162 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
TO WESTERN EMIGRANTS. 
Messrs. Editors —If many of the intelligent persons 
who emigrate from the Eastern States to the “ Great 
West,” could look a few years only into futurity, they 
would greatly profit by it, not only to themselves, but to 
the country. Will any of those who intend in future to 
emigrate, profit by the kind hint of a friend ? 
Instead, then, of bringing with you many cumbrous 
articles of furniture that will be almost useless in such a 
residence as you must necessarily inhabit in a new 
country; or at any rate, such as you can well dispense 
with in a log cabin let me honestly advise you to 
bring the worth of it in “ Berkshire pigs,” “ Durham 
bulls,” “ Leicester sheep,” and other improved machinery, 
that will add much more to your wealth and comfort, 
than mahogany side-boards, tables and chairs, and gilt 
looking glasses. 1 do not object to these things 
in their proper places—but the place for them, is not in 
a house composed of rough logs, having the cracks be¬ 
tween them “ chinked” with rails, and •‘ daubed” with 
mud; having a floor made of “ puncheons,” that is, plank 
split out of logs, the roof covered with “ shakes,” or 
“clapboards,” about four feet long, laid upon round poles; 
the chimney built without stone, brick, or mason, com¬ 
posed of sticks and clay—the door of split boards, with 
wooden hinges and latch—for such are some of the “ fix- 
ins” of a log cabin—and in such a dwelling-place has 
many a good family lived comfortably, contented, and 
happy, while earning the means to provide a better one— 
and in such an one has been many a good piece of fur¬ 
niture spoiled by an exposure, which such articles are 
not calculated to endure. Besides, such articles run 
much more risk of loss and damage on the passage than 
a cage of Berkshire pigs. 
Let me earnestly advise every person intending to em¬ 
igrate to the west, particularly the northern parts of In¬ 
diana and Illinois, to which water communication is so 
cheap, safe, and convenient, to dispose of all articles of 
luxury, that are unsuitable to the situations they will be 
likely to be placed in, for a few of the first years of their 
new habitation, and invest the proceeds in valuable stock, 
and improved farming implements, with a variety of the 
best seeds; and my word for it, they will find their ac¬ 
count in it. 
A word more, honestly spoken. Although the inha¬ 
bitants of all new countries are anxious to see it settle 
fast, and urge their friends and acquaintance to “ come 
west,” without distinction, there are many that come 
who are entirely unfit for “ new settlers.” An able gene¬ 
ral selects a small portion of a large army for pioneers, 
because of the peculiar fitness of that small part for that 
arduous and important service. It is my opinion, that 
a much smaller portion of the community are fit for pi¬ 
oneers in settling a new country. Too little heed has 
been paid to this important fact, in the great rush for 
the west, a few years past. Thousands have rushed 
forward with the bright vision of an n el Dorado ” be¬ 
fore them, to find nothing but disappointment, loss of 
property, vexation of mind, and consequent loss of health, 
and sometimes loss of life ; all attributable to their own 
heedlessness, rushing headlong into a situation that na¬ 
ture, education, and habit, had totally unfitted them to oc¬ 
cupy. Let not my western readers say, that I would dis¬ 
courage the settlement of the country ; I always have, 
and always will, encourage the thousands who have, and 
who would better their situations, by emigrating from the 
old states to the west. But let every person disposed to 
emigrate, first seriously inquire whether he would bet¬ 
ter his situation or not. Let him lay open to himself, 
and more particularly to his wife and children, if such 
be have, a complete picture of the case ; and don’t let 
him forget to point out all the shades as well as bright 
spots in the picture. To a large portion of the new set¬ 
tlers of a new country, there is an indefinable charm in 
“making a beginning” in an uncultivated wilderness, 
and causing it to “ blossom like the rose,” that lends life 
a pleasure, and overbalances all difficulties. 
