42 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
he will improve them, of producing like results; and let his pride, 
his ambition, and a commendable desire to become useful and dis¬ 
tinguished, prompt him to a diligent and persevering use of his fa¬ 
culties, mental as well as physical, in the spring-time of life. Eve¬ 
ry step we advance in the principles and practice of agriculture, 
tends to enlarge our view, increase our pleasures, and to urge us for¬ 
ward. Every improvement in this art serves to benefit the human 
family. 
From the Poughkeepsie Telegraph. 
Messrs. Editors —I read in the agricultural department of your paper of the 
2d instant, a statement of the products of the farm of Mr. Samuel T. Vary, of 
Kinderhook, Columbia county, which was published at the request of the 
Agricultural Society of that county. It looks large, yet having kept an ac¬ 
count the last year, I am induced to send you an abstract of it for insertion in 
the Telegraph, that it may be seen that Dutchess is not only able to keep up, 
but to go ahead. My statement differs some Mr. Vary’s, as I give in whole 
numbers what my farm produced, and then what Isold from it. He only gave 
the sales, among which were four cows, two oxen, and two steers, all beef, 
which, it seems to me, must have been reducing his stock. My farm contains 
158 acres ; 143 of which are tillable. Mr. Vary has 145 acres of tillable land. 
The whole amount of the proceeds of my farm for the year 1835. 
190 bushels wheat, at $1.25,. $237 50 
165 do. rye, at 94 cents,. 154 69 
325 do. corn, at 75 cents,,. 243 75 
900 do. oats, at 50 cents,...... 450 00 
27 do. buckwheat, at 50 cents,. 13 50 
7 live shoats,.......... 40 00 
1200 pounds pork, at 7 cents,. 84 00 
3 calves,.. 9 50 
90 tons ofhay,at $22,.. 1,980 00 
Advance on 26sheep, ... 65 00 
60 bushels potatoes, at 25 cents,. 15 00 
$3,292 94 
The amount of sales from the above . 
100 bushels of wheat, at $1.25,...... .. $125 00 
165 do. rye, at 94 cents,. 154 69 
200 do. corn, at 78 cents,.... 156 25 
700 do. oats, at 50 cents,. 350 00 
7 live hogs,.... 40 00 
pnlvps Q 
75 tons hay', at $23.50,"!.*!.."""!!!'!1,762 50 
Advance on 26 sheep,..... 65 00 
Received for pasture and feed exclusive of my own stock,... 60 00 
$2,722 94 
Expenses for labor, &c. on farm,. 275 00 
Nett nrofit 447 Q4 
Poughkeepsie, March 15, 1836. " ’ DAVID HARRIS. 
N. B. A letter from a correspondent at Wappinger’s creek, gives 
us the product of fifteen acres of wheat, raised in that neighbor¬ 
hood, by Mr. Peter Ackerman, which averaged about 37 bushels 
the acre. It was sown on a clover sod, pastured till July. This 
is an extraordinary crop for an old cultivated district, and is ano¬ 
ther evidence of the agricultural improvement of old Dutchess. 
SPANISH MERINO vs. SAXON MERINO. 
We have given full seope to the controversy touching the rela¬ 
tive merits of these two kinds of merino sheep, for they are both 
from the same parent stock, till some of our readers complain of its 
being rather an uninteresting topic. Men will commend what they 
best succeed with, and sometimes, and not improperly, what they 
wish to sell. It is admitted that the Saxons have the best wool; 
but this is obtained, say the advocates for the Spanish stock, at the 
expense of carcase and hardiness of constitution. We can well re¬ 
member, that a strong prejudice obtained against the Spanish me¬ 
rinos on their first introduction, and it was not until within a few 
years that their reputation for usefulness became well established 
among us. This prejudice was in some measure owing to a want of 
knowledge of the proper mode of treating them, and to their change 
of climate, which caused the loss of many, and the deterioration of 
others. The same prejudice has had to be combated in other coun¬ 
tries, on the introduction of merino sheep, as in Prussia, Silesia, 
Hungary and France, and it has required the persevering exertions 
of distinguished individuals, and the patronage of the governments, 
to overcome it. But it has been overcome, and the merinos have 
obtained a footing and a reputation in most of the countries of Eu¬ 
rope; and by careful attention to improvement, in several they 
have been made to excel, in intrinsic value, the parent flocks of 
Spain. French marinos, at the public sales at Rambouillet, in 
1834, sold, rams at about #100, and ewes at #50. They were of 
course select animals. The writer on sheep, in the Fanners’ Se¬ 
ries, which has just come to hand, speaking of the relative merits 
of the Saxon and Spanish merinos, says in strong language, “ Ths 
Saxony sheep are decidedly superior to those hr ought immediately 
from Spain, not only in their wool, hut their general form and pro¬ 
pensity to fatten.” Without a particle of interest to influence our 
opinion, we do not hesitate to say, that we consider the introduc¬ 
tion of the Saxon merino as a valuable acquisition to our husbandry, 
but by no means to the exclusion of the Spanish merinos. And we 
are also persuaded, that by adopting the Saxon mode of improve¬ 
ment, the Spanish merinos may be made to yield as fine a fleece 
here as they have in Saxony. The Spanish merino has not dege¬ 
nerated in any country, that we have heard of, where he has re¬ 
ceived proper attention. It is not climate so much as care, that 
eauses the shades of difference. There are good and bad Spanish, 
and good and bad Saxon merinos; and the bad opinion of the lat¬ 
ter, we mistrust, lias arisen from the fact, that in the fever of spe¬ 
culation, many inferior Saxons were imported, and bought up by 
men who were not competent judges, and that these inferior ani¬ 
mals have tended to bring into disrepute the whole family. 
