VOLUME III. 3\ T 0. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y-THURSDAY, MARCH 25 , 1851 
WHOLE NO. 117. 
.agricultural Department. 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
BLOOD HORSES.-THE TROTTING HORSE. 
I have just noticed in the Boston Culti¬ 
vator of Feb. 28th, a communication from a 
correspondent, in allusion to a contemplated 
association to improve tho breed of trotting 
horses. Tho writer advocates the necessity 
of high blood to the perfection of the trot¬ 
ting horse—in opposition to the suggestions 
of “B,” in the Cultivator, of January 10th, 
who repudiates such necessity—quoting and 
adopting the remarks of a friend, “ that all 
the blood in tho world, and all tho care in 
breeding is not the value of a dollar—that 
all our best horses, (trotters) are picked up 
off tho road.” Now, I am not a little sur¬ 
prised, that a man of intelligence and ob¬ 
servation should hazard such a remark. It 
contravenes the experience of the world, for 
tho last ono hundred and fifty years. It 
may no doubt be true, that now and then, a 
smart horse can be found, among those who 
trace no claim to high blood. But it is still 
by no means certain, that no trace of high 
blood may lurk in his veins. And if other¬ 
wise, it is no more strange, that occasional¬ 
ly, a prodigy should exist among native bred 
horses, than that a prodigy, in tho unusual 
development of some native talent, should 
exist in the human family. But then, in 
such cases, no reliance can be placed on the 
theory, that “like should produce like,” in 
these specific attributes. 
When great muscular power, unconquer¬ 
able ambition, ardent, animated spirit, com¬ 
bined with form, structure and action best 
adapted to fleetness, are needed to consti¬ 
tute the fast trotter, these characteristics 
must be constitutional, must bo inherited, 
to give to tho breeder in his efforts to rear 
fast horses, good assurance that like shall 
produce like, in these respects. But these 
qualities are not inherent, are only acci¬ 
dental, if found in the dung-hill. If there- ! 
fore, as an exception to the goneral rule, one 
such case should exist, no dependence can be 
placod on the certainty, that these qualities 
will bo communicated to descendents. Not 
so in regard to the blood horse. The expe¬ 
rience of three-fourths of a century in this 
country, and of a century and a half in 
Great Britain, confirms tho fact, that pow¬ 
er, speed, and endurance aro the inherent 
characteristics of the blood horse, and may 
be expected, with satisfactory certainty, to 
be imparted to his progeny. 
The Arabian horse of tho higher casto, is 
the most hardy, and tho fleetest of the race 
of horses. But they are generally small.— 
Hence, to unite their beauty of form, their 
speed and endurance, with the size and bone 
of tho English horse, has been tho aim of 
English breeders. And the effort has boen 
eminently successful. Tho English blood 
horse by this arrangement, has attained tho 
standard of perfection, in all the particulars 
of size, form, power, speod and constitution. 
And that these characteristics have been 
transmitted to their descendants, to an emi¬ 
nent degree, both in this country and Great 
Britain, must bo obvious to every man who 
will at all investigate tho subject. If the 
fact were otherwise, it would bo but a poor 
compliment to thoso illustrious men who 
have bred in Great Britain, and to those 
public spirited and intelligent men, who 
have imported and bred in this country. 
The four noted Oriental horses, from 
which the most famous of tho English blood 
horses have been derived, were the Darley 
Arabian, tho Godolphin Arabian, tho Alcock 
Arabian, and tho Byerly Turk. A glance 
at the pedigreo of some of the most cele¬ 
brated horses of the age, with a knowledge 
of their achievements, will illustrate the cor¬ 
rectness of the foregoing remarks, and show 
tho power, speed, and value of tho Blood 
Horse. Wo will tako American Eclipse, in 
1823, as ho then stood, at the close of the 
great race with Sir Henry, acknowledged 
the fleetest and most powerful horse of the 
age—and by tracing his genealogy for more 
than ono hundred years, illustrate the fact, 
that tho power, speed, spirit and constitu¬ 
tion of tho best horses the world has ever 
known, were perpetuated in the line of his 
illustrious ancestry. And hy parity of rea¬ 
soning, prove that they may be expected to 
descend to his posterity, under wise and 
skillful rules of breeding. Of no dunghill, 
however remarkable, can similar results be 
predicated. 
