176 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
i.:.« .. 
June 
from the throats of slaughtered animals. It is true 
that this dog had been subjected to emasculation; but 
this operation, though it might change the secre¬ 
tions of the system, could not affect the constituents of 
the food, or cause it to produce any results in the ani¬ 
mal but those in accordance with natural principles. 
A late number of the Rochester American contains a 
communication signed A. Wheeler and S. Johnson, stat¬ 
ing that a dog owned by Dr. L. Ballard, of Le Boy, 
had lately been slaughtered by Capt. Blood, a butcher 
of that village, from which there was obtained “ fif¬ 
teen gallons of clear oil.” The live weight of the dog 
was stated to have been 270 lbs. We are not informed 
how this dog had been fed. But from various examples, 
and particularly from that of swine fed on slaughter¬ 
house offal, are we not forced to regard the assertion, 
that the fat of animals can be increased “ only by means 
of food containing no nitrogen,” as not supported by 
fact? 
In the foregoing remarks, I have not adverted to the 
theory advocated by some chemists—as by Dumas, 
Boussingault, Paen, &c.,—that the fat of animals is 
wholly assimilated from oil ready formed in the food, 
and that potatoes, beets, carrots, &c., are incapable of 
fattening stock, because they contain no oil. It is 
deemed unnecessary to occupy space in discussing a 
theory which the experience of a great number of 
farmers plainly proves to be unfounded. 
In concluding this communication, allow me to ex¬ 
press the hope that the spirit of investigation which is 
already so widely enkindled, may be guided by reason 
and judgment, and continue till we shall be able to see 
and realize the important benefits resulting from an ! 
union of “ Science with Practice.” 
MERINOS IN' VERMONT AND NEW-HAMPSHIRE. 
L. Tucker, Esq. —I will once more invite the at¬ 
tention of the readers of the Cultivator to afew remarks 
upon Vermont sheep. 
January 2d, 1846, had the pleasure of examining the 
Hon. Wm. Jarvis’ flock of Spanish Merino sheep, which 
have descended from importations made by himself in 
1809, ’10, and ’ll, when he was United States consul at 
the port of Lisbon. [For a particular description of 
the importation of Spanish sheep, the reader is referred 
to Mr. Jarvis’ letter, published in the Cultivator, new 
series, vol. 1, p. 126.] Mr. Jarvis is wintering about 
one thousand sheep, a part of which are Saxons, and a 
cross of the Merino on the Saxon. I have examined 
sheep in different parts of the country, and have seen 
sheep from all of the most important importations that 
we have any account of. I have seen those termed 
“ Paulars,” “ Bambouillets,” “ Guadaloupes, and “Es- 
eurials.” I have seen larger sheep, heavier fleeces, and 
finer wool, but I think I have never seen any sheep 
carrying more fine, clean, soft wool, in proportion 
to the weight of carcass, than Mr. Jarvis’ descendants 
of his Spanish importations. They are free from jar, 
and not much given to wrinkling and doubling of the 
skin about the neck and body. They are not as much j 
wooled on the legs and about the face as many sheep in j 
the country that are denominated “ pure ” this, or j 
“ pure ” that, but the wool on the flank and belly is 
long, thick, and nearly as fine and soft to the touch as 
on any other part of the body. Mr. Jarvis keeps his 
sheep in flocks of two or three hundred, and the con¬ 
sequence is they do not attain that size, that those do, 
that are bred from his sheep and kept in smaller flocks. 
(An instance of this kind may be seen in the flock of 
Mr. llemelee, ofShoreham, who has several from Mr. 
Jarvis’ flock, resembling the Liecester in size more j 
than the Merino. We purchased of Mr. Jarvis three) 
bucks and three ewes. 
We were next shown a full-blood Dutch bull, color 
black and white, of fair size, and in appearance a very 
good animal. We were next invited by his son to look 
at a full-blood Arabian horse; color light grey, and un¬ 
like any thing of the horse kind in this country, in form 
and symmetry, that I have seen, and especially of our i 
Morgan breed; but the little we saw of his movements 
convinced us that he was a horse of remarkable action. 
