AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
377 
in the country, gave several items from his ex¬ 
perience. He had kept a daily written record 
of the transactions in his poultry-yard. Among 
other items he stated that one Shanghai pullet, 
beginning at six months old, had laid 49 
eggs in 61 days. The mother of this chich had 
in 140 days laid 77 eggs and hatched three 
broods of chickens. He said he never raised 
fowls for sale, and not being influenced by in¬ 
interest he would say, as the result of his long 
experience and observation that, if a person 
could keep only one pair of fowls, they should 
be the gray Shanghais (Brahma Pootras). Mr. 
North, of New-Haven, looking to beauty as well 
as profit, preferred the Bolten Gray. Consider¬ 
able friendly discussion was had upon the differ¬ 
ent names given to the same varieties. The 
matter was settled by unanimously adopting 
the resolution below. This resolution was 
first presented with a preamble which was left 
off for the sake of brevity. The preamble gave 
as a reason for adopting the name “ Shanghai ” 
in preference to “Asiatic,” that most fowls were 
of Asiatic origin, and that most of the larger 
fowls had been imported from Shanghai. The 
resolution is as follows : 
Resolved, That the National Poultry Society 
recommend that all Asiatic fowls known by the 
name of Shanghais, Cochin Chinas, Brahma 
Pootras, or Chittegongs, be hereafter called 
Shanghais, being divided only by variations of 
color. 
Another resolution was adopted with the 
same unanimity, recommending to call all crested 
fowls, Polands. 
We trust these resolutions will be generally 
concurred in, as this improved nomenclature 
will go far to simplify the names now in use. 
An exhibitor then proposed a series of reso¬ 
lutions complimenting Mr. Barnum on his highly 
successful management of the exhibition, and 
recommending to Horticultural, Singing-bird, 
and other societies, the advantages to be derived 
from making arrangements with him to have 
their exhibitions held in his Museum. 
The resolutions were put and carried with 
acclamation. 
Mr. Barnum acknowledged the friendly terms 
in which he had been mentioned in the resolu¬ 
tions, and stated his perfect willingness to com¬ 
ply with the suggestion mentioned in them. 
He should be extremely anxious to see an 
exhibition of Flowers and Singing-birds com¬ 
bined ; and if the two societies could agree upon 
that, he was certain that it would be an admir¬ 
ably successful exhibition. 
On the motion of Mr. Barnum a vote of thanks 
was passed with applause to Mr. R. McCormick, 
Jr., the Society’s Corresponding* Secretary. 
The meeting then by formal resolutions de¬ 
cided, that Shanghai in future should be spelt 
S-h-a-n-g-h-a-i, and in like manner the plural 
shall not be spelt Shanghaes, but S-h-a-n-g- 
h-a-i-s. 
-•-+-«- 
Canada Thistles. —A correspondent asks for 
“a description of the best method of killing the 
Canada Thistle.” We have written on this 
matter several times, and can but repeat what 
we have before said, which may be summed up 
in few words— dont let them breathe and they 
will die a natural death. Their seeds have wings, 
and to be rid of them, our fence corners, pas¬ 
tures, and woodlands must be kept free from 
them, and then we are in danger of receiving 
seed from our neighbors. An article or two 
from Western New-York—where Canada thistles 
are most prevalent—would be quite acceptable, 
if short, practical, and detailing actual experi¬ 
ence in rooting out this pest. 
Wool. —The close of the year leaves a light 
stock of domestic pulled and fleece wool on the 
market, but with what still remains in the 
country it is supposed to be sufficient to supply 
the wants of manufactures till the new clip is 
ready for sale. The apprehended scarcity to¬ 
wards the close of last season induced manufac¬ 
turers to go into the country immediately after 
shearing, when they bought freely. A consid¬ 
erable portion of the clip has been sold at high 
rates before shearing, which, with the exorbitant 
prices asked for the wools left in the hands of 
farmers, prevented dealers getting their usual 
supply. The wool still remaining in the country 
is held several eents above the prices at which 
it is selling in the market, and it is supposed 
manufacturers will be compelled to turn their 
attention to the country for their supply before 
the next clip will be ready for market.— Boston 
Courier. 
Baby Show in Georgia. —The following are 
among the premiums to be awarded at the next 
Fair of the Southern Central Agricultural Asso¬ 
ciation, for the “handsomest and finest” speci¬ 
men of babies. We give this timely notice, that 
those who may find themselves able to comply 
with the conditions above annexed, may get 
ready for this great show of infantile humanity 
which is to come off next fall: 
First Premium. —Silver pitcher, $50, for the 
handsomest and finest babe two years old. 
Second Premium. —Silver pitcher, $25, for 
the handsomest and finest babe one year old. 
Third Premium. —Silver goblet, $10, for the 
handsomest and finest babe six months old. 
The children to be clothed in domestic fabrics; 
the premiums to be awarded under the direction 
of the Executive Committee. 
