To protect Sheep from Dogs.—Geology as applied to Agriculture. 
the steers will follow their example, and the 
sheep retreat behind them. Thus continue a 
few times, till the steers are well broke in 
when the cows can be taken away, and they 
will inevitably gore any dog to death that dare 
persist in attacking the flock. However brave 
a dog may be in other matters, the moment he 
attacks sheep, he seems to be conscious of the 
ignominy of it, and as if conscience stricken, 
becomes a coward, and will run at the slightest 
approach from other animals. 
When steers arrive at the age of four years, 
it is generally requisite to remove them to better 
pasture than is required for sheep, for the pur¬ 
pose of fatting, or they are wanted for the yoke. 
But just before this is done, add as many two 
year olds as you wish to remove of the older 
ones, and the three year olds left, will soon 
break in the young ones, and so the system can 
be annually kept up as long as requisite. 
For these guards, we would recommend a 
small active race of animals, with sharp horns, 
as they would more effectually gore and toss a 
dog, and it will require a small active animal 
to support itself on feed, that is generally as 
short as sheep pastures usually are. The hardy 
red cattle of New -England would be admirable 
for this purpose, or indeed any active native 
animals, those chcfcen from the hill or moun¬ 
tainous districts would be best, as more fleet 
and pugnacious when required. We are told 
by hunters, that it is thus the wild buffalo 
protects himself, on the vast plains of the West, 
from the attacks of savage bands of wolves, and 
they not unfrequently afford protection to whole 
herds of deer. Mr. Hart of Kentucky defended 
the deer in his park by the elk, a single pair! 
of which, would be sufficient to guard hundreds 
of them, as they would run down the fiercest 
dog in a few minutes, and cut him in two by 
perhaps a single stroke of the sharp hoofs of 
their fore feet. 
Geology applied to Agriculture. 
Among the subjects claiming the attention of farm¬ 
ers, after an intimate knowledge of the direct process 
of planting and securing their crops, and the proper 
application of the ordinary manures, and the raising 
and maturing of their farm stock, w r e would place a 
general and familiar knowledge of Geology. And the 
reason of it is perfectly obvious. In its general char¬ 
acter it embraces, not only the solid structure of our 
globe, its vast and almost illimitable ranges of rocks, 
the sterile mountains and barren deserts, but it comes 
home to every farmers own business. Every portion 
of the soil he cultivates, the materials of his manures, 
and all the constituent portions of his vegetable pro¬ 
ducts -yes, and of his animals also, in other combina¬ 
tions, are the legitimate subject of the Geologist. A 
knowledge of these materials, and their combinations, 
their existence in the various soils that may be subject 
to his cultivation, the character of the stimulants and 
manures, (other than animal and vegetable,) such as 
lime, peat, marl, gypsum, &c., necessary to enable 
him to afford the greatest crops; all these are not 
merely instructing to the man of science, but are direct¬ 
ly and highly beneficial to the practical husbandman. 
In the furtherance of a taste for geological informa¬ 
tion and the means of affording it, to say nothing of 
the great and important discoveries of mines and quar¬ 
ries and salt springs ; and beds of gypsum, marl, peat, 
and coal; we conceive the State Geological Surveys 
have done more for the benefit of the farming interest, 
than the expenditure of the same amount of money in 
any other way whatever. In corroboration of the prac¬ 
tical bearing of this subject, we subjoin some observa¬ 
tions from one who is high authority in this department 
of science. 
Extract from Professor Johnson’s 
LECTURE ON GeOLOGY AS APPLIED TO 
Agriculture. 
c: From the detritus of certain rocks, we 
find clay, lime, and sand mixed, constituting 
a soil best fitted for growing crops. The soi. 
performs various functions in regard to vegeta¬ 
tion, one very important one to which I wiL 
allude. If you burn a tree, a certain portion 
of ash is obtained, or take any vegetable matter 
whatever and burn it, a certain quantity of ash 
is left containing various substances^—potash, 
soda, and silicious matte!'. These substances 
are all derived from the soil. Now, observe 
I if a plant contains lime, it cannot grow upon 
sand; if potash, it cannot grow upon lime; 
thus a fertile soil must contain soda and potash, 
and, among other important substances, also 
phosphate of lime. Geology tells us in what 
rocks the soda, and potash, and phosphate of 
lime exist; and it tells us what we are to add in 
any case, or which of all these ingredients are re¬ 
quisite to form a soil. In the common farm yard 
manure you add all the ingredients required, 
potash, soda, and lime. All vegetable substan- 
jees contain a certain quantity of phosphate of 
lime; now, all animals are fed upon grass, and 
their hones contain a certain quantity of phos¬ 
phate of lime, and this must be derived from 
the soil. Geologists have found animals of a 
former age embedded in the solid rock. Bones 
have been found in large quantities; and if you 
suppose one clay rock contained a large quan¬ 
tity of the hones of these animals, you are ena¬ 
bled to conclude that the earth of bones will not 
be wanting in the soil that is formed from it. 
Without them, animals can neither be nourished 
nor grow. And here we have reason shown 
why some soils that are apparently as good as 
others, should not he capable of producing good 
herbage equally capable of fattening cattle, and 
increasing their size, with rocks, which, among 
other substances, contain the phosphate in suffi¬ 
cient abundance. In some remote period of time 
all rocks that occur, in masses have been melted 
and thrown up in their present state; they ar» 
infact lava , and their capability of being melt¬ 
ed, arises chiefly from their containing potash 
