MASSACHUSETTS STATE COLLEGE ft ARCHIVES ^6\.<^ CHAPEi- i .o-!**^'*^^-" l^^' I m THE FARMERS' CABIN^ ;f%>^" "'■■•'V '^GSfOOfJIISE AMERICAN HERD-BOOKf ■TATI^ITOUSE. DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. BY JOSIAH TATUM. Perfect Agriculture is the true foundation of all trade and industry.— Liebig. Vol. IX.— 1844— 1845. PHILADELPHIA . PUBLISHED BY THE EDITOR, No. 50, N. FOURTH STREET. 1845. ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Herr's Native Steer, 2. The Alpaca, 3. Berkshire Hog, 4. Prouty &i Mears' Plough, 5. Illustrations in Electricity, 6. Southdown Buck, 7. Diagram of Tool Chest, PAGE 25 184 218 243 247 281 313 TABLE OF CONTENTS. A. Agricultural Society Meeting, Philadelphia, 34, 66 Atmospheric Rail-way, 35 Alpaca, 54,184 Agriculture and its improvements, 82 Address, Dr. Beekman's, 84 Apple Trees, age of— do natural trees outlive grafted? 107 Address, Bancroft's, N. Y. State Fair, 116 Agricultural Society, N. Y. State 117 Agricultural Society, Philadelphia, Minutes of, 119 Address, Dr. Darlington's, Philadelphia Ag. Society, 124 Address, S. D. Ingham's, Bucks County Ag. Society 144 Address, C. N. Bement's, Housatonic Ag. Society 147 Address, J. S. Skinner's, New Castle Ag. Society, 149,173 Autumn, by L. H. Sigourney, 154 Asparagus, Culture of; 180 Artichoke 181 Agricultural Imports in England 208 Alpaca Wool, 211 Animal Heat, 227,253 Acquired Knowledge among Farmers 257i Agriculture, &c , of the Cherokees 267 American Ag. Association of New York, .... 275: American Provisions, 286! Agricultural Society, Royal, of England 288 j Agriculture, elevation of, 330 Agricultural Society, Philadelphia, Minutes of, — do. Report of Committee on Farms, 336 Agricultural Society, Premiums on Farms, oifered by, 337 1 Agricultural Exhibition, Philadelphia 377 B. I Bees 17, 346,374 Bees, Fighting 63 Blue Wash for Walls, 35 Book Farming, 52 Birds, opposite opinions, 65 Butter, Philadelphia 90 Butter, 164,219,322,347 Butter, difficulty in churning 209 Berkshire Hog, 218 Barley 220 Bones, Whip-handles, &c 224 Bees swarming, 228 Butter, difficulty in churning obviated 233 Bread, receipt lor making, 293 Butter, to make good, 297 Butter, to sweeten, 318 Botany, stud V of by females, 331 Butter, Russian Mude of making 372 Bommer's Method 380 Colours, variety of, 20 Cotton 21 Cheap paint, 24 Clotted Cream 26 Cow, form and constitution of, 29 Conversion of Wood into Iron, 45 Cisterns, best method of constructing, 50 Coffee, culture of, 63 Cattle, keeping them warm Ill C'offee, receipt for making, 123 Calf, extraordinary, 151 Corn Crop, , 161 Corn-stalk sugar, experiments, 186 Capons 219 Crops, Report, Philadelphia Ag. Society 244 Cattle epidemic, 277 Crops, tabular estimate of, 1844 278 Cranberries, raising 285 Cranberry, cultivation of, 290 Cutting grass, 291 Cucumbers, raising early, 293 Celery, Cultivation of, 299 Cranberries, 302 Currants, grafting 305 Colman's Agricultural Tour, 329 Corn, ploughing for, in September 370 Cows, rare ones in the West 377 D. Dairy contrivances, 22 Deep ploughing, 37 Dairying, 56 Drummond Light • 93 Dog Show, 141 Draining, Irrigation and Warping, 148 Dogs and Cats, 221 Dogs, uselessness of, 256 Durham Steers, I. W. Roberts', 260 Draining, &c 323 Dream — yet not a Dream 332 Diseases of Cattle, premium on 344 E. Eben Elshender, the Moor Farmer 46 Electricity 80 Eggs, pickled 151 Experiments in Farming, 269 Electricity in Agriculture, 298 Eggs, double yolked, hatching, 309 Engrafting, 318 Early rising 343 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Economy, 348 Electricity in aid of Agriculiure, 353 F. Fruit in Cincinnati 36 Farmers' Club, N. Y., meeting of 55 Fruit trees, management of 81 Fruit, Statistics of Ill Fruits, A liorignial 183 Food for different latitudes 210 Fruit trees, planting on declivities 221 Farm cul tivated by Insane 236 Fruit, cultivation of 241 Fact for the curious 292 Fruit Trees 311 Farmers' Club, New Castle Co 352 Frost, the late 375 G. Guano Island, discovery of 9 Galvanic Experiments on Vegetation 11 Grain Fork, New 16 Guano and Turnips 24 Gas Tar 26 Great Britain, Statistics of 67 Gowen's, James, Cattle 68 Guano 81,275,287 Guano, Dr. Gardner's History of 85 Guano as a Manure, 94,96 Guano, experiments with 100 Geology of Soils 122,137 Gypsum as Manure 164 Grub, or Grass worm, in Salem Co., N. J 190 Guano, artificial 221 Gas liquor. Experiments with 241 Greatest amount of produce from a given surface 270 Gypsum for Stables 301 Grape, Olive, &c., culture of 308 Grape vines, destruction of 311 Go wen James, Report of his farm 338 Grapes, seedling 344 Grape, culture of 349 Green House, a simple ! 369 H. Harvest Song 16 Heifers, raising 25 Horses, checking HO Horses, Galls on 141 Hints to young men 142 Hoven Gatlle 163 Hens, management of 175 Hens, German and Brazilian 178 Horses, curing obstinate 211 Hemp 211.217 Hops, duty on 215 Hortjculiure. progress in Indiana 237 Hens, fecundity of 272 Horse, can he reason ? 282 Hay, making 291 Horses, large chests 301 Horticulture \[ 347 Hessian I'ly ' ' 354 Horses, feed for ...!.. 377 I. Indian Corn, Report on 89 Indian Summer JOO Insects injurious to domestic animals 114 Island of Ichaboe— Guano ,, 205 Improvement under difficulties 266 Inland iVavigation in thj West .' 317 Indian Corn, culture of " 319 JuiupupGirls !...!.,'.'.*. 322 Industry needed 350 Indian Corn, accidents to 368 Indian Corn 371 Insect life, romance of 372 Loudon, J. C. death of 13 Lightning, protection from 61 Lightrring Rods .' 97 Landlord and Tenant 142 Lovers of Flowers, hints to 152 Labour 1 53 Lice on Cattle, to destroy 185 Lettuce, cultivation of 225 Letter from T. le Couteur 245 Lightning Rods 247,354 Larne School in Ireland 324 M. Mending a tree 88 Marl, underlying Charleston 98 Madder. — Mustard a profitable crop 99 Milk 110 Manufacturing establishments in Philadelphia and vicinity 120 Massachusetts Premium Farm 139 Manure, the principal thing in Farming 159 Milk in Cows, continuance of 163 Meat, to preserve it fresh 181 Manures, B. Hallowell's Experiments 234 Milk Adulterated 258 Milk, rich 278 Manure 301 Manures, Waste 304 Milking Cows 305 Manure, importance of 306 Malay Apple 311 Manures, saving 312 Mowing easily 341 N. Native Steer, B. B. Herr's 25 New York Agricultural Institute 30 New Castle Ag. Society Premiums 31 New York State Fair 73 O. Old Virginia 44 Otter in India 113 Oleander, change of colour 198 Ornamental Shrubs and Flowers 210 Orchards 223 Oats, 80 bushels to the acre 277 Olive, Grape, &c., culture of 308 Order— Carefulness 313 Potaloe failure, prevention of 21 Pennsylvania Horticultural Exhibition 23 Pear Trees, blight in 28 Pigs sucking a Cow 36 Pressing Hay.— Plank Fences 51 Peach, cultivation of 77 Productive Farms 87 Potatoes, disease of, 95,155,179,212 Potat<.ies, gathering ]oo Premiums fur best managed Farms 108 Potatoes, improvement of quality 113 Ploughing Match, St. Georges' 133 Potatoes, raising 152 Provisions, American in England 177 Pigs, warm bed lor 185 Pear Trees, blight in 191 Ploughs, Cast-steel 219 Plant beautiful experiment with 219 Poudielte, advantages of 222 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Poor, the 223 Ploughs, American, in England 226 Plough, Prouty's in Ohio 243 Potatoes, Wheat, &c 284 Premiums of Agricultural Society 287 Pork raisers, important to 301 Ploughs, Subsoil 301 Pepper and Mustard 303 Poultry houses 307 Potatoe Sugar 311 Potatoes, new varieties 325 Peach Trees, preservation of 341 Potatoe, disease of 346, 373 Potatoe Rot 361 Parks of London 369 Q. Quince, cultivation of 182 R. Raising Water 59 Ripe Fruit and Dysentery 77 Reports of Philadelphia Ag. Society 128, 195 Report on Crops, New Castle Ag. Society 156 Rotation of Crops 158 Report, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 182 Raven, ingenious 260 Reading Room, a humble 308 Russian Economical Society 445 Rhubarb Plant 347 S. Seeds, Manuring and Steeping 18, 41, 58 Sulphate of Ammonia, &c 22 Sheep, when, where, and how to get a drove 75 Sheep-nose worms 82, 201 Shell-fish as a manure 88 South Carolina, improvements in 123 Shoe-blacking, receipt to make 160 Shepherd Dog, Sotham's 176 Stock, keep your best 177 Shoes, pointed-toed 207 Sulphuric Acid as a Manure 208 Silk 216,316 Shepherd's Dog 252 Scientific Agriculture 255 Seed, preparation of 265 Steaming of Cattle, &c 268 Southdown Buck , 281 Sulphate of Ammonia — its uses 284 Soiling Cattle 286 Soil, to improve the 302 Safety Girdle, improved 309 Strawberries, Male and Female 310 Silk Culture in Ohio 312 Sugar Cane in West Georgia 318 Soap-suds, compost 322 Soiling System 335 Sheep, desiruetion of by Dogs 351 Short-horns, E. P. Prentice's Sale 374 Song of the Soil 376 T. Tulips 27 Turning in Green Crops 54 Toads, usefulness of 62 TheToad 90 Time is Money 207 Transportation, facilities for 220 Turkies, how to raise 240 Thunder Siorms, safely in 323 Tobacco, culture of, in Connecticut 342 Tulip 369 U. V. W. Vegetable Physiology 15 Wheat Sowing 49 Water, to make it cold for Summer 56 Waste Manures 57 Wheat turning into Cheat or Bromus 78 Wheat, Rust, Blight and Mildew of 87 Wheat, Broadcast and Drilled 105 Wheat, Alabama iig Wheat, Drilling 143 Woodlands, take care of 153 Wheat, raising. — Woollen Goods, to wash 162 Wheat, Harmon's varieties in N. Y 169 Wheat, Mediterranean 185,202 Wheat, heavy yield of 2I6 Wheat, Seed 242 Useful Directions 277 Wheat Crop ...- „ „ .'„ 375 •^^£RICAN HERD-Bob^ DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. Perfect Agriculture is the true foundation of all trade and industry. — Liebio. Vol. IX — No. 1.] 8th mo. (August) 15th, 1844. [Whole No. 115. PUBLISHED MONTHLY, BY JOSIAH TATUM, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR, No. 50 North Fourth Streel, PHILADELPHIA. Price one dollar per year.— For conditions see last page. For the Fanners' Cabinet. Curious discovery of a Guano Island, i To THE Editor, — I send you from Lif- ford's Baltimore Commercial Gazette, into which it was copied from Bell's London Messenger, a curious account of the disco- very of a Guano island, on the coast ofj Africa. From the little tJiat I have heard, and that little especially from Commodore T. Ap. Catesby Jones, the African is not es- teemed so strong a fertilizer, as the Peru- vian Guano. Commodore Jones brought home, for gratuitous distribution, a small quantity of the latter, and gave me, with a portion of it, a brief memoir on its nature and uses, which shall be published. The Commodore took some to his estate near here, in Fairfax county, Virginia, and took • occasion privately, to spread a little of it on some rows of his neighbour's corn. The good farmer soon had his attention attracted by the deeper green colour and more vigor- Cab.— Vol. IX.— No. 1. ous growth of these rows, and was much " struck up," as Jack Downing said, at this unaccountable difference. This is strange doings, said he, it is marvellous enough. At last the Commodore, after enjoying the joke, unravelled the mystery, as many other mys- teries might be, if one had the key ! L S. S. Washington, D. C, July 8th, 1844. We are indebted to the Glasgow Herald, for the following interesting account of the discovery of this valuable manure pn the coast of Africa. The narrative presents a striking illustration of the enterprise of the British merchant, and which, in this, as in numberless other instances, will doubtless result in a great national benefit. According to the observations of Captain Farr, of the Ann, of Bristol, who had the honour of bringing last year, the first cargo of African guano to Great Britain, the island of Ichaboe — in which the quality is of a su- perior kind — is situated in 26° 19' of south latitude, and 14° 50' of east longitude, four days' sail north of the Cape of Good Hope, and 14° south of the Portuguese settlement of Benguela. It is a small rocky islet, about two and a half miles from the main- land of Africa, on which, at a distance of half a dozen miles, is a native settlement, and from the inhabitants giving the name of Ichaboe to the island, it has been retained by the same title in our own language. The manner in which the guano treasures on (9) 10 Curious discovery of a Guano Island. Vol. IX. this coast were opened up to the enterprise of British merchants, is both curious and interesting, and the following recital of it is, we believe, the correct one. An Ameri- can trader having observed the interest which the importation of Peruvian gnano was creating in Britain, was reminded of the circumstance that he had seen large deposits of a similar substance on the coast of Africa, and he published a short narrative of his observations in an American journal. Tiiis account fell under the notice of an English captain, who transmitted it to his relatives in Liverpool, and by them an ex- pedition of, we believe, five ships, was fitted out in the close of 1842, for the purpose of| being loaded with the African guano for the British market. Tlie instructions, however, which were given to the masters nmst have been of an imperfect kind, for four of them returned without having succeeded in the object of their search, and the fifth, viz: the Ann, was nearly in the same position, when accident revealed the El Dorado, which was destined to exert such a potent influence in fertilizing our soil. Captain Farr happened to be at Cape Town, and one morning stepped into a coffee-room for break- fast, q,nd while partaking of his repast, en- tered into conversation with the master of an American whaler, to whom he explained the regret he felt at being likely to return to England, without being able to fulfil the object of his mission. The American stated that he had been on shore on some islands of the exact dpscription which the other was in quest of; and gave Captain Farr such information as enabled him to find out the island of Ichaboe, and take the first cargo from a deposit which may have been in the course of accumulation from the ear- liest ages in the world's history. With this cargo he sailed for England, and having put in at a port on the coast of Ireland, in July, 1843, he there found instructions awaiting him, which directed him to proceed to Dum- fries, and unload : and he accordingly pro- ceeded to Carsethorn, on the Solway, where the Ann was discharged, and tlie guano car ried to Liverpool in lighters. Notwithstand ing the secrecy with which tliese proceed ings were managed, some hints respecting them reached the ears of the firm of Alex- ander & John Downie, of this city, who de- spatched their manager, Mr. Moncrielf, with the view of obtaining such information as would open the African guano stores more generally to British industry. A ne- gotiation was accordingly begun at Dum- fries, and terminated at Bristol, the result of which was that Captain Farr agreed to proceed again to Ichaboe, and at the same time point out the way to a fleet which was despatched by Messrs. Downie, with sealed instructions, in the autumn of last year. Already several of these ships have arrived in Scotland, while one of them has dis- charged a cargo in the West Indies, and the matter being no longer a secret, a num- ber of vessels were, at the date of the last advices, loading at Ichaboe for various ports in Great Britain. Guano is also obtained at Angra Pequena, 40 miles south of Ichaboe, but it is not by any means, held in such high favour as the product of the latter. At the time of Captain Farr's first visit, the island was covered with penguins, gannets, &c., but principally the former, in numbers which altogether defied calculation. They seemed to have no acquaintance with, nor fear of man, and in fact, offered a resistance to his encroachment on a domain which had been peculiarly their own for thousands of years. Since the crews of so many ships, however, were located at the island, the birds have almost entirely deserted their former territory, and retired to fulfil the purposes of their nature to more remote and inaccessible shores. The specimens of the penguin from Ichaboe, which we have seen, are about two feet in height, and as a great portion of their time is spent in the sea, they are furnished with small flaps or pad- dles, instead of wungs, which enable them to progress through the water with great velocity, though they are unable to fly. The female lays and sits upon one egg at a time, and a hole scratched in the deposit subserves all the purposes of a nest. In this way a succession of incubations go on tor several months in the year, the young bird making its way to the sea as soon as it is able. It is the opinion of the seamen, that vast numbers of them never reach their destined homes in the waters, but are crushed to death in their progress to it, by the dense battalions of birds which have almost to maintain a struggle for bare standing room ; and in this way the guano heaps are in- creased, as well by the bodies of tlie birds as by their droppings. The bodies of seals are also found on the surface of tlie guano de- posits, which leads to the belief that they may occasionally have taken shelter there from a storm or hurricane, and having been overpowered by the potency of the ammo- niacal vapor, have been unable to return to the water, and died where they lay. The guano whicli is brought to this country, is found under a loose covering of decayed birds, recent dung, &c., and is so firrtily im- bedded, that it requires to be dug out by the laborious operations of the pick-axe. When thus disengaged it is put into bags, and No. 1. Galvanic Experiments on Vegetation. 11 transferred by a sort of rope-ladder from the island to a boat, which lies at the outer edge of the surf, and from thence it is daily emp- tied into the hold of the vessel, which is anchored at a short distance. Ten men will litl about fifteen tons per day, but the opera- tion is a very laborious one, and the sun i so powerful that few of the crews escape without having their faces and hands blis- tered, so that the outer skin is peeled off. When Captain Farr lefl Ichaboe, he esti- mated the guano deposit on that island alone, to extend one thousand feet in length, by five hundred in breadth, with an average depth of thirty-five feet, containing, perhaps, from seven hundred thousand to eight hun- dred thousand tons. It is evident, therefore, that this supply will soon be exhausted in fertilizing the soil of Great Britain and her dependencies, but it is to be hoped that vast stores of it yet exist, which have hitherto never been disturbed by man. On this sub- ject we quote the following statement from the South African Commercial Advertiser, published at Cape Town, in January last: — " On the rocky headlands, or on tlie rocky and unmolested islands on the west coast, both within and beyond the boundary of this colony, where the sea-fowl from a vast ex- panse of open ocean come to breed, enor- mous masses of this mantfre have recently been discovered ; and it seems probable that all the way up the coast into the Gulf of Guinea, and beyond it, similar treasures await the agriculture of the world, by which means the sea will render back to the land much more matter fitted to form organized, that is, vegetable and animal substances, than the rivers carry down into their depths, or the fleets of the nations de- posit in their course over its surface." — BeWs Messenger. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Galvanic Experiments on Vegetation. By Wm. Ross. To THE Editor, — I have been exceed- ingly interested in the following paper, which I lately came across in the New York Farmer and Mechanic, and cannot help believing it will be well worth its room in the Cabinet. Truly may we ask what are we coming to, and what will be the next achievement in practical science 1 One day we are astonished by the transmis- sion of messages over a track of fifty or a hundred, or a thousand miles, in the twink- ling of an eye, and answers to them returned with the same rapidity — and the next we are gravely assured that the seeds may be sown, and the crop grown for a salad while we are discussing other parts of a dinner ! At a meeting of the New York Farmer's Club, on the 2nd ult., it was stated that the * wheat in Dutchess county was sadly injured by "a little yellow worm in the head of the wheat," which destroys the grain. It was also reported at the Club, that a field near Astoria, "was injured by a fly — not the Hessian — a small one, scarcely discernible, lodged in the capsule of the wheat, and a little yellow worm, the product of the fly." The crop had been treated with a dressing of poudrette, and had consequently "grown with so much vigor, as in good measure to escape from damage." It is said further, that a disease similar to that which is threatening to destroy the buttonwood tree, not only in this country, but also on the continent of Europe, and m the Azores, has in some places attacked the white oak, and a suggestion is thrown out, that it may be with the sycamore, as it has been with other trees: it may have seen its day — its race may be about to run out. The electrical experiments detailed be- low, in hastening vegetation, are certainly very curious. Y. Z. Sir, — At your request, I send a con- cise account of the few experiments I have made on the application of electricity to vegetables. They have been but few in number, although at present they may be more interesting, from the fact that very recent discoveries have rendered the use of this subtle, mysterious agent, more or less advantageous in many of the arts. My attention was first called to the sub- ject, by reading in some periodical — I be- lieve one of the earlier volumes of the Gar- dener's Magazine — of an experiment said to have been performed at a dinner given by the Marquis of Anglesea, of the follow- ing nature: The statement was to the effect, that the seeds of cress — lajpidium sativum — were sown in a glass vessel at the time the guests sat down to dinner, and that the crop from these seeds was served to them in the salad ! The seed was sown in a soil formed of clean sand, mixed with some black oxide of manganese and table salt: the whole was moistened with dilute sulphuric acid, and electricity applied. The manner in which this agent was generated, or used, was not stated; but even without it, we all know that cress seed so treated, will germinate in about three hours, though the seed leaves will not be fully developed in less than five hours after sowing. Cress, when used as salad, is always taken in the seed leaf; and unless we believe that the dinner was pro- 12 Galvanic Experiments on Vegetation. Vol. IX. lono^ed on purpose, the application of elec- tricity must have accelerated the growth in a very rapid manner. Many observing farmers will, no doubt, have noticed that vegetation proceeds more rapidly after a thunder storm than after one which shows no electrical phenomena ; and we find, on examining the various formation of the parts of plants, that they are well adapted for the passage of electricity through them, either from the earth or the atmos- phere. Witness the points and serratings, as well as the hairs and down on the leaves, all good conductors, and calculated for af- fording it a silent and easy passage. That this is the case, any one may satisfy himself by a very simple experiment. Charge a leyden jar either by mechanical or chemical electricity — for both are the same, though excited in a different manner — then stick a wire in the ground near a plant, having the upper end pointed ; liold the knob of the jar near, but not to touch, the edge of one of the upper leaves, and let the outer coat of the jar be within an inch of the upper point of the wire in the ground. In a few seconds the whole of the charge of the jar will be silently drawn off through the plant, and the outside coating will have received its com- pensation through the pointed wire from the ground, the equilibrium of the jar being restored without a spark or any other per- ceptible effort. Were the knob of the jar to touch the leaf, and the outer coating brought within what electricians call the " striking distance," a spark would pass, which, were the plant of a very juicy na- ture, as the cucurbita tribe, the shock would burst the vesicules, and the plant would die. A ligneous plant, however, will bear very strong shocks, apparently with impunity; yet, a repetition would, sooner or later, rup- ture its vessels also. My first experiment was on some melon plants, in 1842. Only a few plants escaped the fly: through them I passed a shock from a jar containing a coated surface of fifty inches — in short, a pint jar — and the result was, they were all killed the same day. On the aflernoon of the same day, I planted some cucumbers, mixed some salt and man- ganese in thei hill, which was moistened with very dilute sulphuric acid, and a shock passed through each hill. On the following afternoon, three out of the four hills, were up, and on the next morning the whole were up, with most of the seed leaves spread open: by the eleventh day, the plants had two rough leaves, and as the day was very warm and dry, I soaked the hills with water very slightly acidulated with sulphuric acid, about one quarter of an ounce to a gallon. I then gave some plants in each hill a shock, leaving only two in each, and to these I gave a silent charge. Those which re- ceived the shock all died, while the others continued as thrifty as before, till the 24th day, when I moistened the hills with pure water, as they were th,en beginning to open their blossoms, passed a silent charge through two hills, and left the others. The first few blossoms were all males; no fruit blossoms appeared, or rather opened, until the 28th day, when the four hills were moistened with acidulated water, and a si- lent shock passed through one hill only, the others having none. I was at this time fi'om home a few days, and on my return I found two cucumbers on the hill which re- ceived the last charge, about five inches long and one and a half in diameter, which were cut and eaten. This was on the 37th day after planting, and the flavour could not be said to be any thing difierent from that of the same variety — white spine — grown in the usual manner. I found that, during my absence, my boys had taken the other hills under their charge, and in the course of their quick and energetic treatment, they were all killed before I returned. I may remark, that the cucumbers did not run much to vine, no runner having extended so far as two and a half feet, which is rather a strong contrast to the result of the same treatment of pumpkins in the following sea- son. I planted five seeds of a new variety of pumpkins among some potatoes in 1843, giving them precisely the same treatment as the cucumbers had the year before, but only gave them two charges — one at sow- ing, and one when they had two rough leaves: they were then left to themselves, when I Jiave reason to believe one of the plants died, leaving only four, which, from their luxuriant growth, entirely covered the square in the garden, 57 feet long and 30 feet wide, in which they were planted : be- sides, every day or two, some runners cross- ing the walks had to be cut off. With all this luxuriance, not a blossom was seen on them the whole season ; and I may also re- mark, that under their shelter the grubs had destroyed the potatoes, which were not worth digging, as nothing but thin shells of the outside were left. I also last season, 1843, made some ex- periments with dahlias; but before the silent charge vroi'.ld pass freely through them, it was fijund necessary to water tiie plant all over, if the day had been very dry and hot. I will mention one in particular. On the 10th of September. I took oflT a cutting about a foot long, planted and shaded it till it struck; on the evening of the 15th it No. 1. Death of J. C. Loudon. 13 received a silent charge, and on the 23rd was nearly three feet high. On that even- ing it received another charge, and was, on the first of October, almost six feet high, when it received another charge. Its growth was now rapid, owing, perhaps, to several thunder. showers between that and the last week of the fair of the American Institute, when it was taken to Niblo's. Its height, including the root which was dug with it, was 11 feet 8 inches, while its di- ameter at the ground was under five-eighths of an inch. There were then two blossoms upon it, with several blossom buds: the blos- soms were small, not quite two-thirds the siie of those on the plant from which it was taken. As I have explained at length these seve- ral experiments, and also the mode of giving the shock, I shall now only mention one other experiment of last year on the egg plant — solanvm melongena. On the even- ing of the 3rd of June, I sowed some seeds of egg plant in a glass cup, with the same mixture as used before in the cucumber hills, and passed two smart shocks through it. In the morning most of the seeds had germinated, and were, in the afternoon, put in the open ground. During their growth, they received three charges, and the fruit was presented at the late fair. As to their size, they were not the largest there, but they were larger than any I saw in my own neighbourhood, and also larger than any I had ever before raised from plants forwarded in a hot-bed with much trouble and care in the spring. This season my only experiment, as yet, has been with potatoes, and the electricity used is generated by different means from the others, which, until the discovery of Mr. Bain, was not adapted for the practical farmer. Now it is at once the most econom- ical, efficient, and simfle to apply, as may be seen by the following experiment: I had potatoes planted on the 6th of May, and as a first experiment with Mr. Bain's discovery, I procured a sheet of sheathing copper, which is about 5 feet long and 14 inches wide, and cut a piece of sheet zinc the same size as the sheet of copper. w Surface of sround 100 feet. c, in the above diagram, represents the sheet of copper buried in the ground at one end of j the rows, and z the sheet of zinc buried at the other end of the rows, and j^) is a copper wire, which is attached to both the copper and zinc. The result of this arrangement is, that the two metals form a galvanic bat- tery, being in metallic connexion by means of the wire w, and the moisture of the soil completing the galvanic circuit, which last is necessary, before any chemical action takes place. The potatoes were planted in drills, but as the copper was only five feet long, only three rows could be influenced by it. The potatoes were only once hoed, and from circumstances never earthed up. On the 15th of June, some potatoes were taken by the fingers from these rows, varying from one inch to one and a quarter in diameter; and those exhibited at the N. Y. Farmers' Club, July 2nd, were about two and a half inches in diameter, and were dug from the same three rows. Some of the adjoining rows were tried, but few of them had pota- toes larger than marrowfat peas — certainly none larger than a boy's marble. These experiments can only be taken as isolated facts: no more general conclusion can be drawn from them than that electri- city accelerates the growth of plants. This has been observed by many of atmospherical electricity — but it has yet to be determined how, artificially excited, electricity can be made as available to the farmer as it now is tothe electro-metallurgist, in reducing metals from their ores, or in gilding and plating, or even copying the most delicate engravings. On a future occasion I may show how a battery may be put in action by the farmer without any other expense than that for the materials ; all which, except the zinc, will last for an indefinite period, as there is no action whatever on the copper while a cur- rent is passing. — N. York Farmer and Me- chanic. Death of J. C. Loudon. On the 14th of December, 1843, died, at his house at Bayswater, John Claudius Lou- don, Esq., who for nearly half a century, has been before the public as a writer of numerous useful and popular works on Gar- dening, Agriculture, and Architecture. Mr. Loudon's father was a farmer, residing in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, where he was very highly respected; but Mr. Lou- don was born on April 8th, 1763, at Cambu- slang, in Lanarkshire, where his mother's only sister resided, herself the mother of the" Rev. Dr. Claudius Buchanan, afterwards celebrated for his philanthropic labours in India. Dr. Buchanan was several years older than Mr. Loudon, but there was a 14 Death of J. C Loudon. Vol. IX. singular coincidence in many points of their liistory. The two sisters were, in botli cases, left widows at an early age, with large families, which were brought up by the exertions of the eldest sons ; and both mothers had the happiness of seeing their eldest sons become celebrated. Mr. Loudon was brought up as a landscape gardener, and began to practice in 1803, when he came to England, with numerous letters of introduction to some of the first landed pro- prietors in the kingdom. He afterwards took a large fai m in Oxfordshire, where he resided in '1809. In the years 1813-14-L5, he made the tour of Northern Europe, tra- versing Sweden, Russia, Poland and Aus- tria; in 1819, he travelled through Italy; and in 1828, through France and Germany. Mr. Loudon's career as an author, began in 1803, when he was only twenty years old, and continued with very little interrup- tion during the space of forty years, being only concluded by his death. The first works he published were the following: — Observations on Laying onl Public Squares, in 1803, and on I'lanlalions, in 1804; a Treatise on Hot-houses, in 1805, and on Country Residences, in 1806, both quarto; Hints on the Formation of Gardens, in 1812; and three works on Hot-houses, in 1817 and 1818. In 1822, appeared the first edition of the Encyclopcedia of Gardening, a work remarkable for the immense mass of useful matter which it contained, and for the then unusual circumstance of a greal quantity of wood-cuts being mingled with the text. This book obtained an extraordi- nary sale, and fully established his fame as an author. Soon after was published an anonymous work, written either partly, or entirely by Mr. Loudon, called the Green- house Cofnpaniou ; and shortly afterwards, Observations on Laying-cut Farms, in folio, with his name. In 1824, a second edition of the Encyclopedia of Gardening, was published, with very great alterations and improvements; and the following year ap- peared the first edition of tlio Enryclopcsdia of Agriculture. In 1826, the Gardeners'' Magazine was commenced, being the first periodical ever devoted exclusively to horti- cultural subjects. The Magazine of Na- tural History, also the first of its kind, was begun in 1828. r»Ir. Loudon was now oc- cupied'in the preparation of the Encyclopce- dia of Plants, which was published early in 1829, and was speedily followed by the Hortus Britannicvs. In 1830, a second and nearly rewritten edition of the Encyclo- paedia of Agriculture was published, and this was followed by an entirely rewritten edition of the Encyclopaedia of Gardening, \\\ 1831 ; and the Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture, the first he published on his own account, in 1832. This last work was one of the most success- ful, because it was one of the most useful he ever wrote, and it is likely long to con- tinue a standard book on the subjects of which it treats. Mr. Loudon now began to prepare his great and ruinous work, the Arboretum Britannicum,* the anxieties attendant on which were, undoubtedly, the primary cause of that decay of constitution, which termi- nated in his death. This work was not, however, completed till 1838, and in the mean time he began the Architectural Mag- azine, the first periodical devoted exclusive- ly to architecture. The labour he under- went at this time was almost incredible. He had four periodicals, viz : the Garden- ers' Natural History, and Architectural Magazines, and the Arboretum^ Britanni- cum, which was published in monthly num- bers, going on at the same time ; and to produce these at the proper times, he lite- rally worked night and day. Immediately on the conclusion of the Aboretum Britan- nicum, he began the Suburban Gardener, which was also published in 1838, as was the Hortus Lignosus Londinensis ; and in 1839, appeared his edition of ReptoH''s Land- scape Gardening. In 1840, he accepted the editorship of the Gardeners^ Gazette, which he retained till November, 1841 ; and in 1842, he published his Encyclopcedia of Trees and Shrubs. In the same year he completed his Suburban Horticulturist, and finally, in 1843, he published his work on Cemeteries, the last separate work ho ever wrote. In this list, many minor productions of Mr. Loudon's pen have necessnrily been omitted ; but it may be mentioned that he contributed to the Encyclopedia Britan- nica and Brande\s Dictionary of Science; and that he published numerous supplements from time to time, to his various works. No man, perhaps, has ever written so much under such adverse circumstances, as Mr. Loudon. Many years ago, when he came first to Englnnd, in 1803, he had a severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism, which disabled him for two years, and ended in an anchylosed knee and a contracted left arm. In the year 1820, whilst compiling the F.ncyclopcsdia of Gardening, he had another severe attack of rheumatism ; and the following year, being recommended to go to Hrighton, to get shampooed in Mahom- med's Baths, his right arm was there broken * This work ^vas publislied on J. C. Loudon's own account, at an expense of more than £10,000.— Ed. No. 1. Vegetable Phylosofhyi. 15 near the shoulder, and it never properly united. Notwithstanding this, he continued to write with his right hand till 1825, when his arm was broken a second time, and he was then obliged to have it amputated ; but not before a general breaking up of the frame had commenced, and the thumb and two fingers of the left hand had been ren- dered useless. He afterwards suffered fre- quently from ill health, till his constitution was finally undermined by the anxiety at- tending on that most costly and laborious ofi all his works, the Arbnrcium Britanvicum, which has unfortunately not yet paid itself. He died at last of disease of the lungs, after suffering severely about three months ; and he retained all the clearness and energy of his mind to the last. His labours as a landscape-gardener, are too numerous to be detailed here ; but that which he always considered as the most important, was the laying out of the Arbo- retum, so nobly presented by Joseph Strutt, Esq., to the town of Derby. Never, perhaps, did any man possess more energy and determination than Mr. Loudon; whatever he began he pursued with enthu- siasm, and carried out, notwithstanding ob- stacles that would have discouraged any ordinary person. He was a warm friend, and most kind and affectionate in all his relations of son, husband, father and bro- ther; and he never hesitated to sacrifice pecuniary considerations to what he consi- derated his duty. That he was always most an.xious to promote the welfare of gar- deners, the volumes of this Magazine bear ample witness ; and he laboured not only to improve their professional knowledge, and to increase their temporal comforts, but to raise their moral and intellectual charac- ter.— From the Gardeners' Masrazine. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Vegetable Physiology. I HAVE brought together from an article in Paxton's Magazine of Botany, a few paragraphs which have been to me particu- larly interesting, and I would have forwarded the whole, had it not only been, as I appre- hend, rather too much extended for the Cabinet, but also too thoroughly scientific in its character for a work, which I suppose is meant to be practical, and common-place in its bearings. There are ten thousand of the commonest things around us, calculated to awaken inquiry, and to convince us, that after all our efforts, we can but tread upon the threshold of nature's grand laboratory of secrets. Yet to the active and inquisi- tive, it is ever delightful to approach aa near as we may, and lift the veil, looking underneath for those "causes of things" which Lord Bacon says, are certainly re- vealed to none but such as seek assiduously for them. How beautiful is the progress, and how wonderful, from the first germ to the root, and the stem, and the leaf, and the flower and the fruit — we every day witness j their developements, and pass them by, as j things so common, that we almost forget to I inquire into the economy which so easily I brings about results, in themselves so abun- dantly worthy of admiration. But I did not I mean to read a lecture of my own, but to 'give the extracts from Paxton. I " The utmost extent to which our investi- Igations enable us to attain, is very remote from knowledge. Can it then be deemed j surprising, that very few professional gar- deners are acquainted with the structure of the plants they cultivate? When the time of any person is almost entirely occupied in works of manual labour, how is it possible that he shall be able to bend his mind to severe investigation of a dark and myste- rious subject? And such is Vegetable Phy- siology. " The root, radix, is the organ of nourish- ment, that by which a plant is attached to the soil, and absorbs the crude sap. It, in general, appears to be the first develope- ment of vegetable vitality, since the radicle is protruded from a seed into the ground, before the stem ascends. A beautiful ex- ample of this is furnished by a fresh fallen acorn being suspended in a hyacinth glass, just above the surface of the water, with which the glass is to be previously three parts filled. " If cuttings of any free rooting plant, as of the horse-shoe geranium, be inserted in a phial of water, and kept at a heat of 60°, it will be seen that a ring of the substance called callus, is gradually formed between the bark and the wood, portions of which become granular, prominent, and acquire length. These protrusions are roots, and with them the cutting becomes a plant; hence we infer that the root is the first vi- talised production of vegetable germs, and though a cutting be a portion of secondary developcment, it is only a mutilation, and nothing better, till some vitalised pre-organ- ised germs be brought into action in the form of roots. " The reader will perceive by the above attempted definition, how much the mind labours in its endeavour to explain phenom- ena which are hidden in mystery! what children we are! talking of knowledge, and yet displaying our utter ignorance of causes 16 A JVew Grain Fori: — The Furmer^s Harvest Song. Vol. IX. and first principles ! still we know enough with reverence to admire. " We know nothing of the vital principle — it may be a fiat — partaking of the nature of the breath of life ; — it may be sentient, conferring on a plant, however low in its degree, some trace of feeling and volition ; or it may be electro-magnetic, acting alto- gether through the instrumentality of at- traction and conduction. We lean to this last opinion, because we perceive in every act of nutrition, some phenomena of chemi- cal decomposition ; but setting aside these considerations, it is quite certain, and will be self-evident to the philosopher who in- quires aright, that every part of a tree or plant, and all its productions, ivhen deprived of life, are subject to chemical laws, and can "be explained by them, and them alone. " By the application of proper tests, we discover the elements into which all vegeta- ble matters, organic and inorganic, can be resolved. We learn that by analysis of the insoluble ashes, left after the combustion of plants of all kinds, we may arrive at a toler- ably correct knowledge of the proper ma- nure which any individual plant demands for its peculiar aliment. " The science of manuring, we admit, is in its infancy; yet its dawning has become manifest, researches have commenced, and the mind of man has begun to appreciate the powers with which it is gifted." It has been remarked that " Literature has its curiosities, and Art its museums of singular antique productions ;" — but, let me ask, can the artist, or scholar, find among his treasures an ampler field for the employ- ment of his highest powers, than the farmer who quietly walks forth among the simplest specimens of vegetable lifel S. S. Delaware co., Pa. A New Grain Fork. At a farm near Buffalo, we saw a new grain- fork, the best adapted for pitching sheaves of grain, of anything of the kind we ever before noticed. Its construction is perfectly simple, and it can be made by any skilful blacksmith ac- customed to forge pitchforks. It consists of two tines, nine inches long, which are spread two inches at the shmk, and two and a half at the ends. The shank has a sudden curve at the end, of aboiit two inches, so as to bring the points of the fork nearly in a line with the direction of the handle and shank. The naked part of the shank is eight inches long, one inch wide, by one-third of an inch thick, and enters the handle, which has a lerule on the end of five inches, secured to tlie shank by a strong rivet. The tines and shank are made of the best of German steel, and possess great elasticity, which very much lessens the labour of pitching. The handle may be of any desired length, but should possess as much elasticity as possible. Mr. A. Raynor informed us, he could easily throw a sheaf of wheat over his barn from the load, and that he never pitched so easily with any instrument as this. The sheaf leaves the tines with an elastic spring, and the fork at the same time utters a musical sound, like the tuning fork, when struck by a music master. — American Agriculturist. From the British American Cultivator. The Farmer's Harvest Song. Ho! rouse ye lads — the morning breeze Has swept the mist from the stream, And afar on the hills the towering trees Are tipt with the day's first beam ; The stars are gone — the night has sped, And the lark has hailed the day; Arouse ye, then, while the morn is red — Away to the field, away! To us no music sounds more sweet Than the sharpening clank of the scythe; And echoing hills with gladness greet The song of the reaper blythe. How pleasant to follow, with rake in hand. The mower's devious way. And scatter abroad with lightsome wand, The green and perfumed hay. Let the soldier exult in the pomp of war, The king in his serf-thronged hall; The free-born farmer is happier far Than kings, and lords, and all. His are no fields with carnage red. And drenched with the blood of the slain ; But hills and vales o'er which is spread A harvest of waving grain. The sununer sun, e'er valley and plain, Has shed his genial ray, 'Till smiling acres of golden grain Await the harvest day; And into their borders we will not fail To carry the war to the knife. And eager, too, are the cradle and flail To be wielded in bloodless strife. Then up and away, while the diamond dew Bespangles the bending corn; And gayly we labour, the while we woo The bracing breath of morn. And under the shade of the beeches green We'll rest at noon of day ; Hurrah! for the sickle and scythe so keen! Away to the field— away ! No. 1. Bees. 17 From the Cultivator. Bees. I SUPPOSED until lately, that when bees swarmed there was but one queen bee came out with the swarm. But recent experience and observation have convinced me other- wise. I find that not only two or three queens come out, but sometimes as many as five or six leave the hive at the sametime. On the 25th of May, between 11 and 12 o'clock, I had a hive of bees which com- menced swarming. They flew some 30 or 40 yards, and began to settle on the limb of a peach tree, about 10 feet from the ground. Before they had half settled, another hive, standing 10 or 12 feet from the other, com- menced swarming ; and before these had all come out, another hive standing three or lour feet from the one last mentioned, com menced swarming. They all followed in the same train of the first swarm. I got a hive and began to take down the first that had settled, with a basket that I use as a hiver. The other kept settling in the same place, and as I could make no dis- tinction between swarms, I continued taking down, until I had taken them all down and put them into a large square hive. They remained quiet during the afternoon, but did not all incline to go into the hive ; a quart or two remained outside. At night I car- ried them to tlie place where I intended they should stand. The next morning be- fore sunrise I made them a visit, and found nearly all in the hive. A little distance from the mouth of the hive I found a dead queen. I raised the hive, and saw another dead queen on the bottom board. I took them both away. About two hours after, I found two more dead queens drawn out of the hive. A few bees were flying about, as I have frequently seen them when they have lost their queen, but the main body of the bees were quiet. About 12 o'clock there appeared to be a good deal of commo- tion among them. I went to my dinner; was gone about half an hour. On my re- turn, I found the hive emply, except a few scattering bees. On the bottom board lay another dead queen which made Jive tiiat I had found dead. I looked around to see if I could find any trace of the absconded bees. About 20 or 2.5 yards from the hive, I found a swarm of bees settled on a peach tree, which I supposed to be a part of those that had left the hive. There could not have been more than one third, or one half at the farthest, of what I had put into the hive the day before. What had become of the others I could not tell. I went for a hive, but be- fore I got one ready they all took their wings and went to the woods. I would here remark that the first hive that com- menced swarming the day before had swarm- ed three times tliis season before, and each time had returned to the old hive, of their own accord. The second time I knew a queen came out, tor I found her in the grass, and lifted her up, and she aro.-^e into the air. Whe- ther she got lost, or returned to the old hive with tlie bees I could not tell. On the next day (i\'Iay 27,) the same hive that first com- menced swarming on tlie 25th, swarmed again. I was present when they came out. Seeing a number of bees on the grass near tlie hive, I loked for the queen. I soon found 07te, and took her prisoner, as I was determined to put the bees back into the old hive. The bees flevv a short distance and settled on the limb of a tree about 12 feet high. I got my hiver and took them down. I had the curiosity to examine them and see if there was another queen, and to my sur- prise I found three more, all of which I made prisoners. I then let the bees go back into the old hive. The next day (May 28,) I was informed that a swarm of bees had come out and settled on a tree in the yard. I did not see them till tiiey were all settled ; of course I could not tell what hive they came out of I got my hiver and took them down. I soon found one queen ; cropped one wing to prevent her from flying away, and put her into a hive. On further examination I found another, which I took away and killed. I put the bees into the hive, and set it where I intended it should stand. During the af- ternoon I passed the hive several times. At one time I discovered a queen outside of the hive whicli had not her wing cropped. She had hid herself in the bees, and I had over- looked her. I took her prisoner. The next day the bees came out of the hive and went directly to the woods. I then ascertained for a certainty that Jive queens had been killed, includmg what 1 had killed mysef And al- lowing one to go off" with the swarm, there must have been at least six queens when they first swarmed. On the 30th, the hive where I put the bees back on the 27th, (after destroying four queens,) swarmed a<:ain. J examined them, and found two queens. One I killed — I cropped one wing of the other and put her into a hive with the bees ; I thought there was no use in putting them back again into the old hive, tliey appearing determined on swarming, and would multiply queens as fast as they wanted them. Jacob Hitchcock. Dwight Mission, C. N., June 8, 1844. m 18 On the Manuring and Steeping of Seeds. Vol. IX. On the Manuring and Steeping of Seeds. By James F. W. Johnston. F.R.SS L. & E., Hod. >lemb8r of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. In our last number an article was given in relation to soaking seeds in chemical solutions, with a promise to recur to the matter again. We acknowledge con- siderable interest in this subject, without however feeling prepared to subscribe to all the sanguine ex- pectations of the German writers. Many experiments have been tried in this country which have resulted in tolerable success, showing plainly, that it is worth while for the farmer to look into them. To raise large crops cheaply, is the grand object in profitable fann- ing; and it would be a great practical error to con- clude that all is known, which is likely to promote this desirable end. After knowing what is said, the enterprising farmer will adopt the measures most likely to lead, as he may believe, to the furtherance of his interests.— Ed. Public attention has lately been drawn in this country, to the possibility of so ma- nuring' or otherwise doctoring the seeds of our usual grain crop.