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cation is equally effectual when made to the shoulder or back of a horse that has been galled. Yours, respectfully,

Francis Blunt. White Plains, Hanover.

FLY-PROOF WHEAT.

The following is an extract from a letter not intended for publication, but as a great contrariety of opinion exists upon the subject of which it treats, and as we are desirous of placing before our readers both sides of every question, we have taken the liberty of publishing it, knowing, as we do, the author to be perfectly responsible for his statements. This wheat, under the name of " Mediterranean," is obtaining great favor in Pennsylvania.

* * * * « Will vou allow me to advise you to be cautious in reference to the Delaware, Fly-Proof, or German wheat, by all of which names it is known. This wheat has been cultivated in this section of country for several years, and I think I err not when I say, that its value is only found in its fly-proof quality.

" It is a coarse, dark wheat, much like rye, and yielding such indifferent flour, that some of the merchants in Fredericksburg assert, they will buy no more of it. The grain never looks plump though it weighs well. It has turned out miserably this year, so much so, that many of my agricultural friends, who intended before threshing it out to sow large crops of it, will seed very little, and some of them none at all.

"My object is to caution you against the wheat, because I observe } 7 ou intend getting some of it for sale. I think no one will keep it more than two years."

For the Southern Planter. Roseland, Mecklenburg, Oct. 20, 1842. Messrs. Editors,—A number of gentlemen in the vicinity of Boydton, feeling deeply the consequences of neglect and apathy on the subject of agriculture in this county, have been forcibly struck with a notice, given in the July number of your very useful and interesting periodical, of a club formed in the county of Albemarle, called the Hole and Corner Club, No. 1, of that county, the objects of which association are to promote the interests and hasten the improvements in agriculture. Shortly after its publication, twelve gentlemen, in this neighborhood, by appointment, held a meeting to form a similar club, at which meeting, three of their number were appointed a committee to draft a constitution to regulate the action and proceedings of their Society. On due deliberation, that com-

mittee reported as follows :—That as our Association owed its origin to a notice of the Hole and Corner Club, No. 1, of Albemarle, and that as the regulations of that Club in all respects admirably suited our interests and views, that we adopt as our own, their entire regulations, with a few unimportant alterations suited to our particular situation. On the presentation of that report it was unanimously adopted by the meeting.

We style our Association the Mecklenburg Hole and Comer Club, No. 1. We have organized our Society in accordance with our Constitution by the appointment of all the necessary officers, and held five regular meetings, and at each examined minutely into the condition and operations of the farms on which we have held our meetings; and after having partaken of a social dinner, we have freely interchanged opinions and views on subjects connected with the great interests of agriculture:

We mutually agree that we already feel the wholesome effects of our Association; it has called forth the old Virginia sociability and hospitality, has excited our energies and produced a spirit of inquiry and exertion, which must undoubtedly (by our combined efforts) eventuate in the improvement of our social habits, and the condition of our farms.

We take this occasion, through your paper, to suggest to our brother farmers the propriety of forming similar clubs in other parts of our county and agree to hold with them a joint meeting annually in some central point to concentrate our exertions in promoting the long neglected interests of agriculture.

Tingnal Jones, Cor. Secretary.

It was with great pleasure we received the above ; this is exactly the sort of spirit we desire to see pervade every neighborhood in Virginia. We have before expressed the opinion, in which we are confirmed by daily observation, that, of all the different kinds of agricultural associations, this hole and corner system is the one best calculated to effect the end in view. Come, gentlemen, let us have a club in every hole and corner in Virginia. This neighborhood association, this free and eas3' interchange of opinion, this frequent comparison of crops, is the very thing to elicit information, to encourage a proper spirit of emulation, and to convert the labor and drudgery of good farming into recreation and pleasure. Not the least advantage too that this system affords, is, as our correspondent suggests, its tendency to cherish that good old spirit of Virginia sociability which, although, thank God, it has not degenerated so much as

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our com fields, is fully as worthy of support and encouragement.

The idea of a grand annual meeting and general festival, we think, a very happy one. Come, let us organize, and all meet next summer at Charlottesville. What say ye?

For the Southern Planter.

DISTEMPER AND SCRATCHES IN DOGS, AND GRUBS IN HORSES.

Messrs. Editors, —The dog distemper, which yearly destroys so many useful and affectionate creatures, may be readily cured by the following simple method: Heat a pointed iron wire, about the size of a goose quill—then hold up with the fingers, the top skin of the neck of a distempered dog, and thrust the heated wire entirely through it, so that when you relinquish your grasp, two orifices, several inches apart, will be left on the sides of the neck. Through these issues a great deal of foul humor is discharged. This remedy has proved successful in thirteen cases in which it was used, in many of which, all the usual remedies had failed.

Why may not this remedy for dogs' distemper, be used in colts' distemper, in which case it would be proper, I presume, to make the issues under the throat where the usual swelling occurs ?*

In reference to scratches or mange I have known every physic and liniment, such as arsenic, lard and sulphur, &c. to fail in many cases, in which the following application effected a speedy cure:—Mix well together fish or linseed oil and lampblack, and smear it on the diseased dog thoroughly, from "stem to stern," with an old paint brush. To be sure, your dogs cut queer figures after this application. So far from recognising one another by sight, they will for awhile act as though they did not know themselves—nor will they be very suitable visitants for the hall or parlor whilst under the influence of the application, but what are these trifles, compared to the restoration to health, of a favorite dog % Let me add that this application uses up the fleas in the shortest possible order.

A few weeks ago I had a noble and favorite horse writhing under the agony of the grub-worm. I gave him a table spoonful of worm-seed oil in a gill and a half of spirits of turpentine, increased to a quart, by the addition of whiskey and water, and in about twenty minutes two table spoonsful of powdered blue-stone, in a quart of new milk. The horse soon appeared relieved, and in the course of the next ten or twelve hours discharged fifty or sixty grubs of

* The seaton is frequently resorted to with great effect in colts' distemper—En.

the gadfly. The next day he was perfectly well. I think both these remedies good, but the wormseed oil is, I am sure, the most effectual. I have heard highly recommended for this disease a strong tea, made by boiling the bark or berries of the common elder—to be given and followed in twenty minutes by a purge. The sleekest, most healthy looking set of farm horses and mules I ever beheld, belonged to a gentleman, who had used oats, grown in land infested with blue thistle, for horse-feed. He assured me, that after using these oats, among which numberless prickles of the thistle were left by the fan, they passed multitudes of grubs and worms, which upon examination were found pierced with the prickles.

Yours, H.

Port Royal, Sept. 4, 1842.

The above comes from one who takes great delight in " horse and hound," and although he has not thought fit to append his name nor even his initials to his communication, he has no cause, that we know of, to be ashamed of either. As for his mode of curing distemper we would respectfully inquire if a sharp awl could not be well substituted for the hot iron. The wound would probably be less painful, and less liable to heal. If it is desired to continue the issue, we presume our friend is aware that it may be effected to any extent, by the introduction of a leather or other string into the wound.

From the Tennessee Agriculturist. MANAGEMENT OF CALVES.

There are many modes of rearing calves, and we suppose, every man thinks his plan best. That the public may have some correct data from which to judge of this matter, it would be well to know the different old and new methods of managing calves, and then some degree of certainty may be attained.

Not a few in England, and even in this country, separate the calves from the dams at a day old; this may be a cheap plan, but evidently it is not nature's course. Others let the calves remain with the cows till weaned. When this is the case, the calf sucks so frequently, the cow's udder cannot be filled or distended, and consequently, she gives so little milk, it is seldom the calf is more than barely kept from starving.— My calves have done quite well, and my plan has been substantially the following:

When the calf is dropped, the first object is to get it to suck, as the first from the udder of the cow, in this state, is indispensable to the health of the young animal. Next the cow is milked clean, and this is done twice every day,

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after the calf takes its fill, till the dam does not give more than it will consume.

The calf is separated from the cow at about three days old, but turned to her three times a day till about three months old, when it is entirely separated from the mother, and fed, first, upon well boiled gruel, then mush, and so soon as it will eat, cut oats, bran and corn meal are given. The calves are to have green pasture in the mean time, and they have never failed thriving and growing as I desired them.

T. F.

MORUS MULTICAULIS. The morus dies hard. It has been heralded forth as valuable for many purposes in its day. Amongst the last is its fitness for making writing paper. Some numbers of the National Intelligencer, it is stated, have been printed on paper made from this material. It is to be hoped that it will form a better article than some of the rag paper that has lately been in circulation

We furnish to our readers the following extracts from letters received from the senior Editor, who has for some time been at the North, partly, on a tour of agricultural observation:

Boston, September 26, 1842. Six days ago, on a clear, cold frosty morning, such as we generally experience about the month of December, I arrived in " old Bosting." There is an air of venerable antiquity about this place that contrasts very favorably with the freshness and glare of the eternal brick and mortar of New York. The old stone churches, with their antique forms, unknown to architecture, some of them still bearing the marks of revolutionary bullets, are infinitely more interesting than the proudest structure of modern times. The crooked and narrow streets, with the tall and majestic houses on each side, between which you look up as from the bottom of a well, and almost discern the stars at midday, are much more picturesque, than convenient or agreeable. Not having the sagacity of the primitive cows, whose paths, it is said, laid out the streets of the city, I have already lost my way about an hundred times, and not all the savory odor of the Tremont table, has enabled me to snuff my way home in time for dinner. If their ways are crooked, the people themselves appear to be straight forward, upright and honest, and if art has constructed their labyrinthine streets to perplex the stranger, nature has remedied the evil by bestowing an usual quantity of civility on the inhabitants. I have never seen a population that struck me more favorably. Although there is only about twelve hours travel between

New York and Boston, so different is the character of the people, that one is almost inclined to imagine that he has been transported into another hemisphere.

