AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS EOE 1866, 
PORTRAITS AND PEDIGREES OP THREE FINE MERINO EWES, 
_NATIONAL. ST ATE,* PROVINCIAL "ac. 
American’Fomologieal, St. Lon Is,.Sept.Lf-T" 
California, Sacramento,.Sept, 10, .16 
Canada West. Toronto,.Sept. 24 _i> 2 g 
Canada E,, Impl't.Trial, Montreal, .about Sept. 1 - 
IlHnols, C hicago. Sept. 24—29 
Illinois. Implement Trial, Mattoon,.Sept. 4 — 
Indiana, Indianapolis,.Oct. 1 _ 5 
Iowa. Burlington. Sept, 1ft —21 
Kansas, Lawrence,.. ■. Oct. 2— 5 
Kentucfcy, Paris,.--Oct. 2—5 
Louisiana, New Orleans,....Nov. 20— 
Michigan Adrian,. . .Sept, lft —21 
Minnesota, Rochester,....Oct. 8—5 
Missouri,...Oct. 2 —f, 
National TOraeFair, KaUraaro,.Oct. 2-5 
Now England, Brattleboro.Sept. 4 — 7 
New Hampshire, Nashua,..Sept. is_ 2 o 
New York. Saratoga,.Sept, li —14 
Ohio, Dayton.Si-pt, 25-23 
Oregon, Salem,..Oct. 17-20 
Pennsylvania, Easton...Sept. 25-27 
St. Louie Association, St. Louis,.Oct. i_ g 
Vermont, Brattleboro,,.. .Sept. 4— 7 
Wisconsin, Janesville.Sept. 25-26 
COUNTY AND TOWN —NEW YORK, 
Albany. Albany.Sept 25-23 
Cattaraugus. Oleau,.Sept, 18-29 
Chenango, Oxford,..Sept. 24—26 
Cortland, ..Sept. 19 —20 
Delaware, llloomville,. ... ..Sept. 25—27 
Genesee, Batavia...Sept. 19 —20 
Horse Show, Buffalo,,.Aug. 14—17 
*• International,” Rouses’ Point,.Sept, 18—1» 
.Jefferson, Watertown,.......Sept 18—20 
Livingston, Geneseo,...'..Sept. 26— 27 
Monroe, Rochester,....Sept. 18 —29 
Niagara, Lnckport,. .......Sept, 19—21 
Putnam, Camel. Sept.. 12—14 
Queens, Mitineola,.Sept. 27—2s 
Rensselaer, Troy,.i.Oct. 2 - 4 
St. Lawrence, Canton,.Sept, 25 —27 
Soneca, Waterloo,.:.Oct. 2- 1 
Steuben. Bath.Sept. 19-21 
Susqnehannah Valiev, Unadilla.8ept. 20—28 
Tompkins, Trnmanstmrg,..Sept, 19-21 
Wayne, Palmyra.Sept. 27-29 
NEW HAMPSHIRE. 
Merrimac River, Concord.Sept. 25-27 
VERMONT. 
Addison, Middlebnry.Sept. 19-21 
Caledonia. St. JohnsbUry,.Sept. 18-2(1 
Rutland, Rntiand,...Sept. — - 
Windham, Newfane,.r.Oct. 3- 4 
MASSACHUSETTS. 
Barmtable, Barnstable.Oct. 9 
Bristol, Taunton.....Oct. 2 
Berkshire. Pittsfield.1.Oct. 2 
Essex. Haverhill.................Sept. 25 
Franklin, Greenfield,.Sept. 27 
noneatonlc, Great Barrington,.Sept. 26 
Hampshire Uulon, Northampton,.Oct. 4 
Hampshire. Amherst..Sept. 25 
Hampilcn, Springfield...Oct. 2 
Hatnpdeu East, Palmer,..Oct. 9 
Highland, MidtUefield,...Sept. 13 
HoobIc Valley. North Adams,.Sept. 16 
Middlesex, Concord.Sept. 20 
Middlesex South, Framingham.Sept. 18 
Middlesex North, Lowell,.Sept. 27 
Martha’s Vineyard. WeBt Tiebury,.Oct. 10 
Nantucket, Nantucket,.Sept. 25 
Norfolk. Dedham. Sept. 27 
Plymouth. Bridgewater,...Sept. 27 
Whntciy. Whatcly, ...Oct. 2 
Worcester, Worcester,.Sept. 20 
Worcester West, Barro. Sept. 27 
Worcester North, Fitchburg,.Sept. 25 
Worcester South, Stuxbridge,.Oct. 4 
Worcester Southeast, Milford,.Sept. 25 
CONNECTICUT. 
