156 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
■foreign Notices. 
The Farmer’s Magazine for Sept, received by the Bri¬ 
tish Queen, furnishes us with the portrait on steel, of 
“ Clementi ,” owned by R. M. Jaques, Esq. of St. Trin- 
ians, Yorkshire, which took the prize of 15 sovereigns 
as the best Short Horn bull calved since first of Janua¬ 
ry, 1838, at the Cambridge meeting of the Royal Agri¬ 
cultural Society. Clementi was bred by Mr. Parkinson 
of South Clifton, Notts. His dam Cassandra, by Mira¬ 
cle, and his sire Cossack, (1880 in the Herd Book.) 
The bull calf “ Collard,” sold at the Babworth sale for 
200 guineas at 8 months old, is own brother to Clementi. 
Yorkshire Agricultural Society. —The annual 
meeting of this institution, second only to the Royal 
Society, was held at Northallerton, on the 5th and 6th 
of August—Earl Spencer, president of the Society, 
officiating. The attendance was unusually large, and 
the exhibition is said to have been decidedly superior 
to any former one. The handsome sum of £645 
(nearly $3,000) was awarded in premiums on Short 
Horn cattle, Leicester sheep, horses, pigs, poultry, im¬ 
plements, draining, grains, &c. “ This noble sum was 
ably contested for in the various classes. In Short Horn¬ 
ed cattle there was probably no exhibition ever produc¬ 
ed in England equal to it, either for number or beauty 
of symmetry. This we have the authority of many ex¬ 
cellent judges to declare was the case. The display of 
sheep, although not great, excited the admiration of the 
agriculturists, and the pigs were remarkably fine ani¬ 
mals. The horses attracted great attention; the entire 
horses were very numerous, and many of them present¬ 
ed many good points. The brood mares and young hor¬ 
ses were also greatly admired.” The premium of £30 
for the best Short Horn bull of any age, was awarded 
to F. H. Fawkes, Esq. of Farnley Hall, for his “ Sir 
Thomas Fairfax.” £20 for the best 2 year old, was 
awarded to Mr. Wm. Raine for “ The Colonel.” The 
p^mium of £20 for the best Short Horn cow of any 
age, was awarded to Mr. T. Bates, Kirkleavington, for 
his cow “ Oxford,” the dam of the bull calf recently 
imported by Geo. Vail, Esq. of Troy. Several of the 
smaller premiums for Short Horns were awarded to 
the Rev. J. Higginson, of Thormanby, Thirsk, who also 
had the good fortune to receive a number of other pri¬ 
zes on horses, pigs, extra stock, &c. among which were 
the premiums “ for the best sow, large size,” and “ for 
the best boar and sow, small size.” The “ grand din¬ 
ner,” which forms a part of all such exhibitions in Eng¬ 
land, was given in a spacious pavillion, capable of ac¬ 
commodating 1,400 persons, and was attended by up¬ 
wards of 1,200. The speeches, as usual on such occa¬ 
sions, were mostly of a complimentary character, and 
would afford little interest to our readers, could we copy 
them at length; it is therefore with less regret that we 
find ourselves limited to a few brief extracts :— 
Agricultural Schools. —“ W. Mauleverer,Esq. said 
he was gald to find that the propriety of forming an agri¬ 
cultural school had engaged the attention of the com¬ 
mittee. During his recent absence in France, he had 
visited the Royal Agricultural Institution, about twenty 
miles from Paris. This establishment was founded in 
1829, by Charles X.; and its results had been a mate¬ 
rial and positive benefit with regard to agriculture. 
There was also an experimental farm attached to the 
institution; it was established in joint-stock shares, and 
had been the means of enabling many young men to ob¬ 
tain an advantageous livelihood, who would otherwise 
have been in obscurity and indigence. He then read 
some extracts from the prospectus to this institute, and 
observed, that if something of the same nature was at¬ 
tempted in shares of 10Z. 15/. or 20/. he had no doubt 
a sufficient sum would be speedily raised, and that the 
institution would be supported.” 
