236 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug, 





who had a large flock of fine-wooled sheep. The 

 boys bought four ewes. This was three years 

 ago. With this spring's increase, the flock and 

 the wool they have produced is estimated at near- 

 ly $300. The Prairie Farmer, who tells this sto- 

 ry, says that in all that section small boys are en- 

 thusiastic sheep raisers, talk precociously of dis- 

 eases, and discuss earnestly the relative qualities 

 of different breeds, grades of wool, &c. 



We commend the example of these parents. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 

 An Excellent Alderney Cow. 



Having noticed in your last paper an account of a 

 fine cow in Holliston, I thought I would like to tell 

 you of a full blood Jersey. I bought her of Mr. Thom- 

 as Drew, formerly of Worcester, when she was five 

 weeks old. She had her first calf when she was two 

 vears old, and would make^l'i pounds of butter in a 

 "day. She brought her second calf when she was four 

 years old and made in one week eleven pounds and 

 ten ounces of butter. She had her third calf the third 

 day of last April. She is now five years old, weighs 

 only 700 pounds, and made last week 15Ji pounds of 

 butter. J- W. Mouse. 



North/bridge Centre, June 15, 1864. 



Remarks —The delicate, deer-like appearance, and 

 the rich milk of the Jersey cows, seem to fit them es- 

 pecially for the gentleman's lawn and the private fam- 

 ily, yet Mr. Flint says, in his treatise on Dairy Farm- 

 ing, that "one or two good Alderncys with a herd of 

 fifteen or twenty ordinary cows will make a great dif- 

 ference in the quality of the milk and butter of the 

 whole establishment." 



Making Sugar— Keeping Stock. 



As there have been some big sugar stories told in 

 the Farmer, I would like to tell what has been done 

 in this town. There have been made, this last spring, 

 by ten farmers within one mile of me, twenty-three 

 thousand pounds of sugar. You may think we Jive 

 in the woods and on sugar, but the same persons have 

 wintered twelve hundred sheep, one hundred and 

 eighty-two head of cattle, and thirty-five horses. 



Shrewsbury, Vt., June 12, 1864. C. Graves. 



Remarks. — These facts are scarcely more credita- 

 ble to the "ten farmers" of Shrewsbury, than the man- 

 ner of the announcement is to friend Graves. It does 

 our poor old eyes good — it does the younger and 

 brighter eyes of the printers good, — to see now and 

 then a fautless manuscript ; one in which the writing 

 is neat and distinct, the words and lines properly sep- 

 arated by liberal blanks, the capital letters and marks 

 of punctuation just as they should be on the printed 

 page, and last of all without a superfluous word. We 

 know where Shrewsbury is ; have seen her mountains 

 and something of her farms, and hope Mr. Graves will 

 favor the readers of the Farmer with some further no- 

 tice of the industry of his neighbors. Have not the 

 experience of these ten farmers who produce 2300 

 pounds of sugar, keep 120 sheep, 18 cattle and 3 'i 

 horses, on an average, to each farm, elicited some facts 

 which, if published, would encourage and benefit, pos- 

 sibly, some of their less prosperous brother farmers ? 



Substitute for Butter Used by a "Workman at 

 the Portsmouth Navy Yard. 



As my knowledge of botany has lain unused of late 

 I will not undertake to describe the plant that he says 

 produces the fruit which is about the size of first pick- 

 ing of the baldwin apple. It arrives at maturity about 

 August 10th, when it is picked, laid on plates and 



punctured, when there exudes a substance which, when 

 mixed with a small quantity of milk and sugar, acquires 

 the consistency of butter. It can then be worked into 

 balls the same as butter. Many who have used it pre- 

 fer it to butter. My informant says he has used that 

 kept three months and ibund it sweet and good. The 

 first plant was given to him by a naval officer who ar- 

 rived at Portsmouth from some foreign station. 

 Seabrook N. H., June, 1864. s. p. m. 



Remarks. — At first thought we supposed our cor- 

 respondent was slyly recommending good large baked 

 apples; if that is not the case, will he please brush up 

 his botany a little, or jog the elbow of his navy-yard 

 friend who is so quietly dodging the present high 

 prices of "ball butter," that a little further informa- 

 tion may be imparted as to this wonderful plant from 

 some "foreign station." 



That Check-Rein. 



If the neighbors of the man who still persists in the 

 use of the check-rein, will tie up his arms and put him 

 on the double-quick over some twelve or fifteen miles 

 of a hilty road, he will learn to appreciate the disad- 

 vantages under which a horse travels with his head 

 fastened in an unnatural position. s. p. m. 



Small Cows. 



I saw a breed of cattle a few days since, which, as 

 milkers, are preferred to any others by those who like 

 small feeders. They do not give as much milk as 

 some larger cows, but the quantity is large for their 

 size. The cow that I saw did not exceed in size a 

 yearling of the native breed. Her "points" were all 

 first-rate, the only disproportion being her bag, which 

 was too large for her convenience. s. p. m. 



Seabrook, iV. H., June, 1864. 



Remarks. — We publish the foregoing as a specimen 

 of that indefiniteness which greatly mars many agri- 

 cultural communications. Whether our correspond- 

 ent has been smitten by a little fawn-like Jersey, or by 

 some diminutive Irish, Kerry, Norman, or Canadian 

 breed, is more than can be gathered from his state- 

 ments. 



FACTS BEARING ON CATTLE BREEDING. 

 The Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of 

 Agriculture gives the following abstract of some 

 remarks made by Prof. Agassiz at a meeting of 

 the Board last December. Whatever may be 

 thought of the practical truth of the theory ad- 

 vanced, if it shall lead to greater caution as to the 

 use of inferior males either first or last, it can do 

 no harm in that direction at least. 



"After expressing some sound sentiments with 

 regard to the connection between science and 

 practice, and showing how the two ought to be 

 connected in the business of agricultural educa- 

 tion, he presented an elaborate view of the laws 

 of reproduction, and their connection with the 

 breeding of farm animals, as an illustration of the 

 vast importance of profound science in guiding the 

 farmer to his work. He had found by experiment 

 that the process of fecundation was governed by 

 some extraordinary laws. The common turtle, for 

 instance, does not commence to breed until it is 7 

 years old. At the second year, connection be- 

 tween the male and female takes place, without 

 any apparent result. The third year connection 

 takes place, and still no eggs. And so on until 

 the 7th year of the life of the female, when she 

 commences bringing forth maternal eggs. At 

 this time the eggs in the ovaries present various 



