STEVENS’ PATENT PENCE,-SHOW OP N. Y. STATE AG. SOCIETY. 
267 
the better qualities of broadcloth, here are the ani¬ 
mals for them. 
If Mr. Taintor’s time and travelling expenses be 
taken into consideration, the cost ol these sheep 
wouJd be enormous. He has not been at the 
trouble and expense of this importation with a 
view of making money from it, but to please him¬ 
self. He will also breed them for his own pleasure 
and to occupy his leisure hours with a useful hob¬ 
by. Ewes from the flock will not be for sale at any 
price; but the ram lambs will probably be offered 
to those who wish to purchase, in September, 1847, 
and annually thereafter, at prices doubtless much 
below what it would cost to import them. 
We*consider this one of the most important im¬ 
portations of fine-woolled sheep ever made into the 
United States, and that Mr. Taintor deserves the 
gratitude of his country for it. He has made ar¬ 
rangements in Europe for a few others of a similar 
superior character to follow tnese next season, and 
as often thereafter as it may be advisable to make 
a fresh cross, so that flock-masters may not only 
be satisfied as to the character of his produce, but 
have an opportunity also of getting a fresh cross 
themselves from his flock whenever necessary. 
One ram <and seven ewes have been placed by 
Mr. Taintor, in the hands of Mr. Francis Rotch, of 
Butternuts, Otsego County, N. Y.; another ram has 
been sent to Mr. L. G. Bingham, of Williston, Vt., 
to breed to his Rambouillet Merino flock, purchased 
last year of Mr. D. C. Collins, Hartford, Ct., a no¬ 
tice of which appeared in our last volume, page 382. 
STEVENS’ PATENT FENCE. 
Stevens’ Patent 
Mr. Joseph Stevens, of Northumberland, Sara¬ 
toga County, New York, has recently invented a 
mode of constructing fences on a new plan. The 
posts are made of the same composition as common 
bricks, being burnt or baked to the consistency of 
a hard, arch brick. They are set in the ground 
diagonally, or corner-wise ; a tenon is made on the 
top of each post, on which is placed a coupling 
block for the top rail to rest upon, and fastened to 
it by a pin or nail, which unites the whole fence 
firmly together ; the bottom rail is notched at each 
end, so as to brace the posts firmly, and is support¬ 
ed by the paling or pickets. It will be seen that in 
this mode of construction, there are no tenons in 
the rails, thus preventing rot or decay in the 
wooden part. 
The durability of the posts of this fence being 
almost imperishable, is alone sufficient to entitle it 
to attention ; and in adding to this its beauty—being 
really ornamental—and, above all, its cheapness, 
appears to render it a useful and valuable dis¬ 
covery. 
Perhaps there is no improvement at the present 
day, more needed or more called for, than that of 
fences; farmers in particular, who are subject to 
such great expense in constructing in the old man¬ 
ner, and a constant tax in repairing them, while the 
materials they now use are yearly becoming more 
scarce, and their expenses consequently greater, 
will do well to look into this matter, and avail 
themselves of the opportunity offered, to obtain a 
cheap and durable article. The inventor has as¬ 
certained by experiment that this fence can be 
constructed as cheaply as any ordinary kind now 
in use. 
Fence.- -Fig. 63. 
Show of the New York State Ag. Society.— 
Let our readers bear in mind that this Show will 
take place at Auburn, on the 15th, 16th, and 17th, 
of this month. The place is easily reached by the 
great Western railroad, which passes directly 
through it. Auburn is a beautiful town, in the 
heart of a highly fertile country, and the accommo¬ 
dation for visitors there we understand is most 
ample. The show will be a grand farmers’ festival, 
and we hope to see a large number of them present, 
with their families. They will find much to admire 
there, and something we trust to instruct them. 
We have no doubt it will be one of the best, in 
many respects, that the Society has yet held. Much 
interest is manifested in it, and extensive prepara¬ 
tions are on foot to render it all it should be. 
Symptoms of Disease in Animals. —A full and 
frequent pulse, loss of appetite, dejected head, and 
a languid or watery eye, with a disposition to lie 
down in a dark or shady place, are certain marks, 
in all brute animals, of one of the most frequent 
diseases with which they are affected—that is, the 
fever. The watery eye, an inability to bark, or 
barking with a stertorous hoarseness, indicate the 
approach of madness in the dog. The elevation of 
the hair on the back of a cat, and its not falling 
upon its feet, when thrown from a moderate height, 
are the premonitory signs of that disease, which 
has long proved fatal to that species of animal both 
in Europe and America. The tail of a horse losing 
its regularity of motion from side to side, indicates 
that he is indisposed, and the part in which his 
disease is seated is pointed out by one of his ears 
inclining backwards to the side affected The seat 
