\o- 4. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



63 



very easy to open and Bhut. It ie prefernble to a 

 swing goie in the winter, in a drifted enow. I have 

 adopted the plan many years and find it answers well. 



Protecting Fruit Trees. 



Build a crib round them, (drawing in towards the 

 top,) of any split firewood; three feet long will an- 

 swer the purpose, and the wood will not be lost; 

 place something at the top to keep the trees from cha- 

 fing. Such a frame will keep sheep or cattle from 

 injuring the trees. By keeping the land loose, the 

 ho', snn from injuring the bark, and the wind from 

 racking the trees, they will grow twice as fast. 



J. SPRAGUE. 



CItatauqua Co. March 1840. 



For the Ifew Genesee Farmer. 

 Merino Sheep. 



In answer to " jl Subscriber," who asks informa- 

 tion respecting the Merino Sheep imported from Spain 

 by Col. Humphrey, 1 tjke the liberty of extracting the 

 following from an Essay on Sheep, by Robert K. Liv- 

 ingston^ L. L. D., President of the Society for the 

 Promotion of Uselul Arts, &c., published, N. Y. 16U9. 



" To Humphrey and Licingslon, their country is 

 indebted for that breed of sheep, which bears the ma- 

 terial for the finest fabrics. The former by his 

 poetry, has placed himself among the literary wi)rthie8 

 of his time, and by th.sacthas rendered himself more 

 worthy of pastoral celebration than any swain of Arca- 

 dia. The latter had by his proficiency in the law, 

 shown himself an upriglit and impartial Judge ; and 

 by this act has proved how deserving he was of the 

 honor of the wool-sack. 



The first animals of this race, were two pair bought 

 in France by Dr. Livingston, and sent to New York 

 under the core of one of his own servants, where they 

 arrived in the springof 1802. Afterwards he obtained 

 permission to ship others, chosen from the highest 

 bred flocks in that kingdom, by permission of the 

 minister of the home department. All these derived 

 their pedigree from the stock given by the Spanish 

 monarch to L'niis 16ih, in 1786. This royal donation 

 consisted of four hundred rams and ewes, assorted 

 from the best collections beyond thePyramus; and 

 were conducted to their new residence under the care 

 of Spanish shepherds. Afterwards, by the treaty of 

 Basle, five thousand Spanish sheep were introduced 

 by the government: and out of these national flocks 

 was formed, by cullingsand pickings, the famous flock 

 of Rambouillet. Mr. Humphreys obtained his sheep 

 direct from Spain. A numerous flock arrived in good 

 health at New York — the particulars of which we in- 

 sert from the report made by Eleazer Goodrich, Esq. 

 to the General Assembly of Connecticut, in October, 

 1608. This gentleman and bis colleague of the com- 

 mittee, state — That they have carefully investigated 

 the facts and connected the various subjects rcterred to 

 them: and take pleasure in observing, that Col. Hum- 

 phreys, while discharging the high and important du- 

 ties of his public station, availed himself of the facili- 

 ties which his character and acquaintance in the capi- 

 tals of Spain and Portugal aflbrded ; and in the year 

 one thousand eight hundred and two, extracted from 

 Spain a chosen flock of one hundred sheep of the Me- 

 rino race. 



[Here follows a statement of the committee's of the 

 results of their examination of these shee^, proving 

 their distinguished excellence, and adaptation to the 

 climate of this country, which general experience has 

 since fully corroborated. We deem it therefore un- 

 necessary to publish the statement, — Eds.] 



Spanish il'ool was first introduced into England in 

 the reign of Henry H, at this time the best Englisli 

 ■uperfine broad cloths are chiefly made of Spanish 

 wool. 



There are two kinds of sheep in Spain distinguished 

 as the Migratory, and the Stationary sheep: — the 

 former are Merinos — they afliord the most valuable 

 leecee; and this superiority has been attributed to 

 their being exposed to a more equal temperature, ran- 

 ging upon tbe northern mountains during summer, 

 and pasturing during winter, on the plains and valleys 

 of the Smth. Mr. Townsend states, that the wool of 

 the Merino sheep is worth about twelve pence a pound, 

 while that of the Stationary flocks sells only for six- 

 penw i and thai every etiec p is retkoned to yield a elear 



profit often pence lo the proprietor, after all expenses 

 arc discharged. 



I am yours, &c. 



£. Hdhphrevs. 



Durham Cows, as Milkers. 



