^{jccji 3ittEBaa&cp # . 
EDITED BT HENRY S. RANDALL, LL. D. 
"WP-INKLES-YOLK, 
“A Constant Reader,” Marshall, Michigan, 
asks:—“ Have you changed your opinions in re¬ 
gard to the amount of wrinkles and yolk de¬ 
sirable in Merino sheep, as expressed in the 
Practical Shepherd? Arc not wrinklier and 
gummier sheep than those there approved of, 
more saleable ? ” 
We have not changed onr opinions. “ Wrink¬ 
lier and gummier sheep” than those we approve 
of arc more salable to a great, many, perhaps to 
a majority, of purchasers. The majority of pur¬ 
chasers who have so eagerly sought rams of this 
description, for the last three or four years, 
were not the owners of standard American 
Merino flocks, already about right in those char¬ 
acteristics. Their flocks consisted of grades or 
common sheep, with smooth skins and dry 
wool. They were desirous to bring the produce 
of these to the •proper standard of wrlnkliness 
and yolkiness as soon as possible, and believed 
this would sooner be accomplished by using 
rams possessing such characteristics to unarm#. 
It is also true that the owners of full-bloods 
have, in many Instances, bred much more for 
wrinkles and yolk than formerly. Breeders, 
technically so-called, do not grow sheep for 
either mutton or wool, us primary considera¬ 
tions. Their business is ram-scUing ; and to sell 
rams, they must suit the wants or tastes of their 
customers. 
But we have yet to meet the first judicious or 
eminent breeder who really approves of an ex¬ 
cess of wrinkles and yolk, unless for crossing 
with smooth, dry sheep—who believes that it 
would he expedient to bring whole flocks to 
that standard. It Is noticeable that the portraits 
of the most celebrated stock rams, published iu 
our columns, do not exhibit more wrinkles than 
are pronounced admissible iu the Practical 
Shepherd; and we know that, as a general thing, 
their fleeces do not contain more yolk. The 
rams nnd ewes which have sold for the highest 
prices ever paid lu the United States have been, 
so far as we know, uniformly of this descrip¬ 
tion ; and so have been nearly all the rams and 
ewes which have received the highest prizes of 
our State Wool Growers’ Associations and State 
Agricultural Societies. We do not, to-day, 
know of a breeding flock ranking, or popularly 
considered as ranking, in the first class, which 
generally, or on the average, goes beyond the 
same standard In the particulars under con¬ 
sideration. 
A loose skin has always been regarded as a 
high point, of excellence in Merino sheep; and 
such skins are likely to be accompanied by a 
degree of corrugation or wrinkling. This should 
not be objected to when it does not produce in¬ 
convenience in shearing. Perhaps, hi deference 
to public taste, or to the prevailing ideas of 
what constitutes the distinguishing characteris¬ 
tics of a breed, it is advisable to go a step fur¬ 
ther, and tolerate such wrinkles as do not injnre 
the quality of the fleece, and produce about 
enough additional wool to pay for the additional 
trouble of shearing. This Would admit of neck 
folds, and those moderate corrugations about 
the elbow, hind quarters, tail, and flanks, which 
fashion is now so very particular about. So 
much for breeding flocks. 
