1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
101 
ces of beings, and the state of things now existing 
upon this planet. 
Every one is aware of the different capacities of 
soils for the production of luxuriant crops. Yet, 
but a small portion of the weight of a plant is 
drawn directly from the soil ; only that portion that 
remains in the form of ash after the plant has been 
burned, was derived directly from that source. This 
is termed the inorganic portion, and seldom amounts 
to 10 pr ct., and in some species of plants it is less than 
1 per cent. The 99 per cent, that is driven off by 
the process of burning, is called the organic part, 
and was derived from the gaseous constituents of 
the atmosphere and water. 
The study of the atmosphere in reference to the 
purposes of animal and vegetable economy, is a 
source of the highest intellectual enjoyment, and it 
most beautifully illustrates the wisdom and benefi¬ 
cence of its great Author. “ The atmosphere is a 
mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, carbonic acid, water- 
vapor, and ammonia,- and every living thing on the 
dry land, animal and vegetable, is bathed in it, lives 
on it, and by it; and such is its adaptation to the 
wants of animals and plants, that neither class of 
living beings vitiate, or impair its suitableness for 
the other; but the very reverse of this, for each is 
the appointed means of preserving it in a salubrious 
state for the opposite class; the plant constantly ad¬ 
ding to it food for the animal, the animal constant¬ 
ly supplying food for the plant.'’ 
The above seems a wise law of reciprocity. Al¬ 
though there is a vast difference in the specific gra¬ 
vity of the several gases composing the atmosphere, 
they are kept in a complete state of mixture by the 
law of “ gaseous diffusion,” a law overpowering 
the almost universal law of gravitation. 
But an acquaintance with the qualities of the con¬ 
stituents of the atmosphere, implies some knowledge 
of chemistry, and for the most economical manage¬ 
ment of a farm, it seems necessary that the farmer 
should possess a competent knowledge of agricultu¬ 
ral chemistry, for the whole process, from the first 
movement of the germ of the seed he commits to the 
earth, up to the full maturity of the crop it produ¬ 
ces, is one continuous series of chemical changes 
and effects. Yes, farther than this; ’till his hay, 
grain, roots, &c., are converted into beef, pork, 
mutton, wool, 8ce. Said Mr. Quincy,—“ It is in 
the power of every man to reserve some portion of 
his time for these pursuits; and he will find that 
every addition to his stock of knowledge will make 
his walks pleasanter, the flowers the sweeter, and 
every thing more full of interest and meaning.” The 
farmer too, “should know something of the physio¬ 
logy of the vegetable world; and every blade of grass, 
and ear of corn will speak to him of the benevolence 
and skill of the Great Contriver.” He should, too, 
possess some knowledge of mineralogy, and then eve¬ 
ry stone would partially disclose to him their great 
design, and every grain of sand bears unmistakeable 
marks of the fingers of a most exquisite artist. 
There are many more important branches of sci¬ 
ence connected with the well being of the cultiva¬ 
tor of the soil, but the length of this reminds me of 
drawing to a close; but I trust enough has been 
written to prove that the life of the farmer, is not 
necessarily , as some would have us believe, a life of 
incessant toil, and grovelling drudgery, wholly of 
the “ earth, earthy,” for “ the farmer is that fa¬ 
vored being who is permitted as it were, to stand 
in the laboratory of the Infinite One,” and from his 
fortunate position, he has the opportunity, if he will 
improve it, of deriving the highest moral, mental, 
and religious enjoyment. Levi Bartlett. 
i Sheep--Varieties of the Merino. 
We have several times been requested to give 
“ the specific marks ” which distinguish the Saxon 
from the Merino sheep. 
The impracticability of laying down strict rules 
in reference to such distinction, will be in some de¬ 
gree obvious, when it is understood that what is 
called Saxon is but a variety of the Merino, as will 
appear from a brief notice of their history. 
The Merino is undoubtedly a race of great anti¬ 
quity, and from the earliest times has possessed qua¬ 
lities quite different from any other sheep. Under 
different circumstances, the characteristics of the 
race have been somewhat modified, and varieties 
under different names have sprung up; but in Eu¬ 
rope, the term Merino is applied to all the branches 
of the original stock. 
The Merino race has, in modern times, been 
chiefly disseminated from Spain; though that coun¬ 
try, is not, probably, its original home. We are 
informed of the introduction to that kingdom of 
sheep of similar characters; and the name Mareno 
signifies from beyond the sea.* Pliny, and other 
ancient Roman writers, describe various breeds of 
Spanish sheep, distinguished by different colors, as 
■ black, red, and tawny. Those bearing a reddish 
fleece, found in Bajtica, Grenada and Andalusia, 
were considered of the finest quality. They were 
probably taken to Spain from Italy, where they had 
been long known and highly esteemed under the 
name of the Tarentine breed. Their introduction 
into Italy has been attributed to the Greeks, by 
whom the breed had been obtained from Syria and 
the coast of the Black Sea. 
History informs us that Columella, a colonist from 
Italy, and uncle to a writer on agriculture of that 
name, introduced more of the Tarentine breed into 
Spain, during the first century of the Christian era 
It is certain, however, that Spain possessed sheep 
which were celebrated for the fineness of their wool 
previous to this period. But in reference to the ex¬ 
tent of the improvements effected by Columella, it 
has been observed, that “ as Spain was at that time 
highly civilized, and as agriculture was the favor 
ite pursuit of the greater part of the colonists that 
spread over the vast territory which then owned 
the Roman power, it is highly probable that the 
experiments of Columella laid the foundation for a 
general improvement in the Spanish sheep—an im¬ 
provement which was not lost, nor even materially 
impaired, during the darker ages that succeeded.”! 
It may be remarked, in passing, that there have 
always been coarse-wooled as well as fine-wooled 
sheep in Spain—the former being principally called 
Chunahs. The Spanish government, at an early 
day became so convinced of the great value of the 
Merinos, that a special edict was passed, prohibit¬ 
ing their exportation without royal license. This 
prevented a general spread of the race till after the 
overthrow of the Spanish dynasty by the French, 
under Napoleon. 
For several years, the most valuable Merinos in 
Spain were in possession of the Crown and its depend¬ 
ants. The principal flocks were the Escurial, Gua¬ 
deloupe, Paular, Infantado, Negretti, Montarco, 
and Aguerre. These varied in quality, according 
to the skill and care which had been bestowed in 
breeding and management. The Escurial were 
deemed superior to all the others in fineness of wool.! 
* Hon. Wm. Jarvis, t Youatt. 
t For particular descriptions of these varieties, see letter of Hon 
W. Jarvis, Cultivator for 1844, p. 127; Youatt’s Treatise on Sheep, 
p. 156; and Livingston’s Essay on Sheep, pp. 47, 48. 
