m, jSf
v * > ' JMJr- ;>
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tv
? \ ' ?. *?
VOLUME V. \
X* X
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
TERMS:
If mjd within three months, . . $3 00
11 paiJ within threo months after the V
close of the year, 3 50
If phid within twelve months after the
cleoo of the year, ...... 4 00
If net paid within that time, ... 5 00
Two new subscribers will be entitled to th<
fcupeV the first year for Jive dollars, paid at tin
time of subscribing , and five new subscriber
" * * ? _r
for tea dollars p&ia ti inc umo ui ?uusn iumS
N* paper to be discontinued but at the optior
of the oditor till arrearages are paid.
AJvertiaemeots not exceeding sixteen lines
inserted for one dollar the first time, and lift)
cents, each subsequent ins irtion.
Persons sending in advertisements are reques.
t ju io specify the number of times they aro to be
ir.se*ted; otherwise they will be continueStill
ordered out, and charged accordingly,
0*The Postage trust be oaid on allcommu.
nieations. *
From the Albany Culivator.
BERKSHIRE PIGS.
Messrs. Gay lord fy Tucker:?Having
for some years paid much attention to this
most valuable breed of swine* and having
been frequently requested to give the history,
marks of identity, statistics, habits, qualities,
and properties of the animal, I have prepared
the following, as a reply to the many
queries I am continually receiving on the
J0 subject. Such a paper would seem the
more necessary, as it is evident the grossest
frauds and impositions have been, and probably
will be, practiced by the unprincipled
on the unsuspecting publ c.
For instance, a drover collects a few" hun^
dreJs of swine,! ihtyonJ, or in the west of this
state, a heterogenous mass, comprising every
kind, from the alligator to the snapping turtle.
By the simple process of passing
through Albany on his way down east, his
drove becomes full blood Berkshire*; though
they may exhibit in cblor nil the'tints' of the
rainbow ; and by the time he reaches Boston,
it is not impossible certificates may be
shown to prove the purchase Iroin some noted
dealer in swine.
effect of this detention may be found
inthe remark which is frequently heard ih
distant parts of th? country : l* Our folks
hafte tried the Berkshire*, and find'them to
be do gn at snakes after all; no better than
the common hogand well 'may the remark
be made, as it is not probable these
persons had ever seen a Berkshire pig in
their Ihtos. in endeavoring to palm ofl
their black and white counterfeits, somnhave
traced the genealogy of their pigs to Noah's
Ark, and, found them to be the exact counterparts
of the two saved in that vast menagerie
: and others I presume, have tiaccd
their stock to the garden of Eden, and find
in theii while Berkshire* an emblem of the
purity and innocence of that place, though I
have never found white, except in rite ex*
extremities, to bo any emblem of
the Berkshire pig nt all. The genuine
Berkshire* were brought to this country in
1832, by S. Hawes, Esq. an English gentleman.
who purchased Judge Spencer's
soot, three miles from Albany.
Mr. Hswos, associated with several other
geotiemen, in England, had by a series of
% experiments and investigations, continued for
more than twenty years, previous to his coming
to this country, brought the full blooded
Berkshire pig, to his present high excellence,
? * ""^1" miimal " snnnr'fir in SVmmPlrV
MM lil/vr laiui) VU|? a '<# ~ J . j
jand perfection, apparently conscious of the
Admiration he every where excites, and a
noble monument of what the plastic Inml of
cultivation can effect over that otherwise
uncouth, filthy, and devouring cannibal.
i was the first to procure the breed from
Mr. Hawes, in 1832. 'Ffiese pigs soon.attracted
general admiration; in 1824 and '5,
th?*y were first introduced into Ohio and
Kentucky, and since that period, I have sent
more or less of them to every Slate in the
Union; and i understand that they took premiums-in
every country in the two States
above named, last, autumn. VVhCre the full
bloods have leen obtained, and continued
without alloy, and not suffered to run out by
breeding with those too near akin, nor fei to
run with other hugs, as they will in these
ways surely degenerate. I have nev< r heard
but one opinion, and that of unqualified approbation.
Mr. [Iawes returned to England
with his family in 1 -38, but through
him and his agency, I have, s nce 1832,
procured four fresh importations of the h si
animals?the last in the fid! of'1839. With
these preliminary remarks, I shall now proceed
to point out some of the character's ics
- -? . ii i.^L:
.ci me rrue oorKsiur^ pig.
