116 THE CULTIVATOR. 
COTTAGE ROW, TROY, NEW-YORK.—(Fig. 54.) 
As the Editors of the Cultivator seem anxious to “ im¬ 
prove” every thing for the gratification, comfort ami 
convenience of man, it afifords me pleasure to be enabled 
to furnish the above lirawing by Hathaway, of Cottage 
Row, situate in the southern i)art of the city of Troy, 
on the corner of Second and Liberty streets. 
The principal front is on Second street, occupying a 
space of one hundred and twenty-five feet, and consists 
of three cottages occupying the corner, center, and south 
lots; the two remaining lots are appropriated to taste¬ 
fully arranged flower beds, grass plats, shrubbery, etc. 
The flower beiis are fronted with a high fence or 
screen, finished in a style of architecture corresponding 
with the cottage fronts; it has openings similar to win¬ 
dows. which are filled with lattice work, which admit a 
partial and pleasing view of the ornamented grounds from 
the s'reet; there is also through this screen a gate of en¬ 
trance to the grounds. The cottages are finished in front 
with porticoes of the Grecian Ionic order, of four co¬ 
lumns, supporting an enlablaiure and pediment. The 
front is placed back from the line of the street about eight 
feet, leaving an enclosure for shrubbery. The iirinci- 
pal floor is ra'sed about three feet above the level of the 
street, admitting cellars, ike. The front on Liberty st., 
is eomposcil of the flank of the corner building, with the 
entablature of the portico continued across it; at the east 
en.l of this front, is an inverted portico, leading to a 
room suitable for an office, which however is connected 
with the other parts of the house. 
The entire is finished in a neat and substantial manner, 
containing on the principal floor, the entrance hall, two 
parlors connected by sliiling doors, a breakfast room, 
bedi-ooms, and several other smaller rooms; the second 
story, which is partly in the roof, is occupied for sleep¬ 
ing rooms. The buildings are small; but the three ta¬ 
ken in connection vvith the screens, as a whole, present 
a chaste anti pleasing appearance. 
This pretty spot was tlesignetl, built, and isnow owned 
by that enterprising citizen, Norton Sage. 
Alexander Walsh. 
Lansingbur^h, N. Y., June 12, 1843. 
NEAPOLITAN HOGS. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —From the repeated 
inquiries made to nie, regarding my opinion of this breetl 
of swine, I presume a description anil some account of 
their origin, may not be uninteresting to the readers of 
the Cultivator. 
The first Neapolitan pigs introduced into this section, 
were imported in 1838, by Henry Holland, Esq. of Ball- 
Eton. In the summer of 1839, Mr. H. presented the wri¬ 
ter with a pair from the first litler. In color they were 
similar lo the Elephant, a sort of lead or slate color,with 
a belt or sheet of white covering their shoulders and part 
of their boily ; with little or no hair on them, resembling 
in that respect, the African dog, the Elephant, and the 
Rhinoceros, which at first sight gives them rather an 
unpiepossessing appearance; and 1 never knew but one 
person that first looked on them, but turned away from 
them, exclaiming, ddWell, I don’t like them.” 
In many points they much resemble the Berkshire pigs; 
the head is small, ears upright, small, and handsomely 
formed; bodies long, round and straight on the back; 
hams large and full, like the Berkshire; tail long, small, 
and without the kink, so common in the Berkshire breed. 
They have a keen, black, piercing eye, and a peculiar 
knowing look or wise countenance. In size they will 
rank below medium, as from my experience, I much 
doubt whether they can be made to exceed, at maturity, 
over 300 lbs.; from 200 to 250 lbs. would probably be a 
fair estimate, at from 18 to 24 months old; but then, like 
imprtwted Chinese, they are easy and quick feeders, and 
are valuable for crossing with the larger and slower 
growing sorts. 
About the same period, or soon after Mr. H. imported 
his Neapolitans, James G. King, Esq., when in Europe, 
purchased a pair, for which he paid the liberal price of 
§160, and sent them home to his beautiful residence at 
Hoboken, for the purpose of introducing this valuable 
breed of swine in his native country. After breeding 
them for several years, with a commendable and praise- 
wonhy liberality, he distributed many of them among 
his friends, (and among whom the writer was fortunate¬ 
ly classed,) and in the fall of 1841, he presented to the N. 
Y. State Agricultural Society ten head, including the im¬ 
ported ones, to be exhibited at the Fair at Syracuse, and 
to be sold at auction, and the availsadded to the funds of 
the Societ 3 L At the lime appointed for the sale, a storm 
set in, which so dampened the ardor for improvement, that 
no bills could be oT^Uiinoi!, anil they were illa'.ributeil a- 
mong some of the members, who were to report at the 
meeting of the Society in 1842. I regret to say no re¬ 
ports were made, and the only mention made of them 
was by our worthy Corresponding Secretary, H. S. Ran¬ 
dall, Esq., who in his report of the agriculture of Cort¬ 
land co., published in Transactions of 1842, saj’^s;—“1 
regret to state that the fine imported Neapolitan sow, 
piesented to the State Ag. Society, by James G. King. 
Esq., and which by a vole of the board was placed in my 
hands to test the comparative value of the breed, perish¬ 
ed before reaching my residence, in consequence, pro¬ 
bably from injuries received on ship board.” 