=, before they are put into the ground, as to do away with the ne- cessity of manuring the soil itself. It has been long known to practical farmers tliat, by steeping their seeds in urine, in salt and water, or in other solutions, and sprinkling them while wet with quicklime, their growth is in many cases promoted, and the rust, smut, and similar diseases, in a great degree prevented. It has been observed also in regard to potatoes, that in some soils a dusting of lime makes the cuttings more productive than they would otherwise be, and that, when powdered with gypsum, they thrive still better. The absolute effect in- deed of all such applications to the seed- corn or to potatoes, will in every case be modified by the kind of soil in which the seed is sown. If the soil abound in common salt, the salting of the seed will be less effi- cacious, while if it be rich in lime or in gypsum, the dusting of the potatoes with these substances will produce a less striking effect. Yet the above observations of prac- tical men, show that it is possible in certain circumstances, and by the use of certain substances, so to doctor or manure the seed we intend to sow, as to make the growth of our crop more sure, and the return of our harvests more abundant. From this limiled conclusion, which is justified by experience, some persons have hastily leaped to the freneral assertion, that all seeds may be so doctored as, in all cir- cumstances, to groio more luxuriantly — and still farther, that they may be so treated as to render unnecessary any manuring of the soil in which they are to be sown. It is in Germany that this latter broad assertion has been most confidently made and most pertinaciously repeated. It has met with some credence also among our- selves, from persons chiefly, who, like the German fathers of the statement, know a little more than the generality of practical men, but who do not know enough to enable them to see the difficulties that beset their own views, nor the limits within which their statements are true. It will, no, doubt, interest the British farmer, to read the statements of those who bring forward these novel views, and to consider the degree of probability which exists as to their expectations being real- ized. The great discoverer in this new line is Franz Heinrich Bickes, of Cast^l, near Mayence, who has published a pamphlet under the title of an ^'■Account of the Dis- covery of a Method of Cultivating the Soil without Manure," in which he thus speaks: " The discovery — of cultivating the soil without manure — lias been carefully verified in different countries, and in the most dis- similar soils. " It is twelve years since the discovery was made, and it has, during this time, been more and more tested. " The experiments have been made at various seasons of the year, and the same cro]) has been repeated on the same soil without regard to the usual rotation of crops. " The cost is very trifling — a shilling or two an acre — and the supply of the sub- stances used instead of manure, is inex hau.stible." lie then expatiates on the importance ot his own discovery. " It is not good," says Plato, " to push our investigations too far; the natural sciences find their limits, beyond which the mantle of Isis covers what is mysterious. Can any one reveal the nature of force, of life, and of motion ? The mantle of Isis is now, by this discovery, at length removed. " It is not the discovery of a mere crude substitute for manure, but the result rests on a knowledge of the nature of plants, by which the vital power is increased in all respects, and their existence elevated and ennobled !" Here follow some of the results of his new method. " Who can assign limits to the growth of a plant ■? " I possess dried plants of wheat, consist- ing of fifty-six and fifty-seven stalks. Indian No. 1. On the Manuring and Steeping of Seeds. 19 corn, grown in a poor soil, with three or four stems and eight or nine heads. Sunflowers eleven feet high, with flower disks fourteen inches in diameter, and seeds as large as small coffee beans. Potatoes above seven feet high, and tubers in proportion. "Varinas and Havanna tobacco have, for eight years, preserved the well-known fla- vour of their native country. " Drift sands have produced crops equal in quality to the neighbouring loams. "All parts of the plants, stems, roots, leaves, seeds, fruits, have been equally im- proved— the tubers of potatoes, and other roots, are tenderer and more agreeable to the taste. Turnips and fruits more nbundant in sugar, flowers of brighter hues and higher perfume. "Agriculture can now be prosecuted after an entirely new method. Manured every year almost without cost, plants will devel- ope themselves almost spontaneously, and yield the largest returns. "A rotation of crops is a mere beggary from the soil ! Every third, fourth, or fifth year, the farmer manures a third, a fourth, or a fifth of his whole farm, and in return he has the pleasure of seeing his fields green without putting much into his pocket — while now the most profitable crops may be raised with a luxuriance hitherto unknown." The author here calculates the present cost of manuring the soil, and supposing the new method to cost only one-fifth, shows how many millions the adoption of it would annually save to every nation in Europe. He then adds — " Consider how much land in every country at present yields little or nothing, and yet might be brought into the greatest fertility, an'd how many happy peo- ple might enjoy life upon it who arc at pre- sent a burden to the state. . . . " Look to England. What fearful want now exists in that country, the resources of which are every year diminishing. Men daily die of hunger, and the most talented statesmen are without hope of mitigating the evil. For several years past the city of London has been paying 24,000,000 of florins of poor's rate, while the whole of Germany pays only 60,000,000. " Berlin pays annually 420,000 florins, and 40,000 souls are tax-free. All these could find, in the neighbourhood, land sus- ceptible of cultivation, on which they could not only live, but from which they could pay taxes to the state." . . . "Potatoes are vegetable bread; Lidian corn also is a wholesome nourishment; both grow beautifully on the lightest drift sand with the former the whole seashore might be covered." The practical farmer will justly consider that Bickes' mode of treating his seed pota- toes must be something wonderful, to make them grow well on the sandy downs that line so much of our coasts. But he proceeds to give testimonials as to the efficacy of his method and the truth of his statements. These testimonials are from practical men in various parts of Germany, and must be deserving of credit to a certain extent. It will be proper, therefore, to hear what they say. The first two are dated Vienna, 1629, and are signed by four persons ; they refer to seed sown in the imperial gardens. From the second of them I quote the following: — ' In general, the plants from the prepared seeds exhibited a very much stronger growth, were of a deeper green, had thicker stems, finer and fresher leaves, larger grain, and the grain was thinner skinned, and therefore contained more meal. In particular, ' 1°. The hemp was of a much larger size, and had many side shoots bearing seed. '2°. The Indian corn had more heads. ■'3°. The buckwheat was upwards of three feet high, and full of seed. "4°. Wheat, rye, barley, and oats are thicker, and have more numerous stems, larger ears, and more grains in each. " 5°. The Lucerne was beyond all com- parison stronger, had more shoots, and its roots were as thick again. "6°. The disks of the sunflower were doubled in diameter, the cabbage had larger heads, the cucumber large fruit, while the unprepared seed yielded nothing." I quote further what must be considered as a mere opinion, adopted in part, no doubt, from the sanguine Mr. Bickes himself: — "Since this highly beneficial discovery red- ders all manure unnecessary, and can be applied to the poorest soils without the ne- cessity of having a previous stock of cattle to produce manure — whicii, from want of fodder, is in many places impracticable — aa the material is of little cost, and as the corn crops will require less seed, its benefit to agriculture must in many respects be incal- culable." The next two testimonials are dated from Offenbach, in August, 1830, and are signed by five persons. Three of these had allowed their seed to be prepared by Mr. Bickes, and thus speak of the effects when sown upon their own fields : — " The prepared wheat had from ten to fifteen stalks from each grain of seed, and the ears and grain were larger. The rye had nearly one half more, and larger grains in the row. The two- rowed barley had from eight to fifteen stalks from a single seed ; generally the produce was greater than on the best fields of their 20 Variety of Colours. Vol. IX. farms. The prepared flax was one half heavier in stems and seed capsules, and the latter were double in number; and when tlie unprepared had already become yellow, the prepared was still of the deepest green. But the potatoes excelled everything yet known in the most productive fields. From a smgle potatoe there were seldom less than ten, and sometimes seventeen strong stems, while, in the best fields, there are seldom more than one-third of this number." All other plants, clover, beans, turnips, &c., are said to have been equally benefit- ted. One-fourth only of the usual quantity of seed — of wheat and rye — was sown on a poor unproductive clay, and yet the produce was greater than on the newest land of good quality, though aided by manure. Two testimonials follow, dated Septem- ber, 1831, signed by burgomasters, town- counsellors, gardeners, schoolmasters, farm- ers, and land-valuers, seventeen in number. The following is an extract from the one which relates to experiments made in a garden at Biidingen : — ** " 1°. Several sunflowers had a height of ten to eleven feet, the foot of the stems being eight and a half and nine inches in thickness. The stems consisted of firm wood, and contained as much combustible material as young fir trees of eight or ten years of age. "2°. Ten or twelve potatoe plants gave on an average thirty large potatoes each, and had stems seven feet in height. " 3°. Fifteen stalks of Indian corn had on an average five heads each, some having as many as eight or nine heads to a single plant." The next experiments quoted by the au- thor, were made at Amsterdam, in 1834: — " The buckwheat was four and a half to five feet high, the flax had four to five stems from each seed, the Indian corn was nine to ten feet in height, and had four to five heads from each seed. The white clover was as large in the leaves and stems as the red clover usually is; the red clover and Lu- cerne three feet high. " These results were obtained from the prepared seeds alone, without manure, on a depth of six or eight inches of the drift sands of the downs, arranged in beds for the purpose of the experiments." Between 1834 and 1839, nothing is re- corded regarding the progress of the au- thor's discovery or researches, and he leaves us to infer that, in this interval, nothing had been done — since, under the date of Sep- tember, 1839, he inserts only an extract from a Mayence newspaper, containing a statement of some of the results obtained in the former years. To this is subjoined one other testimonial, dated November, 1841, declaring that his potatoes, sown on unma- nurcd soil, were superior to any others in the neighbourhood of Castel, where M. Bickes resides. I think the conclusion Y^'hich is fairly to be drawn from a careful perusal of this pamphlet is, tliat, for a few successive years, the author had made experiments upon the preparing of seeds, and out of a number of less successful, had obtained some very in- teresting and striking results; that he had then laid the matter aside for about as many years more, and again, in 1841, made a soli- tary experiment or two, which he has incor- porated with his previous results in his pam- phlet of 1843. For twelve years, therefore, he has been more or less occupied with the subject, but during all that time he has never published or given any account of his process for preparing the seeds according to his method. He is one of that class of dis- coverers who wish to sell their secrets, and, by magnifying their importance, hope to derive a larger profit from divulging them. With such men the true friends of agricul- ture can have no sympathy. 1 do not think, however, that his preten- sions are wholly unfounded, or that, by a skilful study of the preparation of seeds, much good may not hereafter be derived by practical agriculture. The reasons for this opinion will appear in the sequel. (To be eoncluded in next No.) For the Fanners' Cabinet. Variety of^olours. To THE Editor, — Among the many beau- tiful and wonderful objects which we are accustomed to gaze upon, almost without taking note of them, as we walk forth upon this wide world of ours, the great variety of colours which we witness in things around us, is not one of the least delightfiil. We pass through the garden, and though it may be in humblest style — for nature works just as delicately for the peasant, as for the prince — we behold " flowers of all hue," from the deepest and most gaudily coloured, to the snoio ivhite, which we are told, shows the abserJce of all colours. The eye luxu- riates over the rich paintings which spring up in all directions, the delicacy of whose touches, Solomon could not rival, in all his glory. We pass through the corn-field, and once in a while observe that nature has played one of her pranks, by stepping appa- rently out of her usual track, and producing a stalk which shows some striped leaves No. 1. Prevention of Potatoe Failure. 21 different from all else in view — we witness the difference of colour in the foliaee of dif- terent trees and grasses — and we look again at the birds which sing to us, or at those which prowl upon our labours, or at those w'hich are domesticated in our yards, and cannot avoid the question — how happens all this beauty and variety, and riclmess of co- louring"! And when the philosoplier steps forward and undertakes to explain it all, we really find he does not know much more about it than ourselves. True, he may by a beautiful process decompose a ray ot liglit, and talk to us very learnedly about it, but I have yet to meet the man, who could give any other reason why the " Rose is red, and the Violet blue," than that it is their respec- tive natures to be so. In Maund's Botanic Garden for November last, I find the following remarks in relation to this subject; if they are considered worth their room, please give them a column in the Cabinet. S. P. "In reference to the consideration of colours, we have usually found that the black soil of old gardens, rarely affords flowers with colour either so deep or bright as fresh earth of redder lint. The rich deep-coloured wall flowers, sometimes called^ bleeding hearts, growing against a country cottage, may have met the admiration of many of our readers; and some may have proved that by transplanting them into town gardens, of black earth, they have become comparatively pale and ordinary coloured. This, it is possible, since acids heighten the tint of many yellows and reds, may arise from the deficiency of oxide of iron in such soils. Liebig says, however, 'It must be ammonia — an alkali — which forms the red and blue colouring matters of flowers.' "On no subject is human knowledge more defective, than that of the production, and changes, of colours. Several theories have been promidgated in different ages, but still none that has been generally accepted. Al- though astonishing advances in science have lately been made, still our knowledge on this head, may well keep us humble minded. " A few facts, proved by Dr. Lewis, may interest our readers more than speculation. Yellow flowers, unlike all others, communi- cate to water or. to spirit of wine, durable yellow colours, not alterable, but in degree, by acids or by alkalies: the former only ren- dering them paler; and the latter rendering them deeper. Wool or silk, impregnated with a solution of alum or tartar, receives, on being boiled with the watery infusion or decoction, a durable yellow dye. A durable yellow lake is prepared, by precipitating with alum, an infusion of yellow flowers made in an alkaline ley. In some of the orange coloured flowers, the yellow matter seems to be of the same kind as that of the pure yellow flower; but the red matter seems to be different from that of the pure red flowers. The yellow matter is extracted from these flov.'ers by water; and the re- maining red matter is extracted by spirit of wine, or by a weak solution of a fixed alkali, in water." Prevention of Potatoe Failure. By Mr. James Cairo, Baldoon, Wigton. With the rem.arks in the last and pre- cedins" Quarterly Agricultural Reports, on the failure of the potatoe crop, I quite agree, and have experienced the propriety of the advice to plant unripened seed. My seed potatoes last year (1842) were raised before they were perfectly ripe, and I have had no failure. Nearly all the seed I planted this year, however, was the small unsaleable tu- bers planted whole, rejecting the very small- est. The crop was very healthy and pro- ductive. Indeed I have never seen a failure where small potatoes uncut, are used for seed ; and I believe this uniform success to arise from the small potatoe being unripe when taken from the ground. This opinion rests on the assumption that all the small potatoes of a crop have not reached matu- rity lohen the rest of the crop is ripe, as bemg the last formed. If this be so, it strengthens the common opinion, that the less ripened potatoe of the upland districts makes the best seed. But at the same time we see how good seed may be had without the trouble or expense of a change from a late district, if we either plant the small po- tatoes of our own crops, or raise a portion for seed before they have reached matu- rity.— Journal of Agriculture. Cotton. — Of the four great divisions of the globe, Europe was the last to receive the cotton manufacture, and England was among the last to engage in that branch of industry. So immense is the extent of the British cotton manufacture at this time, (1838,) that the }'arn spun in a year would, in a single thread, pass around the globe's circumference 203,775 times; it would reach 51 times from the earth to the sun ; and it would encircle the earth's orbit eight and a half times. The wrought fabrics of cotton exported in one year, would form a girdle for the globe, passing eleven times round the equator. — SeabrooliS Memoirs on the Cot- ton Plant. 22 Sulphate of Ammonia, SfC— Dairy Contrivances. Vol. IX. From the N. Y. Farmer and Mechanic. Sulphate of Ammonia, Sulphate of Soda and Nitrate of Soda. These are very useful preparations and essential materials for manures; they may be used separately or collectively, and but a few experiments are required to detect the great advantages which they are respective- ly exercising/ The Sulphate of Ammonia is according to the subscriber's ideas, best employed in a liquid state, say two to three lbs. for a barrel of water, and by sprinkling over the ground morning and evening, the effect is visible within three days, and Mr. Gilbert, of Jersey City, has made the same observation with his' cauliflowers; mush- rooms may readily be raised in a week; there is no doubt but the advantages in using these very preparations are two- fold. 1st. In planting corn, you make the grain sprout quickly, and the grub-worm, vi^hich is the greatest enemy to the farmer, has little time to attack the planted seed, which at once begins to sprout. 2nd. The plant certainly produces an early crop in every instance, and in a pecuniary respect it is of much service. The Sulphate of Soda rnay be used in a liquid state, but I prefer it in lumps mixed up with dung or horse ma- nure, as it will then gradually decompose and form with the ammonia devolved from the dung the various production of salts ; it is invaluable for an early iwtatoe crop. The Nitrate of Soda is by itself too powerful to use, and may well be mixed with the Sul- phate in proportion of one lb. of the first to four lb. of the latter. All the three salts may be used in solu- tion or in a dry state, and will prove very efficient, say: 2 lbs. Nitrate of Soda, 3 lbs. Sulphate of Ammonia, 5 lbs. Sulphate of Soda, All mixed up and dissolved in one hogshead of water, if intended for artificial guano; to the above composition one bushel of bone dust may be added, and il will be found to be higlily useful. Tiie subscriber is now preparing syntheti- cally the guano as by the analyses of Dr. Charles T. Jackson, of Boston, and will be able to furnish it at five cents per lbs. The price of Sulphate of Soda is half a cent per lb. by the barrel, of about 200 lb. The price of Nitrate of Soda is five cents, and the price of Sulphate of Ammonia is seven cents per lb. Compound chemical whale oil soap has stood the test of three years use, and is found beneficial either as a wash on trees, or with a syringe thrown over them, where the insects prevail, such as the ants, — either black, red or white— curculio, turnip beetle, cocus, rose bugs, leaf lice, peach, apple and pear tree insect, caterpillars, &c. For further particulars, apply to Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger. Dairy Contrivances. Belvoir Castle, the residence of the Duke' of Rutland, in Derbyshire, England, is celebrated not only for its elegance as a ducal abode, but for the extent and excel- lence of its agricultural arrangements, and especially for the accessories of its fine dairy, under admiralile management, and a model in all its operations. The plan adopted in this dairy for obtaining the cream without skimming it from the surface of the milk, has been mentioned in a late address to the Royal Horticultural Society, somewhat as follows: The milk-room in the first place, is lined with porcelain, and in order to pre- serve it continually fi-esh and cool, as well as to create a gradual ventilation, a fountain of cold water Is kept constantly flowing in the middle of the dairy, the current rising through an upright pipe in the centre, and, having attained its height, rolling back in sheets of water over a cone of successive basins, increasing in size from the top to the bottom, where the water enters a drain and is carried away. All the puncheons are of china-ware, and very shallow, it having been satisfactorily ascertained that the amount of cream thrown to the surface by a given quantity of milk, is dependent, to a certain extent, on the breadth of surface given to it by such shallow vessels, the same measure of milk poured into a vessel, allowing it to stand at two inches deep, casting neariy twice as much cream as it would do if its depth were eight inches. In the experi- mental part of the dairy, the puncheons, containing milk from various cows of the different "breeds, are arranged in distinct order, and duly registered with every cir- cumstance of condition supposed to affect the quality and quantity of the milk and cream obtained in each case; but the greater bulk of the milk is kept in leaden cisterns, about three feet long, two feet wide, and three inches deep, the bottom of each cis- tern, inside, having a slight concavity, in the centre of which is an aperture, con- nected with a tap underneath, for the pur- pose of drawing off" the milk, and ^leaving the cream behind, untouched, in the cistern. — Saturday Post. Instead of spending a rainy day idly, re- pair whatever wants mending, or post your accounts. No. 1. Horticultural Exhibition. 23 Horticultural Exhibition. THE*16th Autumnal Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, will beheld at their rooms on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of next month. They oifer the follow- ing premiums. NATIVE GRAPES. For the best Isabella, not less than six bunches, For the next best do. do. do. best Bland or Powell, do. do. next best do. do. do. best Catawba, do. do. next best do. do. do. best Elsinborough, do. do. next best do. do. do. best of another variety, do. do. next best do. do. do. FOREIGN GRAPES, RAISED IN THE OPEN AIR. For the best Black or Red Hamburgh, four bunches, $5 For the best Hansteretto, four bunches, 5 ' " " Black Constantia, do. 5 ' " " Chasselas, do. 5 ' " " White Gascoigne, do. 5 ' " " do. Frontignac, do. 5 ' " " St. Peter's, do. 5 " " of another variety, do. 5 FOREIGN GRAPES, RAISED UNDER GLASS, WITHOUT ARTIFICIAL HEAT. For the best four bunches, $5 " " next best four bunches, 3 FOREIGN GRAPES, RAISED UNDER GLASS, WITH ARTIFICIAL HEAT. For the best four bunches, $5 " " next best fou • bunches. 3 " " best peaches. not less than one peck. 3 " " next best do. do. do. 2 " " best do. do. two 1 dozen. 2 " " best do. do. one bushel, 10 " " next best do. do. do. 5 • best Seckel pears, not less than one peck, 3 ' next best do. do. do. 2 ' best Beurre or Butter do. do. 3 ' next best do. do. do. 2 ' best Bartlett pears, not less than half a peck, 3 ' best pears, of another variety, not less than one peck, 3 ' next best pears, of another va- riety, not less than one peck, 2 ' best and most numerous named varieties of pears, 5 For the next best and most numerous named varieties of pears, ^ " " best apples, not less than one peck, " " next best apples, do. do. " " best apples, do. do. one bushel, " " next best apples, do, do. do. " " best and most numerous named varieties of apples, " " next best and most numerous named varieties of apples, " " best quinces, not less than half a peck, " " next best do. do. do. " " best nectarines, not less than one dozen, " " best plums, not less than two dozen, " " next best do. do. do. " " best water melons, not less than three in number, " " next best water melons, not less than three in number, " " best nutmeg melons, or variety thereof, not less than three in number, " " best cranberries, cultivated, not less than half a bushel, " " best potatoes, not less than one bushel, " " next best do. do. do. " " best sweet potatoes, do. do. " " next best do. do. do. " " best onions, not less than four dozen, " " best cabbage, not less than six heads, " " next best cabbage, do. do. " " best red cabbage, do. do. " " best lettuce, do^ do. " " next best do. do. do. " " best endive, blanched, do, do. " " best carrots, garden culture, two dozen, " " best salsify, not less than two dozen. For the best and greatest amount of honey, produced by one swarm of bees, of the present season. For tlie next best and greatest amount of honey, produced by one swarm of bees, of the present season. For the best fifty named varieties of dahlias. For the next best fifty named varieties of dahlias, For the best twenty named varieties of dahlias. For the next best do. do. do. For the best American seedling parti- coloured dahlia. 24 Guano and Turnips. — A Cheap Paint. Vol. IX For the best American seedling self- I coloured dahlia, $2 For the best ten named varieties of dah- lias, grown by amateurs, 3 For the next best ten named varieties of dahlias, grown by amateurs, 2 For the best dahlia, grown by amateurs, 2 FOR DESIGNS FORMED OF CUT FLOWERS, ETC., Which are not. to occupy at their base mere than six feet square. For the best and most appropriate, $"^0 " " next best and most appropriate, 30 " " do. do. do. do. 25 " " do. do. do. do. 20 " " do. do. do. do. 15 » " do. do. do. do. 10 " " do. do. do. do. 5 Oi^ No special premiums to be awarded for designs. FOR BOVQUETS. 7'o be confined to those suitable for the cen- tre-table, the hand, or of basket form. For the best and most approved, ^1 " " next best and most approved, 5 " " do. do. do. do. 3 " " best formed of indigenous flowers, 5 next best do. do. 3 " " best pair of wreaths for fes- tooning, 10 " " next best pair of wreaths for festooning, 5 was it and every other new kind of manure abused. Nothing, in his opinion, would ever surpass good old farm-yard manuie, and any body might have his share ot guano, for what he cared about it. Happening to ride pnst at the time my friend had made this unfortunate discovery, I recommended him to have the part of the field harrowed afresh and sown again, b}- way of experiment — tor I ought to observe, he had applied the guano at the rate of rather more than three cwt. per acre. He adopted my suggestion, and, singular enough, in the course of some days, the turnips which had been sown broadcast, made their appearance from one end of the field to the other, marking as dis- tinctly as possible, the lines where the drill had deposited the guano in the first sowing, In due time, the intermediate spaces were horse-hoed, and the turnip rows properly thinned. Nothing could exceed their luxu- irionce. Although sown nearly three weeks ■later than the main crop, they soon overtook I them, and became far superior in every re- Ispect — so much so, indeed, as to be the siib- Ijcct of general remark in the parish. Hence i I think it may be safely laid doMn as an jtixiom in the use of guano, and which has already been mentioned in the Gardener's Chronicle, that it should never be applied in contact with seetls, as it kills the embryo in germination. — Gardener'' s Chrcnicle. Guano and Turnips- On reading in your last paper, the state- ment made by John Henry Vivian, Esq., M. P., president of the Swansea Farmers' Club, respecting the failure of his turnip crop that had been manured with guano, it reminded me of a similar occurrence, which happened to a friend of mine in this neighbourhood, and of which I was an eye-witness. Hear- ing so much about the wonderful cflects of guano as a manure, induced him to make trial of it for part of his turnip crop; and not knowing any thing of its nature, or of the mode of using it, he thought the best plan he could adopt was to sow the guano and turnip seed together, as when bones are used. He accordingly did so; and after wailing for some time, he wondered why no turnips made their appearance, as they did in other parts of the field. On examining the drills, he was surprised to find that some of the seed had chipped, and made an effort to grow, but had attervvards shrivelled up. Others, again, looked as if they had been kiln-dried, and lost their vegetative power. As a matter of course, the guano was blamed as the cause of the failure, and most heartily A Cheap Paint.- — Take one bushel of unslacked lime, and slack it with cold water; when slacked, add to it 20 lbs. of Spanish whiting, 17 lbs. of salt, and 12 lbs. of sugar. Strain this mixture through a wire sieve, and it will be fit for use after re- ducing with cold water. This is intended for the outside of buildings, or where it is exposed to the weather. In order to give a good colour, three coats are necessary on brick, and two on wood. It may be laid on with a brush similar to whitewash. Each coat must have sufficient time to dry before the next is applied. For painting inside walls, take as before, one bushel of unslacked lime, three lbs. of suirar, five lbs. of salt, and prepare as above, and apply with a brush. I have used it on brick and wood, and find it preferable on both, to oil paint. You can make any colour you please. If you wish straw colour, use yellow oclire in- stead of whiting; for lemon colour, ochre and clirome yellow: for lead and slate colour, lamp-black; for blue, indigo: for green, chrome green. The different kinds of paint will not cost more than one-fourth as much as oil paints, including the labour of putting on. — Exchange Paper. No. 1. B. B. Herr's Native Steer. — Raisin o- Heifers. 25 B. B. HERH'S NATIVE STEER. The above is an illustration of a steer, or young fatling, raised on the farm of Mr. B. B. Herr, near Paradise, Lancaster county, Pa. He was slaughtered by Messrs. ScherfF & Miller, of Lancaster, in May last. His weight in dressed meat, was 1,400 lbs.; age four years. He was considered a fine specimen of the native breed. Raising^ Heifers. LsAAc W. Roberts, of Montgomery county, has been very successful in raising and fattening cattle, chiefly of the Durham breed. It is his practice to take tlie calves of this fine breed, and, when two or three weeks old, put them with common native- bred cows. He weans at 3 or 4 months old, when the calf is able to thrive well on grass alone, and the native cow, going dry, is soon fit for the butcher, at a price that will nearly, if not quite, pay tor her first cost and a fiir allowance for pasturage. He tliinks that calves thus raised, and entering the winter in good condition, being properly housed and fed during cold and inclement weather, gain nearly a year on such as are prematurely weaned or fed on skimmed milk. He en- tirely disapproves of letting calves run three or four months with valuable cows mtended for breeding, and especially where milking! properties are to be retained. j With all those who desire to possess an improved and select stock, it is deemed highly important that they sliould raise their own calves; and this is rendered the more important from the high prices usually to be obtained for calves of the best breeds. Mr.' Colman gives the following information upon! this subject, derived from his observations in Massachusetts. "A farmer of my ac- quaintance in the interior, raises all his calves from a large stock of covys. His cows are known to be of prime quality. His heifers are allowed to come in at two years old, and are then sold with their first calf generally for thirty-five dollars, which ihe deems a fair compensation for the ex- jpense of raising. His calves are raised imainly upon skim-milk and whey, until they jCan support themselves on hay and grass. His steers pay a proportional profit when isold at three to four years old. I " The English authorities say, that upon two cows calving at different times, seven calves may be fattened for the butcher in~ the course of the year. More than this may be done if the calves are to be reared for stock, and if some little addition of meal or vegetables is added to their feed. I " Mr. Jacques remarks, on the subject of raising calves, that ' he generally lets them take a portion of milk from the cows for about three months, and prefers keeping- them in the stall until they are about a year old, thinking that he gets better forms, rounder barrels, straighter backs, greater broadness on the loin and hips, by this maii- agement." — Farmer'' s Encyclopcedia. 26 Clotted or Clouted Cream. — Gas Tar. Vol. IX. Clotted or Clouted Cream. Under the head of Butter, the process of making this preparation is described; but as the subject is one of particular interest to the American dairy, the following more detailed account is inserted, taken from the Library of Useful Knowledge, 2nd vol. o/l British Husbandry. The dairymaids of the western counties of England, think that clouted cream furnishes one-fourth more cream from the same quantity of milk than can be obtained in any other way. Th process is simply this: "The milk while warm from the cow, is strained into either large shallow brass pans, well tinned, or earthen ones, holding from two to five ga Ions, in which should be a small quantity of cold water. This is thought to prevent the milk from burning, and to cause tlie cream to be more completely separated and thrown to the top. " The morning meal of milk stands till about the middle of the day; the evening meal until the next morning. Tlie pans are now steadily carried to, and placed over a clear, slow fire; if of charcoal, or over a .stove, the cream is not so apt to get an earthy or smoky taste as when the milk is scalded over a turf or wood fire. The heat should be so managed as not to suffer the milk to boil, or, as they provincially term it, 'to heave;' as that would injure the cream. The criterion of its being sufficiently scalded !» a very nice point; the earthen pan, having its bottom much sNnaller than the top, allows this point to be more easily ascertained; be cause when the milk is sufficiently scalded, the pan throws up the form of its bottom on the surface of the cream. "The brass pan, if almost as big at the bottom as at the top, gives no criterion to judge by, but the appearance and texture of the surface of the cream, the wrinkles upon which become smaller and the texture some- what leathery. In summer, it must be ob- served, the process of scalding ought to be quicker than in the winter, as in very hot weather, if the milk should be kept over too slow a fire, it would be apt to run or curdle. " This process being finished, the pans are carefully returned to the dairy; and should it be the summer season, they are placed in, the coolest situation ; if on .stone floors or slate benches, the better; but should it be the winter season, the heat should rather be retained, by putting a slight cover- ing over the pans, as cooling too suddenly causes the cream to be thin, and conse- quently to yield less butter: the mode of making which, is this: the cream should, in hot weather, be made into butter the next day; but in winter it is thought better to let the cream remain one day longer on the milk. The cream, being collected from the pans, is put into wooden bowls, which should be first rinsed with scalding, then with cold water. It is now briskly stirred round one way, with a nicely cleaned hand, which must have also been washed in hot and then in cold water, for these alternate v^arm ^nd cold ablutions of bowl and hand, are notonly for the sake of cleanliness, but to prevent the butter from sticking to either. " The cream being thus agitated, quickly assumes the consistence of butter, the milky part now readily separates, and being poured off, the butter is washed and pressed in se- veral cold waters; a little salt is added to season it ; and then it is well beaten on a wooden trencher until the milky and watery pai ts are separated, when it is finally formed into prints for the markets." " If the quantity of cream be considera- ble, the cream will be an inch or more thick upon the surface, and it is then divided into squares and taken off. The remaining milk, however, contains little besides the watery particles in its original composition." — Farmer''s EnfyclopcEdia. Gas Tar. — It will be recollected that a writer of some celebrity recommended the very free use of this ingredient, to keep off vermin ; sowing it with seed, daubing it on trees, and various other applications. A doleful account of losses occasioned by it, appears in the same paper. A person dressed the trees in his orchard, three or four feet up from the ground with it. Apple trees began to fail, and died altogether, the bark of others rotted, and many suffered severely. This ought to be a caution never to try ex- periments, so often founded on theory alone, except on a very small scale. The Gas Tar kept away vermin, but it killed the trees. Theory said that it would keep off a plague; but the trial wiiich proved its efficacy in that particular, sacrificed an orchard. — Gardener and Practical Florist. Every farmer should supply his table with fresh meat from his poultry-yard, instead of the butcher's shambles. A butcher's bill presented once or twice a year, to be paid in cash, is a very annoying affair. With proper care it may be avoided as above. Some farmers dispose of their calves and lambs to the neighbouring butcher, and thus square off his bill ; but this is not a good plan — they need the cash for this part of their stock, to pay the storekeeper's bill, &c. No. 1. Tulips. 27 Tulips. It may be remembered that, some fifty years ago, the mania for tulips was exceed- ingly great all over Europe, particularly in France, and still more in Holland. A root, the Semper Augustus, was sold for 12,000 francs; a Yellow Crown, for 1,123 francs, and a chariot drawn by two handsome bays; a very middling tulip, the Viceroy, was sold for the following objects : — four barrels of flour, eight of rye, four cows, eight pigs, twelve sheep, two casks of wine, four of beer, two of butter, a thousand pounds weight of cheese, a bed with all its appur- tenances, a bundle of wearing apparel, and a silver cup. At this period there might be seen in the public prints, under the head of foreign intelligence, such a paraaraph as this — " Amsterdam. — Admiral Liefhens has flowered perfectly at M. Bergheni's." But we must not forget the story. One day it was discovered that tulips with a yel- low ground were no longer beautiful, and that the admiration lavished on thero for some time, had been bestowed on them most wrongfully; that the only tulips worth cul- tivating, were those with a white ground ; that ever\' yellow tulip ought to be rejected from every flower bed that had any respect for itself, and that their seed ought to be cast to the winds. The amateurs divided themselves into parties: letters, pamphlets, squibs, songs, nay, large volumes, were written on the subject. The amateurs of yellow tulips, were treated as pig-headed creatures; beings enveloped in the swath- ing-clothes of prejudice; illiberal, retrograd- ing, awkward persons — enemies of enlight- enment— nothing better than Jesuits. On the other hand, the partizans of white tulips were branded as innovators, revolu- tionists, democrats, disturbers of the public peace, sans-culottes, mere youngsters. Friends quarrelled, spouses were oppased, families were disunited. One evening that M. Muller was playing at dominoes with one of his earliest friends, an old school fellow, and a renowned horticulturist, like himself, the conversation turned on tulips — tulips yellow, and tulips white. M. Muller stood up for the yellow; his friend was a partizan of the white. Both gentlemen were men of good taste and knowledge ofi life, and always used the greatest modera-| tion in their language, and avoided with great care coming to a discussion. "Certainly," said M. Muller, "nature has done nothing in vam: there is not a single gem in her jewel-case which does not charm the sight: it is melancholy to see persons act on the principle of exclusion. I freely admit that there are certain tulips with white ground, that I would willingly admit into my collection, if my garden was more extensive." " I also," remarked his friend, desirous of not remaining behind in politeness and con- cession, " I am ready to allow that the Erij- manthus, yellow though it be, is a flower altogether presentable." " 1 should not despise the Unique de Del- phos, notwithstanding its white ground," re- marked M. Muller. " It is not very white," retorted his friend. Not more than three or four days elapse before it frees itself from a yellowish tint which it has on opening its petals: in con- sequence we think but little of it." " It is, however, the one of your collec- tion that I should prefer." The two friends were on excellent terms when Madame Muller quitted the room to get tea ready. It is difficult to tell exactly by what imperceptible transitions they de- parted from that condition to bitterness, to abuse, to insult; but so it is, that when Madame Muller returned to the room five minutes after, she found them under the table, holding each other by the hair, and cuffing away with all their might. M. Mul- ler had thrown the dominoes in his friend's face, and thus the quarrel began. It may be guessed what sensations of shame seized on the two antagonists, when the first effer- vescence had subsided. The next morning M. AluUer sat down and wrote to his friend: " I am a wild beast, and an ill-bred man ; receive my apology. Our old friendship will wipe out this moment of madness. My wife requests the pleasure of your company to dinner to-day. We shall have some of those Brussels sprouts you are so fond of. Your friend, Muller. "P. S. You will oblige me, my dear friend, to put aside for me a few of your beautifiil white tulips, for which I have re- served for next season, one of my best squares." He immediately received the following reply: " I shall be with you at a quarter before five. You will permit me, my excellent friend, to introduce to you a horticulturist, who is desirous of admiring your magnifi- cent tulips." Through a refinement of politeness, that both understood, M. Muller made a point of admiring the whitest of the white tulips, and his" friend was not less polite, with re- spect to the yellow. However, this move-^ 28 The Blight in Pear Trees. Vol. IX. ment of generosity on the part of M. Mul- ler, could not always maintain itself at the same elevation. The ground in which the white tulips were placed was neither dug, nor manured, nor sifted, like that destined for those of yellow grounds. The second year, M. Muller took it into his head that they encumbered the ground; the third year they were placed lirider a gutter ; and M. Muller, after having exhibited his yellow tulips in all their brilliancy, used to say to his visitors, " there are some of the finest of the white tulips ; they have been given me by my friend Walter, and I prize them infi- nitely;" and when, ten minutes after, he added, " I cannot comprehend that any one can cultivate white tulips," every one was naturally of his opinion. — Gardener and Practical Florist. From Ihe Western Farmer and Gardener. The Blight in Pear Trees. To those ulio are interested in the growth of Pear trees, every idea thrown out for their preservation, is valuable. Tlie following letter from the Western Farmer and Gardener, published at Cincinnati, Ohio, is from a practical man, though his own experiments do not appear to have been extensive. The editor has been invariably unsuccessful with his pear trees, of every kind, and in every soil on which they were tried. They woul 1 flourish finely for live or six years — bear once or twice, then begin to die at the end of tlif limbs — dwindle and perish. But let farmers perse vvra. Pears uniformly bring a good price in market. —Ed. We have made the blight in pear trees a subject of inquiry for twenty-five years — have read every article on the subject we came across; and, as we travelled exten- sively in that time, have asked every prac- tical farmer whom we thought likely to iiave any light upon the subject. We are inclined to the opinion, that this blight is a kind of vegetable apoplexy or paralysis, caused by an over charge of fluids. You will generally see its ravages the worst of wet, growing seasons, under the influence of hot, scorching suns. Some of the ficts which have led to this opinion are the fol- lowing. All the pear trees which we have planted in a rich soil, where they have had a rapid growth, have flourished until they have approached the bearing state; about that time they were attacked with the blight, and after lingering a few years they have become entirely extinct, to the amount of some fifteen or twenty. About twenty- two or three years since, we brought a num- ber of pear scions from Fairfield county, some grafted and some natural ; we planted them all but two on a rich soil — white-oak flat, but they have all disappeared as above. Witli a view to there being more certainty for fruit, by having trees at different eleva- tions, we planted two of the lot on a high .southern exposure — soil thin and hard. They have had a slow growth, but are very healthy in appearance, though they have not borne much yet. About twenty years since, we procured a lot of scions from a natural stock, of good repute in Perry county. We put two of them in our front yard, on the brow of a hard, shelly bank or point, at an eleva- tion of ten or twelve feet from the water course — southern exposure. They have had a slow growth, but are now some twenty- five feet in height — have been bearing for several years, and are remarkably healthy — not the least sign of blight as yet. While those from the same maternal stock which we planted in a rich soil, where they grew as much in four years as the others did in ten, have long since been entirely annihi- lated with that fatal disease. We have an additional case yet, which, although it involves another principle, tends to the same result. About fifteen years since, we planted in our garden, in ^ rich a situation as nature and manure combined could produce, one " Philadelphia Butter Pear," which we had two or three years previous engrafted on a natural stock. This tree is of remarkably slow growth, and thus secures from nature the same advantage that others do from thin, hard soil. It began to bear as soon as the top was as big as a bushel, which, we believe, is some ten or more years feince ; and we do not recollect that it has failed to bear more or less every year since. It is now about fifteen feet in height, and has on this year what will make some two or three barrels of pears, if it meets with no mishap. There has never been the least sign of blight, until about a week since we discovered a limb on the top, of about twenty inches in length, struck with that disease, w})ich we mimediately removed, but since have discovered no fur- ther progress. An apple tree by its side, was at the same time considerably aflfected with the blight, the dead limbs being quite numerous on the latter. The result of our experience, then, is, that fifteen trees or more, planted on rich soil, have every one disappeared with the blight many years since, with the exception of the Butter pear above, which had a slower growth on rich land than the others had on poor. And the four trees we planted on thin, hard soil, consisting of two varieties of natural fruit, have all lived, and so far done well, though their kind perished with the No. 1. Form and Constitution of the Cow. 29 blight, on soil which gave them a rapid growth. From these facts — and from the further fact, that all the examinations we have seen recorded on the subject, have never been able satisfactorily to attribute the blight to any species of lice or insect — we are inclined to the opinion, that it is owing to a surcharge of the fluids. We are aware that there are difliculties con- nected with this suggestion, to which we have not time to refer; but we make it for the consideration of those who have leisure to attend to tlie investigation. The ill success we had with the pear, owing to the ravages of the blight, discou- raged us from its cultivation, so that, for the last sixteen years, we have paid no atten- tion to this kind of fruit, relying mostly on the apple, until a year or two back, encou- raged by the few that have been saved from the blight, and the discovery that some soils are better adapted to the cultivation of the pear than others, we have recommenced at- tending to the pear again. We have pro- cured several varieties from the nursery of Mr. Nicholas, of Belmont county, and have engrafted several kinds ourself. We are of opinion that our practical men would do a good service to direct their at- tention to such kinds of the pear as are adapted to the cUmate, and proof against that fatal disease, the blight. TJie pear is, perhaps, the most delicious fruit that is cul- tivated, and he would do a great favour to the gratifications of the community, who would promote the cultivation of this rich luxury. We have no hesitancy in saying, that the Philadelphia Butter Pear above, is the best article of tiie kind that we have any knowledge of. In the first place, the tree seems to be free from the blight ; in the second place, it is a good bearer, and begins very early to produce fruit; thirdly, it is the most delicious of the fruit kind that we ever tasted. It is so rich that a man of ordinary appetite cannot eat more than two or three when they are in a state of perfection. There are many varieties called Butter Pear, but this is the Philadelphia Butter Pear, and is said to be the best pear brought into the Philadelphia market. C. Springer. Meadow Farm, Ohio, June 13th, 1844. The Philadelphia Butter Pear is said to be the same as the Virgalieu, or White Doy- enne. It is better to seek a good appetite for one's food, than to be curious to get good food for one's appetite. Form and Constitution of the Cow. It is well known that animals of the same breed fed on the same food, will yield milk not only in difierent quantities, but also of very different quality. In regard to the form, Mr. Youatt states that the " milch cow should have a long thin head, with a brisk but placid eye, — should be thin and hollow in the neck, narrow in the breast and point of the shoulder, and altogether light in the fore-quarter — but wide in the loins, with little dew-lap, and neither too full fleshed along the chine, nor showing in any part an inclination to put on much fat. The udder should especially be large, round, and full, with the milk veins protruding, yet thin skinned, but not hanging loose or tend- ing far behind. The teats should also stand square, all pointing out at equal distances, and of the same size, and although neither very large nor thick towards the udder, yet long and tapering towards a point. A cow with a large head, a high back bone, a small udder and teats, and drawn up in the belly, will, beyond all doubt, be found a bad milker." Thus while much depends upon the breed, the form of the individual also has much influence upon its value as a milker. But independent of form, the quality of the milk is greatly affected by the indivi- • dual constitution of every cow we feed. Thus in a report of the produce of butter yielded by each cow of a drove of 22, chiefly of the Ayrshire breed — all of which we may presume to have been selected for dairy pur- poses, w'ith equal regard to their forms, and which were all fed upon the same pastures in Lanarkshire, the yield of milk and butter by four of the cows in tho same w-eek, is given as follows : Milk. Butter. A yielded 84 quarts, which gave 3^ lbs. F and R each 86 " " " 5^ " G yielded 88 " " " 7 " Showing, that though the breed, the food, and the yield of milk were nearly the same, the cow G, produced twice as much butter as the cow A, — or its milk was twice as rich. This result would have been still more interesting, had we known the rela- tive quantities of grass consumed by these two cows respectively. I will not insist upon other causes by which the quality of the milk is more or less materially affected. It is said that when stall-fed, the same cow will yield more butter than when pastured in the field — that the age of the pasture also influences the yield of butter — and that salt mingled with the food, improves both the quantity and the iquality of the milk. 30 JVeio York Agincultural Institute. Vol.. IX. There are probably, few circumstances which are capable in any way of aftectino- the com- fort of the animal, which will not also modify the quality of the milk it yields. — Johnston's Lectures. New York Agricu3tuial Institute. We learn from the N. Y. Farmer and Mechanic, that Dr. Gardner has made ar- rang-ements for the institution of a thorough Course of Aoricultural instruction next win- ter, in the University of New York. The subjects of study are as follow : " Agriculture. — Tliis course is designed to communicate to the student all facls in Chemistry, Geology and Botany, which are useful to the farmer. So that being conver- sant with the characters and properties of the bodies wherewith he is engaged, he may be furnished with sound principles to guide his practice and improve his culture. The theories of Liebig, Tull, Payen, and Saus- sure will be canvassed, explained where they coincide with practice, and exposed where fallacious. The explanation of all processes for the improvement of the text- ure and drainage of lands, will be made on scientific principles. "Improvements in the orchard, vineyard, and the cultivation of commercial staples, • will be detailed. The collection, storage and preservation of grass, grain, fruits— the feeding and improvement of stock; the economy of making manures, will form prominent parts of the course. "Mineral manures found in this and ad- joining States, saline, vegetable, and animal nianures, their comparative values, success- ful application, and causes of failure, with their economy, will be thoroughly examined and illustrated by appeal to decisive experi- ments. In short, all the topics usually em- braced in the courses given by the professors of agriculture in European Colleges will be introduced. " Analyses of soils, the ashes of plants and saline manures form another principal object of study. The student will conduct these analytical inquiries hunself, so as to become proficient. " It will be a constant object to familiar- ize the pupils with the method of applying principles to practice. To this end a series of cases will be prepared, in which the cha- racter of the soil, determined by examina- tion, will be given to discover the necessary amendments. Thus a specimen of soil being introduced from a field, valuable from its proximity to market, it will be required of the student to point out the means by which it may be brought into a perfect state of fertility at the least expense. Thus they will be prepared to think for themselves and apply the facts of science. Students coming from remote counties should brinof specimens of soil from home, to furnish profitable ma- terials for examination during the winter. "Chemistry as an abstract science, is taught by Professor Draper in the Univer- sity, and can be attended in connection with the preceding studies. " Anatomy and Physiology. — This course, directed more especially to an examination of the human body, is delivered by Professor Pattison in the University, and may be at- tended with profit to the student, if required. "All the studies of the University are open to those who desire to pursue "other courses of instruction. " New York ofiers numerous advantages for the establishment of the Agricultural Institute. Jkny farms in the vicinity are in a high state of cultivation, market gar- dens, nurseries, orchards, vineyards and con- servatories, abound near the city, and may be freely examined. Agricultural imple- ments, and other appliances of the art, can be investigated; while the meetings of the Farmers' Club will ofllsr a means of ob- taining choice seeds, and much valuable local information. No where can the sub- ject of manures be studied with equal suc- cess. Board and lodging will be found cheaper than in many villages; the students of tlie University seldom pay more than $2 .50 to S3 00 for respectable accommoda- tion. "The Institute opens on the first Monday of November, and continues in session until the 1st of March following. The lectures and recitations will occupy two or more hours daily. This portion of the year has been selected to accommodate those engaged in farming, that they may not be draWn from their estates during the busy season. "Fees for the course on Aericulture, ^20. For Analysis, S30. For both, ,*40. The laboratory students will provide their own utensils, which cost about $5. Full labora- tory course $1(10. " The courses on Agriculture and Ana- lysis, will be undertaken by the subscriber, \\\\\\ such assistance in the latter as may be found necessary. D. P. Gardner, M. D." Good buildings — good fences — good land — good stock — good implements, and a long purse, are among the requisites tor the beautiful, in farming. No. 1. Premiums of the Ag. Society of Newcastle co., Del. 31 Premiums offered by the Agricultural Society of Newcastle County, At the Fall Exhibition, Cattle Show and Ploughing Match, to be held at Wil- mington, on Wednesday and Thursday, llth and 12th of September, 1844. HORSES. For the best thorough-bred stud-horse, $10 do. next best do. do. do. Youatt ' on the Horse. For the best stud-horse for field and road, S5 For the best pair of carriage horses, Turf Register, 1 year. For the best saddle-horse, certificate of merit do. do. pair of work horses, ^5 do. next best do. ' certificate of merit For the best thorough-bred mare, $5 do. do. mare for field and road, Youatt on the Horse. For the best horse colt, from two to three years old. Farmer's Cabinet, 1 year. For the best horse-colt, one to two years old, certificate of merit. For the best mare colt, from two to three years old. Farmer's Cabinet 1 year. For the best mare colt, one to two years old, certificate of merit. For the best colt under 1 year old, certifi- cate of merit. CATTLE. For the best bull, ^o do. second best do. Youatt on Cattle. do. third best do. Farmer's Cabinet 1 year. Por the best cow, 85 do. second best do., the latest improved churn. For the third best do., superior butter tub. For the best pair of fat cattle, $'5 do. do. fat steer, 3 do. do. lot of grass fed steers, not less than six in number, 10 For the best lot of fat heifers, do. do. .5 do. do. bull calf, from one to two years old, Youatt on Cattle. For the best bull calf under 1 year old. Farmer's Cabinet 1 year. For the best heifer calf, from two to three years old, Colman's Reports. For the best heifer calf, from one to two years old, Youatt on Cattle. For the best heifer calf, under one year old, Cultivator 1 year. For the best lot of store calves, not less than six in number, Colman's Reports. For the best pair of working oxen, $10 do. second best do. 5 do. third best, Colman's Reports. For the best pair four year old steers, Youatt on Cattle. For the best and best broke pair of steers, 3 years old, Farmer's Cabinet 1 year. SHEEP. For the best Long-woolled buck, Blacklock's Treatise on sheep. For the next best Long-woolled buck, certifi- cate of merit. For the four best Long-woolled ewes, Farm- er's Cabinet 2 years. For the four next best Long-woolled ewes, certificate of merit. For the best Short-woolled buck, Treatise on sheep. For the next best Short-woolled buck, certi- ficate of merit. For the four best Short-woolled ewes. New England Farnier, 1 vol. For the four next best Short-woolled ewes, certificate of merit. For the four best lambs of any breed, 2 vols. Cultivator. For the four next nest lambs of any breed, certificate of merit. HOGS. For the best boar over 1 year old. Farmer's Encyclopsedia. For the second-best boar over 1 year old,. Farmer's Cabinet 1 year. For the best boar under 1 year old, Ameri- can Farmer 1 year. For the best sow over one year old, Farmer's Ecyclopsedia. For the best sow under one year old, Farm- er's Cabinet one year. For the next best sdw under one year old, American Farmer 1 year. For the best litter of pigs, not less than five, Colman's European work. For the next be.st litter of pigs, not less than five, American Farmer. FARMS. For the best farm, having regard to pro- duct, to economy in the w^orkmg, and to ar- rangements of barns, shedding, &c., also to neatness in its management. Premium, a survey of the farm, designatmg each enclo- sure, enumerating the contents of each, also locating handsomely on the plot, the differ- ent buildings. COMPOST MANURE. To the person who shall make the most satisfactory, and in the judgment of the committee, the most useful experiment m composting manure, not less than 100 loads of 40 cubic feet, before October 1st, 1844. 