Color.?Tne Berkshire pigs imported
jxs above, ore principally black, with the ends
.of the hairs tinged with red or brown, giving
them a beautiful brilliant changeable appear.unco
in the sun, something like velvet oi
that color. Mr. "Hawes informed me thai
too had never known a full blood to have less
.than three white feet, some white in the face
or end of the nose, and occasionally white
hairs interspersed over the whole surface?
the end of the tale invariably white; there
are, however, slight variations from the a.
foresaid color, as some are ntuclt less bril.
Jiant, their coals more sandy, and hair shgli.
tly inclined to curl. Pigs were imported
from Berkshire forty years ago, nearly o!
the same* color, but far inferior in point o
rotundity, and other essential points of form
All the stock procure I from Mr, Hawes
those which I have bred, and all the ful
bloods through any other channels have beer
.essentially the same in point of color. Foui
years since, I saw a bo ir, that the ower in
formed me he purchased from on board e
ship, far a full blood. His form and colot
was right; and being anxious to get a frrsl
xrosa, I took Mr. iluwcs to look 'U hiui
' *
/J,
ARM
.1 .A' D C H
~~ CHERA
1 , ' , ~ I "
He said hid appearance was good, and as
a-test, I might put him to one of my firil
blood sows, which 1 did. At the litter; two
pigs were all black, three all white, the bu-*"
lance Berkshire*. Mr. iIawfes prononuced
him a counterfeit; as the result proved he
had blood of different racers in his veins.
Considering the color as essential in do.
3 termining the character of Berkshire?, .1
s have been much surprised at-the efforts that
? have been made in some quarters to break
down color as a test of purity. One main, i
' ' -? r*/*/*A??iiiniT In lud ittlnrmnhrtn iK^j t
I lailis, IU.UI IV > ? IHIWJ i<i>;>'i<r v?yj
have as much vrhite as black, in England; ]
' and that the color imported by Mr. Hawes, '
was merely accidental. Another some- I
' what extensive breeder of Speculator in I
j Berkshire's informed me, as an apology for <
full bloods of every color, that it was from a j
. particular mode of breeding in England, ?
that colors resulted. Perhaps peeled sticks (
haveproduced on swine there, the effects ]
they once did on the cattle of Labap ? There i
is at this time in the vicinity ofthis City, I
' an imported sow, all white, and three others i
; with about as much white as black: two of <
the males I have seen, and from their gen- I
' eral appearance. I should not hesitate to call
them impure. 1 have been informed that a i
planter from Kentucky, purchased a boar t
from a g?'n leman on Long-Island, entirely i
white, from a stock he hod imported as ]
Uorkshires; and I have seen one bred in this i
vicinity, seven-eighths Berkshire, purely I
j white, retaining all the Berkshire points of t
: form; but such will most certainly very soon |
J deg"nera'e into the common breeds. I have ;
never met with a pure black Berkshire pig, i
i although there are many advocates for titan I
j before the public. v i
I may add here, that las* spring I saw an :
I English gentleman emigrating to Upper. {
| Canada, who had a number of very fine j
j animals lie was taking on with him, cattle, j
! sheep, and two pigs. He informed me, t
that lie was horn and raised in Berkshire*
and had paid particular attention to makingthe
best selection of animals to bring out
with him. The color of his pigs agreed
precisely with those of Mr. ilawet' impor.
