AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
121 
NATIONAL CATTLE SHOW. 
Editorial Correspondence. 
Springfield, Ohio, Oct. 24, 1854. 
There is a great show of cattle here, espe¬ 
cially of Short Horns. Ohio and Kentucky 
are particularly well represented, while In¬ 
diana, Illinois, New-York, and other States, 
have contributed more or less of their favor¬ 
ite breeds of animals. 
The show-yard is spacious and well ar¬ 
ranged. It is nearly all an open grove, with 
carriage-paths cut through it in different di¬ 
rections. It belongs to the Clarke County 
Agricultural Society. 
It rained yesterday, but lias cleared up to¬ 
day, and the weather now promises fine. A 
large number of persons are in attendance 
already. To-morrow and next day it will 
be most numerously attended. I shall write 
in full as soon as it is over, which I fear will 
not be in time for our publication next week. 
Our readers, however, will have it in the next 
issue. 
Rare Fowls. —Two weeks since Ave al¬ 
luded to a lot of fowls on their way to this 
country, Avhich had been purchased in 
Europe, for Mr. Barnum, by Mr. Giles, of 
Woodstock, Conn. These arrived last week, 
and are now on exhibition at the American 
Museum in this city. We looked in upon 
them on Saturday, and were quite interested. 
There arc a number of pairs of pure bred 
Black Spanish fowls, English pheasants— 
one of them white—Chinese Golden pheas¬ 
ants (seven pairs), two pairs of magnificent 
white European swans, Barnacle geese— 
white-faced—Surrey fowls, Gold-laced and 
Silver-laced Seabrights, &c. 
Among the rare fowls, few of which have 
been seen in this country before, are Manda¬ 
rin ducks. Widgeon ducks, Little blue dippers, 
Green-winged Teales, Egyptian geese, Shell 
drakes—with curious Roman nose bills— 
Japanese Pea-fowls, and the Spoonbills, 
Avhich are also rare and are quite a curiosity. 
These foAvls, taken together, are really 
worth examining, and as they are to be on 
exhibition but a few days, Ave advise those 
interested to call early and sec them. 
We desire to call attention to Mr. Kelly's 
advertisement, in this weeks’ paper, of a 
Short Horn bull. Prince Albert is a noble 
animal, individually, and he comes from first 
rate milking stock, which is a matter of 
great importance Avith Northern and Eastern 
farmers. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH POTATOES GROWN IN 
TAN, &C. 
We clip the following experiment from the 
Practical Farmer. If any of our readers 
have the curiosity to compare the results of 
tan on potatoes, with those of peat on pota¬ 
toes, in our experiment, published a few 
weeks sjnce, they will see that tan does not 
pay so well as peat. No. 5 only shows an 
increase of three pecks, in a product of four 
bushels, for the use of the tan, and No. 7 
only gives an increase of tAvo pecks. In our 
experiment, peat gave more than tAvicc the 
product of guano. We have no doubt that 
tan is a valuable article, but it can never be 
made largely available for farmers, on ac¬ 
count of the very limited supply. But peat 
and muck are inexhaustible ; and avc have 
no doubt that either of these, thrOAvn up and 
exposed to the frost through one Avinter, 
Avould give better results on potatoes than 
bark. The experiments alluded to are re¬ 
corded in the folloAving article : 
In compliance Avith your request, 1 for- 
Avard the following facts, relating to my ex¬ 
periment in the cultivation of potatoes. Had 
I anticipated any thing like the result that 
folloAved, I should have noted the facts Avith 
more particularity. 
In 1850, the ground Avas planted Avith corn 
and potatoes. Part of the potatoes rotted. 
This year it Avas laid out in squares, four¬ 
teen paces each way. A small coating of 
barn manure Avas spread, after ploAving, and 
harroAved in. 
Lot No. 1.—The potatoes Avere covered 
Avith salt hay, about six inches thick, over 
the Avhole square. Yielded four bushels. 
Lot No. 2.—The potatoes Avere covered 
Avith slaked lime, then covered Avith soil, 
then spread half a bushel of salt over the 
square. Yielded four bushels. 
Lot No. 3.—The potatoes Avere covered 
Avith soil, then a coating of lime on top. 
Yielded four and a quarter bushels. 
Lot No. 4.—The potatoes were placed in 
the hills on the lime, and then covered with 
soil. Yielded four and a quarter bushels. 
Lot No. 5.—First put a shovel full of tan 
in the hill, then the potatoes on the tan, and 
covered with soil. Yielded four and three- 
quarters bushels. 
Lot No. 6.—Put a shovel full of barn ma¬ 
nure, from the stall Avhere my oxen were 
kept, and covered Avith soil. Yielded four 
bushels—the poorest lot in the field. 
