178 
iSS 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Alpaca or Peruvian Sheen.—[Fig. 84.] 
This animal, which from its great resemblance to the 
Camel, was classed by Linnmus, in the Camel idee, is 
the Lama of Peru and Chili. There are according to 
Cuvier, three species of the animal; the Guanico, the 
Paco, and the Vicuna. It is the Paco or Alpaca which 
is represented above, and which from the peculiar 
qualities of its long silky hair or wool, has obtained the 
name of Peruvian sheep. It is a hardy animal, being 
U9ed for beasts of burden in the mountainous regions of 
Peru, being able carry from 150 to 200 lbs. over those 
mountain passes, some ten or fifteen miles in a day. Its 
foot adapts it to a mountain region, and being gifted 
with a thick skin and a fine fleece, and never perspiring 
like the common sheep, it is capable of enduring a great 
degree of cold, and resists damp or rain better than the 
hardiest races of the common sheep. The Alpaca 
wool is whiter, brighter, not being colored with the 
animal secretions as common wool, is straighter, strong¬ 
er, and softer, small in fibre, pliable and elastic, more 
resembling silk than wool, and producing a fabric of a 
texture between silk and common sheep’s wool. In con¬ 
sequence of this animal possessing such valuable proper¬ 
ties, both in flesh, and in wool, a great effort is now ma¬ 
king to introduce it extensively into the more elevated 
districts of England and Scotland, as it is thought it will 
be more valuable in every respect, and save the annual 
expense of about two millions of dollars, which it is 
calculated is now expended in oil, tar, butter, &c. for 
smearing sheep and saving them from the effects of wet 
and cold in these same districts. There are at present 
from 90 to lOu Alpacas in Great Britain, and it is ex¬ 
pected quite a number will be introduced the present 
year, through the exertions of Messrs. Dawson and At¬ 
kins, who exhibited several at the meeting of the Bri¬ 
tish Association at Liverpool. From a memoir printed 
for the Nat. History Society of Liverpool, by Mr. Wal¬ 
ton, we gather the following facts:—“The Alpaca 
sheep breed in the third year, the period of gestation 
is seven months, have one at a birth, attain the height 
of 3J or 4 feet, and usually live ten or eleven years. In 
Peru, they are mostly shorn every third year, about 
April, when the wool is about 8 inches long ; it usual¬ 
ly grows three inches in a year, but if shorn yearly 
grows six or eight inches, and the fleece weighs from 
six to eight pounds. A male Alpaca shorn three years 
ago had a coat from eighteen to twenty inches long ; 
and instances are known of Alpaca wool attaining the 
extraordinary length of thirty inches. The weight of a 
full grown carcass is about 250 lbs. and the meat is of 
the finest quality, being fully equal to venison.” The 
Society above named, recommend the Alpaca, “ as a 
breeding stock not likely to interfere with sheep pastur¬ 
age, and as being calculated to supply the manufactur¬ 
er with another raw material of our own growth, ap¬ 
plicable by its fine quality and glossiness to the purpo¬ 
ses of silk ; and thus not interfering with either the 
growers of British wool, or worsted spinners, and 
woolen manufacturers.” Considerable quantities of 
Alpaca wool are imported into England, where it is 
much of it spun, taken to France, and made into the 
finest chashmere shawls. It is also extensively mixed 
with the finer worsted goods, and in many cases passes 
for silk. The best camlets and moreens have more or 
less of it in their texture. 
We allude to this subject here, because we wish to 
ask, why the Alpaca, if it possesses the qualities as¬ 
cribed to it, both as productive of food and clothing, 
might not be successfully introduced into the United 
States? It is perfectly hardy, its food is the coarsest 
grass, and it thrives where a common sheep would 
starve, its flesh is excellent, and its fine fleece ; is use¬ 
ful for many purposes to which our Saxon or Merino 
wools, from their shortness and the difficulty of making 
them perfectly white, are inapplicable. There are 
large tracts of country both in New-England and New- 
York, not indeed too elevated for sheep, but which there 
is little doubt would be found perfectly adapted to the 
Alpaca. We hope some of the enterprizing Americans 
engaged in the South American trade will make an ef¬ 
fort to transport some of these valuable animals to this 
country. Just before the French occupied Spain, a num¬ 
ber of the Lamas, embracing the three species, were 
sent from Peru and Chili across the continent to Bue¬ 
nos Ayres, and thence shipped to Cadiz. They fell in¬ 
to the hands of the French, and Bory St. Vincent, who 
was then with the French army, made accurate draw¬ 
ings of them, and paid much attention to their habits, 
for several years.. It was found that the fleece of the 
Alpa-Vicunia, (produced by a cross between a Vicunia 
and an Alpaca,) has a much greater length than any 
other variety, and is several times heavier. In the 
journey and voyage from Peru and Chili across the con¬ 
tinent and ocean, they were fed with potatoes, maize, 
or corn, and hay. As soon, however, as the supply of 
potatoes was exhausted, and they were confined to dry 
food alone, constipation came on so violently, that 
medical aid was required, and several died during the 
transit. 
