230 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
July, 
ton Grey or Creole, under the head of “ Golden and 
Silver Hamburgh fowl,” although he afterwards 
describes two top-knot varieties under the names 
of “Golden Spangled Hamburgh” and “Silver 
Spangled Hamburgh”—making but a trifling varia¬ 
tion in the names of very different fowls—the head 
of the one being surmounted by a large crown of 
feathers, and that of the other entirely destitute of 
this striking appendage. 
The next is the Cuckoo fowl, the description of 
which is taken from Dixon. It appears to be no¬ 
thing more than what is here known as the Domin¬ 
ique, though this is noticed separately in another 
part of Mr. Browne’s book. 
He makes seven varieties and sub-varieties of the 
crested fowl: viz., “ the Lark-crested fowl,” “the 
Golden Spangled Hamburgh,” “the Silver Span¬ 
gled Hamburgh,” “the Black Polish,” “the Black 
topped White Polish,” (now supposed to be ex¬ 
tinct,) “the Golden Polands,” and “the Silver Po¬ 
lands.” 
The Bantams are separated into five divisions: 
viz., “the Yellow or Nankin Bantams,” “the Se¬ 
bright Bantams,” “the Black Bantams,” “the 
White Bantams,” and “Creepers.” It is impossible 
to see the propriety of some of these distinctions, 
inasmuch as a single pair of either the yellow, black 
or white, will produce all these (so-called) varieties. 
An instance is known to the writer, where a pair of 
brown colored birds, whose parents were imported 
from Java, produced a progeny the first season of 
breeding, which showed all these different colors, 
as well as the red and spangled. 
Mr. Browne finishes his arrangement, with a 
chapter on “ Mongrels and Barn-Door Fowls,” in 
which he describes “the Jago,” “ the Shanghae 
Cochin-China,” [?] “the Plymouth-Rock,” “ the 
Jersey Blue,” “the Ostrich,” “the Booby,” “the 
Bucks county,” “the Dominique or Dominica,” and 
“the Blue-Dun ” fowls. 
In the remainder of the book, Mr. Browne has 
embodied much that is valuable, taken chiefly from 
the works of Martin, Dixon, and authors quoted by 
them—adhering generally to the rule adopted in the 
outset, of “changing the language” sufficiently to 
“Americanize the subject.” Observer. 
IRRIGATION. 
Eds. Cultivator—I have long been aware of 
the importance of fertilizing land by means of wa¬ 
ter, and what can be more rational, when by che¬ 
mical analysis we find that the water of many 
streams, contains a large quantity both in suspen¬ 
sion and in solution of animal, vegetable and mine¬ 
ral substances, and also that it is a compound, even 
in its purest state, of hydrogen, oxygen, carbonic 
acid, &c. ? By the same analysis, also, we find that 
the principal ingredients for the support of plants, 
are these identical substances. Here, then, the 
wonderful effect of irrigation upon the soil, is at 
once accounted for; and with regard to this won¬ 
derful effect, I will here refer the reader to Brews¬ 
ter’s Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, and especially to the 
articles under the heads of Irrigation—Agriculture 
—France. It has long been practiced to a greater 
or less extent, in every habitable country on the 
globe, between the 60th degrees of north and south 
latitude. The Hon. Daniel Webster, on witnessing 
in England, the great effects of irrigation, made 
particular inquiry as to the rules, results, &e., 
which, with his usual clearness, he communicates to 
his agricultural friends after his return home. 
If in the cool .and moist climate of England, three 
crops of hay and grass are obtained in one season, 
and their irrigated lands rent for double the price of 
other lands, why may not the American farmer real¬ 
ize at least equal advantages in a more favorable 
climate? Indeed, the farmer who has the power of 
fertilizing a portion of his land with water, has a 
treasure in his possession, and he who neglects to 
avail himself of its benefits, is certainly slow in 
the comprehension of his interest. That water 
operates as a powerful fertilizer to the soil, when 
made to flow over it, is fully proved by the fact that 
on up-land which has been irrigated and used for 
pasture or meadow, the water being afterwards 
withheld, and the land subjected to the plow, an 
unusual heavy crop of grain is always the result— 
far exceeding the product of other parts of the same 
field not irrigated. Thus water, when applied to 
grass, on lands adapted to grain, performs the dou¬ 
ble office of increasing the growth of the former, 
and at the same time imparting a durable fertility 
to the soil for the benefit of the succeeding crop of 
grain. Rye, however, even when growing, is much 
benefited by slight irrigation after the appearance 
of the blossom, and Indian corn can scarcely be 
watered too much after the appearance of the silk and 
tassel, and a luxuriant growth will be the result. 
It is probably the hayfield, however, from which the 
farmer may derive the greatest advantage from irri¬ 
gation . A meadow, for instance, which will produce 
3 to 4 tons of first quality of hay per acre (which has 
been effected by this means, even as far north as 
Vermont,) for an unlimited term of years, without 
the expense of any other manure; but in case he 
consumes his hay on his farm, contributing largely 
towards his stock of manure for other fields—such 
a meadow may well be regarded by its owner as of 
great value. Indeed, let a comparison be made 
with regard to the net profit, with almost any other 
crops obtained from an equal quantity of land, for a 
term of years, and it will be found that the amount 
of labor and other items of cost required to put the 
crop into a marketable state, will throw a large 
balance in favor of the irrigated meadow. It there¬ 
fore becomes a question to the farmer who posses¬ 
ses the means of irrigation, whether it would not 
promote his interest to set apart his irrigated lands, 
even if suitable for grain, as permanent meadow', 
and exempt them from regular rotation. 
Objections have been made, by some, that the hay 
of irrigated meadows is less nutritive and less pala¬ 
table to cattle than other hay. This objection w r ill 
only apply where the water has been allowed to 
flow too profusely and too late in the season; and 
this may be entirely avoided by wdnter and spring 
irrigation, properly conducted. As increased ferti- 
ty of the soil is an object with every farmer, I am 
decidedly of the opinion that from the first freezing 
of the earth in autumn, to the entire cessation of 
freezing in spring, is by far the most suitable and 
proper time for fertilizing all lands with water. An 
argument in favor of this, is, that several months 
of each year are added to the time for the w f ater to 
impart its fertility; which is so much clear gain of 
time in addition to the common method; and the 
earth is kept through the whole winter considerably 
above the freezing point, and should a sheet of ice 
extend over the entire field, it will do no injury but 
protect the earth beneath from freezing. 
Professor Davy ascertained that the temperature 
of the earth beneath a lid of ice, on a w r ater mea¬ 
dow in England, was 14 degrees warmer than the 
air above, in a very mild wintry day. In this case, 
on the water being withheld, at the time above sta¬ 
ted, the field will be several weeks in advance of 