Happiness, and not wealth, should be the aim of all; 
though no man should allow himself to be happy , with¬ 
out he is doing some good in the world—promoting the 
happiness of his fellow creatures, as well as himself. 
And to such dispositions only, will my present advice be 
availing ; but to such, I hope it will avail so far as to 
make them inquire, when they are preparing to emi¬ 
grate, whether they will not be likely to contribute to 
their own wealth and happiness, and that of their fellow 
creatures, by following some of my present advice. 
I believe I could advise wdio would be likely to benefit 
themselves by emigration, but that would be _ advice 
thrown away. But I hope the advice to all emigrants, 
to bring with them some choice selections of stocic, as 
the most profitable investment of money that they could 
make, will not be entirely lost. 
Here is a vast country of the richest soil, not one- 
tenth part cultivated, forming a pasture for stock equal 
to your eastern clover fields, and susceptible of support¬ 
ing immense herds, making tons of beef, butter, cheese, 
and pork, with small labor, and no interest upon the eost 
of valuable land. But we are lamentably deficient in 
stock; in half a dozen counties, there are not half a dozen 
pairs of Berkshire hogs. In fact, hereabouts is the worst 
breed of liogs I ever saw in any country. Sheep are 
of the coarse common kind, with no means of improving 
them ; and although it is supposed by many, that sheep 
require a hilly country, I never saw sheep do better in 
any place than in this prairie country. But with a good 
breed, we also need a good breed of shepherd’s dogs, for 
the prairie wolves are very troublesome. These are a 
species between the wolf and fox. They are somewhat 
larger than the largest kind of fox, and “ bold as the 
devil.” At this season of the year, the sheep* need con¬ 
stant watching in the day time, and close yard at night. 
There are none or very few big wolves, or other trou¬ 
blesome animals. Sheep and cattle are easily wintered 
on native grass, and the country is entirely free from 
disease among flocks. If, then, men grow wealthy upon 
stock farms that are worth $100 an acre, what would we 
do here with the same kind of stock, where a man may 
get 80 acres for $100; with an unbounded range of com¬ 
mon for pasturage? For dairy farms, a prairie country 
is remarkably fine; the native grass producing the rich¬ 
est kind of milk, and the fattest and richest beef I ever 
saw on grass alone. But of pork, I will only say that 
it cannot be made of the animals common to this coun¬ 
try. Come, then, old and young, rich and poor, male 
and female, all who sincerely believe after mature re¬ 
flection, that you can better your condition by emigra¬ 
tion, and you shall find a wide and fertile country ; but 
be sure you bring every one of you, an improved pig, 
or sheep, or cattle, or plow, or other implement, and 
that you cultivate the soil in an improved manner, and 
you will improve yourselves and neighbors. 
And now I hope you may improve by the advice of 
your old friend, SOLON ROBINSON. 
Lake C. H. Ia., Aug. 20, 1840. 
THE SHORT HORNS AND HEREFORBS. 
I have been for some years a subscriber to the Culti¬ 
vator, and have been much instructed by the frequent 
notices of fine specimens of stock that have from time 
to time appeared in different numbers. Of late those 
notices, generally accompanied by a beautiful portrait, 
have become more frequent, and so far as I have had an 
opportunity of forming a judgment upon the plan, it is 
a good one—the youth particularly , are attracted by the 
picture, and are anxious to read about it, and see what 
it is. This generally creates a taste, and often enlarges 
it where it has been already created, and the results in 
both cases are highly beneficial. 
The only objection I see to the present strife about 
cattle is, that the object mainly appears to be, who shall 
produce the largest specimen of the species. Other 
considerations appear to be generally merged in this. 
Whether or not this will be productive of good to the 
country, is a question it would be well for the commu¬ 
nity to examine closely. The opinion that the do¬ 
mestic animals of a country should be well suited to 
the usual and ordinary accommodations that can be con¬ 
veniently had for them, meets with universal approba¬ 
tion. Now, if the great strife is, whp shall produce the 
most extraordinary animal, of course extra food and 
accomodation of every kind must be provided for all 
the stock intended for competition, often to the manifest 
injury of the other stock of the same farmer—a very few 
“ brag beasts” are kept, and often a large number of cattle 
that are not worthy of commendation. 
