FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
219 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
By the steampackets Britannia, and Caledonia, we 
have our full files of European journals to the 5th Sep¬ 
tember, 
Markets. — Cotton has continued to advance steadily 
since our last, with very large sales, notwithstanding 
the immense amount of about a million of bales on hand 
at Liverpool and other ports. This advance has taken 
place principally on account of the ascertained short 
crop of the present season in this country; the dimin¬ 
ished quantity, however, from Brazil, and the East In¬ 
dies, together with a general revival of the manufac¬ 
turing and other branches of business, have undoubtedly 
had their effect in assisting to produce it. During the 
first week in September, 63,000 bales of cotton changed 
hands, and the price upon the whole average may be 
set down as having advanced full |d. per lb. for the 
past month. The harvest in England is tolerably prom¬ 
ising, and both grain and flour are dull, and to be had. 
at lower rates. Cheese of the better qualities is much 
wanted. Beef \ Pork, and Lard, light stocks are on 
hand, and sales brisk. Pork and Lard, especially, have 
an upward tendency. The duty on Lard-oil is now 
fixed at 20 per cent., and the article begins to attract 
attention. Irish Butter is so low, that it precludes the. 
chance of anything being profitably done in the Ameri¬ 
can article for the present. 
Money is' so abundant, and the difficulty of advan¬ 
tageously employing it so great, that the principal 
bankers have come to a resolution of lowering the 
rates of interest on deposites to one and a half per cent. 
American Stocks continue firm, without any large 
amounts offered for sale. If Pennsylvania and Mary¬ 
land would only provide for the payments of their in¬ 
terest, the other delinquent states, being known as new 
and comparatively poor, it would have a beneficial 
effect, and no doubt raise the value of all American 
securities. It will be a burning shame, if the interest 
on their public debts is not immediately provided 
for after the meeting of the Pennsylvania and Mary¬ 
land Legislatures. 
London Farmers’ Magazine. —Agricultural Sta¬ 
tistics.—With a view of qliciting useful information for 
his contemplated reports, and to enable him to make 
them more complete, Mr. Henry Colman, from the U. S., 
has issued a minute circular to the British farmers, 
which we hope will be fully responded to. If we can 
find space, we shall give place to it hereafter. 
Sale* of a Short-Horn Heifer. —Mr. Parkinson sold a 
yearling heifer of this breed, at the late meeting of the 
Yorkshire Agricultural Society, for 200 guineas. 
Curious New Breed of Cattle. —T. White, Esq., of 
South Mimms, Middlesex, has been devoting himself 
for many years to produce a new breed of cattle, which 
are of a uniform color, black and shuted white, form¬ 
ing the most picturesque herd in a park which can be 
imagined. They are between the Galloway and Suffolk 
breeds, and combine the good qualities of size and apti¬ 
tude to fatten, with superior milking and small bone. 
Agricultural Schools. —We notice in Prof. John¬ 
stone’s Tour in Sweden, that several of these schools 
are already established there, and that the government 
proposes immediately increasing their number to twenty. 
When shall we be able to say the same in our own 
country ? 
A Double Pansy. —We find in the Dundee Warder, 
that a double pansy has at last been grown by Mr. 
Rattary of Errol. It is described as being a very mag¬ 
nificent flower, with about forty petals, is well built, 
and the colors distinct. It is thought to be the only 
one in Great Britain. 
Exportation of Stock to France and Italy. —A consid¬ 
erable number of the best varieties of English cattle 
and sheep have been ordered from France and Italy, 
with a view of improving the domestic animals in these 
countries. 
Farmers’ Journal.— Culture of Flax. —Consider¬ 
able attention is paid to this subject at present in Eng¬ 
land ; more it seems on account of the seed than the 
lint, for they consider this invaluable as feed for stock, 
crushed and mixed up with water and coarser grains. 
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society. —The annual 
meeting took place at Doncaster 2d of August. This 
society is second only in importance to the Royal 
Ag. Soc., and in some respects its shows are usually 
superior. There was a great display of stock, agricul¬ 
tural implements, &c., and a numerous assembly pres¬ 
ent. The speeches were better than any we have ever 
before seen reported at an English agricultural meet¬ 
ing ; being of a thoroughly practical character, and al¬ 
most entirely divested of the fulsome laudations and 
generalities so common on such occasions. The Don¬ 
caster Chronicle says, “ The show of stock generally 
was considered exceedingly good, and elicited the com¬ 
mendation of the judges. In class I., which comprised 
the aged bulls, there was nothing of course to equal 
the Duke of Northumberland, shown.last year; (see his 
portrait in last May No. of American Agriculturist;) 
but independent of this animal, which was indeed a 
rarity, the cattle entered for the premiums in this class 
were superior. 
Annual Meeting of the Highland Agricultural Society. 
—This was held in the month of August, at Dundee, 
with increased interest; 764 animals were exhibited, 
and a large concourse of members and people were in 
attendance. We have space only for a few details. 
One of the most extraordinary exhibitions in the cata¬ 
logue, was that of Mr. James Campbell of the Dundee 
Public Seminaries. It consisted of magnificent plants 
of oats and barley, grown from seed which had under¬ 
gone a certain chemical preparation, and without the 
aid of any manure whatever. Such a mode of culture 
is at variance with all practical experience ; but Mr. 
Campbell declares that his prepared seeds, which have 
produced these strong healthy plants, were sown by 
him on land which, to his certain knowledge, had had 
no manure of any kind for eleven years; and he de¬ 
clared himself quite ready to verify his statement by 
experiment, and said that he was willing at any time 
to impregnate with his chemical preparations the seed 
which any member of the society should send to him 
for that purpose, so as to enable gentlemen to satisfy 
themselves fully as to the efficacy of this wonderful 
mode of culture. 
Professor Johnstone delivered two lectures on the 
application of science to agriculture, which it is our 
intention to publish hereafter. Mr. Colman from the 
U. S. was present, and made a speech highly laudatory, 
though truly so, of the superiority of Scotch Agricul¬ 
ture. 
The annual show of the Highland Society for 1844 is 
fixed to be held at Glasgow. 
Number and Value of Sheep'in England. —These are 
estimated at about 32,000,000, the annual value of 
whose wool is £7,000,000, about $33,000,000. This 
manufactured into cloth, is estimated to be worth at 
least $100,000,000. 
Fattening Cattle. —We find it common in France, 
and many parts of the continent, to fat their cattle by 
souring the grain fed to them. They must be starved 
to it at first, but in a day or two they eat it freely, and 
afterward prefer it to the unfermented. They are fat¬ 
tened quicker and more economically by this process. 