But even in breeding flocks, anything which 
materially depreciates the value of the fleece, or ; 
costs a great deal more than It comes to, must 
he pronounced objectionable by sensible men. : 
And such things we still pronounce those great, 
prominent, firm ridges of skin which arc some¬ 
times seen running, more or less closely to¬ 
gether, over the whole body of the sheep. They - 
injure the quality and evenness of the best part ' 
of the fleece. In not one case III ten is the wool 
on the upper edge of the ridges of the same 
quality with that, between them. It is generally 
coarse, harsh, and often contains hairs. And 5 
we ha ve seen sheep of this sort which it required 
from two to three hours each to shear properly. ( 
Thi6 would be a delightful and profitable state 
of things In a wool growing flock, i. e., a flock 
kept primarily far the production of wool, con- 1 
sisting of several thousands! To say nothing of ( 
the deterioration of the wool, the extra cost of h 
shearing, and the inconvenience of getting shear- f 
ing done within the proper time, would ten or c 
twenty times counterbalance the gain in amount s 
of wool. r 
An excess of yolk in the ram may be de- 6 
sirahle in crossing with dry fleeced ewes. An- v 
other object has been the attainment of “ brag c 
fleeces,”—that is, fleeces which in the dirt and h 
“ grease” reach very astonishing weights,—and 
which arc expected, therefore, to give great t ; 
reputation to the sheep and their breeders 
among ram buyers. But it has already been Ji 
learned by the latter, who ure not absolute b 
green-horns, 1st, that rams which have a good c 
deal more wool and a good deal iess yolk, shear u: 
nearly or quite as heavy as unwashed fleeces; " 
2 d, that at last buyers have learned to diserluii- ^ 
nate to a sufficient degree to give more for the p 
fleeces last mentioned ; 3d, that rams of the lat- c , 
ter description are likely to get the heaviest if 
fleeced progeny, washed or unwashed, because, e< 
as a general thiug, an extra amount of wbol i6 w 
much more likely to be transmitted to progeny al 
than an extra amount of yolk. This last, propo- 01 
sition, though not without exceptions, is borne ® 
out by the observ ation of breeders who have ^ 
made numerous and careful experiments. We 
know several eminent breeders who oim and let ra 
very excessively yolky ranis,—but we have not pi 
chanced to know of any such breeder habilu- Fi 
ally using 6uch arum in his own flock^ with a sin- m 
gle exception. And In that exceptional case the 0I: 
ram had been found to get lambs unlike himself w 
in this particular. The rams which now stand lb 
highest in reputation in Vermont and New York 
Sometimes all the prerequisites to success are 
observed, and still a failure ensues from neglect 
in putting the butter down. This is important, 
if any considerable time is likely to Intervene 
between the manufacture and use. It is safest 
and best to put butter down as though months 
Hurat ^.otes ami 3ftems. 
Improved Automatic Rake fob Dodge's Har¬ 
vester.— Daring a recent visit ;to Auburn,’ we a ," 
cepterl an invitation from Col. Donne. Pres't of th . 
were to pass before consumption, as the trouble DoiJO “ & Stevenson Manuf'g Co., to witness a trial 
and expense are little, if any, increased by the !’ f | hcl ' r Automatic Rake for Dodge's Harvester—they 
precaution. Press closely in the tubs,' which ^ ua,,,,rt ^ Improvementstj 
should bo well cleaned .,,,1 brined before beta* ton, independent rake., so oo JLod » 
used, and, as far us possiole, exclude the air of them t<> be in use for reeling on the erniu orl 
from the mass. When a crock or tub i3 full, slight movement of the hand or foot, causiri. ojf f * 
sprinkle it well with pure rock salt and cover rake to rake off the cut grain, in any sized gavels u’ 
till wanted, and the chances arc ninety-nine in fl nired - These additions overcome the defects hen 
a hundred that, the butter will do credit t.o the to,ore existing in it and make it perfect for its work 
maker months after being put down. No thin g nI1( i will. In addition to its other good qualities, leave 
new is claimed for this, but it is sometimes 
profitable to be reminded of things with which 
we have long been conversant, but, for the roc,, 
ment, forgotten. 
Cheese Market,—T he market at Little Falls, 
few if ar,y improvements to be desired in this machine 
The trial took place on the farm of John W, Aikek 
ln the town of Scipio, Cayuga Co., and was win 
nessed by many Darners and other spectators. The 
grain cut was heavy oats, very ripe, lodged in spots 
and the straw badly crinkled down and twisted to¬ 
gether. There w as also a heavy sprinkling of Cana- 
on the 26th alt., showed little change from that <ln thiptleB lu ,hc and some spots on which, 
of thl previous week. About 2,000 boxes of cv i ^ entI ? i water had stood after sowing in the spring 
family dairies were delivered and sold from Ho short' and thin. On the esq 
MESSR8. SHERWOOD & PERCEY’S RAM “ N1RTH AMERICA.” 
