THE CULTIVATOR. 
61 
understand, mostly from the western states. We subjoin a part of 
the schedule, to advise our readers of the high value to which the 
short horns have attained. 
Animals. 
Purchasers. 
Price. 
No. 1. Mandane, imported bull, ...... 
Mr. 
White,..... 
$600 
2. Ohio, 17 months old,. 
U 
Neff. 
700 
3. Mandane II. 2 years old, ..... 
U 
Gratz,. 
510 
4. Beilina II.. 
u 
Gratz, • •. •. 
580 
5. Beilina III. calf... 
ft 
Neff. 
300 
6. Bertram II. 2 years old,. 
u 
Crugar, .... 
500 
7. Desdemona II. 2 years,. 
u 
Martin, .... 
480 
8. Bertram IV. calf. 
H 
Purvis,. 
230 
9. Virginia II.. 
it 
Gratz,. 
500 
10. Virginia III. 2 years,.. 
U 
Purvis,..... 
440 
11. Florinda II. 2 years,. 
u 
Brent, ..... 
590 
12. Adonis II. 18 months,. 
u 
Denney, ... 
260 
13. Blockley, 10 months,......... 
u 
Martin, .... 
305 
14. Lubin, 10 months,... 
u 
Morgan, ... 
205 
15. Denton, II. 10 months,. 
u 
Fitzhugh, .. 
300 
16. Burletta II. 3 years,. 
a 
Martin, .... 
340 
17. Ruby II. 3 years,. 
u 
Brent,. 
290 
18. Defiance, 9 month,. 
« 
Barney,.... 
270 
19. Powelton,.. 
bi 
Harris, .... 
180 
20. Daphne. .. 
ft 
Neff ...... 
10C 
121. Daphne II... 
a 
Barney,.... 
185 
22. York Belle, 2 years,. 
u 
Barney,.... 
155 
$8,030 
The whole lot averaging 365 dollars each. Who, after this, will 
■doubt the propriety, or the profit, of rearing this valuable breed of 
animals. 
A correspondent, who was present at Mr. Powell’s sale, has kind¬ 
ly handed to us the following remarks : 
“ The animals were in fine condition, and were very much admir¬ 
ed by the numerous spectators. Mr. Powell certainly deserves great 
credit for his liberal exertions to introduce this superior breed of cat¬ 
tle into this country; and the above catalogue of his sale, will show 
how far he has been remunerated for his expense and trouble. Much 
benefit may be expected from the distribution of this herd. They 
were confined, however, to Connecticut, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Ohio and Kentucky. 
“ Although the prices for which they were struck off, would ap¬ 
pear high to many, still, they are much below what the same blood 
could be obtained for in England. Those imported by the Ohio Co. 
and passed through this city last summer, would not compare with 
these in symmetry of form or blood-like appearance, although they 
were obtained at high prices. 
“ The great objections to the colour of this breed are fast giving 
way, and the time is not far distant when the pure unalloyed Dur- 
hams will supersede the present race now in this country. Ohio 
and Kentucky have entered into the spirit of improvement with a zeal 
and determination, highly to be approved of; and they now possess 
more of that breed than all the other states put together. Other 
states will follow the example, and the demand will increase. The 
importance of breeding from animals with correct and pure pedi¬ 
grees, are beginning to be appreciated. Is he or she, as the case 
may be, thorough bred, and can you give a full pedigree 1 is the first 
question now asked. In England they are as tenacious of the pedi¬ 
gree of their cattle, as the Arabs are of their horses.” 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
Our legislature have passed an act providing for a geological sur¬ 
vey of the state. Similar surveys have already been made in the 
states of Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, and we believe Ten¬ 
nessee. The Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland have di¬ 
rected their attention to like surveys, and some luminous reports 
have already been rendered. From one of these, Mr. Miln’s, on the 
geology of Berwickshire, we make the following extract, showing 
some of the benefits to agriculture, which are bkely to result from 
geological surveys. 
“The connexion between agriculture and geology being thus so close and 
apparent, the only remaining question is, in what way can a knowledge of 
geology be rendered practically useful to the firmer '! A few observations 
may now be added on this head. 
“ 1. The firmer, knowing, from experiments or observation, the soils which 
are best fitted for agricultural purposes, should ascertain what the rocks are in 
any particular district, and whether they are such as are likely to produce, by 
their disintegration, rich and abundant crops. If the rocks are entirely sili¬ 
ceous, he ought to add alumina and carbonate oflime in certain proportions to 
the soil, in order to effect a proper admixture. If, in like manner, there is too 
much argillaceous matter supplied by the subjacent strata, in consequence of 
which the soil is wet and otherwise unfavorable, then he sheuld correct the 
evil by the addition of sand. 
