they ever before were, provided the present 
wool and woolen tariff ia undisturbed,—we have 
received private letters strongly endorsing our 
views from quite a number of as eminent wool 
growers as there are in onr country, also from a 
few distinguished business men in other, though 
related, occupations; and from not one has come 
a word of dlaaent. If there is a single intelli¬ 
gent, experienced and extensive sheep breeder 
or wool grower in the country who has become 
Bick of his business, 
to sell out, we have yet to learn who he is. 
There are, doubtless, a considerable body of 
“ four-year-old sheep men,” well described by 
Mr. Boakdman, who are “supremely disgust¬ 
ed.” A large, share of them engaged in'the busi¬ 
ness with little or no previous knowledge of' it. 
They went into it. as a speculation, not as the 
steady pursuit of a life, which required judg¬ 
ment, industry and perseverance to ensure suc¬ 
cess. Many bought at extravagant prices, ex¬ 
pecting to become eminent breeders at once and 
to sell tlioi*<and dollar rams. As among the 
gold hunters of California, and the petroleum 
seekers of the “ oil regions,” not more than one 
in twenty would have achieved what they con¬ 
sidered success under any circumstances; and 
the first sharp reverse, though obviously a tem- 
sufficient to drive them out of the 
21 urat 2Totr$ and Sterns 
MR, PATTERSON’S I>TFAJITA.IDO RAM A TV 13 RAM TEG 
Crop Prospects —It is now the second week in 
September, and still the immediate section of country 
about Rochester is without rain, suffering much in 
consequence. With a single exception there has 
been no rain here of any consequence for nearly ten 
weeks, and the result is dry wells, dry pastures and 
dry everything. Potatoes, even early planted ones, 
arc generally email and few in the hill, while the late 
and anxious | planted have, yet to grow, if they can, which is doubt- 
ful. Corn Is bein ' cat up because it baa ceased to fill 
or mature and with occasional exceptions will turn 
OUt light. The apple crop though a short one, will 
probably prove better than the promise of two 
months ago. 
Crop Prospects South. —Southern exchanges gen¬ 
erally concur in the opinion that adverse or wet 
weather, coupled with the workings of the cotton 
worm, will considerably diminish the anticipated 
yield of the Southern staple—cotton. Some sections 
will do fairly, while others^ will make hut a slim re¬ 
turn. As some recompense for the failure of cotton 
our Southern exchanges report the com crop good, 
and the yield of wheat better than* was anticipated 
before the harvest. 
got a larger proportion of Hour per ousnei man 
when he had cut on full ripening. And thus one 
after another given his experience upon all sides 
of this question, until the facts render its solu¬ 
tion clear. Now a learned dissertation upon the 
wheat plaut, with an ingenious theory, unac¬ 
companied by facts, might lead to a diflerent 
conclusion, and gain applause to the speaker, 
but not being based upon a true foundation 
■would only lead those astray who acted upon it. 
There can be no objection to an occasional es-ay 
upon some subject by oue. who understands it 
practically. This should be a feature by itself, 
and would be un important source of improve¬ 
ment; but the discussions should be conducted 
in the freest uud most iuformai manner. Be¬ 
sides, tills method of conducting the discussion 
would have the advantage of making every one 
a participator in the proceedings, and thus inter¬ 
est him. 
Every farmer can lind language to state a fact 
in reference to a subject, who, most likely, would 
not feel competent to make a speech maintain¬ 
ing a theory, and in fact, all theoretical discus¬ 
sions should be avoided, except as they grow 
out of well established fuels. Theories some¬ 
times cause experiments which lead to impor¬ 
tant discoveries, and in tills way tend to increase 
knowledge, but too often theory is advanced as 
known troth, and when acted upon as such may 
lead to disappointment and disastrous failure. 
Theories arc already too abundant, but for well 
ascertained facts, very great need. These club 
meetings excite the minds of farmers to greater 
activity, stimulate them to read upon tbeenbjeets 
to be discussed, learn them to si ft evidence, to gi ve 
facts and experiments their true weight, to value 
order and methodical arrangement. In short, 
for farmers now on the stage, who have passed 
all opportunity for an momentary education In 
agriculture, the jarmers' club offers the greatest 
practical advantages. And the effect would soon 
be seen in the improvement of their implements 
—the bringing Into use their waste fields— the 
saving and use of ail their manures—improving 
the breed and condition of their animals, and in 
the whole o»der and arrangement of their farm¬ 
ing operations. E. w. S. 