“North America” was bred by J. C. Taft, 
West Bloomfield, N. Y., and is the property Of 
Lionel Sherwood & A. G. Percey of Newark, 
Wayne Co., N. Y. lie was got by the “Gard¬ 
ner ram,” by Young Matchless, by Wooster. 
Ills dam was by the “ Peck A Leach ram,” 
(bred by Mr. Cutting of Vt.,) by Wooster. Mr. 
PerceY writes:—“North America’s fleece of 
justone year’*growth, at 4 years old, was 291b?. 
3 oz,; at 5 years old, 26 lbs. 8 oz.; at 6 years old, 
(1 year 7 days growth,) 25 lbs. 2 oz. Average 
weight of earns?, after being shorn, 115 lbs.” 
family dairies yverc delivered and sold from lie 
to 12#c, the greater portion at the former price. 
Factory’ sales were comparatively, light, and 
price' ranged from 18££c to 14c. The hulk of 
the cheese from that dairy region has gonejfor- 
slde of the Hold the grain leaned very mnch townrdi 
the machine, and the wind blew freshly from the 
southwest. The ground was in good~conditlon f or 
the machine to travel on, the surface being slightly 
rolling. Three to four acres were cut while we were 
ward to market and is considerably short of the in ,tl0 field—the work being done in a very satisfactory 
amount shipped last year,—but as new districts manner - The rake, which also reel?, worked oadiy 
—which will sell for the most money to breed¬ 
ers—which command the best prices for serving 
ewes—are not excessively’ yolky fleeced. 
4th. There are other considerations. There is 
a prevailing, and we believe correct, impression, 
that excessively yolky fleeced sheep are harder 
keepers, are less capable of withstanding severe 
cold, and are generally less vigorous in constitu¬ 
tion. 
We have said that buyers at length discrimi¬ 
nate between very yolky and moderately yolky 
wool. This lias been so for a couple of years, at 
least within the sphere of our personal observa¬ 
tion. It is probably due to the fact that the 
wool has gone off slowly, without an active de¬ 
mand, and has been bought much more gener¬ 
ally directly by manufacturers themselves, ex¬ 
perienced wool merchants, or the well qualified 
agents of such parties. When there comes an¬ 
other keen scramble for wool, and speculation is 
accordingly rife, we shall perhaps again see the 
old swarm of raw buyers on commission run¬ 
ning their horses round the country and giving 
the same prices for wool, irrespective of con¬ 
dition. 
But even if this happens, it is not as profitable 
to grow an excessive amount of yolk, if our 
third and fourth propositions are sound ones. 
ozs., cleansed at Vergennes factory, 6 lbs. 4 ozs.; 
staple a little iver 2?^ in.; quality of both good. 
J. Pluche, Cape Vincent, N. Y., Incloses samples 
from ram and two ewes—weights of fleeces unwashed, 
14lbs.. 10lbs. 10 lbs..—and asks “to what class of 
Merino shetq do Ibey belong?” The ram's wool is 
line and gone, and resembles that of the Merinos of 
fifteen or twenty years ago, whose fleeces were finer, 
lighter and lew yolky than those of the present day. 
The ewe samples are not so flue, and they lack style. 
If full blood, they have been defectively bred in this 
particular. They have the appearance of grade wool. 
have been formed during the time, there will 
probably be au increase of production on’the 
whole. With reference to the foreign demand 
and market the reports are that the receipts arc 
heavy and prices continue to drop. Extra Amer¬ 
ican fine is quoted at 58s to 60s. w 
gurat Spirit of tUo 
and without, apparent clumsiness, and delivered the 
gavels In fine condition for binding, dear of the truck 
whenever the driver slightly pulled a cord. Road' 
justraents were made or qccded in the field, andtio 
difficulty or impediment was met with lu the lodged, 
thin, or leaning grain. Several formers present drove 
round the field by turns, and all concurred in the 
opinion expressed by an agent of a rival machine, 
who, after driving round, remarked;—“It docs the 
best work of any self-rake I ever saw.” 
