NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 











SOUTH DO^WIsr BUCK, ARCHBISHOP. 



We present to our readers, this week, a portrait of 

 the buck Archbishop, imported by Samuel Thorn, 

 Esq., Washington Hollow, Duchess Co., N. Y., 

 and the sire of the sheep recently purchased at 

 Mr. Thorn's sale, by our friend, Peter W. Jones, 

 of Amherst, N. H. 



Archbishop was purchased by Mr. Thorn, of the 

 late Jonas Webb, Esq., Babraham, England, in 

 1860, at a cost of 250 guineas ($1250.) He was 

 'the winner of the first prize in the yearling class 

 at the show of the Royal Agricultural Society at 

 Canterbury, that year, and, as will be seen by ref- 

 erence to the catalogue of Mr. Webb's last South 

 Down sale, was more largely used by him than any 

 other sheep. Mr. Thorn has always purchased the 

 best sheep to be had in England, regardless of 

 expense, which accounts for the high prices ob- 

 tained by him at his sale. We know of no flock 

 of South Downs in America that wiir compare 

 with his. At his recent sale, a large collection of 

 people gathered, representing nearly every State 

 from Maine to Texas, and many who intended to 

 purchase were obliged to go away disappointed, 

 in consequence of the limited number put up by 

 Mr. Thorn. 



We think our friend Jones will be able to show 

 some fine specimens of South Downs, having add- 

 ed his recent purchase of Archbishop- and Segar 

 stock, to his former flock which were bred from 

 Mr. Thorn's No. 112 Buck, and imported Webb 

 Ewes. 



The Hop Crop. — Accounts indicate that the 

 hop crop will not be equal in quality to that of 

 two or three years ago. It is expected that there 

 will be a surplus over the demands of the Ameri- 

 can brewers of about 25,0(10 or 30,000 bales. Hops 

 of choice quahty will command a high price. I 



MARES IN FOAL. 



Mares near foaling should be treated gently, 

 and not be made to trot quick upon a rough road, 

 or be put to any work of a jerking or jarring na- 

 ture, lilv2 harrowing or ploughing rough, uneven, 

 .stony, or stumpy land. To enforce these words 

 of caution, a correspondent of the Albany Culti- 

 vator relates the following singular exhibition of 

 instinct in case of a mare in foal : 



A neighbor was ploughing, near to where we 

 were at work, a field which had never been effec- 

 tually cleared of the stumps of large white oak 

 and hickory grubs. The piece had been grubbed 

 by job-work, and grubs which should have been 

 taken out by the roots, had been cut oS" merely at 

 or near the surface, so that the man ploughing 

 could not see or shun them. Of course, every 

 now and then the plough would strike one, and 

 either severely jerk or stop the team. One of the 

 team was a mare not very far from her time of 

 foaling, and whenever the plough was caught by 

 a grub, she would turn partly around and look at 

 the driver, as if she would have liked to tell him 

 that that was not proper work for her. Finally, 

 after showing more and more her reluctance to 

 start again, she refused absolutely to draw at all. 

 She had never shown any disposition to be balky 

 during a service of seven years ; and at our sug- 

 gestion that the mare instinctively knew that the 

 jerking Mas injuring her or her colt, she was re- 

 leased from attempts to force her to continue the 

 work. 



Price of Apples. — The highest figures in 

 New York we learn are $2,65 per barrel. Many 

 farmers have contracted their apples in Orleans 

 county, for from $1 to $1,50. It is thought that 

 the winter fruit will be worth about $1,50. A 

 few days ago agents were pei'ambulating some of 

 the apple growing districts and offering three dol- 

 lars per barrel for the fruit. It was noticed that 

 they offered much more liberally than they bought. 