The following remarks were made by Mr. Colman 

 during a debate on the subject of Cattle, at an Agri- 

 cultural Meeting in Boston, a faw weeks since: — 



"Mr. Colman bad not intended to enter upon this 

 discussion, but he felt it due to his official relation to 

 the farmers of Massachusetts, to say that he had Lad 

 the pleasure of seeing improved Durham stock of the 

 Messrs. Laihrops, ol South Hadlcy, aud he thought 

 them eminently beautiful, and evincing great skill and 

 care in their management, on the part ot those gentle- 

 men. He had seen many of the imported animals 

 throughout the country; and one of the herds import- 

 ed for the Ohio Company, which he sow on their way, 

 was truly splendid, and in beauty and perfection of 

 form, far eurpa^sed ony thing which he had ever wit- 

 nessed. 



He must, however, injustice, add, thatheyetvi'ant- 

 ed the proof of the Durham Short Horns being the 

 best stock for our dairies. Seven of the race which 

 he had owned, some full and others half-blood, had 

 been inferior as milkers. The quantity of milk given 

 by many of the animals which he bad seen, was re- 

 markable; the quality, in general, inferior; though 

 he had found some exceptions, he believed, were acci- 

 dental. 



The Cheshire farmers, who were as distinguished as 

 any in the country or in any country for the produce ol 

 their cheese dairies, preferred tbe native stock. From 

 a dairy of eighteen cows, an average of 633 pounds 

 new milk cheese to a cow, in a year, had been obtain- 

 ed. He had challenged in writing and conversation 

 the owners of the Short Horns in the country lo prove, 

 by actual experiment, the dairy properties of this 

 stock; and he would furnish of a hundred cows of our 

 native stock, which had made from twelve to fourteen 

 pounds of butler per week, through the season. He 

 was far from having any prejudices against the Im- 

 proved Durhams. Hewasan enihusfasiic admirer of 

 them; but he wanted their dairy properties tested by 

 actual experiment. A very distinguished English far- 

 mer, Mr. Shiner, who had made the tour of this coun- 

 try, expressed his regret at their introduction, and 

 pronounced them in his book the poorest dairy stock 

 in England. We could not be said to have formed 

 any distinct race among ourselves, excepting the trials 

 made by Mr. Jaques, and a long-continued improve 

 ment carried on in reference to milch cows, in another 

 part of the State, upon which he had reported. Much, 

 undoubtedly, yet remains to be done, but nothing in 

 this respect can be eflected but by skill, extreme accu- 

 racy of observation, and long perseverance. 



He thought the Durhams not well adapted to the 

 scanty pastures and negligent habits of many of our 

 farmers. All high bred animals require particular care 

 and the most liberal feed. Two of the finest oxen 

 ever raised in the country were of ibis stock. One, 

 it is believed, a full blood, from Greenland, N. H., 

 weighing over 3400 pounds, live weight; and one 

 a half blood, raised in Claremont, N. H., and sent 

 year before last to England, for exhibition. His live 

 weight was said to be 3700 pounds; und he was pro- 

 nounced in England, by the best judges of stock, as 

 unrivalled for weight and thrift, ond eminently well 

 formed. 



The best breeds would soon run out if negligently 

 or severely treated. This race were undoubtedly well 

 suited to the rich pastures and abundant products of tbe 

 West of Kentucky and Ohio. There they would 

 flourish. What might be done for our own stock by 

 more liberal keeping, was yet to be seen. He had 

 known a calf from a native cuw, at four months old, 

 to weigh nearly 4 pounds ; and another, at five 

 months old, to weigh (300 pounds. If the improved 

 Durham stock should prove the best for us, and he 

 kept his mind on this subject open to conviction, we 

 could at once avail ourselves of the distinguished im- 

 provements of half a century's skill and toil and ex- 

 pense, 80 liberally bestowed in England. At any rale, 

 the improvements which ttey had accomplished in 

 England, so obvious and impressive to tbe most care- 

 less observer, read a most important lesson to us, and 

 showed what might be done by skill and care, by ju- 

 dicious selection, by steady perseverance in a regular 

 system, and by liberal keeping; and presented, at the 

 same time, the most powerful motives to exertion and 

 enterprise in a branch of husbandry, acknowledged by 

 all 10 be of tbe first importance." 



Diflereut Soils. 



