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VOLUME III. NO. 
Jlgriniltiirnl lipnrtmrat. 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
FARMERS’ CLUBS. 
We hear of the formation of Farmers’ 
Clubs in various towns and districts around 
us, and, as it is not yet too late in the sea¬ 
son to estalbish and derive much benefit 
from them, we would offer a few thoughts on 
the subject of their value, and the way in 
which they may best advance the interests 
of their members. To awaken and encour¬ 
age the spirit of improvement, and bring out 
the useful and often new facts with which 
every man’s experience abounds, there can 
be no better way devised than these con¬ 
versational meetings of the farmers of a 
neighborhood. 
To form a farmers’ club is a very simple 
matter. We think the territory comprised 
in two or three of our school districts, large 
enough for a simple club, though for a so¬ 
ciety which would hold a Fair, &c., larger 
numbers would be.requisite. Let any man 
among these but make the move, by invi¬ 
ting, on sorao designated evening, either at 
his own house or the school-room, the neigh¬ 
boring farmers to a social interview, with 
the object of mutual improvement by the 
statement of tacts and the comparison and 
discussion of opinions; and there will be a 
Farmers’ Club started, which requires .only 
the adoption of some few simple rules and 
an adjournment from time to time, and 
place to place, to keep it in constant and 
beneficial operation. 
It is an excellent plan in these meetings, 
to have a subject chosen before hand, so that 
each member may take some pains to pre¬ 
pare what information he may possess on 
the subject for use and communication, if he 
think it called for, at the club. In this way, 
the reading and experience of each, will be¬ 
come the common property of the whole as¬ 
sociation. Those who have attended such 
clubs, say they learned many new facts, and 
gained much useful information from this 
interchange of theory and practice. There 
are few engaged upon a farm for a year, but 
will observe things not generally known, 
which they will here be called upon to com¬ 
municate to their neighbors and to the woyld 
—and will bo more likely to themselves ap¬ 
preciate their true interest and value. The 
discoverer does not always understand the 
ultimate worth of his observations. 
And, as wo have said before, to extend 
throughout the land the good influences of 
theso societies, we hope there will be found 
in each ono, persons willing and competent 
to select and prepare for our own and other 
papers the most important information eli¬ 
cited. In this way tens of thousands may 
share in the benefit of the dicoveries or the 
experience of a single neighborhood or indi¬ 
vidual, and the discussion and comparison be 
extended among the million” who now 
read Agricultural papers. 
TIME VALUABLE IN WINTER. 
Tiie farmer who understands his business, 
will find enough to do in winter, in taking- 
care of his horses, cattle, sheep, and other 
animals that lie has about him; and in get¬ 
ting to his door and preparing for the stove 
or fire-place, his fuel for a year to come; 
and also in preparing rails, posts, stakes, and 
caps,—drawing his rails along the line upon 
which lie is intending to build his fence— 
putting his new rails by themselves, and 
using the old ones to repair old fences. He 
may also be taking a few logs to the mill to 
be sawed into such lumber as he will bo most 
likely to want about the farm, for the year 
to come. Stakes and caps may be made of 
timber that cannot be split, by getting it 
sawed. Almost any kind of timber will last 
many years in stakes, if thoy aro not set in 
the ground. Probably the best way to stake 
and cap feneo is to use two caps, ono about 
one or two rails from the bottom of the 
fence, and the other next to the top one,— 
this way of doing it will supercodo the ne¬ 
cessity of setting stakes in the ground. 
Eagle Harbor, Jan. 16, 1852. J. SIBLEY. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1852. 
MR. GEO. SHAFFER’ 0 PREMIUM SPAYED DEVON HEIFER. 
Tiie beautiful animal whose portrait is 
given above, took the first premium as “ the 
best three-fourth breed, spayed, Devon Heif¬ 
er,” at the last Fair of the N. Y. State Ag. So¬ 
ciety. This heifer bears the same relation to 
the cow, or natural animal, that the ox does 
A REVIEW OF THE STATE FAIR.-NO. 1, 
BY A FARMER. 
_ 
Friend Moore I am glad to see that 
the management of the State Agricultural 
Society, is freely investigated in the columns 
of the Rural. We can not expect perfec¬ 
tion in the management of a society of such 
magnitude, yet we ought to endeavor to 
approximate as near it as practicable, and 
endeavor to profit in future, by reviewing 
and correcting our past errors. You say, 
truly, that the premium list needs a thorough 
revision. 
