34 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
IMPROVED SHORT HORNED BULL « ARCHER.”— (Fig. 12.) 
OWNED BY J. M. SHERWOOD, ESQ., AUBURN, N. Y., 
Which obtained the first Premium at the Fair of the New- York State Agricultural Society, at Syracuse, Sept. 29th, 1841. 
“ Archer” is in color mostly white, with a roan head and neck—his body has some roan spots—was bred by 
F. Rotch, Esq., Butternuts, Otsego Co., N. Y. Calved 15th of June, 1837. Sired by Rollo. 
Dam,Adaliza, by Frederick, 77.71.1060 
G. 
CC 
Adelia by Orpheus,. 
473 
G. G* 
CC 
Alpide by Alfred,. 
23 
G. G. G. 
CC 
Strawberry by Winsor, .. . 
698 
G. G. G. G. 
CC 
Old Dairy by Favorite, ... 
252 
G. G. G. G. G. 
CC 
Old Daix-y by Punch,...... 
531 
G. G. G. G. G. G. 
CC 
Old Dairy by Hubback,... 
319 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker—I have seen, in a late 
number of your paper, a letter over the signature of A. 
B. Allen, stating, among other things, that “we can 
make Ayrshires by the thousand here, by crossing Dur¬ 
ham bulls on our best native milkers.” I think this 
would certainly be something very desirable, if it can 
be accomplished, as the Ayrshire breed of cattle stands 
unrivaled for their milking qualities, and for the good 
quality of the butter and cheese produced from it. Ad¬ 
vertisements of the two latter articles are to be found in 
many parts of Britain. If such a breed can be as easily 
“ made” as Mr. Allen says they can, the sooner we go to 
making them the better, and begin with the “best” 
Durham bulls that we can find in the country, even at 
the present time, without waiting for Mr. Allen’s impor¬ 
tation next year, from the only “one man’s herd that 
can improve our own.” (Query. Does the best breeder 
of Durhams in England sell his “ best” cattle ?) That 
such a cross as is recommended by Mr. Allen would 
greatly improve the form, if not the milking qualities, of 
our native stock, whether the best or the worst milkers, 
does not admit of a doubt, but that it would produce 
Ayrshires is quite another question; and, in my opi¬ 
nion, is an idea too absurd to be entertained for 
a moment by any person who possesses a fraction of the 
knowledge of these matters that is generally ascribed 
to Mr. Allen; and I would caution all those (if there 
are any such) who put faith in Mr. Allen’s doctrine, not 
to be disappointed if the result, as asserted by him, does 
hot happen. The person who cannot detect the differ¬ 
ence between such a cross, or even of a cross between 
the Ayrshire and native, which would certainly be more 
like the pure stock, and that of a pure blooded Ayrshire, 
must have a very unpracticed eye indeed. Did Mr. Allen 
ever see a cow from such a cross, which looked like an 
Ayrshire ? If so, will he be so good as to inform us 
where, that we may have an opportunity of judging for 
ourselves, or will he be kind enough to give us some 
good evidence of the fact ? for I think we require some¬ 
thing more than his mere ipse dixit, that we may go to 
work with some good hope of success. As the breed is 
now becoming “popular, and all sorts of impositions” 
are likely to be “ practiced” on it, we ought to be very 
cautious in believing assertions, even from high autho¬ 
rity, if not backed up with evidence: we have had too 
much quackery already in many things. Will Mr. Allen 
“ stake his reputation as a breeder and his judgment as 
a man,” that the Ayrshires are a cross at all ? Or if so, 
Will he risk the same stake, and inform us what that 
cross is ? so that we may have the Yankee privilege of 
guessing for ourselves whether the same blood now 
flows in the veins of the “best native milkers” and 
Durham bulls that flowed in the veins of the cross from 
which the Ayrshires were produced, (if pioduccd from 
any cross,) so that we may expect like causes to produce 
like effects. I have just returned from “ personalty pe¬ 
rambulating” a portion of the States and Canada, to the 