tation ; and he informed me* that it was the |
only standard color for the full blood.' All
co'ors were sold, he said, ni England for I
full blood, and it was extremely difficult, if '
not impossible, for a stranger to procure I
such as eoulJ be fully depended upon. Mr. i
\ Hawe's importations he pronounced pure, i
and fine animals. I have the testimony of I
a number of other gentlemen we'l acquaint- I
ed with the Berkshire in his nativo country, <
and they agree with the statement given as i
to color, &c., indeed, were this not the case I
with the pure bloods, it would seem strange, <
that the pigs sent out by Mr. Hawes, at four I
different times within eight years, should <
happen to be all of them w ithiu a few shades i
of the same color. i
Whatever may be the intentioi?9 or wishes i
of those who havfc shown ^o much anxiety 1
to break down the dis inction of color, I
think it would be as easy to introdOce nil i
white or Jill black leopards, as puro blood I
Berkshire's of similar description; and any |
gentleman purchasing pigs as Berkshires, j
other than the color above, described, may j
have just reason to suspect their pjtrity. 1 I
would advise purcliasers w*ho wish first rate <
animals, and pay high prices, to he partic- t
ularly careful in ascertaining their pedigree; (
even rfimporte 1, they are npt secure against j
imposition, uttl- ss proofis afforded that they i
were-selected by competent persons. No I
pig should be supposed imported, the vender I
of which cannot produce a bill of lading: as i
thor?s is reason to believe that some, af:er a |
little travel, have been dubb-d imported, that j
had never snulF d suit water. A liltlo ntten- b
tio'ri to these tilings would have a salutary ti
effect in frustrating the attempts at imposi. l i
lion so fiequontly made, and vtfith such do- i
trinient to the public. . i
Objections have been made to Bcrkshires
I on account of their supposed black rind,
i wInch is not the case after a good scald. A
' blank scurf, or outer covering ofthn skin, <
convs off*, lenving a rind not much thicker i
than paper, much more white an i beautiful I
tliRO that of any other swine.
Sizb. ? Pull grown Berkshire's are of all (
i sizes, from 1000 lbs. downwards; the reason
why there are so many varying stizes nmong ;
': those imported, is this: gentlemen in Eng- !
1 i land wishing to have small ones for family i
' us^, have selected the smu lest of tlu-ir litters i
j for breeding; and us the result of a well j
j known liw, have purposely procured a
| smaller stock. O hers, preferring a large"
s'ze for mu.kct, have ptirsued the reverso of
j tliis course, and run their slock up to a very
i great s zau
hi the autumn of 1333,' Mr. Hawcs ,
- brought rue one female and two mala pigs,
j unrelated to each other, and also those of
11 the former importation?one from Newbury,
j one from Teal, and ;ho other from Reading,
t i ail in Berkshire. These I procured express|
ly for a new cross; their color is the same of
t ! the others, with points agreeing materially,
j In consequence of some complaint about
siz-s Air. [Jawcs selected the males from
! very large animals: one of these at fifteen
I : months old, measured from end of snout to
r > the root of the tail, six feet five inches?and
r girts five feet six inches in common cohdL
?. . n 111 ir>mo:ri>r nMfirlv
| liUll.' lll>; VIIILI, l???? lll /IIIMP ^uutl^-..! .
' j the same size. I challenge the United j
j Sates to produce two animal of their species
and age, of any other color than what I have
named, as a standard color for Berkshire.*,
i to compare with them in point of sizo or
'- beauty, lam offered .3200 for the oldest,
j hy M. Beach, Bsq., of O do. I have one
j sow, purchased of the Snuk' rs \V.,:ei vhel,
' ; at 3100, raised by Mr. 11 awes, measuring
E It .i IV .
' ; ' j
a???in 1.1 i um'jwmr.*,iAVAftua-MW
W, -SOUTH-CAROLINA
from the end of her nose to the root of Ik
toil, six feet ten inches, and in girth, fiv
feel ton inches, in breeding order.
The Shakers fcf-VVatervIiet slaughter?
fifteeu full biuodslast fall?the whole nuir
ber being what nre called runts and gulling
of litters, from fifteen to seventeen month
old, and their average weight was 336 lbs
One killed at the Shaker village at Lebanoi
two and x half years old, weighed S00 lbs
Mr. Shaw, of Ronnsseluer county, slaugh
tered one-thftt weighed 555 lbs. I killer
one ot sixteen months, weighing over 401
lbs. Isold one to Mr. Curd, of Lexington
Kentucky, which Ire advertises as the " Afas
;er," and wliich fs supposed by good jiK%*7,
;o weigh at least 1000 lbs. Mr. Bunco, o
3hio. informs me, that many half and three,
fourths blood have been slaughtered in ilia
state, weighing, when from seventeen tc
jighteen months old, from 450 to 500 lbs
Mr. Hawes informed me, that it was not un
common for them to reach from 600 to S5C
fbs. in England. There is, therefore, tlx
most conclusive evidence, that so far as regards
weight, the Berkshire's are all that car
)c desired.
