824 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Oct, 
first day, probably prevented as full a competition as 
there would otherwise have been. There was a nume¬ 
rous array of cattle-—working oxen, cows, heifers, and 
several bulls. Geo. Vail, Esq., had some handsome 
specimens of his noted herd of Durhams. There was 
also some good stock from Mr. Haswell, of Hoosick, 
and J. H. Willard, of Troy. We particularly ob¬ 
served a young cow of remarkable points for the dairy, 
offered by Jacob Y. Kip, of Brunswick. We noticed 
some very fine fat pigs, five months old, from R. C. 
Derick, of Pittstown. There was a large show of 
implements, of fine workmanship. The in-door depart¬ 
ments were well filled. The show of fruits was hardly 
as good as last year; but there were some fine speci¬ 
mens of apples, pears, and grapes, from Messrs Vail, 
Warren, and others, of Troy, and Briggs, of Sehagli- 
ticoke. There was a large display of fabrics and fan¬ 
cy articles. 
This Society has leased a piece of land for its exhi¬ 
bitions, which has been enclosed with a high fence; and 
a large building has been erected for the reception of 
articles to be shown. Permanent fixtures have also 
been put up for the cattle. The pens for sheep and 
swine, are of the movable fence, made by Mr. Coons, 
of Lansingburgh. They are very convenient, and 
when not in use are taken down and put under shelter. 
The enclosure is spacious, and the whole arrangement 
good. The plan is worthy of adoption by other so¬ 
cieties. 
Death of an Old Sheep. —In our volume for 1846, 
page 147, there is a notice of a Merino ewe owned by 
J. S. Pettibone, Esq., of Manchester, Vermont, 
which was then in her nineteenth year. Mr. P. has 
several times sent us wool from this sheep. He 
informs us that she is now dead, having had one of her 
legs broken, from which injury she did not recover. 
Mr. P. says “ she was 21 years old, and at the time 
she met with the accident, bid as fair to live another 
year as at any time for the last three years. I send 
you a lock of her wool, which I think is as fine as she 
ever produced, showing that it has not grown coarse 
with age.” The wool is certainly very handsome for 
what is called Merino; but we are inclined to think the 
fact of the fleece not having deteriorated in fineness, is 
rather an exception to a general rule. The sheep 
alluded to is a remarkable instance of the longevity to 
which the Spanish sheep is capable of reaching. We 
have been induced to refer to it particularly from the 
fact, that the statement of a competitor, in the class of 
Merino sheep, at the late fair, was doubted by some, viz., 
that one of his sheep, (a ram,) was 16 years old. 
Seedling Apple. —We have received from Mr. Job 
T. Whipple, of Union Village, Washington County, a 
sample of apples produced by a tree raised, as is sta¬ 
ted, by the father of Mr. W. It is a large, fair apple, 
handsomely flecked and striped with red. Its quality 
is very good, though generally a little over-ripe at this 
this time, (Sept. 21.) We should think it well worthy 
of propagation. Mr. Whipple thinks so highly of the 
kind, that he has grafted it to a considerable extent, 
and has some trees of the kind for sale. The apple 
was shown at the late exhibition at Troy, and was 
approved by several pomologists. 
C^We have received from Salmon Hutchinson, 
Ithaca, N. Y., a sample of seedling peaches, which 
originated with him. We are sorry to say that they 
were so much decayed when they arrived, that it was 
impossible to decide on their quality. 
Illustrated Natural History. —Edited and com¬ 
piled by Dr. A. B. Strong, author of the “ American 
Flora.” The design of this work is to furnish popular 
descriptions of the various subjects of natural history, 
accompanied by illustrations. It is published monthly 
by Green & Spencer, 140 Nassau street, New-York, 
at one dollar a year. 
Notices of Mew PiiMication§. 
The American Flora. —This is a monthly periodi- 
cal, the third volume of which is now being issued. 
Each number contains sixteen pages of letter-press, 
printed on fine paper, and four colored engravings of 
plants or flowers, taken from nature; accompanied by 
descriptions giving their properties, uses, methods of 
propagation and culture. The work is handsomely 
“ got up ”—is edited by Dr. A. B. Strong, and pub¬ 
lished by Green & Spencer, 140 Nassau street, New- 
York, at three dollars a year in advance. 
British and Foreign Medico-chirurgical Re¬ 
view.— This excellent work, of which we have fre¬ 
quently spoken, continues undiminished in value and in¬ 
terest. It is issued quarterly in London, and is repub¬ 
lished in New-York, by R. & G. S.Wood. Each num¬ 
ber contains 275 pages, comprising a view of the latest 
discoveries in medicine and surgery. It is a work of 
the highest reputation in its kind, and should be in the 
hands of every member of the faculty. Terms three 
dollars a year. 
American Journal of Science and Arts. —The 
number for September is before us. It is filled with 
valuable matter, among which we notice the following 
articles: On the Anomalies presented in the Atomic 
volume of Sulphur and Nitrogen; with remarks on 
Chemical Classification, and a notice of M. Lamont’s 
Theory of Binary Molecules; by T. S. Hunt: A new 
Method of extracting Pure Gold from Alloys and from 
Ores; by C. T. Jackson : Description of Shells found 
in Connecticut, collected and named by the late Rev. 
J. H. Linsley; by Augustus A. Gould, M. D.,—with 
many other interesting articles. Much credit is due 
the editors of this work, Professors Silliman and 
Dana, for the ability with which it is conducted. Pub¬ 
lished at New Haven, on the first day of every second 
month, at $5 per year. 
Journal of Agriculture and Transactions of 
the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scot¬ 
land. —Published quarterly, by Blackwood & Sons, 
Edinburgh and London. This is one of the ablest of 
the periodicals devoted to Agriculture. It is, in fact, 
two separate works—the different pages belonging to 
each, being issued under one cover, and at the end of 
the year are to be formed into their respective volumes 
of Journal of Agriculture, and Transactions of the 
Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. The 
contributors are some of the best-informed and most 
distinguished in Scotland and England; such as Prof. 
Johnston, John Towers, Thos. Rowlandson, Al¬ 
fred Gyde, James Duncan, J. H. Fennell, and 
many of the best agriculturists in Great Britain. The 
Transactions consist of prize essays and original pa¬ 
pers brought out by the Society, and are of high cha¬ 
racter in a scientific and practical view. 
Drying Fruit. —Apples are usually dried on scaf¬ 
folds, or strung on twine, (a bad practice for several 
reasons,) but where many apples or peaches are in¬ 
tended to be dried, some kind of a dry house is gene¬ 
rally prepared for the purpose. These are of various 
forms and constructions. The most simple is made by 
erecting over a kiln a rude log or board building, 
leaving the flue and chimney outside, so as to supply 
the flue with fuel without entering the building, and to 
permit the smoke to pass off on the opposite side. 
Inside, in addition to the kiln, a number of shelves are 
set up, to receive the fruit. In some of these a small 
stove is introduced, and the kiln omitted, or only used 