Sale of Cotswold? in Engl and.—.John D. Wing, 
Esq., Washington, N. Y., informs us that Mr. Wil¬ 
liam Lane of Broadfleld, Eng., has “again proved 
himself champion of the Cots wolds, his average sales 
this season being the highest yet known for fifty 
ram*, viz.: 231 17s id. each, being £7 3s. 8d. per 
head over highest competitor.” Mr. William Hi; writ 
of North Leagh, obtained 220 Js ltd. per bead; Mr. 
Geo. Fletcher of llundoversford, 214 9s.; C. Bar¬ 
ton, 214 7s. fid. We recently published a letter from 
Mr. Loomis of Conn., now In England, In which he 
stated that Mr. Robert Garxb of North Leach, sold 
fifty rams at “an average of about 225.” These wc 
Poultry Manure. 
The celebrated Vanguelin says that when 
the value of manures is considered in relation 
to the amount of azote they contain, the- poultry 
manure is one of the most active; and when, as 
a means of comparison, the following manures 
are taken, in parts of 1000, it will he found 
that; 
— We congratulate the Company upon this impor¬ 
tant improvement, which must render their excellent 
and popular Harvester still more acceptable to the 
grain growing community. 
Horse man are contains. 4.0 parts of azote 
Guano as imported. 49.7 “ 
Guano when sifted of vegetables 
and stones. 58.9 “ 
Poultry manure .83.0 “ 
Two Queens in One Hive. 
“ On examining a nucleus lii ve,” says Ellen 
8. Tuppeb iu the Am. Bee -Journal, “ in which 1 
was rearing queens, just at, night, I found a fine 
young Italian just hatched. As there was little 
believe comprise the most noted English breeders of ^rood in the hive I wen t hastil y to a good 
Judges at Fairs.—I t Is generally conceded by the 
ofilcers of agricultural societies that one of the great¬ 
est hindrances to success is found in making a proper 
selection of judges to pass upon the claims of com¬ 
peting panics. If a good selection is made, it rarely 
happen* that all attend, and the vacancies Imre to be 
supplied on the spur of the moment from those 
who will serve, rather than from such a? are comp,?, 
tent to do so with justice to all concerned. This 
is a difficulty which can hardly be obviated on 
all occasions, hcncc people should exercise charity 
toward* those who have to meet it with the best mean- 
available at the time. If the names of exhibitors 
were entirely suppressed till alter the awards are 
made, there would be less ground for Inferring par¬ 
tiality on the part of judges, and possibly a readier 
acquiescence in their decisions. 
Cotswold*. 
IMPORTS OF WOOL AND WOOLENS FOR 
1866 AND 1867. 
Sheep in Europe.—Wc cut from the July Report of 
the Depart m An l of Agriculture, the following statis¬ 
tics, furnished fij- Dr. P. H. W, Von Hermann of the 
Bavarian Bateau of Statistics; 
We have obtained from an official and reliable 
source the following hitherto unpublished table 
of values of quarterly imports into the port of 
New York of Wool, Flocks, and Manufactures 
of Wool, for 1866 and the first quarter of 1867. 
It will he remembered that the new tariff on 
Wool and Woolens did not go into effect until 
two months of the first quarter of 1867 had ex¬ 
pired : 
First Quarter, 1866. 
countries. Horse 
Austria....642 
Prussia.576 
Saxony. 276 
Wiirtcmberg . .336 
France .....480 
Belgium.366 
Holland.444 
Irolaud.630 
Bavaria. 486 
domestic animals for 1.000 
INHABITANTS. 
Horses. Cows. Sheep. Hogs. 
Raw Wool. 
Flocks. Manufactures of Wool. 
*1,997,836 
$103,427 
$10,400,832 
Second Quarter. 