ECLIPSE in the line of his dam : 
Miller’s Damsel, by Messenger. 
Her dam imported ; got by Potatoes, son of 
English Eclipse—next to Childers, the fleet¬ 
est horse ever known—tracing through three 
removes to the Darley Arabian. 
Miller’s Damsel in the line of her sire : 
By Messenger, a grey, bred by Lord Gros- 
venor, in 1780. 
By Mambrino, a gray, bred by Mr. Atkinson, 
in 1768. He ran nineteen races, and won 
fourteen times. The sporting record says:— 
“ He ran too fast for the speedy and too far for 
the strong.” He was a large horse. 
By Engineer, a brown, bred by Mr. Fenton, in 
1755. 
By Sampson, a black, bred by Mr. Preston, in 
1745. 
By Blaze, a bay, bred by Air. Panton, in 1733 
By Flying Childers, a chestnut, bred in 1715, 
the fleetest horse ever known. 
By the Barley Arabian, a bay, brought from 
the East. 
Messenger in the line of hi3 dam : 
His dam by Regains, son of the Godolphin 
Arabian, brought into England in 1730. 
Mambrino, in the line of his dam : 
His dam by Cade, bred by Lord Godolphin, 
got by his Arabian. 
ECLIPSE in the line of his sire : 
By Buroc, bred at the South. 
By Biomcd, a bay, imported in 1798,—at the 
age of 21 years,—the best horse of the day 
in England. At three years old he ran seven 
races—was never beaten, winning that year 
5,000 guineas—grandson to the illustrious 
King Herod, tracing through Tartar and Part¬ 
ner to the Byerly Turk. 
King Herod's dam was by Blaze, son of Flying 
Childers. 
Tho splendid and almost incrcdiblo 
achievements of theso horses aro doubtless, 
to some extent, known to those who would 
feel any interest in this subject. It would 
be difficult to conceive, except the fact were 
placed beforo the eye, of tho union of so 
many splendid strains of blood concentra¬ 
ting in one horse. Without disparaging, in 
the least degree, the matchless reputation of 
others, it is still doubtless true, that Eclipse 
derived a large portion of his temper, con¬ 
stitution, and power, immediately from Mes¬ 
senger. I hazard the remark, without fear 
of successful contradiction, that no horse 
ever brought across the water to this coun¬ 
try, has left greater, more striking, more en¬ 
during testimonials of his matchless powers 
in his stock, than Messenger. There exists 
throughout the extent of our Northern Coun¬ 
try, at tho present day, now half a century 
since ho stood beforo us in the pride of his 
efficiency, a breed of horses, his descendants, 
that still retain tho characteristics of his 
color, constitution and power. 
Messenger was bred by Lord Grosvenor, 
in 1780. Was imported into Delaware about 
1789. At four years old ho ran nine races, 
winning a King’s plate, and was never beat¬ 
en. A gentleman from the south, who saw 
him at the age of four, in the stud of Lord 
G., on his return to this country reported 
him, as a young horse of higher promise than 
any thing he had seen in England. An ef¬ 
fort was forthwith made to secure him, but 
without success. He was not obtained till 
some years hail elapsed. At tho ago of 18 
years, ho was purchased at a high price, and 
stood on the Island, and in tho rivor coun¬ 
ties. Blending with the blood of Badjazette, 
Kouli-Khan, Brilliant, Highlander, Drone, 
and others of this character, ho became the 
sire of a host of splendid horses,—of a pro¬ 
geny of which this Stato may justly boast. 