They have here the finest assortment of agricultural implements I have seen anywhere. I have made a few purchases, but the very high, and I would add unnecessary finish that they bestow upon their implements, ploughs particularly, render them too costly for our market. I can buy as good ploughs, as strongly made, without the extra polish, for half the money. The fact is, two rival houses here have been carrying this thing of finish, considering the article upon which it is bestowed, to a ridiculous extent. The farmer wants a plain, substantial tool, and ought to be willing to pay for anything that adds to the durability or execution of his implements; mere ornament in such things he neither needs nor desires. I have seen ploughs here that would make handsome parlor ornaments. This rivalry of appearance too has led to another bad consequence. Every workman knows that the brasher the timber, the smoother it will work: hence, tough stringy pieces are deferred to old brittle stuff, that can be readily made to present a handsome finish. The castings are very excellent, and the fitting of the joints, upon which much of the strength depends, worthy of all commendation. The fondness of the people here for the beautiful art of horticulture has filled their warehouses with a display of implements unknown to us; hoes of all shapes, and of the highest finish, many intended for the use of ladies and children, pruning instruments, transplanting tools, and a thousand little articles, give to their agricultural stores an effect that is very striking. Have these facilities created the taste, or has the existence of the taste produced the facilities ? I have determined to ascertain what the implements will do to arouse the taste, that I am sure lies slumbering in Virginia. What will the ladies of Richmond say when they hear, that I have been purchasing, not only flower roots for their gardens, but beautifully polished hoes for their delicate hands, and little spades for their tin}' feet; they are all warranted—warranted to produce a bloom as fresh and charming as the flowers they are destined to cultivate.

***** Yesterday I visited Mr. Cushing's and Mount Auburn, the living and the dead. Of the latter, I shall only say that it seems to afford very " snug lying," but as this is the last thing that a man needs in this world, and is by no means agricultural, I will pass on to Mr. Cushing's, of which every body has heard.— This is supposed to be one of the most princely establishments in America. The proprietor has, I understand, amassed an immense fortune in the tea trade, and has expended hundreds of thousands in ornamenting these grounds. They

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are situated within six miles of the city, and such has been the number of visitants to this establishment, that Mr. Gushing has found it necessary to set apart one day in the week for their reception. Every Friday the ga.tes are thrown open, and the grounds are crowded with ladies and gentlemen, to whom the most polite attention is shown. Well, it is all very fine, long gravel walks, shrubbery trimmed into shapes, and an elegant garden of six or eight acres surrounded on three sides by a high brick wall, a splendid iron grating ornamenting the front. A most elaborate and elegant green house occupies one side of the wall, whilst wall fruit is trained in various shapes against the other two. Here are walks, parterres, conservatories, brick walls, and iron railings, all very pretty to be sure ; but to my unsophist icated taste, a fine extensive lawn, such as I have seen, with its green grasses and majestic trees, is worth a hundred of them. De gustibus non est disputanciibus, as an old friend of mine used to say, but I could not help thinking, for how much less money than was here expended, Mr. Cushing might have purchased an elegant, well stocked James river estate, and lived a retired country gentleman, the balance of his days. I have seen something more of the world lately than I ever saw before, but I have seen no situation yet so enviable as that of a gentleman I know on James river, with his elegant and venerable old family mansion, his noble lawn, his beautiful park, his extensive prospect, not the least beautiful part of which is the broad acres of the proprietor, rolled out like a map before him, surrounded by his well fed, well clad, and cheerful negroes, to whom he is not less a protector and benefactor than a master. If there is a heaven on earth it seems to me to be such a home, and I would not exchange it for all the gewgaws and fripperies, that wealth and extravagance can afford.

However I may be inclined to fall out with Mr. Cushing's taste in the expenditure of his money, which, I reckon, he thinks more his business than mine, the disposition of the proceeds of this splendid property must secure for the noble proprietor the gratitude and esteem of every kind and benevolent heart. Not a dollar's worth is ever sold, but the whole of the surplus, after supplying the simple wants of a small family, is given to the poor. Some hundred acres in the highest state of cultivation, employing the constant labor of thirty hands, loaded with vegetables, fruits, and flowers, are devoted to those, to whom fortune has denied such blessings. Here is a use of princely wealth that does honor to America, whilst it should bring a blush of shame to the cheeks of the nobles of Europe.

The only thing I saw here particularly worthy of note, in an agricultural way, was the herd of cows; they consist principally of the

Ayrshire stock, and one of them I noticed particularly as a splendid specimen. I am more than ever impressed with the belief that this is the stock best adapted to our soil and climate. I saw here two men and four monstrous oxen employed in breaking up ground, that I thought would have been readily effected with two horses and a negro man, in Virginia. It may be that on this farm there is little attention to the economy of labor, but observation elsewhere has satisfied me, that an acre of ground can be broken up with a negro man and a couple of our sinewy, well bred horses, for one-third less expense, than the same work can be effected at the North. I will write you again soon.

Yours, C. T. B.

GREEN CROPS. We have frequently recommended the turning in green crops, but Professor Dana, in his muck manual, saj T s, that " it is the experience of some practical men, that one crop, allowed to perfect itself, and then die, where it grew, and then turned in dry, is superior to three turned in green." He then proceeds to give the rationale of the fact, upon scientific principles. Now, this may all be correct, and yet, such is our opinion of the learned Professor's abilities, and such is our estimate of the state of agricultural science, that we doubt not, if the opposite fact had been stated to him, as it has been to us, that he would have been equally happ} T in explaining it on scientific principles. Without using any very hard words, to which very indefinite meanings are attached, we thought, that the green crop, after maturity, at least, contained all the principles that could belong to it when dried ; although something might be subtracted, we did not see how any thing could be added; but the Professor sa} T s, that " green plants ferment—dry plants decaj^—a large portion escapes in fermentation as gas, and more volatile products are found than during decay. The one is a quick consuming fire, the other a slow, mouldering ember, giving off, during all its progress, gases which feed plants and decompose the silicates of soil." We had supposed that these gases evolved in fermentation, valuable in their character, were held and retained by the superincumbent earth, for the use of growing plants; but that when the crop was permitted to dry on the surface, these properties were evaporated and lost. At any rate, -we believe we could find practical men to back us in our facts, and professors to sustain our theory with a plen-

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ty of scientific terms. But we forbear, because, we see that Professor Dana's theory may lead to a result in practice, that, when convenient, we have often recommended ; that is, to permit

the crop to cover the land. As a shield from the action of the sun and air, we believe more is gained than is lost by the evaporation, that converts the green crop into a dry one.

RIP VAN WINKLE

Three Hills Farm, Albany, October 13th, 1842.

Messrs. Botts & Burfoot, Editors of the Southern Planter:

Gentlemen, —On our parting at Albany on the at the Fair which took place on the 27th and 30th ult. I handed you, for insertion in your 28th ult. and I had entered him for that purpose, "Southern Planter," a cut of the prize boar, | but having previously disposed of him to Mr, " Rip Van Winkle," with a promise to forward ! John Bonner, of White Plains, Georgia, and re-you some account of him, with which I now ceiving orders to ship him immediately, I sent most-cheerfully comply. him off a few days before the exhibition. Mr.

11 Rip Van Winkle" will be three years old Bonner also purchased my prize sow and two this fall, and I think you will readily admit "he ! others for breeders, which, together with several -is a Berkshire, every inch of him." His portrait he purchased of me last year, gives him great was taken by Van Zandt soon after he returned ' advantages for supplying pigs of the finest and from Syracuse, where he carried the first prize ] purest stock. He spares no expense in procur-for the best boar exhibited at the Fair of the ing the best animals he can get, therefore appli-New York State Agricultural Society in Sep-: cants in that section may depend on procuring tember, 1841. j from him the "real Simon pures."

If there is any defect in the above portrait, it | Caleb N. Bement.

is in the legs, which I think are too small, and gives him rather a leggy appearance. He has bone enough to sustain six or seven hundred

We are very happy to welcome to our columns a name so distinguished as that of Mr.

pounds, and it is the opinion of many that he Bement. We hope this is not the last we may be made to reach the latter weight. His ! shall hear from him ; there is no man in this coun-

head, neck, and ears are to the very life, and his proportions are admirable.

try, probably, who has sold more fancy stock,

I with greater satisfaction to the purchasers, than Some of the finest pigs exhibited at our late , T J? . , . . l '

Fair were of his get. I have testimonials from ; Mr Bement ' and there ,s no one we know of >

several gentlemen to whom I have sent pigs of u P on whose judgment and candor we would

his get, speaking in the highest terms of them. \ sooner rely for a sound and fair opinion upon

ft was my intention to have exhibited him again such a subject.

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CABBAGES. A writer in the "Agriculturist" states, that he succeeded in destroying worms and bugs infesting his cabbages by sprinkling them, with strong soap suds, when lime, soot and ashes had failed.

CAST-IRON BUILDINGS.

