Litchfield enquirer., 1840-12-03

THE CATTLE, FARMS AND GRAZING OF KEN- l TucKY are themes of frequent praise. The Newark Daily Advertiser says a recent let ter from Lexington, (the residence of MT. Clay,) now before us, draws the following enticing picture:
 If Geography and history had not placed the Eden of the primitive world in eastern chimes, you would have sworn this must have been its site. Nature has been lavish here of her bounties in soil, vegetation and eli mate. For 50 miles around the land is of the richest alluvial earth, from 5 to 10 feet in depth, resting upon stratum of limestone.- Its surfuce, at distance, appears like vast plain, but entering it, the ground is found rolling, like the long swelling undulations of the ocean. The country, every acre of
 which is as rich as your garden spot-ls dl- vided into extensive plantations of 5OO to 2OOO 1 acres each, with it's farm house, and it's ne- gro cabins clustering around it, placed in the centre, remote from the highway, surround ed by grove, broad avenues lined with trees leading to it.
 l Col. CLAY, of Fayette county, has an cs-
 tate containing upwards of coco acres, most of which is devoted to pasturage, and he sold
 in 1886, was informed, upwards of $3O,OOO
 worth of cattle upon the hoof, a part of which l were driven to the New-York and Brighton markets.
 ] Many districts in this rich grazing coun- try present the anomalous condition of country increasing rapidly in wealth and advancing in improvements, while decreas- ing in population. The reason of this singu- lar state of affairs, is that the small farmers are selling their circumscribed farms to the wealthy graZiers, who are monopOliZing the
 lands in their vicinity. This was peculiarly the course of events in 1886 to 1638, while beef and stock commanded exorbitant prices: the low prices of beef for year or two past, have, however, arrested the tendency to ac- cumulate the. lands in the hands of few large proprietors.
 Corn and rye fields are planted and sown here for the purpose of feeding cattle upon them, standing in the field. Rye is never gathered for domestic use, and it strikes an eastern man as most wasteful and improvi- dent mode of farming, to turn herd of cat tie into rich and ripened field of grain to feed upon and trarnple it under their feet and when they have feasted and gorged themselves upon it for n few days. the swine are let in to gather up the scattered and mu. tilated remains of the harvest.
 The farmers in the vicinity of Lexington possess now the finest breed of cattle in the world. For many years large sums have been paid, and much care and labor incurred by them to procure tho best specimens of English stock. Agents have annually been sent to England to purchase, without regard to cost, the choicest bulls and COWS of the most famous breeds. These being transfer red to the luxuriant pastures and genial clilne of Kentucky, their offspring improve in all their characteristic points of excellence, and surpass their progentors in size and beauty. saw yesterday, heifers three years old, that would weigh 1900 pounds. and which were the most perfect models of beauty; and their calves of this season, now four or five months old, would weigh down an ordinary COW of full growth, and these lusty fellows were bleating after their dams and tugging away ut the teat like young stockings, for here COWS are kept not for milk, but to raise calves, and no butter and cheese are made upon these large stock farms for the market
 And rearing of horses and mules is also source of great profit, and the echo is awah- ened throughout the sylvan pastures by the perpetual bray of the stultitied ass. and the neighing of the pranciEg blood horse, which, like the beeves, being kept principally for breeding, are seldom subjected to the bit and harness, and in their wild freedom they start at the sound of strange footsteps, snuff the air and bound off in the unrestrained liberty of the untamed prairie horse. From twenty to fifty horses are kept upon the large es- tateS, and usually as many mules. A few days since, upon the rich bottoms of the Sci ota, near Columbus, saw upwards of 300 mules grazing in one pasture.
 In n country where pork is so important a staple of production, it would be supposed that great care would be given to procure the best breed of swine but the long snout. ed, lank and slab-sided race, seen running wild in large herds through the woods, exhi. bit an astonishing indifference in their own- CTS, to the improvement of this description of stock. But in the recent screwing times of money, this wild race of pigs have afforded convenient and timely relief to many a distressed delinquent. By the statutes of this state, the debtor has the privilege of de- 1 signating what articles of his property shall be sold under execution to satisfy n debt, and of late it has been the practice in the ne w counties, among those who seek every means to escape from the pressing demands of the sheriff and constable, to point out the herd of wild hogs in the woods. They be- ing worth the amount of the execution, the limb of the law is obliged to acceEt them, but the thing is to catch 'em." Ifnot taken, they return to the possession of the debtor.- A friend of mine saw the same herd of swine offered as satisfaction for execution five times in one week, and these had been borrowed of q neighbor for few days, and were of the widest sort, to evade the process of the law. The executions being returned nuiiG bona, the title of ths pigs was transferred to their l rightful owner. But few eastern gentle. 1 men, residents in this state, are now engaged in propagating a tanner race, that will be more amenable to the law.
 There is no class of men who enjoy a greater freedom from the cares, anXieties 1