136 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Jmeritait 
New-York., Wednesday, Nov. 8. 
We hope none of our readers will be de¬ 
terred, by its length, from reading the report 
of the National Cattle Show, commencing 
on the first page. It gives not only a gen¬ 
eral report of the show itself, but is also an 
index to the best lots of improved cattle in 
our country. The remarks upon the gen¬ 
eral arrangements and the incidents con¬ 
nected with the show, and the critical notices 
of the different kinds and lots of stock, will 
nterest those not specially engaged in rear¬ 
ing cattle nearly as much as those who are 
As the writer is not present to make correc¬ 
tions, there may be one or two errors or 
omissions. _ 
CHEAP LABOR UNPROFITABLE. 
The man who employed an artist at five 
hundred a year, to engrave pillars, &c., on 
half dimes, at the rate of half a score a day, 
that he might pass them for sixpences, is 
said to be on the verge of bankruptcy. 
Not unlike, in its result, is the experience 
of a friend of ours, who last Spring hired a 
boy, at some nine dollars a month, when 
good help was worth eighteen, happy in the 
prospect of having his work done at half 
price. Passing through his cornfield, a day 
or two since, we were surprised to find him 
harvesting a piece of some three-quarters of 
an acre, and to satisfy our curiosity upon 
one or two points, he gave us the following 
statement: 
Last Spring, in the hurry of planting, a 
circus was advertised in the neighboring vil¬ 
lage, and Jim, of course, must go. In order 
to propitiate his employer, he proposed tak¬ 
ing a stint; and, unfortunately, it happened 
to be the covering of this piece of corn. It 
was well manured, and to make the sprout¬ 
ing of the seed certain, it was necessary to 
spread the manure in the hill, and cover it 
with dirt, before dropping the corn. Jim did 
his work, boy fashion, and was off to the 
circus. Two weeks after, when the corn 
should have been up, only here and there a 
spire appeared. It was planted over, and 
came forward just in time to be pinched by 
the drouth ; and this economist will get ten 
bushels of corn, instead of forty. A net loss 
of at least twenty-five dollars by the opera¬ 
tion, has taught him that a man may be 
penny wise and pound foolish. 
Cheap help is no tvhere more costly than 
upon the farm. A bungler, at the bench or 
forge, may get new material, and do his 
work over again a fortnight hence ; but two 
weeks with the farmer may lose him the 
season. 
State Poultry Show. —The New-York 
State Society for the improvement of Domes¬ 
tic Poultry, are to hold their second annual 
exhibition at Utica, on the 28th, 29th and 
30th of this month. Premium lists, and any 
information desired in respect to the exhibi¬ 
tion, may be obtained by addressing D. S. 
Heffron, President, or R. U. Sherman, Sec¬ 
retary of the Society, Utica. 
NEW-JERSEY MARL. 
We learn of a good movement on the part 
of the Monmouth County Agricultural So¬ 
ciety, at their meeting on the 21st ult. We 
refer to the appointment of committees to 
procure good specimens of marl, from differ¬ 
ent parts of the County, to be forwarded to 
Prof. Cook, who is engaged in the State Geo¬ 
logical Survey, for examination. 
The committees consist of James S. Law¬ 
rence, and Wm. Armstrong, of Upper Free¬ 
hold ; Dr. .1. C. Thompson, and Wm. Arm¬ 
strong, of Manalapan ; Judge Forman, and 
Thomas Baird, of Millstone; Horatio Ely, 
and Thomas Vanderveer, of Freehold ; Uri¬ 
ah Smock, and H. S. Conover, of Marlbor¬ 
ough ; Peter S. Conover, and P. R. Smock, 
of Raritan ; W. H. Hendrickson, and Thos. 
Roberts, of Middletowm ; Isaac Hance, and 
Michael Taylor, of Shrewsbury; Benj. W. 
Corlies, and Judge Barclay, of Ocean; R. K. 
Shafto, and Capt. Brannin, of Wall; John B. 
Williams, and Judge Simpson, of Howell. 
We hope these committees will exercise 
great caution in their selections, so as to get 
average samples. When a large bed is to 
be tested, it is desirable that considerable 
quantities should be taken from different 
parts of it, and these several samples thor¬ 
oughly mingled together, and the specimen 
to be used taken from the mass. We are 
led to make this suggestion, because we have 
had many specimens of manures, marls, &c., 
sent us for examination, which could yield 
no practical results, because they were not 
an average of the whole mass to which the 
examination was designed to apply. 