Habjts.?The habits of these animals art
much more quiet and docile than those o
ho iest of The great swinish family: -theii
lative ferocity is solam'd down amazingly
[ have never known a sow to eat her pigs
i thing that frequently occurs with otliei
Dreeds; they come to maturity much soonei
i?an the old stock, and are extremely proli.
1c, products| from i? n to-fifieen at a litter
ind are very certuin.?to rajse the whole
Some of my sows, and those of my neigh
tors, have raised twenty five pigs-per an
turn for years.
When two of th??e pigs of nearly cqua
nzo, are put together, u severe conflict im
?.i)li<>?Jv nln/?n tin. rPCIlll nf wlliefl I:
1IUJ1UIV. IJ miw ?j j/?uv? I ?< ?. vW%..? Ml
inal, these two never fight again. Uerk
shire pigs, il fed at regular anci stated per
ods, precisely, (and th6y are much mor<
icc'uratc chroniclers of time; than most o
Dur wooden clocks,) will finish their meal
ind return to their nests, where they wii
ueditato grave as juges, and possibly a
profoundly.
I am decidedly opposed to high feeding
for any breeding stock. I have found ii
very pernicious in all cases, and nianj
times fatal, as the constitution of any animal
must eventually give way to it. It it
quite too much prucliceJ on young pigs
for the laqdable purpose of bringing then
forward rapidly, and being afterwards dis
sontinqed, the pig is spoiled; high feeding
is no way to produce or improve the breed
I shall advise to feed light, anJ change tin
Jish often. A little pounded charcoal,
liuve found-an excellent tonic or corrective
af the stomach for pigs* The sun an<
water, arc considerations indispensable ii
1 P'ggery. Pigs should be fed separately
is convenience will permit, otherwise they
will be all that their name implies.
Sows.?-In the sows t&king the malcure
never interfere with the course of nat, J
futlicr than to have the litter com'? in nt ;
proper season, viz: spring yr fall. I hav<
abandoned the longstanding opinion, tna
iows never should be impregnated young
hough the young sow may not have ieacn
;d horfull strengh and maturity?nature
vhich is' a great economist in this as in al
Jther things, will diminish tlie number o
jigs accordingly. A sow I raised; whicl
neasured seven feel from snout to rbol o
he tail, and was in girth six feet, had he
firs' Inter at eleven months old, and bori
sight pigs. For experiment, a gendemai
look two sow pigs of equal size arid vigor
and of the same litter, one uas impregnate!
at six months, the other at eighteen months
each having their regular semi annul lit
lers. At the end of three \cars, the on<
impregnated at six months wps the largest
and by far the best m;lk"r ?nd breeder.?
Hesides this, a number of similar experi
ments liave been made within my. know
ledge, and .wrh similar results. Sow:
should be kept quiet after pregnancy,, wiij
room for exercise and uir. and furnishei
water, and kept separate, to prevent thrust
ing, crowding, or fighting. A clover pas
ture, where it can bo had, is much prefer
able to the pen fur breeding sows; but i
should be one in which they are not liabl
to be worried Ijv dogs, or oilier animals.?
They should neither be over fed or starve:
?for by the first course, you m iv lose th
pigs; and by the last, you will haven swam
of canniba'si which would be about n
bad* Never admit the boar to the so\
while she is in a heated state from drivin
or worrying, but let her remain three o
IUUI IIUUIO Ul l-.ao I lU U'-LUUJW VWV/I UII
^uiet.
The" Hoa^.?1> service of the mal
will he ecrially good and efficient, and tli
pigs will attain the same size the
would although lie may not have attaine
half the age and size of his stock. H
should not be allowed connection with to
many sows at first, or indeed never, as i
this case nature will hecome Iter own exc
culioner. Never suffer the boar to be pi
to a sow .in a ho.t day, till he has been pel
milted to cool Himself in a pud lie of wate
which ho is sure to do, if th< re is one in bi
yard. 1 have known a number of instar
c?'s, where neglect of this precaution hu
proved fatal to the boar. Not having sue
a reservoir in my yard, I make a practic
of throwing a pa l or two of water ove
them In hot-weather. Having done tli
a few times, when I let the boars out the
would coiiio and lie down to receive tl
water, before they would notice the sow.For
any further directions respecting ff
management oftlfs animal, I may refer tl
41
' ?A 5
L? ' > .
