258 
IMPROVED COWS AND SUFFOLK FIGS. 
ised over us while she had the power, and she has in¬ 
sulted us continually since. We thought we should be 
treated with common courtesy in going to a World’s 
Fair, on English ground, but the Times and its kindred 
echoes, has dispelled the weak illusion. The frequency 
and pungency of these articles, compels us to the pain¬ 
ful conviction that this sneering hatred is grateful to 
the English taste. Would that Americans could show 
themselves men, and withdraw from a contact that is 
degrading. Let them cease to import from abroad 
what they can spare without inconvenience and loss, 
end we shall soon have the cringing of the sycophant 
for the taunts of the bully. 
EXCURSION TO LAKELAND. 
By invitation from Mr. Moses Maynard, President of 
the Long-Island Railroad Company, and Dr. E. F- 
Peck, whose praiseworthy and exclusive efforts have 
been directed for several years to the improvement of 
the wild lands along this road, we made an excursion 
on the f 9 th of June in company with several gentlemen 
of intelligence and experience, with the view of wit¬ 
nessing the progress of settling and cultivating this 
part of Long Island within the last five years. The 
day was unsurpassably fine, and every passenger 
seemed delighted with the rich and luxuriant fields of 
grain, and market gardens on either side of the rail¬ 
road, as we glided through the counties of King’s and 
Queen’s. 
On our arrival at Lakeland, after some two hour’s 
ride, our party examined the buildings and cultivated 
grounds at this place, where there were seen growing 
in great luxuriance and promise, wheat, rye, garden 
vegetables, and fruits and flowers in great variety. 
Lakeland, it will be remembered, is a new settle¬ 
ment in the very midst of the great wilderness of the 
island, some 50 miles from the city of New York, a 
region hitherto regarded by many as wholly unfit for 
cultivation; but the crops we examined at this place 
appeared equal to those on more favored parts of the 
island, and exhibited undeniable proof of the powers 
which these lands possess of producing good crops 
with a small outlay for amendments or manures. 
We would suggest for the future guidance of Dr 
Peck and other settlers on these lands, that accurate 
analyses be made of the soil and subsoil in order that 
they may know precisely in what amount of vegetable 
food these lands are deficient, so that they may know 
with certainty what manures or amendments it is ne¬ 
cessary to apply to raise a given quantity of produce, 
and in order to know how to estimate, at the onset, the 
cost and the probable profits that will accrue. 
The late Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College, and 
himself a keen and extensive observer of nature, an 
ingenous theorist, and thoroughly practical agriculturist, 
who travelled over this region in 1805, and visited the 
beautiful sheet of water, known by the Indian name of 
Ronkonkoma, which gives the name of Lakeland to this 
new agricultural site, says: “ A great part of this island 
is still forested. Formerly four fifths of the county of 
Suffolk were considered as barrens; that is, not lite¬ 
rally. but tracts of poor land, left to nature, and re¬ 
garded as incapable of useful cultivation. A consid¬ 
erable part of these tracts is now devoted to agricul¬ 
ture. Still, a great proportion of the county is a mere 
wood.” 
Great encroachments have been made upon this wild 
land since the days of Dr. Dwight, but there yet re¬ 
mains a few fields, whose proximity to our great me¬ 
tropolis, and natural capabilities for improvement, to¬ 
gether with the remarkably low price at which they 
can be now purchased, will soon, we trust, commend 
them to our native farmers and intelligent imigrants. 
Ronkonkoma Lake is of a circular form, about one 
mile in diameter, and some 80 or 100 feet deep. It is 
surrounded by a beautiful white gravelly beach, and is 
without any visible ontlet. The water is pure and 
sweet, always refreshing and cool, and abounds in 
perch and a few other kinds of fish. In short, its char 
aeter as a lake is unique. 
-►*.- 
IMPROVED COWS AND SUFFOLK PIG-S. 
On a recent visit to Mr. J. C. Jackson’s beautiful 
place at Astoria, Long Island, we noticed some excel¬ 
lent shorthorn stock, and Suffolk pigs. The latter, Mr. 
J. imported direct from England; and certainly, with¬ 
out any disparagement to others, we must say that 
these are the finest pigs of the kind we ever saw. No 
picture can flatter them. They have only a little very 
fine silky hair upon them, and yet they are quite hardy 
and winter well. They will keep fat on grass alone. 
They are good breeders, excellent nurses, and make the 
most delicate pork and ham. The color is pure white. 
For a cross with common farm hogs, boars of this breed 
are invaluable. 
At Mr. Sheafe’s sale, last August, Mr. Jackson pur¬ 
chased the thorough-bred shorthorn heifer, Cream Pot 
6th, and her bull calf, got by imported Exeter. The 
heifer gave over 18 quarts of milk per day for some 
time after calving, though only two and a half years 
old, and promises to be one of the greatest milkers in 
the country. We have no doubt she will give her 80 
quarts per day, when six years old. The bull calf is 
growing up superbly, and shows that Exeter is a splen 
did stock getter. Mr. Jackson will show this calf 
against anything in the United States, of his age, for 
good size, high quality, and fineness of points. 
In addition to the above, Mr. J. has three grade 
Durham cows, which have been averaging '74£ quarts 
of milk per day, making 40J pounds of butter per 
week, the past season, which is quite as much as ten 
pretty good native cows have produced, which belong 
to one of his neighbors. Now, Mr. J.’s cows do not 
consume more food than five of his neighbor’s cows do; 
and yet, for this food, he gets twice as much milk and 
butter. Can there be any doubt of the superior profi¬ 
tableness of keeping first-rate cows ? We think not. 
Mr. J.’s pastures, to be sure, are of the best kind, and 
so should those be of every farmer—poor pastures are 
as profitless as poor stock. 
