90 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
the highest terms of their docility and gentle¬ 
ness. Verily, the mule is a much abused 
animal. We submit the above question to 
those having a different experience from 
ourselves or neighbors. 
The Weather. —Mr. James Fellows, writ¬ 
ing from Salisbury, New-Hampshire, under 
date of April 14, says : 
We are having a very backward Spring. 
Snow is lying on the ground in this vicinity 
to the depth of at least two feet. Hay is 
worth from $20 to $25 per tun, and very 
scarce at that. I fear many cattle will die 
for the want of food before they can be got 
out to pasture. # 
Correspondence of the American Agriculturist. 
LETTERS FROM MR. PAGE.-No. I. 
Covington, Ky., April 8, 1855. 
I should have written ere this, but in truth, 
have been too busy or too much fatigued to 
do so. I expected, from accounts in the 
papers, to find the farmers of Ohio suffering 
from the effects of last summer’s drouth, but 
it is much worse than told. In Ashtabula 
County it is thought 1000 cattle will die from 
starvation. All along the lake the drouth 
was particularly severe ; in consequence 
many had to commence feeding in Septem¬ 
ber. Winter found stock in low flesh ; the 
weather has been unusually cold since, and 
a prospect of a late spring. It is not to be 
wondered at that the faces of our brother 
farmers are elongated to their utmost. 
Railroads are doing much for landholders 
in this and all other parts of the State. Lands 
which a few years ago could be bought for 
a song, are now worth from $40 to $100 per 
acre. One tract in particular was pointed 
out to me, bought six years since for $6 an 
acre —covered with an enormous growth of 
chestnut and oak—now worth $100 an acre 
standing. 
Towards Columbus corn fodder seems 
more plentiful; but I hear much complaint 
of scarcity. I was unfortunate on the road 
to Chilicothe, in not finding any of the 
breeders of good cattle, on whom I called, 
at home; and consequently saw but little 
worthy of mention, save the enormous num¬ 
ber of dogs kept by all sorts of folks. In a 
walk of five miles 1 saw not less than fifty, 
many looking as though they “ came here 
when the country ‘was new,” and should 
have been dead, and “ gone to the place 
where good dogs go ”—if there is any—years 
ago. 1 met two men to-day traveling, ac¬ 
companied by ten dogs of high and low de¬ 
gree. It is a pity there was not a tax of one 
dollar ahead, it would pay the State debts in 
two years. 
At Chilicothe we met with Dr. Watts, and 
spent some time looking over his stock. 
Most of them were thin in flesh (this remark 
will apply to nearly all the stock in Ohio); 
but, recollect, what an Ohio breeder calls 
moderate condition , a New-Yorker would 
hardly dare offer at a show, for fear of being 
ruled out for exhibiting/^ catile. Dr. W.’s 
cow, Strawberry and her twins, Mary Gay 
and Bessie Bell, are good ones, of fine size, 
and great substance. There I saw a speci¬ 
men of Mr. Booth’s stock—Meddalist, a 
white bull, imported by the Ross County 
Company last season. This company im¬ 
ported thirty head, selected in England by 
Dr. Watts and Mr. A. Waddel. I have seen 
the majority of them, and think these gen¬ 
tlemen have done themselves much credit 
by the good judgment shown in their selec¬ 
tions. Meddalist is particularly clean about 
the head and throat, and has little “ loose 
leather,” against which the Ohio breeder 
makes great objection—yet it is rare that 
you will find a bull of great constitution and 
equal vigor who has not more or less loose, 
pendulous skin attached to his jaws and 
breast—his horns are also very fine—another 
favorite point with breeders in this region. 
Cows of large size will often have horns lit¬ 
tle larger than a man’s thumb. 
The next day Dr. Watts and myself called 
upon Mr. Anderson, who is just laying 
the foundation of a Short Horn herd ; a good 
foundation too, for he has arranged his farm 
so as to stable his whole herd. Here we 
saw some fine Southdowns from the cele¬ 
brated breeder Jonas Webb. Also saw a pat¬ 
ent grist mill, for one or more horses, which 
grinds, or rather crushes, corn in the ear 
tolerably fine. This is a great convenience 
for feeders who are a long way from mills. 
We have seen many of these mills since. 
It is named the Little Giant. 
Near Cincinnati we had our first view of 
a large vineyard. A view of the “ vine- 
clad hills ” in June, is, without doubt, pleas¬ 
ant and romantic; but in March it looks 
more like a large bean patch. A taste of 
the still Catawba knocked all the romance 
out of that the bean-poles had left. The 
liquor law of Ohio is stringent on all sorts 
of stimulants ; but allows free sale for na¬ 
tive wines, on the ground, probably, that no 
one will drink enough of the sour stuff to 
hurt them. 