MEW P UBLICA TIONS. 
Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society. 
Vol. 2, part II. London. 
This is a valuable publication, devoted to the pub¬ 
lishing the Prize Essays on the various topics of Agri¬ 
culture proposed by the Royal Society. It is issued 
occasionally, in numbers of some 200 pages each. 
There are several good papers in the present number, 
one of which is “ On the Specific Identity of the fungi 
producing Rust and Mildew ; by J. S. Henslow.” This 
paper is illustrated with an engraving representing this 
fungus in its several states, and proving very conclu¬ 
sively that the red matter called rust on wheat, is only 
the spores of the mildew plant Pucinia graminis, at an 
early period of its growth ; the fungi assuming a dark¬ 
er hue, and a somewhat different form, at a iater pe¬ 
riod. This fact of identity is of some practical im- 
•portance, since the farmer has only one instead of two 
enemies to attack, and will therefore be more likely to 
devise some method of ensuring success. 
In some remarks on the blight supposed to be pro¬ 
duced in wheat by the berberry, Mr. Henslow seems to 
admit that there is some connection between the blight 
and the plant, though he says he has “ met with no 
evidence which can explain the nature of this relation.” 
Mr. Pussy, President of the Royal Society, in a note to 
this article describes a case in which a berberry hedge 
having frequently blighted wheat, it was grubbed up, 
and while this process was going on, one of the largest 
of the bushes was removed and placed in the middle 
of the 'wheat field. “At reaping, it was found that 
the straw and grain for two or three yards around was 
evidently injured by mildew.” As a setoff to this, we 
may mention here the experiment made by Col. Hecox 
of Skaneateles, when a berberry bush was planted out 
early in a wheat field, grew and flourished, without 
producing the least effect on the wheat as was witness¬ 
ed by many. The fact that the mildew of wheat and 
that of the berberry are two distinct plants, as we have 
shown by engravings at p. 120, vol. 7th of the Cultiva¬ 
tor, is sufficient to do away this impression that the 
berberry is more injurious than any other bush of 
equal size. — 
Siilimans’ Journal of Science and Arts. 
The leading paper of this excellent quarterly for 
October, is the “ First anniversary address before the 
Association of American Geologists, at their second 
anual meeting in Philadelphia, by Prof. Edward Hitch¬ 
cock.” It is a rapid and lucid review of the progress of 
geological science, and its present state in this country ; 
with numerous illustrations of its connection with ag¬ 
riculture, religion and the natural sciences. There is 
also an able paper on the fossil Infusoria, (rock meal 
of Sweden) by Prof. Bailey of West Point. The as¬ 
tonishing fact, that vast masses of our hardest rocks, 
and large bodies of earth, are nothing but the shells of 
microscopic animals, is fully shown. There is also an 
interesting account of the progress of steam naviga¬ 
tion in the Pacific ; and remarks on the connection of 
the Atlantic and Pacific by a cut acros the Isthmus of 
Panama. There are besides a great number of papers 
on various subjects of science, with copious bibliogra¬ 
phical notices, &c. &c. New-Haven Ct. Messrs. Silli- 
man,Editors. Terms $6.00 per annum. 
Blacklock’s Treatise on Sheep. 
For the re-publication of this standard English work 
on sheep, we are indebted to those enterprising publish¬ 
ers, Wiley & Putnam of New-York. Blacklock’s Trea¬ 
tise on Sheep, is one which contains more valuable in¬ 
formation respecting the sheep, than any other work 
extant. It is illustrated by a series of good engravings, 
representing the different kinds of sheep ; the processes 
of washing and shearing ; the structure and growth of 
the wool ; the diseases of the animal, such as foot rot, 
and hydatids, with sections of the foot, head, &c. 