32 Premiums of the Ag. Society of JVevcaslle cc, Del Vol. IX. CROPS. For the best crop of wheat, not less than 30 bushels per acre, and not less than five acres, ^10 For the next best, not less than two acres, 5 For the best crop of corn over 70 bush- els per acre, and not less than two acres, 10 For the next best do. Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best crop of oats, over 60 bush- els per acre, and not less than four acres, ,§5 For the next best do. Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best crop of srrass, making not less than two and a half tons of hay per acre, nor less than three acres, Colman's Re- ports. For the best crop of potatoes, not less than 30(' bushels per acre, not less than one acre, Farmer's Encyclopsedia. For the best crop of ruta-baga turnip, of one a.cre or more, not less than 800 bushels per acre, Colman's Reports. For the best crop of sugar-beet, of half an acre or more, and not less than 25 tons to the acre, Colman's Reports. For the best crop of flat turnips, quarter of an acre or more, not less than at the rate of 300 bushels per acre, Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best crop of Sweet potatoes, not less than quarter of an acre, Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best field of potatoes, not less than three acres, Colman's Reports. BUTTER AND CHEESE. For the best new milk cheese, Colman's Reports. For the best fresh butter, not less than five pounds, Youatt on Cattle. For the next best do. Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best potted or preserved butter, not less than 20 pounds, not less than two months old, Colman's Reports. For the next best do., three stone water pots. CULINARY VEGETABLES. For the best and greatest variety of gar- den vegetables, ^10 For the second best do. ,5 For the third best do. Colman's Reports. For the best cabbage, not less than six heads; to be produced on or before the Fall Exhibition of 1844, Bridgman's Gar- dener's Assistant. For the best cauliflower, not less than three heads, Vegetable Physiology. For the best kale, not less three bunches, of one pound each, to be produced by No- vember 21st, 1844, Farm-er's Cabinet one year. For the best half peck of onions, raised from the seed. Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best bunch of onions, certificate of merit. For the best tomatoes, not less than one peck, certificate of merit. For the best egg plants, not less than half a dozen, certificate of merit. ■• FRUITS. For the best fall pears, not less than half a peck, to be produced on or before Novem- ber 21st, 1844, China fruit basket. For the best winter pears, not less than half a peck, to be produced between the 1st and 17th of March, 1845, China fruit basket. For the best native grapes, not less than four bunches, to he produced between the 17th and 22nd of October, 1844, Bridg- man's Gardener's Assistant. For the best plums, the least liable to in- jury from insects, not less than two dozen, to be produced on or before the 5th of Oc- tober, 1844, Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best quinces, not less than half a peck, to be produced at the Fall Exhibi- tion of 1844, Cultivator one year. For the best peaches, not less than half a peck, to be produced at the Horticultural Exhibition, a handsome fruit basket. For the best apples, not less than half a peck. Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the second best apples, certificate of merit. FLOWERS. For the best varieties of Camellias, to be pro- duced to the Society by March, 1845, cer- tificate of merit. For the best varieties of Hyacinths, to be produced to the Society on or before May 20th, 1845, certificate of merit. For tlie six best varieties of Tulips, to be produced on or before May 20th, 1845, certificate of merit. For the six best varieties of Dahlias, to be produced on or betbre October 20th, 1844, certificate of merit. For the ten best varieties of Chrysanthemum, to be produced on or before Nov. 21st, 1844, certificate of merit. For the best bouquet exhibited at the exhi- bitions of the Society, certificate of merit. For the introduction of any new and valu- able seeds, fruits or plants, presented to the Society during the years 1844-5, a silver medal of the value of three to five No. 1. " Premiums of the Ag. Society of A^eiccastle co., Del. 33 dollars, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, SILK. For the best reeled raw silk if approved, not less than a pound, a premium Silk reel. For the heaviest and best cocoons, excluding double ones, not less than five pounds. Treatise on Silk. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. For the best plough, certificate of merit. For the best Drilling Machine, do. For the best Grain or Grass Sowing Ma- chine, certificate of merit. For the best Mowing or Reaping Machine, certificate of merit. For the best Straw and Hay Cutter, certifi- cate of merit. For the best Root or Vegetable Cutter, cer- tificate of merit. For the best Corn-sheller, certificate of merit. For the best display of Agricultural imple- ments, certificate of merit. For the best Threshing Machine, certificate of merit. For the best farm and road wagon, certifi- cate of merit. For the best cart, certificate of merit. For the best and most convenient harvest bed on wagon or cart-wheels, certificate of merit. Any newly invented Agricultural appara- tuswill be entitled to an appropriate premium. IV^AIZE SUGAR. For the largest quantity of sugar, having regard to quality, not less than 20 pounds, manufactured from corn stalks, Colman's Reports. AMERICAN MANUFACTURES. For the best American " Russia iron," cer- tificate of merit. For the best piece of fine broad cloth, certi- ficate of merit. For the best lot of casinetts, not less than three pieces, certificate of merit. For the best lot of fine satinetts, not less than three pieces, certificate of merit. For the best specimen of cotton goods, cer- tificate of merit. For the best ingrain piece of carpeting, cer- tificate of merit. For the handsomest and best made saddle and bridle, certificate of merit. For the handsomest and best set of single or double harness, certificate of merit. For the best lot of edge tools, certificate of merit. For the best constructed cooking stove, cer- tificate of merit. For the best lot of cabinet furniture, not less than three pieces, certificate of merit. For the handsomest and best parlor stove, certificate of merit. For the handsomest and best made marble mantle, certificate of merit. For the handsomest and best made boots and shoes, three pair of each, certificate of merit. For the handsomest and best manufactured hat, certificate of merit. For the handsomest lot of manufactured sil- ver ware, certificate of merit. For the best and most convenient four wheel carriage or dearborn for family use, and having regard to cost, certificate of merit. For the handsomest and best specimen of castingtJ, certificate of merit. For the best sample of coach or shoe leather, certificate of merit. 0:^ All to be made in Newcastle county, PLOUGHING MATCH, For horses and oxen, to take place on the 2nd day of the Exhibition. For the best ploughing, $10 and Farmer's Cabinet one year. For the best edge fiarrow ploughing, SIO. For the best flat furrow ploughing, 810. For the second best edge furrow, Colman's Reports. For the second best flat furrow. Farmer's Encyclopcedia. Claims for the premiums on crops must, in every instance, be accompanied with a statement 'of the condition of the ground before commencing, and then the whole process of tillage; and the measurement must be of the whole crop by the half bushel, and certified in writing by the applicant. Crops to be entered as early as the day of exhibition — applications to be acted on by the committee any time before the 1st of January, 1845. No animal shall take the same premium a second time. All articles exhibited will be returned to contributors unless otherwise directed. If, of any article for which a premium is ofiered, no specimen be submitted worthy of distinction, the Society reserves the power to withhold the premiums, and in all cases where premiums shall be demanded, they will require such evidence from the claim- ants as shall be satisfactory to the directors. No person shall be entitled to a premium for any animal which he shall not have had or possessed at least six months immedi- 3^ Meeting of Agricultural Society. Vol. IX. ately preceding the time of exhibition. It is to be distinctly .understood, that all grain, vegetables, &c., produced for competition, shall be the growth of the producer. All premiums not demanded within sixty days after they shall have been awarded, shall be deemed as having been relinquished to the Society. The object of the Society in ofiering these preniiums, is simply to ex- cite a spirit of emulation amongst cultiva- tors to improve the varieties of tiuits, vege- tables, and other productions. It is desirable that each kind of fruit oflered for competi- tion may be as numerous as possible, regard being had to produce none but of fair quality. Each article should be accompanied by its appropriate name. It is also desirable that the articles exhibited should be accomp mied by short observations on the mode of culture, with any other remarks deemed to be of utility. The judges are authorised to withhold premiums where none is entitled to distinc- tion ; and where but one of a class is exhib- ited, ihey will award such premium as they think it merits. Those who intend to com pete, must inform the Committee of Arrange- ment before 11 o'clock on the day of exhi bition. All stock, &c., exhibited, must remain on the ground during the exhibition ; and all stock intended for sale, will be required to be registered in a book provided by the Committee of Arrangement, at the following rates: For each horse, .*;2; lor neat cattle, SI each ; for hogs and sheep, 50 cents each. Articles that are designed to compete for premiums, will be produced when practica- ble, at the annual exhibitions of the Society Perishable articles may be offered at any of the meetings of the Society, or at those of the Directors, which take place on the af- ternoon of the second Saturday of every month in the City Hall; or they may be subjected to the inspection at any time, of either of the following committee appointed for that purpose, viz : Dr. J. W. Thomson, Merritt Canby, Samuel Hilles, Philip Revjjold, Anthony M. Higgins, ZiBA Fkrris, W. J. Hurlock. The Society will dine together at three o'clock. All members not in arrears to the Society, will receive their tickets to the dinner free of charge. The Annual Ad dress will be delivered by J. S. Skinner, Esq., of Washington, at John Hall's Hotel, immediately after dinner. Meeting of Agricultural Society. A stated meeting of tlic Philadelphia So- ciety for promoting Agricu turc, was held on the 3rd inst., Dr. James Mease president in the chair — present twelve members. The committee appointed at last meeting ■ to arrange a list of the different animals, implements, "produce, &c., for which premi- ums are to be ofi^ered at the Exhibition about to be held by the Society in October next, made report, which on motion was ordered to be published.* Dr. Emerson, chairman of the Committee appointed to examine the plan of a Bone-crushing Machine, offered by W. Ilasler & Co. of this city, made favour- able report of the same, which led to an animated discussion on the subject of the use of bone-dust, or ground bones as a ma- nure; Dr. Emerson stated his strong con- viction of their usefulness, from experiments made on his farms in Delaware, for several years past. Mv. Gowen also expressed his decided belief in the great utility of the article. Some other gentlemen present ob- served that they had not noticed any great advantage in their application; a different mode of .using them might have produced different results. The Ibllowing resolution was offered by Dr. Emerson, which on mo- tion was adopted. "Resolved, that the Com- mittee of Arrangement be authorized to offer a premium of §^.50, for the best machine for crushing bones for farming puiposes, with the addition of the necessary horse-power. The said machine to be capable of being used by farmers, and with the horse-power not to cost over .*30()." Dr. Elwyn read an account of some e.x- periments made by Dr. Bridges of this city, on the properties of anthracite for absorbing gaseous ammonia, like ordinary charcoal, whereby it may become a great fertilizer of the soil. An interesting discussion took place on the subject of the use of Guano as a manure, the wonderful effects of which had been discovered in England and Scot- land. A specimen of clover seed from the river Rhine, was presented by A. Clement. It is said to grow to the height of two and a half to three feet; may be cut three times during the season, and continues to produce well from seven to nine years. When cut for hay, the leaves do not fall off as from other clover. The seed can be obtained from the second crop. It is also said that cattle are not injured bj^ over feeding on this as on other clover. Aaron Clement, Recording Secretary. July 5th, 1844. See last No. of the Cabinet, p. 380. No. 1. Atmospheric Rail-may. 35 Atmospheric Rail-way. While steam was apparently having the field to itself in relation to rapidity of travel, electricity comes in, and runs ahead of all calculations, in its faithful transmission of intelligence by maciiinery. Latterly ihere is considerable interest manifested in England, on the subject of atmospheric Rail-ways. We give below, a tolerably lucid description of this contrivance from the Westminster Review. In Minor's Railroad Journal for the present month, is an article of considerable length, being the main part of an Essay on the adaptation of atmospheric pressure to the pur- poses of locomotion on Rail-ways, accompanied by very neat drawings illustrative of the working of the machinery. That there should be much diversity of opinion among professional men in relation to the Jiractical operation of the atmospheric system, is not at all surprising. Time and experience will test the whole matter. The Rail-road Journal shows that a saving in England, of upwards of X-22,000 per mile, may be made in the construction of the atmospheric, instead of the common Rail- way; and that the trans- portation which will cost by locomotive power more than X-1,000, need cost on the atmospheric way, but about jE1,600. The Journal of the Franklin In- stitute, for last month, meanwhile, gives an article from the London Rail-way Magazine, demonstrating that what costs on the Great Western Railroad but JE357, and on that of London and Birmingham £575, will cost on the atmospheric road, £1,300.— Ed. The speed of the atmospheric mode of travelling, as far exceeds that of the loco- motive plan, as the locomotive speed exceeds that of the stage-coaches; this mode also reduces the expenses one half, which the locomotive system does not, it being- as ex- pensive, or more so, than the coaches. To describe the atmospheric rail-way in all its detail, would occupy more space than we can devote to the subject, neither would such a description suit the general reader; the following particulars must therefore suffice: — Along the entire line, and between the rails, runs a pipe, which, on the Kings- ton and Dalkey line, is fifteen inches inside diameter. Along the entire length of this pipe is a slit or opening, through which a bar passes, connecting a piston, — which moves freely in the pipe — with the carriage outside. The opening at the top of the pipe is covered witli a leather strap, extending the whole length of the pipe, and two inches broader than the opening. Under and over this leather strap are riveted iron plates, the top ones twelve inches long, and half an inch broader than the opening, the bottom ones narrower than the opening in the pipe, but the .same length as those of the top. One edge of the leather is screwed firmly down, like a common bucket-valve, and forms a hinge, on which it moves. The other edge of the valve falls into a groove ; this groove or trough is filled with a compo- sition made of bees'-wax and tallow, well worked by hand, so as to make it pliable and tough before spreading it in the groove; this composition being pressed tiglit against the edge of the leather valve which rests in the groove, makes the valve air-tight, or at least sufficiently so for all practical purposes. As the piston is moved along the pipe by the pressure of the atmosphere, that side of the valve resting on the groove is lifted up by an iron roller fixed on the same bar to which the piston is att^iched, thus clearing an opening for the bar to pass as it moves along. The opening thus made allows the air to pass freely behind the piston ; tlie dis- turbance which takes place in the composi- tion by the lifting of the valve, is again smootlied down and rendered air-tight, as at first, by a hot iron running on the top of the composition after the valve is shut down. This has actually been done when the piston was travelling at the rate of seventy miles per hour, and it was smoothed down air- tight, after it, by the iron above nientioned. It is contemplated to place stationary engines along the line, about three miles apart ; at each engine or station there is an equilibri- um valve fixed in the pipe, so that each three miles or section of pipe can either be exhausted or filled with air, independently of the other sections. The equilibrium valve is made to move freely, out of the way of the piston, by the carriage while passing over it, so that the train passes from one section of pipe to anotiier, without any stop- page. It is evident, that as the tractive force is derived from the pressure of the at- mosphere on the piston, the amount of the force or pressure will depend upon two causes, i. e., the extent of exhaustion on one side of the piston, and the area of the piston itself To MAKE BLUE-WASH FOR WALLS. Get a pound of blue vitriol from a drug store, and have it powdered in a mortar. Provide also, two quarts of lime. Take six cents worth of glue, boil it in a quart of soft water till thoroughly dissolved. Put the powdered vitriol in a wooden bucket, and when the glue- water is cold, pour it on the vitriol, mix and stir it well. When the vitriol is dis- solved in the glue-water, stir in by degrees the two quarts of lime. Try the colour by dipping in a piece of white paper, and when dried, you can judge if the colour is as blue as you want. If too pale, stir in a little more powdered vitriol. It is well to pro- vide an extra quantity of each of the arti- cles, in case a little more of one or the other should be required. — N. England Farmer. 36 Pigs Slicking a Cow. — Fruit in Cincinnati. — S^c. Vol. IX. Pigs Sucking a Cow. For several weeks in succession our dairy- maid complained that our best cow was de- prived of her milk by some foul means. That when she came trom pasture she had just been milked, and that the udder was still wet. I could accuse no one but a ten- ant who lived near the lane throuo-h which they passed, and which was generally open from the cow-yard to the pasture. The ac- cusation was denied with evident surprise. At length 1 determined to watch the cattle on their evening walk from their pasture, and you may judge my surprise, when I observed that on the cow mooing as if in search of her calf, about fifty yards distant from the yard, four shoats, three months old, ran squealing down to meet her at their utmost speed. The cow remained in the rear of the others, and quietly and patiently stood still till every drop of milk was ex- tracted from her udder by the pigs; they standing the while erect on their hind legs, w"ith each a teat in its mouth. The place for the operation was most favourably se- lected, as small apple-trees interposed be- tween the parties and the house, which stands upon an elevation. The extraordi- nary thrift of my pigs, which all along was so discernible, was now accounted for; and I learned a lesson which shall never be for- gotten through life, viz., never to make ac- cusation on mere circumstantial evidence, unless strongly corroborated. I shut my pigs in a pen immediately. The next morning the cow appeared as un- easy without their visit as if she had lost a calf, and the pigs squealed in answer, as if they had been deprived at the time of their mother. — Christian Intelligencer. Fruit in Cincinnati. — The Cincinnati Atlas says, " It is estimated that the market has been supplied with one hundred bushels of large delicious strawberries daily, for three or four weeks past. The raspberry is now succeeding the strawberry in about the same quantities, and the blackberry will succeed the raspberry in the like profusion. There are strawberry patches in the neigh- bourhood containing about twenty acres, cultivated by a single individual, and gar- dens of the same size devoted to the rasp- berry. These berries sell at the stalls in the market, at five to ten cents per quart. They form a standing dish on most of the tables of the wealthy and middle classes : and none so poor, but they are more or less supplied. We have melons and peaches in great abundance during the season ; and as for apples, we challenge the world to match us." A late committee from the Horticul- tural Society of that city, appointed to ascer- tain the statistics in relation to the growth and sale of strawberries in Cincinnati and its vicinity, has reported, that in pursuing their investigations they had found in the market, during one day in the last week of May, 235 bushels of this fruit; and this was exclusive of the large quantities bought by the hotels, and also of those brought into the city after market hours, and bawled about the streets. Anecdote of a Mandarin Duck. — Of this bird Mr. Beale related several anec- dotes, which prove it not destitute of saga- city. Upon one occasion, one of these birds was for a few days removed from the aviary: his mate seemed almost inconsolable, sitting by herself near the brink of the fountain, apparently in sorrow at the loss she had sustained. Another dnck — a gay and dash- ing fellow — attempting to pay his addresses to the forlorn one, ducking around her, and whispering, doubtless, many flattering things in her ears ; but the faithflil bird heeded not the charmer, and seemed highly to resent his assidious attentions. At length the ab- sent one was restored to the aviary ; when, after a few moments, the duck was^ observed in close confab with her mate, which seemed much ruffled at her recital ; and no sooner was it ended, than, advancing straight to his rival, a furious battle ensued, and ere the)' could'be separated, the injured bird had laid the aggressor dead at his feet. Saving Flower Seed. — Instead of saving seed from any blooms that may chance to remain on, it should be saved from the best well formed early flowers. The proper way is to mark good flowers as soon as they can be found, and let their seeds ripen well be- fore they are gathered. Let them be from good double flowers. When the seed is rubbed out, only the few outside rows of seed should be used : those which come from the centre or disk, will almost always come high. There are no means so effectual as making the best early blooms of the best varieties, and relying on those pods of seed only. — Gardener and Practical Florist. Good buildings — good fences — ^good land — good stock — good implements, and a long purse, are among the requisites for the beau- tiful, in forming. No. 1. Deep Ploughing. — Editorial Notices. 37 For the Farmers' Cabinet. Deep Ploughiug. The impression among unreflecting- farm- ers is almost universal, that the value of deep ploughing consists in the increased amount of soil in which the roots may vege- tate. Whatever advantage the greater amount of loose soil may be, it is by no means the most important one. We all know, that growing grain suffers from ex- tremes of heat and cold, wet and drought. Late in the fall, when we always have rain, the six inches of vegetable soil are soon filled with water, and perhaps the cold of the suc- ceeding night freezes it, and thus are the roots of your wheat embedded in ico, to suffer during the approaching winter. But if the land had previously undergone the opera- tion of a " Prouty and Mears," nine inches deep, followed by a subsoil-plough, nine in- ches more, the rain had scarcely ceased to fall until it had sunk beneath that surface which the roots occupy. In a soil six inches deep, with a hard limestone subsoil, rain has no place to go; but in eighteen inches or less, its own weight sinks it below the possi- bility of doing harm. And while you thus have your wheat secured for the wmter, in a comparatively dry soil, clear of ice and its evil consequences, in the spring you have a vigorous plant, free from the sallow sickness of an icy bed, prepared to take advantage of the first genial sun which the spring brings with it. And now, from this period until harvest, the hopes and fears of the farmer are controlled by the season : too much wet drowns his wheat ; too much heat blasts it with mildew, and drought prevents it from filling. Deep ploughing obviates all these contingencies. Wheat is drowned out, be- cause its roots are in the water; mildew blasts it, because the hot sun beats upon a surface saturated with water, and pro- duces a sudden flow of sap in the plant, which is unnatural ; and it is the more des- tructive, because the constitution of the plant has previously suffered from one of the ex- tremes of cold, wet or drought: your wheat does not fill, because, perhaps there is not moisture enough in the earth to replenish the plant; — but if your loose soil be deep enough, no matter how much or how long it rains it will have scarcely ceased until the roots are relieved. Pour a bucket of water upon a sponge, and you have but just quit pouring until the upper surface is compara- tively dry ; so it is with the spongy earth, the water's own weight takes it immediately below the place where harm is done, not to be lost, but to remain there as a reservoir, to replenish the thirsty plant through that sea^ son when drought so often does its destruc- tive work. In our limestone land, a rain may fill the six inches of vegetable soil, and when full, so hard and impervious is the sub- soil, that the residue runs into the hollows, and its place of escape among the sink- holes and crevices of the rocks: — the heat of a week's sun dries this up, and the wheat re- quires more rain, and it suffers. But if you have twelve inches of water in your reser- voir below, there it remams to answer the drafts of a six or eight weeks sun, with that regularity of moisture which the plant re- quires, and which brings you through all the contingencies of heat and cold, wet and dry. W, Carlisle, 4tli August, 1844. THE FARMERS' CABINET, AND Philadelphi.\, Eighth Month, 1844. The 8th volume of the Farmer's Cabinet closed with the last number: the 9th commences with this month. It is now a year since the present proprietor took the concern entirely into his own hands ; and while he was determined to devote himself to its interests, he felt that he would have continual occasion to make drafts upon the liberality and Kindly feeling of his subscribers. He was aware that his inexperience in his new position, might not unfrequently expose him to embarrassment. He felt also, that however ambi- tions he might be, to edit a paper which the agricultu- ral part of the community should cheerfully acknow- ledge to be of public utility, and with which himself should feel satisfied, his ability to do this did not so much depend upon himself, as upon the active and effi- cient aid which he confidently hoped would be rendered by his friends. This hope has to a very considerable extent been realised: yet it would aiford the Editor much pleasure to find at the close of the coming vol- ume, that the frequent contributions of his corres- pondents had made it more valuable than any of those which have preceded it. It is not in the calculations of the Editor to sit in his office and prepare unassisted, such an Agricultural Journal as the country shall be satisfied with. He relies upon the help and the e.xpe- rience, and the facts, and the speculations of others. He promises, so far as bis judgment will enable him to do it, to make his selections of a character that shall always instruct— but he takes this opportunity to urge upon the readers of the Cabinet, to make it rich in original matter, and to remember that he de- pends upon them to do so. We may also remark, that our subscription list is not so well filled up as it ought to be. Does not every subscriber feel that he might do something in this matter? and that his interests as well as our own, would be promoted by circulating more widely a paper, industriously devoted to the substantial agriculture of the United States. 38 Editorial JVotices. Vol. IX. WiiLtAM CRTsriN; of Gloucester co., N J., broni^ht to this office a few weeks ago, from his farm on Tim- ber creek, several famous stalks of Timothy, some of which were five feet seven and a half inches in height, with heads ten and a half inches long. The stoutest stem of Timothy we have ever seen, was a solitary one found in the woods several years ago, near a ra- vine. It was about five feet nine inches in height, with a splendid head ten inches in length. The Annual Fair and Cattle Show of the New York State Agricultural Society will be held at Poughkeep- sie, on the 18th and 19th of next month. Those which have heretofore been held at Albany, Syracuse and Ro- chester, have been largely attended, and have been objects of strong interest to the farmer. Adequate preparatious are making to render the approaching Show equal to any which have preceded it; and as it ia easy of access to persons from a distance, many will doubtless be drawn thither. The Washington Reporter, published at Washing- ton, Pa., says the crop of wool in that county, the present season, has been large, amounting to at least 800,000 lbs.; and that the market has been unusually brisk for some weeks past. It has been generally taken up by dealers in that county and in Pittsburgh, at an advance of 30 or 40 per cent, on last year's prices. Three hundred thousand dollars make no tri- fling sum to scatter among the farmers of a single county, for one single article of its produce: a county too, which claims to be but little behind any other in the State, in the largeness of its grain crop. On the 25tli ult., we saw for the first time this sea- son, in our markets, sweet potatoes from Jersey, of quite a respectable size. — Price eight cents per pound. This is rather earlier ihan usual fpr the appearance of this excellent vegetalilc. The season, as we all know, has been perhaps ten days more forward than ordi- nary. It is stated in one of the New York papers, that $900 freight were received in one day, two or three weeks ago, by the New Jersey Transportation Com- pany, on the article of green corn alone. A friend of ours in the vicinity of Portsmouth, Va., who removed from New Jersey, informed that he paid last season, upwards of 81,20U freight on his vegetables to the Philadelphia market. The proprietor of the " American Farmer," pub- lished at Baltimore, being about to enter upon other engagements which will very much occupy his time, is desirous to dispose of his well known establish- ment. Tlie American Farmer is the oldest Agricultu- ral paper in the country, it being more than a quarter of a century since it was commenced by J. S. Skinner, that veteran friend of the farming interest, "chiefly as a vehicle for the outpourings of his own crude no- tions of what might be done to improve the processes and implements of American agriculture, to meliorate our domestic animals and fruits and vegetables, and to vindicate and elevate the cause of agriculture, as a great and neglected national interest." It was long and ably sustained by him, and has been in the hands of Samuel Sands, its present proprietor, one of our best conducted papers. The kindness of the publisher Laurens Wallazz, No. 25 Minor street, in this city, has placed in our hands a very neat copy of the fourth edition of Ruffin"s Essay on Calcareous manures. It is not designed to give at present anything like a synopsis of this well known work. We have in the course of our labours, many times referred to it, and availed ourselves of its con- tents , and would recommend to every practical farmer to acquaint himself familiarly with them. In the concluding paragraph of the first edition, published in 18:12, is the following remark: " My task is completed. Whether I shall be able to persuade my countrymen to prize the treasures and seize the profits which are within their reach, or whether my testimo- ny and arguments shall he fruitless— soon or late, a time must arrive when my expectations will be real- ized. The use of calcareous manures, is destined to change a large portion of the soil of lower Virginia from barrenness to fertility." These sanguine expecta- tions, so beautifully expressed twelve years ago, their writer has now the satisfaction of beholding in good measure answered. This is plainly shown by the statements* which he made at a Farmers'' dinner, given him near the close of last year, by his old friends and neighbours of Prince George county. And thou- sands are prepared to acknowledge that no man has laboured more industriously or more availingly for the agriculture of Virginia, than Edmund Ruffin. We keep on hand at this office, and will supply our friends with Agricultural works generally. Among which are THE FARMERS ENCYCLOPEDIA, full- bound in leather;— Price $4 00 YOUATT ON THE HORSE, with J. S. Skin- ner's very valuable Additions; 2 00 BRIDGEMAN'S GARDENER'S ASSISTANT; 2 00 THE AMERICAN POULTRY BOOK; 37i THE FARMER'S LAND MEASURER; 37i DANA'S MUCK MANUAL; 60 Complete sets of the FARMERS' CABINET, halfbound, 8 vols. C 50 BEVAN on the HONEY BEE, 31i BUISTS' ROSE MANUAL, 75 SKINNERS CATTLE DOCTOR, 50 AMERICAN FARRIER, 50 THE FARMERS MINE, 75 JOHNSTON'S Agricultural Chemistry, 2 25 LIEBIG'S AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY, 25 ANIMAL CHEMISTRY, 25 FAMILIAR LETTERS, 12i As well as his larger works on Chemistry and Agri- culture. Subscriptions will be received for Colman's Agri- cultural Tour in England and on the Continent. TQr We are prepared to bind books to order. trr SHORT ADVERTISEMENTS, 43 The subject matter of which, may correspond with the agricuUural character of this paper, will be inserted at the rate of one dollar for each insertion often lines or less; and so in proportion for each additional linis. Sje last vol. of Farmers' Cabinet, p. 270. No. 1. Editorial Notices. 39 In an Address lately delivered before the Agricultu- ral Society of Fort Mitchell, Alabama, General Ham- ilton says he planted this year twelve hundred acres of cotton, and that he manured six hundred of it. The remainder was planted in a rich virgin soil, which needed no manuring. He also says Madder is begin ning to attract the attention of the most intelligent of our agriculturists, as a staple adapted to our soil and climate, and susceptible of a moneyed return vastly transcending the culture of cotton. His Address ap- pears in the Southern Agriculturist of the present month. Valuable information in relation to Madder, will be found in our last volume, pages 54 and ]19. The last number of the Cultivator says that M. Van Buren, the ex-president, raises on his farm, near Kin- derhook, what is called the Carter potatoe, which was produced a few years ago by the Shakers, from a ball. He considers them a very valuable potatoe, yielding well, and in quality equal to any other. Dr. Beekman, president of the New York Agricul- tural Society, has tried several experiments to ascer- tain "whether lime would kill sorrel. After a lapse of tvi'O years, no effect whatever has been discoverable, either for, or against the sorrel, or any othi'r plant." A PRIVATE letter dated Salem, Iowa, the 30th of Sixth month, gives an unfavourable account of the wheat crop of that district. '• The long continued rains," says the writer, '-have not only raised the streams almost beyond bounds, but have also drowned the wheat on the flat lands; and on the high lands the wheat is not flattering. Of oats, there is any quanti- ty. The corn is very small. Some farmers have ploughed it up where it had been replanted two or three times, and been as often drowned out by the great rains." From various accounts it appears that the damages and sufferings on the Mississippi and its branches, from the unprecedented rise of the waters, have been indeed appalling. It is of course, impracti- cable to estimate with even a show of accuracy, what these damages may amount to in a pecuniary point of view. Calculations however, have been made, which set them down at ten or twelve millions of dollars. Whole estates have been inundated— the buildings on them, swept down the streams— and the occupants hurried to their last long homes. The Ledger says some French capitalists have made arrangements to enter spiritedly upon the cnllivation of the vine in Louisiana; after carefully exploring many parts of that State and Mississippi, thoy have determined to locate themselves on Beaver creek. ticularly where it was put into the corn hills at the time of planting. That which I put on the wheat last fall also, has nearly or quite doubled the crop." As we were entirely unable to satisfy the demand for Poudrette last spring, and as the fall sowing of wheat is close at hand, when the demand will again be brisk, we remind those who wish the article, to at- tend to it early. The accounts in relation to its use, so far as they have reached us, have very generally been favourable. In a note from D. S., at Burlington, N. J., who the other day, ordered four barrels for his turnips, and who had previously had twenty five bar- rels last fall and spring, it is remarked, " the last I had shows to the admiration of all who see its effects, par- This, so far as we have learned, is very decidedly, a fruit year. Our markets are filled to overflowing, with every variety in its season, of the finest quality. We trust our country friends will attend in earnest, to securing a full supply of good vinegar. One would conclude that with the abundance of apples which oc- casionally bear down our orchards, there should never be a scarcity of this article. There need be no diffi- culty in its manufacture; it is one of the simplest pro- cesses. Indeed, nature and time will effectually do the work, if the cider be not improperly weakened. It was the plan of the Editor for many years, while on his farm, constantly to keep in an outhouse, tliree vinegar casks— a hogshead, a barrel, and'a five gallon keg: and he has no recollection of ever being without No. ], on his table in the country. The keg was drawn out of for family use, and there was a care to keep them all, one-half or two thirds full. The bungs should be but loosely put in their place, so as not to exclude the air, or a piece of gauze may be secured over the bung hole, to admit the air and exclude in- sects, &c. It is best to keep the casks only partly filled, as there is then a greater surface exposed to the atmosphere. Frequent shaking, or drawing off from cask to cask, exposes the liquor to the action of the air, and hastens the necessary fermentation. With due care, the farmer who has apples, need never be without good vinegar on his table ; nor is it at all ne- cessary that our citizens should have so much difficulty in obtaining it. It is wholesome and agreeable with many kinds of food, and eight or ten, or twelve cents a gallon, by the large quantity, will well repay the farmer for the manufacture. Who would relish corned beef and cabbage with second-rate vinegar? In a letter recently come to hand from Goshen, Ohio, dated the 4th of last month, it is said the wheat, oats, potatoes and grass of that vicinity, promise well; but the corn wasgreatlyinjured by " the wjre worm, which," says the writer, " has been making sad work for seve- ral years, and appears to be increasingly mischievous. It is a yellow, hard worm, about an inch long and size of a knitting needle: it works itself into the heart of i* the corn before it is up, and afterward collects around the roots, and seems to take away the juices, so that the corn makes but little progress in growing. Can any of the correspondents of the Cabinet, hit upon a remedy ? Unless means are found to stop the work of this insect, some of our farmers talk of abandoning the crop of corn altogether. I am now trying on my,)i|Ak farm as an experiment, a strong solution of arsenic, ^P indigo and copperas separately, having steeped the corn fifteen hours." We shall be glad to be advised in relation to the habits of this worm, and of any means for a remedy against its very serious mischief. Our correspondent will please report the success of his ex- periments. We hare seen it stated that arrangements are in progress to extend the Electric Telegraph to this city, New York and Boston. 40 Editorial JVotices. Vol. IX. PHIIiABEliPHIiL SUED STOB.B, No. 23 MARKET STREET. M. S. Powell keeps a constant supply of Clover and other Grass Seeds. Field Seeds, consisting of prime Seed wheat, Buckwheat, Millet, Oats, Corn, Rye, &c. lir GARDEN AND DIRD SEEDS generally. July 15£A, 1844. tf- POUDRETTE— a valuable manure— of the best qual jty, prepared in Philadelphia, for sale at the olttce of the Farmers' Cabinet, No. 50, N. Fourth street, or at the manufactory, near the Penitentiary on Coates' street. Present price, $1 7o per barrel, containing four bushels— $5 for three barrels— $15 for ten barrels, or thirty cents a bushel. Orders from a distance, en- closing the cash, with cost of porterage, will be prompt- ly attended to, by carefully delivering the barrels on board of such conveyance as may be designated. Farmers to the South, and in the interior, both of this State and New Jersey, are invited to try the article. As a manure fur turnips, buckwheat, &c., it has been used to great advantage. The season for applying it to the wheat crop, is now at hand. Those who con- template using it this fall, would do well to secure it gafly_ JOSIAH TaTDM. PHILADELPHIA AGRICULTURAL, HORTICUL- TURAL AND SEED WAREHOUSE. No. 194J Market street, between Fifth and Sixth streets. South side. For sale as above, at wholesale and retail, a com- plete assortment of Farming tools, among which may be found Horse-powers and Threshing Machines, Grain mid Seed Fans of various patterns. Corn-shellers in variety. Hay, Straw, and Corn-stalk Cutters, eight different patterns, from g 1 50 to $30. Corn-stalk Cut- ters and Grinders— Chiinis— Cheese-presses, &c. Cen- tre-draught Ploughs . f eight sizes. Bill-hooks— Bram- ble Scythes— Grubbing Hoes— A.xes and handles- Hatchets— Potatoe Hooks— complete sets of instru- ments for making capons. Garden, Grass, Flower and Field seeds, warranted fresh and true to name. D. O. Prouty. Agricultural Implement Manufactory, No. 190, Market street, two doors above Sixth street, and two doors below the Ked Lion IJotel: Where are manufactured and for sale, lower than can be purchased elsewhere, Horse Powers and Threshings Machines. Fanning Mills, Corn Shellers, Straw and Hay Cutters, Horse Rakes, Ploughs, Harrows, Cultiva- tors, Soyd Planters, Cheese Presses, Churns, f unips, and every kind of farming implement generally in use. Also, Beach's Self-sharpening Plough and castings — and Wiley's two-pointed do. Every description of im- plement made to order, or repaired by experienced workmen, and warranted. Slater's Patent Corn Sliel- ler and Grinder. EDWIN CHANDLER, Mgcnt for Agricultural Machines of every desifription,. The quantity of rain which fell during the Seventh month, (July,) ItHA, was a little more tlian five inches and a quarter 3.-.Jri4 inches. Penn. Hospital, t'th mo., 1st, On our 31st page, will be found a list of premiums offered by our spirited friends in Newcastle co,, Dela- ware, at their Annual E.xhibition next month. They anticipate high gratification from the Address to be delivered by J. S. Skinner. CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER. Discovery of a Guano Island page 9 Galvanic Experiments on Vegetation 11 Death of J. C. Loudon ~! 13 Vegetable Physiology 15 New Grain Fork.— Harvest Song 16 Bees 17 Manuring and Steeping Seeds 18 Variely of Colours 20 Prevention of Potatoe failure.— Cotton 21 Sulphate of Ammonia, &c.— Dairy Contrivances. 22 Pennsylvania Horticultural Exhibilon. 23 Guano and Turnips. — A Chrap Paint. 24 li. B. Herr's Native Steer.— Raising Heifers. 25 Clotted Cream.— Gas Tar 26 Tulips .27 Blialit in Pear Trees 28 Forjn and Constitution of the Cow. . 29 N. York Agricultural Institute 30 Newcastle Agricultural Society Premiums. 3] Meeting Philadelphia Agricultural Society. 34 Atmospheric Rail-way. — Blue wash for walls. 35 Pi!;s Sucking a Cow.— Fruit in Cincinnati. 30 Deep Ploughing. — Editorial Notices 37 THE FARMERS' CABINET, IS PUBLISHED MO.VTULY EY JOSIAH TATUM, No. 50 NORTH FOURTH STREET, PHILADELPHIA. It is issued on the fifteenth of every month, in num- bers of 32 octavo pages each. The subjects will be illustrated by engravings, when they can he appropri- ately introduced. Terms. — One dollar per annum, or five dollars for seven copips— payable in advance. All subscriptions must cnmmenre at the beginving of a volume. Having lately struck off a new edition of one or two ofthef'.rnicr niunbc-rs, v\ hii h had become exhausted, we are now ahl(} to supply, to a iimited ex- tent, any of the back volumes. They may be had at one dollar each, in numbers, or one dollar twenty-five cents half-bound and lettered. For six dollars paid in advance, a complete set of the work will be furnished in numbers, including the ninth volume. The whole can thus readily be forwarded by mail. For twenty-five cms additional, per volume, the work may be obtained neatly half-bnvnd and let- tered. Copii-t: returned to the ofiice of publication, will also be bound upon the same ternjs. By the ilecision of the Post Masler General, the "Cabinet," is subject only to newspai«r postage : that is, one' cent on each nuniher vviihiii the state, or within one huinlred miles of the placi; of puliiicatiou out of the state,— and one cent aiiii a half to any other pjirt of the United States— and Po'^t Masters are at liberty to receive subscriptions, and forvvard them to the Publishei under their frank— thus affording an opportunity to all who wish it, to order the work, and pay for it without expense of postage. Joseph Rakestraw, Printer. '^^£fiICAN HERD-BOOK- DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. Perfect Agriculture is the true foundation of all trade and industry.