No. 7. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



iO 



TilJb] HEKEi-'OSSO OX. 



Cjrrect rcpresenmtioiis of distincl breeds ol calllf, cr • more useful to farmers tlmii portrtiits of living aiii- 

 Biala which do not serve the purpose of illustraliou. Tue Ui-reford is oae of lie oidcel and most celebrated 

 breeds, and one which particularly interests the American farmer, owing to its entering so largely into the 

 composition of our common mixed breed. 



The above purtrnit, which we find in th-; Karniera' Cabinet, 'copied, we presume, from Low's illustra- 

 tions,) exhibits the true form and characteristics of the Hereford Ox in perfcct.oii. 



Mr. M.irshai.l's description of this fimoue breed of cattle, is as follows: 



" The uountennnce, pleasint and open; the forehead bronJ; eye, lull and lively; horns, bright, tapering, 

 Bndspreadini;; chest, d.'ep; bosom, bioad and projectinii forwards; ilioaljer bone, thin, Hat, and no wny 

 protiibernnt m bone, but full and mellow in ilesh; loin, broad: hip9, wide and level with tb- 3;)ine; ijuariers 

 Ion; and wide ; rum;i, even with Ihe general level of the bt.cli; tail, slender ; bnrie', roomy, witli 

 carcase throughout deep and well bpre'id; ribs, br.ind an I standing close and flat on tlie outer surface, 

 forming a snwih, even barrel, the hindm ist large, and of ■nil lenijth; round bone, small and snug, and 

 not pro nim-nt; thivib, clean nn I regulaily fipering; leg;, upright and short, with bone below the Unee small: 

 flanU, large; twist, round and full; tlesb, everywhere, niclloiv, sok, imd yielding pleasantly to the touch, es- 

 pecially on the chine, shoulder, and rib; hide, mellow and supple; coat, neatly haired, bright and silhy; color, 

 a middle red, with bald lace. 



" The breeders of these enttle would do well to preserve the old blojd in as great a stole of purity as possi- 

 ble, for they pissessoneof the moat vr.luible breeds ol cattle in the w.irld. Tue dietin^'iiisiiing qualities of 

 the llerctord Ox are, the great produce of beef, qUicli feeding in proportion lo their growth and size, with im- 

 mense strength and speed in labor. With re=p.;ct lo the most pioliiable return in quantity nf beef, it may be 

 presumed that no bieed in England cin stand in competition with them, and they have accordinsly bien most 

 '■''•''J successful at the annual pr.z ■ cattle sbo.va, coinmand:ng ihe tirst prize, alive or dead. A writer observes: 

 " Tais breed, so eelejratcd fir producing quant ty ot beef, s'ems to combine all other dcs:rablc qualities — 

 leii'^ih, depth, substance, rotundity, fineness, yet sulTioiency of bone. Their origin is supposed to have been 

 across of the old H iieford unJ the Northern breed, and this opinion is strengthened by the remarks of a Heie- 

 fordsbire breeder, wiro says, about Sd years ago, a Mr. Gallier, of the Grange, procured a bull from York- 

 shire With a white face, and w.de horns, and bred Irom him: tba produce became fashionable, nnd actually 

 laid the foundation of the present fanous breed — and hence the bald face of the Herefirds, a bleed which, 

 conjrining beef and lab.ir, stand on the summit: they tatten speeiiiiy at an early age, and will live and grow 

 fat .vhere others would scarcely subsist. It is however, universally ad nitted, that as mdkcie they are ini'erioi 

 to the D^vons and tniuy oilur breeds, wade co:nnredwitb these, they arc shorter in the leg, liigiiernnd 

 broader and heavier in the chine, r.mnder and wider across the hips, and better covered with iat; the thigh 

 fuller and in <re inineular. and ttie snoiildcrs larger and coarser." 



The weight of Mr. Wes'.car's Herefordshire prize Ox, 2\'Ji lbs. the four quarters. 



tit II 



i-,iU 

 srlif I 

 \V:ll 



rtwii 

 Aii 



s.l» 

 lil.tl 

 :e IJI. 