“ The chairman, Earl Spencer, said he had some doubts 
on the advantage of an experimental farm, but he had no 
doubt whatever of a school of agriculture, providing the 
difficulties could be overcome in establishing it. With re¬ 
ference to an experimental farm he had a greater doubt, 
because it could be experimental only for that farm. 
His own opinion was, that a greater improvement 
might be effected in agriculture by the assistance of in¬ 
telligent farmers than by the establishment of experi¬ 
mental farms. He alluded to the importance of the 
Highland Society and the great improvement which it 
had produced in the agriculture of Scotland ; he then 
observed that he trusted the principle on which agricul¬ 
tural societies were formed, to combine scientific im¬ 
provement with the exhibition of stock would be bene¬ 
ficial. With regard to the veterinary art, with the ex¬ 
ception of the treatment of horses, every thing was in 
a most backward state. He was happy, however, to say, 
that the English Agricultural Society had allied itself to 
the Veterinary College in London, and secured the de¬ 
livery of lectures on the treatment of cattle. He could 
assure .them that any gentlemen who had cattle afflicted 
with any disease which the local farriers could not com¬ 
prehend, on sending up a statement of the symptoms to 
London, it would receive every attention.” 
“ Sir R. Bateson observed, that for 13 years they had 
had a model farm and school in the North of Ireland, 
which had been attended with very beneficial results. 
They had now 72 pupils on the books, and between 
three and four hundred pupils had left the school, from 
pll of whom they had received favorable accounts of 
^heip p,r,Qgre,ss iq the world. He detailed at some length 
the' satisfactory state of the school, and in conclusion 
returned thanks for the interest taken in Irish affairs by 
the Yorkshire Society.” 
Agricultural Pursuits. — “ If I might be allowed 
to express my own opinions, I should say that the pur¬ 
suit of agriculture, the cultivation of the land, and the 
improvement of the fertility of the soil, is one of the 
most delightful and most instructive, and the most ho¬ 
norable pursuits in which a man can be engaged, and 
not only leads him to contemplate the wonders of crea¬ 
tion and the works of nature, and of nature’s God, but 
it also enables him, by the aid of successful industry, 
and by the application of science, to effect improve¬ 
ments which, under the blessings of divine Providence, 
cannot fail to be advantageous both to the age in which 
he lives and the generations yet to come.”—W. Dun- 
combe, M. P. 
“ You are all aware that in the course of my life— 
now not a very short one—I have applied myself to 
many and various pursuits, but I have at last come to 
that which I believe to be my natural one—I mean the 
improvement of agriculture—-the promoting of agricul¬ 
ture by my own endeavors, and by assisting the endea¬ 
vors of others. Mr. Duncombe told you it was a pur¬ 
suit worthy of being followed; I will tell those who are 
entering upon life that they will find no pursuit which 
gives more satisfaction—I will say they will find no pur¬ 
suit which will give so just an occupation of their time 
with less annoyance and less disturbance to their tem¬ 
pers. No other in which they will feel such full satis¬ 
faction that they are doing good in pursuing their own 
pleasures at the same time that they are improving the 
cause of agriculture. It is a pursuit to which one and 
all of us should wish success. It is one of those pur¬ 
suits which is most delightful to follow ; it is a pursuit 
which may be carried on without time ever hanging 
heavily; an occupation interesting in the highest de¬ 
gree, and while the agriculturist is promoting his own 
interest, he also promotes the interest of every one of 
his neighbors.”— Earl Spencer. 
Protection of Sheep. —“ The point which my very 
few observations will embrace is the extraordinary in¬ 
crease in the growth and condition of sheep by being 
fed under cover, in an open yard, with a shed in it. 