It is gratifying to learn that cast-iron is rapidly coming into use, as the principal building material for houses. In England, many dwelling houses are being constructed of this material, in a manner that will give them many advantages, beside being much cheaper than those built of stone. The walls are to be made of hollow sections, which will render them easily kept warm; or, if occasion requires, they may be easily taken down, and removed. The cost of a three story house, containing twelve rooms, is estimated at only $5,000. We should be pleased to see this mode of building introduced in this country, and will readily furnish plans, drawings and section-models, to any iron founder, who will introduce it. What will the enterprising Bostonians, say to the proposition?— Am. Mechanic.

PRESERVING ROOT CROPS.

Our northern friends certainly excel us in saving and preserving potatoes, turnips, carrots, &c. Something may perhaps be credited to their climate, but much more, we apprehend, is to be attributed to their superior habits of care and attention. The following excellent article is taken from Mr. Kendrick's new "American Or-chardist," which is esteemed very high authority wherever it is known.

We would call particular attention to his remarks on cooking food for horses and cattle, for if he is correct, and he is supported in the opinion by man}' judicious farmers, it serves to prove how cautious we should be in encountering expense upon statements made in agricultural papers. The value of cooking has been testified to, whilst it was new, over and over again, and thousands have been expended in steaming and cooking apparatus. We would not be at all surprised if it turned out to be one of the humbugs of the day.

" 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 light as little as may be. Potatoes pitted or buried in holes in the field, retain their freshness 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 ob-, viated. by lining the bottom and side of a bin with turf, and when 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 too 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 sufficient; i in a lighter or more porous soil a greater depth is requisite. No water in any case should stand on potatoes, as it will soon destroy them. If potatoes are dug and pitted early, there should I] 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.

" Turnips, ruta baga, &c. are among the easiest of roots to preserve. They should be left in the ground as long as consistent with safety from frost, then drawn and put in cellars of moderate or rather low temperature, or pitted in the field at once. The turnip will sustain a much greater degree of cold than the potato, without injury ; but heat has a worse effect upon it, and in saving this root, heating is what is mainly guarded against. A hole made in the top of the pits with an iron bar, to be covered with a flat stone when the cold grows severe, will permit the heated air to pass off and prevent danger from this source. In the experience of a number of years we have scarcely had a turnip lost by frost or by heating, either when pitted or in the cellar; a proof to us of the ease with which this root can be secured.

" Carrots and beets, like the potato, require more care than the turnip, to prevent the effect of frost upon them. The best way we have yet tried upon them, is to pack them in bins or barrels, ancf strew fine earth among and over them, to exclude the air, and preserve a uniform temperature.

" If your pigs have had the run of your orchards in September, they will be found doing well in October, and afford proof that apples are worth something to the farmer when not made into cider. The cheapest mode we have yet tried in fattening hogs is with apples and potatoes steamed, always finishing with good ground food, such as corn, peas or barley. All food given to the hogs should be cooked; fruit and roots by steaming; grain or meal by boiling. If the latter is not convenient, the grain or meal should always be well soaked or mixed a little, it will be none the worse for it. Farmers who feed dry corn and peas to their pigs, pursue a very wasteful course, as they may easily ascertain by experiment. Where corn is fed, there is a great saving in having it ground in the cob, and particularly when fed to cattle or horses. From what we have seen, we think there is less

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advantage in cooking food for horses and cattle than for hogs, and that with such it rarely repays the expense. Grinding, however, where economy is consulted, will always be practised."

ROOFING. A writer in the October number of the "Agriculturist" who claims to be a carpenter, and as such to have had much experience in building, asserts, that shingling upon laths will last 33 per cent, longer than on sheeting. He, moreover, urges the superior lightness of the roof and the consequent decrease of pressure on the walls, as a great advantage. The superior economy and lightness are evident, and we think it is hardly less certain, that the more the under side of the shingle is exposed to the air the longer it will last.

FRICTION PASTE FOR WHEELS.

The best composition that can be prepared, to relieve carriage wheels, and machinery from friction, is composed of hogs' lard, wheat-flour, and black lead (plumbago.) The lard is to be melted over a gentle fire, and the other ingredients—equal in weight—may be added, till the composition is brought to the consistency of common paste, without raising the heat near the boiling point. One trial of this paste, will satisfy any one, of its superior utility.— Am. Mech,

If the black lead is considered too expensive far common wagon use, great economy will be found in making a paste of common grease by the admixture of flour, which prevents its melting and running away as soon as applied.

BRIERS,

To the Editors of the Southern Planter:

Gentlemen, —I have seen some notices in your paper recently concerning the destruction of briers, and with your permission, I will give you an account of a discovery which I accidentally made.

Intending to give to ten acres of land an extra preparation for corn, I had it ploughed last fall, and this spring it was ploughed again, followed by a subsoil coulter in each furrow after the plough. This piece of ground was very much infested with briers. The subsoil coulter being put deep into the earth passed under the roots of the briers and brought out the entire bunches of roots to the surface, leaving scarcely a vestige behind. I would remark, the coulter was square on the front and nearly an inch thick; consequently the roots were not cut but Vol. 2—32

actually pulled out of the ground. So large was the quantity of roots thus pulled up, before planting the corn they had to be thrown into large piles and burned.

The first working the corn had after planting was with cultivators, which completed the destruction of the briers, pulling out the broken roots left by the coulter. I examined the piece of ground a few days ago and could scarcely find a brier at all.

Any of your numerous readers having land infested with briers, need only give this plan a fair trial, and I. am convinced it will be attended with the same gratifying result. I remain yours, truly,

Geo. Woodfin,

Richmond, \Ath Sept. 1842.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. It is said, that linseed oil, coming in contact with cotton or sponge, will frequently in a few hours produce spontaneous combustion.— Dead men tell no tales, and burnt houses, if they could speak, could, we doubt not, tell many a tale of lire arising from spontaneous combustion.

For the Southern Planter. HAY—NEGLECTED IN LOWER VIRGINIA.

In the course of my travels in lower Virginia, I have very frequently expressed my surprise that the farmers in this part of the State h ve not turned their attention to making hay. The article is but rarely seen in many of the counties below Richmond, at least as far as I am acquainted, except what is shipped from the North. A few farmers, here and there, raise clover for the purpose, and some others, who reside near the water courses, mow the natural growth of the marshes, which is, however, a coarse article, and is not very well relished, it is said, by horses and mules. But, notwithstanding the making hay of clover and marsh grass, it may very emphatically and correctly be said, that lower Virginia is not a hay country. The question now arises—Is there a want of adaptation in the soil or climate of this part of the State, to the cultivation of grasses for ha}'? Or docs the almost entire non-existence of these desirable and profitable productions in Eastern Virginia, originate in some other thing, as want of knowledge in these matters, or want of enterprise 1o put into practice whatever amount of knowledge may be had upon such subjects? I cannot say that I speak from my own observation or certain knowledge of what I have seen in the way of hay growing and making in this part of the country, when I express almost unlimited confidence in the adaptation of many of the lands down here, to the cultivation and growth of grasses; for so little

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at'itation is paid to such things here, that no one caU exactly know what the lands would do, if a fair trial were given them. But from the nature of the soil in many places, compared with that in other parts of our State, where I have seen the most luxuriant meadows, and from the quality and quantity of the native grasses which it yields spontaneously, I am led unhesitatingly to conclude, that a large portion of the lands in Eastern Virginia would produce excellent hay, and that if they were cultivated in this, they would be far more profitable to the owners, than in any other way. A large portion of the lands to which I allude, are not cultivated in any way whatever. Hundreds and thousands of acres of low, swampy lands, at present uncultivated, might, without much expense, be made to yield luxuriant grasses of different kinds. As the native grasses are so exceedingly fine, it is fair to infer, that other kinds, as timothy, herds and orchard grasses, would do well in many of the same lands, if they were suitably prepared for them.

A good meadow, when once in order, will generally yield more to the farmer, than the same piece of land would, if cultivated in almost any other way, and that perhaps with less labor. A meadow, once made, does not require the plough and harrow like the corn and wheat crops, but will remain for years. The labor of mowing, curing, and putting by the hay, is tolerably heavy and warm work while it lasts, but it does not last long.

The average yield of hay to the acre, on lands suited to it, is about four thousand pounds, or two tons. Now this amount at fifty cents a hundred would be twentj' dollars—and hay is often worth much more. Twenty dollars an acre from lands that are now suffered to be almost if not quite profitless, would be great gain indeed: for it is upon many of those lands that are not cultivated at all, that grasses might be raised with the greatest success.

These general and unconnected remarks are made with the hope that they may lead to the discussion of the subject, and eventually to the successful and highly advantageous cultivation of hay. * * *

Isle of Wight, August, 1842.

LIME.

We see it recommended upon the authority of Mr. Raymond Baker, in England, to apply lime to land and turn it under in its quick state ; to do which it must be carried out immediately after burning. From the heat evolved, he says, during the slacking of the lime under ground, and its causticity, which diffuses itself by the agency of the moisture it meets with through

the soil, it will be found to destroy, or at any rate to be extremely obnoxious, to wireworms, slugs, grubs and other enemies, which the farmer has to contend with and which are very frequently the cause of failure in his crops, as well as to render most vegetable matter in the soil soluble and food for future crops. This, we believe, is endorsed by the Royal Agricultural Society, and we may be considered sceptical for doubting the advantages of it; but in the first place, this mode of application is attended with very great difficulty and inconvenience, for such is the attraction of lime for moisture and carbonic acid, that the slightest exposure to the atmosphere converts it into the carbonate. Again, lime comes from the kiln in lumps, and consequently cannot be as readily spread and distributed as when it has been reduced to powder by slacking; but suppose your lumps with great care and expedition to be preserved in the quick state, and spread equally under the surface, the moisture of the earth, probably in fifteen minutes, converts it into a mass of slacked lime and may possibly in the operation scorch a few bugs that have not sense enough to withdraw from the heat. But we think, with all due deference to the Royal Society and Mr. Baker, that it would be about as cheap to catch them, and tickle them to death. In sober earnestness, we are afraid that any advantages of this mode are more than counterbalanced by the extra difficulties of hauling and spreading that it includes.