“ But how little a r o these things attended to by farmers ! The only mine¬ 
ral substance which they ever think of adding to their land is Lime, and that 
without any attempt or desire previously to find out, whether there may not 
be already more than enough of calcareous matter in the soil, and whether it 
would not be less expensively and more effectually improved by the mixture 
of some ether substance. 
“2. The agriculturist, if he knows the formations in different parts of the 
country, with the character of which he is not otherwise acquainted, is thus 
enabled to select that part which is most likely to yield a fertile soil; and the 
same remark which applies to a person who is about to commence farming 
operations in an unknown district, applies also to the case of a person purchas¬ 
ing an estate. If he is desirous of having land capable of yielding luxuriant 
crops, he will prefer the new red sandstone district, and avoid the coal-mea¬ 
sures. If he is in search of rich sheep pastures, he will select the trap hills 
and not the grey wacke, far less the granitic chains. Such information may, 
no doubt, be of less use in a country like Great Britain, where every facility 
exists for the examination of the soil itself; but it. is easy to see how a know¬ 
ledge of the rock formations may, both to farmers and intending purchasers,. 
1 be of the greatest use in unknown regions of the earth, such as Canada, Ame¬ 
rica, and New South Wales, where no other means exist of discovering pre¬ 
viously the productiveness of the land. 
■“ 3. Nothing to the farmer is so important as a knowledge of the causes of 
wetness and dryness in the soil, and of the means which he should adopt to 
correct any excess of either. Some of his crops may bear or require a drier 
soil than others; and if he knows the nature of the rocks which occur in diffe¬ 
rent parts of his farm, he will also know those parts of it where the water will 
easily escape of itself through the subjacent strata, and those where he must 
himself supply those means of drainage which nature has denied. At the same 
time he is enabled to select those parts of the soil which, by their natural dry¬ 
ness or moisture, are the best adapted for particular crops. 
“ 4. A knowledge of the position of the strata also enables the farmer to ob¬ 
tain a supply of water when he requires it, and thereby to save him much 
trouble and expense in searching for it. For if he makes himself acquainted 
with the nature, direction, and dip of the rocks, he can tell in what direction 
the water which filters through the soil will run, and whereabouts it will pro¬ 
bably burst out in the form of a spring. 
“ it is known to Berwickshire farmers, that drains which run in a north and 
south direction, do not carry off from the land one-half the quantity of water, 
which drains running east and west carry off. One reason probably is, that 
as in the former case the drains cross the croppings of the strata, the water es¬ 
capes between their edges; whereas the drains that run east and west are pa¬ 
rallel with the edges of the strata. Another reason may be found in the fact, 
that the greater part of Berwickshire consists of undulating ridges, xvhich run 
east to west;—so that the drains that are cut in that direction are necessarily 
longer, and collect more water than the drains which cross these ridges. 
“ 5. To an agriculturist, and especially to landlords who are anxious to im¬ 
prove their estates, by building offices and walls, a knowledge of the places 
where good building materials may be found and quarried, is of the greatest 
consequence. But without some acquaintance with the nature and relative 
position of the rocks in a district, it is quite impossible to discover the particu¬ 
lar spot where stone can be found, and to what depth it must be bored for. 
“ These are a few of the most obvious advantages which would result to 
agriculturists, if their art were aided by a knowledge ol geology. Into this 
subject, however, the author forbears to enter at greater length; for he finds 
that his paper has already exceeded all reasonable limits. But enough has 
been said, it is hoped, in the brief though imperfect sketch which has been 
given, to shew the great expediency of promoting that union between the sci¬ 
ences of Geology and Agriculture, which it is the patriotic object of the High¬ 
land and Agricultural Society of Scotland to effect.” 
Sweet apples .—We have frequent inquiries, as nursery men, for 
trees of sweet apples, to cultivate for hogs and other farm stock, as 
though none but sweet apples were fit for this purpose. This opinion 
originates from a misapprehension of the qualities of the apple. In 
the first place, the nutritive property of the apple consists principal¬ 
ly in the saccharine matter which its contains. This is determined 
by the specific gravity of its juice—the heavier this, the more sac¬ 
charine matter it contains. Now the heaviest juice is found in acid 
as well as in sweet apples ; hence sour apples are as nutritive as 
sweet apples. The acid is superadded to the sweet. In the second 
place, sour apples are as grateful to the human stomach, and so they 
are to the stomachs of our farm stock, as sweet apples are, and a 
mixture is at least desirable. Sweet apples alone soon cloy the sto¬ 
mach. A friend related to us, a few days ago, that he last year 
turned his hogs into his orchard, to eat the falling fruit; that the or¬ 
chard being large, the hogs were able to consume only a part of the 
apples; that he several times went into the orchard to ascertain 
which they preferred, the sweet or sour; that he uniformly found, 
that they selected from both, and that they rejected as many of the 
sweet as of the sour. Hence sour apples are as nutritious, and as 
palatable, to man and beast, as sweet apples, and ought to be as ex- 
I' tensively cultivated. 