This idea had no doubt occurred to many others besides 
myself, but I am not aware that any one has so fully 
examined into the effects attending that inquiry as I 
happened to do in the course of last winter and the win¬ 
ter before. Gentlemen, the principle is one that we 
have acknowledged in every practical way, by every¬ 
thing that eats, namely, that if it has plenty to eat, is 
warm, and has nothing to do, it is very likely to in¬ 
crease. I certainly was not aware, until by repeated 
experiments I tested the truth of it, namely, that the 
same animals when placed in the shade and kept warm, 
not only increased rapidly, very much more rapidly in 
their condition and weight than when out in the open 
air, but also that they consumed a much smaller quan¬ 
tity of food. This I have tested, both last year and 
this. I have not the papers by me to refer to, but as 
far as my recollection goes, it is this, that the quantity 
of food consumed was less by at least one-third, and that 
the increase of weight was fully one-third, taking it in 
round numbers. At the beginning of the season I built 
a shed which will contain about eighty hogs (a shed 
which will serve for cattle as well,) and I merely put 
down a few rough planks for the cattle, as I have found 
that it is a great advantage to have boards to lie upon 
and if they had straw, and it was to get wet, they would 
be liable to get the rot in their feet. I brought those 
animals up last Christmas, and I found that before two 
days had elapsed they did not eat so much as when they 
were out of the fold, by the proportion of five to three. 
When in the fields they eat fifty basketsful of turneps, 
but when brought up they eat only thirty a-day, there¬ 
fore their improvement was in the inverse rate of their 
cost. Yet such great progress did they make that you 
would have thought they had been eating fifty baskets a 
day when shut up, and only thirty when in the field. I 
gave them with their turneps a little oilcake, and cer¬ 
tainly the size they grew to was so very great, that at 
thirteen months old I sold them without their wool for 
37s. a piece—and I really believe that if the turneps be 
pulled and brought into the shed they will go twice as 
far as when consumed in the field.”—J. W. Childers. 
Kentish Sheep. —We saw some specimens of the 
breed of sheep alluded to in the following extract, at 
Rochester a year or two since. They were brought 
from England by Mr. S. W. Shotter, then a resident 
of Pittsford, but now we believe residing at Stamford, 
U. C. “ A few days since, observing some sheep which 
displayed a very beautiful symmetry, on board the 
steamer Tamar, we made some inquiry and found that 
they belonged to two gentlemen named Denne. These 
sheep are of an improved Kentish breed, and are from 
the celebrated flocks of Mr. John Palmer, of Herne, 
near Canterbury. Great trouble has been expended up¬ 
on this breed, which has been brought to such perfec¬ 
tion that the fleeces weigh upwards of six pounds, and 
a six months’ fleece weighed four pounds and a half. 
Notwithstanding the great weight of the fleece, the sta¬ 
ple is uncommonly fine and strong, so much so that for 
some years past the whole of the wool has been pur¬ 
chased for the French manufacturers, at prices varying 
from 2s. to 2s. 3d. per lb.” “ Messrs. Denne, who were 
farmers and graziers to a very considerable extent in 
Kent, have obtained these sheep with a view of cross¬ 
ing them with the Merino and Saxon breeds in this co¬ 
lony, and so highly are they esteemed by competent 
judges, that ten and twelve guineas have been offered 
for rams of the first cross with Merino ewes. Lord 
Western, the celebrated breeder of Merino sheep, has, 
we are informed, lately turned his attention to this im¬ 
proved breed of sheep, and is now crossing them with 
Merinos, with the view to the production of a long and 
strong wool.” 
Berkshire Hogs. —We copy the following paragraph 
from a notice of “ Low’s Illustrations of Domestic Ani¬ 
mals,” in the London Farmer’s Magazine :—“ The draw¬ 
ing of the old English sow, and the Berkshire, show 
admirable specimens of the effect of art, in deriving 
from these originals our present improved breeds. The 
aptitude of the hog in receiving alterations is wonder¬ 
ful; so that every county, and almost every parish, has 
now a separate breed of that animal. The size has 
been much reduced to suit the taste of large towns, and 
in doing so, there has been sacrificed, as usual with oth¬ 
er animals, the mixture of fat with the muscular fibre, 
the property of fecundity, and of nursing a numerous 
progeny. For bacon, a large sized animal is indispen¬ 
sable, and for finer purposes we have now many excel¬ 
lent smaller breeds. The Berkshire breed we have al¬ 
ways regarded as our best for general purposes, as com¬ 
bining both useful size and quantity. The drawing here 
given of the old breed, shows the straight back, round 
carcass, and square form, broad chest, and short neck, 
which form the points of excellence at the present day. 