The New England Fair.— The combined or New 
England Fair was held in Narragausett Park, near 
Providence. R. I , last week, and was well attended. 
At one time there were over 30,000 people on the 
grounds, aud 3.000carriages. The show of cattle and 
other stock was good, bnl the horse seemed to be in 
the ascendant. The show of fat cattle attracted much 
notice, however, as there were some noteworthy 
specimens on the ground A Mr. Clare of Rloom- 
fleld exhibited a pair of steers weighing 5,300 pounds, 
and David Goodeli, of Bratt.leboro, Vt., took them 
all down with a pair which, in .Tarinary last, weighed 
8,000 pounds. Atnon t the noticeable cows was a lot 
of the Dutch variety — one of which, Texallah, has 
given seventy-six pounds of milk in one day 1 There 
was a good deal of movement, ou the course, among 
the horaes, showing that New England society has 
changed considerably within the last forty years with 
respect to horses and other matters. Financially wc 
believe the N. E. Fair has fully met public expectation. 
porary oue, is 
business. 
When any person will point out to us a branch 
of Industry which is always handsomely remu¬ 
nerative—or which is more out of the reach ol 
casualties and drawbacks than sheep husbandry 
—we will advise those engaged In it to abandon 
the latter pursuit* But where is such an indus¬ 
try to be found ? We should like to have some 
capable umti attempt to prove, by specific and 
established facta, that any such one exists. Wc 
have repeatedly adduced specific facts mAfu/ures 
to prove the contrary. The accuracy of our 
figures has never been challenged. And our 
conclusions derived from them, have not, so 
far as we know, been assailed by the presenta¬ 
tion of any opposing facts and figures. Until 
this is done, and successfully done, we shall 
take the liberty to regard our conclusions as 
established and undeniable. 
The present stampede among the “ four-year- 
old sheep men,” like that of the same class 
among the temporarily disappointed dairymen, 
the hop growers, whose crops this year have 
been destroyed by lice, etc., indicate, like the 
flight of grasshoppers, which way the wind hap¬ 
pens to blow for the moment. The next wind 
will blow them in another direction. These 
men will abandon their favorite agricultural 
hobbies and mount new ones as often as once in 
four years all their lives; aud in nine cases out 
of ten will die poorer than they would have 
done had they adopted a business fitted to their 
knowledge aud circumstances and then clung to 
it Bteadily and industriously, without regard to 
temporary reverses. Rolling stones gather no 
moss. 
The Americas Poihltrt Society. — This is the 
title of a Society recently formed in New York, a no¬ 
tice of which has been inadvertently delayed till now. 
Its fourth regular meeting was held on the 21et ult. 
A. M. Halsted in the Chair. It was decided to hold 
the first exhibition of the Society in the city of New 
York on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of 
Thanksgiving week, and that a suitable premium list 
should be prepared by « committee appointed for that 
purpose. The membership fee is fixed at $8 per year. 
The regular meetings of the Society take place every 
third Wednesday in each month. The officers of the 
Society are: President —J G. Finnie. Vice Pres't— 
James Mallory. Auditor— A. M. Halsted. Treasurer 
—John C. Thompson. Cor. Sec'y— S. M. Saunders, 
Box 285, New York. The Society has made a pretty- 
fair start, and hope to make it a successful organ¬ 
ization. 
Genesee Valley Cheese Factory. —The Mt. 
Morris Union gives an interesting account of a visit 
made by its editor to the “Genesee Valley Cheese 
Factory " at Sonyeu. six miles « oath of Mt. Morris. 
It Is owned by Messrs. Angel & Wadsworth, and 
located on the form of the former. This facloryre 
reives about 5,000 pounds of milk daily from 275 
cows, which has produced about 50,000 pounds of 
cheese. The principal owners of these arc —Mr. 
Watisworth. 70; Anokl, 80; Crawford, 10; Mc¬ 
Nair, 85; FnziiUGH, <10; Welch, Booert, Van Dorn 
and others, 20. The stock of cows will be nearly or 
quite doubled the next seasou. The buildings and 
manufacturing arrangements are of the most approved 
description. 
MR. PATTERSON'S INFANT ADO RAM TEG. 
EDITED BY HENRY S. RANDALL, LL. D. 
to feci, in your supreme disgust, that there are no 
drawbacks to other kinds of agriculture I Have you 
forgotten that hens in Central Illinois men sowed 
whole counties, aim- ' hi nnartcr-section fields of 
winter wheat from ’57 to ’82 inclusive, ami aid not 
have nine-tenths of the sheep owners of Illinois.' 