There is scarce a subject of importance connected with 
this animal, that is not here fully discussed, and the 
whole is compressed into a cheap and portable volume. 
Messrs. Wiley & Putnam deserve not only much credit 
for their selections, but also for the fine style in which 
they are getting out their books intended for the use 
of the farmer. Every man who keeps sheep should 
have a copy of Biacklock. 
North American Review, for Oct. 1841. 
This is a capital number of this capital work, as a 
glance at its table of contents will show. The subjects 
of the papei’s are as follows :—Moschele’s Life of 
Beethoven ; Early History of Ohio ; The Navy ; Rural 
Cemeteries; Relations with England ; Dr. Harris’s 
Memorials of Oglethorp ; Stephen’s Incidents in Cen- 
tral America; Wright’s Translation of La Fontaine; 
Critical Notices, &c. The article on Ohio, is the one 
which to us is the most interesting in the number ; and 
in truth the history of that state is a study for the agri¬ 
culturist, the political economist, and the statesman. 
Here is a territory with a million and a half of inhabi¬ 
tants, with astonishing resources of nearly all kinds, 
a soil producing annually some 15 or 20 million bushels 
of wheat, and 30 or 40 million bushels of corn, and yet 
the time when its soil was only trod by savages is in the 
recollection of many. The growth of an empire is here 
seen from the greenness of youth to powerful man¬ 
hood ; and of the many events sketched in the Review, 
and the works at the head of the article, there 
are many who can say,“ this I saw, and part of that 
I was.” The papers on the Navy, and on our Re¬ 
lations with England, are ably written, and will attract 
attention at the present time. The views are in general 
just, and the matters in dispute are touched in a clear 
and forcible manner. There is a spice of old Fannueil 
Hall in the papers, which proves that the spirit of’76 is 
not yet extinct. The review of Stephens is most favor¬ 
able ; indeed it could not well be otherwise, for Stephens 
is the beau ideal of a traveller. By the way, we are 
glad to learn that he and his former companion are off 
to Central America again, to complete the exploration 
and survey, and perhaps removal of some of the 
most striking of these monuments of olden time. Bos¬ 
ton, Munroe & Co. 
Essay on Steam Plowing—Practical Essay on 
Milking. 
We have received from the respected author, Wil¬ 
liam Blurton, of Field Hall, Utoxeter, England, two 
small pamphlets, the titles of which are given above. 
Mr. Blurton is a decided advocate for the use of the 
steam plow, and the Essay is devoted to proving its 
practibility and its feasibility. If his arguments and 
statements are well founded, there would seem little 
room for doubt, that at no distant period the steam plow 
will be found indispensable on large farms. We have 
long believed that if the steam-plow ever comes into 
use, it will be invented by a Yankee, and first used 
on the prairies of the great west. 
The Essay on Milking is chiefly devoted to the sub¬ 
ject of draining the udder of the cow by means of the 
“ syphon and can,” invented by the author, as well as 
showing the nature of the causes that produce “ hold¬ 
ing up of the milk,” in many cows. The importance 
of great care and regularity in the milking is strongly 
enforced, particularly in securing the whole value of 
the “drippings” or “ strippings,” as the last milk 
drawn from the cow is called. We have always been 
afraid of machinery for drawing oil' cow’s milk, since we 
knew a few years since several cows who had their udders 
destroyed by inflammation, resulting from attempts 
(which were for a time successful and promised much)to 
drawoff milk by inserting tubes in the teats, instead of 
forcing out the milk by the hand in the ordinary way. 
Mr. B’s apparatus may be better than the one we saw 
tried ; but after all, we believe the soft hand of the dai¬ 
ry maid is the best apparatus for extracting milk. Mr. 
Blurton considers the “ holding up of milk,” to result 
from over fullness of the udder, which causes conse¬ 
quent partial inflammation and retention. We do not 
doubt this is sometimes the case, but some cows hold 
up their milk at times when it could not result from 
rich and nutritious food, and the consequent secretion 
of extra quantities of milk, and in a manner which 
proves to us that it is a voluntary act, and depending 
on the volition of the animal. The engravings which 
accompany the work are well executed, particularly the 
one representing a section of the udder. Of the facts 
contained in these Essays we may hereafter avail our¬ 
selves. 