*2,145,347 
$184,442 
$7,793,344 
Third Quarter. 
*702,036 
$118,820 
$14,861,OSS 
Fourth Quarter. 
$448,841 
$167,867 
$8,431,144 
$5,289,050 
$574,556 
$47,492,403 
First Quarter, 1867. 
$835,374 
$129,768 
$10,019,044 
No wool of any amount is now entering the 
SEE TO THE COWS. 
piort of New York. 
Condensed Correspondence. Items, &c. 
Wool Samples.—Baker & Harriqan, Comstock's 
Landing, N. Y. Ram “ Cashier,"got by Hammond's 
Green Mountain, by Gold Drop, by California, by 
Sweepstakes, Asc. Dam by Paymaster, by Sweep- 
stakes, Ac.; grand-dam by Sweepstakes. Fleece 
shorn at Washington county Show. May 3d; weight 
of it heretofore given; shorn carcass 76 pounds; 
staple 2X to 3 in.; quality and style good. A cor¬ 
respondent writes;—•“ His fleece is much like his 
sire's, is very dense and well set on, covering him 
well on belly, head and legs,—the latter being wooled 
clear round inside and out. He has a low, wriukly, 
heavy neck, cross on thigh, fan tail, &c. He is not 
oily, and has less of the * golden tinge' than most 
fashionable rams.” lie will stand for ewes, through 
the tall, on terms advertised elsewhere iu our columns. 
Samuel C. Sanford, Carlton, Orleans Comity, 
N. Y. Sample from two-year-old Silesian ram, 
bought when a lamb with imported dam of William 
Chamberlain of Red Hook, N. Y., fleece 11 Jtfs. 12 
ozs., staple IK in., in quality and style broadcloth 
This is a season of the year when pasturage 
usually runs short, doubling the labor of cattle 
iu searching for food and then getting but a 
scant supply. These facts should admonish the 
owners ot dairy stock to supply the deficiencies 
ol the pastures by a liberal feeding of mashes 
and such green or root food as may be available, 
till the fall pasture shall become equal to the 
demands made upon it. If cows are neglected 
now, the ynmat flow of milk will be diminished, 
rendering it next to an impossibility to recover 
the loss, no matter how abundant the after- 
math of meadows may be. The great aim 
should therefore be to prevent, as far as possi¬ 
ble, any considerable diminution of milk during 
the season of short pasturage, so that, when the 
autumnal pastures are ready for the cows, noth¬ 
ing need be expended in recovering what short 
feeding during the dry season may have caused 
to be lost. 
strong colony and took out a frame of brood to 
give to the small one, to prevent the bees (cav¬ 
ing when the queen made her flight. Two days 
after, on examining the hive to tec if the queen 
was depositing eggs, I found on the first frame 
that 1 lilted out un old queen with one wing 
clipped and the cells all filled with eggs.} jjl 
knew the queen as the mother of the colony 
from which 1 had taken the brood comb so hur¬ 
riedly. On the frame I found my young queen 
unharmed, quite contrary to my expectation. 
To Observe the ending of the matter I left both 
in it. Several days of bad weather followed. 1 
looked in the hive each afternoon and found 
both queens doing well. Then came a bright 
warm day, and about noon, as J passed the hive, 
I saw the bees dragging out what proved to he 
my young queen, mid on opening it the old one 
whs found in full possession. My inference is 
that the young one left the hive, and hud been 
fertilized, and on her return was killed by either 
queen or workers, who before had not distin¬ 
guished her from a common bee.” 
Agriculture—Banner State,—A subscriber, Se- 
dalia, Mo., closes a business note thusMissouri 
is bound to be the banner State for agriculture yet," 
I'nis will probably prove no empty boast. Missouri 
is first class in point of territory, is centrally and ad¬ 
mirably elt uated, both ns to climate and commercial 
facilities, and with a soil peculiarly adapted to tbo 
vigorous growth of most of the products of the Gnlt 
States as well as those or in,- Northern uud Eastern 
ones. With the *• Father Of Waters” washing its east¬ 
ern face, and the Missouri and its tributari cs irritratiug 
Its central and lateral sections. It is safe to assume 
that Missouri will soon attain a leading position 
among the agricultural States of the Union, while its 
commercial importance will be second to but few. 