The raising of winter wheat, is one of the 
most important branches of agriculture, and 
it requires as much knowledge, skill, and in¬ 
ducement to improvement as any other 
branch of husbandry. Yet, there was only 
two small premiums on all the various vari- 
.cties of winter wheat, and,—what was most 
unaccountable, — only ono of these was 
awarded at the last Fair, although there 
were several good samples of different va¬ 
rieties exhibited. There ought at least to 
be three or four small premiums, on each of 
the different varieties of winter wheat which 
are generally cultivated. And it would be 
well to give small premiums on the best 
fleeces of wool from tl\o different varieties 
of sheep, for the real value of a sheep’s 
fleece cannot be judged of with accuracy in 
September. 
The Premium list on neat stock, needs a 
thorough revisal; as it now is, it operates 
very unjustly on the home breeders and 
producing farmers. Imported animals should 
not be allowed to compete with the home¬ 
bred stock,for the name of being imported al¬ 
ways secures a premium, which is directly 
encouraging the importer at the expenso of 
the homo producers. This never ought to 
be by an association of American farmers, 
and it does not exhibit much confidence in 
the great superiority of the imported stock 
when the owners condescend to compete 
with the home breeders, whose animals do 
not cost half of the amount of thoso im¬ 
ported. 
It is not my wish to discourage enterpris¬ 
ing gentlemen, who are willing to bo at tho 
expense of importing choice animals,—and 
if thoy wish premiums on them, let them be 
exhibited in a class by themselves; but how 
much more noble and dignified would it be 
if those wealthy gentlemen would imitate 
the example of the esteemed President of 
the Society, and like him, exhibit, but not as 
competitors. 
As the premium list on neat stock now 
is, a few wealthy individuals monopolize tho 
greater part of the premiums, so that the 
State Fair is to them a profitable festival at 
the expense of the common farmers. It is 
well known that there are but a few of some 
of tho improved breeds of cattle in tho State, 
and the whole of them do not equal the 
number of the native and grade stock of the 
country, yet each class receives the same 
to tho bull. Spayed animals become some¬ 
what heavier and thicker, and fatten more 
readily than thoso in the natural state. They 
are sometimes worked in the yoke, and prove 
quite serviceable. She is the property of 
Geo. Shaffer, of Wheatland, N. Y. 
j amount of premiums, excepting the natives, 
| they get the least. The object of the Soei- 
1 ety is to encourage and stimulate the home 
producers to improvement, and its influence 
ought to bo extended to the most numerous 
portion of tho cultivators so as to secure the 
greatest good. 
WILD TURKEYS DOMESTICATED. - 
Editors Rural: —As a matter of curiosi¬ 
ty more than profit, I purchased two years 
ago last fall, a pair of full blooded wild Tur¬ 
keys— real native Americans—-from a flock, 
some of which exceeded’30 lbs. in weight.— 
Being but a novice in the rearing of poul¬ 
try, I procured Mr. C. N. Bement’s Book 
upon the subject, turned to the article in 
which I was most interested—being about 
five dollars contra, but no small amount of 
pleasure and profit in anticipation. 1 read 
with pleasure the observation of Dr. Frank¬ 
lin, who considered the “wild Turkey so tru¬ 
ly noble and valuable that it would have 
been a much fitter emblem of the country 
than the white-headed eagle.” Also that of 
Audubon, whoso knowledge of tho feather¬ 
ed bipeds cannot be gainsayed, “that its 
great size and beauty render it one of the 
most interesting of the birds indigenous to 
the United States—that its flesh is of excel¬ 
lent flavor, more delicate and juicy than that 
of the domestic turkey, rendering it a val¬ 
uable and highly prized article of food,”— 
all of which was highly flattering to my new 
enterprise, and quite an inducement with 
me to persevere. 
Being a native of Down East, and an ad¬ 
vocate for progression. I felt an instinctive 
desire that in the general march, any im¬ 
provement in the main feature of our time- 
honored festival, so indispensable as the tur¬ 
key, should not bo neglected; but in peru¬ 
sing the article further, I found doubts ex¬ 
pressed by some partial experimenters as to 
rearing and domesticating them, intimating 
that their disposition to wander off would 
bo very difficult if not impossible to over¬ 
come. Now I live within about thirty rods 
of thirty acres of timbered land, which pro¬ 
duced great quantities of nuts a year ago 
last fall, the first season of my enterprise, 
which .offered as great temptations to them, 
no doubt, as to the tamo turkey, and they 
were often there, yet they were nevor known 
to be absent from their accustomed roost at 
night. I had but ono gobbler; during last 
winter he selected tho highest point on the 
wood-shed, which he maintained regardless 
of the elements, every night, I believe, du¬ 
ring the winter. The hens took a less con¬ 
spicuous but more protected position inside. 
