114 
STATE FAIR OF MISSISSIPPI.—THE BEST DISTRICT IN THE IT. S. FOR SHEEP-FARMING. 
go her 35 to 40 quarts per day; on our own fare 
(in Madison county), she gives one bushel and two 
quarts per day ; so I was assured by those who 
knew, and who would not falsely state the quan¬ 
tity. Mr. Tucker also exhibited a beautiful 
heifer of about two years of age, that richly de¬ 
serves more than a passing notice. Mr. E. Moo¬ 
dy’s bull, though not really a No. 1, would be a 
good bull almost anywhere. I must think him 
the best bull I now know in Mississippi. I had 3 
Devons there that were scarcely noticed, but had 
they travelled them" alongside of the Durhams, 
they would have attracted attention. 
I come now to sheep, and must, after seeing the 
sheep exhibited by J. Brown, of Madison, excuse 
him for bragging—not a little—on his Saxons: 
though I can not go the full sheep in thinking 
them equal to any in the Union; yet I think they 
would be hard customers forH. D. Grove himself. 
Mr. B. exhibited a pen-full of different sheep, all 
good of their kinds, and his mutton, that I saw 
at the butchers, as also his present for the dinner, 
loolced all my fancy painted it; but as I was mix¬ 
ing about when dinner was served, I only saw it. 
But in the swine line, I was there. The lady 
Gipsey, I am vain enough to say, stood “ solitary 
and alone, the observed of all observers.” And 
not unworthy of their dark dam, were Marian and 
our Lida—though Ellen Beach took the premium 
on young sows ; yet, owning both, we would not 
give Marian for her. Our friend C. S. Tarpley 
had the misfortune, on the morning of the Fair, 
to lose his brag boar. He would have been an 
“ ugly customer” to even the premium boar, Mr. 
B. S. Ricks’s, Sambo; though he is plenty good 
for such as myself. There were too many good 
hogs to specify all; yet I must say of the sow 
exhibited by J. S. Johnston, that if Gipsey did 
beat her, yet she is “ hard to beat in any crowd 
and were Gipsey out of our state, I know not 
whether she could be; for we have a number of 
fine specimens, particularly in the piggeries of 
Charles Allen, James Elliot, J. B. Peyton, C. S. 
Tarpley, &c., &c. 
In the implement line, the neatest article I saw 
was one of James Murray’s corn and cob grind¬ 
ers, exhibited by myself. Not having proved its 
value, I can only say, it is a very neat article of 
mechanism, and must work well. The next, I 
know not whether to say stood a plow, made by 
that choice workman, Mr. Bolls, of Warren, or a 
wagon, made by an excellent workman at his bu¬ 
siness, in Jackson. I exhibited Barnaby & Mooer’s, 
side-hill and level-land plow; and probably no 
one article attracted more remarks, especially from 
“ the darkies.” It is too heavy for less than two 
yoke of oxen, for certainly no one span of horses 
could live and keep before them ; or, in the lan¬ 
guage of a friend of the Emerald Isle, “ do it and 
keep healthy.” A corn-sheller, exhibited by Is¬ 
rael Spencer, was a great curiosity with many. 
I can out-shell it with one of Goldsborough’s, and 
give it “ a quarter in the mile.” His has shelled 
one bushel in two minutes, and ours, in one. I 
saw the same kind, I think, over twelve months 
since, at J. B. Peyton’s, though I question not but 
Mr. Spencer invented his, and guaranty it was 
made at home, it having the flesh mark of tools 
not very sharp. 
In the domestic fabric department, it would take 
a whole sheet to particularize. The ladies ex¬ 
ceeded themselves. They are all No. 1, and all 
deserve immortality; and could my pen write ev¬ 
ery name that exhibited, so it might be preserved 
as a lasting memorial of their patriotism and in¬ 
dustry, I would most cheerfully do it; but as each 
and every one deserves far more than I can say, I 
must be excused from adding more. 
The “ Greasy ” committee, in being pleased to 
give our “ gude dame” the spoons for her butter, 
pleased me as much as any part of the whole bu¬ 
siness. Her attention and personal labor were 
fully recompensed. 
I had no idea that we Mississippians could have 
in so short a time made such an exhibition of 
skill and handy-work. I was prepared to see the 
stock; but not so, ladies and mechanical skill. 
Among the former, were specimens of silk, co¬ 
coons, laces, bed-spreads, &c., &c., that might be 
shown with credit anywhere in the world. 
Yours, truly, M. W. Philips. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
THE BEST DISTRICT IN THE UNITED STATES 
FOR SHEEP-FARMING. 
Prospect Hill, Ky., May 1st, 1843. 
In the first number of the second volume of the 
American Agriculturist, there is an inquiry as to 
what district of country in the United States is 
“naturally best adapted for profitable sheep-farm¬ 
ing.” The writer truly suggests, that sheep hus¬ 
bandry will meet with great obstacles throughout 
all the prairie country to the west, in consequence 
of the great expense and trouble of feeding their 
flocks for about five months of every year. He 
supposes there must be somewhere in the United 
States, a region where, while it is cool enough in 
summer to be a grass-growing country, the win¬ 
ters are so short and mild that sheep would not 
require much, if any feeding, at all events for any 
great length of time. He remarks, “ if there is 
such a region, that is the country for sheep, and 
there is the place where wool can be grown at least 
cost, especially if the land be cheap. If the coun¬ 
try is hilly or mountainous, so much the better; 
or if dry, sandy, or rocky, none the worse. Only, 
let it not be sunken and wet land, for such will 
not answer for sheep pasturage.” The writer 
(Americus) asks, “ Where is such a country 1” and 
desires to obtain the information through the medi¬ 
um of the American Agriculturist. 
I would respectfully inform him, that a region 
of country, very accurately answering the above 
description, may be found in the eastern part of 
Kentucky, bordering on the Virginia line, and ex¬ 
tending from the Ohio river, between the mouth 
of Kinniconick and the mouth of Big Sandy to the 
Tennessee line, latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes 
north. This region of country extends from north 
to south about one hundred and fifty miles, and its 
average breadtfe from east to west, is about fifty 
miles; it therefore contains 7,500 square miles, 
and 4,800,000 acres. By looking at the map of 
