THE CULTIVATOR. 
67 
■ since the introduction of Agricultural journals, and the 
' wide spread associations to improve Agriculture. Wil- 
I Ham’s watch must be without the main spring, and has a 
1 weak regulator. 
After withdrawing the instrument a short time, to let 
the critique settle to the bottom, as it usually does, when 
not in use, I applied it to the address of Mr. David Tho- 
• MAS, before the Ag. Society of Cayuga co. in Feb. last. 
. There, the effect was quite different from what it had ev- 
! er been before, but perfectly satisfactory. It showed no 
1 unsteady or vacillating motions, as on other occasions, 
1 but moved steadily up to the tenth degree, where it re- 
I mained stationary; and though it emitted as intense a 
light as the eye could bear, it was steady, without any 
: sudden flashes or scintillations, and accompanied with 
great heat. It also sent up a clear luminous appearance 
from every portion of the tube, indicative of the posthu¬ 
mous benefits resulting naturally from the article, and 
having allusion also, no doubt, to the intelligence from 
. which it proceeded. But it is clearly proved by the in- 
i strument, that however the gentlemen may benefit the 
public by the continuance of his inestimable favors, and 
i thereby increase their debt of gratitude, he cannot exhi- 
; bit any additional proof of merit on the score of practi- 
; cal talent. A. of the North. 
Rome, Feb. 4, 1843. 
CAPONISING TURKIES, &c. 
Messrs. Editors — The February number of the Cul- 
' tivator asks the question, by request of M. C., Orange co. 
N. Y., whether turkeys can be caponised. In reply to 
the inquiry, I answer in the affirmative. Some operators 
say they can operate with greater ease and success on the 
male turkey than upon the male fowl. As their organi¬ 
zation is similar, there can be no difference, unless it is 
in the fact that the testicles of the turkey at the time of 
operation, are larger and more pendulous; hence the 
ease of throwing the horse hair over them. Turkies are 
roaming animals, continually active; caponising lessens 
this desire in a remarkable degree. Among the breed¬ 
ers of poultry, I fi-equently hear the complaint that they 
find great difficulty in fattening their turkies. By emas¬ 
culating them, and close confinement, with the proper 
lands of food, this difficulty must cease. Ducks and geese 
take on fat faster than either turkies or fowls; this arises 
from the fact of their quiet habits. I have not attempted 
to emasculate the male of either of these animals; those 
who have, inform me that they find great difficulty, in 
consequence of the testicle being so easily broken by the 
elevator. The slightest disturbance of their position, 
ruptures the membrane, impeding the operation. 
One great effect in emasculating animals, is, it lessens 
the desire for the company of the female. Animal or¬ 
gasm being entirely destroyed in the economjq a change 
of disposition and habits take place. Quietude and in¬ 
difference are peculiar characteristics; selfishness becomes 
a predominant feeling. The gallantry of the cock, that 
our modern dandies so vainly strive to imitate, is no lon¬ 
ger seen, and the capon must be considered the boor of 
the feathered tribe. 
I believe I stated that the most convenient age of the 
male to operate upon, is as soon as the sex is distinguish¬ 
ed. This statement Is incorrect; as it was made from 
the fact that the testicles are easier reached at this early 
age. But recent observations, founded on physiological 
evidence, have changed my former views. The proper 
time is as soon after the cock crows, as convenience will 
permit. At that period the orgasm is distinctly develop¬ 
ed, the age of puberty is passed, the testicles have a round¬ 
er form, and the hair can more easily be slipped over 
them. At the early age spoken of, the testicles are ob¬ 
long, lying close to the lateral processes of the spine; 
and one great difficulty in slipping the hair over them at 
this stage, is, of breaking them, or leaving small portions 
behind. Should a small portion be allowed to remain, 
the external character of the male,after a period, becomes 
as distinctly marked, as if no removal had taken place. 
1 have re-opened some of those I operated on young, and 
found portions remaining not larger than a small sized 
pea, yet this was sufficient to cause a full growth of comb 
and spur, so powerful is the sympathy between these or¬ 
gans. It is a well established fact of physiology, that 
whenever any part of an organ is destroyed, nature at¬ 
tempts to restore what disease or the knife removed. 
