17$ 
Connecticut Valley—Wheat—Large Oats—Pastures—Sheep. 
valuable does he consider them, that he has 
refused to sell off the peat, which constitutes 
their foundation, for 500 dollars per acre. 
Wheat. —On the adjoining hill we found a 
good crop of spring wheat growing, without 
disease or injury from any cause whatever, 
which will yield at least 20 bushels per 
acre, worth usually, at that place, $1 50 per 
bushel. We noticed but one part of the crop 
that was lean, which was caused by a spring 
which had not been effectually carried off by 
an under drain constructed for that purpose. 
This, and several other equally promising 
specimens of the same grain, we saw growing 
in the town, convinced us that care and at¬ 
tention alone are requisite to furnish their 
own tables with flour; these, the policy of 
our country, by shutting up their manufac¬ 
tories, is fast compelling them to adopt, thus 
forcing them into an unwilling rivalship 
with the great grain-producing states of the 
west. 
Large crop of oats. —Judge Lyman, of N., 
showed us a field in the meadows adjoining 
the river, from less than three acres of 
which, he has harvested the present season, 
240 shocks, which it was estimated would 
yield about one bushel each. This yield is 
great, even for these rich alluvial lands ; but 
we should prefer seeing the measure ap¬ 
plied, before allowing quite a bushel to the 
shock, affording, by the estimate, over 80 
bushels to the acre. We should be gratified 
to learn from him the exact weight of 
threshed, clean grain, as these results are 
useful in stimulating and directing the efforts 
of less careful and scientific agriculturists. 
His mode of preparing the land for this 
crop, was simply to carry on a liberal sup¬ 
ply of compost and stable manure last fall, 
which was thoroughly incorporated with the 
soil by the plow and harrow. 
Improvement in Farms. —We were de¬ 
lighted to witness everywhere an increased 
attention to this first and most necessary 
branch of human labor. The improvement 
in agriculture, at the present momqnt, in the 
United States, is making incomparably more 
progress than at any previous period. There 
is an intelligence, and vigor, and steadfast¬ 
ness, in the pursuit of the best modes of 
farming, which has not before been witness¬ 
ed. Inroads are making in the quagmires 
and swamps, that have been allowed to stag¬ 
nate undisturbed for ages, sending their 
fetid exhalations abroad to poison and corrupt 
the atmosphere, the superabundant water is 
drained off, and the whole becomes a luxu¬ 
riant, profitable, and healthful appendage to 
the farm. The alders, and black jacks, and 
swamp willows ; the brakes, the ferns, and the 
lichens are converted into vegetable mould s 
to give additional fertility to the already ac¬ 
cumulated stores of vegetable food. Better 
selections of seeds are made, adapted to the 
particular soil where grown, better tillage is 
adopted, more roots are produced for stock, 
and a large increase in the average crops 
is everywhere manifest. We think, from 
all the testimony we could gather, and the 
observations we could make, that an average 
increase of twenty per cent., in crops from 
the same land, is now produced over the yield 
of ten years since. If we add to this the in¬ 
troduction of superior and more profitable 
breeds of domestic animals, we have an 
amount of improvement that may well en¬ 
courage the lover of his country to look 
forward to the future for increased abun¬ 
dance and prosperity for the population 
which is to succeed him. 
Saxon Sheep.— Theodore Strong, Esq., of 
N., has a beautiful flock of 700 sheep, one 
half of which are the descendants of the 
choicest specimens of the first imported 
Saxons, and the remainder are high crosses 
of them with the finest Merinos; but owing 
to the miserable condition of our woollen 
manufactories, the fleeces are unsaleable at 
any remunerating prices. The late Mr, 
Watkins, of Middletown, Conn., a gentleman 
of great enterprise and intelligence, and large 
experience in manufacturing, both in Eng¬ 
land and America, formerly bought his wool 
at $1 50 per lb., and assured Mr. S., when 
his wool would not bring $1 00, the factories 
in this country would be obliged to close 
their doors. The article, at the present 
moment, would hardly command one-half 
this price, and as predicted, what few mills 
are still left in operation are probably running 
at a decided loss. 
Mountain Pastures. —-During our stay in 
Hartford, for two or three days, we accom¬ 
panied D. C. Collins, Esq., to some of his hill 
lands. We do not recollect ever before to 
have seen the immense difference between 
good and poor management in pastures that 
we here witnessed. One of these, consist¬ 
ing of 34 acres, lying within two miles of 
the Summit Tower on Talcott Mountain, and 
elevated at least 500 feet above the river, 
was covered in almost every direction with 
tall rich grass^red-top and blue or June grass 
predominating, with a considerable under¬ 
growth of white clover. The fields adjoining 
it, on every side, though pasturing less than 
half the number of cattle and sheep, were 