For the Southern Planter. SWAMP MUD.

Messrs. Editors, —Mr. R. G. Morris, of Buckingham, in your August number, speaks very favorablj' of river mud as a manure. I have no right to question the statement of Mr. Morris ; but similar experiments have been made under my observation with siuamp mud, and I regret to say that the effect cannot be seen. I once saw on a lowground lot a thick top dressing of deposite from the bottom of a mill pond either at the time it was done or vears afterwards. And I have frequently removed small portions of mud from swamps and ditch banks after it had been well pulverized with the frosts of winter and spread it broadcast or put it in the hill, and have not been able to perceive the advantage. I have observed that ditch banks whlie elevated on the margin of the ditch invariably produce well, even when much clay had been thrown out in the mass, and yet when the richest of these banks have been removed

,

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and spread in other places or put abundantly in the hill, they will not produce. I am surprised at this and am anxious to know the cause, as I have several bogs that I wish to use in this way. Perhaps you or some of your correspondents can explain the mystery.

Some act upon this selfish plan, Say nothing, but hear all they can;

Therefore I will add, by way of atonement for the trouble I give you, an infallible rule or recipe for keeping sweet potatoes. Had I known it, and my father before me, we might have saved many a fine crop and been spared much trouble and disappointment. Have a dry cellar under your house, put down plank for the bottom, put in 3'our potatoes fresh from the field, and line them well at the sides with dry oak leaves from the forest, and when your heap is made, cover them with the same.

Respectfully yours, &c.

A Subscriber.

We wish much that the writer of the above had thought fit to append his real name to his communication instead of leaving it as he has done for private inquirers. He says he does not wish his name published because it is not of sufficient importance to give weight to any doctrine or theory ; but he is stating important facts 3 which are of course invalidated by coming from an anonymous source, especially when they are contradicted by statements over real names. So much injury has been done by anonymous misstatements, that we have determined to publish no important facts for which we have not the authority of a name. These remarks do not apply to this communication because we have the author's name; we only regret that false delicacy prevented his giving it to the public.

For the Southern Planter. HILL-SIDE DITCHES.

Messrs. Editors, —Believing as 1 do most sincerely that horizontal or hill-side ditches are a most efficient auxiliary in the cause of agricultural improvement, I have been somewhat surprised that nothing has appeared in the Planter upon that subject. I am aware that prejudices exist on this as on many other subjects; but candidly believe them founded in error. To me these ditches have been invaluable in preventing the formation of gullies and in filling up those that were already formed. Nor have I found them expensive to cut or troublesome to keep in order. During the past summer we have had some very hard rains, and yet not one of my ditches has broken, nor is my land injured by

washing. The following hints are designed for those of your readers who know nothing about them—those who are familiar with them, will, I trust, be induced to correct m} r errors and give us something better on the subject.

The Level represented in the ninth number of the last volume of the Planter, is a good one, except that it would be more handy to have it ten feet with a fall of two inches. To which, and the instructions there given by "A Drainer" I would respectfully refer your readers. Having supplied yourself with a proper level, repair to your field at some leisure time, accompanied by a servant, hoe in hand. Carefully survey the field—observe the bottoms most liable to wash ; at the head of these, just where the hill begins to decline, some few feet above where it shows a disposition to wash, plant your level. Whilst you are raising or lowering the shortest leg to the line to fall in the mark the servant will make a chop or two just behind the longest leg. This done, move the long foot to where the short one stood before, and whilst adjusting the line, the servant will continue his chops as before.— Thus proceed till you reach some branch or bottom into which you wish your ditch to empty. Your ditch being marked off to suit you, (if not, try again,) your plough will commence where you did, following the chops made by the servant. Widen and deepen sufficiently with this, then with your hoes, beginning at the lower end, draw out the loose dirt and form a good bank. Some fifty or seventy-five yards lower down the hill, construct another, and then more if needed.

To keep these ditches in order it will be necessary for the master to walk through them occasionally and throw out whatever may have fallen in calculated to choke them; and if he takes his hoe with him sometimes it will perhaps be the better for hirn and them too. One objection to these ditches is that they somewhat obstruct the passage of cartsand wagons through the field. This difficulty may be obviated by exercising a little judgment in their location.— It is not often necessary that a ditch should run entirely across the field. One may commence at a certain point near the middle of the field, and run in a certain direction—the other may commence a few feet from the first, either above or below it and run in an opposite direction, thus forming a gap through which wagons may pass.

I am aware that a correspondent of the " Farmers' Cabinet" has characterised the article of "A Drainer" as about as strange a jumble of ideas as could well be "squeezed into so small a space." Perhaps this effort of mine may be quartered in some corner of the same u nutshell" if it happen to be seen by that writer. Not-w.thstanding a dread of such a squeezing, I am yet prepared to assert that a less fall than two inches in ten feet will not carry off the water in

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high land ditches, though it might answer in underdrains. To cut a ditch it is necessary to begin at the lowest point—to lay it off it is often necessary to begin at the highest. For instance, 'we sometimes find a wet spot on the side of a hill. To lay this off we commence with the level near the upper part of it, and proceed down the hill—to ditch it we begin at its mouth and proceed towards its source.

With "A Drainer" I have no acquaintance, except that formed through the medium of the " Planter." Though he thought proper to withhold his name, I wish he had given us his locality. Your friend,

P. B. White.

Nottoway, October, 1S42.

SMALL FARMS.

The cultivation of too much land is the besetting sin of Virginia and the South. By this, we do not mean that any system is desirable by which the cultivation of the country is broken up and divided amongst small proprietors; for in agriculture, as in every other art, there are many advantages in a concentration of capital and an extended scale of operations. Expensive labor-saving machines may be procured by the large farmer that cannot be afforded by the small proprietor, and a thousand other facilities, lessening the cost of production, are within the means of the one that are too costly and expensive for the other. But extensive operations can be carried on on much less land than is commonly used for the purpose, and we believe that fifty hands may be more profitably employed on five hundred, than on a thousand, acres. To keep every thing neat and clean on five hundred acres and to carry the cultivation of every acre to the highest point that profit will justify, will occupy a force that is generally given to a much larger space.

Since the eyes of our people have been opened to the defects of our agriculture, a very general desire for improvement has arisen—but the means are wanting. We are told daily and hourly, I should like to improve my farm—I am satisfied it is folly to cultivate poor land, but I have not the means. And this is said too by men, who own eight or ten hundred acres of land, that will sell for five or six dollars an acre. Suppose they were to sell four hundred acres for two thousand dollars, and use it in obtaining proper tools and fixtures for the other four hundred, would not the product of the half be quadruple that of the whole? Oh yes, but then they

would not be such extensive landed proprietors. Ah! this it is that lies at the root of the evil, the overweening pride of being considered extensive landed proprietors. They may be as barren as the desert of Arabia, but it sounds so well to be known as the proprietor of a thousand acres, and it looks so " pitiful" to own only two or three hundred. Until this false pride is $3 eradicated we can never have good farming, and with Mr. Durand, in the last number of the " Cabinet," we esteem amongst the greatest blessings of this life

"A little farm well tilled, A little house well filled, And a little wife well willed."

For the Southern Planter.

CURE FOR DISTEMPER OR MURRAIN IN CATTLE.

Take a handful of peach leaves, same quantity of the bark of dogwood root, same quantity of sheep-mint, roots and tops, and as much of the roots and tops of the golden rod as can be grasped in the hand, put the whole into five or six gallons of water, and boil down to about a gallon and a half, so as to make a strong decoction. Give one quart of the decoction every two hours, with a heaping tea spoonful of saltpetre in each quart, until the animal begins to get better; after which, the doses must be given less frequently and diluted with water. The next day, some of the decoction, diluted with two or three times its quantity of water, may be placed within reach of the animal, which is to be kept from water, entirely, for two or three days.

The above remedy was sent me by the Hon. J. W. Jones. I applied it forthwith to a large ox then lying, never to rise, as I thought. On the third day, in the morning, the animal was upon his feet, the fifth day he was chewing his cud, and is now ready for the cart-.

Samuel Hobson.

Cumberland County, October 11, 1842.

For the Southern Planter. jr Fluvanna, Sept. 19, 1842.

Messrs. Editors, —I have been a constant reader of the Southern Planter, and think it worthy of the patronage of every farmer and planter in the country, and although I am no professed writer, yet I have thought proper to make you acquainted with my mode of raising turnips.

In the spring I select the land intended for the crop, and commence penning my cattle on it; in the month of April or May 1 plough it, and

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repeat the operation several times between that and seed time, so as to keep the ground clean and stirred, (omitting- to pen the cattle on it when very wet.) In the first week in August, (or as near that time as possible) when I can get the land moist as well as fine, I sow between a half pint and a pint of seed to the acre ; after which, if the land is not sufficiently rich, I put .jOn rotten manure of any kind, so as to make it rich, and then harrow it over; when done, I cover it moderately thick, with straw, chaff, or green brush, (which ever may be most convenient. The covering protects the plants from the fly and intense heat of the sun, which often proves fatal to the crop. It also keeps the land moist and prevents the heavy showers from running the land too close together; nor do I uncover until I take off the crop.

