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bones have been found highly anure, a comparatively small quantity answering red purpose in hastening and augmenting the growth the crop. Eight or ten bushels per acre, have been found to produce a most remarkable effect, far more than equivalent to a heavy dressing with the ordinary farm-yard manures. In fact it scarcely necessary that I should enlarge upon their properties in this respect, for even the most careless reader agricultural subjects, must by this time have learne, that any form of soluble phosphates constitutes an exceed ingly concentrated and powerful manure for all of our cultivated crops. Phosphates are a necessary ondition of life and luxuriance to all or nearly all valuable plants, and it is obviously important to furnish them in such a form as shall be mostly readily available

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comparison of these two analyses shows, that durng the steaming a loss of organic matter has taken ace, amounting to nearly eight per cent. This is the gelatine of the bone, dissolved out by the steam. This loss is however only apparent, as a moment's reflection will show, that this dissolved gelatine will be found in the water that occupies the lower part of the boiler. After one or two charges therefore, this water should be drawn off, diluted with fresh water, and applied as a op-dressing upon meadows or young grain. The gelae being a highly nitrogenous, and therefore valuable ure, produces an excellent effect when applied in this way. If not convenient to use this solution in a liquid form, it may be mixed with peat, ashes, vegetable mould, &c., or added to a compost heap.

We thus see that every portion of the bone is preserved, and made useful as a fertilizer, and that too by a cheap process. Some farmer in each neighborhood might set up such an apparatus at a trifling expense, and supply the whole adjoining country at reasonable rates. Or an association might do the same thing, each steaming his own collection of bones in turn. By managing in this way the expense to each individual would be quite small, and all the bones got together in the course of a season could soon be brought into a state fit for use. They are now so commonly disregarded and wasted, that in most situations a farmer might possess himself of large quantities for a merely nominal sum.

The crushed mass of steamed bones, if left to itself soon heats and ferments, causing a loss of nitrogen in the form of ammonia. To prevent this in cases where the bones are not to be used at once, it is recommended to

Several important papers relative to steamed bones, have been lately published in the Journal of the Chemi-add a little salt; this arrests decomposition, and is itself co-Agricultural Society of Ulster and. Some of these, and perhaps the most eresting, are by Mr. D. T. Jones, a gentleman who was studying in the laboratory of Prof. Johnstone Edingburgh, when I was also a student there. He is now applying his chemical knowledge to the improvement of a large estate in the west of Ireland.

He has made some experiments on the actual cost of the process, counting in the price of the bones, of the fuel, of labor, &c. His boiler held 7 cwt., and the results were taken from five successive charges. Bone dust cost £6 12s. or about $30 per ton, while a ton of raw bones cost but £3 or about $15. The additional expense of steaming, was a little less than $1. For a trifle more than half then, he obtained by the steaming process a ton of bones far more finely divided, and consequently more immediately beneficial, than bone dust. Other writers give almost equally favorable results.

of some value as a manure. It also serves in many cases as a check to injurious insects, by destroying their grubs. Where it is desirable to add a highly ammoniacal and energetically acting manure, it is only necessary to withhold the salt, and allow fermentation to go on till ammonia begins to be largely given off. The heap should then be mixed with gypsum, peat ashes, or charcoal dust. This applied to the soil will act as quickly and powerfully as guano, with the advantage of a far less price. From six to ten cwt. of these bones would produce more effect upon most of our crops, than a very great application of farm-yard manure, and being so portable might often be employed with a very great saving of expense. I think that the addition of 8 or 10 lbs. of sulphuric acid to each 100 lbs. of this manure, would be a still farther improvement.

This method seems to me remarkably feasible, simple, effective, and cheap, and I hope that this notice may inThe advantage of economy then, seems clearly to rest duce some of our more enterprising farmers to try it, with this process. The question arises, however, is there and to make their success public. The apparatus need any loss of valuable substance. With a view to settling cost but little at first, and the same boiler might be emthis question, Mr. Jones has lately made some direct ex-ployed to steam food for stock in winter. Yours truly, periments. Dr. Voelcker, of Cirencester Agricultural JOHN P. NORTON.

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SHORT-HORN BULL EARL OF SEAHAM-(For Pedigree, &c., see p. 278.)

