184 
FATTING STEERS.—ELDER-BERRY WINE. 
Is is a well-known fact, that the coarser wools 
are higher in proportion and in better demand than 
the fine. In our market, wool has to be of the 
very finest quality to command an extra price. 
Fair, and middling fine wool, and long wool bring 
about the same price—mixed lots go at one price. 
A Saxon sheep will average from 2 to 2| lbs; a 
long-woolled sheep from 6 to 8 lbs. The former 
now brings 50 cents per lb., the latter 30 cents. 
The difference, it will be seen, is in favor of the 
latter. 
Permit me here to introduce a paragraph taken 
from a letter written by one of my manufacturing 
correspondents of Boston. “ I am glad to learn 
that the attention of those engaged in sheep-hus¬ 
bandry is now turning toward long-woolled sheep. 
They are now valuable not only for their superior 
mutton, but for the character and value of their 
wool. This arises from the fact that we of the 
northern states are commencing the manufactur¬ 
ing of mouslin-de-laines, and other fabrics, which 
require the long wool.” 
In a late number of the Pennsylvania Inquirer 
and National Gazette, I perceive that great man, 
Daniel Webster, whose name should be dear to 
every American farmer and manufacturer, has 
spoken to the like effect. “ He begins to think that 
the time is approaching when long wool will 
be in great demand for the use of American man¬ 
ufacturing establishments, and that if he were a 
young farmer he would have some Lincolnshire 
sheep that would produce him anually 15 lbs. of 
wool.” In conclusion, allow me to say for the 
benefit of your western correspondent, that I think 
the western country is well adapted to the cul¬ 
tivation of sheep, owing to the uniformly mild 
winters in those districts, and to the abundant 
supply of grass upon the extended prairies. Be¬ 
sides this, the long-woolled sheep are proverbially 
tame and domestic, and hence are easily guarded 
and kept. Many fine sheep have already gone to 
that country, and among the number, 15 bucks and 
two ewes from my own flock, which I sold to an 
enterprising merchant of New York, who sent 
them to his farm on or near Rock River in Illinois. 
In that country wool is very valuable, and will 
continue to be so no doubt for years to come, for 
the reason that there is a constant and large do¬ 
mestic consumption. If the mutton can not be 
sold, it can be melted for the tallow. A well- 
fatted, full-grown Cotswold or Lincolnshire sheep 
will produce from 50 to 100 lbs. of tallow. This 
can be sold in the same way as lard. Thus I 
have answered, though not in order, the inquiries 
of your correspondent, and I trust that what I have 
said may be satisfactory to him. 
Leonard D. Clift. 
Carmel , March 1, 1844. 
FATTING STEERS. 
At your request I send the following account of 
the five steers kept over winter. I bought them 
in October last, at $22,50 per head, pastured them 
a short time, and took them up 2d November, 
keeping them in the barn in stalls all winter, ex¬ 
cepting a short time morning and afternoon, when 
they were turned into the yard to water and have 
their beds made. From 2d November to 2d De¬ 
cember, they were fed twice a day, each time on 
a bundle of cut corn-blades, ^ bushel beets (man¬ 
go 1-wurtzel or sugar-beet,) and \ bushel corn and 
cob-meal ground together; this mess mixed up 
and divided among the five. In the place of hay, 
I gave them each a bundle of corn-blades, cut in 
half with a broad-axe, and fed morning and eve¬ 
ning. They had access to salt from a box in the 
barn-yard, besides some little mixed in their feed. 
From 2d December to 23d January, I gave them 
\ bushel meal, 2 bundles of cut-blades, and 1 bush¬ 
el beets, mixed and fed twice a day as before. 
This mess was put on at night in a large boiler 
and cooked, taken out and. fed in the morning, 
when a similar mess was put on for the evening 
feed. Corn-blades cut with abroad-axe and fed as 
before as a substitute for hay. After the cattle had 
eaten off the leaves from the stalks they were 
passed through the cutting-machine (Briggs’ pat¬ 
ent) and thrown into the barn-yard. The cattle 
were carded every morning. 
From 23d January to 4th March, (on which day 
I sold them at $33 per head,) they were fed three 
times per day; feed cooked each time, and con¬ 
sisted of | bushel of meal, 2 bundles corn-blades, 1 
bushel beets, and the intervening time, with about 
8 lbs. per day of coarse clover hay each. I should 
have done better with the steers, had not one of 
them been quite sick the early part of the winter, 
injuring the sale of the others. The meal given 
these cattle would have sold for about $36, the 
hay for about $8, making $44; which gives ex¬ 
expense per head about $9. This does not in¬ 
clude the beets. My stock of cattle this winter 
has been 10 head, (one a calf,) and I have now in 
the yard about 170 large loads of good manure; 
for all my corn-blades are cut fine before going in¬ 
to the barn-yard. From the fall of ’42, to Novem¬ 
ber ’43, I made about 300 loads of manure. I ad¬ 
vocate every farmer making his own manure. 
The cattle were soiled all summer. This state¬ 
ment I believe correct, as I have kept a regular ac¬ 
count of the feed, and if my experiment be of any 
benefit to the farming community I shall be glad. 
Jno. M. C. Valk. 
Carolina Hall, Flushing , L, March 7, 1844. 
ELDER-BERRY WINE. 
To every quart of berries, put 2 quarts of water; 
boil half an hour, then run the liquor and break the 
fruit through a hair-sieve. To every gallon of this 
juice add 3 lbs. coarse brown-sugar, and f lb. each 
of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and Jamaica-pepper, 
and boil the whole a quarter of an hour. Now 
pour the liquor into a tub, and when of a proper 
warmth, add a large crust of toasted bread well 
saturated in yeast, and let it work till the next 
day ; then put it into a keg and work till it ceases 
to hiss; after which, add 1 quart brandy to every 
8 gallons of liquor, and stop up the cask. 
Mrs. S. 
Albany, March , 1844. 
