Xo. 3. 



AND GARDENEirS JOURNAL. 



35. 



conclusive as to the butter proprrtics of the 

 Tliis can only be certainly determined in the 



ll was snid to me at the meeting of the State Socie- 

 ty at Albany, by two or three tViends, that it was un- 

 derstood tliat now the New Genesee Farmer would 

 liome out as the opponent of the Durham Short Horns. 

 I answer that no man has either right or reason to say 

 this. I do not choose to be put in this position. I ain 

 not the opponent of the Short Horns ; far from it. I 

 am an admirer of this race of animals. But I am the 

 friend of truth in the case, and 1 shall go for facts, and 

 seek, as honestly as I can, to make up my judgment; 

 and shall have no hesitation in avowing that judgment, 

 when it is madr up ; and shall not be ashamed to alter 

 that jud^:iient when f see occasion to alter it, even at 

 the risk of being tossed upon the horns of these cattle 

 s high as the most stifl-neckcd among them or their 

 dvocatcs can throw mc. H. C. 



Ilasl Haven, Con., Dec. 10, 1841. 



Mn. H. COL.M.IN — 



De.ir SrR — In compliance with your suggestion, 

 ommunicated through H. Whitney, Esq., of New 

 Haven, I will endeavor to give you a few statements 

 respecting the quantity and quality of the milk from 

 my thorough bred Durham cows. 



' Lady," from whom my stoek originated, was pur- 

 chased in England by Henry De Groot, Esq., in May, 

 1829, of Asahel Ashcroft, Esq., of Bank Hale Farm, 

 md was then four years old. She arrived in this coun- 

 tiy in July of that year, and on Dec. 29th, brought a 

 fine heifer calf — named Favorite. Lady, during the 

 winter succeeding, averaged 18 quarts, and when in 

 her prime gave, while in full milk on good feed, 30 

 quarts per day. 



At two years old. Favorite gave 2-2 quarts ; but 

 (osinf one teat by accident, her greatest quantity since 

 has been 24 quarts. 



Favorite's first calf, " Beauty," is a superior milker, 

 wiving milk freely up to the very day of calving. On 

 he 4th of May last,she gave 10 quarts in the morning, 

 ind in the afternoon returned from the pasture with the 

 alf she had dropped during the day, by her side, and 

 gave an equal quantity. She immediately increased to 

 BO quarts a day, and so continued for 6 to 8 weeks, 

 until the pastures failed from the drought. 



I have eii^ht thorough bred cows, descendants of 

 Ladv, and all superior milkers. We estimate their 

 .verage quantity during the 8 weeks after calving, on 

 (i good feed, at 24 quarts per day. 



As all my milk, for several years, has been sold in 

 New Haven, it has not been convenient for me to as- 

 :ertain the precise quantity of butter which might be 

 made from the milk of each cow. My milk is rich and 

 sells readily at the highest price in the city, emd is pro- 

 nounced by good judges there, the best which can be 

 Dbtained. Butter made by us from milk left occasion- 

 ally, is of the first quality in color and in flavor, and 

 the thickness of the cream, as compared vnlh that upon 

 the milk of native cows, placed side by side, has been 

 such as to attract the notice of my family. The per- 

 son who has purchased my milk for the year past, has 

 had e.tperience in the business, and he declares the 

 milk from my Durham cows the richest he has ever 

 taken to market. 



Very respectfully, &c. 



WM. K. TOWNSEND. 



This certifies that I have used in my family, milk 

 obtained from many different persons, but for the last 

 year have procured my supply from Mr. Townsend's 

 dairy, and that, I am fully satisfied, it is the best I can 

 procure in the city. 



CHARLES ROBINSON. 



NeicHaven, Dec. 10, 1841. 



Charles Robinson, who subscribes the above 

 cettificate, is one of the most active and eolight- 



encd friends of Agricultural Improvement to be 

 found in this good old Yankee Stale. We arc 

 happy to see his name alli.xcd to any communica- 

 tion in our paper ; and shall be much gratified to 

 find it often appended to communications much 

 longer. We assure liim a hearty welcome when- 

 ever he will favor us, and a cordial co-operation, 

 as far ns our humble power can be exerted, in the 

 cause which he and his disinterested coadjutors 

 have so much at heart, the improvement of Con- 

 necticut Husbandry. 



Uurham and Devon Stock. 

 Mr. Editor — 



Sir — In answer to an inquiry in the December 

 number of the New Genesee Farmer, by A Subscri- 

 ber, as to which I consider the best breed of cattle, the 

 Durham or the Devon, I would say, that I have not 

 had much experience with the Durham, excepting one 

 bull. My oldest stock of that breed are only one 

 year old last spring. They are quite large of their age 

 and appear to be tolerable good feeders, but they have 

 not that symmetry of shape that Would be desirable, 

 excepting those from Devon cows (crossed). I have 

 raised crosses of the DcVons for a number of years, 

 and I tliink they are the best stock to cross with our 

 native cOws, being more uniform in shape and color, 

 and in my judgment, are the best stock of cattle for 

 the majority of farmers in the Genesee country, all 

 tilings considered. They arc very much sought after 

 by eastern drovers. 



GEORGE SHEFFER. 



mcaHanil, Jan. 15, 1843. 



Remarks — We give the above from a respectable 

 farmer and agree with him, that he is a very incompe- 

 tent judge of the Durham Stock If he has had none, 

 excepting a bull, more than drie year old. He as yet 

 can hardly judge of their shape, as animcjs of a large 

 size seldom attain perfection of size early. 



