54 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Jan 
bull, Duke of Cleveland. Consequently, the produce 
of Wellington, from a cow without Duchess blood, 
would possess nearly as much Duchess blood, as Cam¬ 
bridge himself. 
For the illustration, and to show the public that 
there are other animals in this country that possess 
more Duchess blood than Cambridge, we insert the 
pedigree, in part, of Mr. Vails’ Duchess : 
11 White—bred by Mr. Bates, &c. Got by Duke of 
Northumberland [1940], dam Non-sueh the 2d, by 
Belvedere [1706], g. dam Non-such by Magnet, 
[2240.]” &c. &c. 
Mr. Vail’s prize bull, Meteor, 104, was out of this 
heifer, and his sire is Duke of Wellington. He 
has therefore three crosses of the Duchess blood, and 
so also have the bulls Mr. Vail has sold to Col. 
Sherwood, of Auburn, N. Y., (and we can well bear 
testimony to the worth of this bull, Symmetry, as we 
have a cow of his get, and a very superior animal 
she is,) Col. Hampton, of S. C., Messrs. Ferguson 
and Wetenhall, of C. W., and Thomas Hillhhouse, of 
of Watervleit, N. Y. We might continue this account, 
as Mr. Vail has three more imported cows, sent 
him by Mr. Bates, all of which possess strains of the 
Duchess blood, but we deem it unnecessary. 
We learn by the agricultural papers, that that whole 
of the late Mr. Bates’ herd are to be sold the coming 
spring or summer; and consequently the Duchess tribe 
which Mr. Bates has always retained exclusively in his 
possession , will be dispersed in the hands of many. 
From the enterprise which has thus far characterised 
Mr. Vail, as a breeder, we sincerely hope and expect 
he will not let this opportunity pass, without the in¬ 
troduction of one or more animals of the full Duchess 
blood, into his herd. He has already done much to 
bring the Bates Stock into deserved reputation in 
this country, and the benefit which its introduction has 
conferred upon other Durhams, which have received 
only a single cross of this strain of blood, is immense. 
We hope he will now introduce the Duchess blood 
without alloy ; and we confidently expect the day 
would not be far distant, when the price of the Amer¬ 
ican Short-horns, will compare favorably with the 
high sales of this stock in England. S. P. Chapman. 
Clockville, Mad. Co., N. Y., Dec. 1849. 
Hamilton College* 
At a recent meeting of the trustees of this institu¬ 
tion, Oren Root, A. M., of Seneca Falls, was elected 
to succeed Professor Catlin, deceased, in the depart- 
of mathematics and astronomy. Mineralogy and geol¬ 
ogy were added to this department, and measures were 
taken to secure the removal to Clinton, of Professor 
Root’s Cabinet, which is one of the largest and best 
mineralogical collections in the country. It embraces 
about 7000 specimens, gathered from every quarter of 
the world. Its connection with Hamilton college will 
render its facilities for instruction in the natural sciences, 
equal to those of any college in the country. 
To those who are interested in the march of improve¬ 
ment, it cannot but be gratifying to notice how rapidly 
our higher institutions are conforming to the practical 
spirit of the age. Hamilton college certainly deserves 
well of the community, for its readiness to comply with 
the demand for those kinds of learning which are 
suited to the real wants of life. Time was, when 
Latin and Greek were the only languages taught ; now 
German and French are added. Time was, when most 
of the senior year was devoted to disciplinary studies, 
now it is wholly given up to practical studies. Legal 
and political science is studied more thoroughly and ex¬ 
tensively than at other similar institutions. Full 
courses of lectures are given on civil engineering, on 
agricultural chemistry, and on anatomy and physiology. 
Great attention is also paid to elocution and kindred 
exercises. Professor Root will enter upon his new du¬ 
ties about the first of January. With the increased 
instruction which he will give in physical science, it is 
believed that the course of studies at Hamilton college 
will be just what the age demands. Alumnus. 
The Boston Poultry Show. 
This novel exhibition came off on the 15th and 16th 
of November last. The display of the different species 
and breeds of poultry, was extensive, and evidently re¬ 
garded with much interest by the public. The Com¬ 
mittee of Supervision, in their report, state that— 
“ The number of specimens of the different feathered 
races, presented on this occasion, numbered 1423, and 
the number of exhibitors recorded was 219. The num¬ 
ber of people admitted to the show, was not less than 
ten thousand. The sum of three hundred and sixty-four 
dollars was received at the gate, (the fee being 10 cents) 
notwithstanding the admission of ladies and children 
gratis.” 
The object of this meeting was to bring together 
specimens of the different varieties of poultry, that 
their peculiar traits might be seen, and their relative 
merits judged of by comparison. No prizes were of¬ 
fered—every observer being at liberty to award his 
own commendations as appeared to him proper. 
We are happy to learn that annual exhibitions of this 
kind, are contemplated, under the auspices of a society, 
to be formed for the improvement of the different kinds 
of poultry, and the 11 increase and diffusion of know¬ 
ledge” on this subject. Under such an organization, 
with the intelligence, taste, and capital, which may be 
brought to bear on the object, we cannot doubt that 
highly interesting and useful results would be obtained. 
The various breeds may be fairly tried, under circum¬ 
stances calculated to fully develope their qualities; 
rare species and breeds, both in a domestic and wild 
state, from various quarters of the world, may be in¬ 
troduced; experiments in breeding instituted and car¬ 
ried on under competent directors, and every important 
fact carefully noted. In these ways, many doubtful 
questions would be settled, and much light elicited on 
physiological points, which have hitherto been involved 
in obscurity. 
In regard to the present show, it may be remarked 
that the genus Gallus was largely represented; and 
in this class, the large Asiatic or Malay tribe of fowls, 
took the lead. They were offered under various names, 
as Chinese, Cochin Chinese, Shanghae, Java, Buck’s 
county, Jersey Blues, &c. Their general character¬ 
istics presented but trifling variations, and their numer¬ 
ous titles afforded another illustration of the adage that 
there are sometimes “ distinctions without differences.” 
These fowls are very large, but are often thinly feath¬ 
ered, loose jointed, large boned, and coarse fleshed. 
Their defects are sometimes remedied by skillful breed¬ 
ing, and good stock has been thus produced. They 
have also been useful in many cases in crossing other 
varieties. A cock, ten months old, exhibited by C. B. 
Marsh, West-Roxbury, Mass., was said to weigh 
twelve pounds. 
But of all the fowls exhibited, none, in our opinion, 
showed stronger marks of a true breed, than the Span¬ 
ish, called in some instances Italian. They are uni- 
formly of a glossy-black color, of good size, and hand¬ 
some form—corresponding to the cut and description 
given of the breed in our last volume, page 84. A 
lot of twelve, so similar in every respect, that it was 
difficult to distinguish one from another, of the same 
sex, was shown by Daniel Buxton, Danvers, Mass. 
From several exhibitors, there were fine specimens 
of Dorkings, Bolton Greys or Creoles, Games, Ban¬ 
tams, and Top-knots, of the Black, White, Golden 
