78 
LAST SALE OF BERKSHIRES. 
last five years several very large specimens of this 
shrub, close by our dining-room windows, and by 
protracted observations by various members of the 
family, they have been so infallible in showing the 
temperature of the atmosphere, that the thermome¬ 
ter which hung without the door, became in some 
measure useless, unless we wished to ascertain to 
a degree, the state of the air. 
When the weather is cold, and the thermometer 
about zero, the leaves are rolled so tightly together 
that it seems almost impossible for them to again 
become unrolled, at the same time they are turned 
nearly black; and the expansion, as the weather 
moderates, is so gradual, that by the degrees of 
their color and shape, a person is enabled to form a 
pretty accurate opinion of the weather; and when 
mild, the leaves assume a light and very rich green, 
jte I should think this plant might become valuable 
on this account to farmers and others, whose re¬ 
moteness from cities and towns where thermome¬ 
ters may be had, prevent them from procuring 
them; and I believe that a winter’s attention to 
the rhododendron will enable any one to judge of 
the external temperature of the atmosphere, with 
very considerable accuracy. At the same time, it 
is one of our most ornamental native shrubs, and 
no one can fail to admire a plant covered with its 
profuse mantle of roseate flowers, besprinkled 
through its beautiful, shining foliage; these alone 
impart a richness to American forests sought else¬ 
where in vain. 
George W. Fahnestock. 
Pittsburgh Pa., April, 1843. 
It is with great regret that we leam from the 
Messrs. Brentnall, that they retire from the busi¬ 
ness of breeding Berkshires. Being the first to 
commence, we had supposed that they would be 
the last to give it up; but the fact is, with the su¬ 
perior mild climate of the south, they can make 
pork there for half the price that we can here at 
the north; besides, for a succession of years we 
li£ive been supplying them with our choicest breeds 
of swine, and have at length put it into their power 
to beat us at our own game, and breed as good 
animals as ourselves. We cheerfully coincide 
with all that the Messrs. Brentnall say of Colonel 
Bonner. He is one of the most spirited and judi¬ 
cious breeders at the south; and while upon this 
subject, we will now add, that Mr. R. H. Hendrick¬ 
son, of Middletown, Ohio, recently sent him a 
young Berkshire boar, by Windsor Castle, selected 
in England and imported by ourselves in 1841. 
Col. B. has given him the name of Great Western, 
and we have no doubt when full grown that he 
will well deserve the title, and prove a tall and 
somewhat stout customer among the Georgians. 
At the commencement of our breeding Berk¬ 
shires, we were among those who purchased 
Stock of the Messrs. Brentnall; and we have also 
seen it from their piggery scattered over this state, 
Ohio, and Kentucky, and although we since be¬ 
came rival breeders, we trust that we can say in 
this instance, as well as in every other, that it was 
always with the most generous and liberal views 
and expressions on our part. Whenever we met 
a good thing we said so, and that freely, no matter 
who bred and owned it, and we have the satisfac¬ 
tion of believing that our motives and feelings 
have generally been reciprocated. We tender to 
the Messrs. Brentnall our warm thanks for their 
kind expressions, and we can assure them, that 
whatever enterprises they may hereafter be enga¬ 
ged in, they have our best wishes of success. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
LAST SALE OF BERKSHIRES. 
Canterbury, Orange County , N. Y., 
April 11th, 1843. 
A. B. Allen, Esq. : In the first place allow us 
to tender you our thanks, for the insertion in the 
January number of your invaluable periodical, the 
first premiums awarded to the Berkshires at the 
Planters’ Club held at Sparta, Georgia, which we 
presume you took from the Georgia Journal which 
we had previously forwarded to your office. Up 
to that time, we had sold to Colonel John Bonner 
of White Plains, Green County, Georgia, seven 
sows and a boar, which all met with his decided 
approbation. We have now just sold him our 
whole reserved lot of Berkshires, together with 
our good will as breeders of the same. They con¬ 
sist of six sows and two boars, including the im¬ 
ported animals, Ontario and Lady Huttleson; the 
only two remaining of the last importation, sent us 
out by our friend Mr. Hawes. They are all fine 
and very superior animals, and we flatter ourselves 
would not suffer in comparison with any of their 
kind in the country. 
The produce from Ontario have uniformly been 
vastly superior to any other pigs we ever bred, 
which has given him a good notoriety with the 
numerous customers we have supplied; he will 
consequently take with him a well-established 
reputation to his enterprising owner, and also be a 
great acquisition to the breeders of Berkshires in 
the state in which he is placed. 
In transferring our breeding stock to, and retiring 
in favor of Colonel Bonner, we have every confi¬ 
dence in^ his judgment and abilities as a breeder, 
to keep up and even increase the high qualities of 
the animals under his supervision; and from these 
conclusions, we take great pleasure in most re¬ 
spectfully recommending his stock of Berkshire 
hogs to the notice of the public, and particularly to 
those persons who anticipated honoring us with 
their orders for the ensuing season. From the 
number and superiority of the animals sold Colonel 
Bonner, together with his choice selections from 
other celebrated piggeries, we may safely and con¬ 
fidentially assert, that he has in his possession 
some of the best blood, and very probably the 
most choice selection of Berkshire hogs to be found 
in one man’s possession in the Union. In recom 