When two organs exist in the animal economy, perform¬ 
ing functions similar, and one is removed or interrupted 
in its functions, the other performs the office without se¬ 
rious inconvenience to life. An increase of living tissue 
takes place, in order to capacitate it to the increased du¬ 
ties it has to perform. This is manifest by removing one 
testicle only. Should the operator but partially succeed, 
he has lost his labor; a renewal of organs will take place 
—a connection between the spermatic cord,seminal ducts, 
and remaining portion of testicle, sufiiciently establishes 
itself as to avail him nothing. The number of my ope¬ 
rations the last year, was rising 130; yet of this number 
there was not more than 80 correctly done. This great 
number of failures need not discourage any one ; care at 
the time, with the hints already given, must overcome 
them. Sixty of this number, I purpose keeping until the 
coming winter, believing that they will then pay a good 
interest for the expense. The general duration of the 
growth of the larger breed, is a year or more, and as the 
general practice among our poultry breeders is to fatten 
for market their spring and summer chickens, it is obvi¬ 
ous they cannot arrive at maturity in that time. A capon 
2 years old, at full growth, cooped and fed on food highly 
carbonaceous, etc., takes on fat astonishingly. A pair 
of capons, 18 months old, I cooped for 3 weeks, feeding 
them on corn, corn meal, and potatoes, with gravel and 
milk, and occasionally ashes; when killed they weighed 
sixteen pounds, exceeding in fat any species of this tribe 
I ever saw. They were of the mixed breed. I do not 
mention the weight as being large—I have seen those 
that weighed 21-I lbs.—but in order to show the facility 
they accumulate fat. 
The house or coop for fowls or capons to fatten in, 
should be warm, with a southern aspect; the troughs in 
number three; one for corn and gravel, one for mush and 
milk, or potatoes, the other for drink. They should oc¬ 
casionally have ashes given them, that they may keep 
themselves clean. This is indispensable. A floor to the 
house is also desirable. 
In the January number, is a letter from Mr. Weeks, on 
the subject of Beehives and Bees. Mr. Weeks’ views on 
the lateness of bees swarming in the spring, as given, are 
not in accordance with those of Liebig. As Mr. W. 
speaks of a general defect in 1842, he gives the follow¬ 
ing views of the case:—“ Blossoms this season, (1842,) 
have yielded so little pollen, that the bees were unable 
to supply the young with a sufficient quantity of new 
bread to hasten along the young broods so as to produce 
swarms, until the season was too far advanced for the 
bees to form new colonies with safety. It is now be¬ 
lieved that bees never feed their young with old bread, 
at any time when they can traverse the fields.” In con¬ 
tradiction to the above remarks, Liebig’s are here copied, 
that those interested in this matter, may draw their own 
conclusions. Premising his remarks, they are the best 
that have fallen under my observation. Liebig says:— 
“ In order to produce wax in the manner described, the 
bees require no pollen, but only honey. I have placed, 
even in Octobei’, bees in an empty hive, and fed them 
with honey; they soon formed comb, although the wea¬ 
ther was such that they could not leave the hive. I can¬ 
not, therefore, believe that pollen furnishes food for the 
bees, but I think they only swallow it in order, by mix¬ 
ing it with honey and water, to prepare the liquid food 
for the grubs. Besides, bees often starve in April,when 
their stock of honey is consumed, and when they can ob¬ 
tain in the fields abundance of pollen, but no honey. 
When pressed by hunger, they tear the nymphaj out of 
the cells, and gnaw them, in oi’der to support life by the 
sweet juice they contain. But if in this condition, they 
are not artificially fed, or if the fields do not soon yield 
their proper food, they die in the course of a few days. 
Now if the pollen were really nourishment for bees, they 
ought to be able to support life on it, mixed with water.” 
Mulberry Farm, Feb. 20, 1843. J. N. Keeler. 
MR. BATES’ SHORT HORNS. 
Melsrs. Gaylord & Tucker —A friend having done 
me the favor of forwarding to me a number of the New 
Farmers’ Journal, published in London, containing an in¬ 
teresting article from the pen of the justly celebrated 
English breeder of Short Horn Durham Cattle, Thomas 
Bates, Esq. of Kirkleavington, Yorkshire, England, on 
the subject of his tribe of Durhams, and an extra, exhi¬ 
biting portraits of his celebrated prize bull Duke of 
Northumberland, and his cow Dutchess 34th,—and en¬ 
tertaining the belief, as I do, that an insertion of a part 
of his article .in the columns of the Cultivator, will prove 
acceptable to many of your numerous subscribers, I here¬ 
with hand you such exti-acts for the purpose above indi¬ 
cated, and am truly yours, &c. Geo. Vail. 