Last spring one of the hens succeeded in 
bringing out eleven chicks, which were left 
entirely to the care of the mother, running 
at large. None of them appeared to suffer 
from exposure to rains or dews, and but for 
an accident by which wo lost three, I should 
now bo able to exhibit a brood of tho most 
beautiful birds, whose aggregate weight 
would nothavo been less than 150 R>s.,judg- j 
ing from the size of those ou hand. I have I 
had most kinds of poultry during the past | 
two years, excepting ducks and geese, and I ! 
am satisfied the wild turkey is the least de¬ 
structive, and least expensive. 
Two important considerations so far as j 
profit is concerned, remain to bo noticed.— 
Mine were fe 1 nothing, after a few days old, | 
till late in the fall. They appeared to' thrive ! 
well on wee ks, grass, and mist kinds of flics j 
and bugs, and during the continuance of j 
grasshoppers they enjoyo l a continual feast. \ 
They are swift destruction to all the various 
kinds of bugs, flies and other insects that 
infest the kitchen garden, except the rose 
bug; tho33 they could not bo induced to : 
breakfast upon. In a pecuniary estimate,! 
exclusive of their weight and value in the ! 
market, I have given mine credit for some 
vory nice cucumbers, melons, and squashes 
nearly equaling them in value. M v own ex¬ 
perience confirms all Mr. Bement says in 
favor of their size, constitution and habits, 
but I have been unable to detect any pro¬ 
pensity to wander off more than is common 
to the domestic turkey. 11 is reasons for 
giving them a decided preference over the 
last, namely, that they are larger—often 
weighing from 20 to 30 lbs.—more robust— 
will bear the rain and wet grass, and are 
therefore more easily raised; and also being j 
great hunters of flies, bugs and other in- I 
sects, they require less corn or meal, and j 
therefore more profitable—corresponds with i 
my two years’ experience, which if you deem 
of any service to your numerous subscribers, 
is at your service. d. 
STAKING FENCES -MARL, AN INQUIRY. 
Editors Rural :— It seems almost like 
presumption in me to attempt writing for 
the Rural. I am aware that there are nu¬ 
merous other subscribers in this vicinity j 
who are better qualified for this than my¬ 
self, but should anything appear in my 
scribblings fit for the public, perhaps others 
may venture to do likewise. I believe there 
are farmers in this vicinity that have as 
large crops, and are as capable'of telling the 
manner of farming that produces them, as 
in’*any section of the country. As for me, 
I am poor and a young farmer, and have 
not tho good fortune to possess anything 
remarkable to write about, such as premium 
cattle or horses, or what seems to me to be 
great crops. Time will toll whether I ever 
shall have,—I can try. 
1 have got to ask for information in re¬ 
gard to farming, and am willing in return 
to impart what little I can. 
A method of staking and capping a com¬ 
mon rail fence which I have not seen in the 
Rural, perhaps would ho acceptable. Cut 
your stakes about one foot shorter than 
stakes that are to be driven into the ground, 
place the cap on the fourth rail (or near the 
middle height of the fence,) lengthwise in¬ 
stead of across tho fence, as is the common j 
practice. This will fetch both stakes on 
tho same side of the fence. They should 
not be driven into the ground, but the rails 
should ho fitted if necessary, so that tho 
stakes may lock the corner effectually.— 
There are numerous reasons for preferring 
this method: First, it is less work; Second¬ 
ly, you can use any kind of timber; Third¬ 
ly, the caps aro not liable to split, for they 
will settle with the fence; Fourthly, it re¬ 
sists heavy winds better than any other 
method. 
And now, to close, I will ask a little infor¬ 
mation of you (or of your readers rather.) 
There is a swamp, two miles south of Le 
Roy, that contains a sort of white marl, 
which is thought by some to be a good ma¬ 
nure, but 1 believe it has not been tried to 
any extent. As I have seen this same marl 
in different parts of the State, I would in¬ 
quire if any of your readers have used it, 
and what its effects were ? w. w. u. 