We give below the figure of a Saxon buck, and an extract giv¬ 
ing the history of their introduction from Spain, their treatment, 
and improvement, which cannot fail to interest our wool growers, 
and to eradicate unreasonable prejudices which in some eases cer¬ 
tainly exist. 
“ The Elector of Saxony ranks among the first who patriotically 
and wisely devoted himself to the impovement of the inferior breed 
of sheep which pastured on the neglected plains of Germany. The 
indigenous Saxon breed resembled that of the neighboring states r 
it consisted of two distinct varieties, one bearing a wool of some 
value, and the other yielding a fleece applicable only to the coarsest 
manufactures. 
“ In 1765, at the close of the seven years’ war, the Elector import¬ 
ed one hundred rams and two hundred ewes from the most improv¬ 
ed Spanish flocks, and placed a part of them on one of his own 
farms, in the neighborhood of Dresden ; this portion he kept un¬ 
mixed. He endeavored to ascertain how far the pure Spanish 
breed could be naturalized in Saxony. The other part of the flock 
were distributed on other farms, and devoted to the improvement 
of the Saxon sheep. 
“ It was soon sufficiently evident to the enlightened agriculturist, 
that the merinos did not degenerate in Saxony; many parcels of 
their wool were not inferior to the choicest fleeces of Leon. The 
best breed of the native Saxons was also materially improved.— 
The prejudice against every innovation, on the practice of their an¬ 
cestors, was, however, as strong in Saxony as elsewhere, and the 
majority of the sheep-masters were still averse to the improvement, 
but the Elector was determined to accomplish his object; he im¬ 
ported an additional number of the Spanish sheep, and then, adopt¬ 
ing a measure unworthy of such a cause, he compelled those who oc¬ 
cupied land under him, to buy a certain number of the merino sheep. 
“It was not necessary long to pursue this compulsory system: the 
most prejudiced were soon brought to perceive their true interest. 
The pure merino breed rapidly increased in Saxony: it became per¬ 
fectly naturalized; nay, after a considerable lapse of years, the 
fleece of the Saxon sheep began not only to equal the Spanish, but 
to exceed it fineness and manufacturing value. 
“ By referring to page 155, it will be perceived that a sample of 
picklock merinowoo] was l-750tbsof an inch in diameter,and exhibit¬ 
ed 2,560 serrations in the space of an inch; while the Saxon wool(see 
page 89) was only l-840ths of an inch in diameter, and presented 
2,720 serrations of an inch. Corresponding with this, and most 
satisfactorily illustrative of the account which has been given of the 
structure of the fibre of wool and its felting property, and manufac¬ 
turing value as a dependant on that structure, the price—the true 
test of value—of the best Leonese Spanish wool in 1834, varied 
from 2s. 6d. to 4s., while that of the Saxon wool was from 4s. 9d. 
to 5s. 3d. per pound. 
“ The government of Saxony very materially contributed to this 
result by the establishment of an agricultural school, and other mi¬ 
nor schools for shepherds, and by distributing certain publications 
which plainly and intelligibly explained the value and proper ma¬ 
nagement of the merino sheep. The government may fail to ac¬ 
complish many capricious or tyrannical objects, but it will receive 
its best reward in the full accomplishment of its purpose, when it 
thus identifies itself with the best interests of its subjects. 