-- 
A Baby Show in Massachusetts. —A baby 
show has literally transpired. It occurred at 
Palmer, on Wednesday evening last, in connec¬ 
tion with a Ladies’ Fair. Six or eight babies 
were exhibited, dressed “ up to the nines.” The 
committee that passed upon the merits of the 
little ones, were childless, and awarded the pre¬ 
mium of $8, offered by Mr. Fisk, of the Palmer 
Journal, to a boy baby of Mr. Hardaker. On 
the announcement of the decision, one bachelor 
gave a dollar to kiss the premium baby, and 
another the same sum to kiss the one he thought 
the prettiest.— Springfield Republican, Jan. 30. 
A Great Apple Tree. —There is an apple 
tree in Litchfield, Conn., owned by Solomon 
Marsh, which measures fourteen feet around 
the trunk, is 130 years old, and produced last 
season, twenty bushels of apples, of a delicious 
quality. Previous to 1835, it had yielded near 
100 bushels per annum for ages. The tree was 
brought from Hartford by some of the early 
settlers of Litchfield.— Tribune. 
Prolific Swine. — Mr. Erastus Lester, of 
Plainfield, owns four sows, which have raised in 
three years, 280 pigs, 208 of which sold at eight 
weeks old, for $733; 72 were fattened, weigh¬ 
ing 23,139 pounds, and worth $1785 49, besides 
taking the highest premium at the county show. 
Mr. John Browning, of Hubbardston, Mass., 
killed a Suffolk pig, on the day that it was nine 
months old, which weighed when dressed and 
well dried off, 485 lbs. 
The Population of Great Britain. —The 
census of Great Britain, ordered in 1851, has at 
length been completed and arranged in order 
for publication. The population is over twenty- 
one millions. In 1801 it was less than eleven 
millions, so that it has nearly doubted in fifty 
years. The feeling with regard to the Empire 
is that it has reached about its height in popu¬ 
lation. The present rage for emigration would 
show it. The present population gives 233 per¬ 
sons to every square mile and would allow 2 1-7 
acres of land to each person. London has a 
population of 2,362,236, almost as many as the 
whole of Scotland. Liverpool has 375,955; 
Glasgow, 329,097; Manchester, including Sal¬ 
ford, 401,320. Half of the inhabitants of the 
kingdom is contained in 815 towns. The 
whole number of islands around Great Britain 
is 175. The excess of females in the kingdom 
over males is given at 512,361. 
CONGRESS REMEMBERING AGRICULTURE! 
It will be remembered that at the commence¬ 
ment of the present session of Congress, in our 
remarks upon the President’s message, we cut 
ourselves loose from any obligation to notice the 
political doings at Washington. Our public 
men ignored agriculture and we ignored them. 
We were, then, no less surprised than pleased, 
at a recent debate (Feb. 8) in the House of Re¬ 
presentatives. It will be kept in mind that, 
thus far, the whole matter of agriculture, seed 
distribution, &c., has been tacked on to the Pa¬ 
tent Office business. The debate reported be¬ 
low explains itself: 
The House went into Committee of the Whole 
on the Deficiency Appropriation bill. 
Mr. Clark offered an amendment appropriat¬ 
ing $10,000 for collection of agricultural statis¬ 
tics and procuring of seeds, to be paid out of 
the Patent Office fund. He explained that for¬ 
eign governments have sent seeds to the Patent 
Office and this amount was now necessary to 
enable the bureau to reciprocate. The $5000 
appropriated last year was totally inadequate. 
He thought this great interest which without 
protection has protected all interests and which 
furnishes employment to four-fifths of our pop¬ 
ulation, may with great propriety ask for this 
small amount that the Commissioner of Patents 
may furnish seeds for early distribution, as well 
as to collect agricultural statistics. No better 
use could be made of a portion of the funds or 
one more acceptable to the great body of our 
citizens than to improve and increase the pro¬ 
ducts of the soil. He had intended to ask for a 
larger appropriation, but the Chairman of the 
Ways and Means, with whom he had consulted, 
thought it was not proper to ask more for seed 
to be distributed during the coming month. 
Mr. Jones (Tenn.) said it seemed to him that 
those who had had any experience in this thing 
of getting seeds from the Patent Office must 
know that of all the humbugs practised by Con¬ 
gress, this is one of the boldest. It was one of 
most perfect humbugs ever got up by Congress 
and the Patent Office combined. Of all the 
seeds distributed by the Patent Office, perhaps 
not one package of ten will ever come up from 
the ground, and not more than one-tenth of 
those which do come up ever prove beneficial 
to the regions to which they are sent. He 
agreed with the gentleman entirely, that it is 
laudable and praiseworthy to protect and im¬ 
prove the agricultural interests of the country. 
But how can this best be done? By leaving in¬ 
dividuals to select and pay for their own seed. 
An appropriation to buy seeds is in effect an 
electioneering fund for the members of Con¬ 
gress. They send them to their favorites, while 
the great body of people have to pay for them. 
It was a system of favoritism and partiality 
which should not be practised or recognized by 
this Government. 
The Chairman, Mr. Seymour, put the ques¬ 
tion on the amendment. 
Mr. Hunt complained that several gentlemen 
wished to address the Chair, but were prevented, 
owing to the rapidity of the Chairman in putting 