Troy, March 3, 1843. 
Extracts from Mr. Bates’ letter to the editor of the New 
Farmers’ Journal: 
“ Sir —Herewith I send you the pedigree of my short 
horn bull ' Duke of Northumberland,’ as described in the 
‘ Herd Book,’ (1,940, in 3d vol.) and which is as follows: 
Color roan, calved Oct. 15th, 1835, got by Belvidere, 
(1,706) dam (Duchess 34th, page 366 of vol 3d of ‘ Herd 
Book,’) by Belvidere, (1,706,) g. d. (Duchess 29th,) by 
Second Hubback, (1,423,) gr. g. d. (Duchess 20th,) by 
the Earl, (1,511,) gr. gr. g. d. (Duchess 8th,) byMarske, 
(418,) gr. gr. gr. g. d. (Duchess 2d,) hy Thelton 1st, 
(709,) gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. (Duchess 1st, bred by Mr. 
Charles Colling,) by Comet, (165.) [This cow was 
bought by me at Mr. C. Colling’s sale,at Thelton,near Dar¬ 
lington, in 1810,] gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Favorite, 
(252,) gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Daisy Bull, (186.) 
[This cow was also bought of Mr. C. Colling, by me, in 
1804,) gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Favorite, (252,) 
gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Hubback, (319,) 
gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. [bought by Mr. C. 
Colling, from Stanwix, in 1784, of the late Duke of 
Northumberland’s agent,] by Mr. James Brown’s old red 
bull, (97.) 
The lohole of this family of short horns are alone in my 
possession—having purchased my original cow of this 
tribe of cattle, of the late Charles Colling, Esq. then of 
Thelton, near Darlington, thirty-eight years ago; they 
had been in the possession of Mr. C. Colling, twenty years, 
who purchased his original cow from Stanwix, of the 
agent of the late Duke of Northumberland, and Mr. C. 
Colling named her ‘Duchess,’ (which name I have con¬ 
tinued,) and when the first ‘ Herd Book,’ was prepared, 
I called the Duchess by Comet, (155,) No. 1. The Duke’s 
dam, Duchess 34th, is the oldest cow I have of the fami¬ 
ly, and ‘ The Duke’ was her first calf; she has had eight 
calves, and is (I hope,) again in calf to ‘the Duke,’ her 
eldest son. She was calved September 14th, 1832, and 
in her tenth year, she obtained the highest prize at the 
Yorkshire Society’s late exhibition at York, in August 
last, as the best cow of any age, the only time she was 
ever exhibited. Her daughter, Duchess 43d, obtained the 
premium as the best year-old heifer, at the Oxford meet¬ 
ing of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, in 
1839. Her eldest brother, ‘ The Duke,’ obtained at the 
same meeting, the premium as the best bull of any age, 
being then three years and eight months old; and the sis¬ 
ter in blood to the Duke’s dam, obtained at the same time, 
the premium as the best heifer in calf, though then only 
a year old; the Duke’s own sister was then also in calf. 
And these same two heifers were awarded the first and 
second premiums, at the Yorkshire Society’s exhibition 
at Hull, in August, 1841, as the beat three years old cows. 
‘ The Duke’ also obtained the highest premium as the best 
two years old bull, at the Yorkshire Society’s first exhi¬ 
bition at York, in 1838; and premiums likewise at Stock- 
ton and Darlington, the same year, (1838,) as the best 
bull of any age, and obtained the highest premium as the 
best bull of any age, at the late York meeting in August 
last. He never has been exhibited but upon the above 
five occasions. 
“ As a proof that this tribe of short horns have im- 
improved under my care, I may mention that ‘ Duke of 
Northumberland’s’ dam,consumes one-third less food than 
my first Duchess, (purchased in 1804,) and her milk 
yields one-third more butter for each quart of milk; and 
whilst the consumption of food is one-third less, and the 
milk yields one-third more butter, there is also a greater 
growth of carcase, and an increased aptitude to fatten. 