It would be desirable to get rid of the black color in the 
present breed, for we think that of all colors, the white 
is the most agreeable in all animals, as pigs and poul¬ 
try, where the skin is allowed to remain in cooking.” 
The latter part of this extract would seem to show that 
notwithstanding what has been said about white Berk- 
shires in this country, in England such a breed of pigs 
is unknown. 
The Crops in England. —According to the monthly 
Agricultural Report for August, in the Farmer’s Maga¬ 
zine, “ the grain crops, and particularly wheat and bar¬ 
ley, were in many districts, fine almost beyond recollect¬ 
ed precedent.” “ With respect to this year’s growth of 
wheat,” says the editor, “we have come to this mature 
conclusion, viz : that it will come up to a fair average 
for the kingdom, and prove the fairest as to quality, ev¬ 
er gathered.” 
Lamb Fairs. —Annual Fairs are held at stated places 
in various parts of Great Britain, for the sale of stock. 
We notice reports from several Lamb Fairs held in the 
month of August, at which the number of sheep present 
will astonish those unacquainted with these Fairs ; for 
instance, at the Arlesford Fair, 46,000 sheep were pre¬ 
sent—at Melrose, 70,000, and at Ipswich, 110,000 sheep 
and lambs were penned. 
Agricultural Museums. —“ It will be interesting to 
our readers at a distance to be informed, that the Messrs. 
Drummond have, in the course of the present year, 
erected a large new building, and that the Stirling Ag¬ 
ricultural Museum is now, in fact, one of the most pro¬ 
minent and elegant edifices in the burgh. It is situated 
in the lower part of the town, is of an oblong shape, 
composed of four flats, and adorned in front with a re¬ 
markably chaste and elegant portico. The museum is 
principally contained in the upper part of the building, 
in two spacious halls, each measuring about 160 feet in 
length, and 21 in breadth. The eastern windows of the 
upper hall command an extensive prospect, comprehend¬ 
ing the whole carse of Stirling, with its beautiful boun¬ 
dary of the Ochils on the north, and reaching to the dis¬ 
tant line of the Pentlands in the extreme southeast. 
It would be impossible, nor is it necessary, that within 
our present limits we should attempt to give any details 
of the contents of these elegant rooms. Few of our 
readers are unaware that the most prominent objects in 
the Museum are the agricultural implements, (the col¬ 
lection of which, is probably unequalled in extent and 
completeness, either in this or any other country,) the 
collection of seeds, roots, and plants, from all quarters 
of the globe, and models of almost every object of in¬ 
terest or value to the agriculturist.” 
DEATH OF DR. PERRINE. 
Extract of a letter from a gentleman at Jacksonville, 
East Florida, dated 24th August, 1840, to his friend at 
Lansingburgh:— 
“ If you have tears to shed, prepare to shed them now ! 
Your Botanic friend Perrine is no more. He was cru¬ 
elly murdered by the Indians, a few days since, at his 
residence at Indian Key. The Indians, about 150 in 
number, effected a landing on the Island, from their ca¬ 
noes. They were fired upon by a Lieutenant from a 
gun-boat, and would have been beaten off, but after three 
or four shots, one of his guns burst, and the other went 
overboard, it is supposed from excessive charging. The 
Indians proceeded to the work of destruction. Perrine, 
after concealing his family, armed himself,and went out 
to assist in the defence, but was immediately killed. 
“As a man of useful science, of ardent patriotism, 
with equal talents to effect his country’s good, with a 
commensurate desire to apply them to that purpose, he 
has not left his equal behind him. He has struggled 
through more obstacles, and overcome more opposition 
to effect his benevolent designs, than would have discou¬ 
raged any other man; and he had overcome every im¬ 
pediment but the Seminole war. He had his wonderful 
collection of exotic plants, flourishing in high luxuri¬ 
ance ; and was waiting with calm solicitude for the time 
when he could take possession of the land which Con¬ 
gress had granted him, to mature and display the result 
of his long and painful labors.” 
