THE CULTIVATOR. 
131 
The writer referred to has not made a fair statement. I consider 
it unfair, because he has taken only one year of the grass crop, and 
allowed nothing for an increase of the crop, after applying the top 
dressing. The quantity of hay is too small, and the labor charged 
100 per cent too high, and the labor for tilling the corn and oats as 
much too little. 
1 will venture a few remarks from my own knowledge, and let the 
result speak for itself. 
An acre o'f good grass land, suitable for top dressing, and worth 
$100 the acre, will produce 4 tons of hay annually, for at least 100 
years. I will take a four year’s crop, (the term taken for the alter¬ 
nate crop of corn, oats and grass.) 
One acre, 4 years, crop 4 tons annually, 16 tons, at $15, $240 00 
Expenses —16 cords manure,. $32 00 
Carting and spreading same,. 4 00 
Interest on land, 7 per cent,. 28 00 
Cutting and curing hay,. 32 00 
- 96 00 
Leaving,... $144 00 
Which gives an annual profit of $36 per acre annually, nearly 
three times the profit on C.’s alternate system. The price of labor 
I have charged at $1 a day, for securing the hay and putting on 
manure, and allowed one per cent more interest on the price as¬ 
sumed for the land. 
This price for labor would not till the corn and oats. I also make 
the price of hay $7 a ton less than C. and three dollars a ton less 
than he charges in the alternate crops. The “fall feed” I estimate 
at nothing, as no feeding should be suffered. 
The quantity of manure I know is sufficient to produce the annu¬ 
al crop named, eight cords to be spread every second year. There 
may exist a great error in top dressing grass lands, and this error 
should be corrected, (which I shall not at present attempt to do.) 
I think, however, it ought not to be discouraged. There may be a 
want of judgment or experience in the cultivator in selecting lands 
suitable to this mode of culture. I do not know of a more profita¬ 
ble crop that can be pursued permanently, than grass, allowing the 
price of hay to be $15 the ton. Indeed at $12 the ton, I believe it 
one of the best crops in New-England, that can be pursued for a 
long succession of years. I would not be understood, that I wish 
to discourage the system of alternation of crops. I consider it of 
the first importance ; but this must be done on lands wholly unfit to 
be kept in grass by top dressing, any length of time. 
I have no doubt there are many, very many, practical farmers, 
who have long experience and much skill in top dressing grasslands, 
who could if they wou'd, give some very valuable and correct in¬ 
formation on the subject. 
In fact, in some parts of New-England, I know it is the principle 
crop of the farm, and considered altogether the most valuable, and 
no land under any system of cultivation that I have known, will or 
can produce so valuable a crop of hay as good natural mowing, kept 
under a top dressing of manure and loam. 
Brookline, Ct. August 24, 1836. VINDEX. 
EXTRACTS. 
CLINE ON THE FORMATION OF ANIMALS. 
The form of domestic animals has been greatly improved, by se¬ 
lecting with much care the b^st formed for breeding; but the theo¬ 
ry of improvement has not been so well understood, that rules 
could be laid down for directing the practice. There is one point 
particularly, respecting which, the opinions of breeders have much 
varied, which is, whether crossing the breed be essential to improve¬ 
ment. 
It is the intention of this communication to ascertain in what in¬ 
stances crossing is proper, and in what prejudicial; and the princi¬ 
ples on which the propriety of it depends. 
It has generally been supposed that the breed of animals is im¬ 
proved by the largest males. This opinion has done considerable 
mischief, and would have done more injury if it had not been coun¬ 
teracted by the desire of selecting animals of the best form and 
proportion, which are rarely to be met with in those of the largest 
size. 
Experience has proved, that crossing has only succeeded in an 
eminent degree, in those instances in which the females were larger 
than in the usual proportion of females to males ; and that if has 
usually failed, when the males were disproportionably large. 
The internal form of domestic animals has been much studied, and 
the proportions are well ascertained. But the external form is an 
indication only of internal structure. The principles of improving 
it, must, therefore, be founded on a knowledge of the structure and 
use of internal parts. 
The lungs are of the first importance. It is on their size and 
soundness, that the health and strength of an animal principally de¬ 
pends : their power of converting food into nourishment, is in pro¬ 
portion to their size. An animal with large lungs, is capable ot 
converting a given quantity of food into more nourishment than one 
with smaller lungs; and, therefore, has a greater aptitude to fatten. 
THE CHEST. 
The external indications of the size of the lungs, are the size and 
form of the chest, the form of which should approach to the figure 
of a cone, leaving its apex situated between the shoulders, and its 
base towards the loins. 
The capacity of the chest depends on its form more than on the 
extent of its circumference, for where the girth is equal in two ani¬ 
mals, one may have much larger lungs than the other. A circle 
contains more than an ellipsis of equal circumference, and in pro¬ 
portion as the ellipsis deviates from the circle, it contains less. A 
deep chest, therefore, is not capacious, unless it is proportionately 
broad. 
THE PELVIS. 
The pelvis is the cavity formed by the junction of the haunch- 
bones with the bone of the rump. It is essential that this cavity 
should be large in the female, that she may be enabled to bring forth 
her young with less difficulty. 
When the cavity is small, the life of the mother and of her off¬ 
spring is endangered. 
The size of the pelvis is chiefly indicated by the width of the 
hips, and the breadth of the twist, which is the space between the 
thighs. 
The breadth of the loins is always in proportion to that of the 
chest and pelvis. 
THE HEAD. 
The head should be small, by which the birth is much facilitated; 
the smallness affords other advantages, and generally indicates that 
the animal is of a good breed. 
Horns are useless to domestic animals, and they are often causes 
of accidents. It is not difficult to breed animals without horns. 
The breeders of horned cattle and horned sheep, sustain a loss 
more extensive than they may conceive; for it is not the horns 
alone, but also much more bone in the skulls of such animals, to 
support their horns, for which the butcher pays nothing; and besides 
this, there is an additional quantity of ligament and muscle in the 
neck, which is of small value. 
The skull of a ram with its horns weighed five times more than 
auother skull which was hornless. Both these skulls were taken 
from sheep of the same age, each being four years old. The great 
difference in weight depended chiefly on the horns, for the lower 
jaws were nearly equal; one weighing seven ounces, and the other 
six ounces and three-quarters, which proves that the natural size of 
the head was nearly the same in both, indepedently of the horns, 
and the thickness of bone which supports them. 
In a horned animal, the skull is extremely thick. In a hornless 
animal, it is much thinner, especially in that part where the horns 
usually grow. 
To those who have not reflected on the subject, it may appear of 
little importance whether sheep and cattle have horns or no ; but on 
a very moderate calculation, it will be found that the loss in farming 
stock, and also in the diminution of animal food, is very considera¬ 
ble, from the production of horns and their appendages. A mode 
of breeding which would prevent the production of these, would af¬ 
ford a considerable profit in an increase of meat and wool, and other 
valuable parts. 
The length of the neck should be proportioned to the height of 
the animal, that it may collect its food with ease. 
THE MUSCLES. 
The muscles, and tendons which are their appendages, should be 
large, by which an animal is enabled to travel with greater facility. 
THE BONES. 
The etrengh of an animal does not depend on the size of the 
