A N i ) (,\\l DINNER'S JOURNAL. 



71 



net in their form and clinracter, as sheep and oxen 



he general conclusion to be drawn from these re- 



8 would seem tube, that the practice of estimating 



dead weight al one half the live weight, is erronc- 



It would by no means, however, be safe to draw 



ocific conclusi'in as to the actual proportion of live 



ead weight from the tables now given, ouaccouni 



he limited number of the returns made. It ison- 



y means of a great number of such cxperimciils 



t we can hope to obtain a just medium, and found 



n it a safe conclusion. Could farmers be induced 



ve more attention to this eubjcct, by keeping ac- 



ate records of stock slaughtered by them and their 



nds, much might speedily be done to settle the 



lestion of the live and the dead weight, while there 



d reason to believe that many respectable butih- 



would concur in preserving and conmiunicating 



ilar details. A further purpose might be promo- 



1 by constructing such tables. We should, by means 



them, be able to discover the breeds or varieties of 



ir different species of stock ic/iich r/icld the greatest 



l:trn in proportion to the offal, and thus perhaps be 



labled to draw conclusions as to the relative value of 



fferont breeds. 



It has been before observed that the question of the 

 jtio of live to dead weight semis to have been a good 

 eal overlooked of recent years. At one period, the 

 ttention of individuals, admirably fitted fortheinves- 

 igaiion, appears to have been awakened to the impor- 

 ance o( the inquiry. In the able report of the coun- 

 y of Durham, some interesting details on the subject 

 re given: but these can scarcely be said to do more 

 ;han open up the subject; and certainly a great blank 

 emains to be filled up before the farmer and the pro- 

 essional butcher shall be placed on equal terms as re- 

 Igards their information upon this point. 



Should these cursory remarks tend to direct the at- 

 tention of breeders and graziers to this interesting 

 subject of inquiry, the object of the writer will have 

 been fully accomplished. 



licliiriiiiiiuiii, imd their position shed some light on 

 the manner in which they were deposited. 



About half a mile northeast of Phomixville in Ches- 

 ter county, on the opposite side of the river Schuyl- 

 kill, on a high hill, we saw OYSTER SIIELI.S im- 

 bedded in the solid rock which had been laid bare by 

 a torrent. It wasshown to us in the fall of the year 

 18I)G; and as we had not (b'jnd any fossil shells be- 

 ow the Blue Mountains before tbat time, we viewed 

 It as a great curiosity. t 



Geology of Peiinsylrania> 



In the " Third Annual Report on the Geological 

 Snrvey" of that State, (1839,} Professor Rogers in 

 describing his "middle secondary red sandstone 

 roRMATioN," makes the following remarks : — 



'It seems to have originated in a long narrow 

 tlough or bay whicli had its source at least as farso ilh 

 as the central latitudes of Virginia, and which proba- 

 bly opened into the ocean somewliere near the present 

 positions of the Rarilon and New York bays. Thcii 

 materials give evidence of having been swept into this 

 estuary or great river from the south and south east; 

 and henee the almost universal dip or inclination of 

 the beds towards the northwest, a feature clearly not 

 produced hij any uplifting agency, but assumed origi- 

 nally at the time of their deposition in consequence 

 of tlie direction or set of the currents, which laid them 

 down layer after layer. With the exception of one or 

 two fossil fishes found in this formation in New Jersey, 

 / am not meat e that any aiiimnl organic remains have 

 been hitherto met with in any part of the stratum; 

 and hence it becomes ditTicult to assign its precise 

 place in the general series of geological formations. 

 Relics of vegetation are however, occasionally f(uind 

 under the form, especially of highly compact and bit- 

 uminous lignite." 



Forilie Neic Genesee Farmer. 

 Letter from Wisconsiu. 



Messrs Editors — Perceiving that you have no cor- 

 respondent from this territory, I take the liberty of fil- 

 ling that station, and will, whenever time shall per- 

 mit, give an account of matters and things as they 

 exist in this " Badger" territory of ours — premising, 

 however, that I leave it to your readeis whether my 

 communications are interesting o^ not. Many of 

 them have friends and relatives in this territory, and 

 it may prove of interest to them to hear occasionally 

 from this quarter. 



Much has been written and said in respect to Wis- 

 consin, its fertility, its universal wealth, and its natu- 

 ral advantages; but much remains to be told in rela- 

 tion to the system of farming that has been adopted 

 in some parts of the territory; although there is much 

 to be urged in extenuation, as the country is new, and 

 most of the settlers are men of limited character; but 

 still there are many among us, who, if they would take 

 the trouble to look a little into the future, and loose 

 their purse strings, could confer a benefit upon the 

 territory, and upon themselves and their posterity. 

 The introduction of improved farm implements and 

 machinery, such as the thrashing machine, the straw 

 cutter, the horse rake, the cultivator, and the hundred 

 other useful implements to be found in the agricultu- 

 ral repositories of the east, would be of immense util- 

 ity on our fine rolling prairies, where there are no 

 stumps nor stones to obstruct their operation. 



Many of the settlers are men who have not been 

 bred farmers, but who have lel't the workshop to try 

 their hands at the plough, and some of them are ra. 

 ther " green" at the business, among which 1 class 

 myself. But I find one trait among them which is 

 not found so generally among the old class of farmers. 