J /> f E R T
, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST
;r inquirer to the December number of vol,
e ume Gib of this periodical.
I would observe, that I received in Ocfod
her las?, per the brig Henry Bell, from
i- Heading, Berkshire, England, for a fresh
s cross two males and two sows, with colors
s agreeing with my former stork, entirely
i, unconnected with each other,and also with
i, my former breed. One boar 1 sent to M.
i. Beach, Esq., Lebanon Ohio?one of^the
, sows, my neighbor Z. Standisb, -Esq.
j also has a number of very fine breed.
) ing sows of my former stock and will be
able to supply his friends abroad with some
. fine specimens of Jhe breed.. There was
% such an increas^ demand for ti.-ov
f m ils last year, that I have been 1t considerable
pains and expense in preparing
t for it again. Gentlemen from abroad de?
> siring to obiain them, would do well to
make an caily application to moat No.
. 252 Washington srcct, Albany, N* Y.
) John Loosing.. "
? P. S.?The Shakers of Walervliet have
. a nunib#k* of fine breeding sows, impregna.
j nalecl by iny imported boars. Their Tig- '
gory, for characteristic neatness, regularity
* and economy, is surpassed by nonejn the
f country. # J. JL...
r CC?*!'1 o subsequent number of ibe Cul
tivator, we find the following correction:
"Mr. Lossing desires us to say, that anorr
ror occurred in transcribing the* description
r of the Berkshire pig, in bis commnnication
- published in the May No. page 70. lu
stead of "the tail invariably white," it should
have reud "occasionally white."
Berkshire Pigs
I have just read Mr. Lussing's article
1 upon Berkshire pigs, and .would object to
* to the description given of Mr. Hawe's and
s bis own importation of them. lie quotes
- Mr. lliwcs hs saying, "that he never knew
a full blood to have less throe white feet.
5 some white in the fuce or end of the nose,
f and occasionally some while hairs intcr3
sperscd over the whole surface, and the end
'I of the tail invariably white; First* I 'object
s to the description, as being loo particular
about white feet arid white tail, and next,
I I object to it on account of pigs sold by Mr.
I Lossing, and bis friends about Albany, not
r answering to his description." I purchased
- eight pigs in and near Albany, last spring,
5 and three of them have no white on the
? ilr;endsof tltoir tails. Tho pigs without
1 white tails I believe to be as good and genu
ine as those with it. All the above pigs
were recommended to me by Lossing, and
one lacking while on its tail out his Teal sow
3 by one of his imported boars, was sold to
I me by Mr. Lossing himself.
1 will now prove that the Berkshire hog,
i was a red or tawny hog, wi:h brown o*
1 black spots.
f In the 6di addition of the Complete GraV
zh'r, published in London, in 1833, page
291, speakmg of the Berkshire breed, it
' says "the sp'icific characters of wh'ch an;
1 a reddish color with brown or black spots;
1 sides very-broad; body thick, close, and well
5 formed; short legs; the head well placed,
t and the oars large, and generally standing
forward; but sometimes pendant over the
eyes. Another distinctive mark of this breed
is, that the best are without bristles; their
' hair long and curly." The British Husf
bindry, (u standard English woik,) agrees
1 with !. Complete Grazier, In assigning the
f same color, so docs London's Encyclope
r dia oi 13-Ji.
; I hope the above is sufficient proof that
1 the L> .rksliire was a rcg hog with brown or
'? block spots. Now as the original Berk.
J shire (the genuine article,) was red and
'? black, I shall endeavor to show how they
" came by their present colors. But before
c go ng any father, f would state, thatthoeas*
tern hog was resorted to, to change a
* coarse, heavy eared, curly haired, great
* consumer, into a ffno boancd, thin haired.
* thrifty animal. With this explanation,* I
s shall proceed to the China hog. "Of these
there are two nearly distinct k'nds; the
' while and ih'tllack." "The Chinese hog
* is oftho widely extended Siamese breed of
* the ens', a race which extends from the
' continent to the island of Sumatra, New.
" (riiinea and to all the Islands of the South
e Sens."