So have I got sheep to sell; I sell my mils every fall 
ami usually a lot of wethers every year. If he means 
fh*«4 ♦ortfltK nf r.w »,r.rw In w'uji fn 
sell out. of sheep, I beg leuve to Bay that I think him 
very badly mistaken. No man could buy for twice or 
thrice what they would bring, the crop of lambs, or 
the ewe-flock of any of onr long-time flock masters, 
the class he dietingnishee by the epithets ‘enthusias¬ 
tic ' and ‘ fascinated.’ I can tell you what the enthu¬ 
siasm and rasciuation consist in; they consist in 
good, large uud well-improved farms, growing richer 
every day, having keen ‘ sheeped' until t he soil is 
better Hum the day the prairie plow rolled the sod 
over. They consist in good, well-bred flocks of sheep; 
in good teams, and plenty of farming tools and ma¬ 
chinery; in barns, sheds ami other out buildings ; in 
large, comfortably, and. in some eases, luxuriously 
furnished houses; in hooks, newspapers and educated 
children; and last, but not often, in good big credit 
account in hank. Who would not be enthusiastic aud 
fascinated ou tho6u terms Y 
“ Having reviewed A. R 11.'s chapter of disappoint¬ 
ments, 1 would like to address myself for a short time 
to the whole class of sick, supremely disgusted, fonr- 
year-old sheep men—a sort of * application, as the 
preachers would call it, of the preceding discourse. 
“Mv Very Dear Friends Yon all claim to he 
very sick of sheep. I have no doubt you are—and 
most probably with reason,—but the trouble is in 
yourselves and not in the business of wool growing. 
Some of you claim to he converts of mine. T have 
sown much sheep-eccd in the last seven or eight 
years, and I see that in your cases it has fallen in 
stony ground; the stalk, after four years weakly 
growth, has withered away, hecause it had not. much 
Bleaching Wool.—W e cut the following from the 
Chemical News, for August“In 1800M. Jcan-Hcuri 
Oliau.lvt ..( llouou. Prance, wae tho find to propose. 
the use of bieulphate of soda, or leucogonc, for wool 
bleaching, which is now universally employed in 
France, Belgium, Italy, Prussia, and Russia. In a 
tub tilled with cold water, the first operation is to 
poor 18 litres of leurogene at 25 degrees for every 100 
kilogrammes of wool to be bleached. The wool, 
washed aud scoured as well as possible, is steeped for 
at least three hours ip this btd h, and left to drain over 
the tub, so as to save all the liquid. It is then dried 
in the open air. The same bath serves for any length 
of time, provided at each operation there arc added 
nine lVeeh litres of leiicogone per 100 kilogrammes of 
wool, with a sufficient quantity of water necessary to 
replace that used up by the preceding operation. The 
wools thus bleached have a whiteness which ir per¬ 
manent and more lasting than the bleaching obtained 
by sulphurous acid. They can enter into the manu¬ 
facture of tissues and other goods without the sligh' 
est danger of injuring the most delicate colors. Leu- 
cogene is an excellent, decolorizing matter, if used In 
the bleaching of vegetable textile matters, such as 
Cotton, linen, hemp, jute, or pbormhim. It gives a 
silky white color to threads and iLsuea. that cannot 
be obtained with the hypochlorites. M. CLwudet 
manufactures annually 140 tons of leucogene, repre¬ 
senting 2,000 tons of white wool. 
Rot.—Charles C. Brands, New Ulm. Brown Co., 
Minnesota. Wc have nothing to offer in regard to 
(liver) rot, not already published in the Practical 
Shepherd. Considerable doubt exists as to how far it 
has made its appearance in the United States. For¬ 
eigners, who have seen the disease in Europe, think 
they recognize it here, in certain wasting maladies 
which put on very similar external appearances, but 
in all such caBes which have fallen under onr persoual 
inspection the real characteristic symptoms of rot 
were wanting, viz , a pale, livid or spotted color and 
rotten condition of the liver, with its ducts filled with 
parasites (flukes) from three quarters of an inch to un 
inch and a quarter in length, and from one-third to 
half an inch in their greatest breadth. While we 
have never chanced to witness such symptoms, it by 
no means proves that others have not—but it is re¬ 
markable that in all the cases described to ns as rot, 
or which we have received inquiries about, no person 
has ever stated that he detected ttukeB—though they 
are. so certain a concomitant or the disease that they 
arc popularly supposed in Europe to be its cause, and 
we do dot remember to have seen it stated by any 
veterinary writer, that it ever exists without devel¬ 
oping these parasites. 
