AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
180 
of the States is of great importance. We have 
fast horses, and handsome horses, but for bone 
and sinew, and the necessary qualifications for 
service, our horses are in the main slill defi¬ 
cient. The general use of oxen and mules, at 
the best ungain and awkward animals, proves 
this to be true. 
The Short-horns were the dominant cattle at 
Ripon. Indeed, as I have before said, they 
take the precedence over all other species 
throughout England. There were forty-three 
full bred bulls on exhibition, varying in age 
from five months to five years. Of cows, heif¬ 
ers, and small calves, a good variety. 
The Leicester, or long-wooled sheep, took the 
lead. There were thirty-three shearling rams, 
and all very good. A premium of $100 was 
given for the best. The South-down sheep 
were well represented, though apparently 
counted a second-rate species. Several speci¬ 
mens of the Black-faced Scotch, or Highland 
sheep, attracted attention. Perhaps the feature 
of the show was the admirable display of pigs. 
Yorkshire has long maintained a high reputa¬ 
tion for extraordinary swine, and the pens at 
Ripon were well calculated to sustain that repu¬ 
tation. One hundred and thirty pens of superb 
pigs would gain attention any where. Of the 
large and unprofitable breeds, there were a 
number of unusually promising specimens, but 
the small breeds were in the ascendant, and I 
noticed that they were mostly reared in York¬ 
shire. Tne mammoth porkers can never •be¬ 
come popular. Breeders love the snug-built 
Suffolk, Berkshire, or even the Yorkshire, far 
more. A pig, like a pocket-book, should be 
small and fat, rather than great and gaunt. The 
little suckers, say eight weeks old, were being 
sold at from five to eight guineas each. Specu¬ 
lation prices certainly. 
In the poultry line the display was most ex¬ 
tensive, but by no means choice. The north of 
England supports fewer chicken fanciers than 
the south and west. There appeared 230 coops, 
Dorking and Black Spanish leading off, followed 
by Cochins, Games, and Pheasants, a few 
Bantams, very good, and good geese and ducks, 
with a number of pens of turkeys. 
The agricultural implements, &c., &c., I need 
not allude to, nothing very novel being on the 
ground. I would give other details, of flax, 
wool, &c., but you will perhaps prefer to hear of 
the Highland Show. 
Berwick-upon-Tweed is not purely a Scotch 
town, though claimed as such. Its extreme 
southern position, undoubtedly served to render 
the show less complete than it would have been 
had it been held at Edinburgh, Glasgow, or even 
at Aberdeen or Inverness. 
A commodious plot of ground was enclosed 
on the green, east of the town, and on the banks 
of the cold German Ocean, and though it was 
but the 3d of August, the air wore a November- 
ish chill. The whole town assumed a holiday 
appearance, and the crowds of lads and lasses, 
with laughing faces, arid the many stout, hearty 
farmers and shepherds, wrapped in their High¬ 
land plaids, reminded me of the older days of 
Scotland. I found a great concourse of people 
in attendance. Not a few from the north of 
England, and as particular guests, the deputa¬ 
tion from France, mentioned as being present at 
the Lincoln exhibition. 
A very large enclosure! had been made for the 
articles on exhibition, but there were no sheds 
for the implements or cattle, as at Yorkshire or 
Lincoln; and had the weather proved unfair, 
there must have been much inconvenience ex¬ 
perienced. 
The agricultural implement department was 
allowed to be somewhat inferior to preceding 
years—about one-third of the space allotted to 
implements being unoccupied. The plows were 
numerous and creditable. Howard’s plow 
gained the first premium at the trial, working 
admirably. This capital article is armed with 
an appendage, a little plow, whose duty it is to 
scarify the edge of the slice that is being turn¬ 
ed over, which effectually prevents any vestige 
of beard appearing. The report speaks thus, 
and in every way commepdatory of this plow. 
There was no trial of reapers. A prepara¬ 
tion of non-poisonous composition for the pre¬ 
servation of sheep and wool, seemed to attract 
the interest of the farmers. 
The display of cattle was unusually good. 
Short-horns, Polled Breeds, Ayrshires and 
Highlanders, of beautiful appearance, filled the 
extensive pens. The black Polled, or hornless 
cattle, surpassed any variety of the kind that I 
have ever seen. Fat, compact, perfect-formed 
creatures they were. The Highland cows, with 
their rough hides and wide-spread horns, looked 
odd, but there is little beauty about them. 
Black and dun were the principal colors of the 
specimens. 
One hundred and thirty-five horses were en¬ 
tered for the show. The large agricultural spe¬ 
cies again well represented. Indeed, some of 
the animals were equal to any that I had seen 
in England. The prices set upon them were 
extravagant. 
The Leicester breed of sheep was represented 
by over 300 animals. The Cheviots, South- 
down and Black-face specimens were very good. 
Above fifty entries of swine were made. The 
breeders think that the cross between the sows 
of the large and boars of the small breed, pro¬ 
duces the most valuable and economical pig. 