extent of nearly three thousand miles, and have seen 
some of the “best” herds of cattle in the country 
through which I passed, both of native and imported 
Stock of different breeds; I have also seen crosses 
Rollo, sired by Patriot, (Herd Book) 2412 
Dam, Romp by Admiral,. 1608 
G. “ Moss Rose by Young Denton, ... 963 
G. G. “ Rosa by Young Denton,. 963 
G. G. G. “ Ruby by Denton,. 198 
G. G. G. G. “ Old Red Nose by Frunnell,. 659 
of Durham bulls on native cows, and of Ayrshire 
bulls on native, half blood Durham, and Canadian cows; 
and I think that a cross from the latter bull would be 
more likely to resemble the Ayrshires than that of the 
former, and would, I think, be the likeliest way of 
“ making” Ayrshires, if there is any truth in the doc¬ 
trine that like produces like. (Has Mr. Allen found out a 
better way ?) Now I will “ stake my judgment as a 
man,” having seen hundreds of the pure breed in their 
native country, that, if Mr. Allen would present even 
the most favorable of these crosses before the good peo¬ 
ple of Ayrshire, and call them by their name, that they 
would be as ready to scout the idea, and perhaps con¬ 
sider it as great an imposition and insult, as the people 
of Berkshire would that of the “ white, black, blue, 
gray, and all sorts of colored pigs,” being called by 
theirs, and would, if asked the question, “ what do you 
call them ?” be as much puzzled to find a name, and as 
likely to give the same answer, viz: “ we don’t know— 
they are not our sort.” 
It is no doubt presumption in a humble individual,whose 
name is scarcely known to my next neighbor, to dare to 
doubt or boggle in any way at the assertions of one who 
I suppose is considered first rate authority in such mat¬ 
ters ; but such men are able to do the greatest amount of 
evil, either from error of judgment or some other cause, 
as people are seldom deceived by those in whom they 
place little or no confidence, and of course are on their 
guard against “imposition;” and as I happen to know 
a little about Ayrshires, I think I am Yankee enough to 
guess that they cannot be made in the way that Mr. Allen 
asserts; but if he can prove it, I shall acknowledge my 
error. Alexr. Eickett. 
Lowell, Mass., Jan. \, 1842. 
VERMONT AHEAD IN AGRICULTURE. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In looking very atten¬ 
tively at a map of the whole territory of the United 
States, we may discover, away up in a cold corner, the 
outlines of a state which occupies but a small portion 
of the paper, with mountainous pictures that nearly fill 
the whole boundary, which a Frenchman would tell you 
was Vert Montague, (Green Mountains.) 
According to the late census of the agricultural pro¬ 
ducts of the Union, Vermont takes the lead in producing 
many of the most important articles of consumption and 
export. If we take into consideration her size and 
population, she enumerates the most sheep—produces 
the most pounds of wool—tons of hay—pounds of maple 
sugar—bushels of patatoes—the greatest value of pro¬ 
ducts of the dairy—and value of products of the orchard. 
In ratio of population, Vermont beats all her sister New 
England states, in l'aising the most bushels of wheat and 
oats—the greatest number of horses, neat cattle, and 
swine—and is next to the head in producing corn, rye, 
buckwheat, poultry, and silk cocoons. 
In making an estimate of the money value of the agri¬ 
cultural industiy of the several states of the Union, in¬ 
cluding all their productions, compared to the population 
of each state, it appears that Vermont produces in value 
$148 to every inhabitant, and but three other states pro¬ 
duce more than $100 to each head of population, viz: 
Mississippi $111, Arkansas $108, and Louisiana $106. 
The average products of all the states is $77 50 per head. 
Vermont takes the lead, and must certainly be consid¬ 
ered the most enterprising, industrious, and thrifty agri¬ 
cultural state in the Union. 
