216 
AMERICAN AGRICULT UR IS 1 
my own belief is that the proper time, in this 
climate at least, is in June and July, when the 
leaves have attained their full size, and are 
in full health and vigor, and are elaborating 
an abundance of sap. In this state, a fresh 
wound will commence healing at once 
New bark is rapidly formed to cover the 
wound. It is the descending sap from which 
the new bark as well as all the other tissues 
of the tree is formed. When this sap, prop¬ 
erly elaborated in the leaves, is not fur¬ 
nished to the formative vessels, no new 
growth of any kind is effected. Hence if is 
only when the leaves are in a condition to 
perform their proper office, that the new 
growth necessary to effect the healing of a 
wound can be accomplished. J. R. 
[New England Farmer. 
^meriOT ^Urknliurisl 
New-York, Thursday, June 14. 
The Back Volumes of the American Agriculturist, 
neatly bound, can now be supplied from the commence¬ 
ment. These of themselves constitute a beautiful and 
valuable Farmer’s Library, embracing a compendium 
of all the important agricultural articles that have ap- 
peareed during the last thirteen years. First ten volumes, 
new edition, furnished bound for $10. 
Bound volumes XI, XII and XIII (new series), $1 50 per 
volume; unbound, $1 per volume. The whole thirteen 
volumes furnished bound for $14 50. 
This paper is never sent ivhere it is 
not considered paid foi—and is in all cases 
stopped when the subscription runs out. 
We occasionally send a number to persons 
who are not subscribers. This is sometimes 
done as a compliment, and in other cases to 
invite examination. Those receiving such 
numbers are requested to look them over, and 
if convenient show them to a neighbor. 
South Down Sheep. —We call attention to 
the advertisement of Mr. Samuel Thorne, at 
page 221 of this number of our paper. No 
better sheep were ever imported into this 
country, and the public may be assured the 
beet attention is paid to their breeding and 
rearing atThornedale. For a more particu¬ 
lar account of this flock, we refer to our 12th 
volume, page 369. 
Tile Machines. —We have very frequent 
inquiries for these machines, which we can 
not answer. As drain tiles are coming into 
extensive demand throughout the country, 
we advise those manufacturing either the 
machines or tiles, to make themselves known 
through appropriate advertisements. 
How True !—You may, says an exchange, 
insert a thousand excellent things in a news¬ 
paper, and never hear a word of approbation 
from your readers ; but just let a paragraph 
slip in, of even one or two lines, that are not 
exactly in good taste, and you may be sure 
Correction. —An article in No. 90, p 183, 
entitled “ Management of Domestics,” was 
credited to the Ohio Farmer—as we found it 
in an exchange. It should have been “ Ohio 
Cultivator .” On reference to the May num¬ 
ber of the latter paper, we see it is from the 
pen of Mrs. Josephine C. Bateham, the ac¬ 
complished editress of the Ladies’ Depart¬ 
ment. 
THE SHORT HORNS AS MILKERS- 
The Society of Shakers at Pleasant Hill, 
Mercer Co., Ky., have sent seventy-four 
pedigrees to the second volume of the Amer¬ 
ican Herd Book, now about to be published. 
Accompanying their pedigrees they say: 
“ Some of the cows have been named as dis¬ 
tinguished milkers ; others again that have 
scarcely less merit have not been mentioned. 
Here, cows that do not, with the care and 
attention given them, give 24 quarts of milk 
a day, are not esteemed ordinary milkers, 
and those that give 34 quarts a day are 
among the very best. But greatly improved 
stock implies greatly improved means and 
manner of feeding and caring for them. 
Take an extra or a good cow, and let her 
suffer cold, hunger, and other privations for 
a considerable time, and what will she be ? 
Some say keep is everything in the improve¬ 
ment of stock. This is not the fact, but it 
is a considerable item in it. Great pains 
and care in crossing are necessary to im¬ 
provement ; but this is, to some considera¬ 
ble extent, unavailing without improved 
means of keeping, and the manner of caring 
for them.” Here, then, is the whole story 
in a nut-shell, as the experience of this un¬ 
pretending, pains-taking community have 
proved the Short Horns for thirty years. 