In raising my seed, I select, when I take them up, such as I like to raise from, and set them out in a trench, and cover them sufficiently to keep them protected from the frost and snow; or I keep them on the land and raise the earth about them so as to keep them from freezing, and put. them out in February ; either will answer the purpose.

I had intended to give you this anonymously, but as I see a premium of £20,000 has been offered in England for a preventive for the turnip fly, and as I feel confident of securing it by this method, I wish you to have my name entered as one of the competitors.

Yours, T. C. Noel.

principal staple is wheat, sowing as he usually does from five to seven hundred bushels annually. He states it as his conviction and that of the farmers around him, that the application of plaster increases the tendency to rust. He gave me the details of an experiment which he instituted to test it, which was almost conclusive. In sowing a field of wheat through which a ridge of thin land passed, he plastered the ridge alone. At harvest all except the plastered portion was slightly affected by the rust, while it was entirely ruined. The repeated failures of the wheat crop some years back on the Oak Ridge estate of Mr. Rives, he thinks was correctly attributed to the excessive use of plaster. I give these as incontestable facts, derived from authentic sources, and which will be useful to the public in forming a judgment in this matter.

W. M. Peyton.

PLASTER PRODUCING RUST.

Since we printed Mr. Peyton's letter, with which our number opens, we have received the following, which he intended to be appended as more full and satisfactory than the postscript that is subjoined. The interest Mr. Peyton takes in this important subject, and his indefatigable exertions to gather facts from authentic sources, (after all the only true foundation of knowledge,) entitle him to the thanks of the agricultural community.

Lynchburg, October 29, 1842. Messrs. Editors,—Since I wrote you last, I have learned some facts which throw light on the subject of Rust and Plaster. In travelling to this place a few days since I met with an intelligent farmer of Bedford who informed me that a great many of his neighbors sowed plaster on their wheat during the past season, and that in every instance the plastered wheat was more seriously injured by the rust, than that which was not plastered. In Lynchburg I fell in with Mr. Massie, of Nelson, a gentleman of considerable agricultural experience and whose

IMPROVEMENT OF SOILS.

The subject of renovating soils by means of I broadcast corn, instead of clover, has for some I time engaged our thoughts; and we are convinced that it will be found by far the best of all ! crops ever yet tried for that purpose. The fact ! that, the stalks of corn contain so much larger a 'proportion of those soluble salts known now to I be the chief nutriment of plants, and the fact that such a vast quantity of corn stalks and fodder can be produced, (eight to ten times as ,-much as of clover,) seem to leave little doubt on the subject. These facts are at least sufficient to induce every farmer to try the experiment on a pretty liberal scale, and with very little delay. Mr. Taylor, the distinguished Virginia farmer, long ago tried the experiment, in an imperfect way, but with decided success.— His method was to plant his corn in the usual way, and, after pulling the corn, (which he did before it was fully matured,) to plough a deep furrow, and then cut and cover up the corn stalks. The next year he planted on this furrow, and buried his corn stalks as before. Thus, in five or six years, without an}' rotation of crops, he succeeded in producing from forty-five to fifty bushels of corn to the acre, on the poorest pine-land. Had he sown his corn broadcast, he would have brought his land to a far higher degree of fertility in a much shorter time. Our correspondent states the well authenticated fact, that 217,000 pounds of corn, in its green state, has been produced to the acre. Those who have seen thick-sown broadcast corn growing will have little difficulty in believing this. Many farmers may have observed that corn, especially when young, grows much more luxuriantly where it is thick than where only one or two stalks are growing. This same luxuriance is witnessed in the broadcast corn. About the middle of May we sowed in corn, very thick,

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two acres of worn-out ground that had refused to produce rye, throwing a few loads of manure over a part. Wherever the ground was manured, the corn has grown with great luxuriance; surpassing corn in a neighboring field of new rich land, planted earlier and four or five feet

apart. Even where no manure touched the ground there is now a heavy covering of corn, much heavier, apparently, than we ever saw of clover. It is our intention to cut this crop for fodder, and then sow again and plough in the second crop in autumn.— Dollar Farmer.

CENTRE DRAUGHT PLOUGH.

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HOW TO COOK GREEN PEAS.

The common method of cooking 1 this delicious vegetable, by boiling in water, is nearly destructive to its flavor, at least so says a lady, who has sent us the following method of preparing them for the table, which, after experience, we must add, is a great improvement: " Place in the bottom of your saucepan or boiler, several of the outside leaves of head sallad ; put your peas in the dish with two ounces of butter in proportion to half a peck of peas; cover the pan or boiler close, and place it over the fire; in thirty minutes they are ready for the table. They can either be seasoned in the pan or after taken out. Water extracts nearly all the delicious quality of the green pea, and is as fatal to their flavor as it is destructive to a mad doe:.

AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITION.

Unfortunately we were detained at the North too long to be present at the exhibition of the Henrico Agricultural Society held on the 19th and 20th of October. We are, therefore, indebted for the following extracts to those faithful chroniclers, Messrs. Coward in & Davis.

The mechanical part is one of the most beautiful and interesting features in these exhibitions. We esteem it especially because it is so well calculated to develop and give publicity to the real merits of Richmond manufactures. People abroad are entirely ignorant of the extent and quality of our productions, many of which will compare favorably with the best of Europe or America. Indeed our establishments being comparatively new, are provided with the very latest improvements in machinery, and in this respect are far ahead of those that are older and better known.

THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY ITS EXHIBITION

AND PREMIUMS.

We promised a more detailed accout of the proceedings of the Agricultural Society of our county, and the exhibition under their auspices. We spoke in general terms of the character of the admirable display in the Exhibition Room at the Exchange. What we said could convey but a faint idea of the reality, and was but a feeble tribute to the taste, skill, industry, and ingenuity, there exhibited. Let us hope that the excellent Society, which has thus drawn forth from the quiet homestead the lovely specimens of patient toil, and the delicate fashionings of the better part of our species, may every year add new beauties to its exhibitions, and give ad-ditional evidences of its prosperity and beneficial results, to elicit our admiration and gratitude.

The greater part of the day, Wednesday, at Goddin's Tavern, was occupied in the deliberations of the Society on their business matters. After they were concluded, the following premiums were awarded:

For the best stallion calculated to produce stock adapted to the saddle, harness or draft, $15—to Thos. H. Taliaferro, of King William.

For the most highly improved and best cultivated farm, $25—to Gen. Wm. H. Richardson.

For the second best, $20—to Anthony Robinson. Jr.

For the third best, $15—to Richard Whi-chello.

For the fourth best, $10—to Thos. Ginnett, [the cripple who excited so much interest at the fall meeting last year, and whose industry and astonishing labors under his physical disabilities, caused the Society to give him a premium as a mark of their approbation.]

For the best field of corn, $15—to J. W. Tomlin.

For the second best, $10—to A. Robinson, Jr.

For the third best, $5—to Thos. S. Dicken.

For the best crop of Irish or sweet potatoes, not less than half an acre, $5—to James Gordon, produce sweet potatoes 544| bushels to the acre.

For the second best, $4—to Joseph C. Burton, produce 392 bushels Irish potatoes to the acre.

The exhibition the first day, was of course neither extensive nor interesting, as there were no premiums offered for cattle, and the exhibition for the greater number of premiums being arranged at the Exchange for the second clay.

Messrs. Botts & Burfoot exhibited iheir excellent straw cutting machine; and Mr. Jabez Parker produced a cutting box with a single knife, decidedly the best of the kind we ever saw.

The cattle brought on for sale were greatly admired.

The premium vegetables were very fine.

Mr. James Winston exhibited a sugar beet that beats all nature in the beet line. It weighed 25^ lbs. and looked sound and healthy. We think this "beats the beater."

Mr. O. A. Strecker exhibited several pairs of rare and beautiful pigeons, imported by him.— The pigeon, as emblematical of beauty and innocence, has always ranked among ihe favorites of mankind. In eastern countries they are not only regarded as objects of religious superstition but held in veneration as the harbingers, or the emblems of peace and love. Extraordinary high prices have been paid for the most esteemed species, viz: the carrier. From the earliest times the pigeon fanciers of London have had a club, in which premiums are awarded, and the notable science of the fancy, through the method of crossing colors and forms, is promoted

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and perpetuated. At different times, laws for their protection have been made by the English government.

The two most remarkable kinds exhibited by Mr. Strecker, were the Fan-tail and Jacobin. — The Fan-tail is a beautiful bird, with a broad tail like a fan, slender necked, full breasted, and carries its tail gracefully. The Jacobin is more scarce than the Fan-tail. It is a small and pretty bird, with a range of inverted feathers on the back of the head, somewhat like the cowl of a monk, or the ruff of a cavalier. They were greatly admired. Mr. S. has quite a variety, embracing some that perhaps are nowhere else to be met with in this country.

Several fine horses were brought forward as competitors for the premium. Mr. George Taylor exhibited jacks and jennies of an approved blood.

A number of fine hogs were brought for exhibition and sale.

Thursday the following premiums wereaward-ed at the Exchange, by the President of the Society, after the address of Mr. Bassett:

For the neatest and most substantial counterpane, $6—to Mrs. John J. Dickinson.