We therefore say to its farmers, go up, but do not get 
proud. 
THE BUTTER SEASON. 
The business of cheese making will soon be 
over and that of butter in order. The cool 
weather of autumn is the most favorable sea¬ 
son of the year for making butter, and it should 
be the aim of every farmer or dairyman to pro¬ 
duce the best possible article for market pur¬ 
poses, There is no disguising the fact that, 
Bee Mysteries. 
The Ayer Advertiser, (Scotland,) says the 
ways and workings of bees are mysterious 
enough to bailie the most scientific observers. 
There is no doubt much nouseuse written about 
them. For instance, the queen is popularly 
known as a very “swell” Individual, very much 
larger thau the common bee, and of brighter 
colors; this is very poetical, but quite incorrect. 
The queen-hee is of precisely the same color as 
her subjects, is scarcely any larger, and can be 
distinguished from them ouly by being a little 
longer in the body. 
But there is sufficient of the marvellous about 
the bee-kingdom without necessitating any ro¬ 
mance. Take the act ot swarming, for instance; 
the highest flight of science—the electric tele¬ 
graph—is simplicity itself compared with this 
extraordinary process. The first swarm usually 
alights on a bush or branch of a tree. Before 
swarming, however, some of them collect on 
the front hoard of the hive, to the edge, of which 
twenty or thirty of them cling; the others pass 
over them and hang on by each other in clusters 
till the ball is often as large as a man’s two fists. 
When all is ready and the royul command is 
given, they all come pouring out in a stream as 
Questions for Discussion at the New York 
State Fair.— The questions selected for discussion 
at the State Fair, Buffalo, on Tuesday, Wednesday 
and Thursday evenings. October 1st, 2d and 3d, are as 
follows: 
1 st. Whether the culture of the apple has not occu¬ 
pied as much of onr state as is profitable to the State 
—Hon. Hugh T. Brooks of Wyoming county, to open 
the discussion. 
2 d. Cooking and cutting food for stock; Its impor¬ 
tance— E ML Stewart, Esq., of North Evans, Erie 
county, to open the discussion. 
3d. Soiling cattle; is it profitable?— Donald 0. 
Mitchell, Esq., to open the discussion. 
Shawl Fleece Goats.—Israel S. Diehl writes 
the Turf, Field and Farm, from Angora, Turkey, Asis 
Minor, iu reference to the shawl fleece goat. He says 
there are 1,200,000 of these goats, in that section of 
Asia. He had purchased one hundred of the best 
wool-bearing goate and intended to purchase seven 
hundred more from the more northern districts, so as 
to have every variety. They are in great demand- 
the wool being some 400 per cent higher than that 
from the best sheep. 
The nop Crop.—I t is reported that the hop crop has 
been greatly damaged this season in this State, and 
In the West in many districts, and also in Canada. 
\l isconsin makes the beet show, but with a favorable 
picking season now at hand, the yield will be much 
below an average. Many yards in Oneida, Madison 
and Otsego counties have been quite destroyed by 
the hop-louse, while some have suffered severely from 
hail storms. The picking commenced in Ontario 
county last week into a crop of tolerably fair promise. 
wool Several samples from tegs got by above ram cows, ample feed aud much experi- thick as u man’s wrist, and take a turn through 
U .. ...» .. _ O*./.,-,' in ... ____ - - At • _ n 
out of “the common ewes of the country.” We 
have long known that the high-bred Silesian ram im¬ 
proved the quality or the wool when crossed with 
coarser ewes with great rapidity and uniformity, but 
if Mr. Sanford means that his cross was taken with 
common coarse ewes, the change In quality is truly 
wonderful. The staple is from 1# to 2 in. Mr. 8. 
also sends sample of American Merino owe, bought 
of A. J. Blood, got by his ram Don Pedro, Jr., (see 
Rural, Aug. i, 1866 ) out of a ewe he bought of Ed¬ 
gar Sanford, Cornwall, Vt. Fleece 12 lbs., staple 
about 2# in., quality good. 