Pequabuck, Bristol.Oct. 10 
NEW JERSEY. 
Monmouth, Freehold.........Sept. 19—2 
Morris, Morristown,...Sept. 11—1 
PENNSYLVANIA. 
Bucks, Newton,.. 
Chester, Westchester,. 
Doylestown, Doylestown,... 
Northampton, Nazareth,.... 
Susquehriimuli, Montrose, 
OHIO. 
Ashtabula. Jefferson. 
Ashland, Ashland,. 
Clinton, Wilmington. 
Columbiana, New Lisbon,... 
Champaign. Urbana,.. 
Delaware, Delaware,. 
Eric, Sandusky. 
Franklin, Columbus,........ 
GarrettsvUle, (Portage Co ,) 
Greene, Xenia,. 
Geauga, Burton,. 
Geauga, (ttec.) Claridon,— 
Harrison, Cadiz,. 
Highland, Hillsboro... — — 
Horse Breeders’ Association,Cleveland,.Aug. 21—2! 
Jamestown, (Greene Co.,)..—Aug. 29-31 
Loralne, Elyria,.Sent, 11-11 
Licking, Newark...Oct. 3-5 
Muskingum, Zanesville, ..Hopt. 12—14 
Pickaway. Co. Fair Grounds,.Sept. 12—11 
Portage, Ravenna,.Sept. 19-21 
Plymouth, (Richland Co.,)...Sept. 25— 1\ 
Richfield, iSummit Co.,).Sept,. 26-26 
Seville, (Medina Co.,).Sept. 20-22 
Summit. Akron,.Oct. 2—5 
stark, Canton,.Sept. 2o—23 
Tvrituburgh, Twinsburgh,.Sept, 4- 6 
Trumbull. Warren, ...Sept. 19—21 
Warren, Lebanon,.Sept. 5-7 
KENTUCKY. 
Bourbon, Paris,.Sept. 3- 6 
Clark, Winchester,... . Aug. 29—31 
Central Kentucky, Danvill,.Sept. — — 
Harrison, Cynthinna,.Sept. IS—21 
Jessamiue, Nicholasville,.Aug. 9—10 
Montgomery and Bath, Mt. Sterling,.Aug. 22— it 
Nelson, Bardstown,...Sept, 18 —21 
Shelby, Shelbyville.Aug. 28-41 
Warren, Bowling Green,...Sept. Is-*v 
MICHIGAN. 
Clinton, St.Johns,...Sept. 17--8 
Jackson, Jackson,...Sept. 26—28 
Washtenaw, Ann Arbor,...... -Oct. 3— j 
ILLINOIS. 
DeKalb, ....-.i ep HIl*i 
Jacksou,-,.......Sept. 18-20 
Cass, Virginia,...— 
Peoria, Peoria,.....Sept. 10 J 
Jo Davlss, City of Galena,...Oct. 2— a 
WISCONSIN. 
Brown, Green Bay,...,......... Sept. 26-** 
Horse Show, Milwaukee.Sept. ll-w 
Lafayette, Darlington,.Sept. 27-29 
Polk, Osceola,.... • .X~ii 
Sauk, Barahoo,.•*.O ct - 11 
IOWA. 
Cerro Gordo, Mason,.Sept. 20—21 
Central District, Des Mflinee,.Sept. 11 n 
Floyd, Charles City,.Sept. 19 * 
Scott, Davenport,.Sept. 0 - 
THE SQUIRREL PEST 
Never Bince the memory of man, perhaps, 
have squirrels been so generally abundant as 
they are this season. In almost every region 
we hear from, they—particually the red squirrels 
—abound on every farm. They are now preying 
on the orchards and on the early grain. Con¬ 
stantly Increasing in numbers, they will soon 
invade the corn-fields, not only to obtain present 
food, but to lay up their winter Btores. Barns 
and granaries will be ruinously infeBted by them 
next winter. The red squirrel will gnaw 
through the roof of these bnildingB after food, 
thus letting in rain and snow to damage what 
they do not consume. 