The two presented to the writer by Mr. King, although 
now two years old, the sow has never bred, nor is there 
any prospect at present of obtaining pigs from her. Not¬ 
withstanding she is scrimped in her food, still she keeps 
m high condition. It seems quite an effort for her to get 
up and eat her meals. She is certainly the laziest animal 
1 ever saw. Why, she is too lazy to squeal or even grunt. 
Not so with the boar, for he is wide awake, and would 
match in a race, Ihe leaper, described by Lansingburgh, 
page 52, vol. V, of the Cultivator. 
I have crossed the Neapolitan with the Berkshire and 
improved Chinese, fattened, slaughtered and eat them, 
and must confess 1 found the pork superior to any other I 
ever tasted. C. N. Bement. 
Three Hills Farm, June 20, 1843. 
MICHIGAN SOIL, FARMING, &c. 
Editors of the Cultivator —There is perhaps no 
wooded country to be found, that ran be more easily re¬ 
claimed than the oak openings of Michigan. The usual 
custom of the first settlers of these lands is to girdle, 
plow and sow, the first year; and unpromising as it may 
appear, I am told the first and second crops are generally 
reckoned among the best. The soil is of a sandy nature, 
generally level, and easily broke up and cullivaled. But 
the course pursued in tlie management of land is essen¬ 
tially an exhausting one, and should it be continued, it 
is easy to see that at no very distant day these fertile 
plains will be hardly worth possessing. Perhaps! came 
here expecting too much—expecting to see the agricul¬ 
turist convinced (perhaps by experience at the east,) of 
the bad policy of the exhausting system, and endeavor¬ 
ing by all the means in his power to collect materials to 
keep up the fertility of the soil; but such is not the case, 
and perhaps will not be, until the inhabitants shall feel 
themselves more permanently settled. This is truly and 
emphatically a moving people, and mid-summer as well 
as mid-winter, forms no obstacle to “ selling out;” a few 
days only are necessary to find the seller established and 
“staying” in another place. Whilesuch a state of things 
exist, and the owmer or occupant of a farm feels that the 
present crop may be the last he will gather, it is proba¬ 
ble the skinning system will not be abandoned. While 
deploring these things, I have often thought of a r’^uark 
made by my father, whose opinions I have always fonnil 
entitled to respect, that in emigraling you should inform 
yourself by reading or otherwise, of the most fertile i s- 
tricts in the countiy to which jmu intend emigrating, .u d 
then visit beforehand personally, and if possible accom¬ 
panied with your family, that section; then make yO T 
choice, and from thenceforth, extraordinarys excepted,) 
to consider it youi: permanent home. Can a farmer reap 
the benefi's of a scientific and well digested system of 
agriculture and be a mover? 
And now while upon th.e subject, allow rre to make a 
few remarks about emigrating to a new'country. Who¬ 
ever comes here exiieoting’ (o realise jne-halfoliLeioea- 
sure and “ far delights” that a fertile imagination will 
conjure up when seated in the comfortable apartments of 
a farmer's cottage, vvilh perhaps a smoking breakfast, 
dinner or lea before him, will be ilisappointed. One 
moment's cool reflection, or at least a few month's trial, 
will satisfy the most skeptical, for in the nature of things 
it cannot be. It must, and it will fake years, before the 
beginner will have those thousand little comforts and 
conveniences—aye and great ones too—about him, that 
he has left behind. There may be romance enough in 
the idea that you have emigraied. to sustain you a few 
times in going twenty miles lo mill with an ox team, or 
a quarter of a mile after wafer, yet it is thought that 
when “ tired nature” sliall lisp these significant vvoriis, 
“ uncomfortable,” and “ inconvenient,” it will effeclu- 
ally banish Ihe bright dreams of the imagination. Above 
all things does old age and pioneering seem incompati¬ 
ble. Reflect and hesitate long before you tear up those 
old deep rooted affections to transplant in another and a 
newer soil. They cannot flourish again, and perchance 
may die. Young trees may bear Ihe transplanting, but 
the old deep rooted and established should not be moved. 
Respectfully yours, 
Waterford, Oakland Co., Mich., 1843. G. Cook. 
500 REASONS why LAND SHOULD be IMPROVED. 
More can be cultivated with the same hands, because 
tilled with less hard labor. 
Briers and shrubs disappear, and grasses appear. 
Cattle damage the land and grass less, because they do 
not have to tramp so great a space to fill themselves. 
Less land required; less fencing. 
Less trotting after cows and horses. 
Less work at the smith s shop. 
Fewer whips worn out. 
Stronger teams. 
Moi'e manure, and less need for it. 
A stimulus to action. 
A protection against winter's frost and summer’s heat. 
A good example to children and neighbors. 
Keeps off sherifs and buzzards. 
Stops emigration. 
Produces money for books, and lime for reading. 
Surplus time and money for erecting buildings. 
Also school houses and churches. 
Produces time to travel, to lecture on economy and 
preach the gospel. 
Produces sociability and hospitality. 
Makes a paradise of a barren, plenty out of poverty, a 
blessing out of a curse. 
The barn is filled, the dairy is filled, the purse is filled, 
and the soul is filled with gratitude. 
If the reader will reflect, he will discover that Ihe 
number of good reasons why the farmer should imjirove 
his land, is almost innumerable. D. 
Amherst, Fa., June 18, 1843. 
