40 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
when made acquainted with its object, avail themselves of its advanta¬ 
ges, and thus become useful members of the community. I am deeply 
impressed with the idea, that much good would result from the establish¬ 
ment of such institutions, and have thus imperfectly and crudely made 
the suggestion, with the hope that some able and influential writer will 
advocate the measure with his mind and pen. W. W. J. 
Remarks. —There is no doubt that Savings Banks would be as bene¬ 
ficial in the country as in the city, where these disadvantages are ma¬ 
nifestly great. But there are two serious difficulties—that of inducing 
responsible persons to take charge of such banks, gratuitously, and the 
difficulty of making investments of the moneys deposited.— Cond. 
MERINO vs. SAXONS. 
Mr. Buel—D ear Sir—The recent discussion that has appeared in 
your paper upon the subject of “ Old Fashioned Merinos,” I think can¬ 
not be totally void of interest, especially to the wool growing portion of | 
community. The discussion has called forth remarks from those who 
still retain some of the remains of the Merino blood, as well as from 
those who are still breeding a race of sheep denominated the Saxony, 
who seem to be sincere in their belief, that the Saxony sheep are the 
best calculated for a flock for the farmers. But, sir, happening to be a 
practical farmer and a wool grower at the present time, and having a 
flock of sheep composed of a few “ old fashioned Merinos,” the remain¬ 
der Saxonys, permit me to offer a few plain remarks upon the two 
breeds of sheep, Having been in the farming business but a year or 
two, consequently my knowledge cannot be very extensive, but what I 
have learned respecting sheep husbandry, has been principally by ex¬ 
perience, and notwithstanding the labored communications that have 
appeared in your paper, in support of the Saxony breed of sheep, yet 
I am thoroughly convinced, that the “ old fashioned Merino,” or as one 
of your correspondents has expressed himself, the “ American Merino,” 
must be the breed of sheep from which the farmer and wool grower 
can expect to realize their income. When I first turned my attention 
to farming and to sheep husbandry, there was a great fever throughout 
the country, to obtain the Saxony sheep, and to quickly dispose of the 
Merinos, for we were repeatedly told that from the former we could re 
alize double the profit: consequently in selecting my flock, I did not 
purchase any but what was of the pure Saxony breed. The loss that I 
have sustained is very great, and my neighbors have all shared the 
same fate with me. I am now disposing, as fast as possible, of my de¬ 
licate Saxonys, and supplying their places with strong and healthy 
“old fashioned Merinos.” We have repeatedly been told, through the 
medium of your paper, (and certainly with a great deal of truth,) that 
the Merinos are a hardy race of sheep, strong constitution and exactly 
fitlted for our cold climate, while the Saxonys are a delicate tender 
breed of sheep, weak constitution, and unable to withstand the severity 
of our northern winters. I am confident thatthe farmer loses nothing in 
giving his flock of sheep grain during the winter, but he will be the gain¬ 
er, for in his Merinos he will perceive an improvement in their looks; but 
in the Saxonys, notwithstanding he may give them grain, yet in the 
spring they begin to lose their flesh, their appetites are gone, and they 
become weak and sickly, and this too at a time when they ought to be 
in good heart, to be enabled to take care of their young; but they be 
ing in such a miserable condition, their lambs die, and if the mother 
survives, the wool is checked in its growth and consequently does not 
shear but about two-thirds of a fleece. Thus you see, the farmer loses his 
lambs, together with a part of his fleece. This is not the result ol mis¬ 
management—for let a flock of Saxony sheep receive the utmost care 
and attention possible, in a measure, the condition of the flock will be 
similar to what I have said above. The subject of sheep husbandry is, 
at the present day, one of great importance, and I sincerely hope that we 
shall see many more communications in your paper upon that subject. 
_ Yours, fee. G. T. 
SHEEP HUSBANDRY—No. VI. 
Mr. Editor —In the February number of the Cultivator, I unex¬ 
pectedly noticed the compliment on my “rounded periods.” Being now 
only a plain practical farmer, I had not attended particularly to their 
configuration, holding the subject matter more important than the man¬ 
ner. I hope no critic will attack the subject matter, for I am ill dispos 
edto controversy. As F. is so far removed from A. B. I feel unwilling 
to approximate in a controversial way upon a subject of common inter¬ 
est. This thing ought to be conducted otherwise. 
I have not yet arrived at the point of embracing the whole medley of 
the first importation of Spanish sheep, Escurial, Montaru, Gaudaloupe, 
Paulaur, Negretto, &c. At that early period we were but imperfectly 
acquinted with their distinctions; and mainly influenced by the impor¬ 
tance of the acquisition of Spanish sheep. And then to have this busi¬ 
ness so deserted, and these sheep so degraded ! as to be even rejected 
by the butcher ; and now, because the price of wool has advanced the 
price of sheep, to say, give us our “old fashioned merinos.” 