Now while they are at work in the orchards is 
the time to attack these pests. Every farmer 
should at once set about killing them. If he 
waits until winter, he will find he has made a 
great mistake. We know a boy who has killed 
twenty-five red squirrels in a small orchard In 
the last two days. A boy and a shot-gun is the 
best remedy. Let the remedy be universally 
applied, ... Farmer. 
Central New York, Ang., 1866. 
CROSSING LONG WOOLS AND MERINOS. 
George Barnard, Esq., Boston, Mass., writes 
us that he is engaged in wool growing and has 
several flocks in the Western States —some of 
them Long Wools and some .Merinos. He says: 
“The great objection to the latter is that they 
desert their lambs and generally fall to supply 
milk, so that we have to resort to the bottle. 
The result is the Iosb of a very large proportion 
of the young and my people are therefore be¬ 
coming discouraged with them, as this fault 
involves immense additional labor besides the 
Merino ewes with his Leicester ana loiswoiu 
rams. 
The high bred Leicesters do not enjoy so good 
a reputation as the Cotswolds, as mothers. The 
flatter, at JcaBt, we believe to be better milkers, 
and that they are less liable to disown their 
lambs, than Merinos. But there is a difference 
in Merino flocks in this particular. The Span¬ 
iards paid little attention to milking properties. 
It was not their object to increase their flocks 
rapidly. Their sheep annually performed Jour¬ 
neys varying from 500 to LOGO miles, and none 
but strong lambs could follow their dams on 
these long marches. The weaker lambs were 
therefore killed, and the others trained to suck 
two ewes apiece. 
The Spanish Merino when introduced into 
thiB country was a poor nurse and mother. The 
Saxon was still worse. The changes wrought 
in the Spanish stock, and which have produced 
that distinctive and well characterized family 
now recognized throughout the world as the 
“American Merino,” include changes iu nurs¬ 
ing qualities. In flocks possessing the most 
constitution and stamina — and in those especi¬ 
ally where the above point has been properly 
attended to —L c., where a constant effort has 
been made to improve milkiug properties—the 
change has been marked. With proper feed, 
the ewes, after reaching maturity, do not often 
lack for a fair supply of milk, and do not often 
disown their progeny. It must be confessed, 
however, that immature ewes — those breeding 
three years old—do not unfreyueutly lack milk, 
whatever their feed; and a ewe without milk Is 
very apt to disown her lamb. Young ewes, too, 
having milk, are more prone to disown their 
young than are old ewes. The Increase in lambs 
in the best flocks, numbering a hundred or two 
breeders, very rarely exceeds 100 per cent. 
Ninety per cent, is considerably above the aver¬ 
age increase, iu good flocks, and in bad ohes it 
often falls short of fifty. But it must be taken 
into consideration that a large proportion of the 
lambs which perish, perish not from t he defec¬ 
tive nursing properties of their dams, but from 
mismanagement or from diseases or imperfec¬ 
tions incident to climate or other unknown 
causes. 
We are not willing to leave this branch of the 
subject without remarking that it is as much 
the duty of the Merino breeder to select his 
rams and breeding ewes from good milking fam¬ 
ilies, as it is the duty of the dairyman to select 
his bulls and milch cows from such families. 
Here is the weakest point of the Merino, and 
there should he a steady and general effort to 
improve it iu that particular. 
Whether it would be best to 6eek this im¬ 
provement iu the mode proposed by Mr. Bar¬ 
nard, where the primary object is wool grow¬ 
ing and wool growing on a large scale, is quite 
another question. The cross between the mut¬ 
ton and the Merino sheep, is a “ violent” one. 
The disparity in size is great. The elements to 
be mixed arc not homogeneous. We have heard of 
crosses between Long Wools and Merinos which 
resulted favorably. But we never saw such an 
instance* — though in early life we tried the ex¬ 
periment with some care. It produced sheep 
which were “ neither one thing nor the other”— 
sheep lacking the lull good qualities of either 
breed, and the special adaptation of each to par¬ 
ticular situations and circumstances. The fleece 
was neither first class combingor clothing wool. 
The first cross with the South Down appeared 
to us to result better — but the expectations it 
raised proved delusive, and on the same general 
grounds. 