— Liebio. Vol. IX — No. 2.1 9th mo. (September) 16th, 1844. [Whole No. 116. PUBLISHED MONTHLY, BY J O S I A H T A T tJ M, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR, No. 50 North Fourth Street, PHILADELPHIA. Price one dollar p?r year.— Forconditions sec laf t page. On the Manuring- and Steeping of Seeds. CONXLUDED FRO.H LAST NO. Another German pamplilet on this subject has lately appeared froai the pen of a Air. Vietor, an apothecary at Neiderhohn, in Hesse Darmstadt, under tlie title of " The Manuring of Seeds, or a Simple and Cheap Cullivatina of the Soil Inj the Artificial Ma^ mirino of Seeds, Inj which, at the sa^ne lime, the Rust and other Diseases of the Corn Crops are Prevented, practically tried for flte years, and proved on a large scale.'''' By C. L. V'lETOR. This author^ describes his methods, and is so far more worthy of the attention of the practicil man. Before detailing these methods, however, I shall insert a few of his preliminary observations. As the principle upon which the manuring of the seeds ought to be preferred to that of the soil, he remarks " that the manure can never be so equally distributed through the soil that the due proportion of food shall be Cab.— Vol. IX.— No. 2. ' given to each seed or plant; and that, be- sides, before the plant comes to require it, nnich of tiie organic matter of the manure has become decomposed and lost, and that even the inorganic matter is liable to as- sume forms of combination, in which it can with difficulty be made available to the nou- rishment of the growing plant." These disadvantages, he says, may be avoided by manuring the seeds themselves which we wish to grow, while, at the same jtime, the following advantages will attend .the adoption of this method : — I " l"?. The same crop may be repeated on jthe same soil, though already exhausted, or jeven-in any usually unfruitful soil. "2'^. VVe can manure the seeds with those special substances only which it is not ! likely to hnd in the soil, or of which it has jbeen exhausted by previous crops." i This is an advantage which is possessed jby all saline and mineral manures, and is one of those benefits which will appear ;more clearly and strikingly to the practical I man as he becomes more familiar with the j natural wants of the crops he wishes to Taisc, and with the kind of substances which are present in his soils and in the manures ; — such as farm-yard manure — which he •usually employs in preparing them for the [seed. j " 3°. As the rotation of crops is rendered jnecossary chiefly by the abstraction of saline substances from the soil, it may be rendered lunnecessary by adding again these sub- (41) ■m 42 On the Manuring and Steeping of Seeds. Vol. IX. stances, in such a way as to be within the reach of the seeds only. Thus, by steeping the seeds in sal ammoniac, and dryinji- them with flour, the deficiency of salts may be supplied. " 4°. The rust and other diseases of corn plants arc owing either to an excess or to a deficiency of food in the soil. These ex- tremes can be best avoided by manuring the seed itself with the proper materials and in the proper degree. Thus," he says, "in a field of wliep^t after oats, upon a poor soil, a portion of the seed, which had been prepared with sal ammoniac, gave only a light crop," while another portion, prepared with oil also, gave a crop twice as heavy." Influenced by the considerations above stated, some of which ma}', to a certain ex- tent, be regarded as questionable, Victor has bcea induced to try the manuring of the seeds before they are sown, and, from the success which has attended his results, to recommend it to others. The substances he employs, and his mode of using them, are as follow: Substances employed. — 1°. Blood, in the liquid state, is mixed with one-eightieth of its weight of glauber salts, dissolved in a little water; when thus mixed, it may be kept for a long time in a cool place without congealing or undergoing decomposition; or clotted blood may be dried either alone or mixed with a little earth, or powdered clay, and then reduced to fine powder. 2°. Wool, hair, parings of leatlier, horns, hoofs, and bones, are cliarred in close ves- sels, until they are capable of being reduced to powder. . 3°. The dung of all animals is dried and reduced to powder. 4°. Fats and oils of all kinds are m'xed with so much earth, clay, or rye-meal, as will enable the whole to be reduced to pow- der. Oil-cakes are also powdered for use. Mode of usiiiff them. — He makes up a semi-fluid mixture with which he mixes the seeds, and then he dries up the whole by the addition of the powdered manures al- ready prepared. His semi-fluid mixture is thus prepared : — For a bushel of wheat or other grain, take 20 to 30 lbs, of clay in fine powder. 1^ lbs. of pounded sal ammoniac, or-3 lbs. of common salt. 3 to 5 quarts of whale, rape, or other cheap oil. 15 to 20 quarts of fresh blood, or blood, kept in a fluid state by means of glau- ber salts, or, in the absence of blood as much water. 8 to 5 lbs. of linseed meal or pounded oil- cake. These are mixed together intimately, and water added, if necessary to mike a half- fluid mass. The seed is then to be poured in and stirred about till qvery seed is com- pletely enveloped by the mixture. A layer of one of thie following dry mixtures is then spread on the floor, over it the manured seed, and then another layer of the dry |)owder. The whole is then stirred together and left to dry. Dry Mixtures. — Of these drying mixtures he describes several, consistmg cliiefly of powdered clay, mixed with one or other of the dry powders already mentioned. Thus he recommends mixtures of-- -. 1. 75 of powdered clay, 8 horn shavings, and 17 of bone dust. 2. 85 of clay, with 15 of fluid, or 5 of dried blood.' 3. ^5 of clay, 5 of charred hair, and 10 of oil-cake. 4. 60 of clay and 40 of powdered dung. 5. 70 of clay, 25 of charred leather, and 5 of bone dust. C. 80 of clay, 1 of fat, tallow, or oil, and 2 of powdered dung. These are all to be finely powdered and intimately mixed. The principal alleged use of the clay is, to make the other sub- stances cohere tosrether, and to attach them more strongly to the grain. When the mixture of grain and manure is dry, it is broken up with the hand and thrown upon a fine sieve, which allows the loose powder to pass through and the unco- vered grains, and thon upon a coarser sieve, through which the dressed seeds pass, leav- ing the lumps, in which two or three seeds may be present, and which are to be care- fully broken up. He prescribes further, that •mucli caution is to be used in completing the operation so quickly tiiat the grain may not be permitted to sprout, and thus become liable to injury during the succeeding ope rations. When it is wished to grow corn after corn in fields manured in the usual way, Victor recommends mixing, for each bushel of seed, two to three pounds of sal ammoniac, of four to six pounds of common salt with ten to fifteen of rye-meal, adding a little water, stirring the seed well among it, and drying the whole in a stove. Such is the substance of Victor's pam- phlet and observations. I have stated them pretty fully, because I think he deserves this much at the hands of those who are in- terested in the progress of practical agri- culture; because he has stated the reasons tor his procedin-e, hasdei-cribed his processes niljy, and claims neither great merit nor great reward for alleged great discovery. No. 2. On the Manuring and Steeping of Seeds. 43 Besides, there is a show of reason in what he states. For though we may very faiily (loubt, or perhaps entirely disbelieve, that the quantity of manure with which he en- velopes his seeds, can be sufficient to supply the wants of the crop that is to spring- trom them, yei there can scarcely be a more eco- nomical way of employing the same quan- tity of manure — one in which there will be less waste of it, or in which it will be more useful to the growing plant. In every way of applying manure to the soil which has hitherto been adopted, a large portion never reaches the roots of the plants. Even when drilled in along with or near the seeds, a notable quantity escapes from the neighbour- hood of the roots, and is more or less com- pletely lost to the crop it is intended to feed. Sach must obviously be the case to a very much smaller extent where it is in actual contact with the seed it is to nourish, and actually envelopes it. Still it is doubtful whether the gain or saving effected by this method, will be equal to the cost of time and labour which it in- volves. Should such a mode of manuring be found easily practicable, more skilful mixtures than those of Victor — such as would be more certain to succeed, and such as would be fitted especially to aid the growtii of this or that kind of crop — could easily be suggested. In illustration of this opinion, I will here briefly state the facts from which I am led to believe that considerable benefit may in reality hereafter accrue to practical agricul- ture, from a careful study of the eifect of certain known steeps or prepared mixtures upon the after growth of the seeds upon which they have been tried. 1°. The quantity of inorganic matter con- tained in the grain of wheat, oats, barley, &c., is comparatively small. In wheat and barley it varies from \\ to 2 per cent, of the whole weight; in oats' it is about 3^ per cent, but a considerable proportion of this is contained in the husk with wliich the oat is usually invested. But, though small in quantity, this inorganic matter is absolutely essential to the perfect condition of the seed, and to the healthy growth of the plant that springs from it. 2°. When seeds are steeped in water, they swell and increase in bulk. They ab- sorb a portion of the water and of any saline substances it may Iiold in solution. iXow, if the small quantity of saline or inorganic matter which exists in seeds does really promote their growth, may not a larger quantity promote it morel May not the growth be more luxuriant if the seed be steeped in water containing saline substances in solution, and be thus made to absorb an additional proportion] It does not appear unreasonable to suppose that a bushel and a half of seed-wheat may be made to absorb a pound of saline matter. This appears, in- deed, to be only a very small quantity, and yet, if absorbed, it would add one half more to that which the seed naturally contains. We cannot pronounce beforehand, with ab- solute certainty, that by this absorption the growth of the seed would be greatly pro- moted, though both theory and practice con- cur in rendering it probable. Thus the experiments of Bickes — whose mode of pre- paring seeds appears to be a simple steeping in saline solutions — appear decisive in favour of the opinion that such artificial additions to the saline matter of the seed do really, in some cases at least, greatly promote the growth of the seeds, and increase the luxu- riance and produce of the after crops. The fact that saline manures are benefi- cial, in many cases, to the growing crop, when merely applied to the soil, is in favour of the same view. The salts, it is true, when applied to the soil, enter the plant by its roots; but, nevertheless, their action is simply to yield saline matter to the plant in larger quantity than it could otherwise readily obtain it from the soil. This addi- tional supply might at once be given it, to a certain extent, by steeping the seed itself. 3°. Further, we know that some seeds germinate much more rapidly and certainly than others. We know, also, that the pro- portion of inorganic matter, or of ash they leave when burned, varies in dififerent sam- ples of seeds of the same kind. That con- tained by wheat, for example, is sometimes \l, sometimes If, and sometimes nearly two per cent, of its weight. Can this difference in the growth of seed and the difference in the proportion of saline matter, have any connection with each other? Do some ger- minate feebly, do others fail entirely, because thfey contain too small a proportion of the usual saline constituents of the seed? Would they germinate better if more were by some means given to the seed 1 The same expe- riments of Bickes, upon the effect of steep- ing, seem almost to answer these questions ii^the affirmative ; they, at least, render it very probable that some such relation does exist between the two differences to which I have alluded. The same may also be said of the observation made by Mr. Fleming, of Barochan, that seed wheat, which had been dressed the previous year, with certain sa- line substances, grew more luxuriantly, and jgave a better crop than that which, though I! grown on the same field, had not been so 44 Old \ircrinia. Vol. IX. top-dressed. It is not very unreasonable to suppose that this better growth of the dressed seed might be owing to its having obtained, from the substances applied to the soil, a larger proportion of saline matter than that to which no top-dressing had been applied. Still these circumstances only render pro- bable the opinion to which I have adverted. They point out, however, new series of re- searches, both in the field and in the labora- tory, by which the opinion will be tested, and either refuted or confirmed. In thei field, experiments must be made with differ- ent seeds, dressed and undressed. In the laboratory these seeds must be examined, the proportion of inorganic matter they re- spectively contain determined, and if this inorganic matter be equal in quantity in seeds exhibiting different powers of germi- nation and growth, the difference in the kind or quality, as well as in the quantity of the ash, must be more or less rigorously as- certained. By these united methods of in- vestigation, we may hope, by and by, to make out what are likely to be the real and constant effects of steeping upon seeds — to what kind of seeds or roots it may be ap- plied most beneficially — under what circum- stances this treatment ought to be especially adopted — what kind of saline substances ought to be applied to each species of seed, and in what proportions — and what is the nature of the influence they may be found to exercise in promoting or otherwise modi- fying the growth of the after crop. In the mean time, there are two princi- ples by which our trial of steeps ought to be regulated, by wliich the saljrte substances we may employ with advantage in our first experiments in the field and upon different crops are distinctly pointed out. In a future paper I shall explain these principles, and state the practical suggestions which may be drawn fi-om them in regard to experi- ments upon the steeping of roots and seeds, Durham, November 20Ui, 1843. Old Virginia. A CORRESPONDENT of the National Intel- ligencer, writing from Wilton, near Rich- mond, Va., thus speaks of the diminution in the population of that State : "Thus much have I written with an eye to tempt to Virginia Northern farmers. " I have a great desire to capture this good old Commonwealth for the Yankee stock of States. Land is cheap; I say land, of which a good farm may soon be made, from three to ten dollars an acre — not tlic land on the banks of the river, cleared and cultivated, but land where marl lies, marl worth more to the land than a gold mine. Society is good. The people are a good people. Schools will come with a population. Ii often seems to me that as yet there are no people here, and I wish, therefore, to see them come. I have to tal^e up a spy-glass to see the houses of my neighbours, they are So* far ofl^, and yet so near am I to a capital of about 24,000 inhabitants, that I can see. its spires and steeples, and almost hear the hum of its la- bourers. Back of me, and below nie, oft" of the river as far as I have explored, I cannot find much else but woods, woods, woods. I ride for miles and miles in the forests, look- ing for people. And yet. this is the first set- tled, and oldest settled part of Virginia ! The people have gone oft"; they have settled in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, JSlissouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida; and now, as if there were too many people left, a bribe is held out to the rest to go to Texas ! Well, if they will go, all I can say is, Northern farmers come here and settle. Such land as you can sell in New York and Pennsylvania for fifty, and seventy-five, and a hundred dollars an acre, you can buy here from tliree to ten. " It is a shame, I say, that this beautiful country, so blessed in climate, and so little needing only the fertilizing hand of man, should be without people. Here is an old venerable river running past my door, older than the Hudson, now lined with towns and villages — much older than the Ohio — older in settlement and geography, I mean — but wliere are the people ? For a hundred and fifty miles from Richmond to Norfolk, the first explored river running into the Atlan- tic Ocean, the home of Powhatan and Poca- iiontas, and the scenes of the truly chival- rous John Smith — where, are the people? (jone, I say, gone to the South and West, the trumpet blowing them now to go to Texas! Virginia has here depopulated her- self to make homes elsewhere. The cry now of one set of her politicians is, manu- * tactures that would . keep the people here are nothing ; Texas is every thing. Were I a Virginian, I should esteem as worth more on James river one good white man, than all of Texas from the Sabine to the Rio del Norte. Why, here is Texas all about us, land as cheap as in the distant Te.xas, and as jTood." In the neighbourhood of Hereford, Eng- land, recently, a swarm of bees settled under the bonnet of a little girl, down the side of her face, and round her throat. Fortunately tlie child stood still, and the bees were hived without her receiving a single sting. No. 2. Conversion of Wood into Iron — 6fC. 45 Conversion of Wood into Iron. The conversion of wood into iron and stone for railroad purposes is exciting much interest in England. If the experiment bears the test of thorough trial, it will add im- mensely to the facility of constructing rail roads. We hope the engineers and those concerned in the building of rail roads will not delay in testing the value of tiiis new discovery. The following extract of a letter of Professor Wright, dated London June 18, 1844, and publislied in the Boston Chronicle of July 10, will show how the matter is re- garded by intelligent men in England. " A good deal is said lately about wood, and a patent has been taken out for convert- ing it into iron, 1 should rather say into stone, by means of iron. This metulized, or or rather fossilized wood has been used in constructing the terminus of the Dover rail- way, and it really seems to have both the properties of stone and iron. Rails of it laid down at Vauxhall, for experiment, en- dured a travel equal to that of a year on the most thronged railway, without any percep- tible wear, not even the saw marks of the timber being removed. It is supposed that timber thus prepared will not be subjectto rot or decay of any kind. This, time will test. If this proves true, the invention will be of immense importance to the United States, where timber is yet plentier, and iron scarcer than here. The process of preparing tim- ber is simply this; the pieces, after having been fitted by the carpenter or joiner for their places, are introduced into an immense iron cylinder, which is then exhausted by an air pump. A solution of sulphate of iron is then injected, which immediately enters into the exhausted pores of the wood. The wood is then withdrawn, and again placed in a similar vacuum in a solution of muriate of lime, which coming into contact with the sulphate of iron within the wood, decomposes it, and forms an insoluble sul- phate of lime or gypsum, within the wood ; and the muriate of iron, the other new com- pound, goes about its business. So the wood becomes thoroughly impregnated with stone, as hard as a rock, and is yet as tough as it was before. The expense of preparing 2000 sleepers, enough for a mile of railway, is said not to exceed $400. Some of the greatest engineers have expressed their confidence in the invention, and the process is employed on many of the government works. What an invention for our Missis- sippi Valley! Railways built of light porous wood, the more porous the better, probably; may, for less than a thousand dollars per mile, be converted into roads, nearly, if not quite as durable as iron. — New York Farm- er and Mechanic. Salt for plum trees. — Mr. Benjamin Jacobs, of Dorchester, had a small plum tree which never bore more than half a dozen plums that came to maturity; seeing salt recommended as a remedy, he applied two quarts, the first of March, in a space about two feet wide around the tree, com- mencing about six inches from the tree. It was dug into the ground a little. The con- sequence has been a fine lot of fruit. We saw this tree a short time since, and it was as full as it could hold. It is evident that salt made the great contrast between this and previous years as to the production of fruit. — Boston Cultivator. Points of a good milch cow — The fol- lowing is from a report of the Guernsey Ag- ricultural Society: — Points. 1. Purity of breed and qualities of the dam for yieldincr rich and yellow butter. 2;. Small head, large and bright eyes, small muzzle, small ears, orange colour within. 3. Straight back from the shoulders to the tail, and chest wide. 4. A fine and loose skin, with soft and short hair. 5. Sides well rounded, flank small between the side and haunch, tail fine. 6. Fore legs straight and well proportioned, hind legs broad above the knee, fine and clean below. 7. Udder large, and the teats large and springing from the four corners of the udder; milk-vein largo and well defined. — Ex, Papen Guano, a preservative of flowers. — Those who are lovers of flowers, and delight in having them constantly in their rooms, may contijiue to keep them fresh for a very considerable time, by putting into the water a pinch of Peruvian Guano, which is rendered immediately soluble, and taken up by the cuttings. Guano is essentially different from all other manures ; it possesses most of the constituents of plants, and contains a great portion of salt and other antiseptic^-and yet the most fertilising ingredients. — Exchange Paper. Tanners' bark is slow of decomposition. On this account it is generally neglected as a manure. The best way of employing it, is undoubtedly, in the form of compost with lime and earth, or with liquid or solid farm yard manure, by which procedure decay is speedily effected. Tanners very frequently burn their spent bark, and apply the ashes to their grounds. 46 Ebe7i Ehhender, the Moor Farmer. Vol. IX. Eben Elshender, the Moor Farmer. There is something so lively and agreeable, and sn thoroughly practical, in the following article, which we find in LittcWs Licing Age, of the 17tti of last month, and which is there credited to Chambers' Jour- i\al, that we have particular pleasure in transferring it to the Cabinet. It present- to our view a beautiful illustration of the philosophy of farming. The man whose main object is the maintenance of his family, must be careful that his experiments and his enter- prises shall eventually prove successful — they should therefore, be of a very limited character, compared with what those may be, of the large capitalist — our friend Eben, for instance. Where the means are abundant, we can scarcely imagine a more pleasing and rational employment, than that of improving worn-out or impoverished, or naturally repulsive soils. It is a delightful spectacle to observe the man of gloomy mind, roused up to successful action and public usefulness, by an object with which tlio healthiest and strongest might almost fear to grapple. Refer- ence has occasionally been made in the Cabinet to the advantages of long leases. We are aware, that these are less strikingly obvious in this country than in England, where there is not so strong a probability that economy and thrift will soon enable their pos- sessor to make himself his own landlord: and in the case before us, we at once perceive, that nothing could have been done without a long protracted engage- ment.— Ed. Ebenezer Alexander, or, as he was usually called, Eben Elshender, a native of the north of Scotland, was originally a man- ufacturer, but not being successful in this line, and falling into low spirits, he went to ppend some time at a village where an elder and more prosperous brother had a bleach ing establishment, in the hope of recovering the tone of his mind by means of country air and exercise. The place seemed at first sight unlikely to cheer up an invalid of the mind, being situated in a higli and ste- rile district, with a north-east exposure, and far from all other human haunts; but things turned out much better than might have been expected, and we shall tell how this came about. Eben, in his wanderings in the neighbour- hood, was speedily attracted to a hollow in the neighbouring moorlands, which might be considered as the only place within seve- ral miles presenting the least charm for the eye — a brook, fringed by a line of willows and a strip of green, formed the simple ele- ments of the scene, and from its situation it had a look of seclusion and warmth. He was led, by what he saw here, to surmise that elevation is not an insuperable difficulty in cultivation, provided there be shelter; and soon becoming convinced of the fact, his ac- tive mind in no long time conceived that he might employ himself worse than*) endea- vouring to clear a little possession for him- .self, at a nominal rent, out of the neighbour- ing lands. He looked around, but, excepting the few patches in the neighbourhood of the village, the region was one either of un- broken heath or of moss of great depth, broken into pits, and filled with water even at midsummer. Nothing, therefore,, could seem more hopeless. On the left only, as he looked northward, a large flat, lying far beneath him, and black and barren, or co- vered with brown heath, but looking to the sun, seemed to offer the semblance of a cul- tivated field, and he determined to visit it. He did so, but found it very unpromising. The surface, though apparently smooth at a distance, was rough and uneven ; the soil was either stony and shallow, or a deep quick moss, wet everywhere even in sum- mer, and with no fall by which it might be drained. A rivulet skirted it on the east, and was the natural boundary in that direc- tion ; but a swell many feet in height rose on the bank, and closed in the surface of the proposed farm from almost the possibility of being drained ; and there were similar embankments on the north and west. Still it was a large surface, not materially un- even ; it lay beautifully to the sun, and he could not but think that, if drained, and sheltered, and cultivated, here might be an extensive, perhaps a valuable farm. It would not require deep cuttings, as in moss- flows, nor extensive levellings, as in very unequal surfaces. He determined to think further. He spoke of his purpose to no one, but he brooded over it for days, again and again visiting the ground, antl at last he waited on the agent of the- proprietor. Even from him he exacted a promise of secrecy, if no- tiiing should follow upon his offer; and then, for a lease of thirty years, offered a shilling an acre for four hundred acres of that un- broken waste, with power to renew his lease for thirty years more, if he should so incline, at five shillings per acre; but with liberty, also, to quit at the end of five years, without being liable in damages from any cause. Many landlords seem to fancy that though land is of no value in their hands, they have yet a right to be sharers in the profits pro- duced by the intelligence, labour, and capi- tal of others; and that they are extremely liberal in forbearing to share for a few years in what had never existed for them, and yet will, at the end of those few years, be a valuable inheritance to them and their heirs forever. The landlord in the present case was wiser. He saw that he was about to receive immediately, for a small portion of this moor in cultivation, almost as much as No. 2. Ehen Elshender, the Moor Farmer. 47 the entire moor brought as an inferior sheep- walk, and that at the end of thirty years it would exceed the original income of the entire possession ; while this attempt at cul- tivation, if successful, would be an example of the utmost value, and might give his vil- lage that neiglibourhood which it so much required. Not only, therelore, was the offer of our friend accepted, but wood for build- ings was voluntarily offered, and a proper allowance for useful and well-con.-tructed drains. The villagers were astounded to hear that they were to obtain such a neighbour, but happy even in the hope of it. Enclosed as the place was by banks, which, instead of admitting it to be drained, would, if broken down, inundate it with water, it looked to them like a huge frying-pan, and of course there was no abstaining from some little quiet jokes:" This last was indeed the worst aspect of the affair. There was a fall for draining within the farm, but not without it; there was no final outlet. Still, our friend determined on pursuing his experiment; and, as a first measure, determined to give his possession a good name : he called it Glen-Eden ! He next marked off the site for his stead- ing on a very slight but bare and valueless knoll, being desirous at once to sit dry and to spare his good land if there were any. As he felt that nothing would be more apt to encourage him than the comfort of his home, as soon as his turf-cottage was roofed in, he had a floor laid down in one end of it, and raising up slight ribs of wood by the walls, and continuing them overhead, had the whole neatly covered by a thin board- ing, which, with the addition of a little car- pet and a slight curtain festooned over his couch — A couch ordained a double debt to pay ; A couch by night, a sofa all the day — made his end of the tenement seem a palace, and enabled him to look on the storm or the sunshine with equal consciousness of snug- ness and security to health. Good fires soon made the other end very tolerable to his servants; and being washed with lime, though not plastered, it formed a very cheerful temporary residence. He had the rankest of the'heath pulled and secured for thatch or fuel, intending to burn tlie rest on the ground as soon as the ground should be dry. He next laid out the fields, and or- dered them to be cleared of stones — an ope- ration that covered them in some places to the depth of several feetf and finally, he set himself to endeavour to lay the land dry. For this last purpose, at the lowest part of the farm, but where the surrounding wall, as it may be termed, was highest, — and this was on the east, — he ordered a bank of moss to be dug out, and placed in a situation con- venient for being dried and burned. In the course of this digging he came upon both stones and clay, treasures of great value in his circumstances; and lest the winter, by filling the pond with water, should render further digging impossible, he pursued his labours with great assiduity. His determi- nation was, that this reservoir should afford him an opportunity of draining the land : and should itv prove unequal to this, that a pump or pumps, to be worked by a small windmill, should raise the water to a height enabling him to send it off his territories. In the mean time he knew what ridicule the suspicion even of such a project would draw upon him, and therefore he gratified inquirers by informing tljem that he waa forming a fish-pond for the residence, and even expected to draw profit from the ice in winter, by letting it out for curling, though the game was not then known in that part of Scotland; and the parties, breathing softly, , turned from him, and gently lifting up their hands and eyes, departed. Mean- time he was intersecting his fields in nume- rous directions by drains, leading them into one another, diverging, branching, and every way varying them according to the inequali- ties of the ground ; and after proving their running, carefully filling theui with the stones taken from the surface, and all tend- ing at last to the general reservoir. Even in winter, therefore, the land became drier and drier, and people now began to see the use of the pond. By the return of spring he had effectually drained a large space in front of his residence, and generally pre- pared it for the operation of the plough. And even in this, by a sort of natural in- stinct, he differed from the accustomed mode. Aware that oxen draw most gently and steadily, he had secured the temporary use of a strong yoke of these, to be tried in all such portions of the soil as seemed likely to be capable of being opened up by the plough. People from the village had been engaged to attend at the same time to complete, with the spade and other implements, what the plough might leave imperfectly done, and give him, if possible, a field; and they had by this time so entered into the spirit of the thing, that the attendance was large, and in many cases gratuitous. He had no lime for the present ; but he had been scavenger to 48 Eben Ehhender, the Moor Farmer. Vol. IX. the village during the winter, and he had secured all the runnings from his own cattle in a great tank. He now set to burning, in close kilns, all the turf he had been able to accumulate during the summer; and be- tween these and the refuse of the few cattle for which he had been able to find food, lie was enabled to plough and manure some twenty acres of land, which he sowed and planted with the usual crops, accompanying all the white crops with sown grass. To complete his experiment, he had procured a cask to carry out the runnings of his sta- bles, &c. ; and having placed it on a cart, and fitted it with a tail-box pierced with holes, such as is used for watering streets and roads, he, as a last operation, sprinkled this liquor, so far as it would go, over the ground that had been dressed with ashes, at night, that no portion of it might be wasted by the sun ; and so closed the labours of his first spring. ' Science had not then disclosed to us what is now known to be true, that the terms good and bad land, as generally understood, are expressions without meaning, as almost every species of land requires some culture to make it productive; and by suitable means much may be made of almost any kind of land. Neither was it then known, as it now is, what are the precise ingredients neces- sary to the production of the various crops, and to which the soil is a mere matrix or receiver; and that burned earth or lime, and ammonia or the mmnings of stables and other usual manures, contain many of those ingre dients. But by instinct or accident, by rea Eoning from what he had noticed, or heard, or read, and perhaps so far experimenting without much knowledge or expectation, our friend had hit upon many things now known to be useful, and the result surprised many. Not only was there no failure in the crops of Glen-Eden, — as they now began seriously to call it, — but they were rich and beautiful. The oats, standing upon moss of great depth, but drained — and that but for the draining and manure, would not have borne a green leaf— were as luxuriant as if the depth of the moss had been tjie cause of their excellence. The other soils, lately so thin and dead, were now deep and dry, and bearing excellent barley, with a flush of clover about its roots. Potatoes, the gift of a warm and distant region, were flourishing in their little beds on this lately cold and barren moor, as if it had been their native and appropriate soil; and, in short, industry and intelligence had in a few months tri- umphed over the ignorance and neglect of centuries. 'Till these things became apparent, how ever, our experimenter kept in the shade. He had dismissed all his workers, except his hind, whom he termed his "resident man- ager," and his wife, who was his sole serv- ant, and a Gibeonite of a boy, for looking after his sheep. As the crops began to show themselves, his hind urged upon him the beauty of their appearance, and the al- most certain success of his experiment, and consequently the duty of resuming opera- tions. According to all appearances, his first crop would more than pay the expense that would give him a permanent and valu- able posse^:slon ; and as Eben inclined to this opinion, he determined to resume. As a proper preparative to this, he allowed hia mother and sisters to visit him ; and though they were shocked with the outward aspect of his residence, a black and cheerless look- ing turf-hut, in the midst of a comparative wild, and guarded by a pet sheep and her lambs, that, as they approached, patted the ground in a very menacing manner, yet when they entered it, and found the servant cheerfully preparing for them a meal in the one end, while in the other was a little par- lor such as a gentleman might inhabit with rest and enjoyment, they were not only sur- prised and pleased, but would gladly have protracted their visit, and were delighted to understand that they were speedily to join him. Of course, from greater experience he rose to greater success. Even his labourers worked more cheerfully from seeing the success of what had been done. Moss that had hitherto seemed a nuisance, was to him a treasure, and husbanded accordingly; and stones that, above ground, were such an en- cumbrance, were, when placed in drains beneath it, of the utmost value. He became perfectly happy in his labour of improving, and almost regretted to think that one day it must have an end. Thirty years have passed since these operations were begun ; the barren moor has been reclaimed into a valuable and productive farm: the once bare and rugged banks that impeded its draining have long been turned into boundaries co- vered with herbage of the softest texture, and crowned with woods at once an orna- ment and a shelter, and that being to be paid for, will render their owner rich. Even tlie deep and unsightly pool, that first as- sisted in laying the land dry, has been sur- rounded and screened by willows and alders, both useful in their way; and the numbers of ducks and geese constantly breeding on its borders and floating on its bosom, must add no inconsiderable item to the profits of the farm. Where the first damp and disheartening turf-shed was erect- No. 2. Wheat Sowins^. 49 ed, there are now warm and substantial offices; and frontinjr all, and flanked by garden walls, and behind them trees, stands a farm-house, in its first days a cottage, but always the seat of plain abundance, and now of every comfort and a generous liospi- tality. Though in a climate not very genial, it is always warm; and from various flower- ing shrubs spread over it, seldom without flowers. It is the cherished residence of an industrious, ingenious, and very worthy man. Many, stimulated by his success, soon fol- lowed his example, though on a less exten- sive scale; but the unpromising wild of tliirty years ago, is now a sheltered, cultivated, and comparatively fertile spot, and the abode of many industrious and contented families. For the Farmers'Cabinet. Wheat Sowing. Although the wheat crop of the United States does not amount to more than a fifth of that of corn — the latter according to Ells- worth's last Report, being in 1843, -nearly five hundred millions of bushels, while the yield of wheat was but about one hundred millions, yet as it is of vast importance to the country, and withal a- more precarious crop than corn, farmers caunot, we think, bestow too mucli care in committing their iSeed to the earth. It would be impossible I to point out the best kind for sowing, as this ] would depend upon various circumstances. Some kinds will best suit light and thin 1 soils — some will best bear late sowing, &c., land it is for each practical farmer to make I his own close observations and draw his own ,■1 conclusions on this poijnt. But whatever kind may be chosen, it should not be forgot- ten to sow good seed, well cleaned, steeped in brine and rolled in lime or plaster. If the advantages of steeping seeds in chemi- cal solutions, and doctoring them, as pro- fessor Johnston calls it, spoken of in some of the late numbers of the Cabinet, should prove to be realised, they will indeed be of incalculable importance in the economy of our business. I hope they will claim the attention of our enterprising farmers sufli- Bciently to be well tested. Because the re- sults stated may appear improbable, it does not by any means follow that they are not correct — ^there are many things in agricul- ture which are not yet explained, and the first step towards every improvement, is a conviction that we do not already know all that is to be known. It is doubtless one of the advantages of our agricultural periodicals, that they render convictions of this kind more easily attain- able by throwinp; abroad among us, the com- mon progress of the country. A late writer has remarked, that individuals moving con- tinually within the same circle, comparino- themselves with none but their own neigl> hours, and having few means of seeing or hearing what is done beyond the contracted sphere of their own native village and near- est market town, are not so easily convinced of their own deficiences, as may "be those of wider and more extended intercourse. Early sowing of wheat is pretty well de- monstrated by facts, to be almost essential to good crops. The farmer then who drives his business — the fore-handed man, will have the best reason for hope at the coming harvest. A late number of the Quarterly Review estimates the average produce of wheat in England, to be 26 bushels, and says if this could be raiped to 27 bushels, it would add to the nation's income, 475,000 quarters, worth at 50 shillings, about £1,200,000. The average yield in the United States, is proba- bly not more than 10 bushels — if we could by improved management, bring it up to 11 bushels, we would thus add to the farmers' income, six or eight millions of dollars. Could it be doubled, as no doubt it one day will be, sixty or eighty millions of dollars would be added to the annual receipts of our farmers ! I have thrown out these iew unimportant remarks, not on account of my own large operations or experience — for I am but a small farmer — but with a view to stir up to diligent inquiry, every one who handles the plough or sows an acre of wheat. Select good seed — sow early — have the ground in good order, and aim to increase every year the average of your crops. R. N, Sweedesbnrougli, N. J. Cleanliness in Making Butter. — It seems almost unnecessary to allude to clean- liness as peculiarly necessary to the manu- facture of good butter. But I do so to bring under your notice tlie fact, that cream is re- markable for the rapidity with which it ab- sorbs and becomes tainted by any unpleasant odours. It is very necessary that the air of the dairy should be sweet — that it should be often renewed, and that it should be open in no direction from which bad odours can come. — Johnslo7i''s Lectures. W. F. Karkeek, in a late Essay on ma- nures, says wliere guano is drilled in with seed, not less than a ton of earth or ashes, should be mixed with each cwt. of guano. 50 Best Method of Constructing Cisterns. Vol. IX. For the Fanners" Cabinet. Best Method of Constructing Cisterns. To THE Editor, — In some parts of tlie country where running streams are not ad- jacent to the dwelling — or where the water is hard, or difficult to be obtained, in conse- quence of the great depth vvh:ch it is neces- sary to dig the wells, it becomes a, matter of considerable importance, to know how to provide, in the best possible manner, cheap and durable cisterns. I find the following communication in a late number of the American Farmer, and it appears to me well worth copying into the Cabinet: I ac- cordingly forward it for that purpose, know- ing many farmers who would be greatly accommodated by a cit-tern under their shed, but who have heretofore been discouraged from the undertaking, from an impression that it was exceedingly difficult to prevent continued leakage and disappointment. H. R. Burlington co., N. J. Messrs. Editors, — You will doubtless allow me to communicate through your val liable monthly, pro bono jjuLlico, but espe- cially for the benefit of those interested, a few brief hints in regard to the proper man- ner of constructing cisterns; household ap- pendages so necessary to the comfort and convenience of those who are not blessed by nature or art, with a generous fountain of pure soft water at their doors. Of the various methods recommended and practiced in different sections of the conn- try, the plan of constructing cisterns of brick, and water cement, is doubtless far superior to any other, particularly in regard to use- fulness and durability. Though we have made one answer a tolerably good purpose for a number of year's, made of white pine, bound with strong iron hoops, and firmly set in bine clay, yet the liability of the material to decompose and become useless, even when every precaution is used, suggested the propriety of adopting some improved mode in constructing it. The plan chosen was the one above mentioned. We con- structed two of different sizes. For the largest, a pit was ordered to be dug ten feet in diameter and nine feet in depth, the bot- tom being shaped similar to that of a lai'ge potash kettle, and the sides perpendicular. The brick selected from the kiln for the purpose, were those burned hard, though but little cracked or warped. The mortar used was made of two parts coarse clean river sand, and one part ground water ee- ment ready for mixing, obtained at the mill near Schuyler ville, N. Y,, at 25 cents per bushel, though from the fact that it does not petrify or "set" as soon as soirre kinds, it is believed a superior quality may be obtained. Water is worked in to render it sufficiently soft for use, like common lime mortar. With materials and pit thus prepared, the mason commences operations exactly in the centre and bottom of the excavation, by covering the surface with a thick coat of his mortar, and laying the br-ickswith their flat surfaces contiguous, fbrming as soon as convenient, a perfect circle of some three or four feet in diameter. Regular courses are then laid around the circle, taking care to increase the inclination of the upper edge towards the centre, so that when the bottom is fin- ished to the edge from where he wishes to carry up the sides, the bricks will be placed in an angle of about fifty degrees wuth the per-pendicular side. Extreme cai'e should I be taken with this part of the work, and an extra quantity of cement used, in order to prevent the possibility of a leak,, as in turn- ing up the wall, the outer edges of the bricks must necessarily be further apart than the inner, and every cavity should be completely filled with the mortar. The sides were then car-ried up perpendicularly five feet, from which point they were gradu- ally drawn in until carried up nine feet, and the neck or top so small as to admit of being covered with large slabs of white marble, with a circular orifice sufficiently large to admit an ordinary sized person, and to place a pump for raising the water. A curb is then carried up sufficiently high to prevent any action of the frost on the work below, and filled in with dirt or gravel that will not heave. At the top of the brick wall and immediately under the stone covering, is left an opening the size of a brick, from which a drain is laid to conduct off the sur- plus water, made like the cistern of brick and cement. While the wall is going up, the mason should be particularly careful to lay on a good coating of cement over the outside before filling in, care being taken to preserve a sufficient space between the bank and wall for'this purpose. To complete the work, a flat stone is placed on the bottom of the cistern in a bed of mortar for tlie pump to stand upon, the whole inside plastered with cement similar to the walls of a house, and after drying a few hours, whitewashed with a thick mixture of cement and water, and the work is done. Water may be ad- mitted after the work has become partially hardened, but should be conducted to the bottom in such a manner as not to wash the coating of cement. The first quantity of water discharged into it, will be hardened and rendered unfit for use, by the sulphate No. 2. Pressing Hay. — Plank Fences. 51 of lime contained in the cement, which may be pumped out, when the next will be soft. The advantajres of having cisterns con- structed as above described, must be appa- rent to the most casual observer. When done in a workmanlike manner, and with proper materials, they will be as durable as though formed of solid rock, and tlie inside presents a surface as free from filth as any stone vessel used for culinary or household purposes. Different families will of course require different sizes, and the amount of material necessary to construct them, varies accordingly; the one described, containing- somethino;- like 45 hoirsheads, the other about 20." The builder, ^!Mr. Richard Swart- wout, of SchuylervilJe, N. Y., has often, to save expense, been ordered to plaster the cement directly on to the earth as shaped with the shovel, and covering- with plank or large stone as before. But the mode is evi- dently objectionable, as, if accidentally ex- posed to the frost, the sides will crack and become leaky. Brick cisterns laid up witji common mortar, are also liable to crumble in time, and prove defective. In either case, however, the top should be sunk below the surface and covered with gravel suffi- ciently deep to prevent the action of the frost on any part of the masonry. If any of your readers choose to construct tlieir cis- terns according to the above directions, taking care to secure an experienced work- man and good rhaterials, they will find doubtless, should^iey live so long, that the lapse of half a century, will not affect their usefulness or impair their durability. J. Chace. Hoosick Falls, June, 1844. Pressing Hay. Rail-roads and canals make many things portable to distant markets, that otherwise would not pay. Large towns, for instance, cannot be supplied with hay by wagons, with profit to the farmer, at a distance be- yond 15 or 20 miles — but by packing and sending by rail-roads and steam-boats, and sail-botits, it may be sent any distance. Milk, again, that could only be sent by or- dinary conveyance from a few miles around large cities, is now sent from 100 miles around New York. The following information about packing- hay, w-as some time since kindly communi- cated to mo by Doctor G. B. Smith, of Bal- timore, a man of uncommonly strong and inquisitive mind, who is ever ready to ex- hibit his lights v»'hen called on — while .some men, esteemed wise, hide theirs under a bushel, or have none to bide, I. S. S. I will answer your questions according to their purport: 1. Size and weight of bundles 6f hay, as sold in, this market, 4 feet 4 inches long, 30 inches deep, 30 inches wide, average weio-ht 350 lbs. Some weigh 360 lbs., some loO lbs., and all intermediate weights. 2. Cost of apparatus for pressing haj%^ from $125 to $5350. There is no fixed price, and no one here that I can find, who makes a business of erecting them. A well built tobacco press, it is supposed would answer for a hay press. 3. Pressed hay in bundles, comes from the North, (New York, &c.,) and also from this neiglibourhood. Mr. Fenby himself, has a hay press, and puts up a large portion, if not all he sells. 4. The difference in price between the hay loose and v\ hen pressed, is supposed to be about 1*1 per ton ; but it mdst be evident that pressed hay is worth no more to the consumer than loose hay. Pressing is only an advantage to the producer, as it enables him to get it to market cheaper than he can loose ha}^ It certainly adds nothing to the qualities of the hay to press it into bales. Ordinarv wagon hay, is selling in our streets now, (2oth o~f January, 1843,) at S9 to $11 per ton. Fenby asks for his pressed hay, $12 per ton. But I presume that Fenby's pressed hay is better than ordinary ha}-, or he could not expect to get so great a differ- ence of price for it. In estimating weight, a bundle of hay is equal to five barrels. 5. Freight of hay to Kew Orleans, de- pends entirely upon your meeting with ves- sels going out empty or nearly so. In such cases fitly cents a bale will be taken. In other cases the freight would be higher than the hay would be worth. I am told that hay is cheaper now in New Orleans, than here.^ — Marlboron"h Gazelle. From the Marlborough Gazette, Plank Fences. Heart Yellow-pine cheaper than Hemlock. There are many memoranda like the one subjoined, which are torn up or thrown away, that might be useful in themselves, or lead to useful thoughts and reflections, if committed to the columns of an Agricultu- ral paper. Every day I receive letters, from which useful extracts might be made, if I had time to do it; but alas, how often, (aye, every day.) we have occasion to wish for a double set of all our faculties, to do half that we would wisli to achieve, in the course of a short life, which, short as it is, is one 52 Booh Farming. Vol. IX. half of it spent in eating, drinking, or sleeping^ The memorandum which follows, I find in a letter from a gentleman on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, of ample means, yet of not the less systematic habits — making nice calculations, and keeping exact accounts, being in that respect an example wortliy of regard by many who have stronger reasons than he to do as he does. I. S. S. Plank Fences. 