For the second best, $4—to Mrs. Wm. Miller.

For the neatest and most comfortable mattrass, made at home, $5—to Mrs. Dr. Gaines.

For the best bed quilt, $5—to Mrs. E. B. Selden.

For the second best, $3—to Mrs. J. M. Anderson.

For the best table cloth, $5—to Mrs. George Woodfin.

For the second best, $3—to Mrs. Maria E. Parrish.

For the neatest and most substantial carpet, not less than 10 yards, $6 —to Mrs. John J. Dickinson.

For the second best, $4—to Mrs. S. Redd.

For the best hearth rug, $5—to Mrs. Lowndes.

For the second best, $3—to Mrs. R. M. Burton.

For the best specimen of stockings, socks, &c. $5—to Mrs. R. M. Burton.

For the second best, $4—to the Female Orphan Asylum.

For the best specimen of domestic silk, the production of the exhibitor, $5—to Mrs. Wm. W. Dickinson.

The committee appointed to award the above premiums at the exchange, called the attention of the Society particularly to elegant specimens of worsted work, b}' Mrs. Dr. James Bolton and Mrs. Chas. Marx, and to a counterpane of great taste and beauty, by Mrs. John J. Dickinson, all of which they recommended for premiums. Several premiums had been advertised for articles which were not shown, while a vast number of the finest fabrics were produced, for which no premiums had been offered.

For the best specimen of plants, shrubs, or flowers, $10—"to Miss Excy Gill," say the committee, "on account of the variety, rarity, and luxuriance of her flowers and shrubs."

For the second best, $5—to Messrs. Hey-decker & New, say the committee, for the care and taste they have displayed in the culture and management of their flowers and plants.

The committee to award the premium for the flowers, reported that they could not pass over Mr. Rennie's selection without awarding to him their warm approbation for the flowers he exhibited. They also remark that the collection exhibited by Mrs. Woodson Pleasants was very beautiful,—they were not offered for premium, but only to lend beauty and embellishment to the scene.

Mrs. Dr. Gaines sent several beautiful specimens of household arts, embracing quilts, rugs, embroidered over-shoes, &c. So did Mrs. Maria E. Parrish. These ladies exceeded the others in the variety of their articles. But all deserve the highest praise for the excellence and beauty of the specimens contributed to make the admirable display. The worsted and the embroidery work, and the rugs, would vie with choice foreign fabrics.

We were delighted with the incident of awarding a premium to the Orphan Asylum. The parentless and interesting little artificers sent many specimens of their handiwork, which show that in the noble institution, under whose outstretched wings they are sheltered, their instruction in these useful pursuits, which must fit them for the duties of their maturer years, is not neglected.

Miss Nelson sent beautiful embroidered ottomans, one of them by a little girl some ten years of age, displaying extraordinary skill and taste.

Mrs. R. P. New sent fine specimens of wax fruit.

The pickles and preserves were excellent— equal if not superior to any of the West India articles. Pickles by Miss Excy Gill and Mrs. Goold, were surpassingly fine.

Mr. Strecker sent merely for exhibition several cases of American birds, finely prepared for the Berlin Museum, by Mr. Trott.

Shoes. —The specimens of these were of a first rate quality. Messrs. Hubbard, Gardner & Co. exhibited some of their excellent plantation shoes. Mr. Hill (late Cook & Hill) produced a lot of very superb workman's shoes and bro-gans, made very strong and faithfully. All these specimens were such as are never imported here. Messrs. D. B. Franklin & Co. exhibited specimens of their ladies' shoes, of the most delicate shape and finely finished, all "home made." These fine specimens must add great force to the claims of home industry for support.

Messrs. Morse and Maddox exhibited a beau»

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tiful Rose Wood Piano, of their own manufacture, the tone of which was clear, soft and full. This fine instrument did the manufacturers great credit. It was much admired, and the fact that it was manufactured in Richmond, occasioned general surprise and sometimes incredulity. We learn from the gentlemen that they have met with good encouragement. Bravo, Richmond manufacture!

John M'Connell, Dentist, exhibited a case of teeth, fixed on plate and with springs, remarkable for the mechanical skill and ingenuity with which they were arranged.

Mr. Benjamin F. Kern exhibited a large show case of surgical and dental instruments, fashioned with skill and of exquisite polish. This is a new kind of manufacture for our city.— Heretofore any thing necessary to be done in this line, had to be ordered from the North, and our surgeons have consequently often been put to great inconvenience. We commend Mr. Kern to their support and encouragement. His establishment is on Governor-street.

Mr. Cumberson produced some of the finest locks ever manufactured any where. Among them was his ingenious and impregnable bank lock, which we sometime ago noticed.

Mr. J. W. Randolph exhibited superb blank books, from his bindery establishment.

The articles manufactured in our city, that were exhibited, caused great astonishment by their excellence; and we thought our manufacturers deserved a severe reproval for not contributing more liberally to the exhibition. Were they to enter cordially into the matter, and send such articles as they can manufacture, to be exhibited, a display could be made by Richmond which no stranger would think possible. We do hope they will do this at the next meeting.

The prospects of the Society are good. The scheme of making it a State Society is seriously entertained by influential gentlemen who advocate the step with much enthusiasm. Let the Society be encouraged, be it state or county. It will pay back fifty and a hundred fold all the efforts and means bestowed upon it. Let the motto be "persevere!"

We are indebted to some friend for a copy of the address delivered by our old friend, the Hon. James M. Garnett, before the Agricultural Society of New Castle County, Delaware. From this address we make the following extract:

" Permit me here to notice two other obstacles to the progress of American Husbandry, which I fear, can never be entirely overcome, for they seem to be a part of our nature. They are two besetting sins, which, although entirely opposite in their nature, and affecting two very distinct Vou 2-33

classes of our brethren, produce equally pernicious effects, and thus retard that advancement in al! ihe branches of rural economy, which, but for them, we should certainly make. The one class is characterised by a marvellous fondness for, and tenacity of their own crude, come-by-chance, dogmatic opinions; the other by a too ready credence of the opinions of others, but especially of those whom they consider scientific men. The first are incorrigible believers in what they call ' book-learning ,' being a certain preventive to every thing like good farming; and that all they see about agriculture in what Tony Lumpkin styled, '■your print-hand? is nothing more than a parcel of lies or idle fancies. Hence the attempt to prevail on them to study agricultural books or papers to improve themselves in their professions, if listened to at all, will usually be met by an incredulous stare, or a mingled smile of ineffable pity and contempt, as much as to say, ' save your breath to cool your porridge.'' do you think us a parcel of gulls and fools ?

" The other class, on the contrary, are always ready to jump to conclusions before they well consider the premises:—they are great theoriz-ers, incontinently fond of any thing having even the semblance of an ingenious, scientific theory; and consequently are prone to be led away by any will o' the wisp talker or writer who claims to be the discoverer of something spic and span new in husbandry. They infinitely prefer to be publicly announced as the inventors of a new system, to the solid but less attractive reputation of being the improver of an old practice; and would much sooner spend their time in classifying and giving hard names to the innumerable insects that infest our crops, than in laboring to discover effectual means for destroying them.— Between the two classes our agriculture has suffered, and is still suffering more, 1 fear, than can soon or easily be remedied. The first class have their minds, as it were, hermetrically sealed against the universal truth, that the man who means to succeed, either in agriculture or anything else, must always be open to conviction, and be ever ready to give a fair and accurate trial to all sorts of experiments which hold out a rational promise of success; taking care, at the same time, not to hazard more labor or money in making them, than a sound discretion will justify. The latter class, on the other hand, have their minds too open for the reception of every professed novelty, either in science or practice which may be presented to them. Our ne plus ultra brethren usually end their lives much as they begin them, at least in regard to the knowledge of their profession ; and if no other farmers but such as themselves had ever existed in the world, mankind would still be much in thesamesituation in regard to husbandry,asthefirst teachers thereof found them to be in. But if impregnable obstinacy has kept them stationary in their vocation,

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or nearly so; too great precipitancy in the laudable pursuit of professional improvement has much retarded their hop, skip and jump brethren in attaining the object of their wishes. Although a moment's reflection would convince them, that in no profession whatever can hasty, careless, inaccurate experiments lead those who make them, either to sound theory or practice, they never will command patience enough to make any other; and of course, very generally waste both time and their money, without gaining any thing but disappointment. To this cause chiefly, we owe all the numerous changes which have occurred, from time to time, both in the theory and practice of agriculture; and to this also, I believe we may truly attribute the various conflicting systems in regard to this most ancient of all arts."

