66 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
terwards fed with clay twice or three times a week, until the snow 
disappeared, and never were cattle healthier or in better condition 
when the spring opened. 
Since then, my horses, cattle, calves and sheep, when the snow 
has prevented them from obtaining earth or clay for themselves, 
have been supplied with it as often as three times a week, the 
sheep and calves from their trough, and horses from the manger. 
I have fed it to calves in the spring and summer, when they refus¬ 
ed to suck, or drink milk from the pail; that is, after they had learn¬ 
ed to drink, and it has never failed in restoring to them their appe¬ 
tite, correcting all acidities of the stomach, as magnesia does in 
children, and stopping all scourings. And as to calves I never 
have lost one in winter, and of sheep not two in a hundred since I 
commenced feeding clay to them, as I have above stated. Out of 
an hundred and forty, which I have wintered the past winter, I 
have not lost one, and the most of them are good mutton. 
I will notice one more instance of its effect upon sheep. My 
neighbor, Dr. Benjamin Butler, one of our most extensive wool 
growers, and best practical farmers, had a year ago this winter, a 
number of his sheep taken with the scours, and before he was in¬ 
formed of it some of them had died; he requested his superinten¬ 
dent to have some clay dug up and thawed, and then placed upon 
boards under their sheds; it was done, and Mr. Butler did not loose 
another sheep. 
I am perfectly satisfied that it is as necessary that cattle and 
horses should have clay given to them in winter, when the fields 
are covered with snow, as it is that they should have salt in sum¬ 
mer, and as to sheep and calves I would rather that mine should 
do without salt than without clay. 
And do we not frequently hear farmers observe, “ this is a hard 
winter for sheep;” ask the question why, and they answer, be¬ 
cause, they cannot come to the ground, or that sheep want to come 
to the ground; they all seem to have observed that it is necessary 
that sheep should come to the ground; but it does appear not to 
have occurred to them, that when they cannot, then it were their 
duty to bring ground to their sheep. 
The severity of the past winter, and the destruction of almost 
entire flocks of sheep, and numberless calves, even amongst those 
who had a plentiful supply of fodder, may possibly induce some, 
during another winter, to provide their cattle, horses and sheep 
with what the animal’s almost unerring instinct points out to him 
their nature and constitution require. For the general manage¬ 
ment of my sheep in other respects, I refer you to the 1st volume 
of the American Farmer, pages 332 and 342, under the head of 
Five Minutes Reflection on Sheep, which it might be well to re¬ 
publish in the Cutivator. 
I have endeavored for years, by persuasion and entreaty, to pre¬ 
vail upon most of, if not all, the farmers of my acquaintance, to 
make use of clay in winter for their cattle and sheep; but alas, 
such is the inveteracy of habit, that I found my advice almost inva¬ 
riably unheeded; and was it not, perhaps, because daddy never 
gave any clay to his cattle, and as he was a perfect master of the 
art of agriculture, consequently there could not possibly be any 
benefit resulting from the use of it? 
Yours truly, _ G. VAN DERLYN. 
Albany, April , 1836. 
Dear Sir —It is well known that considerable quantities of ap¬ 
ples are shipped every year for Europe, from various ports in the 
United States, but chiefly from New-York,—and that probably not 
one-fourth part arrives in good condition. Indeed, the chance of 
their being worth any thing at all on their arrival is so small, that 
the freight is always demanded in New-York on the shipment of 
them. The incessant motion of a vessel ut sea soon bruises them, 
a bruised or decayed apple gives way continually, and the remain¬ 
der are tumbled up and down in the barrel, with more or less vio¬ 
lence, for three weeks or a month. Various ways have been de¬ 
vised for packing them so as to keep safely. 1 sent in December 
last two barrels to London, which arrived in perfect order, at least 
my friend writes we word that not three in a barrel were injured. 
