or at least unwholesome. Tin and cnst iron are not 

 liable to the same objections, but ic might be difli- 

 cuit to make sheet iron pipes watertight. In com- 

 mon cases, we should give lead the preference 



The hiL-b prices, at which they were sold at jmb- ', ceive the sheep after washing. The water is let 

 lie vendu.-, in some instances exceeding twenty j in at the upper end of the vat, by a trough made 

 dollars ptr head, evince the estimation in which ''v naihng two strips of boards about six inches 



^ ._ o - ■ they are hcid by the practical farmer, whose pur- 1 wide on to the side of a plank, say fifteen inches 



for aqueduct pipes ; but "should be glad" to be fav- ' chases were regulated by Mr. Tomhson's sales of, wide ; the low.^r end of the trough is to be twen 

 pred with the opinions of our friends and corres- j pork from the stall. I am, &c. ty inches higlur than the surface of the vat. Tc 



pondents on this subject. JOHN HARE POWEL. 



Jonathan Roberts, Esq 



Fres^d^rU of the Pennsylvania Agrkuitural Society 



ON SWINE, BREEDS, ENGLISH, SPAN- 

 ISH, &c. 



BY JOHN HARE POWEL, ESq. 



I'owellon, 1824. 



RATS. 



Last year I had my smoke house so visited by 

 Dear Sir — No farm stock is so little regarded, rats, that they appeared to threaten destruction to 

 yet there is none more important under particular all my bacon, and even damaged some of it after] that when tie animal is conducted by the man in 



To 



perform the hbor to advantage three hands are 

 requisite ; on( to put the sheep into the vat, one 

 to stand in tie vat and wash, and one on the 

 platform as bifore described. From eight to ten 

 sheep are c«ntliiually in tho vat, and the one 

 longest in is vaslied first. 



Thus the tvool has sufficient time to soak, so 



circumstances than swine. As an appendage to it was hung up and nearly smoked. I set a nmn- 

 a dairy, their vahie is generally understood — as her of traps of several different sorts ; and when I 

 the means of increasing and commixing the vari- caught a rat, it appeared, as the old woman said of 

 cus items of whicli barn yard manure is compos- the flies, when she killed one, as if there came two 

 ed, they have not been properly appreciated in or three to bury it. I had recourse to arsenic, but 

 this state. In New England where their man- without much success ; and I saw in your valuable 

 .-igeinent has been more skillfully conducted, and work a publication of the cork experiment, I would 

 their profits as acrur.itely ascertained, some of not have had faith to try it, but that I had known 

 the most successful farmers, have devoted their; it kill dogs. I then fried a composition of things 

 attention, and the produce of their lands, almost j which I knew the rats were fond of, and fed them 

 exclusively to breeding, and fattening hogs. Tho on it two nights in succession ; the next day I pre- 



delicate fooii.-which they supply for the tables of 

 the rich, the nutritious and frugal repast, which 

 tiV\ey afford to the industrious poor, would make 

 shew, « would bo supposed, objects of sufficient 



pared the cork, and chopped it about the size of 

 large duck shot. I then fried it in the same sort 

 of materials as before, and the two first nights they 

 preyed on it tolerably well ; and the third night 



the vat under the stream of water iionring from 

 the trough, the dirt is immediately washed out. 



Squeezug the wool when washing is consider- 

 ed bad poley and ought to be avoided, as it will 

 prevent mtch of the dirt from escaping. Every 

 part of th( animal should be brought under the 

 pouring stisam, which opens the wool and wash- 

 es it "as clean as water can make it. 



In this way one hundred and rxventy sheep 

 may be tloroughly washed in an hour ; that is 

 at the rate of two each minute ; and the labour 

 in putting in and taking out is very trifling, and' 

 the man ii the vat is the only one exposed to be 

 wet, and lini much less than everj' person em- 

 plbyed in he old way — and besides this, the wool' 