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The above figure is a portrait of a Merino ewe, proeured in Silesia, by WM. R. SANFORD, Esq., of Orwell, Vt. It is one of the lot noticed in our current volume, p. 218. We have received from Mr. S. the following notes in relation to his tour through Europe for the purpose of examining and purchasing sheep. In the present chapter we have the results of his observations in regard to France and Spain; in a future number he will furnish those relative to the various German states through which he passed.

EDITORS CULTIVATOR-In compliance with your request, I will endeavor to give a short account of a tour in Europe. I sailed from New-York, Jan. 24, in the packet ship Splendid, for Havre, France. We had three days of pretty rough weather; the rest of the time quite fine. We had a passage of 24 days. I was very sea. sick about half the way, which was anything but pleasant, I assure you. Mr. GREELY has pictured it very fairly in his description of crossing. Havre I found to be a very busy place, as of course it must be, it being the great shipping port of France. One of the first things I noticed, was the horses that they work in their carts; they were very large and strong built, and carry enormous loads with them. I think they are preferable to any I ever saw for draft-horses, especially for cart horses for our cities. I had to stop one day in Havre to get my luggage through the custom house, and my passport vised, which is a very great annoyance. I started from Havre at 11 o'clock, A. M.-arrived at Paris 5 P. M.

The railroad runs a good part of the way up the valley of the Seine-most of the way a beautiful country, and in a good state of cultivation. They were plowing and sowing their spring wheat. The plows are cumbersome and awkward things. They have long beams—the foreend of the beam mounted upon a pair of wheels about half the size of a wagon wheel. Paris is a splendid city, so far as outward show is concerned. There appears to be very little business done in comparison with our cities. I shall not attempt a description of the city, as my busi ness was to see the stock of the different countries I visited.

The first flock I visited was Mr. GILBERT's; he has not only a good flock of sheep, but good horses, and some fine cows. He keeps about 25 cows; some of them have the appearance of being fine milkers; they are well cared for, and are in fine condition as well as the rest of his stock. He has good warm stables for all of his stock. Nothing is left out, unprotected. In fact it is the custom through France and Germany to shelter their stock in the winter season. He appears to be man of a good deal of intelligence and a good farmer. I found him to be kind and obliging. After looking over his stock, he took me a few miles from his place to see the agricultural school at Gruno. It is a government establishment. They have a large farm connected with the school, and are breed. ing most kinds of stock. Their policy is to cross every thing in the sheep line. They are making a cross between English and Merino. They have English ewes and Merino rams. Of cattle they have almost all kinds -French, English and Swiss. Their bulls were mostly

Swiss, of good size and pretty well formed, but bad handlers. They have some very good hogs of the English breed, and were making a cross of the English and Chinese. The farm appeared to be in a high state of cultivation. Great pains were taken to make and save all the manure.

The next farm I visited was the government farm at Rambouillet. The stock here, is principally sheep. It is the place where the Spanish sheep were first placed, and have been bred by the government ever since. There is a palace there, but not in a very good state of repair at present. It was formerly quite a favorite place of resort as a summer residence for the Kings of France. The Director was very courteous, and took every pains to show the sheep, samples, &c. They have samples of every sheep that they have sheared since they commenced. | Everything is done systematically. They have paintings of most of the bucks that have been used. The form of the sheep is not as good as some other flocks that I saw, but the wool is finer. The director gave me some beautiful samples. They sell only once a year, and then at public auction. They sell all the bucks that they raise in that way, except such as they reserve for their own use, and ewes, if they have any to spare. They sold no ewes this year.

I next visited Monsieur CUGHNOT's farm, who has about the same number of sheep, and about the same quality of Mr. Gilbert's. These three flocks stand at the head. They are the places where almost all resort for bucks. I met a good many sheep breeders from different sections, at those places, buying bucks. February is the month in which they generally select their bucks for the next season. They universally admitted that Messrs. Gilbert and Cughnot had the best sheep in

France.