Lot No. 7. —Dropped the potatoes, and 
threAv a shovel full of tan upon them, and 
then covered Avith soil. Yielded four and a 
half bushels. 
Lot No. 8.—Dropped the potatoes and 
threw a shovel full of meadoAv mud upon 
them, and then covered Avith soil. Yielded 
four bushels. 
Lot No. 9.—The same as No. 8, Avith the 
potatoes dropped on the mud. Yielded four 
bushels. 
The potatoes in Nos. 5 and 7 were up a 
Aveek before the others. 
In most of the parcels, except Avhere the 
tan was used, there were found more or less 
of defective potatoes. Those that grew in 
tan Avere larger, smoother, and of better 
quality than the others. I have grown no 
better potatoes than these this season. I am 
so well pleased with the operation of the 
tan, that I shall try it more extensively an¬ 
other season, and Avith other crops. I used 
several kinds of potatoes. The quantity of 
seed in each hill Avas nearly the same ; the 
manner of hoeing and treatment the same 
throughout. I am sorry not to be able to 
state the facts Avith more precision. But if 
any one should be induced to imitate my ex¬ 
ample, I hope they Avill be instructed by the 
experiment. I certainly have been. 
William Sutton. 
Growing Fish. —The Cleveland (Ohio) City 
Fact says that one of the most pleasing 
things exhibited at their late County Fair was 
a lot of brook trout, artificially bred by Drs. 
Garlick and Ackley, whose labors in this 
line we have heretofore noticed. They 
sliOAved several broods of fish, in different 
stages of groAvth, and have demonstrated 
that it is just as easy to groAV fish as it is 
foAvls, or any other description of food. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
OSAGE ORANGE HEDGE. 
I saw a very good letter in the Amercan 
Agriculturist, a short time since, from a gen¬ 
tleman in Ohio, on the Osage hedge. I think 
his plan is a good one, but I wish to know 
something more from you, or some of your 
readers. 
A year ago last spring I sotved the seed 
just Avhere I Avanted the fence. Last spring 
I cut it close, and noAA r , after such a dry, hot 
summer as we have had, it looks Avell. I 
should like to knoAv if any of your readers 
have a hedge growing from the seed instead 
of having been transplanted. It saves labor, 
and, I think, will make a fence as soon, if 
not sooner, than the old plan of first sowing 
the seed and then planting it out Avhere the 
fence is wanted. Soaking the seed in the 
spring seems to be the manner of preparing 
the seed for the ground. I have heard of 
another plan, this fall, and am going to try 
it—i. e., sow the seed now, and let it lie in 
the ground all winter. I shall try half a 
pound, whether it answers or not, as I think 
it worth a trial. 
I have before me Mr. DoAvning’s plan of 
raising giant asparagus. He says, every one 
avIio sees his beds begs seed of him. He 
does not say Avhen to plant it. I should like 
to knoAv, and, also, Iioav to manage it after- 
Avards. Henry North. 
The objection to soAving seed for hedges 
where they arc to groAV is, that the plants do 
not come up or groAV evenly. By trans¬ 
planting from a bed, you can get plants of 
the same size, and set them exactly where 
Avanted. The hedge grows up stronger and 
more uniformly. 
It is better to sow the seed in the fall than 
spring, as the winter frost prepares it for 
vegetating early. If soavix in the spring, it 
must be soaked till partially sprouted before 
planting. This takes from three to five 
days. 
Asparagus may be transplanted (early in 
the spring is the best time) to a deep, rich, 
light, loamy soil. The after management is 
simply to keep the ground Avell cleaned and 
stirred. Fork in a good dressing of well 
rotted manure every spring and fall, and sow 
salt on it at the rate of fifty pounds or so for 
every square of tAventy feet. When it is cul¬ 
tivated by the acre, or in larger quantities, 
after it gets Avell set every spring—early in 
March—you may cut off the tops Avith a 
scythe, give it a thick dressing of manure, 
and, as soon as the frost is out of the ground 
and it is dry enough, plow up the whole field 
as deep as possible, taking good cai - e to cov¬ 
er the manure Avell. Then harrow, and the 
asparagus Avill soon shoot up as thick as it 
ought to groAV. This is a very easy way of 
cultivating it on a large scale. 
Sugar in Liberia. —Late accounts from 
this Afi’ican Republic say that the culture 
and manufacture of sugar on the St. Paul’s 
River was rapidly increasing. Fine large 
cane fields were to be seen in every direction, 
and during the current season it was thought, 
that fifty sugar farms Avould be laid out. 
Some of the new sugar already landed at. 
Monrovia is said to be of a fine quality. 
Never be idle. If your hands can not be 
usefully employed, then attend to the culti¬ 
vation of your mind. 