Previous to 1838, many of our smart, able, and enter¬ 
prising inhabitants emigrated west, to the “ lands flow¬ 
ing with milk and honey,” yet there still appears to be 
remaining in “the land of steady habits” many industri¬ 
ous sons. Is this the secret why the state should be free 
from debt, and sustain a sound currency ? Perchance it 
might have been still better for us and the whole Union, 
if many other states had early taken pattern from indus¬ 
trious Vermont. “A word to the wise is sufficient.” 
TO PRESERVE TIMBER. 
I am satisfied that if timber be impregnated by a solu¬ 
tion of blue vitriol in watei-, it will preserve it for a 
great length of time. I have received this impression 
from the fact, by an experiment on basswood, which is 
a very light, soft wood, of a pale coloi 1 , and one of the 
first and most noted kinds of wood to be subject to 
early decay with us. It is of no value for timber, if ex¬ 
posed to dampness. 
Seven years since, we cut a green basswood, and took 
therefrom a log eight feet long, one-half of which was 
grooved out and converted into a trough. It may be 
interesting to some of your readers to state the use to 
which this trough was converted. After being partly 
buried in the ground, with the bark on, boards were 
fastened up at each side of it, one end of which entered 
a small enclosure for sheep; flocks that were infected 
with the foot-rot were obliged to pass out through this 
trough, in which we constantly kept about two inches 
of warm vitriol water, at the time of using. 
Last season we had occasion to remove this trough, 
which was supposed to be wholly decayed; but to our 
surprise, on examination, we found it to be as sound in 
every part as when laid down. On splitting, its adhe¬ 
siveness proved very firm, and it had acquired nearly the 
solidity of rock maple. This wood had remained on the 
ground seven years, where it was always subject to wet 
and dry; on examining other portions of this tree, they 
were, as expected, most wholly decayed. 
I have no doubt but this solution may be profitably 
used to preserve many kinds of timber that are subject to 
the moisture of the earth, or exposed to wet or damp 
stagnated air, like the dry rot, which is a disease very 
incident to the best kinds of building timber, such as 
flooring boards, and is; very destructive to vessels. I 
presume this solution may be infused into living timber 
by a vexy simple process, the invention of which was 
discovered by Dr. Bouchery, for which recourse is had 
to no other force than capillary attraction, by which trees 
take u i their sap—a notice of which may be found in 
the last volume of the Cultivator. S. W. Jewett. 
Middlebury, Vt., Dec. 28, 1841. 
A STONE SCRAPER. —(Fig. 13.) 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In the construction of 
turnpikes, when first introduced into the United States, 
the usual plan was to form beds of large stones, and on 
the tops thereof to break smaller ones, to the depth of six 
or ten inches. By the passage of heavy burden wagons, 
it was found that the large stones became loosenetl, and 
the smaller ones working under, caused them to rise to 
the surface, thus injuring the face of the road. 
The publication of a treatise on Road Making by Mr. 
McAilam of England, entirely changed the former sys¬ 
tem. He dispensed with the betls of large stones, and 
recommended breaking the whole to an uniform size— 
say four ounces, at the road side, and thence scattered on 
to the road with shovels. This plan, though tedious, has 
continued for years. In the repairs of the National road, 
my attention was drawn, a few days since, to a simple 
and rudely constructed machine for putting on the small 
stones from the road side, as a substitute for the shovel; 
and as it evidently answered a good purpose, and a great 
saving of labor, I am induced to give you a description 
and rough drawing of the machine. The person using 
it told me the usual quantity put on by a man in one day 
on the old plan, was ten perches, and that with this ma¬ 
chine a horse and man, in the same time, could put on 
one hundred perches. 
A piece of tough hewn scantling, three feet long, six 
inches square, into which are inserted iron teeth of 1 1-4 
inch square bar, two feet long in the clear, bent and 
pointed as represented in the cut. Strong handles are 
attached to the scantling behind, and a pair of shafts 
before. When operating with it, the driver bears hea- 
v ily on the handles, to prevent the machine from bounc¬ 
ing from its holxl. James L. Bowman. 
Brownsville, Pa., Dec. 21, 1841. 
CATTLE—THE AYRSHIRES. 