I am inclined to think that there are more pure blood 
Spanish sheep in the country than Mr. Jarvis accounts for. 
(See his letter above referred to.) And should it be 
found practicable to make a new importation of sheep 
from Spain, (which, from the best information I can 
gather, I judge to be extremely doubtful, though seve¬ 
ral have told me they are about making an effort,) I 
shall be slow to entertain the belief that they will add 
much, if any thing, to the means already in our pos¬ 
session of increasing our valuable breed of sheep. Tak¬ 
ing Mr. Jarvis’ account of the importation of Spanish 
sheep for the basis of* calculation, it appears that from 
the first importation by Chancellor Livingston, in 1801, 
to the close of 1811, there were about 7000 Merino sheep 
introduced into the United States, and were landed in 
different ports from Maine to Georgia, though the 
largest portion of them arrived in Boston and New- 
York. 
In speaking of the diseases of sheep, Mr. Jarvis gave 
it as his opinion, that foot-rot will breed in flocks which 
run on low, wet pastures, and that it is also contagious. 
“ But,” said he, “if a man continues it long in his 
flock the fault is entirely his own,” and then went on to 
give the following prescription for its cure: 
“ Blue vitriol, 3 parts; white lead 1 part, mixed with 
linseed oil, about thick enough to use in painting a 
house; pare and clean the feet with soap suds; then 
apply it.” 
This he recommends as a sovereign remedy for foot- 
rot, with proper care in changing the sheep from the 
foul, to clean dry pastures at each dressing, which, in 
the worst cases, may require two or three. 
On our return, we called again on Mr. Hull, of Wal¬ 
lingford, and purchased two of his best young ewes. I 
have since examined Mr. J. A. Conant’s flock, of Bran- 
dan, and Mr. W. B. Sandford’s flock, of Orwell, in But- 
land county; Messrs. Elitharp’s and Hall's flocks, of 
Bridport; Messrs. Wright’s, Bemelee's, Chipman’s, and 
North’s flocks, of Shoreham, in Addison county, and 
found them all in the possession of valuable flocks of 
sheep. But perhaps the anecdote of the justice, will, 
in part, illustrate my views in relation to most of the 
above flocks. His honor having listened to the plea of 
the plaintiff's counsel, very readily decided the case in 
his favor. “But stop,” exclaims the opposite counsel, 
u I have a word to say,” when after delivering a la¬ 
bored argument in favor of his client, the justice again 
decides, “ and you have got your case.” I might dis¬ 
criminate if time and space would allow, but prefer to 
leave the task to gentlemen from other counties and 
other states who may take the trouble to examine our 
sheep. J. N. Smith. 
Vergennes, March 10, 1846. 
KEEPING POTATOES SOUND. 
We have had occasion to commend the practice of 
keeping potatoes through the winter in heaps, out of 
doors, by using abundance of straw and but a moderate 
quantity of earth as a covering. We have repeatedly 
known heaps of 60 or 70 bushels, covered with a com¬ 
pact layer of straw one foot thick, and only a few 
inches of earth outside, to endure the winter and early 
spring without the loss of a peck. In a late experiment 
of the writer, a heap thus covered wintered through 
with the loss of not half a peck, although a large por¬ 
tion of the same crop which was removed to the cel¬ 
lar was lost by the rot; and at the same time that many 
neighbors lost three-quarters of their potatoes buried 
in the usual way, that is with only a few inches of straw 
under a foot of earth. It will be perceived at a glance 
that the mode here proposed secures in an eminent de¬ 
gree, sufficient protection from frost, dryness, and ven- 
tillation. All potatoes in heaps, when buried early in 
autumn, should be kept constantly well ventilated by a 
hole and wisp of straw in the top. The mass of rotten 
potatoes, so usually found at the apex of the heap, and 
usually attributed to freezing, is more frequently the 
result of foul confined air, rising to the top. 