Mr. Garnett has well described two great classes to be found in every agricultural community. Between the two, it is almost impossible to obtain facts, without which it is folly for any one to talk about the philosophy of agriculture. Philosophy is the generalization of well ascertained facts, and without the facts, there can of course be no philosophy. Between those who will observe nothing, and those who are too ready to see in every thing a confirmation of their own rude guesses, we are quite at sea upon the science of agriculture. At this very moment, learned and able men are engaged in drawing conclusions from what they have received as well ascertained facts. It is no wonder, that, differing as these facts do, their conclusions should vary too. In this too ready adoption of statements, where so little accuracy has been observed, agricultural writers have violated the first principles of philosophy, and have, as might be expected, subjected themselves to the sneers and derision of the plainest practical men. Thus it is, that certain great theories and systems, promulgated from high places, like other humbugs, have their day, until some plain farmer declares, and proves too, that the aulhor has been mislead by his ignorance of the facts upon which he has attempted to reason; then is the whole theory exploded, only to make way for another equally as preposterous and short lived. Now, in agriculture, where an experiment can be tried but once in a year, and where it requires more than a lifetime to make as many as a chemist can effect in his laboratory in a morning, an insurmountable obstacle is opposed to its keeping pace with other sciences. This only proves the necessity of the greater care in

authenticating and recording results, where so few are obtained, and it is for this reason, that we always so much prefer receiving and recording well authenticated facts, rather than fine spun theories, based upon surmises and guesses. We desire to fix a solid foundation, before we attempt to rear the superstructure.— Such and so loose, in our opinion, have heretofore been the observations of men engaged in the business of agriculture, that in our souls we do not believe that there lives the man, possessed of facts enough, to write a profound treatise on agriculture.

We must apologise for introducing so much of the Editor's correspondence into this number of the Planter, probably to the exclusion of much worthier matter; but much of it depended, for what little interest it might possess, upon the time and season at which it was published. At any rate, we were afraid it was not good enough to keep.

New York, October 1, 1842.

* * * I wrote you last from. Boston. I left that hospitable city on Saturday, 25th of September, and arrived at Springfield about 9 o'clock at night. I was not a little discomfited to find that a remnant of the religious scruples of the old Puritans prevented my farther progress on the morrow, but the tedium of a Sunday sojourn in a country village, was much relieved by a morning's ride through the adjoining country. This is the land of manufactures, and falls of water, that would hardly be known as such in Virginia, are carefully husbanded and thrown upon as many wheels as they will put in motion. Their factories are, I believe, in a very depressed state, and as they are the main reliance of the people, who are by no means agricultural, much suffering has been experienced. Along the banks of the river the land seems to be fertile and well cultivated, but the interior appears to be a sandy waste, fit only to grow the stumpy pines with which it is covered. Springfield itself is a beautiful village, beautifully situated. There is an attention paid in this little inland place to flowers, shrubbery, neatness and decoration, that puts to shame many of our prouder cities of the South. I wish that I could present to some of our independent formers' wives, (the farmers themselves are incorrigible,) a view of a Springfield dwelling, with its fresh paint, its neat paling, its beautiful shrubbery, its green grass and gravel walks, and prove to them, by ocular demonstration, how much of comfort, elegance, and refinement, could be had for the amount of a single grocer's bill.

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As societies seem to take down our way, I have conceived the idea of getting up a great Anti-No-Paint Society. By the example of a few leading members, we might revolutionize the face of Virginia, and hand our names down to the latest posterity. Is there not something sublime in the conception? To be sure, we would not be the first painters that have immortalised themselves, but it would be something to be placed in the same category with Titian and Raphael.

On Monday, the 27th, I descended the Connecticut to Hartford in a little steamer, drawing eighteen inches water, travelling a distance of 36 miles for 12£ cents. To be sure, the boat was no great things, but then the river and the shores are very fine, making the travel cheap, exceedingly. I could obtain little else than a general outline of this part of the far famed valley of the Connecticut. The lands are said to be very rich and very highly cultivated, but from other portions that I visited, I saw no greater signs of fertility or cultivation, than may be found on many of our own streams. These fields are particularly rich in grass, and possibly, peculiarly adapted to its growth. There is no crop so grateful to the eye, or so beautifying to a country, as grass. Hence it is, that all grass lands obtain a reputation even beyond their merits. I saw here a little tobacco, and when I observed the care and attention they were bestowing upon the sickly foreigner, I felt as much obliged to the good people, as if they had been nursing a fellow-citizen. *****

On the same day that I left Springfield, I arrived at New Haven, which is unquestionably the queen of New England villages. Here I was received and treated with the greatest hospitality by the Editor of the Farmers' Gazette, who volunteered as my cicerone in exhibiting to me the beauties of the city, of which its people may well be proud. Surely, these Yankees can do more with grass and trees than any people in the world. Here now is the most elegant place I ever saw, and yet there are no marble palaces, no magnificent public buildings; it is all effected by lofty elms, grass of the darkest green, and paint of the purest white.

On the 29th they held here an agricultural and horticultural fair. Tn the latter department, the exhibition was equal to any I ever witnessed. The agricultural show, with the exception of the oxen, was indifferent. The working cattle far exceeded in number and quality any I ever saw. I counted eighty yoke of oxen, I might almost say, the worst amongst them better than any in our part of the country. They were thoroughly broken and under the most perfect command. It was a very lively and pleasing sight to see them streaming into town in lots of fifteen or twenty yoke, hitched to a wagon decorated with flowers and filled with boys bearing banners, all moving at the word of a single driver. Not-

withstanding the perfection to which the animal is brought, both in form and training, amongst the people of New England, I do not believe, from what I have been able to learn, that the average of the farmers' work can be done as cheap with them as with either our horses or mules.

* * * * I arrived at Albany, as you already know, too late for the great State Fair, but in time to partake of the agricultural dinner, at which " the feast of reason and the flow of soul," was worthy the occasion which called it forth. The next day was the one designed for the sale of stock brought to the fair. It may have been because it was a rainy morning, but the affair, like all of the kind that I have ever witnessed, seemed to go off dull and spiritless ; indeed there appeared to me to be by far too many sellers for the buyers; in fact, I believe the day for extravagant prices for fancy stock is over, and those who have heretofore made a business of it, will have to go to something else. From fifty to a hundred dollars was as much as was bid for any of the cattle offered, and amongst them I was informed there was some of the purest blood and finest form. With the exception of a few fancy specimens in particular hands, I tell you, it is my opinion, that a hundred and fifty dollars in cash, will enable you now to pick amongst the cattle of the North; and it is to this that they must come at last. It is as much, probably more than, in these times, the farmer can afford to give, and it is far beyond the price of production. * * * *

I met here many old acquaintances that I never saw before, amongst them, Mr. C. N. Be-ment, of whose hospitality I partook at his farm of " Three Hills," about four miles from Albany. This farm was originally a sandy waste, like those around it, but, at much trouble and expense, Mr. Bement has made a garden of a wilderness. Here I saw the largest and finest crop of ruta baga I ever beheld, and, what I would have valued much more, a perfectly regular and splendid crop of carrots. The neatness and cleanness of cultivation here exhibited could not be excelled. I hope to obtain an account of the expense and yields of these two fields. This is peculiarly a stock farm, the cattle, the sheep, the chickens, the geese, the ducks, and, I believe, the very cats, are thoroughbred. Notwithstanding the high state of cultivation, the soil seemed to me to be of a very indifferent texture, and one requiring constant expense to keep it up. What would the energy, management, and industry, that Mr. Bement exhibits here, have effected upon some of our kindly generous soils in Eastern Virginia, that can be purchased for eight or ten dollars an acre. I could not help telling him that he was out of his element, and that I was sorry to see such a man in such a place.

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There was one instance of management, I noticed here, worthy the consideration of every farmer in Virginia. Mr. Bement's farm is called Three Hills; wherever there are hills, there are very apt to be vallies, and in one of Mr. Bement's vallies, or gullies, there ran a stream of water; where the farm road crossed this stream, we were told, there was formerly a wet, muddy place, in which the former proprietor's horses and vehicles frequently stuck. This crossing place, Mr. Bement converted into a dam, over which an excellent road is constructed for man or beast. The water collected above, affords a fall of five or six feet, under which is placed a small overshot wheel, which is applied to cutting straw, grinding cobs, and other light purposes. Here, by a little management and less expense, a nuisance is converted into a source of profit and convenience. ******

Philadelphia, October 20.

***** Since I wrote you last I have attended the exhibitions, of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society, of the American Institute in New York, and of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The last is purely mechanical, and although very rich and interesting to one who has had as much to do with mechanics as I have, it presented nothing worthy an agricultural notice. The exhibition at the American Institute in New York, is agricultural as well as mechanical, and has always been the most extensive and splendid in America. With the exception of the tools and implements, of which there was a great assortment, I had no opportunity of visiting the agricultural department. I was very desirous that some of our mechanics should have sent on specimens of their work to this exhibition, and offered to take charge of them. I think they would have competed successfully with northern products, beautiful as they are, and I would have been proud to show their manufacturers, that we are not the barbarians they take us to be. * * * *

# * * * The exhibition of the Philadelphia Society was purely agricultural. The show of tools and implements was very fine, the variety very great and the quality excellent; a few of the cows and one or two bulls were very extraordinary ] the sheep and hogs common, and the horses very indifferent; but the treat consisted in an address delivered by the President of the Society, Mr. Nicholas Biddle, who, for fluency, unaffected ease, and simplicity of manner, is not excelled by any public speaker, to whom I have had the good fortune to listen. This address was in many respects a most capital one. It is true that individually I dissented from some of the doctrines of the speaker, and I thought that I could have discovered from the whole tone of the speech, that the orator was rather a fancy than a practical farmer; but the gentlemanly

ease and unaffected conversational style with which it was delivered, and the occasional bursts of deep feeling, left you little opportunity of criticising the opinions of the speaker, while you were listening to him. The opening of the address I thought was peculiarly felicitous. Mr. Biddle began by expatiating upon the sensible objects around him, the different specimens of cattle afforded by the exhition, their history, peculiarities, and the advantages of each, the roots and vegetables, the mode of culture, and supposed nutriment afforded by each, &c. &c.— This part of his discourse was replete with interest and instruction, and marked by proofs of the strongest common sense. It had all the force and interest of a lecture in a professor's room, where the apparatus, with which it is filled, is used to illustrate the truth of what is said.

