248 
AMEEICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
BARLEY. 
Wew»York, Wednesday, Bee. 27 . 
We send this number to those of our 
old subscribers whose time expired some 
time since, but who, for some cause, have 
failed to renew. They will please consider 
this an invitation to renew at this time. 
Some of our readers will receive two 
copies this week. Will they please show 
the extra copy to a friend, and, by accompa¬ 
nying it with a kind word, make it the means 
of returning us at least one new name ? 
TWO DAYS LATER, 
Our subscribers will hereafter receive the 
American Agriculturist two days later than 
formerly. It is the custom with most pub¬ 
lishers to date their papers one to three days 
ahead of the actual day of mailing them. 
This gives the appearance of freshness to 
the news they contain. Heretofore we have 
printed the Agriculturist on Monday after¬ 
noon and Tuesday morning, and mailed it on 
Tuesday afternoon. But as the great cattle 
market day of this city—of which we wish 
to give a full report—has recently been 
changed from Monday to Wednesday, we 
shall henceforth go to press on Wednesday 
evening and mail on Thursday. The Prices 
Current and Markets, and other agricultural 
intelligence will now be made up to Wednes¬ 
day ; and as the Sabbath will not now im¬ 
mediately precede the last day of making up 
the paper, there will really be a gain of two 
days in time. 
WHAT 52 NUMBERS WILL FURNISH. 
Fifty-two numbers of the American Agri¬ 
culturist will furnish at least 300 large pages 
of agricultural matter of the very best char¬ 
acter that can be written or gathered. To 
obtain this every agricultural paper, of any 
note in America or Europe, will be carefully 
examined, and the best and most practical 
articles will be selected and furnished to 
the readers of the American Agriculturist. 
The Editors will make frequent excursions 
into various parts of the country to examine 
and describe the exact practices of the 
most successful farmers on both a large and 
small scale. 
104 pages of the best horticultural matter 
adapted to every class of gardeners; includ¬ 
ing a synopsis of the best American and for¬ 
eign horticultural journals. 
104 pages of general Editorials upon agri¬ 
cultural and other matters relating to the 
health and comfort of those cultivating the 
soil. 
104 pages of “ Scrap Book” which will be 
equal in character to the more pleasing 
pages of our most popular magazines. 
52 careful reports of the exact state of the 
cattle, produce, and other markets. Will 
not this be worth the subscription price of the 
American Agriculturist ? 
Several communications are recived and 
in type Avhich will appear soon. 
How would barley answer in our climate 1 
When is the proper time to sow it ? What is 
the price per bushel? S. J. Wheeler, M.D. 
St. Johns, Hertford Co., N. C. 
Barley may be grown in almost any cli¬ 
mate, though it is most extensively cultiva¬ 
ted in sections enjoying a medium tempera¬ 
ture. Wc have raised it between 40°and 
43° north latitude, and considered it a profit¬ 
able summer crop. We have never tried it 
as a winter crop, though it is often thus cul¬ 
tivated. We have found it good for feeding 
swine till within two or three weeks of 
slaughtering them, finishing off with corn. 
We have also used it to considerable extent 
instead of oats, as a feed for working horses ; 
usually Ave have boiled or ground it before 
feeding. Barley meal is excellent for mix¬ 
ing Avith chopped hay, straw, &c. 
It may be soavh as soon as the ground is suffi¬ 
ciently dry in the spring. It does well on a 
grass or sod turned over in the fall, or during an 
open Avinter. We have no positive informa¬ 
tion, but think that in North Carolina it should 
be soAvn as early as the 1st of April. The 
safest plan Avith this, as Avith all other crops 
in new localities, is to try a small plot for 
two or three seasons, soAving some portions 
earlier than others. There is no obvious 
reason why it should not be a profitable crop 
in the region of our correspondent. It is ex¬ 
tensively cultivated in some of the Avarmest 
regions of Asia, Southern Europe, and North¬ 
ern Africa. From H to 2£ bushels of seed 
are put upon an acre. On ordinary soils 2 
bushels, or less, is generally sufficient. It 
should not usually follow or precede other 
white grain crops : We have, however, had 
a good crop of wheat upon barley stubble. 
The soil should be well pulverized, and dry, 
and unless on very poor lands, farm-yard 
manures can not be very profitably applied. 