Mambrino, Hamiltonian, Tippo Saib, tho 
Ogden Messenger, (sent to Jefferson coun¬ 
ty,) Cushing’s Messenger, the Dering Mess¬ 
enger, aro among tho number of his colts. 
From such stock, if from any in tho world, 
can trotting horses bo raised. 
Although the south may claim tho meed 
of renown, for importations and efforts to 
improve the breed of fine horses in this coun 
try, still tho north is entitled to no small 
share of commendation. Importations were 
made at an early day, by gentlemen of afflu¬ 
ence and enterprise in the city of New Yoi'k. 
They woro also made, of horses of great ce¬ 
lebrity and value, by gentlemen of intelli¬ 
gence and wealth in New England. I have 
before me, among others, an autograph let¬ 
ter of tho Hon. Benjamin Tallmadge, of 
Litchfield county, Conn.—(now deceased,) 
of date May, 1823, in which he says :—“An 
associate, (whom ho names.) and himself, in 
the year 1797, imported from Great Britain 
lour stallions and a number of mares. The 
horses were Drone, Highlander, Brilliant 
and Sir Peter Teazel. Drone was a very 
high blooded horso, and had been fortunate 
on the courses. Brilliant had also run to 
good acceptance, but was young when pur¬ 
chased. Highlander was tho finest horse of 
tho whole number; but neither he nor Sir 
Peter ever started on the race course. All 
these horses stood in Connecticut, N. York 
and New Jersey for many years, while I 
owned them. Drone only, died as my prop¬ 
erty.” Dido and Fair Rachel, two of the 
mares, are stated to havo been animals of 
great beauty and perfection. The blood of 
Drono could not bo excolled. Ho was son 
of King Herod, and full brother to Highfly¬ 
er who stood at 100 guineas. His dam by 
Blank, son of tho Godolphin Arabian. “ He 
won ten King’s plates, and could beat any 
horse in tho Kingdom, carrying 14 stone.” 
Highlander was got by Paymaster, son of 
Blank. His dam by Herod—grand dam by 
Eclipso. Sir Peter was got by Highflyer, 
and was grand son of Herod. If power, 
speed, and constitution are to be found any 
where in the progeny of the horse, they aro 
to be expected among the descendents of 
horses, such as have been herein described. 
And that they have been thus found, and 
for so long a period, and uniformly found ; 
establishes the fact, that for endurance un¬ 
der severe and protracted effort, and for 
fleetness on the road, our highest and only 
safo dependence is to be placed, on the in¬ 
fluences of tho BLOOD HORSE. E. I). 
. LONG MANURE FOR SPRING CROPS. 
Messrs. Editors :—Wishing to gain some 
information regarding the application and 
effects of lime and plaster applied to a cer¬ 
tain crop in a certain form, I concluded I 
could not obtain it from a more reliable 
source than from you or some of your prac¬ 
tical correspondents, through tho columns 
of your excellent paper. 
Tho facts aro plainly these. I havo in 
my barn yard a large quantity of coarse ma¬ 
nure, made and making this present season, 
mostly from straw. I wish to apply it to a 
crop of corn. My ground is a sod, in grass 
only last season, soil between a muck and 
high land gravel,—and I intend to draw my 
manure on tho same and plow it under.— 
Now I am aware that my corn will receive 
but little benefit from thus manuring unless 
I can forward its decomposition, and so do 
it that my ground will not be more liable to 
bo affected by the drouth, than it w'ould 
be if no forwarding process had been ap¬ 
plied. ( a ) 
I wish to know if the application of lime 
with tho manure under tho sod will cause 
the corn to increase in growth more rapidly 
and not retard it by drouth. Will it cause 
the sod to decompose soonor, thereby bene¬ 
fiting tho corn ? (b) 
Would plaster applied with tho lime in 
the samo manner render the manure and 
ground any moister, thereby hastening the 
decomposition of the whole ? If not, in 
what consists the benefit of putting plaster 
in tho hill with potatoes at the time of plant¬ 
ing ? (c) 
Last, though not the least, as I have not 
time or monoy to expend in useloss experi¬ 
ments,—If said appplication is beneficial, is 
it probable that it will pay the cost ? ( d ) 
Yours, &c., h. c. 