 They are more of a reading people. Deprived of the 

 advantage of experience, they are obliged to depend 

 upon the knowledge of others, and are therefore more 

 willing to lend their support to the agricultural jour- 

 nals of the day, than are those who have imbibed their 

 knowledge and their prejudices from a daily expe- 

 rience in agricultural pursuits. 



Although at this time the natural fertility of the soil 

 of Wisconsin supersedes the use of manures, the time 

 will come, if the eastern skinning system is followed, 

 when it will lequire all the renovating powers of a 

 proper rotation and application of the various fertili- 

 zing substances, to render an equivalent to the farmer 

 for his labor. 



Wheat is destined to be the great staple of this ter- 

 ritory, and many are pursuing the same system that 

 was adopted in the Genesee country, that of growing 

 wheat to the exclusion of any other crop, on the same 



It is possible the strata wero formed in the manner land. 



he has mentioned; and that no " uplifted agency" has 

 given thrm their present dip; hut we think such a 

 conclusion ought to be founded on something more 

 than cursory observation. It seems to us very i n- 

 probable. We have not learned however; whether 

 this able geologist has relinquished, or still retains that 

 singular opinion; for it has not been in our power to 

 procure either of his later Reports; but if he should 

 examine the locality which we shall proceed to desig- 

 nate, it is probable those fossils would indicate the age 



Corn ripens well in this country, but it will never, 

 probably, be grown to the extent tbat it is in Indiana 

 and other states to the south of us; but enough, how- 

 ever, to supply the community, as the "badgers" are 

 not such " corn crackers" as their neighbors in the 

 hoosier slate and in Kentucky, whose national dish is 

 "corn dodgers and hoe cake." Every variety of 

 soil may be found in this territory, and any thing 

 may be grown here that will tlirive in New York or 

 New England. 



Wiih an extent of territory larger than any slato 

 in the Union, and possessing, as she does, immcnso 

 treasures in her lead and copper and iron ores, Wis- 

 consin presents at tho present time an object worthy 

 the attention of every well wisher of this country. 

 Still reposing in her minority as a territory, she holds 

 out to the patriot and the moralist the hope thai her 

 constitution and laws, will receive the benefits of the 

 experience and legislation of tho older states of the 

 confederacy, and tliat by their misfortunes and mis- 

 calculations, she will steer clear of the rocks and 

 quicksands on which many of them have been nearly 

 wrecked. Taken as a whole, 1 do not believe there 

 can be found a more moral class of people in tho 

 United States than in this territory. They are com- 

 posed, to be sure, of almost every nation; for here 

 you will find the Dutchman, the Norwegian, the Eng- 

 lishman, the Russian, the Prussian, the Frenchman, 

 the Scotchman, and the sons of "Green F.rin," ell 

 congregated in one community and amenable to iho 

 same laws, although they retain their national habila. 

 It is amusing to sec some of the Norwegians and 

 Dutch open a farm in the thick forest. They make 

 thorough work of it. In clearing, they commence at 

 the root of a tree and dig round it so that it falls, eith- 

 er by its own might or by the wind. They then 

 log it and burn it before they proceed further. By this 

 means they get a clear field, unobstructed by slumps 

 and logs, as you will find is not usually the case with 

 the Yankee or English farmer, 



Wisconsin at this time holds out great inducementi 

 to breeders of stock, especially as her beuatiful prairies 

 afford the best oi pasture, and there are many thousand 

 acres yet unentered, that would far surpass in worth 

 many of the meadows of the eastern states, for the 

 pasturage of cattle. Nearly all the neat slock now in 

 the territory, is from Illinios and Indiana, and consist 

 of all bloods, colors, shapes, and sizes; and you may 

 see here also the famous breed of hogs which friend 

 Robinson, of Lake C. H., took such a fancy to as to 

 think he could fat them. They are the real land pika 

 and alligator breed, snout and all. An improvement 

 is beginning to be made in this race of quadrupeds 

 and you may see the Chinese and Berkshire blood 

 runninf in the veins of many of our grunting inhab- 

 itants. There are a few full bloods in this neighbor- 

 hood, and their progeny are being distributed ihrough 

 the country, and will result much to the benefit of the 

 farmer. There have been a fevv imporiations of 

 blooded cattle into the territory. Jupiter, impcrled by 

 Mr. Geo. Reed oi Milwaukee, is a fine full blooded 

 Short Horn Durham Bull, eight years old; and anoth- 

 er, belonging to Judge Doty of Green Bay, have been 

 productive of great benefit to this section of country; 

 and half bloods, and other grade animals may be often 

 met with. 



But I have written more than I intended at first, 

 and shall conclude, and take another opportunity, 

 when I am "in the vein" of giving you n second 

 communication. Yours, &c. 



E. B. QUINER. 

 milwan hee, W. T., March, 1^41. 

 Michigan Coal.— A load of coal passed through 

 this village a few days since, on its way to Detroit, 

 from the village of Corunna, in Shiawasse county. 

 The oentleman who owned it, left a small specimeu 

 with us. It has the appearance of the coal found at 

 Pitleburgh, Pa., and burns as freely, emitting the same 

 smell. The gentleman informs us that, from present 

 appearances, the supply is inexhaustible, and is found 

 within three feel of the surface If it is as teprefeiited 

 by our informant,, which we do not doubt, it will be a 

 source of much wealih to the Stale at large, and rdd 

 Immensely to the business of the place at which it is 



found. — P ontiac Jacksonian. 



Wilbeforce, who bad a great taste for hortieiilture, 

 considered flowers to be the smiles ol the Divuia 

 gooditess. 