 *.'. ' 



4y 

 Bill' 

 li-piJ 

 iin,> 

 iheii 



11 bid 



loH 

 Kiel 



ipfiSH 

 IJ Willi 



Hi in 



intiii 

 itfki 



.ill« 

 liel* 

 lOl' 

 pkK 

 soil' 



The New Esglasd Farmkr. — We mentioned 

 some months since, that Atj.e.n Pctnam had assumed 

 the editorship of this old and respectable paper; but at 

 it bad faded reaching us for some weeks previous, we 

 could not apeak of the cil'ecis of the change. Since 

 rficn however, it has arrived regularly, and we oughi 

 before now to have stated that Mr. Putnam's adminis' 

 tration has, in oar opinion, wrought a decided im 

 provement in its character. The following article on 

 .Haymaking is a fair specimen of the genuine farmer 

 style of Mr. P. We thank him for saving us the trou- 

 ble of writing an article on that subject lor our readers. 

 Hay Making. 



Scythes. — Procure a ^rnoil srh/iJtc for every man and 

 boy on the farm, who is to do any thing at mowing. 

 This work of cutting the grass is hard enough, with 

 the beat implement that con be m^de. And where 

 the tool is poor, the work must be done either poorly 

 or slowly — and in either case the thrnrer is losingmore 

 than the cost of furnishing a better instrument. Wc 

 know not — (by the way, this term we, /am tired of, 

 and shall, when it si ))lea.sce me, use the more proper 

 representation o( my single self, /) — I know not thai 

 any one of the manufacturers of this article excels all 

 others: some scythes from each factory are good, and 

 Bthsrs arc not a-?; — if you are iinmrtunale encugh to 



get a poor one. there is no economy in trying to wor- 

 ry tbronyh the season with it; gnawing oil' your gross; 

 whetting every five minutes; fretiing your own body 

 or that of your hired man; going to the grindstone 

 every two hours: — these attendants upon a poor 

 -eythe are such ecmsumers of lime, thot it is better to 

 iirow the soft or the brittle thing aside at once, and 

 onrchase another. As a general rule the scythe ;hat 

 crooks towardsthe point works bcUer than the straight 

 one — at least it is so in my hands. The cost off 

 scythe should not he put into the hands of the boy who 

 is latniin^ to mow — he wants in his feebler ond iin- 

 praciiced hand, a sharper edge than is required by the 

 man. Give him a good and a light tool, or else ex- 

 cuse him from this work. 



Hiir^c liake. — The value of this implement for use 

 on a farm of common inequolities of surface, and of 

 common size, is often over-slated in the advertisements 

 and puffs. But the urtiral irortli of it justifies its pur- 

 chase. We ba e used the revolving horse rake for 

 four or five seasms, on a farm where two acres is per- 

 haps the amoun'. mowed per ilay: the raking lip of the 

 thick green morning's mowing in the latter port of the 

 afternoon, is a fatiguing appendage to tlie [trcvioue 

 hard work of the day. The old horse who has been 

 in the pasture ell doy, and has nodiing to do at pre- 

 sent hut kick lies, can grcaily lighten and considcra- 

 ly shorten this labor: wc generally save r/i /("rnr prob- 

 ably from .15 to 6} minutes, and in siK^gtli more than 



ball. Tins saving towards the close ol the doy, cornea 

 in rery oppni tiiiicly, and we would not part with iho 

 rake for twice iis cost. 



To manage this instrument s-kilfuliy, rcqiiins some 

 practice — but as mon os one gets a little nccnstonied 

 to it, he can lay the winrows veiy well. On luris 

 farms its use must bs more valuable tlian on siiitill 

 ones. Where grain is mowed and lokid U|), lijiS 

 rake is veiy conveuii nt and conifortr.Me; it takes all 

 clean, ond siives from hard I. and raking. 



This instrument descries more extensive use than 

 it lios found hitherto. 



7'rmc if Vutluig. — Where grasses ore not lodged, 

 it is w(dl to cut when they are fairly and fully in blos- 

 som; but to avoid having some of them get lor past 

 this state before time con be found for securing, it id 

 prudent to begin ujion the niure luxuriant litlds be- 

 fore they reach full blossom. 



