letter from Mr. L. F. Allen—Driving Cattle from Kentucky, 
843 
Mr. Garbutt breeds only by a direct cross from one 
thorough bred to the other ; and occasionally by a se¬ 
cond cross of the thorough bred buck on the grade ewes 
thus produced, in order to deepen the blood on either 
one side or the other. He remarked to me when I saw 
his flock, that the grade animals, in the produce of the 
two extremes, when bred together deteriorated rapidly, 
losing their caste and uniformity; but bred directly to 
pure stock on either side, the produce is fine and beau¬ 
tiful. His usual course is to select superior Merino 
ewes and use a Bakewell ram. 
I admire the noble, systematic form of the Bakewell, 
and the smooth, compact, muscular Southdown; but 
their high prices and scarcity, have hitherto prevented 
the general farmer from obtaining them in number suf¬ 
ficient to make up his flock. The Southdown crossed 
on the Merino produces a beautiful animal. I once 
tried them, and the produce, both in carcase and wool 
was admirable. 
The White Carrot is a most excellent root for 
stock ; horses, cattle, and hogs are very fond of them. 
It was near the middle of June last year, before I ob¬ 
tained my seed and got it planted. It came up about 
the first of July. It was sown on a light piece of sandy 
loam, naturally strong, cleared up about 7 years ago, 
and was never manured. They grow partially out of 
the ground like the Mangel Wurtzel, and have a beau¬ 
tiful clean taper root. They pull as easy and clean as 
a radish. I measured a small piece of about 4 square 
rods, and the yield was at the rate of upwards of 1000 
bushels to the acre. Could they have grown another 
month, it would have added greatly to their size and 
product. I intend trying them extensively next year. 
These and sugar beet are the best roots I have ever 
grown. The latter have always yielded abundantly 
with me; 8 to 1200 bushels is a fair crop. I never 
have succeeded uniformly with Ruta Bagas. 
The White Field Bean is a valuable and profita¬ 
ble crop, and yet with all its value, little attended to 
by our farmers. I planted this year about one-third of 
an acre of the large kidney variety—hoed them only 
once, and harvested upwards of 10 bushels—they grew 
beside my white carrots above mentioned. I planted 
in hills, about 2 h by 2 feet apart. Had they been bet¬ 
ter cultivated, I presume the crop would have been 
much greater. There is no more profitable vegetable 
for food. Observing housekeepers have remarked that 
one bushel of beans for family consumption, is worth 
4 bushels of wheat, and I believe it. No better, more 
savory, or substantial diet can be produced, than the 
luscious pork crowned “ pot of baked beans.” 
A good Kitchen Garden is scarcely ever half val¬ 
ued by our farmers. No spot of ground of five times 
its extent yields half so much of real housekeeping 
comforts as the garden; and although farmers gener¬ 
ally dislike to “ putter” about a garden, yet no part of 
the farm is more profitable, and nothing helps so much 
towards good and wholesome living, as its products. 
I have tried it thoroughly for years, and have found 
my account in it. Besides, it is a delightful object to 
look at, and gives any spot a more homelike appear¬ 
ance, than all other objects combined. Every farmer 
should raise his own garden seed. They are better 
than those he can buy. 
L. F. Allen. 
Black Rock, Jan. 1843. 
Happening up at the Bulls’ Head the other 
day, with a view of looking over the cattle 
there, our eye was instantly attracted to a 
fine lot of grade Short Horns; and inquiring 
for their owner, we soon found him among 
those present, in our excellent friend, Gene¬ 
ral Shelby, of Kentucky; and as there has 
been much dispute about the ability of Dur- 
hams driving as well as the native stock, we 
solicited the facts relative to the journey of 
the present drove. It seems, owing to their 
heavier weight, that over the frozen ground, 
they did not travel as well as the common ani¬ 
mals ; bu't on a good road they did. So far then, 
as this experiment is concerned, we may in¬ 
fer that to start them early in the season, 
there can be no material difference in the 
time of traveling, of Durham over native 
cattle. “ Well then,” the reader will say, 
“give us the natives.” But softly, if you 
please, and don’t jump at conclusions quite 
so rapidly ; for in the first place, a 4 year 
old steer, three-fourths bred, was the leader 
of the lot the whole of the way; and he 
would weigh at least 1,200 lbs. and in form 
was almost as good in the brisket and other 
points, as fig. 31 is represented on page 330 
of this paper. He would make English Mess 
Beef and if sold alone, would have brought 
at least one cent per lb. more than any native 
animal present, although the market was full 
on that day, and several hundred fat beasts 
for sale. As it was, General Shelby had the 
satisfaction of taking one-half cent more 
per lb. for his entire lot, than the best herd 
of native animals present could command. 
And the same was the case when we were in 
the New Orleans market last spring; the 
grade Durhams from Kentucky, being floated 
down the Mississippi, and arriving in better 
condition than they can here, after their long 
tedious drive over the mountains, sold for at 
least one cent more per pound there than the 
native cattle. Here then, is the striking dif¬ 
ference exemplified in dollars and cents, of 
the utility of improving our cattle. We need 
only add, that General Shelby, in connection 
with the Hon. Henry Clay, imported a supe¬ 
rior lot of Short Horns from England, about 
five years ago, which we had the pleasure 
of examining at Buffalo, on their rout to 
Kentucky. 
For the American Agriculturist . 
DRIVING CATTLE FROM KENTUCKY. 
New York, 18 th Jan., 1843. 
Messrs. A. B. & R. L. Allen : 
The 22 head of cattle, which you examined at the 
Bull's Head on Monday last, were the residue of a lot 
of 54 head, which I sent off to this market on the 2d of 
October, with the desire of getting them in about 
Christmas. One-half were common stock five years 
old, and estimated to average nine hundred. The oth¬ 
ers, such as you saw, being about three-fourths bred 
Durhams, of the importation of H7, upon the Patton 
stock, were 5 and 6 years old, and estimated to weigh 