I procured a sufficient quantity of that black spongy earth called 
peat, such as is to be found in any swamp. It is merely dead ve¬ 
getable matter, is soft, and not liable to fermentation. After it 
was tolerably dry, I rubbed it fine by hand, and covered the bottom 
of the barrel with it two or three inches thick, then laid the apples 
carefully upon it, so as not to touch each other, covered them with 
peat, and shook the cask till it settled well down, and so on, till 
the cask was as full as it could be headed up. Perhaps this mode 
may be thought too much trouble by many; but as peat is cheap, 
abundant and light, it may be better to ship a less quantity more 
securely, than a large one in the common rough way, as many 
more would get to their destination, which after all is the main 
thing. I make no doubt that five hundred barrels might be sent 
without losing five barrels, if sound apples were carefully packed. 
Peat too is an excellent substance in which to pack plants, roots, 
cuttings, &tc. for sending to any distance. 
Yours truly, S. HAWES. 
Mr. Buel — Sir —I have read the Cultivator the year past, and 
have commenced for the year to come. As I farm it for a living I 
have been in the practice of raising some sheep. 1 purchased a pair 
of merinos of Colonel Humphrey, of Connecticut, and brought them 
into Milton—the first that was in the county of Saratoga. I have 
kept merino sheep ever since, and I find they are subject to diseases 
more than our old sort of sheep. I have read of the foot ail, and 
how to cure it, but not the first cause of the complaint. I will give 
my opinion. All sheep have an issue in the foot, between the hoofs, 
and when I see one of my sheep limp, I catch it, part the hoofs, and 
on the top of the foot, between the claws, there is some coarse hairs 
in the hole of the issue ; pull them out, and put one finger under 
the foot, one on the top, and press them down gently, and there 
will come out a thick gummy matter, which stops the issue from 
discharging; this done the sheep is well in a few days. 
If you think this worth putting in your paper, it is at your ser¬ 
vice. Please to put in better form, for I am better at the plough 
than with the pen. With respect, yours, 
Milton , April 20, 1836. SILAS ADAMS. 
Judse Buel —In the last number of the Cultivator, your corre¬ 
spondent, Mr. F., is out again, upon “ old fashioned merinos.” A 
word in reply shall suffice. The term, I dare say, was first used 
to designate a race of sheep, formerly well known to all our farm¬ 
ers, but who knew or cared little about the original flocks from 
which they came, or the names which they bore. 
It is true, the Merinos were at first badly received in this coun¬ 
try, but it did not arise from a want of constitution in the animals, 
for it is well known, that they had in point of hardiness and endu¬ 
rance of cold, greatly the advantage of our native sheep. The 
prejudices doubtless arose from their diminutive, and ill-formed 
proportions, as well as the very sickly condition in which they came 
to us, in consequence of large numbers being crowded into a ves¬ 
sel, and destitute of ordinary care and conveniences. Hundreds 
died on the voyage, and many more soon after they landed. Not 
so with the Saxons, for they arrived in capital condition, except 
they were affected with foot rot, which is always attendant on long 
journeys and close confinement. It is bad authority and worse 
taste to quote the opinion of the “ butcher,” as adverse to the 
Spanish Merinos, for that part of the subject is already well under¬ 
stood by all wool growers. The early importations of Spanish 
sheep were sufficiently “distinctive” for my present purpose, which 
has been to prove that they were infinitely better suited to our cli¬ 
mate, and their wool to the wants of our country, than any sheep 
ever imported. 
I care little about a long list of Spanish names, of no sort of 
consequence to the farmers of this country. We want the animal, 
and the most profitable animal, and leave to Spaniards and others 
their prejudices, whims and fancies, with the names with which 
they may choose to dignify them. I have been pleased to read the 
remarks of Mr. F. He adopts the ideas of Livingston, and other 
early writers on sheep. They were very well in their day, and in 
many respects are correct even now. The same remark will ap¬ 
ply to the extracts from the “Library of Useful Knowledge,” 
whose numbers furnish much valuable information in relation to 
sheep. The “ Farmer’s Series” is now being published in num¬ 
bers. It is a cheap and valuable publication, and should be in the 
possession of every wool grower. 
Mr. F. is doubtless aware that the Rambouilet flock of France, 
to which he refers, is still a Merino flock, and retains all its Meri¬ 
no characteristics. He is also well pleased that one individual in 
this country “ has kept Saxony, Escurial, Paular, separate 