A “ division of labor” is as requisite in stock 
raising as In manufacturing. Each extensive 
grower should aim to raise the best materials 
for some one branch of manufacturers or con¬ 
sumption. Grossing bet ween the breeds which 
produce these different materials iu their greats 
est perfection, is throwing away an already at¬ 
tained good for an expected one—and, generally, 
all such expectations arc so far disappointed 
that the gain does not compensate for the loss. 
There are, indeed, circumstances where such 
crossing is justifiable and necessary. It is when 
the region of production is adapted only to one 
kind of sheep, and they caunot be procured in 
sufficient numbem as soon or as cheaply as is 
required. The sheep region of Texas lying im¬ 
mediately north of San Antonio, is an example 
of this. There is no market for mutton there, 
or accessible from there. The Long Woolcd 
English sheep could scarcely live there —could 
not preserve its characteristics in a region so 
warm and dry that vegetation is, during a part 
of the year, dried up—a region eqbject to drouths 
which sometimes extend this pinchirjg penury 
of feed, at nearly famine point, through months, 
* We mean of course in the way o( the improve¬ 
ment of belli stocks, or of cither : .n me leading ob¬ 
jects for which it is bred. We have seen eood sheep 
for a farmer who keeps hut a handful of them, result 
from a first cross between Merino rams ana Long 
Wool ewes. The produce were strong sheep with 
heavy fleeces and excellent mutton. But the- fleeces 
were extremely uneven, and without runch sorting 
and stapling unfitted for manufacture; and then the 
different portions were not well adapted to the same 
manufactures. 
the Ellitharp & Remelee ram “descended 
from Bedell & Jarvis’ stock.” 
Empress 2d, (the property of Messrs. Pitts & 
Wiley,) out of Empress, was got by the 
“Gardner ram” bred by Ab’m Wooster of Vt.; 
by Young Matchless, by Matchless, by Wooster. 
Flora, fthe property of Messrs. Pitts & 
Wiley,) was got by “ Old Dick,” dam bred by 
Edgar Sanford, got by a Hammond ram oHt 
of a Robinson ewe. Old Dick was bred by 
Tyler Stickney, Shoreham, Vt., got by the 
“ Old Robinson liam,” dam one of Mr. S.’s best 
Pauler ewes. For pedigree of Old Robinson 
Ram, see Practical Shepherd, p. 417. 
The pedigree, produce, etc., of this extraor¬ 
dinary ewe (the property of Pitts', Wiley & 
Parrish, Ontario Co., N. Y.,) were given in this 
paper, Juno 8d, 18C5. Her eight, first fleeces 
weighed, in the aggregate, 134 lbs. 6# oz.—the 
heaviest, publicly sheared, weighing 21 lbs. 5 oz. 
An error occurred in the published pedigree of 
her sire. She was bred by J. C. Tafft, West 
Bloomfield, N. Y.; got by the “ Peck & Leach 
ram,” out of a Paular ewe bred by J. T. & V. 
Rich, Richville, Vt. The Peck & Leach ram 
was bred by D. Cutting, Blchvllle, Vt., got by 
Wooster, bred by E. Hammond. His dam was 
bred by Emanuel Hill, Bridport, Vt.; got by 
ABOUT THAT NORWEGIAN SEED-CORN 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker. — In pour val¬ 
uable paper of April 28, a person calling himself 
H. B. Mann from Burlington, Vt., oilers to fur¬ 
nish any person with an “early eight-rowed 
com that will ripen in 40 days from planting,” 
—sufficient to plant “ three hundred hills, for 
one dollar.” In response to this advertise¬ 
ment, the Post-Master in Burlington says that 
letters come, directed to “H. B. Mann,” by the 
cart-load; but as far as can be learned, no one has 
ever received a specimen of this early “Norwe¬ 
gian Seed Corn.” 
It has been ascertained that no person by the 
name of “ H. B. Mann ” is to bo found in Bur¬ 
lington. The letters thus directed were claimed 
and taken out by a Mr. Kidder, w’ho is known 
there as the “ Honey-bee man,” (IT. B. Manx,) 
because he deals in bees and bee-hives. Just 
above the advertisement of his corn he adver¬ 
tises pure Italian bees, bee-hives, and white 
clover seed, over his true name, K. P. Kidder. 