On returning to Paris, I fell in with Mr. GEORGE CAMPBELL of our State, who was on the same business that I was, (after sheep.) We therefore concluded to travel together, and purchase in company. We concluded to go to Spain first, as that was the place where the fine sheep came from, and see what we could find. Started from Paris Feb. 4th, went 150 miles by railroad to Tours. The country, a good part of the way, quite poor; saw very little stock. We passed several miles through a valley, I should judge from 6 to 8 miles wide, with a continuous village at the foot of the hills each side of the valley. The valley is meadow and pasture; the hills are planted to vines. Every few rods is a wine vault, all the way. At Tours we took the diligence-found beautiful roads and quite level. The roads are in perfect repair; they keep stones by the side of the road, broken fine, and persons all the while on the road to keep in repair. As soon as they begin to wear down in any place, they put in some of this broken stone. The road will be as straight as you can draw a line as far as your eye can extend. In the south part of France and north part of Spain, they have trees planted each side of the road; many of them have got to be of good size, and form a beautiful shade; they are generally poplar. They drive from 5 to 6 horses-three abreast―go at the rate of from nine to ten miles an hour. Their horses are large, and generally in fine condition. They are a very strong, hardy race of horses. As you

approach towards the south of France, you begin to see oxen at work. The first I saw were poor and small; the way they work them is to lash a stick back of their horns, which is the way they do all through France and Spain, and drive them with goads. I never saw them use a whip in Europe, to drive oxen. They take no pains to match them either as to size, color or sex; sometimes they will have an ox and cow yoked together. As we go south, we found the vineyards more extensive and the vines larger; they were trimming the vines. They keep them headed down to about 2 feet high; they bind the parts they take off into bundles for fuel; some they cut close to the main stalk, and others they leave about 3 feet long. They plant them out in different ways; some times they occupy all the land. They put the rows from four feet to four rods apart; when they do not occupy all the land, they till it between the rows; a good share of it was in wheat.

We arrived at Bordeaux, at 8 o'clock, 2d day. It is the second city in France. Its principal trade is wine and brandy. We started from Bordeaux at 8 o'clock next morning-arrived at Bayonne at seven the follow. ing morning, 175 miles. The country, part of the way from Bordeaux to Bayonne, is poor-some of the way a perfect desert; and the inhabitants look as poor as the country. After leaving Bordeaux, I noticed that they had the inside horns of their oxen sawed off to about 4 inches long. About half way from Bordeaux to Bayonne we found another kind of cattle; they must be well bred, as they are all alike. I have seen sometimes 20 yoke,

I should think, in a string, and any two of them would match. They are not large cattle, but well formed, tight snug built-a yellow red color, with horns about medium length, well formed, and stand about right— we found this kind of cattle for about 100 miles in the south of France, and about the same distance in the north of Spain. They make fine oxen, but what the cows are for milk, I did not learn. The women do most of the marketing in France. In the morning at Bordeaux, and the same at Bayonne, the roads were full of women, carrying their stuff to market; some with mules, but more with donkeys; their stuff put in baskets and slung on each side of the donkeys, and would weigh often more than the donkey. But the greater part carry their vegetables, fish, or whatever they have to carry to market, in baskets on their heads. The diligence starts from Bayonne for Madrid. We had to stop over one day to get our passports vised. We entered the Spanish ter ritory about 25 miles from Bayonne. A small river divides the two countries; the French flag is flying on one end of the bridge, and the Spanish on the otherwe had to have our passports vised by the police on leaving France, and again on entering Spain. The country we passed the first day was very good; they raise large quantities of turneps, which stand in the field through the winter. We came to the mountain about dark. They had to put on oxen in two or three places to draw up the diligence. They drive principally mules in Spainusually from five to nine. They are very cruel to the mules, the whip being in almost constant use, sometimes by two drivers, one on the box and another along side a foot. I have seen these Spaniards run 2 or 3 miles at a time by the side of the mules, on a full gallop, whipping all the