The cross of the Devons with our best native stock, 

 is most strongly to be recommended, especially in 

 reference to raising oxen ; how far it may improve the 

 milking qualities of the covfs remains to be deter- 

 mined. 



That this cross constitutes the best stock for the 

 Genesee Country, with our recent and imperfect 

 knowledge of the localities, wc shall not presume to 

 give even an opinion. — En. 



Berkshire Pigs. 



Mr. E. Marks, in the last number of the Culti; 

 vator, gives the weight of four Berkshires, — 1838 

 pounds ; pretty good, to be sure. But we have 

 some in this neighborhood quite their equals. Mr. 

 Carter, who has taken four premiums on Berk- 

 shires of the Ontario Agricultural Society, fatten, 

 ed two out of a litter of eleven pigs, and slaugh. 

 tered them the day they were twenty months old. 

 Their aggregate weight was one thousand and 

 forty-four pounds. Yours &e. 



MYRON ADAMS. 



East Bloovtfield, Jan., 1842. 



For the I\^ew Geimee Farmer 



peat, 



Mr. Colman — There has recently been discovered 

 in this vicinity, nn extensive bed of peat. It issilua- 

 ted about midway between the villages of East and 

 West Bloomfield. half a mile North of the road. It 

 is found in a whortleberry swamp, comprising some 

 sixty or seventy acres. The discovery was accidental. 

 A man passing on the bank of a ditch during the very 

 dry weather of last autumn, observed the muck thrown 

 out of the ditch to be hard, and crumbling under his 

 feet like charcoal, was induced to try eome of it in a 

 blacksmith's fire, and found that it burned readily. 

 The swamp was burned over last fall, and the surface 

 is now emooth, with little else upon it but the fibrous 



roots of tho whortle bushes. The peat is found about 

 six inches below the surface, and is said to vary from 

 three to ten feet in depth. While lying in the bed it 

 resembles common swamp muck — is more compact, 

 and of a elighily reddish cast. When dried it is bard 

 and friable, lighter colored than common charcoal, 

 receives a polish, and burns with a steady clear flame. 



I understand that a company has been formed who 

 are to commence digging it next spring. It will un- 

 doubtedly be a valuable acquisition to this part of the 

 state. Yours, &c., 



MYRON ADAMS. 



East Bloomrield, N. Y. 1842. 



tie marks on the above, and on Redemption of Peat 

 Meadoics. — There cannot be much doubt that the sub- 

 stance our respected correspondent has described ia 

 peat ; and the reddish coloring matter mentioned 

 comes from iron mixed with it. A company he soys 

 is formed to commence digging it the next spring ; 

 but what is the specific object of this company, wheth- 

 er manure or fuel, is not said. 



Asa manure, peat forms* valuable ingredient in 

 compost ; being formed wholly of decayed vegetable 

 matter, it is well adapted to restore to the soil the 

 element, which cultivation exhausts. It requires, 

 however, decomposition or disintegration before it ia 

 in a condition to apply to the ground. Lord Meod- 

 owbank's process for its reduction, of which so much 

 is said in English agricultural works, consisted in 

 forming a heap of peat with invervening layers of 

 horse manure, which, taken green from the stables, 

 soon produced heat enough to rtduce the peat. Lime 

 is recommended by Dr. Jackson, for the same purpose, 

 but it must be quick lime. Dr. Dana recommends 

 ashes, of the superior advantages of which we have 

 no doubt. Peat likewise, the coarser kinds especially, 

 may be advantageously ihnwn into the hog-stye, 

 where the hogs will soon reduce and intermix it with 

 other substances ; and it may with particular advan- 

 tage be thrown into a barn cellar where the hogs have 

 access, and where, if the manure from the horse sta- 

 ble is likewise deposited, the peat will act as a most 

 useful absorbent ; and the whole contents be made 

 valuable. In many cases what is called black muck, 

 is composed like peat of decayed vegetation, and 

 seems to be peat in an incipient state. Do the farmers 

 of Ontario county re luire this for a manure ? We 

 had supposed not ; but our information is of necessity 

 extremely imperfect. While they have vast amounts 

 of wheat straw, and spent ashes lies untouched in 

 large heaps at the potash establishments, and plaster 

 works its magical cfiects among them, and clover af- 

 foids its enriching nutriment, and their flocks ot sheep 

 arc numerous, we had supposed, on their new and 

 unexhausted soil, they would require few additional 

 materials for manure. 



As fuel, peat is highly valuable, where better sub- 

 stances cannot be had ; but who would tbink of using 

 peat where the best of rock maple and beach and hick- 

 ory can be had f t)r two dollars per cord t The odor 

 of burning peat is offensive to most people ; its ashes 

 are very light and fill the house with dirt ; and th« 

 trouble of diggingand drying and caning is agood deal 

 more than that of getting wood, and occurs at a sea- 

 son of the year when time is worth much more to tho 

 farmer than in the season of getting wood. We 

 might be driven to use a peat fire by necessity, but we 

 should never go to it from choice. It has, however, 

 one great advantage ; o block of peat kindled and 

 raked up in the ashea will keep alive for a week. 



If our friends, however, choose to use it for fuel, 

 they will allow us to give them one word of advice as 

 to curing it. In general, this is done by piling it in 

 stacks crosswise on the margin of the meadow. Hera 

 it must remain sometime ; and, if the season prove 

 wet, it will be a long time before it will be ready for 