5,097 feet Hemlock plank, $11 per m. $56 06 100 lbs. nails, 5 50 202 posts, Cedar, White oak, &c. 30 30 19 days labour, one man, at 75cts. ) ,q /^f^ " " board, " at25cts. \ ^ "" 15 days labour at 37t^ cts. \ ^-^^ 15 days board at 18| cts. \ '^"^ 8 44 $119 30 The above materials m^e 202 panels post-and-rail fence, — 59 cents, say 60 cents per panel of eight feet. Not having Hemlock plank enough to finish my range of fencing, purchased 1495 feet Southern heart pine, flooring plank, 6 inches wide, 1-| inches thick, cost $16 50 Freight, 2 00 $18 50 p. m. $27 06 Labour of 1 man 4 days, 75 cts. board 25 cts. 4 00 Labour of 1 man 4 days, 37|^ cts. board 18^ cts. 2 25 20 pounds of nails, 5i- cts. 1 10 61 posts, locust, 24 cts. 14 64 $49 65 The above plank made 61 panels of 10 feet per panel, and as the panels are one- fourth longer than the Hemlock, the account will stand : ■' Hemlock, 60 Add one-fourth, 15 — $75 00 Southern pine, 82 00 One fence of the latter, from the superi- ority of materials, is worth two of the former. The great saving is in the posts- — also the labour of every kind. Yours truly, Chasseur avx Renards. Dr. Abernethy's prescription for the gout, was to live upon si^-pence a day, and *iarn it. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Book Farming. We hear a great deal said among fiirmers, about looking to Agricultural papers for in- formation on practical matters relating to Ihcir business, arid I am inclined to think that some among us, do not sufficiently value their importance. As a little illus- tration of the many hints which I acknow- ledge myself to be indebted to them lor, I send the following fi'om the New England Farmer: and I think a man who makes a little use of his head as well as his hands, can hardly help getting from its perusal, more than a year's subscription to a paper which contains it. W. S. In conversation with Mr. G., whose farm had run backwards, I suggested to him the idea of collecting the leaves and decaymg vegetable matter from a piece of woodland near by. " Why," says he, " I hav'nt much opinion of this vegetable matter — 'tis sour stuff — only give me dung enough from the hovel windows, and I can raise as good crops as Mr. I. does, with all his swamp muck, lime, compost, and book-farming." I in- quired if he took an agricultural paper. "No," said he, "I did take one several years ago, and that had so much to tell about a new kind of potatoe, that they sold for 25 cents a pound, and after all, it was'nt no better than the long reds ; and about tree corn and mulberry trees; and a good many ftTrmcrs got hit, by believing their great stories, that I got sick of, and stopped it, and would not now take the gift of one." 1 afterwards called upon Mr. I., the "book farmer," as Mr. G. snecringly called him, and found him a middle-aged, intelligent farmer, who was quietly improving his land by every means within his reach. I wasso much interested in his management, that I thought I would attempt to cemmunicate an account of it to the public, through the columns of your useful journal, with the hope that other farmers might be benefitted by liis examjile. Upon looking into his barn, I found his hovel floors were water-tight, and sloping toward the back side. In the rear of the cattle, was a kind of trough of the width of 12 or 15 inches, made by sinking one of the floor plank two inches ; this was also water- tight: the droppings from the cattle mostly fell into the trough, and by giving the cattle a good bedding of litter every night, they were kept comfortable, and nearly as clean as when at pasture. He bad the past win- ter used several loads of saw-duet from a No. 2. Book Farming. 53 shingle mill, and leather shavings from the currier's, for the purpose of bedding, and soaking up the urine. The hovels were daily cleared out by wheeling the manure and litter into the centre of the yard, — which is dishing, — and piling it up in a snug heap, His bar.i is so situated he cannot dig a cel- lar under it, but intends the coming season to build a shed for the purpose of keeping his manure under cover in future. The floors of his horse stables are tight : every day they are cleared, and the manure and litter are spread under a shed, and by being trodden by his stock, it does not heat and fire-fang, as is too often the case. Most of his winter manure will be mixed with swamp mud, to compost through the summer. I inquired respecting a heap near his barn : he said there were two cartloads of lime- mortar, that he bought for a trifle, of a man wlio had taken down a large house : it was mixed with about four loads of brake-root composted. He had a number of casks of fleshings that were obtained at the tanner's, which would be mixed with vegetable mould soon as the snow was off', and he could ob- tain it; he has also taken the hair, lime, and piths of horns from the tan-yard ; the bones are broken up by the hammer and mi.xed with the manure and ploughed in; they will slowly decompose, and supply phosphate of lime to his land : he had about two barrels of the settlings of salts from the pearlash factory — similar, he thought, to the material known as glass factory manure; an account of its use and value is given in Mr. Colman's Fourth Report, pages 344-5, by a Mr. Jar- vis. There were a few inches of lye upon the top of the salts in tiie barrels, so strong as to float an egg with nearly one half its surface above the lye. This, he assured me, according to Mr. Jarvis' statement, would convert 10 or 15 loads of loam or muck into a compost equal to the same amount of good turf, about eighteen months ago; it had been ij stable manure. All these materials, saw- left this length of .time for the purpose of j dust, wool, fleshings, hair, lime, piths of having the plaster come to pieces, and rot-ji horns, and salts from the potash, he had for ting the turf Last fall it was shovelled |, removing, as they were considered a nui- over, and two lime casks of fleshings pro-| sance, and of no value by the manufacturers cured at the tanner's, mixed with it. He: or owners. The droppino-s of the fowls are thought while this animal matter was de-! occasionally scraped from the boards, over composing, there would be a large amount: which the hens roosted, and put in old of nitrogen generated, and give him a large amount of nitrate of lime by spring, when it would be again shovelled over, and 35 casks: in the spring it will be' moistened with urine and ground to pieces with a hoe, and mixed with plaster of Paris, to be ap- bushels of good ashes mixed, and then ap-iiplied to grass land, or put about the corn plied to an acre and a half of ground, upon; and potatoe hills, at the first or second hoe- which he should sow wheat: I think he said], ing; — he styles it "Yankee Guano." He the compost was to be put on after the j has a strong tight box under his back house, in which is frequently thrown gypsum, or ground was ploughed, and to be harrowed in with the wheat. The ashes he had pur- chased at ten cents per bushel. He had a cart-load of tlie waste wool, or flyings, fiom the wool carder's; this was to be boiled for a short time in lye,* to cleanse the oil and .grease, and to render the wool more deconjposable. By way of experiment, a part of it would be used to manure some of his corn and potatoes in the hill, the rest would be mixed in the compost heap, to re- main a year or so. He also had a large quantity of old woollen rags, that he bougjit of a store-keeper for a trifle — having, he said, read in some book, that 100 lbs. of woollen rags contained as much nitrogen as 300 lbs. of cow manure. Some of these rags ^vere to be chopped up and steeped in urine for a few days, then to be partially [charcoal dust obtained from the coal-pen of the village blacksmith: it absorbs the smell, and once in a w^eek or two, the contents of the box are mixed with dry peat or saw- dust, or some other material, to absorb the liquid part, and put into old tight barrels. This is home-manufactured poitdretle. His hog-yard is of good size, has been dug to the depth of 18 inches, and a good plank floor over the whole, which makes it easy shovel- ling out the manure. The suds from the wash are conveyed to it by a spt^t, which with the manure of his hogs, mixed with the loam, muck, and other materials, make many loads of valuable manure. He has tried many experiments that he has seen recommended in the agricultural books and papers that he has read ; says, after he be- dried and sprinkled with gypsum, and used 1 1 came "one and twenty," he did not feei as manure in the corn and potatoe hills; the other part would, like the waste wool, be * We hope he did not pour this liquor into his gut-- ter, to run off and be wasted.— W. S. obliged in all things to follow in the "foot- steps of his worthy predecessor," his father, and sometimes pursued a new track, and went upon his own hook. He intends get- ting a small quantity of guano and ground 54 Alpaca. — Turning in Green Crops. Vol. IX. bones the cominor spring, for the purpose of testing them by the side of other manures. Several of the kinds he has not yet tried, but from his remarks, I feel satisfied he will find them all invaluable helps for increasing his crops, and from the nature of some of them, valuable and permanent improvers of his soils. Alpaca. Probably few ladies who wear and ad- mire the beautiful fabric called Alpaca, are aware of the source of its production. The Alpaca is a wool-bearing animal, indige- nous to South America, and is one of four varieties which bear general points of re- semblance to each other. The Lama, one of these varieties, has been long known and often described ; but it iff only within a few years that the Alpaca has been considered of sufficient importance to merit particular notice. Nine-tenths of the wool of the Alpaca is black, the remainder being partly white, red and grizzled. It is of a very long sta- ple, often reaching twelve inches, and re- sembles soft glossy hair — which character is not lost in dyeing. The Indians in the South American mountains, manufiicture nearly all their clothing from this wool, and are enabled to appear in black dresses, with- out the aid of a dyer. Both tlie.Lama and Alpaca are, perhaps, even of more value to the natives as beasts of burden than wool- bearing animals, and their obstinacy when irritated, is well known. Tlie importance of this animal has already been considered by the English, in tlieir hat, woollen and stuff trade, and an essay on the subject has been published by Dr. Hamilton, of London, from which some of these details are col- lected. The wool is so remarkable, being a jet black, glossy, silk-like hair, that it is fitted for the production of texile fabrics differing from all others, occupying a medium position between wool and silk. It is now mingled with other materials in such a singular manner, that while a par- ticular %e will affect those, it v/il! leave the Alpaca wool witii its original black colour, and thus giving rise to great diver- sity.— Iris. Drop Cakes. — One quart of milk, a large teaspoonful of salsratus, dissolved in a cup of cream ; to which stir in flour very smoothly until a thick batter is formed. Then dip your spoon in milk, and with it place your batter at short distances in a buttered pan. Very delicate, made entirely of cream, either j with or without eggs. For the Fanners' Cabinet. Turning in Green Crops. To THE Editor, — I saw an editorial in the last number of the Cabinet, calling upon its readers to bear their proportion of the labour, or the pleasure, if you choose, in giving variety and interest to its pages: and it seemed to me so reasonable that we who are principally benefited by its publication, should yield a hearty support, not only by our subscriptions, but also by our pens, to tliis well established paper, that I looked around me, to see what I could find to say, which, while it filled a column, would at the same time, give a valuable hint, or stir up to action a fellow ploughman, who might perhaps otherwise forget to practice what ho had already learned. It immediately oc- curred to me to say, that I believe wo are very apt to overlook one of the cheapest and most efficient modes of improving our im- poverished lands, and sustaining them in their fertility. I allude to the°ease with wliich we might all avail ourselves of the expedient of turning in green crops. Clover, buc!:wheat, corn, have often been recom- mended for this purpose; and among these, some prefer one, and some anothert^ Corn sown broadcast, even if the ground is poor, will start up and soon afford a very consider- able crop to plough in. Buckwheat is of quick growth, deriving much of its support from the atmosphere, and therefore return- ing more to the earth than it draws from it. Clover also, from its abundant foliage and large tap root, is quite a favourite, — and de- servedly so in my opinion — with manv for plougliing in. Where the ground is toler- ably good, an amount of green herbage will spring up, that will very nearly or quite equal a moderate dressing of stable manure. Clover to be of much avail, must have a good footing in the soil,. Corn or buckwheat may bo sown in the early part of summer, and in the course of two or three months, will be ready to be turned under, when the ground may be put in wheat. Large crops of wheat and rye have o'ten been the result of this method; and it certainly is much cheaper, where there is a scarcitv of manure, than to buy it; but I do not think our gene- ral practice is such, as shows that farmers are sufficiently aware of the menus they have within themselves of improving their lands. Now I am aware that this is not the time of year to sow either corn or buckwheat, for the purpose above sugirested — but let those who have a good swarth of clover on land whicli they wish to put in wheat, turn in a good plough and cover it up thoroughly, and No. 2. Meeting of the Farmers^ Club. 55 I will venture the prediction, that their chance for a crop will be as fair as their neiohbours, who manure from their barn- yards. A. N. R. Essex CO., N. J. Meeting of the Farmers' Club. The New Yirk Sun gives the proceedings on the 20th of last month, most of \^hich we copy below. General Tallmadge in tlie chair. Mr. Wakeman, the corresponding; secretary of the Institute, called for the reading of a cir- cular from the Farmers' Club to the Garden- ers and Farmers of the Union, on the sub- ject of the Farmers' Convention, in October next, at the Fair in Nev/ York. The circu- lar was read and unanimously adopted. President TallmaHge then offered the fol- lowing rem.arks: — "In looking over some title deeds and other papers recently, I found some specimen cards of wool from Saxony sheep, which I obtained with some of the sheep, in 1>;26 — I present them to you, gentlemen, together with a specimen of the clip of this summer from my sheep, which had been IMerino, crossed by these Saxons. These specimens exhibit the in- fluences of our climate upon this fine wool, in the county of Dutchess, in this State, where I reside. The staple of this Ameri- can wool is much longer than the Saxon clip, and appears to be as fine. The origi- nal Saxon gave two pounds at a clip; this American product gives three pounds at a clip. The weight of the fleece depends much on the fare and keep. Cur flocks have for some six or eight years been ne- glected, or they would have been much bet- ter than they are, and 1 will show the reason why. " Before 1800, we had a long-legged, coarse woolled sheep; the wool of which was worth from six to ten cents per pound. Col. Hum- phreys, our INIinister to the Court of Spain, and Chancellor Livingston, who was in Paris, caused some Merino sheep to be sent to us. They were eagerly sought for by our farmers, and the wool gradually spread over the nation. In 1826, tlie Saxon fine woolled sheep were imported ; tlie price in 1828, was from sixty to eighty cents per pound. Wheat was sold for two dollars per bu.^hel. But wool went down, down, down to twenty-five cents per pound. The sheep, not being worth their feed and care, were allowed to go to destruction, and one method was to kill and boil them, and get all the fat out of them that was possible. At Catskill, a large sheep-destroying estab- lishment was constructed, where thousands of them passed through this trying process. Thus have our finest sheep in ninnber and quality been destroyed. The public prints of Dutchess county have stated truly, that Dutchess had seve7i hundred thousand pounds for sale in the market, at sixty to eighty-seven cents per pound, or at an aver- age of sixty-five cents per pound, per an- num. Bcfoie 1842, this product of Dutchess county sunk to three hundred thousand pounds, at twenty to twenty-five cents per pound only; so that from an annual wool sale for four lumdred and fifly-five thousand dollars, she dwindled down to a sale fbr seventy-five thousand dollars; then adding the loss of the carcass of the sheep, it is just to state, that Dutchess county has sus- tained an annual loss of about half a million of dollars. This is no exaggeration." Poisonous weeds. — D. Jay Browne, Esq., moved the. adoption of a resolution recom- mending to city and town authorities, and to gardeners and farmers in general, to ex- terminate all weeds that are poisonous to men or stock, or injurious to crops, before they go to seed. Mr. Fleet inquired if stra- moniutn is not useful as a medicine. Dr. Field replied that there is a much greater quantity than is required for medicinal pur- poses, and that the destruction of weeds is a very important matter. They occupy a great deal of ground, and abstract the moisture; they keep off the dew from other plants, and deprive them of their nourishment ; the seeds of the weeds become scattered far and wide, sometimes lying in the ground, under certain circumstances, a long time without vegetating. Gen. Johnson was of opinion that they last for many years, and when brought to the surface or place favour- able to them they grow, and that such was also the case on some pine lands, which have lost their timber — the acorns of scrub oaks grew, after being in the ground for fifty years. With regard to weeds. Gen. Johnson re- marked that ho made manure of some of them, by mixing them with headland soil and liquid manure from the stable. For an onion bed, he usually took the dry weeds and brush and burned them together — they become a sort of charcoal, and make an ex- cellent top dressing. The place for making the manure ought to be fixed that the liquid manure from the stable and yard would easily run into it, and be absorbed by the weeds, &c. In Flanders tlie urine of a sin- gle cow is considered to be worth te7i dollars per annum. Disease amongst potatoes. — Mr. Fleet stated that the potatoes of Westchester and elsewhere, appear to suffer from some dis- ease— the leaves fall from the stems and 56 Meeting of the Farmers^ Club. — Dairyivg. Vol. IX. the potatoes seem to be affected, and he considered the subject worthy of immediate investigation, a measure strongly recom- mended by the chairman. Graphs. — Mr. Fleet stated that Mr. Shon- nai'd, of Westchester, has some very fine grapes which have been shaded by locust trees. They are far better than common. He further remarked that the shade of lo- cust trees was favourable to the growth of grass, and that cattle had made this disco- very. Insects. — Col. Clark said that he had a lot of young locust trees, w-hich appeared likely to be destroyed by the well known and troublesome "apple borer." With a view of exterminating them, he had, with a stomach pump, injected into the holes made by the borers, lime water, also caustic, pot- ash and spirits of turpentine, since which time he has had no further trouble with them, and the trees so treated are now grov/ing well. Mr. Wakeman remarked that while he was in the State of Maine, he had gathered some facts which appeared to be worth men- tioning. It is estimated that on a peninsu- la, about three miles long and one and a half miles wide, there are two thousand apple trees which have been generally at tacked by the worms, and that their pros pect of bearing fruit is hopeless. About forty trees only, belonging to a Mr. Perkins, appeared to be untouched. Tliese were perfectly green and vigorous, and likely to bear fruit. The trunks of these trees had been whitewashed, and on inquiry of the proprietor, I ascertained that in the latter part of April he scraped all the dead bark off these trees, so as to leave them perfectly smooth. He then whitewashed them with lime from the bottom to about eight or nine feet high, and this was all that he had done to them. On one tree about a dozen Avorms bad been found and picked off, but not a sin gle worm had been found on any other of the trees that had been whitewashed, which fact spoke well for the use of lime. With regard to poisonous plants being avoided by animals, Mr. Allen said that the goat eats stramonium freely. Mr. Browne said that the goat eats hemlock, another poisonous plant. Col. Clark said the ass eats green tobacco very freely. Mr. Meigs stated that the gazelle, the antelope, and the camel, also oat tobacco with apparent satisfaction. On this subject President Tall- madge remarked that on offering tobacco to an elephant, he would knock the person down with his trunk. With regard to ver- min on trees, he stated that whale oil might be considered a specific. Dr. Gordon, in reply, remarked that whale oil soap had been long recommended and employed for this purpose by English orchardists, but that the soap has a tendency to injure the flavor of the fruit. In a letter to Dr. Mitchell, it was stated that a peach which had been sent to the Dr. was so impregnated with salt, in consequence of a quantity having been placed at the root of the tree, as to render the fruit entirely valueless. Dairying. — The best dairying in New England, is upon our roughest, highest gra- nite hills. The quantity of butter turned out from cows pastured upon them, is much greater, and the quality much better than that produced from the lowland pastures. Fortunate is the farmer with the good house- wife, who knows how to make the best but- ter. Mr. Baker, who resides about four miles out of this town on the Bow hills, furnishes three large families in Concord, with all their butter on the produce of five cows, after commericlably serving up his own family in butter, cream, and the best new milk. These five ordinary cows, gave him ill tlie month of June, as high as thirty-six pounds of butter ia a week; and while others were selling their butter for store pny, at ten and twelve cents a pound, he was regularly dealing out his butter for cash, at fifteen cents a pound. The hard flinty hills of New Hampshire, contain be- neatii the earth's surface those elements of fertility which make our soil really more desirable, under a proper treatment and cul- tivation, than the best prairie country of the West and South. We have here no mala- ria, producing agues and chills and conges- tive fevers. We have no overflow upon tlie hills, destroying the crops far and near: from the dangers to which poor humanity is the heir in nature's great convulsions, our granite hills are at the liighest point of dis- tance.— Farmers'' Monthly Visitor. To MAKE Water Cold for Summer. — The following is a simple mode of rendering water almost as cold as ice : " Let the jar, pitcher, or vessel used for water, be sur- rounded by one or more folds of coarse cot- ton, to be constantly wet. The evaporation of the ;ivater will carry off the heat from the inside, and reduce it to a freezing point. In India and other tropical regions, where ice cnnnot be produced, this is common. Let every mechanic or labourer have at his place of employment two pitchers thus pro- vided, and with lids or covers. — the one to contain water for drinking, the other for evaporation— and he can always have a sup- ply of cold water in warm weather." No. 2. Waste Manures. 57 "^'V'aste Manures. Carey & Hart have lately published one of the best Essays we have seen on "The Economy of Waste Manures." It was written by John Ilannam, for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and should be in the possession of every farmer who properly appreciates tho value of the fertilizing materials which he is in the habit of collecting together— he will be vastly aided in his operations by the judicioas, practical and simple instructions of the writer: and he who does not already thus appreciate his manure heap, will hardly fail to be stimulated on this point in a manner that will soon show itself on his increased crops. Be- low is an extract directly to the point. — Ed. Nothing must he allowed to run away in the form of a fluid, or to fly away in the disguise of a smell. * * * Mark out a piece of ground on which the dunghill is to be made, on a good slope, if possible, and close by a pond. Cut a gutter all round, and puddle it with clay, so as to make it water-tight. Then, at the lowest part, out- side the place where the dunghill is to lie, dig a sink hole eighteen or twenty inches deep; let this be well puddled, and connect- ed with the gutter already spoken of. Things being thus prepared, throw down a layer of of manuring substances, about a foot deep ; tread them well down, and scatter some fixer over it: finally, water it well. In this manner go on with layer after layer, till the heap is the desired height. * * * During the operation of making the heap, some water will have drained away; in that case, it will have run mto the gutter, and been collected in the sink hole. Scuppet the water out as the work proceeds, and throw it back on the dunghill. If the hole is not large enough, another can be made near it; none of the drainings must on any Recount be lost. It should have, at least, once a week, for a month, a good quantity of fluid thrown upon it. Pot-boilings, and soap-suds, are miich better than common water; but urine is preferable to both. * * By these contrivances nothing is allowed to leak, but the dunghill becomes a soft mass, holding fast all which belongs to it, except what flies away. To catch the latter is the pur- pose of the fixer. There are many kinds of fixers, — oil of vitriol, blue vitriol, salt and lime, (not either salt or lime by theuiselves on any account,) gypsum, &c., may be used; but some of them at all times, and in some cases all them, have the fault of costing mo- ney. A substitute which costs nothing except labour is, therefore, to be sought for. Such exists in cinder siftings, charcoal dust, good black earth, peat or bog mould, rotten saw- dust, leaf mould, black mud from ponds, bottoms of wood stacks, soot, brick-dust, burnt clay, &.c. Mr. H. S. Thompson, of Kirby Hall, at the late meeting of the Yorkshire Agricul- tural Society, at Doncaster, reconunended the plan he adopted, which was, " to have a pit dug in the earth, in which to throw the manure, instead of having it piled up in a heap. The bottom of the pit is water tight, and has a slope towards the centre, where a tank is placed so as to receive the drainings from the manure. These drainings are fre- quently poured over the manure, so as to keep up a regular, but not excessive, fer- mentation. He was in the habit of collect- ' ing all the couch grass, stubble, and other vegetable refuse which the farm afforded, and spreading it on the bottom of the pit to the depth of six or eight inches. This, when well soaked with the liquor that drain- ed from the manure, which was carted upon it, and fermented together with that manure, was, he believed, as good as any other portion of the heap. In this way he had, last year, on a farm of two hundred acres of arable land, increased his manure by two hundred single horse loads, which was equivalent to four additional loads per acre for his fallow crops. If the manure was wanted for immediate use, it should be lightly thrown together, and, after being well soaked with tank liquor, have a thin covering of soil to absorb the gases which would otherwise escape. In this case, it must be carefully watched and well watered, from time to time, to prevent the fermenta- tion fi'om becoming excessive. If the ma- nure is to be kept six months or more, it should be made solid by carting over it, and have a thick covering of soil, which would nearly exclude the air. In this way manure may be preserved for a year almost without loss. In very dry weather, the drainings from the manure are not sufficient to keep it moist, and it becomes necessary to saturate it with some other liquid. If the farmer has other tanks on his premises, it would be better to use their contents for this purpose, but where such are not at hand, plain water may be used, and has been found to answer exceedingly well." Sheep. — It is very common in the months of June and July, for some kinds of sheep, especially the fine Leicester breed, to be struck with a kind of fly, and by scratching the place with their feet, they make it sore and raw. To prevent this, take tar, train oil and salt, boil them together, and when cold, put a little of it on the part affected. This application keeps off the flies, and like- wise heals the sore. The salt should be in very small quantity, or powdered sulphur may be used instead of it. — Boston Traveller. 58 Manuring Seeds by Steeping. Vol. IX. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Manuring Seeds by Steeping. Well has the editor of the Cabinet called it a " startling doctrine, that all seeds may be so treated as to grow most luxuriantly, without any manuring- of the soil in which they are cultivated,"* for it seems to over- throw some of our long accredited notions concerning manures and rich soils. From pure beach sand, or an equally barren sub- soil, we arc promised a greater crop without manure, than has usually been obtained from a good soil well dressed ! and this, on the simple condition that the seed used should undergo a short and cheap preparation ! One cannot help being curious to know if this magic power, given to the seeds of an nual and other short lived plants, would be alike imparted to those of slower growth to the peach, for instance, of a few years, and to the oak of an hundred"? — if so, what giants may tlie forest not be made to pro- duce. Yet we are bound to give heed to these claims, for they are confirmed by many wit- nesses ; a tithe of the testimony offered to sustain them, would suffice to convict of the highest crime in our courts of justice. More- over, when we remember th;it a few ele- ments constitute the food of all vegetables and that air and water furnish the most of these ; when we see a plant thrive well in a bottle of pure water, and the sturdy oak springing from a naked rock with a few chinks only for the admission of its vagrant roots, we are led to consider whether the food of plants is not more abundant and more accessible than we had supposed; and wliether the first condition of vigorous growth he not a good appetite and good (ligeslion, to be derived only from a robust conslitiiiion through a vigorous germ or seed. If so, we have some clue to the a tonishing results referred to, and some ra- tional ground of faith in the matter. But my object Vvas, by relating a fact having some bearing upon the subject, to encourage others to do the same, for doubtless m.any such ficts are afloat in the community, and it is only by their multiplication and aggre- gation that any thing like a safe theory can be formed in the premises. Some years ago, the writer was shown by the proprietor and cultivator of a small farm of a light sandy soil, in the eastern part of Massaciiusetts, seven ears of corn, of the kind called brindled, or red and white; five were large full ears, the otiier two, smaller, but sound and merchantable. They were * See page 377, last vol, of Cabinet. all, he said, the produce of a single seed ! this seemed almost incredible to all, espe- cially when he added, that no extraordinary care or dressing had been used in its culti- vation ; and had not the relator been a man of undoubted integrity and noted accuracy, his account would, I have no doubt, have been discredited. But perhaps the most singular feature in the case was to come; he had not even planted the corn, it had sprung up from the dung dropped on the spot by a corn fed ox ! Thus, this prolific seed had passed through the organs, but es- caped tlie process of digestion. This cir- cumstance was viewed at the time as a most singular coincidence, but strange to -ay, of the many that were acquainted with the facts in the case, no one, so far as I know, looked upon tliem in the light of cause and effect. This case seems to me to go, as far as a single case can, to confirm the novel doc- trine of the German,* and to justify the trial of the excrements of cattle made li- quid, and of their urine also, and perhaps of the guano, for fertilizing seed. On reviewing this subject in the light we now possess, I cannot but consider it as pro- mising important results to agriculture, and as preeminentlv worthy the attention of every intelligent hu.^bandman. At the hands of the physiologist too, in connection with the animal as well as the vegetable king- dom, it seems to me the whole doctrine is worthy of the closest scrutiny; it would not surprise me if in it should be found a clue to the marked dissimilarity of offspring of the same parents, occurring under what ap- peared to be similar circumstances. It is the intention of the writer to try the effect of the new process on the germination of seeds to some extent; — further than this to test the agricultural value of the new doctrine, his situation is no,t favourable — it is favourable, however, to the preparation of the chemical solutions; or " corn-growing liquids," of James Campbell, an account of which is contained in the Cabinet of seventh month last ; and it is his present purpose, in order to facilitate the attempts of others to test their value, carefully to make such so- lutions, and to furnish them to applicants at a barely remunerating price. Paul Swift. Philadelphia, Eighth month 30th, 1844. A MIXTURE in the proportion of one ton of refuse fish to ten tons of earth, are used in Cornwall as a manure for turnips. * See last No. of Cabinet, page 18. No. 2. Raising Water. 59 Raising Abater. We have not uiifrequcntly been spoken to on \i\e subjoct of iai?iiig ^atcr for fanjily piiipr^cs, where it is difticult to obtain it by the oitlinary process from wells. The following communication appearing in a late number of the American Farmer, presents the subject in quite an interesting liiht, and where cis- terns are not resorted to, the metljod suggested may be turned to valuable account. — Ed. To THE Editor, — Sir, — Tlic object of this communicaticn is to make known, for the benefit of others, a means of raising- water, which I have em- ployed with perfect success under circum- stances which must be common throughout the State. My summer residence is upon a very nar- row and gravelly spur of Elkridge, near the Thomas viaduct, immediately above the Hockley ]\Iill. On one side is the Patap- sco, and on the other a very deep ravine, at the bottom of which, and one hundred and fifty feet below the site of the house, is a small rivulet with a rapid fall, wliich, in or- dinary seasons, aflbrds a supply, in dry wea- ther, of about six gallons of water per min- ute. Before I commenced building, I dug a well, which promised to answer my pur- poses; but after I had completed my im- provements, finding- that it did not furnish me with quite as much water as I required, I attempted to increase the quantity by deepening- the well, when an unlucky blast opened a seam in the rock and I lost all that I had at first obtained. The result of going still deeper was so problematical, that I now turned my attention to the rivulet just men- tioned ; and seeing, about this time, an ad- vertisement in an English paper of the im- proved Hydraulic ram of Easton and Amos, of London, I wrote to the firm describing my situation ; and their reply being favour- able, I imported one of their machines, which I have had in use since May last. Some doubt as to the operation of the ram, induced me to guard against possible failure, by conducting a distant spring; in pipes un- der ground, to a point from which I could pump it by a common pump; but the ram succeeded perfectly, Tvhen it arrived, and was put up, and it is to this that I now wish to call attention. The " Belier Hydraulique" of Montgolfier, is described in all works upon natural phi- losophy, and has been known, for many years, as one of the most beautiful contri- vances in the range of mechanics. But it was regarded, generally, as more admirable in theory than in practice, until the improve- ment of Mes.- different situa- tions should be employed, — particularly if there be several high pohits or chimneys. It should be secured to the building by means of iron or wooden stays, embracing necks of glass bottles, rings of horn, or dried wood, through which the rod should be passed, — thereby removing all danger of the lateral discharge, which however, is not great if the rod be perfect, and due attention be paid to facilitate the discharge at its ter- mination into the earth's surface. The termination of the rod should be into earth permanently moist, which is found or- dinarily at five or eight feet in sandy or gravelly soil. This is of vast importance, and if overlooked, will endanger the build- ing and its inmates, however perfect tlie conductor may be in its construction and application; much, almost every thing de- pends on this principle being fairly carried out, the rod must be inserted into earth per- manently moist. In order to guard the rod from rust, when passed into the ground, it will be necessary to paint it a number of times with good black paint, and the hole into which it is in- serted, should be partially filled up with fine charcoal, such as found in the pen of every housekeeper; as this not only retains moist- ure for a long time when wet, but likewise counteracts that tendency to rust, which proves so destructive to iron, with a few years exposure in our climate. With due attention to these directions, and the principles laid down more fully by Professor Olmstead, of New Haven, the community may rest satisfied that there is almost perfect security in the lightning-rod of Franklin, and no reason, whatever, in itself considered, why public confidence should be withdrawn in any degree from this mode of protection, which has been confirmed both by experience and philoso- phy. J. M. P. It is, perhaps, easier to bring up a dozen children correctly, than to reibr;n a single ruined one, Usefulness of Toads. In proportion to what he is capable of doing, there is not a more useful animal to man than the toad. He has not bad habits, and in the pursuit of a livelihood he is sure to benefit some body. Yet how oiten do we find him the victim of an ignorant and cruel prejudice. Naughty children are allowed to torture and kill them through mere v»'an- tonness; and the fastidious lady sometimes orders them expelled from her garden, lest her nerves might be disturbed by meeting them in her walk. The spawn of the toad, like that of the frog, is deposited in the water. As soon as the young have attained the use of their legs, they take to the land, and subsist on such flies, beetles, and worms, as they are able to swallow — thus in obtaining their subsistence, rendering a very essential ser- vice to the farmer and gardener. The number of insects in this way destroyed, is immense. As many as fifteen beetles have been found in tlie stomach of a single toad. It feeds mostly in the night, at which time insects are abroad. It is quite amusing to see the toad seize its prey. In the dusk of evening, it may be seen through the sum- mer season, near the places most frequented by insects, snapping up, almost with the quickness of lightning, every bug or worm that makes its appearance. In the days of boyhood, we have often amused our friends by the exhibition of a large pet toad. During the day we kept him in a little pen iij the shade, covered by a board. At evening we let him out and fed him with " white grubs," " cut-worms," &c., which during the day, had been de- tected in their depredations on the corn- field. Sometimes when his appetite was keen from twenty-four hours' fasting, we would enjoy the sport of seeing him swallow a big horn-bug or " pincliing-bug." And such a face as the toad would " make vp .'" But after scratching and straining a little, he would get him down. On one occasion this toad swallowed in rapid succession, twdve full grown larvas of^ the May-bug, (the "white grub.") This will give som« idea of the great benefit which results fr^ra tlie destruction of insects by this anim™' Several years ago, a gentleman af'^'^/tised in the newspapers for toad? to .^*^^ "'' h's s, £2,000,000 of property, and 1,500 lives. The taxes which have been repealed since — in the settlement after the war — 1819, maybe stated in round numbers at £16,000, 000, or £17,000,000 per annum; but the re- maining taxes, in consequence of the in- crease of population and the hitherto pros- perous state of the country, produce nearly as great an amount as was formerly raised, with the addition of those which have been repealed. — National Intelligencer. James Gowen's Cattle. We take from the printed catalogue the following memoranda, in relation to these cattle — they will afford information to some who may not otherways obtain it previous to the time of sale. No. 1. Walnut; an imported roan, calved seventh month 7th, 1837, by Colossus; should calve to Leander, a son of Dairy Maid, in the first month of next year. No. 2. Sir Roderick, roan; calved ele- venth month 19th, 1843, by Whig — dam Walnut, as above. Whig by the cele- brated hull. Sir ThoMAS Fairfax. No. 3. Cleopatra, roan ; calved fiftii month 1st, 1839 — dam imported Isabella. Took the premium at the exhibitions in 1841-2-3. No. 4. Bessy Bell, light roan ; calved third month 27th, 1843, by Leander, son of Dairy Maid — dam Cleopatra, as above. No. 5. Favourite, roan ; calved seventh month 3()th, 1844, by Colostra, the younger — dam Cleopatra, as above. No. 0. Victoria, white; calved ninth month, 1839, by Sir Thomas Fairfax; should calve to Leander in the fourth month, next. No. 7. Daphne, roan ; calved tenth mo. 20th, 1840, by imported Colostra: should calve to Leander in second month next. No. 8. V'ouNG Nell, roan; calved twelfth month, 1841, by imported Colostra; should calve to Leander in third month next. No. 9. Miss Model, roan; calved third month, 1842, by Leander; was served by . Colostra, the younger, 26th ult. No. 10. Julia, roan ; calved 15th of se- venth month last, by Colostra the younger — dam Miss Model, as above. No. 11. Fairy, red and white; calved 18th of third month last, by Wellington. No. 12. Augusta, roan; calved 3rd of eighth month last, by Colostra the younger. No. 13. VxcTORiNA, red ; calved 23rd of fourth month, 1842, by Whig ; should calve to Colostra the younger, next month. No. 14. Duchess, light roan; calved first month 15th, 1843, by Leander, son of Dairy Maid ; should calve to Colostra the younger, in third month next. No. 15. Cherry, red with a little white; calved eleventh month 26th, 1842, by Lean- der; should calve to Colostra the younger, in the second month next. No. 16. Fair Star, red, with star in the forehead; calved 1st of twelfth month, 1842, by Leander ; should calve to Colostra the younger, in second month next. No. 17. Miss Meadows, red and white; calved twelfth month 23rd, 1842, by Lean- der ; bids fair to make a splendid cow ; should calve to Colostija the younger, in third month next. No. 18. Milk Maid, red and white; calved 7th of first month, 1843, by Lean- der ; gives great promise of fine dairy pro- perties; should calve to Colostra the younger, in second month next. No. 19. Butter Cup, red and white ; calved third month 19th, 1843, by Leander. No. 20. Miss Dale, red and white; calved eighth month 4th, 1843, by Ned of the Hii.ls. No. 21. Cauliflower, red and white; calved eleventh month, 1843, by Leander. No. 22. Fanny", roan ; calved eighth mo. 6th, 1840, by Colostra the younger. No. 23. Rose, red ; calved eighth month 11th, 1844, by Leander. Rose is Durham and Hereford. No. 24. Blossom, white and red ; calved third month 25th, 1841, by Leander, son of Dairy Maid — dam Old Butter Cup, the irreat dairy cow; should calve to Colostra the younger, in second month next. No. 25. VVooD Nymph, red ; calved in 1839, by a son of Col. Powell's Welling- ton; is Durham and Hereford, and is dam to A. Clement's fine heifer. Young Rowan ; should calve to Leander in twelfth month next. No. 26. Lady Milford, red ; purchased of William Ward, a reputed judge of cattle, in 1842, when she was four years old ; should calve to Levnder in eleventh month next. No. 27. PizARRO, white, red ears; calved No. 2. Unripe Potatoe Seed. — Editorial JVotices. 69 sixth month 12th, 1843, by Leander — dam Kitty Clover : combines good milking with easy feeding, to a considerable degree. No. 28. Chorley, white ; calved 8th of second month last, by Colostra. No. 29. Henry Clay, red and white; calved sixth month 26th, last, by Leander: may be relied on for producing stock of great_ milking properties. No. 30. Logan, white, red ears; calved sixth month 30th, last; full brother to Pi- zarro. No. 31. Colostra the younger, white; calved seventh month, 1841, by Wolbert's imported Colostra. No. 32. Leander, beautiful red and white ; calved 1839, got in England, by Whitaker's Prince of Northumberland — dam, imported Dairy Maid. Leander lays claim to the best blood by his sire, while on the other side, through his dam " Dairy Maid," he takes the highest rank for purity of blood, as it is believed she possesses more of the Comet blood than any animal now living. No. 33. Dairy Maid, roan ; calved 1835, by Harlsey; was bred by J. Whitaker, Esq., of Burley, near Otley, Yorkshire. Her milking properties are remarkable, and be- lieved to be unrivalled.* In points, figure, and proportions, she exhibits the very acme of the " Improved Short-horn Durham ;" while her pedigree proves her to be derived from the purest and best blood of that stock in Great Britain. Nos. 34 and 3-5, are twins; Valentine, white; and Orson, roan; calved 7th month 31st, last, and sired by Colostra the younger. No. 36. Ruby ; Young Devon, of a good milking strain — has had one calf, and was served by Colostra the younger, on the 9th of seventh month last. THE FARMERS' CAI5II¥ET, and Philadelphia, Ninth Month, 1844. Enqdiries are frequently made for the second iimn- ber of Colinan's Agricultural Tour in Europe. It has not yet appeared. The following extract of a letter from him to the editor of the Cultivator, dated Lon- don, July 19th, of this year, gives a very good and sufficient reason why it is thus long delayed. " I want, through you," says he, " to assure my friends how much obliged I am by their kind reception of my first Report, and to espress'my regret that I have not been able as yet, to give tliem more of the result of my labouts. I bespeak their patience. I assure them I am not idle or negligent; and if Heaven spare my life, in due season they shall hear from me as fully as they can desire. I feel it due to them as well as to myself, to make my work as little unworthy of their accept- ance as I can possibly render it ; but they would not have me recite my lesson before I have learned it. Even a moderate share of self Esteem may persuade a man to think his labours of much more importance than they are ; but surely in this case, a proper and grateful respect, which I deeply feel for my patrons, should induce me to perform my work as well as I can, and not to give them what would be the result only of crude and partial observation. I cannot fix any definite time for the appearance of my Reports ; but I have no doubt of bringing them very nearly within the time of two years, which was assumed for the enterprise." For Uie Farmers' Cabinet. Unripe Potatoe Seed. Mr. Editor, — Conversing with an old countryman, a native of Ireland, on their mole of raising the potatoe, he confirined by his experience, the opinion expressed by Mr. James Caird, in the article in your last number, p. 21, copiedfromthe Journal of Agri- culture,— that the potatoe chosen for seed, should not be perfectly ripe. The old coun- tryman above mentioned, stated that they planted their potatoes for seed, late in the season — too late for maturity — in ground well prepared with an extra quantity of ma- nure, and tended them carefully; the pro- duce was not fit to eat, but was very supe- rior for seed, producing a very abundant and sure crop. Yours, &c. J. R. * See Farmers' Cabinet, vol. 5, p. 57. The American Institute ha& called a Convention of " Farmers and Gardeners, and friends of Agriculture throughout the Union," to meet in New York on tlie 11th prox., to deliberate and promote an interchange of sentiment in relation to matters connected with these great interests. Among other things it is con- templated to solicit government to render more effi- cient, aid to agriculture, by the establishment of a Home dcpartment,&oc., as was at one time recommended by General Washington. Our Agricultural Society, as will be seen by its minutes, appointed delegates to attend the Convention. GOATSS' SBED STOHS, No. 49 Market Street, Up Stairs : FRESH TURNIP SEED, Of the most approved varieties f< ir Cattle and Table use, with a complete Assortment of Of the tiiiest Quality and best Varieties — Bird Seeds, &e, JOS. P. H. COATES. Successor to Qeorae M. Coates. Hit- SHORT ADVERTISEMENTS, 435 The subject matter of which, may correspond with the agricultural character of this paper, will be inserted at the rate of one dollar for each insertion often lines or less; and so in proportion for each additional line. 70 Editorial Notices. Vol. IX. The Marietta Argus speaks favourably of a Grain Drill, invented by Major Haines and Wells Kilbnrn, which has been successfully in operation in that neigh- bourhood. " It is drawn," says the editor, " with ease by two horses— .the manager of the Drill stands upon the hind part of the machine, with a handle that reaches from the large wheel in front, by which he is enabled to guide the machine. It sows the seed in drills nine inches apart, and five drills at a time. The seed passes from a hopper or box to the hollow teeth that open the ground, and the seed passing down di- rectly behind, falls in the furrow, and the dirt falling back directly upon the seed, and a roller following, presses the seed in. The depth of the planting can be varied by simply turning a screw. Tlio teeth aie fi.\ed in pieces of scantling, which are separate from each other, that they may follow the unevenness of the ground, and so plant the seed at a regular depth in the ground. The machine is so fi.\ed with wooden pins, that if it should happen to strike anything to injure it, the pin breaks, and leaves the machine unhurt — the broken pin can be replaced by a new one in a mo- ment. "It is quite aigimple invention, and is not liable to get out of order;— it can be made by almost any me- chanic. We are told by the patentees, that it can be manufactured for the low price of $50." It has been estimated, we believe, by Judge Tucker, of Virginia, that the productions of our common in- dustry as a nation, were as follow: Agriculture, $654, 387,597— Manufactures, $-230,83C,224— Commerce, $79, 21,0H6, and of Mining, $42,358,751, making in the ag- gregate $1010,303,058. This seemsrand indeed is, in reality, an enormous sum. If, however, we suppose our present population to bo 20,000,000, we find that it gives bat about $50 per annum, for each one to live on. The reflections which perhaps first present, on ac- quainting ourselves with these facts, are— hovv vast and incalculable in amount, are the productions of the earth, and of our own industry — and how compara- tively small a part of these, does each one of us, abso- lutely require for his subsistence! Particular attention is invited to the sale of James Gowen's stock, advertised by Wolbert & Herk- ness, auctioneers of this city, to take place on the 20th inst. The character of the owner as a breeder of sou:e of the best Durhams in the country, is well known, and those who would supply themselves or their farms with these splendid cattle, have now an opportunity that is of rare occurrence. It is announced that George Bancroft, Esq., the his- torian, will deliver the Address before the New York State Agri ultural Society. It was mentioned in our last numbor, that the Fair and Cattle Show of the New York State Agricultural Society, would be held at Poughkerpsie on the 18th and 19th of this month, It may be well further to state, that the 17th will be devoted to the trial of ploughs, and testing the qualities of other new and improved fanning implements. The ploughing match will take place on the 13th, the last day of the exhibi- tion. Among the members of the committee on cattle, we notice the names of Levi Lincoln, of Mass., James Gowen, of Philadelphia, U. L. Ellsworth, of Wash- ington, and Dr. Thomson, of Delaware. John VicARY,of this city, brought to the oflice about the middle of last month, eight or ten very stout stalks of potatoe oats — they measured si.x feet four inches in length, and were vi'ell filled: they were grown by his brother Philip G. Vicary, in Beaver co.. Pa. The yield was estimated at 70 pr 80 bushels to the acre. We keep on hand at this office, and will supply our friends with Agricultural works generally. Among which are THE FARMER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA, full- bound in leather;— Price $4 00 YOUATT ON THE HOUSE, with J. S. Skin- ners very valuable .\dditions; 2 00 BRIDGEMAN'S GARDENERS ASSISTANT; 2 00 THE AMERICAN POULTRY BOOK; 37^ THE FARMERS LAND MEASURER; 3>i DANA'S MUCK MANUAL; CO Complete sets of the FARiMERS' CABINET, half-bound, 8 vols. C 50 BEVAN on the HONEY BEE, 31^ BUISTS' ROSE MANUAL, 75 SKINNER S CATTLE DOCTOR, 50 AMERICAN FARRIER, 50 THE FARMER'S MINE, 75 JOHNSTON'S Agricultural Chemistry, 2 25 HANNAMS Economy of Waste Manures, 25 LIEBIG'S AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY, 25 ANIMAL CHEMISTRY, 25 FAMILIAR LETTERS, 12i As well as his larger works on Chemistry and Agri- culture. Subscriptions will be received for Colman's Agri- cultural Tour in England and on the Continent. 