It is time that such rascally imjiositions were 
checked, and it is the duty of every man to do 
what he can to expose such scouudrels and bring 
them to justice. A competent attorney has 
been secured in Burlington, Vt., who will attend 
to the claims of all those who have been de¬ 
frauded of their money, if they will only for¬ 
ward them. Send on your claims, fellow vic¬ 
tims, and Mr. Kidder will undoubtedly be glad 
to settle them by refunding the money, besides 
paying the attorney’s fees. Address Geo. D. 
Wright, Esq., Burlington, Vt. 
Egbert B. Hatch. 
Thom Hill, Onondaga Co., N. Y., July, 1866. 
Sept. 25-26 
Sept. 27-29 
Oct. 3— 4 
Oct. 25 
Sept. 10-20 
FLORA, 
EMPRESS SECOND. 
Translated for the Rural New-Yorker by O. O. B, 
RAPID TANNING. 
Industry has for a long time sought to re¬ 
place tannin by other substances more active in 
the tanning of green, salt and dry skins, all be¬ 
ing based upon the essential economy of the 
time required to mummify the skins, by such 
processes as the vacuum, sulphate of iron, etc. 
Mr. Von Kooltseroen has resolved this ques¬ 
tion by the application of the divUlivi to the tan¬ 
ning of skins, and the perfecting of the diil'erent 
processes of preparation of this product, which 
grows in pods like peas and beans, and is gath¬ 
ered in South America. 
As usual heretofore the hides arc first given 
to the workmen, who subject them to a bath of 
l'resh water to remove the saline secretions they 
contain; then they are plunged into a solution 
of lime which destroys the hair and detaches the 
flesh and filaments in aboutten to fifteen days. 
Then t hey scrape off with a knife all parts that 
are foreign to the skin. Alter these ordinary op¬ 
erations the inventor prepares his solution ol 
divio'tvl, leaving the skins in it for a time pro¬ 
portioned to the thickness of the leather;—for 
example: forty-eight hours for sole-leather, and 
four hours for the thinnest leather. After this 
process they are perfectly tanned and ready for 
the trade. If Ekins are required with the hair 
on, it is only necessary to treat them directly to 
the solution of divUlivi, which tans them in two 
days. This process is applied mainly to milita¬ 
ry sacks. 
Thus, in the space of fifteen days, is realized a 
notable economy of time without taking away 
from the hides their suppleness, elasticity, beauty 
or the good qualities they obtain by a prolonged 
sojourn in the tan vate. In the markets these 
products sell the same as those treated after the 
old system Other processes of rapid tanning 
have been known for a long time, but have all 
been abandoned because they decompose the 
libel’s instead of transforming them—the most 
elementary notions of chemistry sufficing to 
show the reason for such a result. 
The Cotton Crop.— Early in the season some re¬ 
marks were made in this paper concerning the prob¬ 
able amount of the cotton crop the present season. 
From accounts then recotved, it was estimated at 
about two and a half million of bales. This conclu¬ 
sion a correspondent at the South deemed quite 
erroneous, stating it as his opinion that the estimate 
was too high by at least a million of bales. The rea¬ 
sons for this conclusion were a lack of teams to pre¬ 
pare the ground, of eeed to plant it with, and the 
disorganized state of labor in the cotton growing re¬ 
gion. These were plausible objections, but if recent 
adviceB are to be relied upon, they were not well 
fouuded. The N. Y. Independent says well informed 
correspondents estimate the crop at full 3 , 000,000 
bales, and many planters are anxious to sell thmr 
growing cotton at mnch less than current rates, de¬ 
liverable next winter. It tells of one firm in that 
city which has contracted with planters in Georgia 
and Alabama for their crops at 18 and 16 eta., which 
is about 80 per cent, below ruling rates in Liverpool 
at last advices. 
CANADA THISTLES, 
A writer in the Western Rural tells how 
he killed acres of Canada thistles, thus“ Plow 
early in the spriDg, as soon as they are all out 
of the ground. As soon ns they are up the sec¬ 
ond time, plow or cultivate with a wheeled cul¬ 
tivator, and so continue as often as they come 
in sight, which will be about three or four times 
during the summer. If the season is wet it is 
all the more favorable for killing—others don’t 
agree with me — because they 6prout and make 
their appearance much more certainly than in a 
dry season. In a dry season the roots lay in 
the ground without coming up; in a warm, wet 
season they come up three or four times, and 
that is their end If they are as often plowed. 
