CISTERNS FOR. HOUSES AND CATTLE YARDS, ETC. 
29 
for four cents. It came as ballast, which 
will often be the case when the quantity of 
grain increases as it may, by the use of lime. 
Mr. H. K. B. pointed out a spot in the midst 
of one clover field, still covered with broom 
sedge, which he left as a memento of what the 
whole was before lime and manure altered the 
whole appearance as well as fertility of the 
place. Mr. B. told me that there are about thirty 
miles of fencing upon these places, to keep out other 
folks' cattle. What a tax ! But it is just so all 
over the United States. At his house I found a 
most lovely and accomplished lady, delightfully 
situated in the new mansion at the " Hill Side," 
but which, I regret to learn, has since been de- 
stroyed by fire. I hope Mr. B.'s valuable library, 
in which was an abundant supply of agricul- 
tural books, was saved. Mrs. B. appeared more 
lovely in my eyes, in consequence of meeting 
her in the negro quarter administering to the 
sick — an occupation, in my opinion, that always 
makes a woman angelic. She was a Greenough, 
of Boston ; and it gives me pleasure to bear this 
just meed of praise to her friends there and 
elsewhere. 
P. S. — Since the above was written, I have 
had the pleasure of meeting Mr. T. P. Burgwin 
in this city, and he informs me that they have 
just shipped five head of shorthorn cattle, pur- 
chased of Mr. Vail, last summer, which they 
hope will not only improve their own herd, but 
give an impetus to improvement of the stock 
of all that region. They have also contracted 
for 40,000 bushels of lime to be sent forward. 
This will cost them, delivered on their planta- 
tion, ten cents a bushel. Mr. B. has just been 
informed that a great freshet in the Roanoke 
has burst their embankment and injured their 
crop of corn materially, and has probably de- 
stroyed a great deal of corn upon all the low 
grounds of other plantations. 
New York, Nov. 1th, 1849. 
SMALL vs. LARGE CALVES. 
In the November number of the Agriculturist, 
Mr. Sotham has given us a very interesting com- 
munication on this subject. Although I confess 
to be somewhat "Durhamish" in my prejudices, 
yet I trust Mr. Sotham will accept my testimony 
in his favor, so far as small calves are preferable 
to large ones. I believe, with him, that a large 
calf, that is, large when first dropped from the 
cow, never yet made a prime animal; on the 
other hand, the small, well-bred calf, is sure to 
come up right. 
This year I had a calf from the old, celebrated 
Matilda, from which Mr. Prentice has raised so 
many choice animals, got by Mr. Vail's imported 
bull, Duke of Wellington. When this calf was 
a few days old, with no small amount of pride 
I showed it to one of my neighbors, who, by the 
way, professes to be a good judge of stock, and 
to my surprise, he declared " It wan't worth 
twenty shillings. It wan't big enough to ever 
be good for anything." I exhibited this " runt 
of a calf," if any one so pleases to call it, at the 
late state show held at Syracuse, and v/as offered 
for it there $150, and it was then only ten weeks 
old. She now promises to make the best cow 
ever produced by Matilda, now near sixteen 
years old, 
I cannot, however, agree with Mr. Sotham, 
that among the Durhams " there are thirty mon- 
grels with high pedigrees to one prime beast," nor 
can I further agree, that because there are mon- 
grels, called Durhams, that this "condemns the 
breed." 
It is certainly anything but pleasant to breed- 
ers of thorough-bred animals, to see individuals 
palming off upon the public their quarter and 
half bloods for pure-bred stock; and no one 
can have greater contempt for the practices of 
such men than myself. I sincerely wish buyers 
would be more careful, and breeders more 
honest. 
I rejoice, however, to see individuals crossing 
their native stock with the improved breeds. 
Every such cross tends to improvement, and 
only needs to be skilfully practiced and con- 
tinued, to add millions to the real wealth of our 
country. But let such animals be known as 
grades, and not endeavor to rank them as 
thorough-bred stock. It is this mean, contempti- 
ble practice of selling these grades as pure-bred 
animals, that has done more to retard improve- 
ment and discourage honest breeders, than all 
other influences combined. The only remedy 
for all who wish to procure thorough-bred animals, 
is to look well to their pedigrees, purchase of respon- 
sible breeders, and be willing to pay a remuner- 
ating price. In this way they can rear a herd 
that will be a source of real pleasure and profit 
to themselves, and do honor to the particular 
breed they may chance to prefer. 
S. P. Chapman. 
Clockville, Mad. Co., N. Y, Nov., 1849. 
CISTERNS FOR HOUSES AND CATTLE YARDS. 
When spring or running water cannot be 
brought into the house or cattle yards, troughs 
should be placed under the eaves of the house, 
and every farm and out building, and the water 
conveyed from them by means of pipes to a 
large cistern. In most cases where this is done, 
an ample supply of water can be obtained all 
the year, not only for the house and domestic 
purposes, but for the farm stock when confined 
to their yards during the winter months. Any 
one who has never practiced this system, would 
be surprized at the quantity of water annually 
collected from the roofs of even a few buildings 
of ordinary size; one of our friends thus ob- 
tains sufficient for his house, stock, and also for 
irrigating his garden. His buildings, however, 
are numerous and of considerable extent. 
Another great advantage of cisterns is, that 
if properly built and taken care of, the rain 
water thus obtained to fill them is always soft 
for washing, and palatable and wholesome to 
drink. 
Where there is a compact clay, no further 
preparation is necessary for stock purposes, 
than to excavate the cistern of a sufficient size 
and depth; and to keep up the banks on every 
side, place two frames of single joist around it, 