23' We are prepared to bind books to order. We are informed by the Recording Secretary of the Philadelphia Society for promoting Agriculture, that a beautiful sample of white wheat was exhibited at a stated meeting held on the 7th ult., by R. T. Potts, which was grown on his farm near Norristown, Mont- gomery county. A yield of fifty bushels had been pro- duced this season, from two and a half bushels of seed sown, weighing GO lbs. to the bushel. R. T. Potts stated that he obtained thirteen heads of this wheat from Col. Rayber, of Baltimore, from which the above had been by repeated sowings produced. The proposal of Aaron Clement, Secretary of the Agricultural Society, as stated in his advertisement, to attend to the purchase and sale of choice stock, will bo found a groat convenience, particularly to persons at a distance. He was long a practical farmer— is extensively and well acquainted with cat- tle, sheep, (tc, and his judgment may be relied on in these matters. The Bucks County Agricultural Society at itaineet- ing on the 15lh ult.- Dr. Jenks, one of the Vice-presi- dents in the chair— made the necessary arrangementa for the annual exhibition next month. No. 2. Editorial Notices. 71 Agency Tor the Purchase & Sale of IIPEOVED BREEDS OF CATTLE. The subscriber takes this method of informing his friends and the public, that he will attend to the pur- Chase and sale of the improved breeds of cattle, sheep, &c., for a reasonable commission. All letters post paid, addressed to him at Philadelphia, will be attended to without delay. AARON CLEMENT. Sept. 5t/i, 1844. POUDRETTE— a valuable manure— of the best qual ity, prepared in Philadelphia, for sale at the office of the Farmers' Cabinet, No. 50, N. Fourtli street, or at the manufactory, near the Penitentiary on Coates' street. Present price, $1 75 per barrel, containing four bushels— $5 for three barrels— $15 for ten barrels, or thirty cents a bushel. Orders from a distance, en- closing the cash, with cost of porterage, will be prompt- ly attended to, by c"iirefully delivering the barrels on board of such conveyance as may be designated. Farmers to the South, and in the interior, both of this State and New Jersey, are invited to try the article. As a manure for turnips, buckwheat, &.C., it has been used to great advantage. The season for applying it to the wheat crop, is now at hand. Those who con- template using it this fall, would do well to secure it early. Josiau Tatum. From a statement made in the North American, it appears there are published in this city, six daily sub- scription papers, and eight daily penny papers. Con- nected vi'ith these dailies, are fourteen semi-week- ly and weeklies— there are fourteen secular, and fifteen religious weeklies, making in all, including two printed in German, fifty-jiine daily and weekly papers. These, it is said, throw oif weekly, about 576,000 sheets, or nearly 30,000,000 annually. It is not easy to calculate the influence which these periodicals e.xercise over the public sentiment. But for evil or for good, it is unquestionably very great: and how vastly responsible is the situation of those who wield this mighty engine, and throw abroad daily into the minds of half a million of people the re- flection of their own thoughts, and thus mould the public feeling similar to their own. The South Western Farmer says that " Mr. Hatch of Vicksburg, is paying great attention to the nomen- clature, or naming of fruits. He expects by another summer to bo able to give to each of the fine peaches and nectarines now scattered nameless over our coun- try, their true names. Wherever he cannot determine the real name, he has the fruit drawn, painted and described in full." It is also stated that the painting and description are then forwarded to our Horticultu- ral Society, iti order that the true name may be ascer- tained. No such communication has yet come to hand. We cannot forego the inclination felt to call the at- tention of our readers to the article of Dr. Swift, on page 58. The suggestions thrown out, are not only exceedingly curious in a speculative point of view, but should they be realised, their practical importance may be found of greater moment than we can readily calculate. We invite the experiments of the agricul- turist in relation to this subject : the physiologist too, will not fail to examine it thoroughly. The closely observing, and philosophical mind of the Dr. will, we trust, scrutinize the matter, and favour us with the results. He may be found in Race, between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets. A LIST of premiums to be awarded by our Ilorticul tural Society, at the exhibition to be held on the 18th, 19th, and 20lh of this month, was published in the last number of the Cabinet. The Society will occupy the two grand saloons in the Philadelphia Museum, at the corner of Ninth and George streets, and will make them attractive as usual, by having on the ground, ar- ranged in the neatest manner, the richest and the rarest of vegetables, plants and flowers. Competition is open to persons from any section of thaJJnion. The potatoes to the eastward, and in sotne parts of New York, are said to be diseased ; short crops in those places will be the result. We have as yet heard no complaint of this kind in this vicinity, though the drought will doubtless affect the late crop unfavourably. The Constitution and Eye-laws of the Cumberland County Agricultural Society, adopted at their first meeting in the Fifth month last, has been kindly for- warded by its President, Frederick Watts. From the list of oflicers appointed, and the steps taken for the public exhibition at Carlisle, on theS4th of next month, we anticipate satisfactory results. They ask the fa- vourable opinion and zealous aid of all their citizens, in the promotion of the purpose for which they have associated, and we trust they will be cheerfully ren- dered. We observe that they avoid the otfer of premiums in money. For the best managed farm, fcr instance, having regard to product, economy in the working, neatness in management, arrangement of barns, cribs, shedding, &c., they propose a survey of the farm, de- signating each enclosure, marking the contents of each, and locating handsomely on the plot, the dilferent buildings. For the best crop of wheat, not less than 30 bushels to the acre, and not less than five acres, they oflbr a pretnium plough, with a certificate of merit. As premiums for other crops,— superior stock, farming implements, &c., they offer agricultural works, or papers, which as we have heretofore suggested, is preferable to the offer of small sums of money. The quantity of rain which fell during the Eighth month, (August,) 1844, was nearly three inches and a half. 3.4 inches. Penn. Hospital, 9fA mo., 2nd. ] A FRIEND who has just returned from Bellefonte, Centre co., Pa., informs us that Robert V. Miller, of that place, cut a field of very fine oats this last har- vest—he threshed C2 dozens of w hat he believed to be the average, and they yielded 158 bushels. The crop of oats in Centre, is uncommonly good this year. 72 Editorial Notices. Vol. IX. Extensive Sale of Durham Cattle. On Thursday, the 2?)lh of Sepiemher, at 10 o'clock, At the Exhibition ground of the Philadelphia Agricul tural Society, Rising Sun Village, on the Germantovvn Road, 3 miles from Thiladelphia, — will be Sold — A su perior lot of Improved SHORT HORNS, from the cel- ebrated herd of James Gowen, Esq., of Mount ^iry consisting of young Bulls, Cows, Heifers and Calves, of high blood, imported, or immediately derived from imported animals of great repute. Also, some fine Young Heifers, from one-half to seven-eighths blood, sired by Leander, Sou of Dairy Maid. Mr. Gowen assures us, that tiiis Sale will, in point of numbers and character, far exceed his Sale of 1842 Leander and Colostra, the younger, will be among the Bulls; and the celebrated Dairy Maid— the beautiful Cleopatra— Walnut and Miss Model, among the Cows to be offered. 113" Catalogues will be ready in due time, and the Cattle will be on the ground for exhibition two days previous to the Sale. We invite the special attention of Breeders and the lovers of fine Stock in general, to this splendid selec- tion of Cattle. So excellent an opportunity for pro- curing fine specimens of the best Durhams, but seldom occurs. WOLBERT & HERKNESS, Auctioneers. Agricultural Implement Manufactory, No. 106, Market street, two doors above Sixth street, and two doors below the Red Lion Hotel: Where are manufactured and for sale, lower than can hi purchased elsewhere, Horse Powers and Threshing IMachines, Fanning Mills, Corn Shellers, Straw and Hay Cutters, Horse Rakes, Ploughs, Harrows, Cultiva- tors, Seed Planters, Cheese Presses, Churns, Pumps, and every kind of farmingimplement generally in use. Also, Beach's Self-sharpening Plough and castings— and Wiley's two-pointed do. Every description of im- plement made to order, or repaired by experienced workmen, and warranted. Slater's Patent Corn Shel- ler and Grinder. EDWIN CHANDLER, •^gent for Agricultural Machines of every description. FKIX.ilDX:Z,F£[IA SEED STOH2::, No. 23 MARKET STREET. M. S. Powell keeps a constant supply of Clover and other Grass Seeds. Field Seeds, consisting of prime Seed .wheat, Buckwheat, Millet, Oats, Corn, Rye, &c. 23- GARDEN AND BIRD SEEDS generally. ' July ISth, 1844. tf. PHILADELPHIA AGRICULTURAL, HORTICUL- TURAL, AND SEED WAREHOUSE. No. 104J Market stre«, between Fifth and Sixth streets, South side. For sale as above, at wholesale and retail, a com- plete assortment of Farming tools, among v^hich may be found Horse-powers and Threshing Machines, Qrain aiid Seed Fans of various patterns. Cum-shellers in variety. Hay, Straw, and Corn-stalk Cutters, eight dift'erent patterns, from ^4 50 to $30. Corn-stalk Cut- ters and Grinders— Churns— Cheese-presses, &c. Cen- tre-draught Ploughs < f eight sizes. Bill-hooks— Bram- ble Scythes— Grubbing Hoes— Axes and handles- Hatchets— Potatoe Hooks— complete sets of instru- ments for making capons. Garden, Grass, Flower and Field seeds, warranted fresh and true to name. D. O. Prouty. CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER. Manuring and Steeping Seeds, concluded, page 41 Old Virginia, 44 Conversion of Wood into Iron, '. 45 Eben Elshender, the Moor Farmer 46 Wheat Sowing 49 Best Method of Constructing Cisterns, 5(S Pressing Hay.— Plank Fences, 5x Book Farming, 50 Alpaca.— Turning in Green Crops 54 Meeting of the Farmers' Club, N. Y., 55 Draining.— Making Water Cool for summer, 56 Waste Manures, 57 Manuring Seeds by Steeping 5g Raising Water, 1 59 Protection from Lightning, .' (51 Usefulness of Toads, . . . ." gg Fighting Bees.— Culture of Coff'ee, . 63 Opposite Opinions— Birds .' (55 Agricultural Moetinc, Philadelphia Society, * 6fi Statistics of Great Britain, 0^ James Gowen's Cattle, go Editorial Notices, gg THE FARMERS' CABINET, IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY JOSIAH TATUM, No. 50 NORTH FOURTH STREET, FHILADELPHIA. It is issued on the fifteenth of every mouth, in num- [ bers of 39 octavo pages each. The subjects will be illustrated by engravings, when they can be appropri- at.iy introduced. Tkrms.— One dollar per annum, or five dollars for seven copies— payable in advance. All .subscriptions must commence at the beginning of a voluiii.'. Having lately struck otf a new edition of uue or two of t lie frni'-r numbers, vihihhid become exhausted, we are now able to supply, to a limited ex- tent, any of the back vnluuies. Thiy may be had at one dollar each, in nuniliors, or one dollar twenty-five cents half-bound and loitered. Fpr six dollars paid in advance, a complete set of the Work will be furnished in numbers, including the ninth voltime. The whole can thus readily be forwarded by mail. For twenty-five c- iits adriitiimal, per volume, tlie wirk may be obtained neatly half-bound and let- tered. Copjis returned to the o'ffice i^f publication, will also be .bound upon the same terms. By t!ie decision i matched, best broke, and most respectable span, I had seen for many a day — they were owned by William A. Davis, E.sq., of Pough- keepsie, who with his brother, General Da- vis, and their amiable ladies, contributed larrrely to the elegant and generous liospi- tality that characterised Poughkeepsie dur- ing the exhibition. Of cattle there was quite a large display; the fit c ittle were uncommonly fine, an ' the working oxen remarkable for their docihty and training. James S. Wadsworth, e.x-l president of the Society, exhibited ten yoke, driven to one wagon, a sight in itself, worth a journey to Poughkeepsie; and yet this was matched by Mr. Fuller, of Hyde Park, who turned out a similar number, drawn to a staging on a wagon, wherein were arranged specimens of all the fruits, flowers, grain, roots, and vegetables, of the garden and the field. Mr. Sotham's Hereford cattle were remarkable, at least in this, — tiiere were no other cattle of the same breed in the field to compete with them; in that respect they had it all to themselves. They are fine cattle for feeding; I should rank them above the Devons. There were some Ayre- shites on the ground, which were creditable specimens of that breed. I was disappointed to find so few Devon cows, where I had ex- pected to find so many; on inquiring the reason, I was informed that the mixed Dur- ham and Devon, and Durham and common cattle, were superseding the Devons fast, as dairy stock. Of these crosses there were several at the exhibition; some of them were highly spoken of. The show of cattle would have been in- different indeed, had it not been for the Durhams, which imparted a redeeming cha- racter to the whole exhibition. Of these noble animals there was a fine display, es- pecially of bulls. The Durhams were chiefly owned by Messrs. Prentice, Lenox, SheatF, and Vail ; among these herds were several splendid Dairy cows; one especially was conspicuous — she was the property of Mr. J^enox. The sheep were not numerous, but there were some that would have done credit to any flock, particularly the Leicesters, and the Merinoes exhibited by Mr. Randall. The same remark is applicable to the swine; they were comparatively few, but they were principally very good. The agricultural implements were varied, and altogether the best collection I ever saw. The ploughing match was conducted witii great propriety, and in excellent spirit, as was every thing else, throughout the whole proceedings of this most creditable exhibition. No one wlio has not witnessed a show and fair by this Society, can form any thing like an adequate idea of their vastness in contributions, expense in ar- rangements, and the crowds that attend them. It was estimated that from twenty to twenty-five thousand spectators passed through the gates in one day, to the exhibi- tion. The annual address was delivered by Mr. Bancrolf; it was listened to with marked at- tention— it was of course a highly finished piece of composition. There was but one No. 3. When, ichere, and how to get a drove of Sheep. 75 defect, and that was natural, and to be ex- pected. It was not sufficiently agricultural for the occasion — however this might be re- gretted, it showed the orator's good sense, not to attempt to assume the agriculturist, as some have done, who could neitlier look, nor play the character of a farmer. But the great moral of these splendid ex- hibitions is, their influence on the patriotism and prosperity of the State of New York. Here were to be seen highly educated men, of boundless wealth, commingling with the hard-working, every day farmer, cheering him on, and rendering his path less rugged and thorny, by participating, as it were, in his toils, abridging his work, and demon- strating to him the happy results of an im- proved husbandry. Would that the rich proprietaries of Philadelphia and Pennsyl- vania in general, had witnessed the scene I have hastily, and but feebly described. It would have taught them a lesson of truel wisdom, in this, that whatever promotes the landed interest, enriches them, by enhancing the value of their own property; enabling their tenants, through improved culture, to pay their rents; and the farmers in general to pay the taxes necessary to liquidate our enormous debt. How selfish, and how blind to their own interests are the wealthy, who refuse to contribute to this great end. The subscribing for a few copies of your useful paper, which, if they did not read them- selves, they should bestow upon their ten- ants, or others, or by making a donation to our Agricultural Society, or even the annual contribution of a member, would not only be serviceable in a pecuniary point, but highly beneficial, by way of example. And especially should the State of Pennsylvania do something to encourage agriculture, by establishing a State Society, similar to that of New York. It will not do for the com- monwealth to say she has no funds. If ag- riculture is permitted to languish, she never will have funds. The farmers will feel dis- couraged, refuse, perhaps, to pay taxes, or abandon the lands. New York gives to her Agricultural So- ciety, some seven to eight thousand dollars annually — there is not one Act of her legis- lature that illustrates more forcibly her wis- dom, than this small gratuity to agriculture. It is now repaying her a thousand fold, as is demonstrated yearly, by the spirited, intelli- gent, and enterprising gentlemen of tlie New York State Agricultural Society. Glo- rious New York! when will Pennsylvania shake off her lethargy and imitate your noble example. J. G. Sept. 23rd, 1844. When, where, and how to get a drove of Sheep. There is something so matter-of-fact and to the point, in the following letter from our friend Solon Robinson, to the Prairie Farmer, that we conclude our western friends will hardly fail to be Interested in his mode of operating. Many of them are looking to- wards raising a flock of sheep, and the when, ichere, and how, are important considerations. — Ed. You state that particular information is wanted as to where a person shall go to buy sheep — when and how to go — the expense — cost of sheep, &c. The best information I can give is my own experience, and advice founded upon that experience. The nearest point where sheep can be bought to good advantage, is in some of the central counties of Ohio; distance from Chicago, 300 miles; the route, by La Porte, South Bend, Goshen, and Fort Wayne, la., Wiltshire, St. Mary's, Sidney, Urbana, Springfield, &c. ; or else from St. Mary's bear more east, through Logan, Union, and Delaware counties of Ohio. Another route is throuoh Michigan, by wny of Toledo, into the north-eastern part of Ohio, which will increase the distance and cost of sheep, but generally speaking, give a better quality — that is to say, a finer wool breed ; leaving the word belter for future discussion. I left home last year the last of August, with one man and a boy twelve years old ; I was absent thirty-seven days, and brought in about 800 head of "good common" sheep, that is, an average of about half-blood Meri- noes. I bought in Champaign and Clark counties, on the waters of Mad river. The prices varied from 50 to 87^ cents, and aver- aged upon the 500 which I bought myself, 6(i| cents. The other part of the drove was bought by the man who drove in com- pany with me, and I have not the cost. I sold a part of the wool from this purchase when last in Chicago, at 'Sb\ cents, and ac- cording to that, the average price would have been about 31 cents upon the whole clip. The average weight of the fleece^ is two and a half pounds. Drove sheep never yield as much wool the first year as after, especially when poorly wintered. The aver- age cott of my sheep at home, was 81^ cts. each, which includes all the expense of three iiands and. three horses, going, buying, and extra help at times, and the expense of one additional horse on the return, except about a quarter of the total expense out, which was borne by the man in company with me, as his proportion. This average also in- cludes all lost sheep, but does not include my own time. We will therefore add thir- When, irliere, and how to get a drove of Sheep. Vol. IX. ty-seven days time of one man and boy, and three horses and wagon, including wear and tear of all the " fixings" at >*;1 25 a day, .•fflG 2.5 — less than ten cents a head, while the actual cash expense was a fraction over ten cents, but including losses, 14| ; so that it may safely be said, that one can go from Chicago to Ohio, and bring in from .500 to 800 head of sheep, at twenty-five cents a head, and that a good lot will cost less than seventy cents a head. Now as two very important questions will be asked by every reader who has any no- tion of buying sheep, I mean to ask them and answer tliem myself: First; What is the need of all these horses and wagon? and next, with them and hands, how do you contrive to travel at an expense of less than i§l 50 a day ! First, then, when starting for a drove from here, I would have a good light two-horse wagon, a YeeA trough attached behind ; a good tent, made of 30 yards cotton drilling; two buffalo skins, three blankets, one horse- bucket, one do. for drinking-water, one tea- kettle— as men will drink coffee, and so will I when on the road where I am obliged to make the water bitter, to destroy a worse taste — one coffee-pot, a pound of ground cof^'ee in a little bag, a frying-pan, a small pot, six round tin plates, three cups, three kn,ives and forks, a little pail for butter, a wooden box for sugar, a few other small fix- ings in the provision chest, 40 lbs. of bacon, a week's supply of bread, a bag of potatoes, two or three bags of oats, a trunk of neces- sary clothes — old ones — an axe, an auger, a a little spare rope and a few leather strings — and I am ready for a start. Rain or shine, I would sleep dry and warm in my tent, which is made, when set up, in the shape of the roof of a house, the ridge supported on a pole placed upon two posts about seven feet long, sharpened and stuck into the ground; the bottom is fastened with pins, one gable end closed and the other open towards the fire — cooking my own supper and eating it from a broad board held up on fbuiv sticks stuck in the ground, and par- taking of all the comforts and conveniences tliat an " old camper" always knows how to provide. I would fake with me a man and boy, and a saddle and bridle, but no saddle horse, be- cause [ could purchase one there for .%25 or ^30, that would bring $40 at home. In driving sheep, a good dog or horse is very necessary; the average distance should not be over ten miles a day, if yarded at night; or thirteen miles if pastured at night. The expense of the baggage wagon and horses and driver is much less than it would be without them, besides the great convenience of having a wagon along, which enables one to camp wherever wood, water, and feed can be liad at night, without being obliged to " push ahead" to a tavern. Two good drivers can drive from 500 to 800, though three are much better, and sometimes actually necessary. I find on looking over my memorandum, that I was nine days travelling last sununer, before I commenced buying, with three hands and three horses — cash out, $i5 61, including horse-shoeing and wagon repair- ing— all the horse feed purchased, and nearly all the provision taken from home. I spent about a week in buying, and hired an extra hand at a dollar a day, which with the cost of collecting and keeping sheep, &c., is all included, as before stated, in the average expense per head. I was three weeks on the road home — 800 sheep, four horses, three Iiands, and about half the time four hands to lioard, and the expense for every thing was S'35 04, averaging ^\ 66^ a day, and grain enormously dear on account of the scarcity occasioned by a great drought. The actual cost of driving 800, averages per head 4f cents, and adding in time of men and horses, not over nine cents a head. The larger the drove, the less average per head expense. A short piece of advice about keeping, and I have done bleating about sheep. Be- fore you start to buy, be prepared for keep- ing. Sheds are necessary — but more par- ticularly good "wind-breakers," and dry yards. If situated upon clay prairie, the yard must be made dry by ditching and the use of straw. Sheep are loath to leave the grass in the fall, even afler all nutriment is gone from it. Be careful that you do not let then) get poor at this season. Put them up, and if they refuse hay, give them sheaf oats ; fed in boxes well constructed, there will be no loss. If you keep the sheep fat tlie first part of the winter there is no dan- ger. Prairie hay does not agree so well with sheep the first winter, and they will need more nursing with grain, turnips, tar, salt, sulphur, copperas, &c. The best paint for marking sheep is dry Venitian red. It combines with the oil of the wool and is indelible. A thief stole twenty-five from me and tried his best to cover up the mark with tar — but it would not do — the guilty blush was there. Another much neglected thing about keeping sheep must be attended to — that is, poisoning the wolves. A drachm of strych- nine— the extract of nux vomica or "dog butter" — costs $1 75, and will make 175 No. 3. Cultivation of the Peach. — Ripe Fruit and Dysentery. 77 doses. No matter if it kills a few dogs too; they have killed more sheep for me than ever wolves did. Don't forget to shut up ^-our own bucks from July 1st to November 15th, and make wethers of every other man's that run at large. And above all, don't forget to get the sheep. And don't forget the good ad- vice of your old friend. Solon Robinson. Lake C. H., la. July, 1844. Cultivation of the Peach. To the Cincinnati Hurficultural Society : — Gentlemen, — I have never yet met with a person who could answer me tliis question: "Will the pit of the budded peach produce the same fruit as the bud, or as the stock, or a mixture of the two?" That the pit of a seedlmg peach will produce its kind, is well known, as the Healh Cling has been cultivated exclusively from the pit in Vir- ginia and Kentucky, for the last fifty years. It is a subject of great interest to those who raise peaches for their own use only, as it will enable them to raise their own trees, of the finest fruit, with little trouble, and no expense. I have never found the subject referred to in any Horticultural work. This is most singular, as the peach is constantly raised from the pit, without budding, and will bear in three years. I have never fairly tested the question, but my experience led me to believe that the budded pit pro- duced the same fruit as the original stock. Twenty-five years since I raised as many as 500 or 1000 trees yearly for budding, and the pits were pickecf up in the garden, where I had none but fine fruit, and almost exclu- sively such as I got for budded trees. From thirty to fifty trees would yeaily lose the bud, and were allowed to produce their own fruit. The fruit, except in a single instance, was small and worthless. Rlany years since, I saw Mr. Dennis Kelly buying a peck of fine large cling peaches, and he in- formed me his sole object was to plant the pits. A few years thereafter, he informed me that all the trees proved to be small free stones. But I was not yet satisfied on the subject; and three years since I planted twenty pits, of a fine large yellow free stone, from a tree sent me from the east. One only grew, and it this season bore me fruit of the same kind. But a single tree is not a fair test, and the more so, as it may have been produced from a chance pit in the garden, and not from one planted. I bring forward the subject at this time, with the hope that some of our horticulturists will plant a number of pits of a known budded variety. I should prefer planting the pits as soon as gathered, and not more than one-eighth of an inch under the sur- face. Pits planted deep, seldom come up. They may for certainty be planted in a clump, and transplanted as soon as they ve- getate, or as soon as they are in leaf. I know of no experiment so easily made, that would be of greater public utility, and it is singular that the question was not placed beyond doubt at an early period. I send an Oldmixon free stone peach; this is I believe a peach that has been cultivated near two hundred years. Also a seedling free stone peach, raised in the interior of Kentucky, and sent to me three years since, under the name of Evelina free stone : I deem it one of the best peaches of the season. The present season has not been favourable to it, and those sent are not a fair sample of what it is in favourable years. The Old- mixon is a favourable sample, and one of the best fruits of the season, and by com- paring the Evelina with it, its quality can be ascertained. I also send a Bartlet pear — Williams' Bon-cretien. This pear is of good quality, and valuable for its size, but will not bear a comparison with the Wash- ington, or Doyenne, that ripens at the same time. N. Longworth. August 25th, 1844. Ripe F^uit and Dysentery. — There is a pernicious prejudice with which people are too generally imbued — that fruits are injurious in the dysentery — that ihey pro- duce and increase it. There is not, perhaps, a more false prejudice. Bad fruit, and that which is imperfectly ripened, may occasion colics, and sometimes diarrhoea, but never epidemic dysentery. Ripe fruits of all kinds, especially in the summer, are the true pre- servatives against this malady. The great- est injury they can do, is in dissolving the humors, and particularly the bile, of which they are the true solvents, and occasion a diarrhoea. But even this diarrhoea is a pro- tection against the dysentery. Whenever the dysentery has prevailed, I have eaten less animal food and more fruit, and have never had the slightest attack. I have seen eleven patients in one house; nine were obe- dient to the direction given, and ate fruit — they recovered. The grandmother, and a child she was most partial to, died. She prescribed for the child burnt hraiuty and oil, powerful aromatxs, and forbade the use of fruit. She followed the same course her- self, and met the like fate. A minister at- tacked with dysentery, ate three pounds of red currants between 7 o'clock in the morn- ing and 9 in the evening — next day he was entirely cured. — Tissot. 78 Wheat tiirnmg into Cheat, or Bromus. Vol. IX. Wheat turning into Cheat, or Bromus. Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. — The enclosed communication was read before the Bart Lyceum more than a year ago. Attention was recalled to it by the appear- ance of an article in the Cabinet some months since, in vindication of the doctrine of wheat turning into cheat; it was there- fore directed to be forwarded to the editor of the Cabinet for publication, if deemed worthy of a place in that valuable periodical. VV. L. R. Bart, Lancastrr co., Pa., Ninth mo. 17tli, 1844. As this is the season of harvest, and the state of the weather does not admit of ga- thering in the grain, I propose devoting a portion of the time to considering an opin- ion so prevalent in the community, that it may well be doubted if a majority of the people do not entertain it — I mean the opin- ion that wheal produces, or is turned into cheat. This opinion is so firmly fixed in the minds of many, that it is impossible to change, or even to shake it ; while others as positively deny it, and are quite lis diffi- cult to be convinced. The subject, then, is well worthy of attention, as a question of fact no less than a matter of opinion. If wheat does produce, or turn into cheat, all the trouble, labour and expense, which some farmers are at in procuring clean seed, or in cleaning their own, are altogether useless; if it does not so change, then will such labour and expense be well rewarded. Does it then so change 1 From reason and from observation — for I have not had an opportu- nity to test it by experiment — I have come to the conclusion that it does not so change, and that there is no good reason for believ- ing that it does. My reasons follow : If cheat be not regularly produced from its own seed alone, it must be a chance pro- duction, arising from accidental causes; or a hybrid, bred between two ditlerent species, as the mule between the horse and ass. If it be the latter, — which is seldom if ever alleged — the produce must be entirely bar- ren and unproductive, as hybrids never re- produce or breed. I shall liereafter inquire if this holds good in respect to cheat. If it be a chance production, arising from adven- titious causes, it is fair to presume that its appearance and character would vary ac- cording to its causes; it would be tmcer- tain, irregular, and not subject to any spe- cific name; — all which is refuted by our daily observation and experience ; cheat being as regular and well defined as any other plant. Wheat and cheat are totally unlike; the stalk, the leaf, the berry, being entirely dif- ferent. The cheat stalk is generally smaller, and of a different colour, as well as stiffer, harder, and rougher, than that of wheat. The wheat leaf is smooth and naked on its upper surface, while that of cheat is rough and thickly set with stiff" bristly hairs. The berry of wheat is borne in a simple spike, — a single head or ear — while the cheat head is divided and subdivided into many parts. It is also destitute of chaff"; but has a single husk, which is inseparable from it, like the interior one of oats. It may also be ob- served, that its whole appearance and habit more resemble oats than wheat; and like the former, its blossom is always concealed within the hnsk, while that of wheat is never so concealed. These characteristics of cheat being, as I have already remarked, regular and unvary- ing, wo find that naturalists have classed and described it as a separate and distinct plant, growing fi-om its own seed and repro- ducing its own kind. To our winter wheat they give the name of Triticum Hybernum; while that applied to cheat, or chess, — as some call it — is Bromus Secalinus. Are they mistaken'? Are those who have made nature and her handy work their study and delight, less likely to perceive the truth than others, who from habit and occupation are nnatle to devote much of their time and attention to the subject? I am unwil- ling to believe it; for if so, study and edu- cation are worse than useless — a perfect waste of that precious time which might be much better employed in the common avo- cations of life. But there is much more that goes to prove the same thing. Tlie two are never seen growing from the same stalk — the same root or stool never produces both, as evi- dently might be, if we admit the possibility of a change. A man once thought he had found both growing on one stalk; but when it came to be examined, it was found that a branch from a clieat head had become en- tangled among the grains of the wheat and broken off* from its parent stem, without being united to the other. In another case, a person — with whom I was acquainted, by the way — found both growing together, and apparently from the same root. He carried them to a friend, who denied their common origin, and with an air of triumph, exhibited his proof. "But," said he to me, "my friend was wiser than I. He agitated the root in water, and it naturally separated into two, one of which was wheat, and tlie other cheat." I have myself seen hickory and oak, poplar and maple, as well as other dis- No. 3. Wheat turning into Cheat, or Bromus. 79 tinct kiiitls of trees growing' together, their roots and bases so united and grown into each other, that it was altogether impossible to separate them ; yet who would say that a hickory nut produced an oak, or an acorn a hickory 1 or that a poplar and a maple sprang from the same seed ! I will not write the word by which the world would designate the man who should make such an assertion. Another person, also known to the writer of this, was very particular in selecting and cleaning his seed. I give the result in his own words: "For thirty years I have not had a stalk of cheat on my premises." My own observation goes to show that the more attention is devoted to obtaining' clean seed, the less cheat will be found in the crop; while a contrary result follows uniformly from an opposite course. Is more required .' I am able to give yet more ; for I have seen cheat growing- profusely where no wheat had been sown since the memory of man, if indeed it had ever been. I have never heard it contended that other grain, or any other plant, is turned into cheat, except wheat alone ; yet have I seen it growing among all other kinds of grain, in tields of Indian corn, and bearing a conspicuous part in crops of grass, where little or no other grain was to be seen. In what way will the advocates of chaiige ac- count for this? To solve the difficulty, some admit the growth of cheat from its o\\ n seed, an admission fatal to their theory, as I con- ceive; while others, in accordance with the nature of liybrids and chance productions, deny its growth thus, and offer no explanation whatever. But with an air of triumph they point us to the larger proportion of cheat in places where the wheat has failed from any cause, and ask us \vhy is this? The same thing, however, may be seen in other grains. Do these likewise change into the same identical cheat ! Impossible : it is not con- tended for, nor even hinted. Here, then, is the old difficulty; a difficulty altogether in- explicable by the theory of change, but very easily explained on other principles, which I proceed to notice. Cheat is, as I have said, a separate and distinct species of plant, having the peculiar characteristics already noticed. This plant is particularly hardy, not being atlected by those causes which often produce a failure in other kinds of grain. This will satisfac- torily account for the prevalence of cheat in places where wheat has been destroyed by wet, or by the winter. The same thing may be observed where the seed of wheat, or other grain has been picked up by the birds, or cropped oft' after it has come up. The wheat was picked up while the cheat was left to grow; or both being cropped off, the wheat was killed, and the cheat being more hardy, and withal a little later in its season, sprouts up, grows again, and pro- duces seed. yVnother reason of this appa- rent prevalence may be found in the fact — which does not seem to be generally no- ticed— that cheat produces twice the seed that wheat does, and more than any other grain with which I am acquainted. It was but a day or two ago, that I counted on a small head of cheat, not less than one hun- dred and twenty grains ; while fifty or sixty giains are allowed to make a good head of wheat, and the very largest that ever fell under my observation, yielded onl}- one hun- dred and five. Oats seldom reach one hun- dred and twenty, thougli the most prolific of all our cultivated grains. What number of grains a large head of cheat would yield, I am unable to say. I have already given facts to sustain my opinion that cheat is only produced from its own seed : — it may not be amiss to say in addition, that different individuals have sown it, and it has always reproduced its kind. An experiment might be tried as follows: in a garden plot, or other suitable place, plant — not sow — ^^a certain number of grains of wheat in such regular form, and at such regular distances, that it may be readily known if any of them fail to grow, or change into something else. If this be fairly done, I dare venture to say that no cheat will be found where wheat was planted ; and if cheat be found in the plot at all, it will be irregularly, and from seed contained in the manure, or previously lying in the ground. All irregularity or uncer- tainty in conducting the experiment, would be fatal to the result. The number of seeds and the precise spot of their deposit must be known, or nothmg definite will be ascer- tained. Vary the experiment by substitut- ing cheat grains for some of the grains of wheat, and the result will show a stalk — or ratiier a root producing several stalks — of cheat for each grain of cheat planted, and the same in respect to the wheat. Some grains may not grow-, but these will be readily known, and if more should spring up than were planted, it will only prove that more seed was supplied from some other source. The intelligent experimenter will perceive other methods of arriving at cer- tainty in the matter, and I am persuaded they will all result alike. That cheat will grow, also accounts for the fact adverted to above, of cheat orow'ing profusely in grass fields. Four years ago last spring, it vvas my lot to ob- serve a fipld oi this kind. I thought it 80 Electricity, Vol. IX: really grass, though of what sort I was un- able to say, and it was intermixed with a small proportion of clover, of which there was no doubt. The observations of passers by were such as these: "What noble grass!" "What fine timothy!" No one thought it wheat ; there was no wheat amongst it, and none perceived the resemblance. But lo, and behold, when it came to shoot into head, what was it? Every one could see, and there was no longer room for doubt. It was cheat ! really nothing but cheat ! The "noble grass," the "fine timothy," — three- fourths of the produce of that field were turned into cheat ! Yes, actually changed from its proper nature, and converted into that mongrel cheat! From the owner of the field, I learned that it had been in wheat the year before, and — to use his own ex- pression-^" it was more than half cheat." Here, then, was a complete solution of the mystery. No supernatural change had taken place, no mongrel was produced ; but the grain crop being " more than half cheat," had left seed enough on the ground to fur- nish a tolerable crop of hay, principally cheat thus reproduced. Is it possible to resist the conclusion that cheat grows only from its own seed, and is never otherwise produced ! But in order to give the advocates of the changing theory a fair chance, I lay down the six following principles; either of which being disproved, I shall be constrained to acknowledge that I have been in error parlially, and may be wholly so. 1. Cheat and wheat never grow on the same stalk. 2. They -never grow from tlie same root or stool. 3. Hybrids, or mixed species, do not prop- agate. 4. Chance productions sre variable, hav- ing no fixed laws. 5. Cheat seldom fails to grow, and always produces after its kind. G. Cheat never turns to wheat. Till one or more of the above propositions shall be proved fal-e, I will and must con- tend, that wheat does not and cannot turn to cheat. Agricola Non. Pleasant Mount, July 10th, 1843. Electricity. It appears that according to Wheatstone's experiments, electricity travels at the enor- mous velocity of 298,000 miles in a second. A note about this velocity, and also relating to the motion of light, which is similarly rapid, shall be cited in order to exalt, if possible, the conceptions, and to point atten tion to the marvels with which the material world teems. Light is about eight minutes thirteen sec- onds in passing from the sun to the earth, so that it may be considered as moving at the rate of one hundred and ninety thousand miles in a second, performing the tour ot the world in about the same time that it re- quires to wink with our eye-lids, and in much less than a swift runner occupies in taking a single stride. ***** Such is the velocity of light, that a flash of it from the sun would be seen in a little more than eight minutes from its emission ; whereas the sound evolved at the same time — supposing a me- dium like air capable of conveying sound between the sun and earth — would not reach us in less than fourteen years and thirty- seven days ; and a cannon ball proceeding with its greatest speed, in not less than twenty years. The velocity of electricity is so great, that the most rapid motion that can be produced by art, appears to be actual rest when compared with it. A wheel re- volving with a rapidity snfficient to render its spokes invisible, when illuminated by a flash of lightning, is seen for an instant with all its spokes distinct, as if it were in a state of absolute repose ; because however rapid the rotation mny be, the light has come and already ceased before the wheel has had time to turn through a sensible space: the following beautiful experiment was made by Wheatstone: A circular piece of pasteboard was divided into three sections, one of which was painted blue, another yellow, and a third red; on causing the disc to revolve rapidly, it appeared white, because a sunbeam con- sists of a mixture of these colours, and the rapidity of the motion caused the distinction of colours to be lost to- the eye : but the in- stant the pasteboard was illuminated by the electric spark, it seemed lo stand still, and each colour was as distinct as if the disc were at rest. From what is said of the physiological efiects of comnion electricity, we extract the following paragraphs: It is stated by Mr. Morgan, that if a strong shock be passed through the diaphragm, the sudden contraction of the muscles of respi- ration will act so violently on the air of the lungs, as to occasion a loud and involuntary [shout, but that a small charge occasions in jthe gravest persons a violent fit of laughter: persons of great nervous sensibility are af- fected much more readily than others. A small charge sent through the spine instantly deprives the person for a moment ofall muscular power, and he generally falls to the ground. If the charge be very pow- erful, instant death is occasioned. Mr. No. 3. Fruit Trees. 81 Singer states tliat a charge passed through the head, gave liim the sensation of a violent and unusual blow, which was followed by a transient loss of memory and indistinctness of vision. A small charge sent through the head of a bird will so far derange the optic nerve as to produce permanent blindness ; and a coated surface of thirty square inches of glass will exhaust the whole nervous sys- tem to such a degree as to cause immediate death. Animals the most tenacious of life, are destroyed by energetic shocks passed through the body. Van Ma rum found that eels are irrecoverably deprived of lite when a shock is sent through their whole body; when only a part of the body is included in the circuit, the destruction is confined to that individual part, while the rest retains the power of motion. The bodies of animals killed by lightning, are found to undergo rapid putrefaction; and it is a remarkable circumstance, that after death the blood does not coagulate. — Tem- perance Advocate. From the Public Ledger. Mauagenient of Fruit Trees. We give below the account of R. L. Pell, Ulster county,New York, which took a gold medal, being a premium OLfered by the Ame- rican Institute for the best fruit farm. It appears Mr. Pell has had in view the mar ket of Europe, by launching into one article of fruit, the Newton pippin, that cannot be competed with for protit in that market. He has also kept in view the market of his own State in other fruits, for which he has been awarded the premium as above. To the Committee oh Fruit Farms: — Gentlemen, — Being desirous to compete for the premium to be awarded by the Ame rican Institute at its sixteenth Annual Fair, for the best fruit farm in the State, I now abide its rules, and offer, at the request of Mr. T. B. W., its worthy and very useful secretary, my mode of managing. For some years I have been experiment- ing upon the apple tree, having an orchard of 20,000 Newton pippin apple trees; I have found it very unprofitable to wait for what is termed the bearing year, and consequently it has been my study to assist nature, so as to enable the trees to bear every year ; I have noticed that it bears more profusely than any other tree, and consequently re- quires the intermediate year to recover itself, by extracting from the atmosphere and earih the requisites to enable it to pro- duce. If unassisted by art, the intervening year must be necessarily lost. If, however, it is supplied with the proper sustenance, it will bear every year. Three years ago, in April, I scraped all the rough bark off a few of the apple trees in my orchard, and washed the trunks and limbs within reach with sofl oap, trimmed out all the branches that crossed each other early in .Tune, and painted the wounded part with white lead, to keep out the moisture, then split open the bark by running a sharp pointed knife from the ground to the first set of limbs, in the latter part of the same month, which prevents the tree from becoming bark bound, and gives the inner wood an opportunity of expanding. In July I placed one peck of oyster shell lime around each tree, and left it piled about the trunk until November, when I dug the lime in thoroughly. The foHowing year I collected from those trees 1,700 barrels of fruit, some of which was sold in New York for $4, and the balance in London for ^9 per barrel. Strange as it may appear, they are literally bending to the ground with the finest fruit I ever saw, a specimen of which is before you. The other trees in my or- chard, not treated as above, are barren, next year being their bearing year. Robert L. Pell. Ulster CO , New York, Oct. 8th, 1843. Guano. — Contracts for Ichaboe (African) guano have been signed, to be delivered from March to the middle of May, 1845, at £6 6s. per ton, at Liverpool. The last news from the island of Ichaboe was, that one hundred ships were then waiting their turn to load. It is thought by some that in twelve months the stock of guano on Icha- boe island will be exhausted; but it is said there are other islands equally valuable. If that was the case, why should so many ships wait so patiently their turn to be laden] The fupply of African guano here — Liver-' pool — is very liberal. It is calculated by many importers that guano will be bought on better terms the next three months, than will happen again for years; for the number of ships on their passage to load at Ichaboe, and those returning laden, will overstock the market, as the season will be over be- fore they can arrive. — London Ag. Gazette. Ventilation and cleanliness are very important helps to economy in the feeding of all animals. Shelter and warmth will do harm, if free and pure air is not admitted to the fattening stock. The same is true of cleanliness, so favourable to the health of all animals. The cleaner their houses and skins are kept, the more they thrive under any given form of treatment in other re- spects.— Johnston. 82 The Gad Fly — Sheep-nose Worms. Vol. IX. For the Fanners' Cabinet. The Gad Fly— Sheep-nose Worms. To THE Editor, — I take the liberty of calling your attention, or some of your cor- respondents, " to the cBSlrus bovis, a species of gad fly, that is said to deposit its eggs in the noses of sheep,^ which is hatched by the warmth of the breath of the sheep, passes np into the nostrils, and there remains until it has acquired its growtli; it then leaves its old habitation, and falling to the earth, buries itself therein, until it becomes a fly." Hav- ing lost a great many sheep at different times by this insect, as I suppose, my atten- tion was called more particularly to it in 1843, when I sustained a loss of about one- tenth of my flock ; they began to die in February, and continued to die throughout the month of March. Of the last which died, I had the head opened, and took out of the upper regions of the nose about thirty worms of various sizes, some of them encir- cled by dark coloured, rough rings; from which appearance I supposed that they had arrived at. full age, and were ready to take their departure; while others appeared young and tender, and not more than a quarter of an inch in length, and about two-thirds of tlie same in thickness; there was also an in- termediate size, from three-quarters to an inch in length. I was for some time at a loss to account for the great difference in the appearance of these worms, but finally concluded that it must be ascribed to their being deposited at different times: i.e., that the oldest worms are the deposits of 1840, the next of 1841, and the youngest of 1842 so that the oldest required two and a half years to attain their full age. I think that I am supported in this opinion by the cir- cumstance that I have never lost a yearling or one under two years of age, and when I have found worms in the heads of young sheep, they seemed to be of a size and ap- pearance corresponding to the age of the sheep. I am inclined to the opinion that the fly is not general through the country, but is mostly to be found in certain districts, and where there have been large importations of foreign sheep. The small number of sheep slaughtered in the country for the use of a private family, will not furnish a sufficient supply for the investigation of this subject: but in a city like Philadelphia, a person can at all times have recourse to the butcher's stall, where he can examine the heads of sheep of all ages, and test the correctness of my hypothesis on this subject. I will notice a prevalent opinion, here, as well as elsewhere — that is, that when the sheep crowd together in hot weather, keep their noses down and stamp the ground, that they are trying to avoid the gad fly; but I am of a different opinion, I believe they are endeavouring to defend themselves from the attack of the stable fly, whose bite is very severe, and which is a tormentor of our stock of all kinds. I would rather suppose that the a'strus bovis prefers the evening, when the flock has retired to rest, or during the niglit season, for depositing its eggs — to tcuflliug in mid-day to accomplish its object. In Rees' Encycloi)edia, under the article upon sheep, you find the term sheep-nose loorms, where the astrus bovis in the fly state, is described as being of a very lazy disposition, and not liking to make any use either of its legs or wings: the duration of its lile in the fly state is said to be about two months. For a further account of the* effect of worms in the heads of sheep, I will refer you to an article published in the 12th vol. of the American Farm.er, page 39, by R. K. Meade, of Frederick county, Vir- ginia. An Octogenarian. September, 1841. The above is inserted without our knowing whence it conie.s. Tt would have been a satisfaction to the editor, as well as his readers, to be able to locate the depredations referred to by our correspondent.— Ed. