, 1861-03-15
Agricultural.

SHEEP AND WOoL.-The following para
yraphs are from an article on the California
Sheep and Wool business, published in the
San Francisco Mercantile Gqzctte:
The use of full-blooded or hall-brced
bucks Of the best breed, has become almost
universal and marked and steady improve.
ment is going on fromyear to year. in q
few years the coarse, kempy, native Califor.
hia, or Mexican sheep, will have entirely
disappeared. The breed most generally
adopted by growers for the improvement Of
their ordinary stock, is the Merno of the
French or Spanish variety, and most of the
late receipts Of wool III this market show
traces more or less distinct Of the Mexican
blood. Next to the Merino, the Southdown
is becoming very -gensrally dlfused, and
seems to thrive well in all parts Of the State
The Cotswold and Leicester cross has also
been introduced to a small extent, with a
view to the production Of a desirable quality
Of combing wool
AL these breeds appear to thrive well and
increase with unexampled rapidity, suffering
from no serious disease, and wintering them
selves almost without any expense to the
owners Our fine climate, and the almost
unbounded range upon the foot-hills-and un-
cultivated plains, present the rarest facilities
for the successful prosecution Of this very
important brance of home interest.
The practice Of shearing twice year is
now discarded, except in cases where indica-
tions Of a tendency to the mid form of 'scab
known in this country renders a resort to
dipping, Or some other external application,
desirable. The intense and dry heats pre-
yaIling all summer render the fall wool per-
iectly dry and harsh to the tonch and be-
ing also very short in staple, it will seldom
command over two.thirds Of the price Of the
same wool of spring clip. The spring clip
from fair aocks, brought in this market from
l6 to 90 cents per pound. The wool from
few Of the best breeds, which came to
hand in excellent order, brought 20 to "a
cents per pound. The average price Of the
spring wool was II to III cents, and Of the
fall clip about l2I cents per pound.
The woolen mandatory in this city, we
are happy to learn, is in successful opera
ton. Its requirements during the past
season have been about 100000 pounds,
and its operations are confined exclusively
to the production Of coarse, heavy blankets,
adapted to the uses of this State and the
regions adjoining.
CUR1yG AND PACKING PoRK.-C Charles
Moore, citizen of Illinois, furnishes this re-
ceipt for packing pork, said to be one Of the
best known:
Taking fat hog, weighing from $50 to
800 pounds, after butchering, permit it to
get most thoroughly cold, but not frozen !;
then split It up 10 the backbone, cut of the
hams aud shoulders take the middlings, and
cut of the back bone; then Spply clean
coarse salt by rubbing with the hand pro
tected by buckskin mitten) each side and
edge, and particularly the skin side, not
sparing either salt or elbow grease Next,
store it by in clean, healthy cellar, neither
so cold as to freeze, nor so warm as to must;
II your floor be clay one, a platform Of
boards must. be made to raise it of the
ground, as the smell contaminates put on
your platform one quarter inch Of salt, then
place one layer of pieces, then, one quarter
inch Of salt again, and SO on alternately,
salt and meat, taking care that the pieces
be laid perpendicularly over each other. In
ten days turn it over, top pieces in the bot
tom, adding more salt as you see it is nee
essary, and in ten days turn It again as be-
fore. So, In month, it is cured ready for
packing, which is done in the following
manner: Cut the sides across into strips
five inches wide, weigh OF 200 pounds, and
forty pounds Of Soula or Suekisland salt |:
put three pounds Of salt in the bottom Of the
barrel, then place one layer Of strips on the
edges, with the skin side next TO the slaves;
place the strips as close as your ingenuity
and strength will allow, lest you might not
have room enough for them all add your
salt equally to each layer Next make
your brine by placing kettle, threefourths
filed with clean water, on the fire when
the water Is hot, add coarse salt IN the pre-
portion Of one measure Of salt to three Of
water. Keep it stirred, skimming of the
impurities that arise to the top, until it be
gins to boil then remove it from the fire,
and let It get entirely cold before you put it
into the barrels, ard see to your. barrels that
they do not leak. When this process is
gone through, there is no need to renew the
brine in the spring. / have long practiced
this method, and never knew it to fail.
REcEIFrs-W While Cup Cdpe-0ne cup
Of fresh butter; two cups Of powdered white
sugar four cups Of siited flour; Eve eggs
one cup Of sour cream, or rich milk; soda to
sweeten; grated nutmeg; and teaspoon.
fnl Of cinnamon. Bake in small pans.
Delicate Cake. = One pound of -four
three quarters of pound Of butter, fresh
and washed in cold wateri the whites of II
eggs, beaten to stiff froth. If wished
take the yolks of the eggs, and make another
cake with them; it will be Of a bright yel
low the two are called gold and silYel
cakes, and look very pretty sliced together
Cookies Without Eggs.-Two cups o
sugar; one Of butter; one cup Of cold water
one teaspoonful of salera.rs; spice to tn
taste Mix stiff, roll thin, and bake crisp.
Ia Indians may be considered th'
Copper-faced type of Mankind,