Sulphur for Sheep.— C. Smith, St. Louis, Mo., 
asks“ Is sulphnr naturally necessary to sheep as iE 
salt—is it true that they will resort to sulphur springs 
to drink the water, passing by pure water, as a Texan 
informed me he had constantly seen them do S’" To 
both of t.besc questions wc answer no. A sheep in 
perfect health, in our opinion, no more requires sul¬ 
phur than it does nitre or rhubarb, aud has no natural 
taste for It. We have often heard of sheep resorting 
to sulphur and other mediciual springs, hut it is only 
where those springs also contain salt—this being the 
article they are in quest of. 
Kilpatrick. —This famons ram of W. R. Sanford, 
which has sheared 30 lbs. of wool, is, we hear, to stand 
for ewes this fall at Alexander, Genesee Co., N. Y., 
Bowker A Bt sn of Shoreham, Yt.. haring engaged 
BOLLING STONES GATHER NO MOSS, 
a. M. aaniAnu, risq., ricBiuem, oi uicIllinois 
State Wool Growers’ Association, and an exten¬ 
sive wool grower, in ft private letter, which we 
trust he will excuse ns for copying a few sen¬ 
tences from, writes: 
“ Thousands of our sheep arc being driven to Mis¬ 
souri and Kansas. This hegira is not all properly 
chargeable to t.he low price of wool, as less than lmir 
a crop of corn in the wool growing portion iff our 
State has made that staple (the principal fond with 
ns) too high to he put into wool. 1 think it a good 
time to hod on : but to carry through my stock 1 will 
have to drive them to some locality where reed is 
plentier. 1 expect now to 6tart within a week for 
Missouri, where I learn Teed is plenty and stock 
scarce. If 1 find It so, I will drive 2,000 or 8,000 head 
Cube for the Doq Plaoue.—C. R., Rogkford (Ill-) 
referring to dogs writesWhen dogs or wolves have 
made havoc among the sheep, remove the dead aud 
wounded from the field with the exception of one. 
Ilaug that one up on a tree or fork out of reach of the 
dogs. Cut from the ham a number of pieces and flavor 
eudi well with strychnine, and drop them on the 
ground near the carcass. You will probably have an 
opportunity to collect the dog tax the next morning, 
hut the result need not he published. 
Prices Appreciating It will be seen by our mar¬ 
ket quotations that prices of some farm products are 
appreciating somewhat—especially butter and hay. 
The latter has advanced four dollars per ton, within 
the last six weeks, especially for the best quality. 
Barley has also advanced slightly though but little 
has yet been offered Wo ff holds Its own, and though 
there is no advance in price over last week’s quota¬ 
tions, a more assured feeling ia manifested. 
Premium on Butter. —The managers of the Union 
Fair to be held at Fredonia, Chautauqua county, com¬ 
mencing on the 25th instant, ure pretty liberal in the 
butter line. The best firkin, of not less than 50 lbs., 
is to be awarded $20. This will puy for being careful 
iu the manufacture, while the reputation gained will 
lie worth much more to an extensive manufacturer of 
butter. 
Sunflower Seed. —Those who have sunflower 
seed going to waste will find it to their advantage to 
feed it to their fowls. Where poultry raising is made 
a speciality it will pay well to raise sunflower seed for 
feeding the fowls. They will eat it in preference to 
Corn. 
Experience in the South.— The Maryland Farmer 
states that the Hon. T. C. Peters is preparing a vol¬ 
ume for publication embodying his experience aud 
observation iu the Southern States. Ilia tour of ob¬ 
servation was quite extended, and ids record of it 
will no doubt prove an interesting one. 
Dundee Union Ag'l Society —Correction— In a 
notice of the Agricultural Fair to he held at. Dundee, 
in the Rural of last week, there was a mistake as to 
the month of holding the Fair. It should have been 
October 15—17, instead of September. Geo. W. Bun¬ 
gay, Esq, will deliver the address. 
Waking Up. — An Agricultural Society has been 
formed in Danville, Va. The constitution provides 
for holding two fairs in Danville each year; a general 
One in October and a tobacco exhibition each June. 
Drilling Slaked Lime with Wheat.— A subscri¬ 
ber asks if it will do to drill slaked lime with wheat 
at the rate of three or four bushels to the acre. We 
think it will, unless the ground is very dry. 
Orleans County Fair. — Ex-Governor Horatio 
Seymour is announced to deliver the address at the 
Orleans Co. Fair on the 14th inst. 
t 
