306 
AGRICULTURE OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY. 
the oil, furnishes food of the most nutritious and 
fattening quality for stock. 
A large company, with a similar object as the 
above, has been formed within a year or two in 
Middletown, Conn., with manufacturing branches, 
in other and remote states, and it is designed soon 
to erect buildings for this purpose in that state on 
an extensive scale. The latest improvements in 
steam-rotting, breaking, and dressing the flax, have 
been adopted ; and the intelligent and enterprising 
proprietors confidently look forward to a handsome 
return for their capita], which, it can hardly be 
doubted, they will receive. These enterprises will 
open another source of profit to the agriculturists 
of New England, and supply a species of manu¬ 
facture, for much of which we have too long been 
dependant on importations from abroad. 
Beet Sugar. —The enterprise commenced here 
some ten years since, for the manufacture of beet¬ 
root sugar, never was fully carried out; and from the 
high price of labor, and the various products in our 
country, would probably have proved unsuccessful. 
This may be moderately profitable in France, where 
labor is cheap, and the land is divided among nu¬ 
merous small proprietors, who practise a very nice 
cultivation ; and especially where the cane sugar 
pays a high duty. But our immense and rapidly- 
extending sugar region at the south, and the cheap 
labor applied to its cultivation, will probably for¬ 
ever preclude the success of any rival to the sugar¬ 
cane in this country. 
Ayrshire and Hereford Cattle. —Mr. Bates has a 
large number of cows and heifers from the Ayrshire 
bull, imported by the Massachusetts Agricultural 
Society, 12 or 15 years since. His testimony is in 
favor of their excellent milking qualities, though 
he thinks them decidedly inclined to be ill- 
tempered, kicking, &c. This last is probably an 
accidental quality, derived from a vicious parent, 
and is, by no means, characteristic of the race. I 
£aw, the sire of this stock ten years since, and 
though decidedly faulty, and even uncouth in its form, 
he had the reputation of coming from the best milk¬ 
ing stock, which his appearance did not belie. I 
saw at the same time, and previously, in several of 
the herds of this neighborhood, several choice de¬ 
scendants from the Hereford stock, imported by the 
late Admiral Coflin. Among them were as fine a 
pair of fat cattle as 1 have ever seen. They had 
done a full seasoms work at plowing, &c., but a 
few months previous. The cows were generally 
good milkers; and the experience of dairymen 
was, that although the quantity of milk was less, 
the quantity of butter was greater than from the 
other cows. Mr. Bates has a fine Hereford bull 
from the very superior herd of Mr. Sotham, of 
New York, from which he has confident hopes of 
continuing the improvement of his herds. 
Mutton Sheep and Early La,mbs. —The extensive 
flocks of Saxon sheep so long kept by the late Mr. 
B., have been disposed of for some years. Some 
of the best flocks of the early importations were 
Drought into this state ; but the system of agricul¬ 
ture pursued in the eastern and middle portion of 
It, has not admitted of rearing them to any advan¬ 
tage. Land has been too highland other articles 
were too much in demand, to admit of keeping 
sheep principally for their fleeces. If mutton com¬ 
manded an equally ready sale with beef and pork, 
the long and middle wools might be advantageously 
reared even here. There are some farmers who 
keep flocks of the original stock of the country, 
partially mixed, perhaps, with some of the im¬ 
proved breeds, from which early and large lambs 
are produced with a decided profit. They are eco¬ 
nomically raised for an early market, where the 
owner has a yard sloping to the south east, with an 
underground shed, to which they can retreat, and 
where they are well protected from the chilling in¬ 
fluence of the winter and early spring blasts. 
With a little attention, in the coldest nights, the 
lambs may come very early, and be fit for market, 
when they will command the highest prices. 
The Crops. —These present a flourishing aspect, 
excepting potatoes, which, in the lower grounds, 
have already begun to suffer, and many fields show an 
extensive progress of the prevalent epidemic. It 
is not improbable, that tho^e late planted upon the 
higher lands, may yet feel the fatal effects of this 
disease. 
Improvements.— These throughout this valley, al¬ 
though not so conspicuous from the contrast, as in 
some other portions of the country are easily dis¬ 
cernible, notwithstanding. They are shown by the 
introduction of the most improved phnvs, and other, 
agricultural implements, the selection of the best 
seeds, deeper and more thorough tillage, and greater 
fertility, w T hich is studiously provided for by every 
available means. The buildings are better, and 
more numerous, new 7 hamlets and villages are 
springing up in various directions, w T hilst those of 
older date are enlarging their precincts and improv¬ 
ing in their style of architecture and general ar¬ 
rangement. 
Far beyond all these, is the new manufacturing 
town, recently commenced opposite Hadley Falls. 
On the Connecticut River, about eight miles below 
this place, a temporary wooden dam is now 7 erect¬ 
ing, 1,000 feet long, and 30 high, at a distance of 
three fourths of a mile from the entrance to the 
canal above. This, it is designed to replace here¬ 
after by one of stone. The extent of the future 
city may be inferred, from the fact, that there is a 
fall of 59 feet perpendicular, from the surface of 
the dam to the outlet of the racewmy, and ample 
canals are in progress for conducting the whole 
body of the river at low 7 w r ater. The plan em¬ 
braces a double, or triple row 7 of the largest manu¬ 
factories yet built, extending for nearly one and a 
half miles along the river bank. The enterprise is 
in the hands of some of the wealthiest and most 
enterprising men of Massachusetts; and, when 
fully completed, this water power is destined, pro¬ 
bably, directly or indirectly, to afford profitable em¬ 
ployment and support to one fourth of a million of 
human beings. Four bridges have- been con¬ 
structed over the Connecticut River since the com¬ 
mencement of the Western Railroad, and another is 
to be built immediately. All these are within a 
space of 20 miles, and cost on an average of about 
$100,000 each. This one item shows something 
of the enterprise existing here. 
R. L. Allen. 
Northampton , Mass., August 1 5th, 1848. 
