REVIEW OF THE JUNE NUMBER OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
253 
The Princess Tribe of Shorthorns and the Por- 
trait — Mr. Sheafe's Sale of Shorthorns. — Gentle 
reader, you recollect some comments I made 
upon a short-horned article in a former number, 
the meaning of which, from a note of the editor, 
seems not to be understood. I do not object to 
pedigrees in their proper places nor to this 
breed of cattle. It was only to the wordy war 
between breede'rs as to which was best, mine or 
yours. The article now under notice is a " calf 
of another color." It gives a brief history of 
this family of cattle for five centuries; and if 
you desire a more full one, look into L. F. Allen's 
American Herd Book, and you will find all the 
information you desire, and full satisfaction that 
this noble breed of cattle were not made at a single 
leap by a vile cross with a Galloway cow some 
sixty years ago. If they were, they have shown 
a miraculous improvement since; for they are 
nearly perfect now. Noticing in connection 
with this subject that Mr.' Sheaf e's herd were to 
be sold, I felt an itching curiosity to see them, 
particularly that bull, Exeter; and so I made an 
arrangement to meet my friend the senior 
editor of the Agriculturist one day, last week, at 
the farm at New Hamburg. As I hate railroads 
even worse than I do steamboats, I hitched old 
grey to the buggy, and after an easy day's drive 
of fifty-five miles, alighted at « High-Cliff Farm," 
where I found the head of our favorite journal, 
with coat off and stout boots on, turned farmer 
once more, and apparently as glad to welcome 
me at " High Cliff" as I was him at " The Val- 
ley," when he visited me last summer. So, after 
an evening stroll, and a good old-fashioned sup- 
per of bread and milk, flavored with extra large 
and luscious strawberries, and such a night's 
rest as one may have after such a day's work ; 
and a breakfast of cold beef, fried potatoes, and 
sweet homemade bread and butter, and straw- 
berries again, I gave this herd of cattle a 
thorough examination, and pronounce them just 
the very next thing to perfection for the rich 
clover fields of old Dutchess, or the blue-grass 
pastures of Ohio and Kentucky. But I shall not 
be persuaded by any of the ardent friends of 
shorthorns — and in this opinion, I am glad to 
say Mr. Allen agrees with me — to try them on 
the rocky hill sides that surround " the Valley." I 
stick to my Devons as best suited to that 
section of the country. I shall attend the 
sale, however. I would not miss it for a 
good deal, for I understand many of the best 
breeders in the United States will be there; 
and their criticisms of the herd and discussions 
on stock breeding will be worth listening to. I 
hope young farmers will take this into consider- 
ation and be there, too, as it is not often they will 
have so good a chance so easily to obtain in- 
formation on the important subject of stock- 
breeding. The bull, Exeter is as handsome as 
some of the best I have seen in England ; but I 
predict that he will not suit the majority like 
some great, coarse brute that stands " higher 
than my head;" though I have no doubt the 
liberality that prompted Mr. Sheafe to import so 
fine an addition to the good stock in this coun- 
try, will be responded to on the day of sale by 
generous bids from the enlightened few. From 
the appearance of one of his calves I saw, I 
judge he will become the sire of some very 
valuable ones in due time. The improvement 
in stock is now onward, and the sale and dis- 
persion of this herd will serve to give it a greater 
impetus. 
If any one doubts the faithfulness of the por- 
trait under notice, let him visit this farm and he 
will doubt no more. 
I have made a longer notice of this article 
than I usually do, but to tell the truth, I 
have become deeply interested in these beautiful 
cattle, and were I on stronger land, I, too, would 
go in for a few on the day of sale. What a big 
ship I would sail then ! but now I must be con- 
tent with a lighter craft. 
The Largest-Sized Wrought-Iron Plow, which 
you inquire for, I saw a few weeks since on my 
way to St. Louis. It is used to break up prairie, 
and is drawn by five stout yoke of oxen hitched 
to a pair of wheels, to which the forward end of 
the beam is fastened, which is fifteen feet long. 
The moldboard is of wood and the share is of 
wrought iron, weighing 150 lbs. and turns a fur- 
row two feet wide. Is that the size you want \ 
It certainly is the biggest one I know of, and 
if it suits, you are welcome to the information. 
Mr. Robinson's Visit to Jehossee Island is inte- 
resting as his letters always are to your readers. 
Now, Mr. Editor, as I see he is in town, when 
are we to have the pleasure of that visit so long 
promised, at " the Valley V My wife and 
daughters are dying with impatience to see 
" The Traveller." 
Cheap Lands in Virginia. — Cheap enough, 
truly; but are they good for anything? Give us 
more particulars. Let the world have light. 
Not Paine-fu\ light — there is too much smell of 
bugs about that. 
Deep Plowing. — How deep ? Give us the inches, 
I should call about fifteen inches deep. Some 
persons call one third of that deep. 
Look at a Scrap of Agricultural History, from 
Pennsylvania, ye sorrel growers and lime des- 
pisers. 
A New Clover for the South is spoken of. It 
is all talk; it will not be raised by a people who 
hate everything of the name of grass. 
Spaying Heifers. — No doubt it improves their 
quality for work, but did you ever once think 
that milch cows could be worked just as well as 
breeding mares, without spaying? [Very like- 
ly, but in our humble judgments it is asking too 
much of a poor cow to bring a calf once a-year, 
be milked ten months out of the twelve, and 
work all the while like an ox. May be she could 
do this, and may be she could not ; at any rate, 
we are not inhumane enough to put a poor 
beast to the trial. When he wrote this, we opine 
the "captain" was thinking of what he had seen 
in his travels in rude Switzerland and Ger- 
many. — Eds.] 
Yaupon Tea. — Sure enough," what sort of tea" 
is that? Something that I have never dreamed 
of nor seen in my travels. I have heard of a 
great deal of yauping over a tea table. If it is 
a kind that will produce any more yauping, I 
