Southern Agriculture—Saxon Sheep. 
14 ? 
long and severe as this will, and keep vege¬ 
tation in as good condition. Our land back 
from the sea shore is better, with a clay- 
foundation, hut it is also very poor ; yet with 
proper cultivation and manuring will pay 
well. This section of country is the natural 
orchard and garden of New-Orleans and Mo¬ 
bile, and I do not despair of seeing the day 
it will become so in fact; and when that be¬ 
comes the case, I fancy that this country 
will be filled with the most healthy, happy, 
intelligent, and really prosperous people in 
all that makes life delightful on the earth. 
1 have written you this lengthy and dis¬ 
connected scrawl, not because I believed you 
could get any whole sentence or idea out of 
it worth a place in your paper, but as the 
editors of such a work as you are engaged in 
placing before the public, you may obtain 
some hints which may be of service to you 
hereafter, as I give you facts upon which to 
found opinions with regard to this part of 
our country. 
Very respectfully, yours, 
J. McCaughan. 
Mr. McC. will please take back his criticism on this 
letter, and accept our sincere thanks for the glowing 
and we doubt not, truthful description he has given 
of the immense capabilities of the United States side of 
the Mexican Gulf Coast. 
There seems to be a difference in the orthography of 
the grass mentioned above. We take it to be the same 
as Hispania in our last. 
Perhaps Mr. Tegarden of New-Orleans, could furnish 
this seed. One of the great advantages of a general 
circulation of agricultural papers, is affording informa¬ 
tion to every section of the country in seeds and im¬ 
provements which otherwise might remain unknown 
for years. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Saxon Sheep. 
Gent :—I was much gratified to peruse the 
first numbers of the Am. Agriculturist, and 
hail this accession to Am. Agricultural litera¬ 
ture with great pleasure, from a conviction 
that its object is to improve the agriculture, 
and, consequently, the condition of the far¬ 
mers. This, the most numerous and the most 
industrious class of inhabitants, had formerly 
but few periodicals devoted to the improve¬ 
ment of their profession; but it is most gra¬ 
tifying to perceive how rapidly they have in¬ 
creased in number, and improved in character 
and usefulness. When I look back, only fifteen 
years, to the period when I first settled in this 
country, there were then, if my memory 
serves me right, but two agricultural papers 
published in the U. S.,—the N. E. Farmer, 
and the Balt. Am. Farmer. But how many 
are there now 1 I have not been able to keep 
up with them, they are so numerous. To the 
question, whether they have improved the 
agriculture of the country, the answer is uni¬ 
versally in the affirmative. Ought not, then, 
every farmer to take an agricultural paper 'l 
Undoubtedly. And if he reads, and reflects, 
and practices upon the many useful hints, my 
word for it, it will make him a better farmer. 
For myself, I can say that I have been much 
benefitted by them, and would not forego the 
pleasure of reading them for four times their 
annual subscription price. 
I have, at different times and on different 
occasions, given my views and experience 
in sheephusbandry to the public, scattered 
through the columns of the Cultivator, Gen. 
Farmer, N. E. Farmer, Mr. Colman’s fourth 
report of the agriculture of Mass., and in the 
Transactions of the New York State Ag. Soc., 
to which I beg leave to refer your readers. 
But, as the subject is a very extensive one, 
I was only able to touch upon the most im¬ 
portant features, and left detail for some fu¬ 
ture time. I am, however, convinced that 
understanding and practising the detail makes 
in a great measure the successful shepherd,* 
and that the want of this understanding and 
practice, is one great reason why so many 
are unsuccessful. There are many small 
things to be attended to, which, separately, 
appear to the superficial observer trifling, but 
which, nevertheless, are very important. Take 
for instance a lot of young sheep, lambs or 
yearlings, and neglect them only a couple of 
weeks, late in the fall or beginning of winter, 
and it takes several months of extra care and 
extra feed to recover from the check ; and if 
they do not receive this extra attention, three 
chances to one, many of them will die before 
spring, especially if it should happen to be a 
hard winter. I have adverted to this subject 
on a former occasion, but cannot omit press¬ 
ing it again upon the minds of my brother 
farmers. I have seen many a flock that “ look 
full and eat well”, an expression which is often 
used, and the owners thought all was right, 
but, on examination, I discovered that all was 
not right, and that the sheep were running 
down, and if perchance the breath of life was 
kept in them, nearly a winter’s growth was 
lost. Nor is this all. The quantity of wool 
is less, nor is the quality so good for manu¬ 
facturing purposes; and though it may ap¬ 
parently possess a greater degree of fineness, 
the fact nevertheless is that it is deficient in 
strength and elasticity , consequently in the felt¬ 
ing properties, and it does not make so du 
* A most important suggestion, not only as to sheep, but all 
animals, crops, &c.—E ds. 