Another matter of surprise, not only to me but to 
many others who derive their book knowledge of these 
matters from your paper, is the effort now apparently 
making both in England and America to elevate a dif¬ 
ferent breed of cattle over the heads of the Durhams. 
I have particularly examined the account of the recent¬ 
ly imported Herefords in the few last numbers of the 
Cultivator, and read the appended recommendations. I 
have never seen a sample of the Herefords, but have 
been familiar with their history as recorded by Mr. 
Youatt, in his work on “British Cattle;” and taking 
the text as laid down by him minutely, the recent dis¬ 
coveries of excellencies in these cattle, calculated to 
place them before the Durhams or Short Horns, have 
been matters of considerable surprise. This, to some 
of the advocates of the Herefords, may sound strange ; 
but the strangeness of the observation will disapear, if 
they examine fully the chapters devoted by Mr. Youatt 
to the different breeds of cattle, in what may be now, 
strictly speaking, called their native country. If I un¬ 
derstand the work referred to, the engravings in it are cal¬ 
culated for correct representations of the living animals ; 
and, independent of the writings, they alone will be 
sufficient to satisfy any breeder that some ol the alle¬ 
gations made of the superiorities of the recent impor¬ 
tations of Herefords, if they resemble their progenitors, 
cannot be correct. If these statements are correct, and 
the appearance and test of the animals will prove it, 
then “ improvement has been extended to them.” If 
they have now properties that the breed in the time 
of Youatt’s writings had not, it is a very important 
question to know how they have acquired those pro¬ 
perties. Mr. Youatt says, “the Hereford cow is ap¬ 
parently a very inferior animal. Not only is she no 
milker, but even her form has been sacrificed by the 
breeder.” These observations, or these assertions of 
positive facts, for such we must take them to be when 
from a standard work, do not read well, with the re¬ 
cent assertions of Mr. Sotiiam and Mr. Bement the 
first of whom holds out the idea that they are equal to 
the Short Horn or Durham, and the latter that they are 
very good milkers and large. The latter gentleman, how¬ 
ever, states that he has understood their qualities for milk 
have been “ recently improved." How have they been 
improved in their quality for milk? Not certainly by 
breeding among themselves, for the trite and true axiom 
is settled, I believe, that “ like will beget like.” If then 
the Herefords in the time of Youatt, and for years be¬ 
fore that, were “ no milkers,” how has the present im¬ 
provement in that quality been effected ? It must have 
been by the aid of some other breed, celebrated for 
their possession of that quality, and by whose aid also 
the form of the Hereford cow has been so materially 
improved; for Mr. Sotham says, his are fine looking 
animals, and so says Mr. R. L. Allen, if I recollect 
right, who states that he saw them near Albany. 
Now, Messrs. Editors, may it not be possible that we 
are at the commencement of another “ stock mania,” by 
which John Bull is about to realize thousands from the 
farmers of America, by selling them a compound breed 
of beautiful cattle, the essentia] qualities of which have 
been derived, and that very recently, from the Short 
Horns, that we have been making heavy importations of, 
for years back ? Let any candid man answer the ques¬ 
tion to his own satisfaction. See what the Herefords 
were—hear what they are now, and then say if there is 
any impropriety in charging their admitted “ recent 
improvement” in points in which the Short Horns excel, 
to an admixture with them. If such is the fact, and we 
have a number of the finest specimens of the Short 
Horns, cannot we, by judicious crossings and attention 
to these matters, form for ourselves, if I may be allow¬ 
ed the expression, a breed of grade cattle, without ex¬ 
pending enormous sums to pay our transatlantic neigh¬ 
bors for doing work that we ought now to do for our¬ 
selves ? The state of the times is such as to call loudly 
upon every man in every station of society to do his 
duty to himself and to his country; and I state it boldly, 
without fear of contradiction, that there is now abund¬ 
ant material in our own country, to retain by judi¬ 
cious breeding, the purity of the full bred Durham, and 
to commingle their perfections with the stock of our 
own country, in such a manner as to produce a race of 
animals equal to that of any other country under the 
sun, for dairy properties as well as for the butcher. 