Curing. — In the early part of the haying scOEon, 

 while the gross is cpiitc green, and much tiirie is re- 

 quired for curing, it is well to be busy in turning it up 

 to wind and sun: help it along os fast as yon can — but 

 later in the season, if the weather be good, it wiil bo 

 sufficiently cured the doy after mowing without much 

 nsoistance. 



Some little matters amount to considerable in tho 

 course of the season: — in lurnhig vp hay, take the 

 help of the wind; do this too in raking; — in roknig 

 alter the cart, legard the course of the wind and tho 

 direction in which the teom will next move, and so ar- 

 range as not 10 be obliged to roke the ground over 

 twice. In this simple labor of raking ofter the cait, I 

 have found '" head work" as proiilable as in any of tho 

 operations upon the faiiii. 



Suit. — Ilay that would be liable to he.it and sour 

 because not quite cured, may often be tninved away 

 with safety, if six to ten quarts ot salt to the ton are 

 applied. The use o'' salt upon neoily all the hny as it 

 goes into the barn may be wise I am inclini d to the 

 belief that a laMii in my nei; hb ''ho .d on which ta!t 

 has been very Ireely Uied in tl at w , bad been gi cul- 

 ly improved by it: that is, I ihink lie manure has 

 been much mere efficacious in • oneei n nee of the salt 

 ap;ilied to the hay. At home we nnd no bay so palat- 

 able to the stock as that which is cut yorng, ihrco- 

 fotirths dried nnd well soiled. 



Clover. — Tiiis should he cured without much ex- 

 posure to the sun. 1 con tell a story that goes to show 

 that clover need not be so lb lougnly uiii d as m my 

 suppose. Last year, about !he middle o Jun ■, wo 

 mosved some very coirs' clover, tcoicely legino ng 

 to blossom, and as fail of sap as clover evei was. Tho 

 weather wos cloudy ond foggy for scverai days, fo 

 ihat but little progress was nnide in curing it. it con- 

 tinued heavy and green: after four or five dcys, and 

 while the cocks were damp with fog we loaded it, be- 

 cause the indications of rain were strong. It was ta- 

 ken to the 1) rn. stowed away, and tery thoroiighly 

 salted. In four or five days it was diipping we; and 

 burning lot; in fifteen days it was mouldy: in De- 

 cember it wtij me hay preterrcd above all others in 

 '.he barn by ^- uld Bi g Hum," a dainty cow that was 

 disuncd for the shoinbles; every animal in tho barn 

 would devour it greedily — and this ton, when most of 

 the hoy, and all the corn stalks in the bam bad been 

 saU d; — ;hc salttosie was no raiity. 



DriiiU.^. — The bay-maker must hove a full supply 

 of diink; perspiration will be flee, and he iinst hava 

 something to support it. There is no danger from 

 frequent drinking in the hottest weather. Take cold 

 tenter OS ol'icn and as Ireely os you please; there is no 

 donger from it, if you bove not been too long without 

 drink. Colli icalcr is ihe best of all drinks for slacli- 

 iiig thirst — it nio^ be sweeleited with molasses or 

 with sugor; ond ifinilk is taken with them, the drink 

 is the most servieoble we hove ever found — furnish- 

 ing nourieliment while it ilitkes thirst. Hum rnd Ci- 

 der, and their kindred spirits, are not to be admin, d 

 to the field of the prudent and worthy farmer. I 

 know they are not needed; I know ihcy are not useful 

 there, "rhe boy will be cut nnd cured with more 

 dej^patch and comfort, when true temperance practi- 

 ces prevail, tbon wbeieolcohol intrudes. 



N.nie but the iniemperate are injured by i'rinkin» 

 cold water. If told that 1 know not the htrdslup of 

 swinsting the scythe, ond the need a man then has for 

 tho stimulus, I reply that 1 do know what it is to 

 swing the scythe, ond that on the very hottest d.iy ot 

 1S40, 1 was mowing tVom half post four in tie morning 

 till three in the afternoon, with the cxceiition ol time 

 enough to cat, drink ond grind the scythe; and nei 

 tber then nor on any other doy of the season, did I re 

 quire the use of any other drinks stronger than mi'lf 

 and water. And no man, after one month of lempa 

 [icianc*; will cvei icT'iie any thing sticmger. 



