THE CULTIVATOE. 
333 
CONNECTICUT CATTLE. 
Connecticut people have reason to congratulate them¬ 
selves in many respects. They have clone more to peo¬ 
ple the vast west, and we may add, to christianize and ci¬ 
vilize it, than any other State in the Union; and wherev¬ 
er they go, they are apt to carry their industry, morality, 
and love of knowledge, things they acquire in their 
youth, with them. In other respects, too, Connecticut 
furnishes examples well worthy of imitation. She has 
some poor land, and some poor farmers, but she too has 
much excellent land, and many first rate farmers to till it; 
and these men have made the land of steady habits almost 
a model so far as regards agricultural pursuits. A person 
familiar with the condition of things there forty years 
since, and particularly with the agriculture of that peri¬ 
od, can hardly realize the changes that have taken place 
for the better within that time. But we took up our pen 
to speak of Connecticut cattle, working cattle, for in no 
part of the United States can so many good working cat¬ 
tle be found in proportion to the population as in Con¬ 
necticut. The other New-England States, to their honor 
be it spoken, are not far behind in this respect; w r ould 
that we could say the same of New-York. These work¬ 
ing cattle too, are not the refuse of their yards, worked 
because they are good for nothing else, but the major 
part of them will be found of a rich red, the Devons or 
their crosses, fine formed, lively animals, walking off 
like horses, and making the heart of the farmer glad to 
look at them. To show that we are not exaggerating 
matters, or allowing our fondness for fine cattle to bias 
our opinion, we give a few examples selected from the 
reports of the various Agricultural Societies of that State, 
for the year 1843, which are now before us. 
New-Haven County Fair,. 513 yokes. 
Hartford County Fair,. 100 
Union Ag. Society, 4 towns,.. 244 ‘‘ 
Bridgport, County Fair,. 530 « 
Fan bury Fai r,. 350 “ 
Canton, I town,. 130 “ 
Bridgport and Danbury are both in Fairfield county, 
so that at the fail exhibition of 1843, this county produ¬ 
ced no less than 830 pairs of working cattle of the bes' 
kind. New-Haven, too, had on the ground 513 pairs; 
an;l there were other exhibitions that were not far be¬ 
hind in respect to numbers. Cf one thing we may be 
certain, a population cannot be poor, which can produce 
as many cattle fit for tilling the soil, or for the butcher, 
as can Connecticut. Would not many of the other States, 
so far as the labor of animals is concerned, do well to 
take a lesson from that State in this respect? Would it 
not be well,if, in a large portion of New-York, certainly 
in all parts where wheat growing is not the principal 
business, cattle, such as may be counted by thousands in 
Connecticut, were substituted for the lean, worthless hor¬ 
ses found on so many farms ? For all common farm 
work, cattle are as good as horses; and after they are un¬ 
fit for the cart or the plow, they may be converted into 
beef; while the horse, disabled by accident or by age, is 
given to the crows or the dung-hill. 
DR. BEEKMAN’S ADDRESS. 
Dr. Beekman will accept our thanks for a copy of 
his Address before the Dutchess County Agricultural 
Society, which we have read withmuch satisfaction, and 
did space allow, we should be pleased to transfer a larger 
portion of it to our columns. We give the following pa¬ 
ragraph, as particularly worthy of attention, showing, 
at a glance, the great defect in our husbandry, and the 
means for its improvement: 
“ Depend upon it, the great defect of our farming is 
the scanty return which we make to the soil that we crop 
so closely; and when you complain of poor returns for 
your labor, at least in the quantity gathered, it is upon 
the principle that you are willing to work your horse 
but not to feed him. Until, therefore, we feed with a 
more liberal hand, we shall not be more liberally re¬ 
warded. If I compare our farming, however, with what 
it was twenty years ago, I see a decided improvement; 
better houses, better barns, better fences, better, that is 
cleaner fields, better crops, and stock essentially improv¬ 
ed. With all these man improves. But there is a vast 
deal yet to be done, and we must not talk of good farm¬ 
ing until we can in all things double, and in many treble 
our present product; for let me tell you the productive 
powers of the earth are almost illimitable.” 
THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
The Annual Fair of the Institute was opened at Niblo’s 
Garden, New-York, on the 8th Oct. The exhibition of 
samples of our manufactures and arts, was extensive and 
creditable to the skill and ingenuity of our country. The 
Agricultural and Horticultural Departments, we thought 
were not quite equal to some former years. At the show 
of animals on the 16th and 17th, there were some good 
stock, though the number was small. Among the horses 
was the splendid imported Norman “ Diligence,’- and 
two of his colts, from Mr. E. Harris of New-Jersey, and 
some fine horses from Mr. Long of Washington county. 
Among the cattle, we particularly noticed the fine bull 
“ Marius,” belonging to Mr. Oliver of Sing-Sing, im¬ 
ported from the herd of Earl Spencer, which attracted so 
much attention at Poughkeepsie, for his superior symme¬ 
try and excellence—a pair of beautiful Devons, and a su¬ 
perior Ayrshire cow, whose owners we could not ascer¬ 
tain. There were also some good Durhams exhibited. 
The number of sheep and swine was small, but included 
some fine animals of both kinds. 
In the horticultural rooms were some fine specimens 
of fruits and vegetables. Among them were handsome 
and extensive collections of pears from Mr. Wilder of 
Boston, and Mr. Walker of Roxbury, and extra large 
grapes from Mr. Cushing’s grapery at Watertown. 
The Silk Convention, at which about 50 delegates at¬ 
tended, was held during the exhibition of the Institute. 
The Rev. J. R. Barbour delivered an address on the cul¬ 
ture of silk. Mr. B. showed that the culture and manu¬ 
facture of silk is perfectly practicable, in this country. 
That its production is rapidly increasing, and that there is 
no obstacle to prevent our supplying ourselves with this 
ardcie from our own hands and labor, thus saving to the 
country $20,000,000, annually. 
MADISON COUNTY FAIR. 
The Fair of this County was held in Cazenovia on the 
1st of October, was well attended, ami accompanied with 
some very pleasant incidents. The party 1 berty poles 
were stripped of their partizan banners, and others more 
appropriate to the occasion, took their place—the whig 
pole bearing a plow with the motto, “ Speed the Plow—> 
it feeds all”—that of the liberty party, a gigan ic arm, 
with an anvil and plane, intended as a welcome to the 
mechanics—and that of the hickory tree, a banner with a 
churn, sheaf of wheat, &c. The ladies of Cazenovia 
presented the Society with a beautiful banner of rich blue 
silk, seven feet by five, painted by W. H. Burr of Syra¬ 
cuse. “On one side it bears,” says the Madison Co. Ea¬ 
gle, “the picture of a stout mower who has just paused 
in the middle of a swarth to whet .his scythe, while on the 
back ground appears a wag<$n loading with hay, and the 
house and barns of the farmer. At the foot of a tree 
close by, lie his coat and jug of cold water which are 
watched by his dog. On the other side is a winter scene, 
in-doors. In a comfortable kitchen, the farmer’s daugh¬ 
ter is at work at her spinning-wheel, while another fe¬ 
male is busy in the ‘ buttery/ at the other side of the 
room. The fire burns briskly in the chimney, and the 
mantlepiece above is graced with the almanac, watch, 
and candle-sticks which are usually to be found in that 
position.” 
To make good pickled Pork, simply pack the side- 
pieces in a barrel or cask, with plenty of salt on all sides 
of each piece, and when full, roll it to the pump, and 
pump in water till you see it cease to sink or to moisten 
the pork on the top of the barrel, then lay a flat stone as 
large as the vessel, to keep the pork always under the 
pickle: cover the cask, to exclude flies. — West. Farmer 