Among their cows stands Roxilla, and in a 
note attached to her pedigree is written : 
“ This cow was calved in 1839. She is re¬ 
markable for health and great constitutional 
powers, as well as for the quantity and qual¬ 
ity of her milk, and she is yet living in ap¬ 
parent good health. She has given birth to 
13 calves, and is soon to have another. The 
early maturity of this stock is no argument 
against its longevity. For years of her prime 
Roxilla gave 32 quarts of milk per day for 
months after calving, and fell off but little 
comparatively afterwards—never going dry 
between times of giving birth to her calves ; 
and her thirteen calves will compare well 
with those of any other cow.” 
We knew another Short Horn cow some 
years ago, belonging to Mr. Stevens, of Ba¬ 
tavia, N. Y., which in her prime gave 39 
quarts in a day, for several days in succes¬ 
sion, on grass only. Our informants were 
John S. Ganson and Pardon C. Sherman, 
now residents of Buffalo, then living in Ba¬ 
tavia, who saw her milked. The two sisters 
of this cow, at the same time gave—one 28 
and the other 32i quarts ; and a daughter of 
one of them, two years old, with her first 
calf, gave 22 quarts ; and the daughter of the 
other, three years old, gave over 26 quarts. 
This was in June, 1841. The above old cow 
was Princess IV, (recorded page 216 of the 
first volume of the American Herd Book,) 
got by Monk (1249), E. H. B. We saw her 
a few years afterward, at the age of nineteen 
years, then a large, vigorous, healthy cow, 
heavy in calf—which was her last one. She 
died ; or was fed and slaughtered, at the age 
of twenty years. 
In June, 1844, we saw a fine, large Short 
Horn cow, also called Princess, on the farm 
of Messrs. Wells and Paoli Lathrop, at South 
Hadley Falls, Mass., which was then nine¬ 
teen years old. The preceding October she 
dropped a fine, large calf, which, with its 
dam, was doing remarkably well. Will any 
one show us three native cows equal to the 
above for age, breeding and milking 1 ? 
ORCHARD GRASS. 
On the 13Jh inst. (June), we cut stalks of 
orchard grass, measuring 4ft. 6in. to 4ft. 9in. 
high, growing under the shade and near the 
trunks of large and thickly planted apple 
trees, belonging to Mr. Biuler, of Mount 
Fordham, about nine miles north of the City 
Hall of New-York. Scarce a stalk of this 
grass in the whole orchard was less than 2ft. 
6in. high, and the average of the field of 
several acres we should judge at least three 
feet high. No other grass in the neighbor¬ 
hood except ray grass is half the height of 
this orchard grass. Mr. Butler informs us he 
has been cutting this grass for some time for 
soiling his cattle. 
This is a very late season. In early sea¬ 
sons, we have seen orchard grass in this vi¬ 
cinity full 2ft. 6in. high the forepart of May, 
and fit for soiling cattle. These are facts 
over which the farmer should ponder, if he 
wishes to obtain large early crops of nutri¬ 
tious grass. 
As to the cultivation of this valuable grass, 
our readers, have only to turn to the back 
volumes of the American Agriculturist, and 
they will find full information in regard to it. 
Orchard grass has a large second growth 
when properly cultivated—one to two tuns 
per acre. The first growth may be two to 
three tuns per acre of well cured hay. In ad¬ 
dition to this, there is more or less aftermath, 
dependent on the season. 
The Trial of Mowers, by the Monroe 
County (N. Y.) Agricultural Society, will 
be held on the farm of Judge Buel, one mile 
west of Rochester, on Wednesday, June 27th, 
instead of July 5th, as before announced. 
We are glad the Society have adopted our 
suggestions, given in No. 87, and made this 
change, in order to give farmers an oppor¬ 
tunity to see the trial, and still be able to 
purchase in time for the haying season. 
The manufacturer who is sure of excell¬ 
ing at this trial, will do well to have a good 
stock of machines on hand, for they will be 
wanted. 
Hereafter farmers will no more cut their 
hay with a scythe, while labor is one to two 
dollars a day, and scarce and uncertain at 
that, than they will thresh their grain with a 
hand-flail. The interest on the cost and the 
wear will not exceed $12 to $20 per annum, 
on a machine that will readily cut a hun¬ 
dred or more acres at just the time it is 
wanted. A New-Jersey farmer told us re¬ 
cently, that he gave $120 for a machine last 
year, with which he cut his own grass, and 
103 acres for his neighbors, for which he 
received $103. He now asks $100 for his 
machine, at the lowest, and would not take 
$500 for it, only that he thinks he can get 
one still better. 
It is in vain to knock at the door of the 
understanding, unless we are able to offer 
some inducement to the will to open it. 