The poultry nothing extra. Cochin Chinas at¬ 
tracted much attention, being novel in the vi¬ 
cinity. The whole Show was as good as might 
have been expected at the season and place, and 
I was glad of an opportunity to attend. On the 
evening of the 2d, a public meeting was held 
in Berwick, to listen to an address from J. Hall 
Maxwell, Esq., the efficient Secretary of the So¬ 
ciety, upon the agricultural statistics which the 
government are now trying to procure from the 
farmers of Scotland. I send you a copy of his 
remarks, and also a newspaper report of the 
fair, list of premiums, &c., and have to regret 
that my engagements are such as to prevent me 
the pleasure of giving you further details in 
this note. 
I attended the famous St. James Show at 
Kelso-upon-Tweed, a few days since. Nothing- 
transpired worthy of special record. 
R. C. McCormick, Jr. 
- *_*_« - 
LOUISIANA STATE AGRICULTUTAL SOCIETY. 
We are glad to see that Louisiana is at last 
roused to the importance of forming an Agri¬ 
cultural Society. No other State can show a 
fifth of the rich river bottom-lands, that 
abound in Louisiana; and we believe that no 
State export so largo an amount of agricultu¬ 
ral produce. An agricultural society, founded 
upon broad, enlightened principles, is, therefore, 
of great importance to this State. But in order 
to make it popular, and do the most good, it 
must resort to annual public exhibitions, the 
same as is done in New-York, and other States. 
The month of December would probably be the 
best time to do this; and New-Orleans would 
unquestionably be the best place for the exhibi¬ 
tions. We wish the Society unbounded suc¬ 
cess, and if we can in any way contribute to its 
welfare, we shall be glad to do so. A recent 
number of the New-Orleans Picayune contains 
the following notice of a meeting of gentlemen 
interested in this subject. 
By the official report published in another 
part of our paper, it will be seen that on Wed¬ 
nesday evening last, a number of gentlemen, 
interested in agricultural pursuits, attended a 
preliminary meeting, held at the Mechanics’ In¬ 
stitute, for the purpose of having read and tak¬ 
ing action on the constitution of a new agricul¬ 
tural society, which it is proposed to form here, 
not only to advance the interests of agriculture 
in this State, but in the South generally. The 
principal mover in this important matter is Mr. 
J. B. Britton, originator, we believe, and now 
President of the Louisiana Rice Mills Company, 
and who, from his well-directed, intelligent and 
persevering efforts to introduce the cultivation 
of that valuable staple, rice, on an extensive 
plan, into this State, is deserving of all com¬ 
mendation. The confidence and esteem in 
which he is held by a wide circle of planters in 
this and the adjoining States, give him peculiar 
and enviable advantages in carrying to success¬ 
ful and active results the plan of a society of the 
kind above named. 
We believe there is an agricultural society 
already incorporated in the State; but so far, if 
we are not mistaken, it has not achieved much. 
There are peculiar difficulties to be overcome in 
diffusing life and energy into such organizations 
in the South, most of them arising from the 
wide space separating the planters and farmers, 
the tediousness of communication and transpor¬ 
tation, and a great deal we fear from a distaste 
for exertion that is not called on by motives of 
novelty or immediate personal interest. These 
disadvantages are well understood by the organ¬ 
izers of the new society, and as by its constitu¬ 
tion the direction of affairs is thrown into the 
hands of a few persons, and these are not re¬ 
stricted to one or two old hackneyed methods, 
we may expect a number of effective means to 
be adopted, to arouse the agricultural interests 
of the State, to bring them into frequent and 
close communication, and obtain and diffuse in¬ 
formation—practical, and therefore valuable. 
The Society will, no doubt, receive a large 
accession to its numbers from this and the ad¬ 
joining States, so soon as the fact of its organi¬ 
zation becomes known. After the adoption of 
the constitution, on Wednesday evening, the So¬ 
ciety proceeded to an election of officers, to 
serve until the first regular meeting, which will 
be held on the second Monday in January next, 
in this city. This resulted in the unanimous 
choice of the following gentlemen, most of 
whom were present and accepted the offices : 
President — Valcour Aime, planter, parish of 
St. James. 
Vice-President — Judge P. A. Rost, planter, 
parish of St. Charles. 
Curators—John C. Potts, planter, parish of 
Terrebonne; J. L. Riddell, Professor of Chem¬ 
istry, University of Louisiana, New-Orleans; J. 
Blodget Britton, President of the Lousiana Rice 
Mills Company, New-Orleans. 
Treasurer—Geo. W. Sizer, of the New-Or¬ 
leans Agricultural Warehouse. 
Corresponding Secretary—Edward C. Whar¬ 
ton, of Sherman & Wharton, printers, New- 
Orleans. 
Recording Secretary — R. 0. Kerr, of Ben¬ 
nett, Kerr <| Co,, New-Orleans, 