\V*apMolJ in Low's Clements of Ag.
d riculturo , (an E iglish work,) that ^The
e Ije:kshire was the earliest of the Improved
n breeds of England, and is now the most
s gem-rally diffused of all others. It was
v undoubtedly formed by a mixture of the
^ eastern hog with the ancient swin t of. the
r cou: try." "The Modern Berksliire, howd
ever, is of a loss size than the older breed;
< > _i
but st.II the animals are-ut tne larger cmss
e of swin". Their common color is a red'
o dish hi own with dark spots* Manv of the
v breed are nearly black, manifesting their
.J near approach to the Siamese charater, and
e sometimes tiiey are black broken with white,
o indicating the eflect of tho cross of the
n white Chinese." '
Mr. Letton,- justly celebrated fi?r his
it knowledge and experience in breeding fine
> hogs, after travelling extensively over Eng.
r, hnd, in search of hogs selected a white
is Berkshire boar of the improved breed for a
i- breeder. Mr. Let ton had imbibed Mr.
is' Lossing's prejudice in relation to color, be.
b fore ho visited England. And Mr. Wille
iams says in Ins certificate to Mr. Letton,
;r (Franklin Farmer, vol. 3, page 10,) "The
is origin of the late improved Berkshire is o
v cross on the lain black Berkshire sow, witli
ie the large white China hoar, which gives the
- color white."
if An improved Berkshire boarthat I im.
ie ported from England, last fall, is ciilircl)
E BT1
I Z E R.
.. \ * %, Y
' 5, 1840:
11 r M I- ill i
white in the hair, with a spotted (black and
white) skin; he has all the fine points of the
bestof the Berkshire, one-third Iarger.than
those of his age purchased near Albany.
1 have no. disposition to deny the general
characteristics given to Mr, Halves' and
Lossing's importations, if not extended so
far as to exclude those that are acknowledged
to be of the best blood. But I do
object to his denying purity of bl<-od to all
other importations of different colors, when
his own lacks the original color. AVe are
told in English standard works, "that every
country has its^peculi ir kind, iliesupcriojry
of yvhich is niaitained in its own district
-..liU-jtuTiua iu cveuy ohivIi<um #? ?? *" l,je
best arc bread in Staffordshire."
I have many hogs, descendants of Mr.
Hawes' and Lossing's importations, and
have but one of the white Berkshires, and
this one is acknowledged t>y me. 10 nave
eastern blood in him, for which I prjz'* him
mucii more than I should if he was without
"\ * - * - *
The purcnhsers are led to expect hogs of
much gfeater siz'f timn thoir*own will ever
be; they feci -disappointed ami ore led
to condemn the Berkshire. I have no dOub
much injury has afso been dune them by
unprincipled men, representing a.s. Berkshire
hogs that were not. But -Mr. Lossing's
article will ufford no security. 1 have- three
quarter blooded pigs that possess all Mr.
Lossing's marks, and of the full blooded
ones purchased of Mr.. Lossing, lock the
white tail, and another purchased also of the
Shakers, n?;nr Albany, has hut iwo white
hirs in her tad.
Mr. LossingV information is not correct
in rbspect to tho Berkshire* taking the
premiums in every country in the Stale of
Kentucky, last fall. The Berkshire* -have
never [taken a premium in this (Cl&rk)
country. The premiums have been divided
between the Wo burns and Irish Grazier hog
The Berkshires were beaten in more than
half the counties from which \ had lizard
any particular account. 1 know no hing
about the premiums given in- Ohio.
Saml. D. Martin.
. CoVvvifle, Ky. May 26, 1810.
'
New Strawberry-Hovey's Seedlinq.
?A new variety of tlio Strawberry, which
originated in 1835, is now offered to the
public, after the experiment of three years
has confirmed its superiority over every
oihef variety cultivated in this country.?belongs
to the class donornin^ed P?'ne
Strawberry, snd i* scientifically "described
in the last number of the Magazine of
floriieulture. The same work s.iys?
I ** ' * ri" *v U, ki tr%A <11
"This-otrawuerry wjj ihsi ...
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society's
Rooms, in 1838; again in 1836, and also
the present year; and each season .obtained
the Society's premium, although in compej
tiM.on with the Methven, Kwn's Seedling,
j Downton, &c. Gentlemen well acquainted
I with all the other varieties cultivated in the
country, have seen the bed in full bearing,
nnd they unhesitatingly pronounce it to be
the largest, handsomest, best flavored,
most'productive and hardy variety they
havo ovr seen.
