THE CULTIVATOR. 
221 
Jewe t s fock of six hundred anil forty-three, was only 
two, from Nov. 1, to May 1. Mr. J. has many good 
ewes. 
Mr. Wright anil Mr. Remelf.e have some first rate 
sheep. We can hard!} avoid particular reference to two 
of Mr. Remelee’s ewes, which he purchased of Mr. 
Jarvis. With the exception of a trifle more length of 
leg than we should wish, they are in fleece and carcass 
about all that could be desired in Merino sheep. One 
of them especially, is almost a model of excellence. 
Their wool is beautiful, as all will admit who will exa¬ 
mine the samples we took. The fleece of one, last year, 
weighed six pounds and an ounce, and that of the other 
six pounds. Each reared a lamb—one of which, by Mr. 
Wright's buck “ Black Hawk,” now has a lamb, anil 
though but little more than a year old, will give, we 
should think, six pounds of nice wool. The old ewes 
have also fine lambs this season. 
Mr. Burchard has heretofore bred the Saxons, and 
many of his flock now show the characteristics of that 
variety. He has, however, been latterly infusing into 
the flock the blood of the heavier fleeced and stronger 
constitutioned Merino. He has some very pretty stock— 
some of his bucks are in all respects good samples of 
the finer wooleil class of sheep. 
We happened to call at Mr. A. L. Bingham's farm in 
his absence, and consequently had not the opportunity 
of seeing his buck called Vermont Hero, which is own 
brother to Fortune. He is represented to be a remarka¬ 
ble animal, and we regretted not being able to find him. 
In the flock of Merril Bingham, there are many 
large, well shaped, heavy fleeced sheep. Seeing them 
in large fields only, we could not examine them so 
particularly as if they had been in yards. He and his 
brother, A. L. Bingham, have lately purchased of 
the Shakers a flock of very heavy Merino ewes. Mr. 
Chapman has some good sheep from ewes having 
considerable Saxon blood crossed with Fortune. Mr. 
Langdon has also very good sheep. A yearling ram 
of his, from a ewe of Mr. Atwooil's stock, of Litchfield 
county, Ct., is very superior. Mr. Cook has several 
ewes also from Mr. Atwood’s stock, which are very good. 
Mr. Squires has a large flock. Many of his ewes 
strongly show the Saxon blood. He owns the buck 
called Don Pedro, formerly owned by Mr. Jewett. 
Though this buck is declared to be a full blood Merino, 
descended directly from the importation of Col. Hum¬ 
phrey, (which by the way we see no good reason for 
disputing,) we do not hesitate to say his wool is too 
coarse—coarser than should be encouraged for Merino. 
The quantity of wool he has yielded, however, is un¬ 
precedented. He is seven years old, and when we saw 
him had been sheared six times—the fleece of the pre¬ 
sent year not having then been shorn. The aggregate 
weight of his fleece is* sixty-seven pounds anil one ounce. 
Calling the weight of his fleece this year equal to that of 
the last, (12 lbs. 6 ozs., and it will not vary much from 
it,) the whole quantity of wool yielded by this buck in 
seven years, would amount to seven y-nine pounds and 
seven ounces! To do the animal justice, we are bound 
to say that he has great vigor of constitution, and the 
most perfect symmetry of carcass we have ever seen in 
a Merino sheep. 
Mr. Morse has about two thousand sheep, of good 
quality, but as we intend speaking more fully of his farm 
in our next number, particulars are here omitted. We 
have much more to say of Vermont farming, and shall 
resume the subject next month. 
ITEMS FOR THE SEASON. 
Grass Seed. —One of the most successful and econom¬ 
ical modes of securing timothy seed, and which is prac¬ 
ticed by some farmers to great advantage, is to reap the 
tops of the grass while it is yet standing in the meadow, 
to be afterwards thrashed and cleaned, and then the rest of 
theg rass is mowed and manufactured into hay. The seed 
thus costs only the labor of cutting and thrashing, the re¬ 
mainder affording the usual crop of hay. 