H. C. Burwell, Bridport, Vt. Samples from his 
ram •' Silver Ring,” bred by James M. Hill of same 
place, out of a thorough-bred Atwood ewe, by the 
Fitch and Myrick ram, he by Old America, by Ham¬ 
mond's Sweepstakes; also from ram teg, 13 mos. old, 
out of an Atwood ewe, by the John Sprague ram, of 
Waltham, Yt. “Silver Ring's ’’ fleece last year, 17 , 
lbs., cleansed at Middlebury factory’, 0 lbs. 7 ozs.; 
this year 20 lbs. 2 ozs.; cleansed at Vergennes factory, 
6 lbs. 13 ozs.; staple in. Teg’s fleece, 15 lbs. 14 ' 
euee in butter making, many persons succeed 
iu making a villainous compound of grease, 
milk and jbair, designated by the name of but¬ 
ter, but having no legitimate relationship to it. 
Much of the butter of commerce is of this char¬ 
acter—a fact for which there is no excuse. 
Clean milking, clean pails, pans, crocks and 
chums are the first requisites to the production 
of a good article of butter. This everybody 
knows, without being informed of it, but the 
trouble is the practice is not up with the infor¬ 
mation possessed. Here is where reform, in 
many cases, should commence—followed by a 
kindred amendment in the manner of convert¬ 
ing the cream into butter. If the buttermilk is 
not thoroughly worked cut, a good article can¬ 
not be produced; if the salt used is foul, of poor 
quality and injudiciously applied—too much or 
1 ■ • J little—the butter will not be of good quality 
aor command a top price in the market. 
the air. Suppose them to settle ou a thorn three 
inches in circumference, their weight, for the 
cluster is as big as a boy’s head, will bend the 
thorn stick nearly to the ground. Compara¬ 
tively few of them have hold of the branch; the 
rest all hold ou by each other. How can those 
who have hold bear the weight of the mass? 
How loug Would a man hold by the brauch of a 
tree if the weight of 300 men were attached to 
him ? And yet wc suspect every bee with a hold 
sustains a much higher proportion of weight in 
the cluster helow. This is one of many myste¬ 
ries of creation that mocks at human science. 
Cast Iron Chimneys. —E. W. answers an inquiry 
recently published in this column as follows:—“Isee 
iu your paper of August 10th that inquiry is made 
about the operation of the cast iron chimney. I have 
had one of them in use six or seven years and like it. 
Thiak It perfectly safe from fire if properly put up, 
and they are so considered by my neighbors who 
have had them in use several years. 1 have never 
heard of one being struck by lightning.” 
Breeds of Swine.— In an article on swine, in 
the Farm and Fireside, Mr. John Dimon of Pom- 
fret, Conn., recognizes seven, aud only seven, 
distinct breeds, in this country, viz.:—York¬ 
shire, Chester County or Chester White, Essex, 
Suffolk, Berkshire, Lincolnshire and Chinese. 
Crops in Missouri. —W. C. R, writes from Caldwell 
county, Mo.: — “ Apples, pears, peaches, quinces, 
plums aud grapes, are a)l looking fine. Winter wheat 
was a fine crop, some pieces yielding as high as 
forty bushels per acre. Waare haviuga fine rain that 
will insure a heavy crop of corn. The country is fill¬ 
ing up fast with northern and eastern immigrants.” 
Crops in Mississippi. -L. O. P., Pleasant Hill, 
Misb., Aug. 5th, writes:—“The crops in Mississippi 
are very fine. Com is twice as good as at this time 
last year. Cotton is very fine; wheat and oats tolera* 
bly good. We are blessed with fine weather now.” 
* 
i 
im. 