"The Keen's Seedling is the strawberry
now almost universally ia England; and
those who have been the most succesful
cultivators of that variety, in this country,
have not been able to obtain such speci.
niens ns were exhibited of Hovey's Seed,
ling, at tho Rooms of the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society, on Saturday, June
13."?Boston Courier,
ASHES ASA MANUJtE
** - *. *" a,. ti hi
ftxiraci rrom ino ?u.une manner.
1 had supposed, that enriching land with
ashrs, was of recent discovery and practice
tint a prejudice against them as manure
which experience has proved to le Ue%-had
but just been made to yield.. There* is
however, a field at Buxton- town corner,
known as the Garland place, which was
richly manured with the refuse and waste
of a Pot-Ash" more than fifty years since;
and the^ virtue of flit jnppliration is every
season evident. The soil is light, and
thin and of a descrpiion easily rxhaus <'d.
The place bus changed heads repeatedly,
and has been, by supposition more than
once "run out" Yet every fresh ploughing,
discloses I he virtue of the strewed cfsh.hccp
?<ind corn and grain and potatoes wrll
ever exhibit a luxuriant growth and yield
1 an abundant return. The clover and tall
[ timothy is thissenson "up to my eyes," and
! confesses both in excellence and. amount?
the worth of ashes as a manure. -' The
"old people"-who live in the past and la.,
ment this degenerated age, over, that years
ago the grass that grew in this field, was a
burden, to -haymakers. 'Tis high-land far
elevated above the river, yet a dry time will
i hardly affect its verdant apearnnCe.-When
! the "adjoining lols'Mo the h? art of the
! drouth. show sear and vcllow, this is the
green spat^-tpi ongis of verdure in.thc midst
of bliglrtah^deciy.
Yet with this notable instance _pf the
worth of ashes, ever before them, green
i and fresh, our farmers have tili with:u a
little period, suffered the ash heep to run to
waste. It is now beginning to be prized
, and the leavings of burnt wood, are now us
much valued by the men, aslliey ever have
, been by the neat housewife. Th< ir virtue it
: not alh/fc, bu.t after this is faithfully purged
i from them and greased, to make it ?'go
i down weli" they are mixed with the manure
11 heap or strewed upon the acre dovotcd to
I Indian corn bread from nsbes! though il
i smacks of Dr. Graham and shw dust, is yel
' no m irvel. Tliev ure as nil testily* o
I * '
. MU
w * <
'' * A
X
m
~*e*sBB~mmssBgsmiBmrNUMBER
38
,|, *
"long manure" and thir virtue remaiftes and
blosaome in the dus'," when other varieties
arc soon exhausted and -forgotten,
prom the Albany Cultivator.' y
tbeatm^vt of sandr suls.
Messers. Editors?Should you deem g
ihe following remarks, copied from a letter
written by one farm?r to another, in reply *
to some inquiriesnrd jn ans wer to spate
ohjecions, worthy of a place in thecoJuaio*
of the Cultivator, they are at yonr servicer
"Drar Sir:?My reasons for supposing
i hat in deep' sandy soils, (or ihOso in "f
silex predominates, to the rfC'MajnrfpfT^'B
nrfj|j uravif "uj "file Value Ot ??
manure wh9 lost by infil'ruiiort, or passing
l_ _ I tL ^ M I M i' k.lft tti*. ?. 4 ! ?' ? - **
ik-iow me ruuia 01 piauis, were me opinions
of such practical and scientific ififen as Voir
Thear and Davy in Europe, and Jackson
and others of our state geologists, in tbji;'
observation of the operation of water on the
soluble parts of manures, and the huffily
with which th' se parts are grparafed, and,
carried otT when the water is in excess, as w
evident Iroro the color of water in yards,and
that which leaches from tliein; and also froirr
some personal experience in that clan of
soils*- One part of the farm oh which I
many years since resided in New. England,
was a tract of very light sand, which woe
cultivated according to the exhausting mod*
then in use, nnd which after f fc'ff poshed
into the hand* of an old fashioned farmer*
who has continued the system- of cropping,
uniil the hind is now incapable of producing
any thing, ?nd is mostly a- bare surface, ?r
nearly so, of sand. In rccmmending a different
course to hm, a few yours since-?a
difP-rent course founded on mtmure,clov?HV
and- p'ader, his reply way, "inapOre doru
no good, it sinks mto the sand, and 1**10*
to the plants pn the surface." Now ak
though ( believe I could hike* those mft*
sand plan s, and in five years nwUW*fSbm
ilie most fertile part of the * farm, ftfc for
the reasons already assigned, i have been
inclined to believe that on porou*,gro*elly,.