Mixing manure with the soil is of the greatest con¬ 
sequence; and it is especially so when applied in the lat¬ 
ter part of summer for the wheat crop. Wheat will not 
bear an abundant supply of unmixed manure, buried in 
large masses and lumps beneath the soil. When manure 
therefore is spread, it should be harrowed at least half a 
dozen times well, with the surface soil, before the plow 
turns it under. It thus becomes thoroughly broken, the 
soil is made mellow, and the whole is well intermixed. 
So important is this operation, that one-half or even one- 
third the manure will sometimes be equally efficacious 
where this practice is adopted. 
Trimming Young Trees. —It oftens becomes necessary 
at midsummer, to trim the side branches of young trees, 
for the purpose of throwing the strength of the growth 
into an upright form. But if the side branches are cut 
closely, the main stem becomes too slender to support 
the mass of leaves and branches forming the top, and the 
tree assumes a bending or crooked form. To obviate this 
difficulty, trim the branches within about half an inch of 
the stem, leaving short stumps, with the leaves at their 
base. These assist in some degree the lateral growth of 
the stem, and serve to stiffen it, and which may be after¬ 
wards cut closely to the stem. An attention to this par¬ 
ticular, will often save much trouble in staking up crook¬ 
ed trees. 
THE TRUFFLE AND “TUCKAHOE.” 
There are probably many people who never heard of 
the truffle, and the number in this country who even saw 
or tasted a vegetable known by that name, is quite small. 
We have often heard of the plant called at the south 
“tuckahoe,” or sometimes “Indian bread,” but having 
never seen one, had no idea till lately that it was closely 
allied to, if not identical with some of the European 
species of truffle. Our attention has been particularly 
called to this subject by reading an article in the May 
number of the Southern Planter , written by €. Camp¬ 
bell. He gives an exlract from a description of the tuck- 
ahoe plant, written by the late Hon. James M. Garnett; 
from which description, compared with that given by 
European writers of the truffle, we should have little 
doubt of their near relationship. Mr. Garnett says of the 
tuckahoe: “It is indeed a great botanical curiosity, for it 
has neither root in the ground nor stem above, but grows 
a few inches below the surface, apparently as uncon¬ 
nected with the soil as a buried cannon-ball would be. 
It is oval in shape, and varies in size from that of a goose- 
egg to that of a man's head. The coat is rough, and of 
a dark brown color—the inner substance is very white, 
similar in texture to that of the yam, and of an insipid 
taste.” 
Johnston’s Encyclopedia describes the truffle as—“A 
round fungus growing under ground in many parts of 
southern Europe, destitute of roots and leafy appendages. 
It absorbs nutriment at every point on its surface. The 
truffle is composed of globular vesicles, destined for the 
reproduction of the vegetable. * * * Each globular 
vesicle is fitted to give origin to a multitude of repro¬ 
ductive bodies, but a few of them only perfect the young 
vegetable. The parent dies; the trufinellesare nourished 
by its dissolving substance, and the cavity it originally 
filled becomes the abode of a multitude of young truffles; 
but many of them die, the stronger starving the weaker. 
The truffle is one of the most wholesome and nutritive 
of the esculent fungi, and is generally discovered by 
means of dogs, which are taught to scent it; so that on 
meeting the truffle they bark and scratch it up. Truffles 
are highly esteemed at the tables of the luxurious, where 
they are served up either roasted in a fresh state like 
potatoes, or they are dried, shred, and dressed as ingre¬ 
dients in soups and ragouts.” 
In Virginia, it is said, the tuckahoe is discovered by 
hogs, these animals being fond of eating it, and scenting 
to a considerable depth in the ground. 
Liquid Manure. —The Chinese, who are particularly 
skilful in the management of manure, are extremely 
careful not to waste the smallest portion; and, according 
to Sir George Staunton, they prefer the dung of birds to 
that of all others, and next to that night-soil, which they 
apply in a liquid state. 