If we go to the drover or the butcher, they will reply, they were not 
worth preserving. Gone, gone, 
If we could have them as they came from Spain, they would be an 
admixture of all flocks; this to my mind is not “ distinctive. 11 
Mr. Gilbert, member of the National Institute of France, whom I 
have formerly quoted, in speaking of the stock from which the Ram- 
bouilet was derived, says, “ but having been chosen from a great num¬ 
ber of flocks, in different parts of the kingdom, they were distinguished 
by very striking differences which formed a medley disagreeable to the 
eye.” We hear of no disposition in the managers of Rambouilet ^“re¬ 
trograde” to this old fashioned period. 
Mr. Jarvis has done this thing in better style; he has told us in the 
Cultivator, No. 10, page 155, that he has kept his Saxony, Escurial, 
Paulaur, &c. separate—and with great frankness says, “there is very 
little difference between my Saxon and Escurial fleeces.” And further 
observes, “my Merinos carrying much heavier fleeces than in 1810.” 
Whence then this feverish sensitiveness to “ old fashioned merinos”? 
If gentlemen, with the discriminating views and practice of Mr. Jarvis, 
will take sheep, of the different Spanish flocks, and the Electoral Meri¬ 
no ; preserve them pure, keep them distinct, then might they present 
their experience for public examination. Otherwise I must consider 
“ old fashioned merino” as even a bad “ barn yard phrase.” 
If any one had asserted that the Paulaur is a large, hardy sheep, a 
heavy shearer, and for those who keep a few sheep, or bestow little 
care; and particularly for those who manufacture their own wool, is 
preferable to the Electoral or Escurial, I should not have controverted 
it, in my own “ chimney corner.” 
All those who are particularly devoted to antiquity and principled 
against improvement, would be unmolested in this harmless enjoyment, 
unless they place themselves in the way of the grand progress of mo¬ 
dern improvement and discrimination. When all the other occupa¬ 
tions of mankind are evincing their skill and advancement, I should 
feel ashamed of farming, if it was necessarily so low as to remain sta¬ 
tionary ! much more to be compelled to “ retrograde.” 
The term Saxony sheep, and old fashioned merinos, are both too in¬ 
definite to satisfy a good shepherd, which I have endeavored to illus¬ 
trate in my preceding numbers. I intend to hold myself to the last, op¬ 
posed to carrying refinement too far, in any shape, or under any deno¬ 
mination. From my peculiar locality, I availed myself of the opportu¬ 
nity of procuring by selection, Saxony sheep and merinos, of most of 
the Spanish flocks, and of rescuing the remnant of some choice flocks 
from the knife of the butcher. 
An opinion has arisen in the minds of some, and undoubtedly an 
honest one, that Saxony, sheep have ruined our flocks. I would refer 
them to my first number in the Cultivator, to show that all the sheep 
denominated Saxony, ought not to be admitted as an improvement. I 
have had among my Saxony and Escurial, individual sheep exceeding¬ 
ly fine; but with open, thin fleeces, delicate and tender, flat-sided and 
poor nurses. And I find them equally among both. These I exclude 
from propagating. And no flock of merinos of any description can be 
sustained or improved in any other way. 
I am confident that it will be ultimately acceded by those who now 
doubt, and those who now controvert the opinion, that the Electoral 
close woolled merino, is an improvement on the Spanish. And I am 
mainly desirous to excite our shepherds and growers of wool, to the 
use of the same means which have elevated the Electoral and Rara- 
bouilet flocks. And to me the way seems open. In estimating the dif¬ 
ference of latitude between Saxony and New-York in whose favor 
would it fall? Are we better or worse shepherds ? They rear lambs 
and produce fine wool for exportation. 
My Saxony sheep are subjected to the same exposure with my me¬ 
rinos, which they have sustained equally well. They have thick hea¬ 
vy fleeces, averaging with my merinos, but evidently and decidedly finer 
and more elastic. One of my Electoral bucks last year, sheared five 
pounds of washed wool. They were not during the last severe winter 
sheltered more than five nights. We do not farm in exotic green house 
style in this part of the great state. 
All that can be reasonably asked of the editor or the public, is can- 
did examination and patient experience. We are all aiming at one ob¬ 
ject; and why should we fall out by the way? 
Respectfully yours, F. 
P. S. I suppose the admission of stricture and animadversion neces¬ 
sarily involves the privilege of temperate reply. With this I think I 
shall close, and leave this subject to those who like controversy better 
than myself. 
Note —We regret this determination of our correspondent, and would 
request a continuation of his favors on this or other matters of rural 
import.— Cond. 
A HINT TO FARMERS—GREAT VALUE OF APPLES. 
J. Buel, —In the fall of 1835, I gathered about 150 bushels of good 
sound apples, of different kinds, and put them into my cellar, for the 
purpose of feeding them out to my stock of cattle and pigs, to see what 
effect they would have. When hard weather commenced, I had two 
cows that gave milk; I put them into a stable, and commenced feed- 