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Agricnlture and its Improvements. To THE Editor, — There is so much good sense in the following extract of a letter from Alexander Walsh, Esq., that I feel ([uite inclined to forward it lor insertion in the Cabinet. I find it in the British Ameri- can Cultivator, published at Toronto, Cana- da— it is there credited to the New York Mechanic and Farmer, where I suppose it originally appqared. The ideas thrown out in relation to changing seed, are practically efood; potatoes are particularly benefitted, not only by a change of the tuber from place to place, but also by propagation from the seed. In relation to irrigation, men- tioned in the letter below, I believe we pay by far too little attention to it. The value of agricultural papers is in bringing these matters frequently to view, and stirring us up to more care in our modes of manage- ment. T. N. " Of all civil occupations, that of agricul- ture should be regarded as foretnost : it is the most indispensable, the best preserver of health, of morality, of virtue, and of reli- gion. It was the occupation of our first parent, and has been that of a majority of No. 3. Agriculture and its Improvements. 83 his descendants in all past ages, and must necessarily so continue to time's end. How largely are we interested in its improvement and success! It is, however, a painful truth, that its progress in our country is far from being exiiilarating. Habits, venerated only for'antiquity, are obstinately adhered to, to the exclusion of " book-farming," and this without any investigation into relative me- rits; numerous are the deformities growing out of this error; slovenly managed farms — not arising from idleness — for idleness is not the besetting sin of the tillers of our soil ; farms disproportionate to the means of pro- per cultivation ; fields rendered unproduc- tive by a succession of wasting crops, and then left to be resuscitated by the slow ope- ration of nature. To these might be added many other equally obvious defects, too nu- merous for present detail. "It is passing strange, that while the aid of the press is consulted in support of every design, even those of minor importance, or of doubtful policy, agriculture, tlie most im- portant of all, seems alone to reject its influ- ence ; this unhappy prejudice is gradually yielding to better judgment, and we may hope the day is not distant when the farmer will be no more without his agricultural magazine, than he would without his alma- nac. " There are certain primary principles so evident as to be within the unaided observa- tion of every tiller of the soil, yet even these often require a friendly monitor to keep them present to the mind : others there are, de- pendent oil scientific research, and seldom to be discovered except by the studious reader. The press, in these cases, is the best monitor and the truest instiuctor. In truth, the few shillings annually charged for an agricultural journal, if properly at- tended to, are the most productive outlay of the farmer. " The proper selection of seed grain is an important consideration. The best if possi- ble, should alone be used. Grain is liable to degenerate by long succession of un- changed seed. An occasional change of seed for that of other farmers, will often be found beneficial, insomuch that even that received in exchange, will, although of an inferior quality, frequently yield a produce superior to that given in exchange, espe- cially if the latter has exhibited any symp- tom of degeneracy. The potatoe is a very necessary and valuable esculent ; there is perhaps no vegetable more liable to degene- rate by a continued succession of the same stock in the same soil : were it not for the friendly agency of nature, which annually scatters its seed on the ground, and thus gives birth to a new generation, this neces- sary article of food might be entirely lost. This eftbrt of nature never fails in mild cli- mates, but should not be relied on where the rigorous cold of our northern winter sel- dom fails to destroy delicate seeds when ex- posed to its action. An exchange of seed potatoes with a neighbouring farmer, will generally check the menaced evil, but the true mode is to imitate nature; the farmer should every two or three years preserve a small quantity of the seed which is con- tained in the balls growing on the green tops or stalks of the potatoes, and sow the same in a bed in his garden ; the plants when they appear over ground, should be transplanted, and placed at the usual proper distance. The produce of the first year's growth, generally of a size too small for use, may be reserved for the next year's planting. This is deemed an infallible remedy against degeneracy, and gives the best security for good and wholesome crops, in regard to abundance and quantity. "The improvement of his breed of cattle, is an object of the greatest solicitude to every farmer. He does not always know how much is directly in his power, in regard to this object. This secret, if it be one, consists, in no small degree, in a plentiful supply of food to the young animal; the full grown beast will eat less and fatten sooner, than were he neglected while young. An early attention to abundant feeding, will improve the humblest stock of cattle, while the best breed, if neglected, or not suffi- ciently fed while young, will degenerate and become in their maturity unsightly and profitless. , " Irrigation of land, is a practice of great antiquity. History does not, I believe, any where notice it as a modern invention. Vir- gil, the son of an Italian farmer, who wrote before the Christian era, states that it was practised in his country. Irrigation, when not attended with too much expense, is a valuable fertilizer of the soil. All kinds of vegetation are benefited by a skilful appli- cation of it. Meadows subjected to its ac- tion, will yield double the usual quantity of grass, and may be mowed twice in a year. Grass thus nurtured, will not, although arti- ficial, wear out, but may, by this treatment, be preserved permanently. "The overflow of the river Nile, is a dis- play of irrigation on a magnificent scale; on the subsiding of its waters, the agricul- turist almost without an effort, raises an abundant crop. Egyptian grain has, by reason of its quality and abundance, be- come proverbial. Lands adjoining rivers, or streams of water, where the overflows 84 Dr. Beeliman''s Address. Vol. IX. are periodical or occasional, and not too fre- quent, produce results proportionally similar to those of tlie Nile. I have seen no calcu- lation made with a view to ascertain the utmost amount of money, or of labour as the equivalent of money, which a farmer may safely expend in the irrigation of his lands. I incline to the opinion that the out- lay may profitably exceed the f;eneral ap- prehension. The watering of the kitchen garden is deemed by the horticulturist in- dispensable ; the labour is generally per- formed by hand and watering pot, the most expensive of all modes in use; yet, I believe that, on a minute calculation, it would ap- pear that no equal extent of the farm yields so large, or, all matters considered, returns so large a per centage on the capital cm- ployed. This, if true, goes far to prove that small farms, well cultivated and irrigated, even at considerable expense, are more pro- ductive of profit than large farms without the means of a thorough cultivation, and depending on casual falls of rain for tlie ne- cessary moisture. "All lands at all wortliy of cultivation, contain the means of retaining them per- petually in a state of continual productive- ness. Ignorance or prejudice alone, would permit any part of the farm to be fallow. Compost is the common production of every farm, and is not the least valuable resusci- tator of exhausted soils; it is usefully appli- cable to every soil, increasing in every in- stance the quantity of the crop. IIow strange that this valuable auxiliary to agri- culture should be disregarded and left scat- tered about the farm yard to be trodden by man and beast, and thus rendered almost useless." Dr. Rcekman's Address. Delivered at the Fair of the Dutchess Co. Agricultural Society, at Washington Hollotv, N. Y., on the \2lh ult. We make the following extracts from Dr Beckman's Address, believing that they may be profitably ponder- ed by us of the Keystone, as well as our brethren of the Empire State. The average yield of wheat is said to have very much lessened in .many parts of New York, and though we are not prepared to say this is also the case with us, there' is but one way to prevent the discouraging result— that is to nurse our lands, and return to them more than we deprive them of In deed wheat in this vicinity has become one of our ex pensive, precarious, and poorly remunerating crops. With our land worth from fifty to one hundred dollars an acre, though deprived of much of its virgin fertility, we can scarcely compete with the cheap, yet deep rich lands of the West. Nevertheless, when we do grow wheat, let us by good management and thorough culti- vation, endeavour to make our average as near to the Doctor's forty bushels as possible. — Ed. Dl'tchess has for many years stood high as a well cultivated county. No dciubt the praise is merited; but tell me where is the intelligent farmer whose land is not suscep- tible of being made better? Where is the farm that will average forty bushels of wheat to the acre, and so proportionably its other products] Now can any one doubt that this may be done? That it has been done else- where, we have the most abundant proof. Will you acknowledge that the land else- where is so much better naturally than yours, that you do not raise half that amount? No, I know you will not make such an admis- sion. To what then is it owing? There can be only one answer, and that is imper- fect cultivation. The time has been when forty bushels of wheat to the acre,"have been repeatedly raised in Dutchess; but that time lias for the present gone by , whether it will return or not, will depend upon your own industry and intelligence. That it will re- turn I have no doubt; fur I have the confi- dence to believe that your desire for agri- cultural distinction will induce you to adopt a more systematic and intelligent course of husbandry. When the forest was opened to the plough, you had the accumulated decomposed vege- table matter of centuries to enrich your soil, wliich made it immensely productive: but drawing too long and too often upon that store house, you have in a great measure emptied it of its treasures, and now you Lave no resource left but to draw upon your own management and skill. I have no hesitation in saying that you will be equal to the occa- sion, and that the lost fertility of this county will in process of time be more than restored. But it cannot be by farming as our fathers liave done; it will be by becoming better acquainted with the nature of our soils — with the food most congenial to the plants we wish to cultivate, and applying to tliat soil whatever may be deficient to assist the full developements of its capabilities. Depend upon it, the great defect of our farming is the scanty return we make to the soil that we crop so closely ; and when you complain of poor returns for your labour, at least in the quantity gathered, it is upon the principle that you are willing to work your horse but not to feed him. Until therefore we feed with a more liberal hand, we sliall not be more liberally rewarded. If I com- pare our farming, however, with what it was twenty years ago, I see a decided im- provement ; better houses, better barns, bet- Iter fences; better, that is cleaner fields. No. 3. Tfie History of Guano, from Dr. Gardner'' s Essay. 85 better crops, and stock essentially improved. With all these man improves. But there is a vast deal yet to be done, and we must not talk of good farming until we can in all things double, and in many treble our pre- sent product; for, let me tell you the pro- ductive powers of the earth are almost illim- itable. I commenced this Address by propounding the query — Where is the farm that will now upon the average yield forty bushels of wheat to the acre ! Tf in this assemblage there is one individual who owns that farm, and he realizes, positively realizes that result, I will here stop and respectfully ask him to give us the benefit of his practice and intel- ligence. No one speaks. If not forty, then thirty; if not thirty, then twenty. With less i cannot be content, because with less, although it would be an improvement, it would not be so decided as that tlie man's experience would be an essential benefit. They have raised seventy bushels, eighty bushels of wheat to the acre in England ; and shall we, the freemen of America, who own the soil and its improvements, be con- tent with less than twenty] No, I will raise the standard higher. It must be doubled, and let no farmer stop until he comes up to the average of forty. We cannot accom- plish great things if we do not attempt them, and success is only to be won by effort. Be- tween sixty-eight and sixty-nine bushels of wheat to the acre have been raised in the town of Wheatland, as stated by Gen. Har- mon, of Genesee. This is a proof that it may be done here, because it has been done in this State, and if in that portion of it why not in this ] Wheat was orighially a wild plant, the kernel much smaller than it is now, and we hear of it first in the East. But we know nothing definite as to the era in which it first appeared, the country that produced it, nor at what time it was first used as the food of man. Its growth is almost co-cxlensive with the world; and whether .sown under the tropics or in northern latitudes it always matures, and always furnishes the same val- uable and nutritious food. Valuable as it is in its nutritive powers, that value is very much enhanced from its universality, for it will thrive in all climes, and man can avail himself of it in all places. It is- so well adapted to his support, that bread made from it is justly termed "the staff of life." A plant that is so useful both as an article of food and as a means of commerce, surely ought to draw onr most careful attention to its successful cultivation. It is a hardv plant; what it wants is a rich, clean soil, well pulverized, and to be sown in season. The History of (^uaiio, from Dr. Gard- ner's Essay. Amoxg the many surprising discoveries of the Spanish adventurers in America, that of islands formed of the excrement of birds was not the least. The fertilizing pov.'er of this new manure, evoking the most extraordinary growth from barren sand, in a climate unvis- ited by rains, was so worthy of attention, that the earlier writers are fnll in their accounts of the guano, and speculations on its origin. The Indians knew that it was the excrement of the flammands, cormorants, cranes, and other piscivorous birds that darken the air of their coast. They calculated the supply of manure, and fixed seasons for its removal. The birds were to them prcvidors of food, for their sands wnild yield none; and hence they looked upon them with so great a reve- rence, that human life itself was scarcely equal to that of these birds. They called the deposit hnuna, or dung for manuring, and formed from it the verb huanuchani, to manure. But the Spaniards were not equally satisfied of its origin ; they had no hesitation in referring the white, recent excrement, to birds; but the dark brown fetid ^Mff?20 seemed to be altogether another s\ibstance. Ulfoa says — when the depth is consider- ed at which the guano is dug, it appears probable that it is an earth, although the smell might be considered against this opin- ion ; and he is inclined to suppose that a considerable portion of earth is mixed with the birds' dung. Frezier, who examined the coast in the last century, and visited the island of Iquique, (Voy. dans la Mer. Sud.) tells us that Indians and negroes are en- gaged in collecting guano, which is a yellow earth, believed to be the dung of birds from its smell, and the occurrence of feathers at a great depth ; but he is overcome with diffi- culty to account for such accumulations, since, for upwards of one hundred years, tiiere were loaded annually ten to twelve ships, and without any great diminution in its height. It wa.s, perhaps, this doubt as to the na- ture of the manure, that led the Spaniards to neglect the wholesome provision of the Incas in respect to the birds, so that now the bustle of ships and boats has driven them away. The discovery of large stores in the earth, under layers of sand, and sometimes clay, seemed to remove the necessity ?ot new deposits; and the recent article, which, in remote times, was almost exclusively used and gathered from the several islands to the extent of 20 to 2-5 tons the season, is now only procured from such collections as were overlooked by them, or unnecessary to their culture, and will be soon exhau.-ted. 86 The History of Guano, from Dr. Gardner^s Essay. Vol. IX. The accumulation of recent excrement is extremely slow. " Experience seems to prove," says Humboldt, " that one island will scarcely produce a ship load in a great number of years." Several of the older deposits, under sand, were also worked by the Indians. The islands of Iquique, St. Lobos, Isla di Guana near Arica, are mentioned by the first writers. We owe most of our information of the present condition and extent of tliese depo- sits to Humboldt and Mr. Winterfeldt, who resided in Peru for a number of years, and publishetl an account in Bell's Weekly Mes- senger, September 11th, 1841. Humboldt estimated the range of guano islets from 13'= to 21° south latitude — but it certainly extends beyond these limits, for the island of Lobos is as far north as 6'' south latitude, and Mr. Bartlett, recently from Peru, states that they extend to the 2oth degree south. The following islands and ports are best known as furnishing the manure : Iquique, lat. 20° 20' south, near the port of Iquique, has been wrought from time im- memorial, and is beginning to be exhausted, according to Mr. Winterfeldt. At Pabellon de Pica, from the hill of Pica, large quantities are obtained, this bed being a mile in length and extremely deep — it is even said 800 to 900 feet. The deposit was coveretl with a considerable accumulation of drift sand. From St. Lobos island, three leagues south of Pica. At the island of Torrecella. At the port of Islay, from the islands of Islay and Jesus, which formerly yielded up- wards of twenty tons of recent guano, but whence the birds have been driven by the opening of the port. At the port of Mcllendo, larg-e quantities are sold for the province of Arequipa, where it is extensively used for maize and other crops. In the adjoining province of Tara- capa, it is also used in even larger quantities as a manure for wheat, maize, fruit trees, and indeed every crop except sugar. (Win- terfeldt.) The Chincha islands, lying about fifteen miles from the port of Pisco, in lat 14° 23' south, longitude 76° 1' Greenwich, furnish immense supplies. One of these possesses an excellent liarbour, so that ships can be warped sufficiently close to the land to take OH a cargo through a canvass hose, oi any similar contrivance. The deposit is esti- mated at 300 feet deep, and the island half a mile in diameter, with a high hill in the centre. Tiiere are three islets — the most favourable is the middle.. The islands about the port of Arica, lat. 18° 26' south, longitude 70° 16' West Greenwich, have also been wrought for a long time, and abound in excellent guano. I'lie islands of Ua and Iza are mentioned by Humboldt. Nearly from Coquimbo to Guayaquil, the shore is barren, only here and there present- ing fertile valleys wliere a stream descends from the mountains, as at Arica and Co- quimbo, where an abundance of wheat is raised, and at Quillota and Lambaryeque, where even forests exist. The country near Lima, is moistcr from the proximity of the Andes and the heavy mists called gar- rua. But excepting t!ie valleys, extensive deserts of sand, with naked rocks, are met for 1600 miles. From Coquimbo to Copiapo, 300 miles, not a village exists: then the traveller crosses the wastes of Ataeama, and to the north of Truxillo occur those of Picera and Sechura. Along the coast, on is- lands stretching to the sea, on headlands, and uninhabited points, buried under many feet of sand, it is probable immense deposits ex- ist which have never been opened, but which the enterprise of the Peruvian company will discover. The amount drawn for the supply of the district of Arequipa only, is stated by Mr. Winterfeldt at 600 to 700 tons. Tarapaca requires more. The lands about Arica and all along the coast are extensively manured with it; hence many surmise that the guano will be rapidly exhausted, but it is probable that only a few islands are yet known, for they extend to upwards of fifteen miles from the coast. The beds of manure are usually under sand or drift, and reach various depths, from a few feet to 900 feet, according to some captains. In superficial dimensions they are equally various, from a few hun- dred feet to upwards of a mile and a half. The success attendant on the importation of gniano into England, gave rise to a mer- cantile speculation on the part of a company, who have secured from the Peruvian and Bolivian government a monopoly in the sale of the manure, for which they are said to have paid §1,000,000 ; moreover there is a duty of £3 the ton levied on the export. The recent excrement is not an article of export, but that which is red or brown. It usually exhales an ammoniacal odour, which sometimes, after heavy dews, becomes intol- erably offensive. It is said that at Arica the smell from the neighbouring guano islands is sometimes so great as to keep ofF shipping — and an epidemic is even attribu- ted to it: notwithstanding, the crews of ves- sels engaged in transporting it are robust and healthy. No. 3. Productive Farms. — Rust, Blight, and MiMein of Wheat 87 It is well understood that the manure is found only along- those portions of the coast that are continually dry, and where rain scarcely ever falls. On all coasts similarly situated, the manure will be found ; but be- yond, even although the birds may be as abundant, no true guano can be expected, but only the insoluble parts. The coast of Peru is admirably situated, being' the boundary of an interminable sweep of the Paciiic Ocean, as a restintr place for sea-birds, where they may form their nests and raise their young ; but under these cir- cumstances they are intolerant of any inter- ruption, and leave the islands as soon as an excavation is made for manure. — JStw York Farmer and Mechanic. The boiling or steaming of dry food, and even of potatoes and turnips, is recommended by many as an economical practice. Pro- fessor Johnston believes the general result of the numerous experiments which have been made upon this subject in various parts of England, is in favor of this opinion in so far as regards fattening and growing stock. It seems a more doubtful practice in the case of horses which are intended for heavy and especially for fast work — though Stephens in his Book of the Farm, says that even for these animals, the use of steamed food is coming into use with extensive coach con- tractors. Productive Farms. To a person not familiarly acquainted with the history and statistics of English husbandry, the extreme productiveness of the farms of that country will appear in- •credible. Nearly nine-tenths of the culti- vated lamds in Great Britain and Ireland, are rented to tenants, who pay, usually, from four to five pounds sterling per acre, annual rent. Where is the farmer in this country, who could live under such a bur- den'? Here a farm comprising a hundred acres, is often rented for one hundred dol- lars, and even at this rate the tenant has a hard task. The cultivation, even where there are a large number of acres in grass, will little more than pay the rent and taxes; but in England the result is widely different. The tenant who there pays £5 per acre annual rent, and finds all appliances, obtains not only a comfortable living, but in many cases wealth, from tlie prosecution of a bu- siness which here, with like burdens, would doom him to want and misery. In 1811, Irwin estimated the produce of ozie English farm of eight hundred and ninety acres, at £8,578, or $i38,000 ! The quantity of manure applied was 13,746 one-horse cartloads in one year, and 10,250 the next! Now admitting the rent of this farm to be §12 j)er acre, and the cost of manure and its application $12 more; and if to this sum we add, for interest, or ex- penses, taxes, and the various contingent expenses of cultivation, &c., §^12 more, we shall find, upon striking the balance, that there will remain a profit of SIO the acre, amounting in the gross aggregate to the sum of .§^10,000 clear gain to the tenant in a single year! In the vicinity of Ix)ndon, a hay farm, comprising one hundred and sixty acres, was rented. The rental in this instance, was ^\2 per acre, amounting in the whole to $;1,920 per year. A very heavy expen- diture was required for manure — probably as much as many a New England farmer would have been willing to give for the land, and yet the tenant succeeded, and has since become wealthy, and with no other income than the produce of his farm. In Ireland, a poor man hi;ed an acre of land, erected his cottage, purchased manure and farming tools, and the first season cleared all expenses, and had a balance of j£8 left. And yet that Irish peasant, in addition to the expenses and outlays above enumerated, had a church tax to pay, and to be at the expense of purchasing his own seed, and maintaining a family of four besides himself and wife. The frugality of the Irish pea- santry is proverbial. But there was some- thing more than mere frugality at the bot- tom of this man's success. There was thorough cultivation — a thing which in New England may be said to be wholly unknown. This is the mystery, and the only one. That Irish peasant, with like exiienses, would have starved here on forty acres with our cultivation. — Western Farm- er and Gardener. Rust, Blight, and Mildew of Wheat. A correspondent of the Weekly Intelligencer, who signs himself C. A., and dates from Philadelphia co., makes the following remarks iu relation to wheat. — Ed. Our philosophers have theorised, and our farmers have descanted, upon the origin and cause, and efltct of blight or rust, upon the stalks of wheat. Of the effect, it is apparent that the pro- per juices of the plants are absorbed by some foreign subst;ince, which prevents the proper ripening^of the grain. Our naturalists tells us that the blight is a plant of a parasitical nature, endowed with all the functions of growth and regeneration 88 Shell Fish as Manure. — SfC. Vol. IX. that are necessary for any plant to have, in order to produce its kind. If we examine with an ordinary magni- fier those parasitical appearances, found so abundantly upon cedar fences, we shall find ihat they blossom, fructify and increase their kind in a manner similar to many other plants of a larger growth; and it is asserted that the blight when exposed to the action of a powerful microscope, exhibits all the phenomena of a living plant, but the truth of that is yet to be proven, as but few have examined minutely enough to risk their reputation on the assumption, while all ad- rait, that, as a natural production, it must be formed according to nature's laws, and that its proper nutriment must be the juices of plants. But be that as it may, its position as a plant or a disease will remain unknown, until it has been chemically tested; but when its nature and composition are once accurately ascertained, then, if a disease, chemistry will find a cure; if a plant, chem- istry will teach man to apply a remedy that will make it seek other quarters. Now it appears rational that as lichens, mosses, &o., do not very extensively attack trees in the vigor of their growth, they will not attack plants whose growth is sufficient- ly vigorous and healtliy. Hence, if we grow a stalk that shall be vigorous in all its life, and in all stages of maturity shall flourish with luxuriance; then the blight will be obliged to seek other quarters, as the wheat will be of too healthy a growth to allow of its substance being- taken up by foreign plants for their support. In order to grow a stalk of this kind, the earth must be supplied with an abundance of the materials that wheat requires for its support, i. e., carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and ashes. A compound of nitro- gen and hydrogen forms ammonia, of oxy- gen and hydrogen forms water, and of oxy- gen and nitrogen forms atmospheric air. Hence, in order that wheat may grow with the proper degree of luxuriance, the soil must be copiously supplied with water, ammonia, ashes and air. The ammonia may be applied by wetting the grains and rolling them in powdered muriate of ammonia, as a quantity sufficient for maturing the plant will adhere to the grain, and the ashes can be applied to the soil; the air and water are within reach of the plant and therefore do not need attention or application. Shell Fish as Manure. Having noticed the good effects of shell fish in gardens, applied to carrot and onion beds, it occurred to a gentleman of our ac- quaintance that the same species of manure would be found equally useful on a larger scale, in the case of a green crop cultivated in the open field. Accordingly, he instructed his labourer to repair to the shore, and exca- vate four cart-loads of live shell fish, com- posed chiefly of wilks, cockles, and muscles. When carried home, the deposit was thrown into a heap, and allowed to remain until it began to emit an unpleasant odour. Warn- ing thus given, the shells were smashed and mixed with peat earth, to absorb the moist- ure and facilitate the application. They were then laid in the drills, after tlie man- Iner of bones, at the rate of 16 bushels per acre — sown with turnips — and the better to test the utility of the experiment, turnips- were planted the same day over thick layers of barnyard manure. The seed on the shells took a wonderful start, the plants showing themselves at the end of three days, not- withstanding the intense drought; while the dung operated so slowly, that eight days plapsed before tiie slightest tendency to greening appeared. Thus far the shells and substance enclosed have worked perfect wonders, and bid fair to outvie crushed bones, and even guano. The carbonate of lime and animal matter in shell fish are great nourishers of vegetable life. — Dumfries Covrier. Mexding a Tree. — We saw at Isaac Frost's, Newton, a tolerably large apple tree that had the bark eaten all around by the mice, some years ago, and of course would have died Vv-ithout some extra pains to save it. Mr. Frost set about a do2en sci- ons in the tree, one end in the green bark and wood below, and the other above the wound. They all took at both ends and grev^-.well, excepting one which took only at the bottom and is forming a little tree by itself. The scions are now about two inches in diameter, and are touching each other. The tree is in a fine flourishing condition. This method of mending a tree is attended with sotne trouble, but by this simple means, which can be done in a few hours, a valua- ble tree may be saved, as has occasionally been the case. — Maine Former. Ar.RicuLTUUE is the art of raising crops; — husbandry, the art of preserving and expend- ing tliem.. In West Chester co., N. Y., the disease in the potatoe is general. On Long Island, on heavy ground the rot is prevalent, but in light sandy soils, they have escaped. The continued wet weather is assigned as the cause by the Long Island Farmer. No. 3. Report on Indian Corn. 89 Report on ludiau Corn. In a late number of the Southern AgricultvrUt, we find the following Report niade to the Ajritiiltiiral So- ciety of South Carolina. That State already raises nearly corn enough fur her consumption: and with the improved cultivation which may be anticipated from the use of lime, and her abundant supply of marl, we should not be surprised if in the course of a few years, she should have a svirplus of this noble grain. — Ed. Your committee on Indian corn, beg leave to report: — We consider tlie corn crop as second to no other crop made in the United States; and in this State, tlie advan- tage of raising our own supfi^ies would be of great importance, and would save to the State a large sum of money spent annually for corn. Under these circumstances, any improvements in planting, or cultivating this valuable grain, must be interesting. By a judicious use of the plough, and other good management, the crop may be much increased, and in a few^ years, a full supply for the State might be expected. In the years 1838 and '89, about 500,000 bushels of corn were imnorted. From Oc- tober, 1841, to October, 1842, 300,000; and from October, 1842, to October, 1843, 200, 000: showing an increase of the crop of the State, of lOO^OOO bushels in one year. This increase may be attributed to the efforts made by Mr. Ruffin and others, in recom- mending marl and other manures, and the proper use of plouglis. All plants derive their nourishment from air, water and soil, and the corn plant must have a supply of air and moisture to effect a fujl developement of its growth; and the soil, to do its part, must be well manured and cultivated. Where the land has been long planted, tiiere is frequently a hard subsoil crust, wl.ich must be well broken up by the sub- soil plough, to enable the perpendicular roots to penetrate deep into the earth, to obtain moisttire for the plant. In pieparing land for a corn crop, we would recommend that in the early part of the winter, a furrow of six or eight inches deep should be made with the common plough, that the subsoil plough should be run in this furrow to the additional depth of ten or twelve inches, and that corn-stalk and other manure should be put in tins trench, and listed in, when thoroughly wet, , with a small plough or hoe, as may be con venient; the land to remain in this state, to the period of planting. We catmot too highly recommend the use of the subsoil plough. By its use the soil will be less wet after great rains, and more moist in great drought. Mr. Delaplain in- forms us, that in 1823, he planted a field of 25 acres of corn ; that in a part of tiiis field he used the subsoil plough, and in the other part, the common tillage. A furrow was made with the common bar-share plough, five or six inches deep, and with the subsoil plough seven inches deeper — that in all other respects, the soil, planting and tillage, were the same. In that part of the field where the subsoiler was used, the corn kept its colour throughout the season, and pro- duced 50 per centum more than the other. And where the common tillage was used, it sufiered much from drought, and fired consid- erably. Mr. C. M. Bement also states that he sub- soiled a part of a piece of ground which he planted to Indian corn. The piece of ground was on a lioht loamy, or sandy knoll. That he subsoiled it in strips, leaving alternate strips not subsoiled, all being manured alike: he ran the subsoiler from eight to ten inches deep. The season proved to "be very dry, and where the subsoil plough was not used, the corn was so burnt up that it produced nothing; but where it was used, the corn remained green and flourishing through all the drought, and produced a good crop. The soil must be moist at the time of planting, or a good stand cannot be expected. The seed corn ought to have been selected with care in the field from those stalks bear- ing the greatest number of ears. And here we would recommend, in the highest terms, the use of the coal-tar, to preserve the seed from birds, &c. When the seed is well pre- pared by the use of coal-tar and soot, and the soil well moistened by a good rain, to be planted at the distance of three feet, the rows being from five to six feet apart ; and either one, or two stalks should be left, ac- cording to the fertility of the soil. Where the soil is very rich, or highly manured, we think it best to plant at two feet apart, and to leave two stalks. As soon as the corn is up, the plough ought to be used in breaking up and pulver- izing the earth between the rows, and when five or six inches high, the best ploughman ought to run a furrow as near as possible to the plant, the tar side of the plough being next to it, and the other ploughmen may break up the intermediate space between the rows. At this period the ploughing* ought to be deep and close, breaking up and pulverizing well the soil. By porosity ot soil, the air is admitted, and a larger quan- tity of organic and inorganic food for the plant is afforded. ' . In dry weather the oftener the plough is used the better, until the corn is about one- third grown, after which, the plough ought 90 Philadelphia Butter. Vol. IX. to be laid aside, and the cultivator or hoe- harrow used in its place. In wet weather, the plough ought never to be used. Corn is benefited at all periods of its growth, by the application of manure on the surface, over the roots. If the drought is great, and the corn far advanced towards maturity, the surface crust must be broken and the earth frequently stirred lightly, to admit air and moisture to the roots, but care must be had not to disturb or cut the lateral, or surface roots. About the time corn is maturing, brace roots shoot out from the joints near the sur- face of the earth. These roots frequently strike deep into the earth, affording both nourishment and support to the plant. If a high hill has been made, these roots shoot out higher upon the stalk where it is brittle, and likely to be snapped oft' the first high wind. If there be little or no hilling, the corn would bend and yield to the storm, and rise again, having sustained little or no in- jury. This would be particularly the case, where the soil is very fertile and highly cul- tivated. Well grown corn has from forty to sixty large roots extending from the joints under the ground, which, with the tap-root, pene- trate deep into the soil, if not obstructed by a hard subsoil. From these large roots in numerable small fibrous roots shoot out in all directions towards the surface, extending across the rows five or six feet, in search of nourishment for the plant. The large per pendicular roots afford moisture, and the small fibrous roots food to the plant. The deeper the perpendicular roots penetrate the soil, the less injury the plant will sustain from drought. And the more the surface has been broken up and pulverized, the further the surface roots will extend in search of nourishment, to mature fine and large ears, John H. Tucker, Chairman. June 18th, 1844. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Philadelphia E utter. The Best Butter is to be had only in Philadelphia. This may appear to be a rash assertion, but I appeal to all who have travelled over the country, whether there is not a richness and fine fiavour, altogether exempt from any rancidity, acidity, or tal- lowy taste, not to be met with in the butter we get at hotels either north or south of that city! That it should excel Southern butter, is not to be wondered at, because the climate and the grasses are better, but why should it be better than that which we meet with in New York, and all through New England, the latter being-, especially, a grass country? It cannot be that the process of butter making is better understood there than elsewhere, for every variety of process aud contrivance for butter making has been- set forth in the agricultural papers. Is it not that there is something peculiar in the pat-tures in the neighbouriiood of Philadel- pliia, which affects the quality of the lacteal secretions — and in what does "that peculiarity consist ? Is it found that the best Philadel- phia butter comes from cows that graze on the old meadows below it ? If the fact as- sumed be disputed, it might be difficult to prove it; — all that could be done would be to leave it to the judgment of those who have had an opjiortunity of forming an opin- ion, and it would not be easy to collect their judgment in the matter; but supposing the fact of its superiority to be admitted, it is worthy of inquiry tvhy it is so? After an interval of twenty years, I have been again lately to Boston and that vicin- ity, and although I thought I could perceive some improvement in the quality of the but- ter there, I can safely say that never, either there or in the State of New York, have I met with butter that would bear a compari- son, to my taste, with such as I have oflen eaten at the table dViote of my old friend, at the old Mansion House, Philadelphia. The next best butter decidedly, according to the observation of the writer, is that from the dairies of the Hitlens — of Hamp- ton— of Waverly, and others in the neigh- bourhood of Baltimore. Do your readers believe me to be correct in my impression 1 if so, can your correspondents throw any light upon the matter? It would not be worth while to argue and dispute about the fact. S. S. I. The Toad. — That poor, despised and harmless reptile, is admirable jn its propor- tions, and has an eye of such transcendent beauty, that when I find one, I place it on my hand to view it more minutely. Its skin too, so completely adapted to the sub- terranean places into which it goes for shel- ter, is well worth the attention of the phi- losopher. As this little animal is innocuous, I feel sorry when I see it trampled under toot by inconsiderate people, who have learned from their grandmothers that it is full of venom. — Waterton''s Ornithology. M. Arago says the atmospheric pressure principle maybe so applied, as to insure safe transit at the rate of six leagues a minute, or a thousand miles an hour. No. 3. Successful Ciiltivation of Madder. 91 From the New Genesee Farmer. Successful Cultivation of Madder. We have at different times heretofore adverted to the cultivation of Madder — Rubia Tin ctonna— and are a g-ood deal apprehensive that it might be made a pro fitable crop. We do not know that it has been sue cessfully cultivated in Pennsylvania. The followinc article by our friend Bateham, editor of the Genesee Farmer, appeared more tlian a year ago in that paper, though it had not caught our eye till quite recently It is published now vvitli a hope that it may lead to further inquiry on the subject. — Ed. In tliese times of national cmbamssment when the whole country is sufFeriiig- under the ill eflects of an immense indebtedness to foreign countries, it certainly is the duty of every good citizen to inquire what he can do to aid in restoring prosperity, or in re moving the causes of adversity; and the man who successfully introduces or pro- motes the home production or manufacture of any article of consumption hitherto im- ported, is a true patriot, and deserves the thanks of his country. It will doubtless be a matter of surprise to many, to learn that for the single article of Madder, we are annually paying an im- mense amount to foreign countries, while at the same time it is fully demonstrated that this article can be raised in the greatest perfection, and with good profit, in a large portion of the United States. In the central or eastern part of the State of New York, madder has been cultivated for some years past, but I believe not very extensively, or with much profit, probably owing to a want of sufficient heat in sum- mer to give luxuriance and depth of colour to the roots ; but in tlie State of Ohio, and similar latitudes, this difficulty cannot exist, and tlie climate is doubtless as fiivourable as that of Germany, if not more so. While travelling in the western part of Ohio the past month, I was informed that Mr. Joseph Swift, a farmer of Erie county, was largely engaged in the culture of mad der, and found' it very profitable. I accord ingly determined to visit him and learn the facts in the case. Mr. Swift was one of the earliest settlers of that part of tlie country, having resided there nearly thirty years, on the farm he now occupies, wliich consists of about 400 acres of choice land, mostly allu- vial bottoms, in the valley of the Vermil- lion river, seven miles from Lake Erie Having informed himself on the subject, he commenced by planting nine acres of mad- der in the spring of 1839, which he allowed four seasons' growth, and harvested the crop the past fall. The result is, he is now build- ing a large and beautiful house with the proceeds. I found Mr. Swift very hospitable and intelligent, and willmg to communicate any information I desired. At my request he furnished me the following: Practical directions for the cultivation of Madder, which, he remarked, must be understood as intended for those who wish to cultivate only a few acres, and cannot afford much outlay of capital. Those who wish to engage in the business on an exten- sive scale, would need to adopt a somewhat different practice. Soil and Preparation. — The soil should be a deep, rich, sandy loam, free from weeds, roots, stones, &c., and containing a good portion of vegetable earth. Alluvial bot- tom land is the most suitable, but it must not be w'et, nor too dry. If old upland is used, it should receive a heavy coating of vegetable earth, from the decayed wood and leaves. The land should be ploughed very deeply in the fall, and early in the spring apply about one hundred loads of well-rotted manure per acre, spread evenly, and ploughed in deeply ; then harrow till quite fine and free from lumps. Next plough the land into beds four feet wide, leaving alleys be- tween, three feet wide, then harrow the beds with a fine light harrow, or rake them by hand, so as to leave them smooth and even with the alleys; they are then ready for planting. Preparing sets and. planting. — Madder sets, or seed roots, are best selected when [the crop is dug in the fall. The horizontal [uppermost roots, — with eyes — are the kind Ito be used: these should be separated from [the bottom roots, and buried in sand, in a icellar or pit. If not done in the fall, the Isets may be dug early in the spring, before I they begin to sprout. They should be cut or broken into pieces, containing from two to five eyes each ; i. e. three to four inches long. The time for planting is as early in the spring as the ground can be got in good order, and severe frosts are over, which, in this climate, is usually about the middle of April. With the beds prepared as directed, stretch a line lengthwise the bed, and with the corner of a hoe make a drill two inches deep along each edge and down the middle, so as to give three rows to each bed, about two feet apart. Into these drills drop the sets, ten inches apart, covering them two inches deep. Eight or ten bushels of sets are requisite for an acre. After culture. — As soon as the maddet plants can be seen, the ground should be carefully hoed so as to destroy the weeds and not injure the plants; and the hoeing and weeding must be repeated as often as weeds make their appearance. If any of the sets 92 Successful Cultivation of Maddei Vol. IX. have failed to grow, the vacancies should be filled by taking np parts of the stronnest roots and transplanting them. This is best done in June. As soon as the madder plants are ten or twelve inches high, the tops are to be bent dov.n on to the surface of the ground, and all, excepting the tip end, covered with earth shoveled "from the middle of the alleys. Bend the shoots outward and inward, in every direction, so as in time to fill all the vacant space on the beds, and about one foot on each side. After the first time covering, repeat the vveedino- when necessary, and run a single-horse plough through the alleys several times to keep the earth clean and mellow. As soon as the plants again become ten or twelve inches high, bend down and cover them as before, repeating the operation as often as necessary, which is commonly three times the first season. The last time may be as late as September, or later, if no frosts oc- cur. By covering the tops in this manner, they change to roots, and the design is to fiU the ground as full of roots as possible. When the vacant spaces are all full, there will be but little chance for weeds to grow; but all that appear must be pulled out." The second year. — Keep the beds free from weeds; plough the alleys and cover the tops, as before directed, two or three times during the season. The alleys will now form deep and narrow ditches, and if it becomes difficult to obtain good earth for covering the tops, that operation may be omitted after the second time this season. Care should be taken when covering the tops to keep the edges of the beds as^'liigh as the middle, otherwise the water from heavy showers will run off, and the crop suffer from drought. The third year. — Very little labour or attention is required. The plants will now cover the whole ground. If any weeds are seen they must be all pulled out, otherwise their roots will cause trouble when harvest- ing the madder. The crop is sometimes dug the third year; and if the soil and cultiva"- tion have been good, and the seasons warm and favourable, the madder will be of good quality; but generally, it is much better in quality and more in quantity, when left until the fourth year. Digging and hnrveslinsr.— This should be done between the 20th of August and the 20th of September. Take a sfrirp sho- vel or shovels, and cut off and remove the tops within half an inch of the surface of the earth; then take a plough of tlie largest size, with a sharp coulter and a double telim, and plough a furrow outward, beam deep, around the edge of the bed ; stir the earth with forks, and carefully pick out all the roots, removing the eartii from the bottom of the furrow; then plough another furrow beam deep, as before, and pick over and re- move the earth in the same manner; thus proceeding till the whole is completed. ^^ ashing and drying. — As soon as possi- ble after digging, take the roots to some running stream to be washed. If there id no running stream convenient, it can be done at a pump. Take large, roiuid sieves, two and a half or three feet in diameter — found in eastern cities — with the wire about as fine as wheat sieves ; or if these cannot be had, get from a hardware-store sufficient screen-wire of the right fineness, and make frames or boxes about two and a half feet long and the width of the wire, on the bot- tom of which nail tlie wire. In tliese sieves or boxes, put about half a bushel of roots at a time and stir them about in the water, pulling the bunches apart so as to wash them clean; then, having a platform, at hand, lay them on it to dry. To make the platform, take two or three common boards so as to be about four feet in width, and nail elects across the under side. On those spread the roots about two inches thick for drying in the sun. Carry the platforms to a conve- nient place, not far from the house, and place them side by side, in rows east and west, and witli their ends north and south, leaving room to walk between the rows. Elevate the south ends of the platforms about eighteen inches, and the north ends about six inches from the ground, putting poles or sticks to support them, and it will greatly facilitate drying. After the second or third day drying, the madder must be protected from the dews at night and from rain, by placing the platforms one upon an- other to a convenient height, and covering the uppermost one with boards. Spread them out again in tlic morning, or as soon as danger is over. Five or six days of or- dinarily fine weather will dry the madder sufficiently, when it may be put away till it is convenient to kiln dry and grind it. Kiln drying. — The size and mode of con- structing the kiln may be varied to suit cir- cumstances. The following is a very cheap plan, and sufficient to dry one ton of roots at a time. Place four strong posts in the ground twelve feet apart one way, and eighteen the other; the front two fourteen feet Iiigh, and the others eighteen; put girts across the bottom, middle and top; and nail boards perpendicularly on the o'utside, as for a common barn. The boards must be well seasoned, and all cracks or holes should be plastered or otherwise stopped up. Make a shed roof of common boards. In the inside No. 3. Tlie Drummond Light. 