244 
THE CEDES Iff WESTERN NEW YORK.—CATTLE# ETC. 
the 9th No. of Vol. I. of your Agriculturist. I 
also found his splendid young bull Meteor there, 
who excited great and well-deserved admiration. 
He has improved wonderfully the last six months, 
and if exhibited at our state fair next year, will be 
a hard customer to beat. In fashion and general 
appearance, it is thought he will soon eclipse his 
illustrious sire, Duke of Wellington. I also re¬ 
cognised his imported cow Duchess, the dam of 
Meteor;but his two-year-old heifer Victoria, got 
by Wellington, dam by Coriolanus, one of my 
bulls, seemed to attract the most attention, and 
was considered the “ belle” of the herd on the 
ground. 
Next to Mr. Vail, in point of numbers, was Mr. 
Belden of Troy, with some line specimens of Dur- 
hams, grades, and native cows, among which, it 
was remarked, were some extraordinary milkers. 
Mr. J. H. Coons of Brunswick, was also there 
with some of his fine Durhams and though last, 
not least, Mr. Sampson’s mammoth Durham bull 
who excited the wonder, if not the admiration 
of all, for his colossal size, being considered the 
largest, on the ground, and only three years 
old. I noticed twelve yoke of very superior 
working cattle, and only one yoke of fat cattle on 
the ground. 
The exhibition of sheep and swine was very 
limited, only eight entries of sheep, and four of 
swine; but though their numbers were small, 
they were good specimens of their kind, and re¬ 
flected great credit to their owners. And “ even 
hens,” as a buxom lass exclaimed, as she passed 
through the crowd, “ even hens are here.” 
The show of implements of husbandry, exceed¬ 
ed any county exhibition I have ever attended, and 
one of the most attractive and curious objects, was 
a structure formed of agricultural implements, de¬ 
nominated the “ Farmer’s Coat of Arms,” decora¬ 
ted with vegetables and flowers. This you must 
know, was designed by that enthusiastic friend of 
Agriculture and Horticulture, Alexander Walsh, 
Esq., of Lansingburgh. I should fail in the at¬ 
tempt to describe this unique and beautifully de¬ 
signed affair, and as it was Mr. Walsh’s intention 
to have a sketch taken of it, for engraving, I will 
endeavor to procure a copy for your magazine. 
In the agricultural implement department, the 
society were much indebted to Mr. H. Warren of 
Troy, who was by far the greatest contributor. 
It was from his establishment, which, by-lhe-by, 
is the most extensive this side of New York, that 
the “ Farmer’s Coat of Arms” was formed, and 
the implements were much admired for the neat¬ 
ness and finish in their construction, and their 
general fitness for the objects for which they were 
intended. I also noticed on the ground some 
highly-finished Livingston county plows, made 
and exhibited by J. O. Dale of Lansingburgh, and 
Mr. Langdon of Troy exhibited some of his horse- 
hoes or cultivator plows. An endless chain horse¬ 
power, with a circular saw attached, was put in 
operation, and wood was sawed in quick time, 
near which were several cooking stoves in full 
blast, showing their capacity to consume it. M. 
P. Coons, Esq., of Hoosick, exhibited a model of a 
hinged harrow, of a new construction, which 
would seem, from appearance# to be a very effB 
cient implement. 
There were but few entries of household manu¬ 
factures, and they were generally more for orna¬ 
ment than utility. The products of the dairy 
were good in quality# but only a few samples ex¬ 
hibited. The fruit and floral department was' 
well represented. The exhibition, on the whole# 
was very creditable to the society and county; 
though we doubt not it will be far eclipsed by fu¬ 
ture exhibitions. 
On the second day, which was fair and pleasant# 
at an early hour a procession was formed, escorted 
by the Troy Citizen’s Corps, with an excellent 
band of music, to the church# where a large con¬ 
course listened with great attention to an excellent 
and finished address pronounced by J. J. Veelie, 
Esq. of Hoosick. It was expected that William 
P. Van Rensselaer# Esq., the President of the So¬ 
ciety, would deliver the address, but from indis¬ 
position he was prevented, in consequence ofwhich 
Mr. Veelie was appointed to take his place with 
only a few hours’ notice for preparation. Two 
appropriate odes were sung; and the reading of 
the reports of the committees, and the delivery of 
the premiums, closed the exercises of the day. 
C. N. Bement. 
For the American Agriculturist . 
THE CROPS OF WESTERN N. Y.—CATTLE, &c. 
Black Rock , Aug. 28, 1843. 
As the harvest season is now over, according to 
my promise I give you some account of it. In 
this region, the spring, following a winter of ex¬ 
traordinary intensity, was cold and backward. 
The growing season, however, when once com¬ 
menced, came on vigorously, with showers and 
fine weather. The spring crops, though feeble and 
unpromising at first, grew rapidly with the warmth 
of summer, and have produced thus far, well. The 
weather through July and August has been uncom¬ 
monly dry and hot, and never had the farmers a 
better hay and harvest season. 
The Winter Wheat was somewhat winter 
killed, and smothered by the uncommon quantity 
of snow, but it revived beyond expectation, and 
with a light straw, and an unpromising yield, has 
far exceeded expectation. The crop is a full aver¬ 
age, and the size, plumpness, and quality of the 
grain, never was better. 
Of Oats, a less quantity was sown than last 
year, and the general growth has been less; yet 
they are well headed on a light and short straw. 
The crop a full average. 
Barley is good in quality, and usual in quantity. 
Indian Corn. —This is not a first-rate corn coun¬ 
try, but with good culture, on a dry, rich, and open 
soil, a fair crop is usually obtained. The last six 
weeks have been too dry, but the extreme heat is 
favorable—on the whole there will be a fair 
crop. 
Spring Wheat is grown considerably in this re¬ 
gion, and averages well. The same remarks will 
apply to this as to winter wheat. Many of our 
farmers in this neighborhood grow the Siberian 
