S48 
Foreign Agricultural News, 
ns that he had traveled through Canada, and most of 
the United States ; we therefore bring him as a strong 
witness in favor of the good quality of American pro¬ 
visions, which others have endeavored to cry down so 
lustily. In their paper of Dec. 5th, he emphatically 
says: 
“We declare, and stake our reputation upon the 
averment, for we speak from personal experience, ob¬ 
tained in almost every State of the Union, that finer 
meat than the American Indian-corn-fed pork cannot be 
found in the world.” 
From the above Journal we glean some items of 
news, most of which we present in a condensed form 
to our readers. 
Horticultural Expedition to Ch ina. —China has long 
been known to possess many rare and valuable trees, 
shrubs, fruits, and flowers, which have not yet found 
their way to Europe. From thence come our beauti¬ 
ful Azeleas, Cammellias, and Wistaria (Glycine) Sin¬ 
enses. Taking advantage of the opening of Chinese 
ports by the late treaty, the Horticultural Society of 
London has resolved to send a person well qualified for 
the undertaking, to bring home all he finds worthy of 
introduction into England. Among the fruits there, 
the Pekin peach is said to weigh two pounds, and 
nothing is more melting and delicious. 
Our own Gqvernment of the United States has it in 
contemplation to fit out an embassy on a liberal scale 
to China; and we hope among other important matters, 
that the subject of agriculture will not be forgotten. 
In the mean while, we shall call the attention of the 
officers of our merchant ships about to sail on their 
annual voyages, to these matters, and see what we can 
do in our humble private way. 
A splendid silver tea-service, valued at $500, has 
been presented by a large company of gentlemen to 
Mr. Shaw, editor of the London Farmers 5 Magazine, 
and late Secretary of the Royal Agricultural Society, 
for his zeal and labors in promoting the cause of agri¬ 
culture. 
Color of Plants, and its influence in causing Rust 
and Mildew. —Wheat with the outward skin of a pur¬ 
ple color, is more liable to be affected with rust and 
mildew, than the varieties with yellow straw. Russia 
yellow top, and yellow flesh turnips, are found to be 
far superior to the purple or green tops. 
The Gardeners’ Chronicle contains a full report 
of Dr. Playfair’s Lectures on Animal Physiology. He 
has some new and rather startling ideas, but handles 
the subject with uncommon ability. We shall revert 
to the lectures hereafter. 
Edinburgh Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 
—The December number of this journal contains nine 
articles devoted to agriculture, and a supplement of 
five more, being the Prize Essays and Transactions of 
the Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland. We 
have had time yet to look over those only on Water 
Meadows, English Agriculture, and Jersey as regards 
its Husbandry and Agricultural Classes. 
The Florist Journal has splendid engravings, 
colored and drawn after nature, of two dahlias. They 
are large and beautiful flowers. The first is of a rich 
purple color, and is called Sir Robert Sale, the second 
the Rival Yellow, and is of the color its name indicates. 
The Gardener and Practical Florist. —In this 
work we find an article upon the management of Hor¬ 
ticultural Shows, with engravings to illustrate the text 
of the writer, which are well worthy the attention of 
those who are engaged in getting up these sort of things 
in our own country. 
The Hop.sE.—Mr. Youatt is publishing a second 
edition, with numerous additions, of the same work 
which he wrote for the Society for the Diffusion of 
Useful Knowledge. Part VIII. is the latest we have 
received. 
Lectures on Agricultural Chemisty and Geo¬ 
logy, by Prof. Johnstone. —We are now in receipt 
of Part III., No. 24, of these Lectures. This number 
treats almost entirely on the use of Lime as a manure, 
and the lecture is written with the usual ability, clear¬ 
ness and force of this distinguished writer. 
To the Ladies. —We wish we could show you the 
Botanical Register and Paxton’s Magazine of Botany, 
for they are full of colored engravings of the rare and 
beautiful flowers, which are monthly introduced into 
England from Australia, South America, the Indies, 
and other remote quarters of the world. We are sure 
if you could see these, that you would love the country 
the more—dispense with some of the gew-gaws that 
encumber rather than embellish you, and take at once 
to the study of the fair and beautiful creations so much 
resembling your gentle selves. We think the field of 
Botany more peculiarly fitted for you than for the 
rougher sex, and we should be pleased to see you occu¬ 
py it to our entire exclusion. 
London Farmers’ Magazine for January. —The 
first portrait is that of Thomas William Coke, late 
Earl of Leicester, and we will add, for a still greater 
title, the friend of America and the liberal and enlight¬ 
ened farmer. He is a noble, portly-looking man, with 
one of the best balanced heads we have ever seen. 
His eyes are large, deep and expressive; his nose pro 
minent and slightly aquiline; and the mouth eminently 
handsome. A memoir accompanies the engraving, 
written by Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., author of the 
Farmers’ Encyclopedia; but we do not find anything 
particularly new in it, that has not before appeared in 
the American papers. 
The second portrait is the celebrated coach-stallion, 
Faulconer, that took the first prize as a roadster, at the 
great Yorkshire meeting at Hull, in 1841, open to all 
England. We recollect seeing him there at the time, 
and a splendid horse he is too, nearly thoroughbred, 10 
hands high, and of iron grey. But we know several 
horses in our own country that we think at least his 
equal, and we are pretty certain over a trotting course, 
would prove themselves his superior both in speed and 
bottom. 
We did not get hold of this number till we were just 
going to press, and can therefore give no synopsis of 
its contents. The Journal of the Royal Agr. Society 
we miss entirely, which we much regret, able as its 
articles always are; but we suppose it will soon be at 
hand,—and perhaps our readers may exclaim that they 
have a surfeit of foreign agricultural news already; 
and if so, we shall give them less the next time. Still, 
so long as Europe is in advance of us in these matters, 
we do not know to what source we can look for more 
interesting and valuable matter than we find here to 
enrich a few pages of every number of our Journal. 
muov’s ‘ 
NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 
Prime Facts for the Farmer, the Fruit Grower, and 
the Public. —This is a neat octavo pamphlet of 64 
pages, treating of the slobbers in horses and cows, the 
slobber-grass, diseases and remedies of the plum and 
the peach tree, &c. &c., illustrated with several en¬ 
gravings. From the cursory perusal bestowed on 
this work, we like it, and shall give extracts here¬ 
after from its pages. It is edited by Mr. R. Bartlett, 
and published by Nafis & Cornish, 278 Pearl street, 
price twenty-five cents. 