or deep snpdy sftils, much oj?tho benefiit Tw
and value of manures Was lost by emkiog.
with (ISP water beyond the reach of .plants*
It is the mow active part of the manure, th?
salts, that are the moit soluble, and hwi&e
the most liable to be lost/ mf'
I may be mistaken, in some of rcrf infer,
cnces, and in the British Husbandry, I find
a remark that reminds me of the opioioiY
expressed by your neighbor^ viz: that or*
sucli soils the manure do** nor sink booeotl*
the sail plowed; that war It asserting that on
the light sancls ofiMgiuni, their system of
manuring and plowing, with their course
of cropping, soon converts the sand into*
rich soil as low as it is stirred by the spado
or plow.
in the cultivation of what are termed sandy
-soils, experience would seem to have
taught European farmers, that it is better
in most cases to form the manures into compost,
than to apply it lodfcor fresh. Their
method of forming Compost is to place u>
layer of sods, muck, or swamp earth, (the
I ? I.aIm'* Mnnn irfilVA^ WAMtr WlllllflkLft no
IttUUr UC I|I^ VVI jr f UIMHVH7 'O#
containing usually a quantity of clay.) theiv
. a layer of fresh manure, then another of
sods or earth, and then of manure, and thereto
aliernnte until the requisite height is
reached, and then it is left to ferment -and
rot.
, The coverirg of the heap is of turfr greatside
down, as are ali the sals used, to re*
ceive the wash or draining* of the manorr.
These piles are occasionally watered t?y tK
rii.e, bu: this can be dispensed with. V/h6f9there,
is a deficiency of lime in the soil, or
where the compost is to be used Tor grat*
crops, layers of lime ore added to the hetqv
hut these layers are not placed in contact
with the manure, but between layers of 0O<$
or earth, * - These heaps of compost made
in autumn are ready for use in the spring,,
and ire applied to the crops or to thosoila*
are wanted for the purpose of the farm. 1
have sojiie doubts whether compost heaps
m;ide in this wnv. in our climate, late in wo
*
tumn, would decompose during our winters,
so as to be fit for use in the spring, for roMX '
crops; but if they would, I have no doubt it
would be iliQest mode of manuring'your
lund, or iudeOT olinost any other.'
For myself, I think that rotund manure,
as being more quietly felt- by the plants, is
better for roots than- that which is long, tho*
roots and corn are the only crops to wbkii
long or fresh manure should be applied.. If
ashes could be obtained, I should use them
liberally, fifUfcr in the comj>ost heaps,t>r applied
directly-to the land. On sandy soils
jew things are more useful. A short lime
siiice ih visiting a neighboring town, I observed
a Mr/L. an escelk-nt farmer, draw.,
ing manure. His method was to draw onu
load of stable manure, place it where Wan.
ted, and then go to an old ashery, and get a
load of leached ashes, which was placed on
the'insnjire.' In this way, the gases and
volatile salts of the manure are k'jit from
evaporation, und the salts that abound iu *N|
ashes are incorporated with the manure. jjfk
svsforn li.-iti nmdiiped uomc of tl?C OJOSt
ma ??%??. _ _
i^eaui.iiul fields of grain J have, ever seen;
and thougii iris soil is not cjune as sandy as
yours, I have oq doubt would succeed wed
i with you.
One difficulty in a soil corwtiuied na is
i yours, is that it pans with moisture so readily,
1 that mamure if applied fresh or long to u
i crop, is kept in so dry n s'ate that deeompI
osition is but slowly or pnrtiajly effected,
i ah J the change of the earths that compose
i ihe surface, into soil or rendered fertile, i*
i rot so complete or rapid, as when tho-propt
er degree of mojsiurn is prcsen'; or the ma.
t nuruis rotted and made info compost befom
i its application to il(o land. To this want of
4 ' ?
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