350 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Nov. 
cord by wholesale in Cincinnati market; and chestnut oak 
bark, of which they have vast quantities, at $10 pr cord. 
The lumber, the wood and the chestnut-oak bark are be¬ 
ing prepared for market constantly. It is expected 
that from 4,000 to 5,000 cords of wood will be sold in 
the course of the coming year, and from 1,000 to 2,000 
cords of bark, and about 250,000 ft. of lumber per month 
through the year. They will clear about 300 acres ol 
land and seed in blue-grass, timothy and clover. They 
have made arrangements to raise 1,500 bushels of corn, 
1,500 bushels of oats—1,000 bushels o! potatoes, 2,- 
500 of turneps, 100 of beans, &c. 
In addition, they have made and are making arrange¬ 
ments to have two ships built at their landing during 
the coming summer; also, to have fifty vine-dressers 
and their families from the Rhine, commence operations 
for the raising of grapes on their own account, during 
the coming spring, by furnishing them land for planting 
their vineyards. It is expected that these families will 
be followed by others in due course of time, having the 
same object in view. The members of the K. R. R. & 
Mill Company, are nearly all New England men, and if 
they accomplish one half they intend, it will be demon¬ 
strated that men need not go to the prairies to make 
good investments. B. Oct. 11, 1848. 
Large Cattle. 
The following are the weights and dimensions of the 
most remarkable of the fat cattle exhibited at the late 
State show at Buffalo. 
J. and F. A. Alberger, of Buffalo, exhibited two 
oxen, called Empire State and Queen City. The form¬ 
er measured in girth, behind the lore legs, 9 feet 3 1-2 
inches: and his length from shoulder to end of rump 
was 7 feet 3 inches; the latter measured in girth, 9 feet, 
and in length, 7 feet 7 inches. The aggregate weight 
of the two was 5,784 lbs. 
Two oxen shown by Lyman Brainard, girthed, 
each, 8 feet 10 inches—length, 6 feet 7 inches—weight 
of the two, 4,800 lbs. 
Two oxen shown by L. Doty, measured, in girth, 8 
feet 6 inches, and 8 feet 3 inches; in length, 7 feet 7 
inches, and 6 feet 3 inches—'weight of the two, 4,670 
lbs. 
An ox shown by Edward Munson, girthed 9 feet— 
length, 7 feet 8 1-2 inches—weight, 3,100 lbs. 
The following were the live weight of cattle four 
years old : 
A pair shown by E. Sheldon, 4,295 lbs. 
u 4< (i B. Humphrey, 4,037 1-2 
“ il “ John Burns, 3,887 1-2 
One ox u u Heny Dixon, 2,200 
“ u u E. Munson, 2,100 
A pair of steers, three years old, shown by J. S. 
Wadsworth, weighed 3,390 lbs.; and a two-vear-old 
steer, shown by the same gentleman, weighed 1,497 lbs. 
A fat cow, 7 years old, shown by R. Hadfield, 
weighed 1,742 lbs.; and one 5 years old, shown by Ro¬ 
bert Fowler, weighed 2,030 lbs. One 5 years old, 
shown by Allen Ayrault, weighed 1,652 lbs. One 
6 years old, shown by Norman Kibbe, weighed 1,645. 
(This was only grass-fed. She was a cross of the 
Durham and Devon, and a very fine animal.) 
R. I. Canfield, New Milford, Ct., exhibited a pair 
of cattle, 4 years old, at the late show at Litchfield, 
which weighed 4,600 lbs. 
It may be interesting to compare these cattle with 
others of large size which have formerly attracted at¬ 
tention. The celebrated Durham ox , bred by Chas. 
Colling in 1796, measured, at ten years old, as fol¬ 
lows : girth, behind the shoulders, 10 feet ; breadth, at 
the shoulders 2 feet 7 inches, across the hips 2 feet 7 
laches. We have no means of ascertaining his live 
weight at that time; but he was slaughtered the fol¬ 
lowing year, in consequence of an accident, and though 
he was thought to have lost considerably in weight, his 
four quarters weighed 2,322 lbs., his tallow 156 lbs., 
and his hide 142 lbs.—making a total dressed w T eight 
of 2,620 lbs. 
The oxen, Maximus and Magnus , bred by Col. Cha- 
pin, Springfield, Mass., exhibited at the show of the 
Massachusetts Agricultural Society, in 1817,—(the 
cattle being six and a half years old)—measured as 
follows : Maximus , girth, 9 feet; breadth across the hips 
2 feet 6 inches—across the shoulders 2 feet 7 1-2 inches. 
Magnus , girth, 9 feet; breadth across the hips, 2 feet 
6 inches—across the shoulders, 2 feet 5 1-2 inches. We 
have never seen any account of the live weight of these 
cattle, and only know the dressed w T eight of the smaller 
one, which was 2000. 
The famous Broughton heifer, Peach , bred by Sir 
Charles R. Tempest —which won the gold medal of 
the Smithfield Club, in 1843,—and a model of which 
may be seen at the office of the Cultivator,—was four 
years and 10 months old, and gave the following 
dressed weight: four quarters, 1,770 lbs., tallow, 228 
lbs., hide, 120 lbs.—total, 2,118 lbs. 
Propagation of Mushrooms. 
The propagation of mushrooms has not received much 
attention in this country—the few that are here used 
for culinary purposes, being generally of spontaneous 
growth. The use of the vegetable is, however, in¬ 
creasing, and there is no reason w T hy it may not become 
as common here as in European countries. It has been 
supposed by some that they were of no real value as 
food—that they are only suitable for forming condi¬ 
ments, sauces and ketchups; but chemical investigation 
has shown them to be rich in nitrogen—the basis of 
muscle, &c. The following extracts from an article in 
the Transactions of the Caledonian Horticultural So¬ 
ciety, contain useful directions in regard to the propa¬ 
gation of mushrooms : 
“ Mushroom spawn (or the mycelium of the Agari- 
cus campestris) may often be found on the floor of an 
empty out-house where horses had been kept for a 
length of time. It maybe preserved in small masses 
in a dry place for future use. 
There are various ways of increasing mushroom 
spawn, but the following is, perhaps, one of the most 
simple. In the month of July prepare a quantity of 
short-litter, mixed with horse droppings. Lay this 
heap in the corner of a shed, about two feet thick, 
beating it gently down. The heap will heat pretty 
strongly at first, but when the heat has subsided till 
about milk warm, insert pieces of spawn into the centre 
of the heap. If the heap get cold, and there be not 
enough of heat to cause the spawn to run, cover the 
heap with warm horse-dung, so as to diffuse a gentle 
heat through the whole mass. When the spawn has 
run through every part, have the whole taken into a 
dry loft, where it is to be kept until wanted. 
“ The material I make up a mushroom bed with, 
consists entirely of horse-droppings—preferring those 
of horses kept on oats and hay, which are far more 
productive than those of horses fed with grass and 
clover, or other soft food. The droppings are collected 
into a shed as they may be gathered from the stables, 
turning the mass out in the day time to dry a little, if 
weather permit. When we have collected enough to 
make a bed, I have it all taken into the mushroom- 
house, and if not dried enough, it is spread on the floor 
and on the tops of the flues, turning once or twice a 
day, until we consider it half dried. It is laid alto¬ 
gether in a heap to sweat the rank heat of it, turning 
it over three or four times a day to keep it from burn¬ 
ing. When the heat has well subsided, which is gen¬ 
erally in about five or six days, we begin to make Up 