It appears to me that the community—for there in 
part the fault lies—lay too much stress upon the fact of 
“ recent importation.” The breed is then said not to 
have deteriorated, &c. &c. &c. Now we all know that 
the importation of stock has been carried on ever since 
the settlement of the country more or less, and we also 
know, if there is any truth in certificates, that we have 
hundreds of the best samples of horses, cattle and hogs, 
now in America, of different breeds and different fami¬ 
lies of the same breed, and admittedly enough to start 
with. Now let us see a little American spirit displayed, 
and a large amount of determination diffused among 
our farmers and others, to foster and encourage those 
who have expended their money and spent their time 
in procuring and rearing a superior breed of cattle 
and swine. The idea of deterioration, where proper 
attention is paid, is all ideal; the race of man, all will 
readily admit, has not deteriorated. Why then should 
cattle ? Let our character as agriculturists and stock 
breeders be stamped with more nationality , and let us 
foster our own enterprising breeders. Let an American 
Herd Book be opened, and breeders be fully assured of 
the quality of the animals they purchase, and let them 
prefer purchasing from American breeders, and the race 
of cattle and swine will be no worse than those we are 
paying large prices for, and running the risk of carry¬ 
ing across the Atlantic. Respectfully yours, 
J. H. HEPBURN 
Jersey Shore, Lycoming co. Pa. August 12, 1840. 
Queries for the Best Methods of Cultivating Clay 
Land. 
Messrs. Editors —The intelligent and experienced 
cultivators of clay land, will confer an incalculable bene¬ 
fit on our agriculturists, by communicating through the 
columns of the Cultivator, the best method of prepar¬ 
ing and managing this description of soil, for the differ¬ 
ent kinds of crops. The experience of England, Scot¬ 
land, Ireland, New-England, Neiv-York, and sections of 
the south and west, in this matter, collected from judi¬ 
cious and observing practical farmers, properly condens¬ 
ed and arranged, would be invaluable to the mass of our 
community. For my oivn part, though I have seen clay 
land worked more or less these two years, yet not hav¬ 
ing participated to any extent in the practical opera¬ 
tions of the different modes, I am as much at a loss for 
the most approved methods, as if their cultivation had ne¬ 
ver come under my eye, and it is to solve these doubts, 
which I believe are nearly universal, that these queries 
are submitted. 
1. When should green sward (each query applying 
solely and exclusively to hard clay land,) be plowed for 
wheat, barley, oats, peas, and roots, and how i Specify 
the time of year and condition as to moisture. 
2. Should it be plowed a second or third time, and 
how and when ? Specify the direction of plowing, if a 
second time or more ; whether across the old furrows, 
and u-hat depth at each plowing ? 
3. How many times should it be harrowed, and when ? 
4. Should the roller be used in all cases, and how ? 
5. At what time should the different crops be put in? 
6. What is a proper rotation for clay land ? 
7. In a rotation, can clover alone be made a good 
crop, and how much seed should be sown to the acre? 
8. Can good crops be got from stiff clay, without ma¬ 
nure, for any or all the above mentioned grains and 
roots. 
9. In laying down a permanent meadow, what grasses 
should be used, and what quantity of each kind? 
10. Is plaster good for stiff clay—when should it be 
applied, how, and in what quantities, and how often ? 
11. Can corn ever be raised at a profit in clay, north 
of 42° 45', and how ? * 
12. Should meadow lands ever be disturbed or broken 
up ; and to sustain and renew their vigor, what are the 
best modes of treatment ? Erie. 