Lc Roy, N Y., Jan. 6,18.52. 
It is absurd to imagine, that the commu¬ 
nication of knowledge, which has promoted 
tho advancement of every other art should 
be of no use in agriculture. 
WHOLE NO. 109. 
DAIRY STOCK. 
HOLDERNESS —> DURHAM — DUTCHESS BLOOD. 
Mr. Moore :-~-I read with interest, the 
remarks of your Albany correspondent, in 
the last Rural, in relation to an extract in 
your paper of the 18th ult., from a former 
article by Arkwright, on tho subject of Hol- 
deruess cattle. The influence for good, of 
this stock upon tho dairy interest of the 
North, lias been great and widely extended. 
I find an apology for troubling you farther 
upon this subject, only in tho importance to 
this interest, to be able to know and to'ob¬ 
tain, the best stock for dairy purposes ; and 
in the disposition to contribute my mite to 
the attainment of-this object. We have 
learned from experience, that all the de¬ 
scendants of any of tho celebrated breeds, 
are not uniform and alike, in possessing the 
leading traits that give reputation and value 
to the stock. There are leading character¬ 
istics of the Durhams, the Devons, the Herc- 
fords and Ayreshires, that go far towards con¬ 
stituting tl 10 distinctive excellence of these 
bceds. But those- characteristics are more 
strongly developed in some strains of the 
blood than in others. Hence the grazier, in 
seeking an investment in Durham cattle for 
profit at the butchers stall, will select from 
thoso stocks whose leading tendency is to 
flesh and fatness—while the dairyman will 
direct his eye towards those strains of blood 
in the same breed, that have developed the 
strongest tendency to deep milking qualities. 
Tho importations of blood cattle by our 
most celebrated beeders, have been made 
from the herds of a very small number of 
the most noted breeders in Great Britain.— 
But all tho splendid cattle of theso eminent 
breeders, have not been alike celebrated as 
superior milkers. I suppose no stock of tl:e 
Durham blood, imported into this country 
from the herd of the unrivalled breeder, Mr. 
Bates, has excelled or even equalled, for 
deep milking, his celebrated Dutchess blood. 
If therefore, I was now in search of a bull or 
a cow of the Durham breed, for dairy pur¬ 
poses, it would, be in tho line of this blood. 
This happens to be a strain of blood in the 
Durham family, of unsurpassed excellence 
for the dairy. 
Now, as to the Holderness blood, I do not 
consider this and the Durham to be two dis¬ 
tinct breeds; but two strains of blood, of the 
same original family of t ! 'e Short-horns.— 
What are termed “Improved Short-horns,” 
are improvements made upon this original 
Short-horn stock, among Durham farmers 
and others, by the skill, science, and perse¬ 
verance of modern breeders. Now, it has 
so happened, that the imported bull Holder- 
ness, belonged to a family of surpassing ex¬ 
cellence for dairy purposes; and that he lias 
transmitted this feature, to a wonderful ex¬ 
tent, as a leading trait among his progeny. 
I greatly question, if any bull ever brought 
to this country, unless it be of comparatively 
modern importation, has been of equal val¬ 
ue, in producing tho like uniform and excel¬ 
lent results to the dairy interest. I know 
nothing yet which I consider of equal value, 
except Mr. Bates’s celebrated Dutchess 
stock—and fortunately, this can now be ob¬ 
tained in perfection here. For one hundred 
farmers in the centre of a rich dairy district, 
to unite and give even $1,000 for a^plendid 
bull of this blood, would be an investment 
worth to them four fold, in its immediate 
influence upon their dairy interest. But I 
do not know, or even suppose tho fact, that 
the Holderness blood can now bo obtained, 
with any approximation to its original pu¬ 
rity. The passion for crossing, which, un¬ 
less controlled by science, skill, and correct 
veiws, I think is often highly prejudicial 
rather than advantageous, has so far obtain¬ 
ed, as probably to merge this blood in others 
of inferior value. Where the prejudice 
against “ breeding in and in,” has not exist¬ 
ed, (if such place can be found,) it is possi¬ 
ble this blood may still be obtained in a good 
degreo of purity. And in regard to this 
mode of breeding, I beg here to speak in its 
favor, under such regulations as would sug- 
I gest themselves to an intelligent, skilful 
I breeder. Subject to such rules and regula- 
