148 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
April, 
From Long Point , 7 miles up the Cayuga Lake, a 
line north of west , separates the deep water on the south. 
Over the northern part, varying from 12 feet deep at the 
Bridge, to nearly 30 in the deepest places, the ice regu* 
larly forms in winter,—while south of that line where 
the water suddenly deepens, it generally continues open. 
When I came to reside in this county (46 years ago,) 
some of the first settlers said that opposite to Levana, 
the ice had never been more than “ a thin skim,” break¬ 
ing up in the course of the day; and I am not aware 
that any exception to this rule had occurred previous to 
1832,* when a number of persons passed over the ice 
from Aurora into Seneca county. 
The continuance of cold as well as its intensity , is de* 
serving of consideration. One severe night in the 3d 
month, produces much more ice than one equally cold 
in the beginning of winter. The descent of heavy snows 
into the lake, also prepares it for freezing. 
In regard to the depth of this lake:—More than fifty 
years ago, J. L. Richardson of Auburn, (late First 
Judge of the county,) informed me by letter, that he 
had taken soundings opposite Levana, making its great¬ 
est depth 250 feet; and Dr. John Gridley (who has 
given me many other particulars,) stated that in 1826, 
he found the greatest depth of the lake opposite to 
Aurora, 282 feet. These measurements show a dip to 
the south of nearly 16 feet to the mile. It is well known 
that the dip of the strata is in that direction; but wheth¬ 
er the Hamilton Group was excavated down to the lime¬ 
stone below, and that these measurements give the true 
dip, can be only conjectural, though it seems not im¬ 
probable. 
The State Geologistf of the Third District, has said 
that the greatest depth of this lake is 396 feet; but the 
name of his informant, the extent of examination, and the 
point in the lake, are not given. 
Feeding Stock—Large and Small Animals, &c. 
Eds. Cultivator — I have lately been reading the 
State Agricultural Society’s Transactions for 1849, 
which I only got some two weeks ago. To the discus¬ 
sions at Syracuse on Sheep farming, I have paid particu¬ 
lar attention, and I am surprised to see men of intelli¬ 
gence, and men of science, prefer one breed of sheep to 
another because they are small eaters. I have been a 
feeder or keeper of sheep and cattle from my youth, 
and I never saw an animal pay for his keep, if a small 
eater. I mean everything I have on my farm to eat 
heartily, and then I think I have a fair chance for pay. 
The Saxon sheep with me, would not eat enough in cold 
weather; but would stand in the most sheltered places 
in the yards or under the sheds, while the Merinos, would 
be at their racks eating with a good appetite. Conse¬ 
quently, the Saxons would get poorer, while the Merinos 
* In that year, Christopher Morgan, senior, (father of our pre¬ 
sent Secretary of State,) made the following memorandum, which 
has been obligingly famished by one of the family: 
“ February 27, 1832. The Cayuga Lake was frozen over on the 
2Gth. Six persons crossed over from Aurora to the opposite side 
of the lake on foot. On the 27th, five persons chained across from 
the Stone Store House, and found the distance to be 268 chains and 
36 links,” i. e. equal to 3 miles and 113 rods. Previous to that time, 
some trigonometrical attempt had made it 4 miles and 80 rods! 
t The late Lardner Vanuxem. 
were getting fat; and I long since discontinued keeping 
Saxons—they are not adapted to our climate, at least 
such Saxons as I have been acquainted with. They 
have not wool enough to keep them warm. Besides, 
their pelts are as thin as paper, while the right kind of 
Merinos have pelts almost thick enough to make water 
proof boots. 
I notice, also, that those gentlemen, or some of them, 
think that their sheep eat according to their size. 
I have heard it said, ever since I can remember, that 
every animal but man, ate according to its size; and 
this was said, too, by those who were thought men of 
knowledge; but I am fully convinced that they were 
under a mistake. It is not easily tested in sheep, but 
in my stall-fed cattle I have tested it beyond a doubt, 
and I do say, (without fear of contradiction by practi¬ 
cal men,) that I can fat a steer that will weigh 800 lbs. of 
beef, with as little feed as I can fat one that will not weigh 
over 500 lbs., and in nine cases out of ten the former 
will gain much faster than the latter. Everything de¬ 
pends on the natural propensity of the animal. 
I am now fatting steers, as usual. I feed 42 this win¬ 
ter, and 110 wethers. Of my steers, 34 are fat, and 
sold to go off next Monday. They are 4 years old this 
coming spring, and very fine. The others are younger, 
and I shall keep them till summer. I shall soon buy 
in another lot to have fat in June, or early in July. By 
doing so I make immense quantities of manure and get 
a fair market price for my corn and hay. I buy and 
feed some oil-cake, besides. 
I think there are not so many cattle as usual fatted in 
this section this winter, as many lost by them last year, 
and so far, what have been sold will scarcely pay their cost 
and keep, but the value of the manure is incalculable , 
especially on wheat growing farms. 
Experiment in Feeding the Seed of Pigeon-weed. 
—I made an experiment in feeding pigeon-weed seed, 
ground fine, to cattle. I selected two steers, one ap¬ 
parently a good feeder, the other rather hard in the hide 
with coarse hair, and, as I thought, the worst feeder 1 
had. Those two I commenced feeding with four quarts 
of meal of Pigeon-weed, (alias red root, alias steinkrout,) 
per day. They eat it well, and gained. I increased it 
to six quarts per day; they still eat it, and did well. I 
thought it cost me nothing, and I increased it to eight 
quarts each per day; they still eat it for a few days, 
when both refused to eat the same morning. I removed 
it from their manger, and gave them a very little corn 
meal, which they eat in the course of the day. 
The same day they both commenced purging, and con¬ 
tinued so for two days. I offered them no mealof any kind 
until the purging stopped. I then commenced with four 
quarts of the pigeon-weed meal to each per day, and con¬ 
tinued at that and no more, and they are now fat—both 
being about the same fatness. Therefore I would put it 
down for a certainty, that cattle can be fatted on pigeon- 
weed meal, with from four to six quarts per day; but 
that eight quarts must not he fed. 
Now these two cattle were in a lot that I fed myself, 
during the whole time, with the exception of the week 
just past. 
Eradication of Pigeon-weed.—B y the by, I believe 
I have found out an easy way of exterminating that pest 