Elba. Genesee Co., N. Y., March, 1852. 
Remarks. —Wo had thought for some 
time of referring to the use of long manure 
for corn and othor spring crops, but have 
not felt sufficiently “ posted up” to do this 
profitably. Our correspondent again calls 
our attention to the subject and we add 
these remarks, not so much as an answer, as 
with tho hope to call out from practical 
farmers their experience and opinions bear¬ 
ing on the solution of his questions. 
( a .) It is true that little benefit can bo 
expected to result to the corn crop, from 
long manure composed of straw but just 
commencing to decay, or at least its greater 
portion in that state. Should the season 
prove a wet ono the decomposition will go 
on, and afford some nourishment to the grow¬ 
ing plant; but if dry in tho early part, this 
layer of straw would soon lose all its mois¬ 
ture, and tend to make the soil still more 
open and porous, so as to increase the inju¬ 
ry of tho drouth upon tho crop. We are 
not aware that any special means have been 
devised of hastening the decomposition of 
such manure after it is applied to the soil, 
though there aro many modes of doing this 
before its application, by composting with 
various animal and chemical manures. 
(b.) Whether limo would increase the ef¬ 
fect of the drouth or not, we are not able 
to say. We think tho quantity likely to be 
applied, at the depth to which tho field 
should be plowed, would have but little 
present effect in any way. To benefit the 
corn and improve tho soil v r o should apply 
it as a top-dressing immediately after plow¬ 
ing, so that it may be mixed with the surface 
soil, by the harrowings which follow. It is 
sometimes applied to sward land before 
breaking up, and though not used specially 
to promote decomposition, is found to have 
that effect. 
(c.) Theso are open questions, about which 
a great deal may bo said on both sides.— 
Piaster is more generally used in connection 
with animal manures, to absorb and retain 
tho ammonia, than with those more purely 
vegetable. As a top-dressing for corn it 
proves of high value. We think it far 
more likely to benefit the soil, when on, or 
near the surface, than at any great depth 
below it. 
( d .) Wowould not like to warrant limeand 
plaster, applied in the way our correspond¬ 
ent proposes, to “ pay tho cost.” If any 
of our readers have tried the experiment 
wo should be glad to hear how it succeeded. 
If II. C.’s is like tho common run of 
barn-yards, the manure would be much ben¬ 
efited, and its decomposition hastened, by 
heaping and mixing together. Around tho 
straw-stack and in the more exposed por¬ 
tions of the yard, thero may be little but 
straw in various stagos of incipient decay, 
while beneath the sheds, and where thrown 
from the stables may be found a large por- 
portion of animal excrement, mixed with 
litter moro thoroughly decomposed. Let 
theso bo composted together, by placing in 
alternate layers the coarser and finer mate¬ 
rials on hand, so that when worked over the 
animal and vegetable matters may be thor¬ 
oughly intermingled. Ashes and salt, in the 
proportion of a half bushel of the first and 
two or three quarts of the last, to each load 
of the mixture, may be placed betwen the 
layers, and will tend to assist the decompo¬ 
sition, adding also to the value of tho whole. 
Let the plaster bo sprinkled over tho heaps 
as they are drawn into the field. 
A New Way of Tapping Trees. —Take 
polished stove-pipe iron and cut it in strips 
three inches wide at one end and two and 
a half at the other, and from twelve to six¬ 
teen inches long. Cut the wide end in a 
circular form and bend like a gougo, but 
bend tho small end quite around so that the 
edges meet. Grind the gouge-shaped end 
so that with a small mallet it can be driv¬ 
en through tho bark of tho tree. This kind 
of spile is cheaper than wood—they cost 
two cents each—and not the first drop of 
sap will leak around them. This I know 
by experience on a fair trial in tapping over 
two hundred trees last year. 