Near Lebanon are several good breeders. 
I only found time to call on Mr. R. G. Cor¬ 
win, who has lately retired from his profes¬ 
sion of law, and taken up farming and cattle- 
breeding. His herd of Short Horns are all 
good, and in the most uniformly good condi¬ 
tion of any herd which I have yet seen. It 
is composed of descendants of the importa¬ 
tion of 1836, purchased at the sale of L. F. 
Allen, in Indiana, and three cows imported 
last season by himself. Of the first men¬ 
tioned stock, his cow Strawberry, twelve 
years old, and her daughter, four years old, 
were fine specimens of the breed ; remarka¬ 
bly good in the middle of the rump and full¬ 
ness of their crops. Here let me say, I 
have seen more good crops in Ohio Short 
Horns than ever before in my life. It has 
long been held that good crops was rather 
the exception than the rule with Short Horns. 
In the Ohio herds visited this point seems 
rather the rule than otherwise. His young 
heifers, the get of Duke of Exeter, and also 
a bull calf, the same get, are to my eye 
promising. Mr. Corwin imported Blue Bell, 
only three years old, seems fully mature, 
very fat, yet looks as though she would be a 
great milker by and by, judging from her 
fine head, somewhat drooping neck, and thin 
thighs and hind legs, not quite so straight as 
would suit many. His White Rose, a cow 
of 2,000 pounds weight, is a remarkably good 
cow; I think 1 never saw a better brisket 
than she carries. In this respect she is 
much like the cow Grace, fattened by Col. 
Sherwood. 
I could fill a sheet with comments upon 
every herd which I have visited, but your 
readers may be glad to excuse me. 
In my next (if I get time to write) I will 
give you some account of my visit to the 
Shakers at Union Village, and several other 
good herds. 
Allow me to tender my thanks through the 
American Agriculturist, to those breeders, 
for whose hospitality I am under obliga¬ 
tions. J. R. Page. 
For the American Agriculturist 
LOVE OF T HE MA RVELOUS. 
Some people are born with a propensity to 
exaggerate every thing which passes under 
their notice. Their eyes serve as telescopes 
to bring distant objects near and to magnify 
them. Their ears, like speaking-trumpets, 
catch the faintest whispers of coming events, 
and make them almost prescient of the fu¬ 
ture. Such people observe “ signs ” in heav¬ 
en above and in the earth beneath. They 
have warnings of approaching calamities. 
They read the world’s history, for years to 
come, in omens and presages from the un¬ 
seen world. Spirits from the realm of shades 
come back and bring them useful informa¬ 
tion. Demons tempt them, delude them, and 
frequently ensnare them. Men who love the 
marvelous are always credulous. Those 
who believe in apparitions always see them. 
Imagination once excited can create them 
without limit. They expect “signs’’and 
the signs come. 
People endued with such creative imagi¬ 
nations, live in an unreal world. Miracles 
are ordinary occurrences. They are in a 
land of.charms, visions, phantoms and sprites. 
Legions of spiritual beings surround them 
and communicate with. Such a mental con¬ 
stitution is a misfortune. Life is embittered 
by it; imaginary woes and fears drink up 
the spirit and fill the soul with anxious fore¬ 
bodings. 
A little resolution, however, will exorcise 
a host of such demons. Let a man of such 
a temperament reflect that the laws of nature 
are ordained of God, and are never suspend¬ 
ed, or at all modified, except by His decree, 
and he will have little occasion to talk of 
omens, prognostics, ghosts or demons. God 
never works a miracle except for a sufficient 
cause. The Bible informs us what occa¬ 
sions have been signalized by such displays 
of his power. We are allowed to reason 
from the past to the future. No miracle 
can, therefore, be expected, unless an occa¬ 
sion worthy of the Divine interposition is 
presented. Horace, the Roman poet, gives 
the following rule to dramatists, respecting 
the introduction of supernatural agents upon 
the stage : 
“ Let not a god in person stand display’d, 
Unless the laboring plot deserve his aid.” 
There is good sense in this maxim. It is as 
well adapted to human life as to the theater. 
If a young man, on entering life, will take 
with him this direction, and whenever he 
meets with any thing which he can not ex¬ 
plain, propound this inquiry : Is there before 
me an exigency demanded the presence of 
the Deity ? he will escape much perplexity 
and sorrow. If a neighbor comes to me and 
declares that a departed friend has returned 
from the dead and given him information 
