Pedigrees —The Farmer’s Register® 
73 
sold them at. Indeed, we had no idea of mak¬ 
ing- money on them from the beginning-, our 
sole motive in the importation was, to secure 
superior fresh crosses—whether we succeeded 
or not in doing so, as the animals are now here, 
the public can judge for itself; further than this, 
it does not become us to speak. Certain it is. 
however, that we took unwearied pains in the 
selections, and went down to Berkshire, no less 
than four times to do so. We chose from all 
the largest and finest families that we could hear 
of, and if the animal suited us, we never hesi¬ 
tated at the price named for it. Others may 
import at a less cost than we have, but if they 
have obtained larger and finer animals, we shall 
be happy to be advised of the fact. We hardly 
think that England can at present add further 
improvement to our stock of swine in this coun¬ 
try, and if any more importations are wanted, 
we would recommend obtaining them from 
China, Siam, and the Asiatic Islands. 
We trust we shall be pardoned so many 
words on a subject in which it is well known 
that we have had a pecuniary interest, for we 
assure our readers that we have been literally 
compelled to do so, in consequence of the almost 
innumerable questions and letters that have been 
addressed us upon it. We fully believe what 
we assert, and, as we have paid particular at¬ 
tention to this subject, we express ourselves 
frankly, strongly, and fully, and exactly as we 
think. To all those who do not agree with us 
in opinion, we cordially invite from them an 
expression of their sentiments, and more es¬ 
pecially a statement of facts in favor of any 
other breeds of swine, and they may be assured 
that they shall have a full hearing in our col¬ 
umns. We go for the great general good and 
improvement of agriculture, -without regard to 
the private interests of any one man or thing. 
A. 
Pedigrees. —It is found troublesome and 
perplexing, in reading the pedigrees of animals, 
to ascertain how many crosses they had of cer¬ 
tain stock, without continually counting the g’s 
which stand for great, great, grand dam, and so 
on. Now, instead of this perplexing repetition 
of g’s, which it is impossible to repeat in speak¬ 
ing, and convey any definite idea, we recom¬ 
mend placing figures for them, thus, suppose 
that we wished to give the - pedigree of the cow 
Minerva, by this method we should say:— 
Minerva, calved May 6th, 1837, by Jupiter, 
(244), dam Ora, by‘Saturn (230), d. 2 Latona, 
by Orcus (221), d. 3 Juventa, by Ajax (215), 
d. 4 Lais, by Memnon (210), d. 5 Fulvia, by 
Pan (199), d. 6 Siren, by Pluto (168), d. 7 
Styx, by Charon (143). 
Present'method in the Herd Book :— 
Minerva, calved May 6th, 1838, by Jupiter 
(244), dam Ora, by Saturn (230), g. d Latona, 
by Orcus (221), g. g. d. Juventa, by Ajax 
(215), g. g. g. d. Lais, by Memnon (210), 
g. g. g. g. d. Fulvia, by Pan (199), g. g. g. g. g. 
d. Siren, by Pluto (68), g. g. g. g. g. g. d. Styx, 
by Charon (443). 
In reading the proposed method, we should 
say, Minerva, calved May 6th, 1837, by s Jupiter 
(244), dam Ora, by Saturn (230), dam second, 
Latona, by Orcus (221), dam third, Juventa, by- 
Ajax (215) dam fourth, Lais, by Memnon (210), 
and so on. 
This strikes us as much more simple and 
definite than the old way, and we hope that the 
committee of gentlemen, appointed to superin¬ 
tend getting up the American Herd Book, will 
take the subject into consideration, and in the 
meanwhile, all those who approve the sugges¬ 
tion, can adopt it hereafter in stating the pedi¬ 
grees of their animals. a. 
The Farmer’s Register.— Edmund Ruffin, Esq. 
for ten years the sole editor of this able agricultural 
paper, announces his intention to abandon its publi¬ 
cation at the expiration of the present volume. The 
causes assigned are two—1st. The hostility of the 
Banking interest in the state, whose wrath has been 
kindled by his uncompromising exposition of their 
mal-practiees, the propriety of which may be learned 
from the simple statements, given in the April No. 
It is there charged, that there is an existing partner¬ 
ship of Banks and State, in this wholesale fraud, and 
that Bank directors and members of the Legislature 
are largely indebted to the Banks. Proof—Fifty-five 
members of the last legislature of Virginia, owed the 
Banks $111,675, and the Bank directors, so far as re¬ 
ported , are indebted either as principals or sureties to 
the Banks, to the moderate amount of $2,321,080, or 
about one-fourth of the whole Banking capital of the 
State. In two Banks, the boards of directors owe 
nearly one-half the amount of capital, and in another, 
which might teach a lesson of thrift to some of our 
New-York or Michigan bankers, who have proved 
themselves anything but green in these operations, the 
directors absolutely owe the Bank, over one-third more 
than its entire capital! And, to show the pecuniary in¬ 
terest these worthy individuals have in the prosperity 
of the institutions under their special charge, o i 
twenty-one directors constituting the boards of three 
Banks, four have little more than stock enough to en¬ 
title them to hold office, while the remaining seven¬ 
teen have not a spare share a piece, over the five ne¬ 
cessary to their holding their posts. 
But the great point that is made against them is, 
that while the Banks are demanding, and the legisla¬ 
ture have acceded to suspension, for the purpose of 
enabling them to place themselves in a position to re¬ 
sume, they have during the past year, from January 
L, 1841, to January 1, 1842, increased their liabilities 
and decreased their specie to the amount in the ag¬ 
gregate, of over $1,000,000! and this is the result of 
a five years’ suspension ! 
We are not bultionists , and far from being of that 
school that would attempt to interdict the circulation 
of Bank paper, believing that Bank paper convertible 
into specie, is the best currency in existence, or that 
has ever had existence. Neither do we believe that 
