364 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



that I could perceive no difference in the color or 

 growth of the wheat during the winter and spring, 

 nor any difference in the product when it matured, 

 although there were strips of land left unlimed 

 through the lot. Possibly its good effects may be 

 seen hereafter. 



The second experiment was made to test the re- 

 lative value of Peruvian guano and Kettlewell's 

 salts, and the profit or loss from the use of them. 

 In the fall of 1852 I selected three adjoining acres 

 of land which had been in corn. On the first I 

 applied 200 lbs. of Peruvian guano, at a cost of 

 $4 53, freight included. On the second I applied 

 200 lbs. of Kettlewell's salts, which is a combina- 

 tion of bone-dust and Peruvian guano, at a cost of 

 $3 97, freight included. On the third I applied 

 nothing. The last acre was rather the best, and 

 the third, or guanoed acre, the most indifferent of 

 the three, although there was no great difference 

 in them. I sowed on each of these acres one bushel 

 of wheat on the 29th of November. On the first 

 the guano and wheat were turned under together 

 with a single plough. On the second the wheat 

 was turned under; the salts were then sowed and 

 dragged in. As to results. The first, or guanoed 

 acre, is to be credited for 8 bushels and 20 lbs. of 

 wheat, at $1, making $8 33, and for straw and 

 chaff, say $1 50, which added to the above, makes 

 $9 83, and to be charged for rent of land, guano 

 and interest on guano, seed wheat, getting in seed 

 wheat, cutting, shocking, threshing, freight and 

 selling— amounting to $9 78— leaving a profit of 

 only 5 cents on the acre. The acre dressed with 

 salts is to be credited for 6 bushels and 50 lbs. of 

 wheat, at $1, making $Q 83, and for straw and chaff, 

 say $1 40, which added to the above, makes $8 23, 

 and to be charged for rent of land, cost of salts and 

 interest, seed wheat, cutting, shocking, threshing, 

 freight and selling— amounting to $8 18— leaving 

 a profit of only 5 cents on the acre. The third, or 

 unimproved acre, is to be credited for 6 bushels 

 and 5 lbs. of wheat, at $1, making $6 05, and for 

 straw and chaff, say $1 25, which added to the 

 above, makes $7 33, and to be charged for rent of 

 land, seed wheat, cutting, threshing, freight and 

 selling, amounting to S3 71— leaving a profit on 

 the unimproved acre of S3 62*, from which amount 

 deduct 5 cents, the profit on the first and second 

 acres, and there will remain $3 57*— showing a 

 loss of that amount per acre by the "use of guano 

 or Kettlewell's salts. Supposing the land to pro- 

 duce without guano 6 bushels of wheat and to net, 

 after paying all expenses S3 50 per acre, there will 

 be no net profit by the use of guano at $45 35 the 

 short ton and wheat at $1 per bushel, unless it in- 

 creases the product 6 bushels per acre, i. e. brings 

 the product up to 12 bushels per acre. All over 12 

 bushels per acre may be considered net profit. The 

 less liability of loss from rust, the improved qua- 

 lity of the wheat, and the improved condition of 

 the land by the use of guano, are not estimated in 

 the above. 



Respectfully submitted, 



William Irby. 



September 8, 1853. 



Lord Spencer, celebrated for his fine blooded 

 cattle, said that he had observed that the worse 

 bred the female is, the more likely is the offspring 

 to resemble a well bred sire ; and that he should 

 practically prefer a cow of no breed, to an indifferent 

 pure bred cow, for a good thoroughbred bull. 



For the Southern Planter. 



ABRAM RENICK AND HIS SHORT- HORNS. — 

 THE SPRINGFIELD (OHIO) CATTLE SHOW. 

 WEIGHTS OF THE SHORT-HORNS. 



Mr. Editor, — I promised in my last, to write an ar- 

 ticleabout "Abram Renick and his Short-Horns." 

 As it is fashionable at present to have "clean hands," 

 I will remark, before describing this herd of cattle, 

 that I have at different times purchased several 

 animals of Abram Renick, and his brother James, 

 who lives near him ; and may be considered an in- 

 terested or prejudiced party ; but I think the very 

 fact of my going to the Renicks, when I wish to 

 buy a really fine animal, is the very best evidence 

 I could give, that I consider their cattle superior. 

 Nor is it necessary for me, or any person else, to 

 write up his stock. The demand for them is 

 greater than the production, and when I was at his 

 house in September, he had nothing to sell. The 

 last bull calf had been engaged to some Ohio men, 

 before it came, and his heifer calves he would not 

 sell, as he wishes to increase the number of his 

 breeding stock. I can say the same thing for 

 myself— that I have at this time nothing for sale, 

 and will have nothing but bull calves, for some- 

 time. Thoroughbred bull calves sold readily in 

 this county during the present year, at one hun- 

 dred dollars each, and the demand was such that 

 I was requested by some friends to buy some for 

 them in Kentucky, which I did, and bought five 

 bulls and three heifers of the Renicks. I do 

 not intend this as a sort of puff advertisement of 

 "Abram Renick and his Short-Horns;" his cattle 

 do not require it, and he is the last man to re- 

 quest it, for a more honorable and high minded 

 man does not breathe. I shall write merely what 

 I feel is due both to the man and his herd ; for I 

 doubt very much whether there is another such a 

 herd, taken as a whole, in the Union. Besides, I 

 saw on his farm at my last visit, and at previous 

 ones, some animals, bred by himself, which were 

 superior to any imported animal that I have ever 

 seen. In addition, he has, in my opinion, bred 

 more highly superior bulls, than any man in Ken- 

 tucky ; and I have never, in rambling about over 

 Kentucky, met with one of his bulls that was not a 

 good getter. Such a breeder is invaluable to a 

 State, and is, I think, a benefactor. So far, then, 

 from advocating his cattle from interest, I advo- 

 cate them from admiration of Abram Renick, as a 

 man, and as a judge and breeder of Short-Horns. 

 It was seeing his cattle at the Bourbon show in 

 1849, that induced me to seek his acquaintance ; 

 and when I went to his farm, after the show, I 

 found that the few shown by him was nothing 

 more than a fair sample of the whole. So much, 

 by way of preface, and I will now tell you where 

 he lives, and the kind of cattle he rears. 



Abram Renick, then, lives in Clark county, not 

 far from the Bourbon line, and about three miles 

 from Clintonville, (Bourbon county,) which is his 

 post office. The farm on which he lives, is the one 

 on which his father, who moved from the South 

 Branch of the Potomac, in Virginia, settled, on 

 going to Kentucky, about the year 1800, and 

 which was a canebrake at the time he purchased 

 it. Abram Renick, being the youngest of the 

 sons, inherited the home place, containing about 

 350 acres, and in quality, I suppose, equal to any 

 land in Kentucky. His father was a breeder of 

 fine stock, and brought his sons up to the same bu- 