The Society appointed a committee to pre¬ 
pare a statement of the results of the use of 
marl in the County. The members of this 
committee are, Messrs. B. F. Randolph, 
Charles Sears, and Jas. S Lawrence. The 
following resolutions were also adopted: 
Resolved, That persons who have had an 
analysis of their marl heretofore, in the 
County, are respectfully solicited to send a 
statement of the same to the President or 
Secretaries of the Society, stating the time 
when and by whom made, the place where, 
and what part of the pit the marl was from, 
and whether the marl is used, and with what 
results. 
Resolved, That the subject of marl be 
considered at the next meeting, in January, 
and that the farmers from all parts of the 
County are hereby requested to present at 
that meeting a statement, written or verbal, 
of their own experience in the use of marl, 
and of any matter of interest connected with 
the use of it. 
CHANGES AMONG OUR EXCHANGES. 
We learn that the Rev. Wm. Bidwell, for 
a long time editor and proprietor of the New- 
York Evangelist, has been compelled to re¬ 
tire from his post, on account of impaired 
health. The Evangelist will hereafter be 
under the charge of Revs. Wm. Bradford 
and Henry W. Field. 
We are very sorry to learn of the suspen¬ 
sion of the Windham County (Conn.) Tele¬ 
graph, on account of some legal difficulty 
between its late and former proprietor. 
While lecturing in that vicinity, we, with 
others, became quite indebted to the Editor, 
Mr. Francis E. Harrison, for his successful 
efforts to secure the advancement of agricul¬ 
tural intelligence. The Telegraph has la¬ 
bored unceasingly to arouse a spirit of “ home 
public spiritedness,” and to promote the agri¬ 
cultural as well as other interests of Wind¬ 
ham County, and we hope its present suspen¬ 
sion will be of short duration. 
T. L. McElrath & Co. have played a cap¬ 
ital joke upon the Harpers, in copying the 
cover of their magazine and using it upon the 
Household Words. This is done in return 
for the issuing, by the Harpers, of an opposi¬ 
tion edition of Dickins’ late popular work, 
“ Hard Times.” 
Household Words, for November, is an 
excellent number, and in Harper’s neat 
cover, is quite as good as the “ genuine 
magazine.” 
Novel Premium. —A Good Idea. —At the 
anniversary of the Norfolk County (Mass.) 
Agricultural Society, at Dedham, a premium 
of $2 was awarded to Miss Mary Quincy, of 
Dedham, for a very neatly mended stocking. 
The committee also made some compliment¬ 
ary remarks, by way of encouraging young 
ladies to cultivate this very useful art. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
WHAT WILL MAKE A COW GIVE DOWN HER 
MILK? 
The inquiry in the American Agriculturist , 
“ What will make a cow give down her 
milk 1” reminded me of an incident in my 
own experience. 
We have a fine cow, which goes by the 
name of Wliitey, on account of her color. 
She gives a large quantity of milk, and of 
superior quality. Her only fault is, that she 
is rather too intelligent, and knows too well 
how to look out for her own interests. She 
is evidently in favor of bovine rights, and 
has no idea of submitting, against her judg¬ 
ment, to the control of man or woman. She 
can let down the bars of the pasture very 
nicely, if there are no precautions taken to 
prevent it; and if the fence is not “ legal,” 
she does not consider it worthy her regard. 
She understands the mysteries of latches 
and hooks ; and, if she has a calf to look af¬ 
ter, she knows very well how to retain a 
sufficient portion of her milk for its nourish¬ 
ment. 
Bridget had been with us several weeks, 
and I had always given her particular in¬ 
struction to treat the cow gently, and never 
strike her. One day she came to me, and 
told me that Whitey would not give down 
her milk. She had tried for some time, and 
could not get a “sup.” I had known the 
cow so long, that I had learned if she was 
coaxed with a bucket of delicacies, she 
would, for a time, forget her calf, and not 
refuse to yield her milk 
“ Unto the milkmaid’s hand; while in regular cadence 
Into the sounding pail the foaming streamlets descended.” 
So I told Bridget if she would “ slop ” the 
cow she would have no difficulty. She went 
out, and pretty soon came in again. 
“ How have you succeeded this time 1” I 