93 put upright standards about five feet apart, with cross pieces to support the scajToldingf. The first cross pieces to be four feet from the floor ; the next two feet hig-her, and so on to the top. On these cross pieces lay small poles about six feet long- and two inches thick, four or five inches apart. On these scaffolds the madder is to be spread nine inches thick. A floor is laid at the jjottom to keep all dry and clean. When the kiln is filled, take six or eig-ht small kettles or hand furnaces, and place them four or five feet apart on the floor, — first se- curing it from fire with bricks or stones — and make fires in them with charcoal, being careful not to make any of the fires so large as to scorch the madder over them. A per- son must be in constant attendance to watch and replenish the fires. The heat will as- cend through the whole, and in ten or twelve hours it will be all sufficiently dried. Breaking and grinding. — Immediately after being dried, the madder must be taken to the barn and thrashed with flails, or broken by machinery, — a corn-cracker or something .of the kind — so that it will feed in a com- mon grist-mill. If it is not broken and ground immediately, it will gather damp- ness so as to prevent its being ground. Any common grist-mill can grind madder pro- perly. When ground finely it is fit fo!r use, and may be packed in barrels like flour for market. Amount and value of product, <^~c. — Mr. Swift measured oft' a part of his ground and carefully weighed the product when dried, which he found to be over two thousand pounds per acre, notwithstanding the sea- sons were mostly very dry and unfavour- able. With iiis present knowledge of the business, he is confident that he can obtain at least 3000 pounds per acre, which is said to be more than is of\en obtained in Ger- many. The whole amount of labour he estimates at from 80 to 100 days work per acre. The value of the crop, at the usual wholesale price — about 15 cents per pound — is from 300 to 400 dollars. In foreign coun- tries it is customary to make several quali- ties of the madder, which is done by sorting the roots; but as only one quality is required for the western market, Mr. Swift makes but one, and that is found superior to most of the imported, and finds a ready sale. If any person desires instruction for making several qualities of madder, or fur ther information respecting any other point, it may be obtained by addressing, (post paid) Joseph Swilt, Birmingham, Erie co., Ohio. M. B. Bateham Cattle should have plenty of good water The Diummoud Light. This brilliant and splendid means of illu- mination has recently attracted public atten- tion to a considerable extent, and a great deal of curiosity has been expressed by those not familiar with its use, as to its mode of production and utility for ordinary purposes. The light is produced by a small cylinder of quick lime heated to whiteness by means of the oxyhydrogen blow-pipe, an instrument which was invented by Dr. Hare, Professor of Chemistry, in the University of Pennsyl- vania, and wiiich as applied to many pur- poses in the Chemist's Laboratory is found to be a most useful and ingenious contriv- ance. This blow-pipe is a very simple instru- ment, by which two streams, one of oxygen, and the other of hydrogen gas, are made to terminate in a common jet. Hydrogen being a very combustible gas, and o.xygen the most active supporter of combustion, the one being inflamed in the other as they issue from a common orifice, occasions the most intense heat yet produced. In this flame, a small piece of lime is placed, which immediately becomes intensely incandescent, and evolves a light so bright as to be painful to the eyes, when looked at for a few minutes, wliile it illuminates every thing upon which it shines to a degree scarcely surpassed by tiie light of the sun. The Drummond Light, though by no means the most unportanl use to which Dr. Hare's Compound Blow-pipe is applied, is capable of several useful applications. It was first employed, for practical purposes, by Lieutenant Drummond, in the Trigono- metrical Survey of Ireland, and hence it has received — very improperly, as some think — its present name: for whatever cre- dit may be attached to Lieutenant Drum- mond for its first application, the honour of its invention is certainly due to Professor Hare. It has been within a few years suc- cessfully applied upon the coast in light- hoiTses, for which it is particularly suited by its intensely brilliant and star-light appear- ance. It has also been applied with great success in the oxyhydrogen niicro.-cope, which has attracted great attention, as re- cently exhibited by Dr. Lardner and others in this city. One of the chief objections to this light for the illumination of houses and public halls, is its painful and injurious efiect upon the eyes; this, however, may be obv;ated by placing it near the ceiling and in such a position as to throw its rays into all parts of the room, without being in the direct line of vision. Another difficulty is its expense, 94 Guano as a Manure. Vol. IX. which would be considerably greater than that of the ordinary city gas. For very large rooms, however, in which one Drum- mond light would be sufficient, and which are only lighted occasionally, and for a few hours at a time, this would hardly be an ob- jection. The chief item of cost is the oxy- gen gas, which in its greatest purity is made from the chlorate of potash, a salt which costs one dollar per pound ; one pound is sufficient to make about thirty gallons of the gas, which in an ordinary jet would burn, perhaps, five or six hours. To this must be added the small expense of the hydrogen gas and lime, together with the wear and tear of the apparatus, which would make one light, such as that ordmarily used in the exhibitions to which the public have had ac- cess, cost about 35 cents per hour, or some- what less where it was used as a permanent means of illumination. — Weekly Intelli- gencer. Guano as a Manure; from Dr. Gard- ner's Essay. Manures may be divided into two classes — those that merely forward the growth or developement of cellular tissue, and give dimensions without solidity — and those that yield the inorganic basis of plants, and give firmness. Ammonia and azotized matters belong to the former, whilst bone-eaith, lime, ashes, &c., represent the second class. But farm-yard manure and the excrement of birds, in which the urine and faeces are mingled, contain both essentials, and are serviceable not only in giving luxuriance of growth, but an increased supply of grain. Hence -their value and uniform success. But these complex manures difter much in quality, as they contain an excess of one or other of the bodies enumerated. Practice has not yet determined how much nitrogen is best, but so far as experiments with guano have tended to a solution of this vital ques- tion, it would appear that ordinary speci- mens are not too rich for highly cultivated plants. Now guano may be represented as a compound of 20 per cent, azotized matters, 30 per cent, bone-earth, 10 per cent, alka- line salts, and the rest humus and sand — and is worthy of attention as furnishing us with an extremely successful compost, well calculated as a formula for artificial mix- tures. It is (juestionable, however, whether for many plants, such as clovers and grasses, the proportion of nitrogen is not too high, and calculated to produce herbage luxuriant in dimensions, but cellular and loose in structiire, as is known to be the case with sulphate of ammonia. Hence guano uni- formly produces large bulbs in turnips and potatoes, and a great increase of straw. It will be found that in poor lands, by which I mean those containing little soluble saline matter, the tendency of the manure is to act in this way — but in well prepared soils it will not exhibit so marked an excess in the proportion of nitrogen ; for the nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, entering the plant, increases the function of nutrition to the highest point, and there is a necessity created for saline bodies of the second class of manures, which, if freely supplied, leads to a firm as well as luxuriant growth, but if not simultaneously introduced, leads to an imperfect developement. On a rich soil, the saline substances will be attainable, but on poor land, badly tilled, they will be want- ing. There is nothing specific in the form of gunao that hinders it from being imitated. Pigeon and fowl excrement in a similar state of decay, would produce the same ef- fects. But in making artificial guano, there is one difficulty to be overcome before the great value of the natural article can be produced. The oxalate and urate of ammo- nia yield their base gradually by decay, and not suddenly, as would be the case with car- bonate of ammonia used as a substitute. It is necessary to imitate this gradual produc- tion of carbonate of ammonia before any artificial manure can equal guano, when ap- plied in a similar bulk. To this end there sliould be introduced animal matters with a high per centage of nitrogen, and in a state of rapid decay. Dried blood, hair, horn- shavings, wool, dried muscle and fish, gela- tine of bones, might all be prepared in a state of powder, and liable to quick decom- position by a little attention, and being added to the mineral constituents of artificial gua- no, would produce a compost of the highest value. The substance nearest approaching guano in composition is dried urine, which is not at all inferior in agricultural value — the only difference being the presence of urea in place of urate of ammonia, and less phos- phate of lime. Artificial guanos have met with favour amongst English faraiers, and been extensively used — but it is impossible to give an estimate of their value from ex- periments hitherto made: some specimens have attained one half the value of the Pe- ruvian, whilst others fall very far below. The best formula are as follows: Mr. Fleming''s artificial Guano. — Bones dissolved in muriatic acid, 224 lbs.; charcoal powder, 224; sulphate of ammonia, 112; salt and gypsum, each 112; wood ashes, 560; nitrate of soda, 28; sulphate of soda and magnesia, each 10. No. 3. Failure of the Potatoe Crop. 95 TurnbuWs arlificial Guano {siijiposed.) — Sulphate of soda, 224 lbs.; sulphate of am- monia, 224; carbonate of soda, 112; bones, partly dissolved, 1G80. There were used, in comparison with guano and farm-_yard manure, on Swedish turnips, by Mr. Fleming: — Expense. Gain in weight. Tons. cwt. qrs. £. s. d. Tons. cwt. qrs Nothing, 12 5 2 Guano, 3 cwt. 23 8 2 3 15 0* U 3 Turnbull's, 3 cwt. 14 n 2 1 4 0 2 6 0 Fleming's, 3 cwt. 17 14 1 1 10 0 5 8 3 Farmyard manure, 20 tons 18 11 2 10 10 0 6 6 0 * Guano is estimated at six dollars the hundred weight. It appears from this experiment that Mr.' Fleming's mixture, at less than half the price, produced a gain nearly equal to half, that of the guano, and that it is better than Mr. Turnbull's. I In both these composts, and in that recom-j mended by Professor Johnson, there is not ai sufficient amount of ammonia. The follow-' ing more nearly resembles guano: Sulphate of ammonia, 30 lbs.; bones dissolved in mu- riatic acid, 30; fine ashes, 50; dried animal: matter, prepared in powder, with humus,i 100. The whole to be mixed intimately,' and applied in several parcels, as a substi- tute for one cwt. of guano. The prepared animal matter may be obtained in the fol-| lowing manner: Let the flesh, fish, blood, | &c., be dried by a stove, and then cut or, bruised as far as possible ; make a heap,' with very fine mould, the animal matter: and caustic lime, laying them together: lightiy^ and exposing to the air under a shed.! If any putrefaction occurs, add more lime:! in a short time, depending upon the weather,! the whole will be reduced to a powder. — i Care must be taken that the animal sub- stance is well dried. Shavings of horn, bones, wool, &lc., require more time for dis' integration.-^i\'eif) York Farmer and Me chanic. the same manner, great suffering, as well as loss, must ensue." — Greevfield {Mass.) Democrat. The failure of the potatoe crop seems to be universal throughout the Northern States. In this vicinity scarcely any will be pre- served. The Barre Gazette says : " Nearly or quite the entire crop of potatoes in this region is lost. When dug, they are found to be diseased and rotten. Some have been dug early, and placed in the cellar in an ap- parently sound condition, and in a few days found to be decaying fast. They appear, to sight and smell, as if rotten. Several of our farmers have commenced ploughing them in, in the field. VVe lefirn that the difficulty extends to all the region about us. It is said some hogs have died after being fed with them. No reasonable cause is given for this singular occurrence. Should the crop fail throughout New England in Disease among Potatoes. — We have se- veral times alluded to the disease among potatoes. The same disease is noticed in the Amherst Express, Pittsfield Sun, and Bridgeport (Ct.) Farmer. It appears to be very extensive, and this crop in many towns is nearly destroyed. We have a field of "Mercers," that have nearly all rotted, while "Carters" adjoining, appear much less injured. A writer in the last Pittsfield Sun, remarks: "As yet, I believe no one has accounted for this di-sease. On examin- ing my own field, I find that each remaining green leaf is covered with small insects, about the size of the house flea, very black, which fly off* when disturbed. The tender parts of the leaves appear to have been eaten, which may account for the prema- ture decay of the tops." — Northamjjlon {Mass.) Democrat. Diseased Potatoes. — We learn from several farmers, that their potatoes are dy- ing, and that their crop will be almost an entire failure. We have seen several fields, mostly of the pink-eye variety, where the tops were dead. The potatoes probably not more than half grown. What is the cause of this, we do not know. The season here has been favourable for the crop. We have noticed among some early potatoes we have raised, that a considerable portion are affected with the disease, which proved so disastrous to the potatoe crop in this country and in England, last year. We invite the attention of correspondents to this subject, and hope to hear from them in our next number. — Central N. Y. Fanner. Disease among Potatoes — We have noticed throughout the country, that pota- toes show siyns of premature decay. The vines generally hold green until the first frost; but this year the \ines of seme entire 96 The JVew Fertilizer — Guano. Vol. IX. fields liave commenced drying- up, while the potatoes have not half reached their matu- rity. The crop will not be half a yield. Wo learn from a gentleman who has passed through New York, recently, that the same disease seems to be prevalent throughout that State. This is very singular, ancf is a subject of sufficient importance to claim the attention of scientific men, that the causes may be made known, and if possible, the evil remedied another yea.T.—Pittsfield, iMas- sachuseils, Eaffle. The Potatoe Crop. — There is no crop of vegetables of so much value and import- ance to all classes, as the potatoe. It is bread, and meat, and drink, and sustenance, to the needy; with potatoes, it is impossible to starve, and thoy are the delight of the rich as well as the poor— there Ts no aris- tocracy about a potatoe. The man of wealth has them served up in various shapes and forms at his table— the boiled mealy potatoe, the fried, the nnshed, the scolloped and the stewed, while the poor thrust them peel and all under the burning embers, and with a little salt make a meal upon them fit for an emperor. How painful therefore, it is to learn that whole crops of this valuable escu- lent have been destroyed by the rot. Farm- ers, scientific cultivators, and chemists, should employ themselves assiduously in discovering the cause. Is it in the soil, m the manure, in the cultivation, in the seed, or in the planting] We hope nothing will be left undone to ascertain the cause and apply the remedy.— Saturday Ameri- can. The potatoe crop throug-hout New York, IS stated to be ruined. The Shakers, who engaged to deliver fifteen thousand bushels in that city, have given notice of inability to furnish a single bushel, and will hardly have enough for tlioir community, ofifering to the " world's people" the whole crop, if they would dig it. The only section from which no complaint is heard, is Maine, but It IS hardly possible that even there the crop has escaped the disease.— Saturday Ameri- can. The New Fertilizer— Guano. The Inverness (Scot.) Courier brings for- ward a statement to make stronger the'' truth of the old saying, that there Is " nothing new under the sun," and with reference to guano as a manure, remarks that it is men- tioned in Robertson's "History of America," speaking of the ancient agriculture of the Peruvians, where the author says, "They enriched the soil by manuring it with the dung of sea-fowls, of which they found an inexhaustible store in all the islands scat- tered along their coasts." And in a note he adds, "The Spaniards have adopted those customs of the ancient Peruvians; they con- tinue to use guano, or the dung of sea-fowls, as manure. Uloa gives a description of the almost incredible quantity of it in the small islands near the coast." We had thus the name and use of guano told us by Robertson seventy years ago. Guano. — We find the following paragraph in Burke's account of the European settle- ments in America: " The district which produces this pepper in such abundance, is small but naturally barren ; its fertility in pepper, as well as in grain and fruits, is owing to the advantages of a species of a very extraordinary manure, brought from an island called Iquiqua. This - is a sort of yellowish earth of a fetid smell. It is generally thought to be the dung of birds, because of the similitude of the scent, feathers having been found very deep in it, and vast numbers of sea fowls appearing upon that and all the adjacent coasts. But on the other hand, whether we look upon this substance as the dung of these sea fowls, or a particular species of earth, it is almost equally difficult to .conceive how the small island of Iquiqua, not above two miles in circumference, could supply such im- mense quantities, and yet after supplying upwards of twelve ship loads annually, for a century together, for the distant parts, and a vastly larger quantity for the use of the neighbcurhood, it cannot be observed that it is in the lea.st diminished, or that the height of the island is at all lessened." Peruvian Guano.— All the departments of art and industry have their occasional novelties. The reigning novelty in the ag- ricultural world— that is, in this part of it — is the substance called guano, which the reader will perceive is advertised as on sale in Baltimore. This manure consists of the deposite of sea birds that roost and breed on the islands on the south-west coast of Ame- rica. It has been used for ages in Peru, and is there so indispensable to the growth of corn and wheat, that, according to some writers, the country would have been a bar- ren waste without it. Its use in England, where it has been ap- plied with wond^erful results to almost every sort of crop that grows in that country, is of comparatively recent date; just long enough to have spread a conviction of its efficacy so widely as that seven or eight hundred ves- sels are now employed in the " guano trade !" No. 3. Lightning Rods. 97 Its strong recommendation consists in the small compass of bulk and weight which renders cheap and easy, the transportation to any distance, of a great amount of fertil- izing power. A calculation has been made by a careful and discreet farmer near Peters- burg, to show that guano, at the rate of even four liundred pounds to the acre, which is a very liberal allowance, two to tiiree cwt. being the usual quantity, does not cost, at $3 per hundred, more than half as much as the stable manure required to produce the same results, at- twenty-five cents for the two-horse wagon load, when hauled from one and a half to three miles. To gratify our agricultural readers, we subjoin the analysis of the genuine guano by Prof. Ure, of London. So great is the demand for Peruvian guano, that a spurious compound in imitation of it has been manu- factured. Average result of analysis of the genuine guano, in reference to its agricultural value, by Professor Ure, M. D. F. R. S. Azotized organic matter, included nrate of ammonia, and capable of atTording from 8 to 17 per cent, of ammonia by slow de- composition in the soil. 50.0 Water 11.0 Phospjiate of lime 25.0 Ammonia, phosphate of magnesia, phos- phate of ammonia and oxalate of ammo- nia, conlaiiiiiig from 4 to 9 per cent, of ammonia 13.0 Siliceous matter from the crops of birds, 1.0 100.0 To distinguish " the true from the sham," Professor Ure says that genuine guano, when burned upon a red hot shovel, leaves a white ash of phosphate of lime and mag nesia, whereas the foreign substance leaves a black fused mass of sea salt, copperas, a,nd sand. The specific gravity of good fresh guano is never more than 165, water being 100, whereas that of this substance is as high as 217, as produced by the sand, salt, and copperas in it. — Exchange Paper. From the Saturday American. liightuing: Rods. I WILL consider the several queries pro- po.=:ed in your favour of August 30th, in order. 1. " Do the square rods possess any supe- riority over the round ones as conductoi-s of electricity 1" Faraday, one of the best authorities on electricity, asserts that the conducting power of a rod is proportioned to its mass, or quan tity of matter and not to its surface; and the same doctrine is assumed by an English writer, in "Sturgeon's Annals of Electrici ty." It is admitted that the fluid pervades only the surface ; still it is maintained that the conducting power depends on the mass. I have not in my possession any set of ex- periments which authorises the opinion of Faraday, but he doubtless had, or he would not have asserted it to be a lact. If this doctrine be true, then so long as the mass is the same, it is of no consequence whether the rod is square or round. 2. " Are a number of points attached to the extremity of a rod preferable to one?''' According to the experiments of Earl Stanhope, made more than sixty years ago, a single needle will discharge a Jeyden jar more rapidly than a bundle of the same ; and in conformity with this, a single point is generally used for the termination of lightning rods in Europe, and I believe one is preferable to several — especially where they diverge from each other as they com- monly do. In the lightning rods constructed by a skilful manufacturer in this city, the upper termination is formed of a sharp cop- per spindle, at the base, of the same diame- ter as the rod — say an inch or three-fourths of an inch. This is permanently gilded by the electrotype process. It makes a beauti- ful finish; as may be seen in the rods re- cently erected on the new Library of Yale College. The joint where the spindle is attached to the rod is as perfect as possible — a cylindrical projection on the spindle, nicely turned, fitting closely into a hole in the end of the rod, nicely bored. All the parts of a rod should be fitted by joints as close as this. Many rods have proved defective, within my knowledge, merely because the parts were united loosely by the hook-and-eye joint. 3. " Are tubes to be preferred to solid cylinders, on account of the greater surface exposed 1" If Farady's doctrine that the conducting power is proportioned to the mass, is true, then the tubes, of a given diameter, cannot be equal in power to solid rods. 4. "Do the projecting points placed along the whole length of a rod, and at right-angles with it, in some forms of conductors, increase the efficacy of the rods ]" In case a rod is well connected with the ground, so as to deliver the charge freely, I think such points are unnecessary, so far as they are supposed to dissipate the charge, and therefore to render it less dangerous than when it traverses the rod in a concen- trated state. They are sometimes appended on the idea of inviting cr directing a lateral or horizontal charne ; but I have never .seen any well attested fact of their utility in such cases. It appears to me of great importance to preserve all possible simplicity and cheap- 98 Marl Underlying Charleston. Vol. IX. ness in the construction of rods, else we cannot hope for their being generally used. Hence, any appendage that is not decidedly advantageous, ought to be avoided. 5. "Are not vanes, balls, and ornaments which are often placed on rods, obstructions to the fluid!" I think these appendages do not generally affect the efficacy of a rod. 6. " Should not lightning rods have a clean smooth surface; and would not a coat- ing of iin be beneficial V I do not suppose it to be important that the surface should be smooth; but it ought to be free from rust, — which greatly impair the conducting power of iron. A coating of black pamt, — the basis of which is charcoal, (a good conductor,) or, better, a galvanized surface — which is not liable to oxidize, is essential to the permanent efficacy of a rod The most essential points in the construe tion of a rod, appear to me to be these: that the rods should project sufficiently high above surrounding objects, and terminate in a bright metallic spinale, — that its parts should have as perfect continuity as possi ble, and that it should descend to the depth of permanent moisture. Denison Olmsted. Yale College, Sept. 3rd. 1844. Marl Underlyiug Charleston. E.tlract of a letter from Prof. Bailey of West Point, to Dr. J. Lawrence Smith. It may be that the extract from this let ter is of too purely a scientific character for this journal; but it must be interesting to us all notwithstanding, as it is connected with the geological structure of the spot we inhabit; a few preliminary observations will make what follows more intelligible. Ehrenberg, a distinguished German natu- ralist, discovered a few years since, that there existed immense beds ot earthy mat- ter miles in extent, and many hundred feet in thickness, formed solely of the remains of microscopic animalcules, so small that millions were comprised within the compass of a cubic inch; their forms are varied, and their composition that of pure sand ; in fact these little creatures v^hen alive, were en- veloped in flinty cells so indestructible as to remain perfect to the present day, a mon- ument of their previous existence; these deposits have been found in many parts of the globe, but no where in greater abundance than in this country. There is a material brought from one of the Northern States, and used as a polishing powder, that con- sists entirely of these remains. Ehrenberg also found chalk to be made up of the re- mains of microscopic animalcules, whose covering was composed of carbonate of lime instead of silica. These facts which may appear simply to -show the wonders of nature, are destined to be of incalculable service to the geologist in pointing out the comparative ages of many formations upon the globe, and Prof. Bailey of West Point has directed his atten- tion to this subject, his labours have already been of great service; and we look with anxiety to see a complete detail of what he has done in this department of science. The subject of this letter is the immense bed of marl that underlies Charleston, and perhaps a large portion of the eastern half of this State, the thickness of this bed is unknown; it has been penetrated to a depth of over three hundred feet, and the specimens ex- amined were from this boring. " You can now inform the good people of Charleston that their city is built upon a, bed of animalcules several hundred feet in thickness, every cubic inch of which is filled with myriads of perfectly preserved micro- scopic shells. The.se shells, however, do not, like those beneath Richmond and Peters- burg, &c., belong to the silicious infusoriae, but are all derived from those minute calca- reous shelled creatures, called by Ehrenberg polythalami. You are aware that Ehrenberg proved chalk to be chiefly made up of such shells, and you will doubtless be delighted to learn that the tertiary beds beneatli your city, are filled with more numerous and more perfect specimens of these beautiful forms, than I have aver seen in chalk or marl from any other locality. These forms are destined to be of great value in geology, and when the precise position of the forma- tion beneath Charleston sliall be fi.xed, and the forms belonging to each bed determined, we shall then have so perfect a guide to the geology of a large portion of our southern country, that by a mere glance through the microscope at portions of strata, scarcely large enough to be seen by the naked eye, their characteristic fossils may be seen, and their true position in the scries determined. It will be a great labour however, to give the subject all .the developement it needs. I iiave myself examined the forms from as many as forty different and distant portions of our continent, but still feel very diffident in using the knowledge thus acquired." "This polythalamia to whose labours South Carolina owes so large a portion of her ter- ritory, are still at work in countless thou- sands upon her coast, filling up harbours, orming shoals, and depositing their sliells to record the present state ot the sea-shore as their predecessors, now entombed beneath No. 3. Madder. — Mustard Seed. 99 Charleston, have done with regard to the ancient ocean." — Southern Agriculturist. Madder. Communicated for the Farmers' Cabinet. To the Agricultural Society of Newcastle County, Del. I HAVE noticed with regret the low prices which the staple articles of agricultural produce of this district, command at this time, owing in a measure, to their being brought into competition by means of the Western rail roads and canals, with the cheap fertile lands in the northern parts of the Mississippi Valley. Under these cir- cumstances it behoves every farmer and friend to the farming interest, to endea- vour to find other objects of culture, on which they may bestow their time and la- bour, with more profit to themselves, and advantage to the community. Among other articles that may not be wholly unworthy attention, in this respect, is that of Madder for dymg — Rubia lincto- rum. Although this colouring matter, may at first view, appear of but small consequence, yet we may reflect, that there are now import- ed into this country annually, upwards of Jive thousand tons, at a cost of more than one million of dollars. And if our manufac- turing establishments continue to be sus- tained, the consumption will yearly increase; may it not therefore, in a short time, become a profitable article of cultivation, to many of our farmers. From experiments which have been made, it is found, that it can be produced in this climate, of quite as good, if not a superior quality, to that which is imported. Under this view, may we not look forward with a hope, that at no very distant day, it will be- come a valuable article in our items of ex- port? Madder is now brought into the United States principally from Holland and Ger- many ; their mode of cultivation has hereto- fore been represented as tedious, and labo- rious, requiring much care and skill as well as a large outlay of capital. These repre- sentations appear to have deterred most of our American farmers from undertaking its culture. It is true, the crop requires four years to bring it to full maturity, and needs some labor, knowledge and capital; but from the experience of Joseph Swift, an enter- prising farmer of Erie county Oliio, who has been engaged in its culture for several years, it has yielded more clear profit in proportion to the land occupied and labour bestowed, than any other crop he could raise, viz. $200 net profit per acre every four years. The above few hasty observations, are made merely to call more able, and experi- enced minds to the subject, if any should think it deserving their attention. Very respectfully, Jacob Alrichs. Dr. J. W. Thomson, President, &c. Before the above communication was received, the article on the same sutrject on page 91, was in type. We are pleased to find our friend's attention has been directed to it: and hope others wliose situation may be favorable, will make the necessary enquiries, and act accordingly. The reasons given by J. Alrichs for the cultivation of madder in the middle states, are cer- tainly very cogent ones. We must here, if we would compete with our western farmers, not only endeavour to produce large crops at little expense as possible, but we must look around, and see if we cannot in some particulars, bring about a change of crops. The Editor is aware that this is but a repetition of what he has heretofore several times said : he hopes the nature of the subject, will plead his excuse. — Ed. For the Farmers' Cabinet. Mustard Seed. To THE Editor, We have recently purchased from J, H. Parmlee of Ohio, a part of his crop of brown mustard seed, raised, as he informed us, on 27 acres of good rich land, prepared with as much care as is usually bestowed upon wheat land. The seed, he says, was planted in rows one foot apart one way, and two feet the other. The crop was well worked dur- ing the season, and when near ripe was cut with sickles, laid on sheets or wagon covers, hauled to the barn in the sheets, and there thrashed out and fanned. He has delivered to us as a part of the product of 27 acres of latid, 114 barrels, containing 382 bushels 45 lbs. of brown mustard seed, weighing 52^ lbs. per bushel, making 20,100 lbs., for which we paid him 8 cts. per lb., making $ 1608.00 and he has, he says 100 busliels of tailings, which he estimates will clean up 75 bushels, say 50 lbs. per bu., making 3,750 lbs. at 8 cts. 300.00 Product of 27 acres of brown mustard seed, S 19C8.00 or $70.66 per acre. The time is not fir distpiit, if not already at hand, when the ii.terrsts ot the American farmers will be best promoted by devoting a 100 Gathering Potatoes. — Guano. — Editorial JVotices. Vol. IX. portion of their time and land to the raisinjy of many crops which are now imported from countries refusing (except when their own crops fail) the surplus of the American farms, aad thus not only raise the prices of their grain crops by diminishing their quantity, but secure to themselves a large amount of money which is annually sent out of the country to purchase these crops ; mustard seed is one of them, which can be raised here to a profit, and for which, if the seed is delivered clean and in good order, the demand will be found very active and certain. Respectfully, • C. J. Fell & Brother, Mustard Manufacturers, 64 S. Front Street, Philadelphia, 9th mo. 28, 1844. should stand on potatoes, as it will soon des- troy them. If potatoes *are dug and pitted early, there should be an opening made at the apex of the heap, and filled with a wisp of straw, to keep out the rain, but at the same time to allow the heated air to pass off. — American Farmer. The Indian Summer. Ey Brainard. What is there saddening in the autumn leaves? Have they that " green and yellow melancholy" That the sweet poet spake of ?— Had he seen Our variegated woods when first the frost Turns into beauty -all October's charms — When the dread fever quits us— when the storms Of the wild equinox, with all its wet, Eas left the land, as the first deluge left it, With a bright bow of many colours hung Upon the forest tops — he had not sighed. The moon stays longest for the hunter now: The trees cast down their fruitage, and the blithe And busy squirrel hoards his winter store: While man enjoys the breeze that sweeps along The bright, blue sky above him, and that bends Magnificently all the forest's pride, d{ whispers through the evergreens, and asks, " What is there saddening in the autumn leaves?" Gatheriug Potatoes. Irish potatoes, if it is desirable to have them in all their excellence, should never have the sun shine on them after they are dug, and should be exposed to the air and litjht as little as may be. Potatoes pitted or buried in holes in the field, retain their fresh- ness and good qualities much later than those put in open bins in the cellar; and the farmer will always do well to have a few pitted for spring use. The necessity for this may in a great measure be obviated, by lining the bot- tom and sides of a bin with turf, and wlien it is filled, covering it in the same manner. Potatoes will keep perfectly sound and good for years, if placed so low in the earth as to have a temperature loo low for vegetation. Experiments made in a compact soil, on the north side of buildings or walls, show that four or five feet will usually be sufiicieut ; in a lighter or more parous soil, a greater depth is requisite. No water in any case Experiments with Guano. — At a late meeting of the Isle of Man Agricultural So- ciety, the following statement was read of some experiments which had been made with guano by Mr. Lyle, of the Kirk Onchan Nursery. On a light and poor soil were two plats of grass ; one of Stickney's rye grass, mixed with small quantities of holcvs lanatus and poa trivialis; the other of Italian rye-grass. A space was measured oft' from each of these patches, and on the 12th of May last, both the spaces were top-dressed with guano, at the rate of three cwt. per acre. On the 20th of June, one square yard of the dressed and undressed spaces, taken as fairly as possible, was cut and carefully weighed, when the following were the re- sults: The produce from one square yard of Stickney's rye grass, dressed with guano at the above rate, weighed 7^ lbs.; while that which had not been so treated weighed but 2^ lbs. The Italian rye-grass dressed with guano, weighed 1(1^ lbs. ; whereas that which had not received any, weighed only 4| lbs. Guano was also applied on the 12th of May, at the same rate, to a row of young elms; and on the 20th of June, this row could be distinguished, even at a considerable dis- tance, from the others, by its deep and health}'^ green, and more vigorous growth. A row of larches was dressed in like man- ner with precisely similar eflx=cts, the neigh- bouring rows decidedly partaking of the benefits of the application: On a row of strawberries, and upon those adjoining, ef- fects similar to the last were produced. — Liverpool Times. THE FARITIERS' CABINET, AND Philadelphia, Tenth Month, 1844. The sixteenth Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Hor- ticultural Society, took place in the two grand saloons of the Museum building on the Ifith, IPth, and i20th ult. The weather was clear and fine, and particularly calculated to call out for enjoyment, all who delight in the profuse display of fruit, flr.wer and vegetable, for « liich our vicinity has deservedly so high a character. Every one felt and acknowledged the superior arrange. No. 3. Editorial JVotices. lOi ment of the present season over the preceding, when our readers will recollect but one of the rooms was oc- cupied. Notwithstanding the crowds that gathered there from day to daj', and in the evenings particu- larly, thtre was ample room for all to move with tol- erable comfort; and though at times you were obliged to float along with the mass, without being at all able to look to the ostensible objects of your visit, yet the jam was by no means so suffocating as we have some- times known it in previous years, when there was uiuch less room. The Society and Committee of arrangement, cer- tainly manifested great taste in the distribution of the articles so liberally poured in upon them. The lower room was occupied with numerous bouquets and taste- ful designs formed of cut flowers, some of which, reach- ing to the ceiling at a height of 21 feet, were in size well adapted to the spaciousness of the saloon. The fountain too, which was playing in the centre, not only seemed appropriate to the general character of the exhibition, but pleased the ear with its murmuring, and gave health and pleasantness and freshness to an atmospbeie which might otherwise have been rather too confined. Tables up the centre and whnle length of the sides, were filled with flowers and plants of all descriptions, and natives of all climes. Ample space and opportunity were aflbrded for the amatetir to ex- hibit from his green-house specimens of his success, and thus indulge his liberality of feeling, by throwing open to general inspection and enjoyment, the rare and curious plants which all are pleased to exam- ine, and which but few can cultivate for themselves. In the upper room, more extensive still than the lower, the display of fruits and vegetables was really very fine. The latter, we thought, had never been ex- ceeded; such melons, such beets, such pumpkins, &c., every one would take a pride in raising. It is, as we all know, a general fruit season, and it would seem in almost all the samples before us, as if nature had done her best. Finer grapes in appearance, have perhaps b.:jti shown in previous years, hut never in greater variety. Indeed it may be said, the fruit had but one solitary failing — it was forbidden. There was ample room for the distribution of pre miums, and we have been glad to observe they were spread far and wide around the city. Our Jersey friends were well in the field, and contributed their full share to the richness of the show. However they may be charged with hailing from the land of pine knots and blowing sand, they can proudly point to their products of the field, the gaiden and the orchard, and say, heot us if you can Something short of !g-2,500 were taken at the door, and from twelve to fifteen thousand persons visited the rooms. During a part of the second evening, we concluded there could scarcely be fewer thati :)500 per- sons in attendance: in the upper saloon alone, it was estimated that 2500 were crowded at once. To view Ihem from the galleries above, was a beautiful specta- cle, and to the editor, one of no ordinary interest. The youth, and the beauty, and the aniniaiinn, and the hope of the city and country, were floating bdow; and though, as we leaned over the railing and con- templated the crowd, we could not but acknowledge the question asked by a friend at our side— "where will all these be fifty years hence?" — was both natural and full of meaning;— and though we could scarcely restrain a tear, kindred to that which Xer.xes dropped at Abydos, when the reflection was forced upon him, that the days were numbered of all the mighty host before him— yet the hope and the elasticity of feeling which everj' surrounding object w as calculated to in- spire, expelled the threatening s/tade, and as we with- drew the eye from the moving thousands beneath, and the abundant proofs presented on every hand, of na- ture's exuberant bounty and loveliuess, the exclama- tion of the dying girl was remembered, "what a beau- tiful world is this we live in !" During a part of the last evening, the audience was rather taken by surprise, by an exhibition of skill in music. The question was asked by several whom we met— is this appropriate to a horticultural exhibition? is it not rather foreign to the purpose? will it not de- ter many from the rooms? and if it should draw any thither, will they not be of a class different trom that select one, w hich no doubt the So iety wishes to see on its floors? The objects the Society has in view in these annual displays, are, we apprehend, to incite by competition, to a multiplication of the con forts of life — to diffuse a taste for the elegancies of the green- house and the garden ; and to afford to an intelligent and well cultivated public, a chaste and unexception- able amusement, in which all can freely, and without hesitation, participate. It is stated, and no doubt truly, that on the 7th ult., the locomotive United States, built by Baldwin &. Whit- ney of this city, brought from Pottsville to Richmond, the depot of the Reading railroad, on the Delaware, a little above K(>nsington, a train of one hundred and fifty cars, containing five hundred and sixty-four tons of coal. Tiie cars themselves, weighed three hundred and forty ions: total weight, nine hundred and four tons. This is probably the greatest performance ever made by a locomotive, either in this country or Eu- rope. On pages 63 and 382, of last volume, references will be found to the Etrurian wheat, introduced by Com- modore Stewart, of Bordentown, N. J. H. M. Zollic- koffer, of this city, left at the oflice two or three weeks since, a beautiful sample of this wheat, grown by his brother Daniel, of Carroll cc, Marylarid. It is a white variety, said to he fly proof, and scarcely subject to rust. We have just learned that the ploughing match of the Newcastle County Agricultural Society will take place in a field near Brandywine Village, on the 18th inst. The rules to be observed in the match, and the list of premiums will be made known on the ground. Tho Bucks Cfiunty Agricultural Society will hold its Exhibition and Cattle Show on the 2-lth inst. Th^^y had nia.ie arrangements to hold it on the ITth, but it was postponed on account of our own commencing on that day. The exhibition of our Agricultural Society is now at hand. To-morrow and the day following, will be lively days at the fiisivg Sun. On the 18th will be the trial of ploughs. 102 Editorial JVotices. Vol. IX. Attention is invited to the communication of C. J. Fell & Brother, on page 100, in relation to Mustard— sinapis nigra. A crop that will yield upwards of $70 an acre, is certainly worth inquiring into; especially where wheat is precarious and expensive, and where now articles of culture are felt to bo wanting. The Mustard plant is said to flourish best in a fine rich mould, that is not easily affected by the drought, and which rather inclines to lit-htness than tenacity. It requires to be carefully tended, the ground being kept mellow, and entirely free from weeds. We are in- formed that the American seed is generally superior to the foreign. The sample left with us is remarkably fine and plump C. J. Fell & Brother, will reserve a few barrels un- crushed, in order to supply those who may be disposed 10 try the experiment of growing it next spring. Our friends of Burlington, had on the '25th and 2(Hh of last month, an aiiiniatcd time in the Annual Exhi- bition of the New Jersey Horticultural Society. Many persons, botli their own citizens and strangers, vii^ited the Lyceum, and greatly admired the taste displayed in the arrangements. The fruit, vegetables and flow- ers, were pronounced very fine , and many rare plants gave increased interest to the room. New Jersey has long been known for the superiority of many of the articles which make up an exhibition of this kind: and we have no doubt of the truth of all we hear in relation to her having done herself credit, on the late occasion. We keep on hand at this office, and will supply our friends with Agricultural works generally. Among ■which are THE FARMER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA, full- bound in leather;— Price $4 00 yOUATT ON THE HORSE, with J. S. Skin- ners very valuable Additions; 2 00 BRIDGEMANS GARDENERS ASSISTANT; 2 00 THE AMERICAN POULTRY BOOK; 371 THE FARMER'S LAND MEASURER; 37nefit. In answer to the frequent inquiries which are made for Colmari's .Agricultural Tour, we may say that the secosid number, as we are advised, is now in press by his publisher in Boston, and may shortly be looked for. The Highland Agricultural Society held its annua! meeting at Glasgow, in the Eighth month last. The Duke of Sutherland sent some of his West Highland cattle to it from a distance of .350 miles; and a pair of oxen of this breed belonging to A. Sterling, took the first premium, as superior to any others of any breed. Scveial hundred cattle were on the ground, and not fewer than 150 horses. The sale of tickets for admis- sion, brought in about j£1,500. % Professor Emmons, of Albany, and Dr. Prime, of Newhurgh, propose the publication of an American Quarterly Journal of .Agriculture and Science. " It will contain original Essays, both scientific and prac- tical, on the various branches of husbandry— animal and vegetable physiology— chemistry— botany— geolo- gy, and all the branches of science connected with fanning — notices and reviews of agricultural and sci- entific works— agricultural news, both foreign and do- mestic—details of accurately conducted experiments and their results, and all discoveries in science or art, which offer advantages to the farmer." We have heard this announcement with pleasure. A work of the kind, conducted with ability and candor, cannot fail to promote essentially the great agiicultur:il inte- rests of the country. Professor Emmons is favourably known by his labours in the geological corps of the State of New York, and we trust the editors may have no difficulty in drawing to their aid an amount of tal- ent and industry that shall give to our Agricultural Quarterly, a high standing among those of similar purpose in other countries. We are an agricultural people, and upon tht- successful prosecution of this leading braiirh of our pursuits, must depend the steady advancement of national prosperity. We have Liehig for auit abundantly, as the peach and plum, for instance, now require to be cultivated with the greatest care, and even then are exceedingly short lived. Many a time, when I was a boy, have I, after eat- ing a fine peach, said to my companions, I will now plant this stone, and if my life is spared, in three years I will eat of its fruit; and as often have I realized the fulfilment of the prediction. In those days, our hedges were loaded with peaches, which, from their mere abundance, the very hogs disdained to eat, except to crack the stone and eat the pit! This fiict I have witnessed with my own eyes. Why then has it become_ eo difficult to raise peaches'? Is it to be im- puted to any change in the climate? or to the exhaustion of some particular property of the soil? And does not the same cause operate on our apple orchards'? 1 But there is another inquiry wlich I wish to submit. Are not all these larg,' and aged I apple trees the production of th: natural 108 Premiw7is for the best managed Farms. Vol. IX. fruit? Can any man point me to an apple tree one hundred, or even seventy five years old, that was grafted, as our present me- thod is, on the stock, or that was grafted in any way'? Every man knows that a grafted tree is merely a continuation of the old one; and, therefore, though its existence be pro- longed by insertion into a new stock, it will, notwithstanding, in a few years, put on all the appearances of premature old age; and the sooner, as the process of grafting has been the more frequently performed with the same variety. We have become so fond of grafting and budding, that most men dis dain a natural tree, however vigorous, except for a stock to be tortured and murdered ; or if success attends the transformation, to be consigned to an early death. But is this extreme, wise? Where did our delicious, grafted fruit come from at first 1 And al- though the seed will not all produce the same variety, yet some of it will, or others still more excellent. I will venture then to suggest, in conclu- sion, that if we would cultivate more na- tural trees, of all kinds of fruit, and let them stand till "by their fruits ye can know them," and then preserve the good and de- stroy the bad, we shall not only obtain new and improved varieties, but greatly prolong the life of our trees. On the present pro cedure, one thing is certain as the course of nature — our finest fruits must soon fail. Of this we have striking evidence in the gene- ral failure of the Newton Pippin, which was once as universally fair as oranges, and of a large size, but now often small and knotty. Other examples might be given, but I must stop. Premiums for the best managed Farms. We are greatly in error if our readers do not relish the lively statements of the followin;; letter. It is well sometimes to see how it strikes a stranger, — Ed. To the Editor of the Marlhorovgh Gazette : Having already received notice fiom two gentlemen, competitors, addressed to me as first named of a committee to award the pre- mium offered for the best managed farm in the county, it seems proper that I should state, in this, the most convenient fi^rm to all parties, that it will not be in my power to undertake the trust with which the Agri- cultural Society of Prince George's has hon- oured me. I am not the less grateful fijr the compliment which such an appointment conveys, for it ass-uredly implies a belief that the persons so delegated have not only taken a deep interest in the general subject of ag- riculture, but that their fondness for it and conviction of its paramount importance, have led them to inquire into and reflect upon, what constitutes gccd mfinngemeut, both aa to principles and practical details. It is not easy to imagine any duty that requires better judgment or more unyield- ing impartiality, than that of awarding such a 2'i'('viinm.' How many things are to be considered ! The extent of the farm to be compared, not only with others, but with the resources at the command of the pro- prietor— such as capital in money, in labour, in natural fertilizers, and in elements requi- site for compounding manures, &c. The time the farm has been in possession of its present proprietor, with its original and present condition, and in that connexion, what have been his extraneous aids and fa- cilities; and how far improvements have resulted from his own sagacity and fore- thought, or from the knowledge and experi- ence of his manager ; for the manager sometimes makes heavy crops under an im- proving system of husbandry, not by the di- rections, but in spile of the owner. All these and many other things are to be taken into the account, and after all, there will be liability to error, as well from overlooking important facts, as from giving undue weight to minor considerations; still, with such colleagues as were on that com- mittee, I would, if my duties here would permit, most gladly have joined in the in- spection of the farm.s to which they are invited, expecting to derive, not only pecu- liar pleasure in visiting their proprietors, but much information from observing their practice, and from being associated with gentlemen of so much experience and judg- ment. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive any thing more agreeable and recreating to a passionate amateur of the country, ^nd all that belongs to country life, than would be a comparison of the claims of competitors for such 'premiums. The thorough sifting that should be given to the candidate, would be a caution to all indolent and unthinking planters ! The catechism should be begun, by a close examination of his personal agency in the concern, to know how much of the results were the fruits of his own thoughts and directions. But that agency is not always to be measured by the time of a man's rising, or the constancy of his pre- sence on the farm. There are some men who have things so systewatised, that they can manage better when sick, or occasion-^ ally from home, than others who rise before day and are "fretting and fuming" from morning to night. The gentleman. Col. N. Boslcy, of Hayfields, who took the premium "presented by the hands of General I^afay- ette," for the best managed farm cf that No. 4. Premiums for the best managed Farms, 109 year, was half his time bed-ridden, and had no overseer; but he knew, every day, what was doing — where it was doing — how it was doing — and why — yes, and that's the great point, lohy that particular thing was being done at that particular time. He made an independent fortune with hay, as liis staple, on a very hilly, stony farm, 16 miles from Baltimore. I had lately, by special invitation, and by the kind permission of my boss, the satisfaction to dine, on Indian Hill, the premium farm of Massachusetts, to the proprietor of which the premium was awarded, not only for the best managed farm, but for the best specimen of under draining, and the best system of keeping farm accounts. Who might not be prouder of such premiums than of military achieve- ments, and sometimes negative service, without achievements, for which our wise, thoughtful, republican government, repre- senting two-thirds farmers, awards the high- est honours, the largest life salaries, hospi- tals, pensions,