There is a good many coarse sheep

time. A good share of the way after striking the olives and acorns. mountains, the country is miserable, and the inhabitants in this part of Spain. They raise this wool for their own more so. If any one wants to see poverty, let him use. They manufacture their own cloth, both wool and travel through Spain. I have counted ten beggars at linen. Their process of doing it is very slow. I saw one time around the diligence; they are at all the stop- them getting out and spinning flax. It is all done by ing places, and at hills where they have to walk the the women. They use no brake in getting out their flax, team you will find them stationed. Everything is done it being all done by the swingling knife. The spinning in Spain, I should judge, as it was a thousand years ago. part is done wholly with the hands. They take a stick A great share of the stuff goes to and from market on about three feet long, tie the flax on to one end; the the backs of mules and donkeys. As you get near Mad- other they hold under the arm, and pull out and twist rid, the road is full of them. Saw very little stock on with the other hand. It hardly seems credible that peothe way but sheep, and they of a very inferior kind. In ple will live and do as they do. There are large villathe north of Spain and south of France, they have the ges where you cannot find a light of glass. They have poorest sheep that I ever saw. In many of the flocks only one door to their houses, and everything goes in two-thirds of them will be black-their sheep are small, and out at that door. The stable is in the back part of with coarse wool, and ill-formed. the house, and the animals have to pass in at this door, and the manure out the same way. After looking among the sheep till we became satisfied that there was nothing that we wanted, we put back for France. Resp. yours, W. R. SANFORD. Orwell, Vt., June 24, 1851.

I

The tools used here are very rude and clumsy; their plows are a crooked stick, the mortice through the upright part, just in the turn, and put through a piece of iron which runs along the top of the lower part, an inch or two beyond the point of the wood. With this apolo. gy for a plow, they scratch up the ground. In some parts of Spain I saw fine looking crops, cultivated in this miserable way, and without manure. Very little use is made of manure in Spain, except to burn the land. The land must be very strong and rich to bear such crops with such cultivation, and without manure. We were three days and two nights from Bayonne to Madrid. We called on our minister at Madrid, and found him very ready to do all in his power to assist us. He is a gentleman well fitted for the place, and is very much respected. On inquiry, I found most of the sheep owners fived in Madrid; but the sheep were about 200 miles from Madrid, in Estramadura, in their winter pastures. became pretty well convinced before leaving Madrid, by conversing with the sheep owners, that we should not find anything that we wanted. Some of them admitted that their sheep were much degenerated, and they were thinking about taking some measures to improve them. They said they were going to Germany to get bucks. All said that their sheep were not as good as they were before the French invasion-that they have no standard flocks to resort to for good sheep, as they had before these good flocks were broken up. But as we had gone so far, we concluded we would go and see for ourselves. When we examined the flocks we found them about as we expected. The sheep, as a general thing, are small-no wool on their legs, and very light coloredoccasionally there would be a good looking sheep in the flock, bearing some resemblance to those that were formerly brought from there, but with no fixed characteristics. I should not dare to breed from them, as there would be no certainty in breeding from such animals. I did not see a sheep in Spain that I would pay the transportation on to this country.

Estramadura is one of the wildest parts of Spain, and is rathera hard place for an American to live. Every. thing is cooked with garlick and oil. It is a great place for Olives, thousands of acres being covered with the trees. They raise a good many hogs in this part of the country. I have seen sometimes 200 in a drove, all black. They are never fed, and are kept by shepherds, the same as their sheep. They get fat in the fall on

Sales of Live Stock.

The sales of stock advertised by L. G. MORRIS, Esq., of Fordham, Westchester county, and GEORGE VAIL, Esq., of Troy, took place according to appointment. Mr. Morris's was on the 24th of June. The weather was fair, and there was a large attendance of people. The

beautiful lawn in front of Mr. M.'s residence was divided
into lots with iron hurdles, and the cattle and sheep
to be sold, were brought there in the forenoon, for ex
amination. The stock was generally in good condition,
though not in high flesh. At one o'clock the large com-
pany was invited to a sumptuous repast, comprising the
substantials and many of the delicacies of the season.
Soon after this the sale commenced. The bidding was
generally brisk, and the animals were speedily disposed
of at prices as per following list-which, considering that
the larger portion were what are called "grade" stock,
may be deemed quite satisfactory. It will be under-
stood that Mr. MORRIS intends to establish himself as a
breeder, and this sale should rather be considered as a
preliminary step to that object. He has still in his pos-
session that portion of his herd which he designs as a
breeding stock. These consist of selected individuals
of the Short-horn, Devon, and Ayrshire breeds, each
of which are to be bred pure, under his special care.
The stock sold consisted of
THOROUGH BRED SHORT-HORN, Cows, HEIFERS AND HEIFER

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