TO THE BREEDERS OF SHOET-HORN CATTLE.—-CLEAR PORK, ETC. 
240 
TO THE BREEDERS OF SHORT-HORN 
CATTLE. 
Circular .—About a year ago, at the solicitation of 
a number of gentlemen interested in the breeding of 
Short-Horn cattle, I published a notice in several of 
ihe Agricultural papers of the United States, that I 
would get up an American Herd Book, provided my 
efforts should be seconded by a respectable portion of 
those engaged in that pursuit. Although slow in 
their responses, a considerable number of breeders 
have forwarded the pedigrees of their herds for inser¬ 
tion, according to the terms of my proposal. Many, 
however, and among them, some of the early and 
distinguished promoters of this branch of agricultural 
improvement, remain unmindful of this opportunity 
of thus recording their valuable stock. 
A sufficient number of individuals having already 
contributed the pedigrees of their cattle to insure its 
publication, the work will proceed as soon as circum¬ 
stances will permit, which will be within three months 
from this time. 
I presume no arguments will be necessary with 
any systematic Short-Horn breeder, to convince him 
of the necessity and convenience of an American 
registry of his cattle*, other than such as will suggest 
themselves to his own mind, and those already ad¬ 
vanced in my two several notices to breeders already 
published. 
In case you think proper to register your cattle in 
the proposed work, you will please transmit your 
catalogue of thorough bred animals (none other being 
admitted) with as little delay as possible, to me (post 
paid) at this place, with the registry fees accompany¬ 
ing them, and stating also the number of copies of 
the work you wish for, when published. 
I will here remark, that the month of October next, 
will he the latest period at which pedigrees can be 
received, as the work will be put in press immediate¬ 
ly after. 
The terms for registry are as follows : 
For a single animal, one dollar. 
For any greater number, not exceeding ten, fifty 
cents each. 
For a number exceeding ten, forty cents each. 
The work itself not to exceed three dollars a copy. 
If any gentleman of your neighborhood or acquaint¬ 
ance be a breeder of Short Horns, and not in receipt of 
this notice, you will confer a mutual favor by giving 
him the above information. Lewhs F. Allen. 
Black Rock, N. Y., July, 1845. 
Sowing Winter Wheat in Drills. —We have 
over and over again recommended that wheat should 
be sowed in drills, for one gets a better crop in so 
doing, and it is much less likely to rust. We have 
usually recommended that these drills should be from 
six inches to one foot apart; but we are not sure, 
where it is especially liable to rust, that from one 
foot to two feet may not be better. An experiment 
was lately tried in Australia of sowing wheat in 
rows of three feet apart. It yielded 41 bushels to the 
acre, and no rust or mildew appeared in it; while, in 
the adjoining fields, sown broad-cast or in quite close 
drills, the yield was not so great, and more or less 
l ist appeared. Will some of our wheat growers 
make experiments in sowing patches of wheat, side 
by side, this fall—some broad-cast and some in drills 
)rom six inches to three feet apart, and give us the 
result of their experiments next season ? We need 
not add that these experiments should be made with 
the same kind of seed, sown on the same kind of 
soil, and treated in all other respects as nearly alike 
as possible. 
clear" pork. 
It is often asserted by those prejudiced against the 
Berkshire breed of swine, that they will not cut clear 
pork ; that is, side pork for barrelling, free from 
lean. This is a great error, as we know from our 
own experience. But, to put the matter at rest, we 
give the following letter on this subject, from an ex¬ 
tensive and disinterested packer in the west, addressed 
to the Messrs. Steddoms, of Lebanon, Ohio, and for¬ 
warded us by a friend for publication. The truth is, 
that the Berkshires are so round in their body, that 
they look fat before they really are so. People are 
thus freqently deceived by their appearance, and they 
are consequently killed too soon ; and hence the mis¬ 
taken opinion, that they give lean side pork. They 
have lean hams and shoulders only, and these are 
what we want. 
Gentlemen : The 163 Berkshires, bought of you, 
made 101 barrels of pork; and in consequence of 
their being some other hogs mixed w r ith yours (Gra¬ 
ziers and Yorkshires), I could not tell how many bar¬ 
rels of clear pork there was; but I know that John 
Steddom’s 30 hogs all made good clear pork, and all 
heavy but one—all full breed Berkshires. Also, out 
of Mr. Hollingsworth’s 46 head, 34 made clear pork. 
I have cut pork thirteen years in succession, and have 
cut more than fifty thousand of as good hogs for the 
number as any man can cut, as I believe, and I never 
cut 163 as good hogs as yours. I believe them the 
best ever cut in the Miami Valley—the most free 
from lean and the least bone. You may talk about 
your Yorkshires and Graziers, and shift and change 
your breed as often as you please, and after all, you 
cannot get a better breed than the Berkshires. The 
hog that I call the best is the one that has the most 
meat for the least bone. James Harris, 
Waynesville, Jan., 11, 1845. 
Large Average Clip of Wool.—W e have a 
flock of sixty-five full-bred Merino sheep, which 
sheared this season 304 lbs. of wool, averaging within 
a fraction of 4 lbs. 11 oz. per head. Twenty-three 
of the lot are yearlings, and averaged 4 lbs. 14 oz. per 
head. The average weight of fleece of bucks is over 
9i lbs. The sheep were well washed, and the wool 
clean, and in good order, with all, except Protection, 
who sheared 11 lbs. 13 oz. of clean wool, though 
unwashed. If any one has sheared a better crop of 
wool, we would like to see it reported. 
R. R. & L. G. Collins. 
Butternuts, Otsego Co., N. Y., 7th mo. 1 5th, 1845. 
A. Large Crop of Wine. —N. Longworth, Esq., 
of Cincinnati, Ohio, writes us, that the promise of 
his grape crop this year was highly flattering; and 
that his vine dressers estimated the wine crop from 
them would be at least 500 barrels. It will be seen 
trom this, that we may ultimately be independent of 
Europe for our wine; and we think that the day is 
not distant, when the valley of the Ohio will be quite 
as celebrated for its vineyards as that of the Rhine, 
and other parts of Europe. 