James L. Paine. 
Know’esviUe, N. Y , March 15, 1852. 
Ground once well plowed, is hotter than 
thrico poorly. 
DEEP vs. SHALLOW PLOWING. 
Messrs. Editors: — Tho importance of 
deep plowing has been again and again re¬ 
ferred to in the Rural New-Yorker, but 
while any attempt to grow crops, whoso 
practico corresponds with that described be¬ 
low, it yet needs agitating. The shallow 
system has too long prevailed, and but few 
years havo elapsed since in every neighbor¬ 
hood it had its followers, who wore starving 
themselves out—suffering, as their crops had 
suflered before them, from shallowness and 
want of penetrating power. I met some 
time ago, with a sensiblo colloquy on this 
subject written for another latitude, which I 
have taken the liberty to change and add to, 
so as to suit our own locality; which shows 
up this practice in its true bearing on tho 
prosperity of the farmer. 
Mr. Plow Deep was riding along the road 
one pleasant spring morning, when ho saw 
Mr. Shallow Furrow actively engaged in 
turning over the surface of a field which 
sundry signs show to havo been in corn last 
year. Mr. F. is an industrious man and has 
long worked this farm, but it is only by the 
strictest economy that both ends are made 
to meet at tho end of tho voar. Mr. D. 
and he are old acquaintances, so as F. st q>s 
his team, a raw-boned span of sorrel nags, 
to place the ring of his evener in the low¬ 
est notch of his clovi3, tho farmer accosts 
him: 
D.—Good morning, neighbor F. 
F.—Good morning, sir. I am just trying 
to get my plow right. It was sot rather 
deep for this ground. Two or threo inches 
from the surface it is hard as a rock. 
D.—Why. my dear sir, how can it be oth¬ 
erwise? It has not been disturbed since tho 
creation of the world. 
F.—That’s a fact, and its no use wearing 
out and breaking plows, and working horses 
to death by plowing deeper than the plow 
will run. It will go threo inches now, and 
a little more in some places. 
D.—Yes, you turn up about three inches, 
but can you expect a crop of corn, if you 
break the ground in this manner, and as it 
seems to have been done heretofore—by just 
scratching over the surface,—for this can 
hardly be called plowing ? 
F.—You too, seem to be full of the new¬ 
fangled notions about which I have lately 
heard so much. There’s much talk about 
deep plowing, — going even ten or twelve 
inches deep,—and manuring, and cross- 
plowing, and cultivating, and drilling, and 
the like. But it’s of no use trying to get 
me to follow your wild notions; I go for tho 
old-fashioned way. My father worked this 
farm before me and never thought of such 
things. Besides that, my team wont stand 
it,—my plow won’t do it—it can’t bo done 
without moro bother and expense than I 
shall go to. 
D.—That plow will not go much deeper, 
that is a fact—and your team is none too 
strong for the work. But hav’nt you heard 
of improved plows of easier draught, and 
better calculated for breaking than that?— 
Thero has been a mighty improvement in 
farming tools, since you and I were boys. 
How much corn do you grow on this field 
generally—I see it was in corn last year ? 
F.—Last year it was rather short, but tho 
year before I got from twelve to fourteen 
bushels per acre. 
D.—And this year if you keep on plow¬ 
ing as you havo begun, you will got about 
ton, if it is a good season. If you will 
get a good plow, and double your team, 
and go down soven or eight inches this time, 
noxt year you can plow ton inches deep with 
equal easo, and— 
F.—But what good will that do ? 
D.—A great deal of good, I assure you. 
It will enable you the first year, to grow 
twenty bushels where now it seems doubtful 
whether you get ten. The turning up of 
the soil to that depth will give the roots a 
chance to spread and penetrate—to seek 
their proper food where they never havo 
been able to before. Thus your corn will 
gain strength to stand the dry weather—be¬ 
sides, a deep soil remains moist much longer 