The present quoted Avholesale market 
price in this city is about $1 20 per bushel. 
In small quantities, and for select seed, the 
price would be considerable higher than this. 
SHEPHERD D0GS-THEIR UTILITY. 
A gentleman writing from Onondaga 
County, to a friend in this city, says that 
snow fell to the depth of four feet or there¬ 
abouts, Aveek before last, and that in the 
tOAvn of De Witt, a flock of ninety sheep 
was snowed under. The neighbors turned 
out en masse to hunt for the sheep, but after 
looking four or five days, Avere compelled to 
abandon the search. Albany Register. 
Had the owner of the above sheep pos¬ 
sessed a well trained shepherd dog, he Avould 
probably have found the flock of sheep in 
half an hour. Strange it is that many ex¬ 
tensive flock-masters do not keep one or 
more of these invaluable annimals. They 
Avill save two or three hours’ labor in driving 
aflock, and when overwhelmed by snow, may 
save an entire flock that might otherwise be 
lost. 
Any good breed can be made first rate 
shepherd dogs by bringing the puppies up to 
suckle the ewes, and always keeping them 
Avith the flock. Thus reared, the dog knows 
only the sheep, and Avill remain Avith and 
protect and manage them with the greatest 
faithfulness, kindness, and sagacity. 
For the American Agriculturist 
INQUIRIES ABOUT SULPHATE OF AMMONIA. 
I am much pleased to see the “ pure crys- 
talized sulphate of ammonia” advertised in 
your paper. Will not you, or some other 
competent person, give through the same 
paper, some minute directions about prepar¬ 
ing and using it ? By so doing you will 
doubtless confer as great a favor upon many 
of your numerous readers elsewhere, as on 
several friends in this place, Avho unite in 
the above request. 
Will not some one confer a similar favor 
by advertising “ Whale oil soap," and the 
price of the same ? Mechanic. 
South Norwalk, Conn. 
From the difficulty of procuring sulphate 
of ammonia there have been very feAv ex¬ 
periments tried Avith it in this country. The 
most convenient form of applying is to dis¬ 
solve it in Avater—say a pound to three, four, 
or more gallons, and Avater the ground 
around the plants with a common sprinkler. 
Ammonia acts as a stimulant to most plants, 
and if applied in small quantities can hardly 
*ail of benefiting them. It acts more espe¬ 
cially upon the parts of plants growing 
above ground. Thus, if applied too freely to 
turnips, it Avill produce a disproportionate 
groAvth of top at the expense of the bulbs ; 
while a small quantity will give the tops a 
start, and they will afterwards be better pre¬ 
pared to appropriate from the air carbonic 
acid to increase the roots. Take a Avater- 
pot and sprinkle a solution of sulphate of 
ammonia upon a poor meadorv, marking out 
your name if you please, and you can very 
soon distinguish the exact outlines of the 
application by the green color and increased 
growth of the grass. Care should be taken 
not. to apply this fertilizer too freely in the 
garden, since it is so powerful a stimulant 
that it may induce disproportionate groAvth 
in some parts of the plant. Let the applica¬ 
tion be made in small quantities at success¬ 
ive periods. Please make notes of experi¬ 
ments and let us have the results. 
A SUPERB HERD OF SHORT HORNS. 
We have received a printed catalogue of 
the herd of Short Horn cattle kept by Mr. R„ 
A. Alexander, of Midway, Woodford County, 
Ky. This herd now numbers about 120 head, 
and is probably the largest, and one of the 
very best, not only in America, but out of it. 
Mr. Alexander has imported most of this 
herd, and has selected from the best stocks 
in England. Among others Avhich have 
passed through this city for him, Ave were 
particularly pleased Avith the Duchess of 
Athol. She has immense breadth of loin, 
and is a grand cow throughout. Mr. A. has 
also a yearling heifer out of her, by the 2d 
Duke of Athol, Avhich he calls Duchess of 
Airdrie. She is said to be very fine. He 
has also a superb bull calf out of the above, 
still in England. 
Mr. A.’s herd embraces more of the pure 
Bates blood, Ave believe, than that of any 
other breeder out of the State of New-York. 
Any inferior bull calf in future breeding, it is 
his intention to make a steer of; all he Avil 