" Soils, Every farmer should have some general 

 knowledge of soils, and be acquainted with the nature 

 of plants, so as to adopt those he cultivates lo the soil 

 of his larm. This is an important branch of agii- 

 cultural knowledge; every plant will flourish best in 

 that which is congenial with iis nature; and if far 

 mers were acquainted »vith tbe art of adopting plants 

 to soils, much manure might be saved; somesoils re- 

 quire little or no manure to grow some kinds of 

 plants, whereas, to grow other kinds of plants upon 

 the same toil, requires much manure. "The best in - 

 j(^M to the nature ol soils, arc the plants that grow 

 ■ upon it; true, the chemist has it in his power to deier- 

 niine the nature of soils without this natural index, 

 yet every farmer who knows the timber, underbrush, 

 and plants which a soil spontaneously produces, de- 

 cides at once upon its value for cultivation. 



The principal soils are silicia, sand, or earth of 

 flints; /!«(<;, or calcareous earth; ubniiina, or clay; 

 magnesia, a mineral substance; with these are blend- 

 ed vegetable and animal matters in a decomposing or 

 deconipoeedstate, and saline, acid, or alkaline combi- 

 nation. 



The nature of silicia, or sand, is dry and hot — alu- 

 mina, or clay, cold and wet — a proper mixture of the 

 two, improve both — all experience shows that manu- 

 ring sandy lands with clay, or clay lands with sand, is 

 best for grain or pulse. But it is not the best natural 

 soil that the farmer ought to consider, but the depth of 

 it. The farmer should never lose sight of these facts. 

 For if the richest soil is from four lo six inches deep, 

 and lies on a cold, wet clay, or stone, it will not 'ce as 

 fruitful as a poorer soil, that is deeper, or lies upon a 

 better stratum. It is now generally agreed that gra- 

 vel, if not loo compact, is the best substratum to make 

 land prolific. 



We shall now attempt a plain description of the 

 diflijrent kinds of soils, by noticing their quality. We 

 shall begin with the best kinds of looms and natural 

 earths; these are either of a light blown, or hnzel col- 

 or; hence, sometimes called " hazel loams." They 

 cut smooth and tolerable easy, without adheiing much 

 either to tbe spade or lo the plough-share; and are 

 light, friable, (.crumbling,) and fall into small clods, 

 without cracking in dry weather, orluininginio tough 

 mortar when very wet. 



The next best are dark grey, or sometimes called 

 " russet mould." But ihe worst of all natura' soils 

 are ihe light and dark colored. These clays may all 

 be known by the sight. There is, however, another, 

 and perhaps as equally sure a test of good clays, as 

 ihot by sigbl — smelling and feeling. The best 

 kinds of clay emit a pleasant scent on being dug or 

 ploughed up, especially after rain; and being a just 

 proportion of sand and clay inliniat> ly blended, or 

 mixed, will not stick much to the fingers on handling. 

 We would however, remark, that the best soils in the 

 world may be impoverished, and completely worn out 

 by an unjudicious succession of crops, and especially 

 it tbe ploughings are not frequently repeated before 

 the seed is sown. 



As said before, plants are a good index to soils; for 

 we find, if we examine tracts of lands not cultivated, 

 we may also find that time has adapted diflerent kinS 

 of plants to most of the distinguis-.bable varieties of 

 soils; and though some belonging lo one may, from 

 some cause or other, be found on lands of a diflerent 

 quality, they seldom thrive or perfect tneir seeds so as 

 to become general. The great care ot tbe farmer, 

 ought, therefore to be, by proper mixtures, to reduce 

 hie land to that state and temperament, in which the 

 extremes of hot and cold, wet and dry, are best cor- 

 rected by each other; lo give them every possible ad- 

 vanlage flowing Itom the benign influences of sun and 

 air; and to adopt such kinds of plants ss liiey afford 

 in this state, tbe greatest nourishment to; ond 

 lo renew their fertility by a judicious allowance of the 

 most proper manures. When these things are done, 

 there are few spots so unfriendly to cultivation, as not to 

 repay his expenses and labor, with a plentiful increase. 

 But without these, the best of land will, in time, be- 

 come a barren waste, or produce little but weeds." — 

 Practical Farmer. 



Pnying for Luxuries. — The Pocket Ship Albany, 

 from New York for Havre, look out $1.')0,000 in 

 specie. So much for an article, that might as well be 

 produced in this country, employing our own labor 

 ond capital, and furnishing a market at home for our 

 agricultural productions. 



The annual amount of cheese sold in Cincinnati, is 

 estimated st 900 tons for the last six yeara> 



