1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
38/ 
obliged to go to a pond or stream for water, they do 
not drink with proper regularity. If the weather is 
very cold or stormy, they will undergo much thirst 
before they will expose themselves, and when they 
do finally commence drinking, they swallow so much 
that they are chilled through, (the water being 
frequently but little above the freezing point) and 
stand for some time shivering from its effects. 
From the want of water at the proper time, and 
from the shock occasioned by drinking too much at 
once, their digestive organs are deranged, and their 
food fails to supply the proper nourishment. 
When water is brought to the yards, and the an¬ 
imals have constant access to it, they drink as they 
need—usually but a little at a time, and their food 
being taken as appetite prompts them, and with all 
the functions in healthy action, they derive from it 
the greatest possible benefit. The manure is all 
saved, being left in the stables or yards; but when 
animals are forced to leave the yards for water, 
much of the manure is left near where they drink, 
and is washed off where it does but little good. 
Economy of using Animal Manure. —From the 
value which stable or yard manure has been 
proved to possess, it was with no little regret that 
we heard its use discouraged, in strong terms, by 
Dr. D. P. Gardner, in his late address before the 
Westchester County Agricultural Society. His ob¬ 
jections to the use of this article were, chiefly, that 
it is of little value in proportion to what it is usually 
estimated at. He referred for particulars to an es¬ 
say on the ‘‘Doctrine of Special Manures,” written 
by him, and published in the Transactions of the 
N. Y. State Ag. Society for 1846. One of the ob¬ 
jects of this essay, was, to quote the authors lan¬ 
guage, to “shake the confidence placed in the foul 
and expensive manure, so long employed.” This 
confidence was to be shaken, by showing that the 
manure was of trifling value. He estimates the ex¬ 
pense of manuring, with yard manure, an acre of 
land for Indian corn, in Dutchess county, at $20— 
allowing twenty loads of manure, of twenty-five 
bushels each,- and in view of this expense, he thinks 
it reasonable that “the greater part of our intelli¬ 
gent [?] farmers have arrived at the conclusion, that 
for a man of limited means, the exhaustion of the 
soil is the most profitable system of farming.” He 
contends that the principal value of common yard or 
stable manure, consists in the ashes it is capable of 
affording on being burned. He informs us that the 
Hindoo,whom he declares is “the most philosophical 
and successful agriculturist of the present, or of any 
age,” burns the dung which our people “so much 
prize, and he even cares little for the ashes;” that 
“the Egyptians, the descendants of the Hindoos, and 
among the best farmers of ancient or modern times, 
also burn the dung of their domestic animals.” He 
asserts that “the ashes, and a proper substitute for 
the nitrogen, will effect the same, or better results 
on the soil,” than the manure. He therefore asks— 
“Why do farmers still encounter the heavy charge 
of a dollar a load for the use of yard manure, when 
they have better substitutes within their reach, for 
less than a quarter of that sum?” 
The value, of the ashes of a load (25 bushels) of 
manure, he estimates at twelve and a half cents; 
the cost of the “proper substitute for the nitrogen” 
he has not given. It will be seen that the carbon¬ 
aceous matter of the manure is not estimated as of 
any value at all! 
Dr. G. has not told us, precisely, what he would 
recommend as a substitute for common manure, but 
he hints that all the necessary information on the 
subject, may be found in a manuscript prepared by 
him in reference to a premium offered by the N. Y. 
Slate Ag. Society, but which “was withdrawn from 
the action of the committee,” and is still in his pos¬ 
session. We are therefore without any special data 
in regard to the comparative expense of the new 
article; he simply asserts that it would cost less 
than a fourth as much as yard manure. 
In regard to the theory of special manures, Dr. 
Gardner speaks as follows: “If the doctrine be 
found correct in practice, it will work a great re¬ 
form in farming, by enabling us not only to manure 
at a trifling rate as compared with the present ex¬ 
pensive means, but by making it a possible thing to 
raise the same crop on a piece of land without rota¬ 
tion; by removing the necessity of large farms and 
expensive fixtures for stock; by enlarging crops 
beyond any point they have hitherto reached, and 
lastly, by making agriculture much more a science 
of skill and intellectual expedients than manual la 
bor.” 
This language does not differ materially from that 
used by Liebig in regard to his “patent manure,” 
or a new system of compounding manures, which 
was extensively advertised several years since, but 
which, in regard to its profitable application, has 
generally failed. By adverting to this, however, we 
only intend to impress the necessity of caution in the 
adoption of untried theories. Investigation and ex 
periment should be encouraged, but all things should 
be proved, and the good only held fast. 
Fair of the Maryland State Ag. Society. 
The third annual exhibition of this society was 
held on the 23d, 24th and 25th of October, at Balti¬ 
more, and was a very successful exhibition, being a 
decided improvement upon that of last year. The 
entries in most of the classes were much larger than 
heretofore, and in some departments the articles 
were superior. The great attraction in the stock 
department was the splendid herd of Devons, of Mr. 
Patterson, numbering 24 head. They were in fine 
condition, and were a sight well worth a trip to 
Baltimore to behold. The milking qualities of this 
herd are well known, and several of the cows exhi¬ 
bited, showed as good milking properties as any ani¬ 
mals on the ground. The bull exhibited was, I think, 
imported, and was an exceedingly good one. Two 
pair of Devon working oxen were the admiration oi 
all. Mr. P. declined entering his stock for pre¬ 
miums. 
There was a very fair show of Short-horns; but 
not equal in quality to last year. The very fin9 
herd of Col. Capron, which was then sold, did not 
appear upon the ground, and we doubt much whe¬ 
ther it can be made good in Maryland. There was 
a large show of Ayrshires, and their crosses-—some 
of them very fine, but many of medium quality. 
The Holstein cattle on exhibition, appeared to be 
good milkers, and are highly esteemed for their ex¬ 
cellent dairy properties. Col. Calvert, the presi¬ 
dent of the society, informed us that he prefers them 
to any other breed, and intends to fill up his dairy 
with them. He has had several of them for some 
time past, and is competent to decide on their qual 
ities from the trial he has given them. 
One of the most interesting features of the exhibi¬ 
tion of cattle was a pair of heifer calves, one six 
weeks and the other seven weeks old, trained by a 
lad five years of age, a son of Mr. Bailey of Fairfax 
county, Virginia, formerly of Dutchess county, New 
York. The little fellow had trained them in about 
three weeks time. They were so perfectly manage¬ 
able that when the little yoke was taken off. he cou'd 