‘ Duke’s’ dam, Duchess 34th, was found with her right 
leg broken below the knee, when on grass, before she 
was a year old, and was (in consequence,) confined in the 
house, and was not able to bear her weight on this leg 
for near nine months afterwards—thus preventing any 
improvement for that length of time—and is a cow that 
never has been indulged at any period—for some years 
scarce ever tasting a turnep in the winter months—and 
yet preserving her condition, and breeding regularly. 
“ It is novv above sixty years since I became impressed 
with the importance of selecting the very best animals to 
breed from, and for twenly-five years afterwards, lost no 
opportunity of ascertaining the merits of the various 
tribes of short horns—and it was only then that this could 
be done, as there is scarce a vestige remaining of the ma¬ 
ny excellent cattle that were then in existence. I have 
never used any bull that had not Duchess blood, since I 
became possessed of this tribe, without perceiving, im¬ 
mediately, the error—except Bevidere (1,706,) and he 
was the last bull of a long race of well descended short 
horns, whose blood (in the Princess cow,) went direct 
from Hubback (319) to Favorite, (252)—as in the Duch¬ 
ess tribe, and in Yarborough’s dam (second Hubback’s 
blood, 1,423)—and these are the only three tribes of short 
horns that were so bred as females (and Mr. R. Colling’s 
white bull the only male, being of the Princess family) 
—and all these three tribes, so bred, are united in the dam 
of the Duke of Northumberland, and there are no other 
short horns so bred. The superiority of the stock of Mr. 
R. Colling’s white bull over Favorite’s stock, (252,) his 
sire, was evident to me in 1804—and was admitted by 
Mr. C. Colling—and I would gladly have then given 100 
guineas to have had my first Duchess bulled by him, but 
I could not obtain it on any terms, and it was 27 years 
afterwards before I obtained the same blood in Belvidere, 
(1,706,) the last pure blood of that tribe of short horns. 
For the last 35 years I have paid little attention to the 
subject, but the matter was as jierfectly fixed in rny re¬ 
membrance as that of the pence or multiplication tables; 
nor have 1 had cause to alter any opinion I then formed, 
and each revolving year has given me additional proofs 
that the judgment I fonneil 35 years ago, was correct in 
every particular. From 1805, when the Tynedale Ward 
Agricultural Society was formed, till 1812, I exhibited 
cattle at ifheir Ovingham shows, and my success, even 
with inferior animals of my breeding, is yet well remem¬ 
bered, but I never showed my first Duchess, nor her son, 
Ketton Ist; and from 1812, till the York first meeting, in 
1838, I never showed any cattle at public exhibitions, 
(26 years between;) and it was with great reluctance that 
I again did so, well knowing what I had seen practiced 
at public meetings; but T consented, at the urgent request 
of a then stranger, who happened unintentionally to have 
seen my cattle, when buying horses of my tenants, and I 
exhibited seven short horns for eight premiums at York, 
in 1838, and though five premiums were awarded to 
them, the three best animals were rejected; and then I 
sent the next year, to the Rojml English Agricultural So¬ 
ciety’s first meeting at Oxford, expecting those placed 
before them at York, would have again made their ap¬ 
pearance at that exhibition; but none of those appeared, 
and all my three rejected at York, obtained the highest 
premiums; the fourth (the cow,) I there obtained the 
premium for, was placed second at York, as a three years 
old, to one of my own, which got her thigh broke in the 
field, or she would have gone to Oxford insteatl of the 
one I did send. 
“I have entei-ed thus into detail, to answer objections, 
by quoting facts, to prove that this tribe of cattle have not 
had a recent origin; and, though the best cow then in ex¬ 
istence, when I purchased my first Duchess, I have yet 
improved upon them.” 
Messrs. Editors —Your correspondent “ Commenta¬ 
tor,” terms me a “ drawcansir,” in my attack against 
Liebig’s theory of plaster being decomposed by ammo¬ 
nia at atmospheric temperatures. I was aware, when I 
wrote the article, that such discussion was better calcu¬ 
lated for a scientific journal than for an agricultural pa¬ 
per; at least at the present day. Yet I expect the time 
will soon arrive when agricultural pages will be the pro¬ 
per medium through which to contest scientific errors in 