I will be with you in a few days, and inform you of many minor particulars, that it is impossible to crowd into these general sketches. If you print any of this in the Planter, either correct it, or apologise for it, for it is all written, currente calamo.

Yours, C. T. B . . . .

From the Cultivator. TRANSPLANTING FROM THE FOREST.

Trees and shrubs transplanted from the woods to open situations seldom grow. The cause of failure is, that they are taken from shade and moisture and exposed to the hot sun, which stops the circulation ; the body of the plant perishes, and the root in consequence dies also. It is well known that if briers are cut in the heat of summer, the roots generally decay and die. So with the trees and shrubs in question. To remedy this evil, it is suggested to cut off the tree or shrub close to the ground and plant the root only. The young shoots grow out with the spring, are naturalized to their situation, and soon attain a height and size as great as that which was cut off at planting. The fact that transplanted trees sometimes die at the top, and yet sprout from the root, proves the correctness of the above suggestion. The writer has been informed that the trial of this method has been made in another State with complete success, and recommends the experiment the ensuing spring. It is obvious that trees which do not sprout are unfit subjects for this process; such as pines, cedars, &c. P.

We make the following extracts from a letter received a few days since from General Peter Steinbergen, of the county of Mason :

"Our agricultural meeting will be held at Charleston, Kanawha, on the 3d day of Novem-

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ber next. Crops in this section of the State are exceedingly fine. We have some fields of corn estimated to average one hundred bushels to the acre throughout the whole field. When a measurement is made, the amount will be accurately reported. Wheat, oats, every species of crop, fine. Such fall pastures for our cattle were

never seen before among us. Green sward lodging in all directions on our farms, or at least those of the grazing estates, where attention has been paid to its cultivation.

" When we meet this fall, we will renew our old subject, on the improvement of land by the aid of grass, &c." * * * *

GATE

We have had an engraving made of a model of a gate, constructed by Mr. E. J. Pearce, of Philadelphia, of which we obtained a casual view whilst we were in that city. We are supposed to be on the inside of the gate, and must push it to open it. The peculiarity consists in the hinges, and the chain extending from the post to the heel of the gate. When the gate is closed, this chain is tight, consequently, as the gate is opened, the strain upon the chain raises the gate, and the thimbles gradually ascend the rod on which they revolve. Inasmuch as the gate rises from the ground by the opening movement,the possibility of dragging is obviated. Although the same effect can be produced by hanging the gate out of a perpendicular, yet we were so much pleased with the ingenuity of the plan, and the working of the model, that we bestowed upon Mr. Pearce, whom we have never seen, the only premium we can offer, a copy of

the Planter, and if we find the thing in practice works as well as the model, he shall have the work as long as it is published.

From the Southern Agriculturist.

REMARKS ON THE IMPROPER USE OF THE PLOUGH IN THE CULTIVATION OF INDIAN CORN.

Mr. Editor: Dear Sir,—By request, I submit to you, for insertion in the Agriculturist, some remarks and experiments, I have made, to prove that the plough is frequently used too late, and much to the injury of our corn crops.

It is well known to rice planters, that when rice is in joint and forming its ear, every effort must be made to advance its growth, so that good ears ma}^ be formed. The same effort, to effect the same result, is necessary with corn and all other grains. When the ear is about to be formed, the atmosphere has less influence on the plant than previously ; therefore, more is required from the roots. If the soil is fertile, and

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well broken up with the plough previous to planting corn, innumerable small fibrous roots will run laterally, in search of nutriment, to the distance of six or eight feet, and sometimes as far as twenty feet. These laterals are very small, and easily separated from the stalk; if cut by the plough when the plant is young, no injury will be sustained, and perhaps a benefit: but they must not be cut or disturbed in any way, when far advanced toward maturity.— Without their aid at that period, the perpendicular, or tap-root, will not be sufficient to produce good and well filled ears. It is not unfre-quently the case, that the plough is used when the corn is in silk, and at that time these lateral toots are very numerous above the surface of the ground, and must necessarily be cut, much to the injury of the crop. I have made several experiments which prove conclusively, that the perpendicular or tap-roots, are not sufficient without the aid of the lateral roots, to produce good and well filled ears; and that, if the plough is used too late, a good crop cannot be expected. For my experiment, I selected eight well grown stalks, just before shooting out their tassels. I had the earth cut round two of these stalks about six or eight inches from them, to the depth and width of the spade, and the earth removed, so that I could see that all of the side roots were cut. The earth was permitted to remain in this situation until the corn w 7 as matured. The stalks looked well, and the ears appeared to be well filled ; but, on examination, it was found, that there were but a few scattered grains in them.

In the next experiment, a cut was made round two stalks, with a spade to its depth and width, at the same distance as above. This cut was permitted to close immediately, no earth having been removed. The result was, small ears, not well filled.

The third experiment was to cut the roots on two sides of the stalks, as they are usually cut in late ploughing. On the other sides the roots were not disturbed. The result—small ears tolerably well filled.

In the remaining two stalks, no roots were cut or disturbed ; the ears large and well filled.

The plough is not sufficiently used on our rice plantations, in preparing corn land for planting, and is generally used too late after planting. If the soil has been well prepared, and in good tilth, the cultivator, or hoe-harrow, may be used most advantageously after the second ploughing. As soon as the plants can be ploughed, the first furrow ought to be thrown from it, and the second to it; and if used again, the sooner the better, so that the corn may be laid by, when it has attained a third of its soon after.

I will here remark, that the planter who wishes to increase his corn crop in quantity,

must select his seed in the field. Seed from those stalks that have produced from three to six ears, will, in like manner, produce again from three to six ears, if the soil is well manured and well cultivated ; and seed from those stalks that have produced one ear, will again, in all probability, produce but one ear.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

John H. Tucker. Hampstead, Sept. 9, 1842.

We laid aside this letter to show it to our friend Mr. Thomas S. Dicken, whom we consider the highest authority we know upon the subject of the corn crop. Mr. Dicken is probably upwards of fifty, and has been making com all his life. For many years he was a manager on a large estate in Virginia, and in that capacity was remarkable for his industry, intelligence and success. After reading Mr. Tucker's letter, he shook his head, and very modestly observed, that he might be right, but that his doctrine was contrary to the conclusions he had drawn from his own observation. Mr. Dicken said, he would be unwilling to use the plough in late culture, whereby the roots would be turned up and exposed, but that he had found great benefit from the frequent use of a coulter, especially in a drought, after his corn had tasselled. We understood him to say, that he took care to keep the ground clean and well broken in the early cultivation, and then, the more it would not rain, the more he stirred it with a coulter, and this until the corn was done growing.

We conceive that it is only by giving our readers the testimony on both sides of a question that we enable them to form a correct opinion.

growth, or very

PREPARING FOOD FOR SWINE, &c.

Among the various modes of preparing food for fattening swine, I do not recollect seeing in " The Cultivator," the favorite plan of the writer of this note, viz: That of having all kinds of meal from grain intended for fatting hogs, instead of boiling or steaming, put into water in vats or tubs of sizes in proportion to the number fatting, and there remain until fermentation takes place, before feeding out to the swine—not giving any meal to hogs or pigs, until this acid fermentation is observable. In this state I have never known swine to become cloved by overeating, however freely fed. On farms where cheese is made, I have found, as I apprehend, not only a safety but profit in putting the new whey into the vat where this process was going on. The concistcncy of this preparation, I think,

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should not exceed that of good cream. In this way I have seen swine fatten faster than from meal given in any other form, and seen less marks of food having passed the animal undigested, which is often visible when food of a fa-rinacious kind is freely given, unprepared; and I may add, according to my experience, (though on a very limited scale,) the most profitable.

The Yankees of New England have long since discovered, that the point of an old scythe, rendered unfit for mowing grass, by long usage, or broken by accident, sixteen or eighteen inches long, attached to a handle of wood, at right angles, or somewhat obtuse, serves all the purposes for cutting up corn, that the more formidable machine proposed by our Virginia farmer would—and almost without expense.

A Farmer of R. I.

A very ready method of disposing of the small cobble stones lying upon the surface of ploughed fields laid down to grass is the passing over them with a heavy roller in the spring while the ground is yet damp. By this process the stones will be sunk so low as not to be in the way of the scythe. These stones, we are confident, will be of essential benefit to the subsequent grass crops.— Ed. F. M. Vis.

MILKING COWS.

The owners of cows should pay particular attention to milking. Children must not be trusted with this business, and there are many grown people who never milk well well though they have been brought up to the business.

If you would obtain all the milk from the cow you must treat her with the utmost gentleness ; she must not stand trembling under your blows nor under your threats. She may at times need a little chastisement, but at such times you need not expect all her milk.

Soon after the bag has been brushed by 3'our hand and the ends of the teats have been moistened a little with milk, it flows in rapidly and all the veins or ducts near the teats are completely filled. Then it must be drawn out immediately or you will not get the whole. You must not sit and talk—you must not delay one moment if you would have all the cow is then ready to yield.

The udder should be moved in every direction at the close of milking, and the hands may beat it a little in imitation of the beating which the calf gives it when he is sucking. An expert milker will make the cow give one quarter more in butter, than a majority of grown milkers will.

Learners should know that the hand should be kept very near the extremity of the teat, if they would milk with ease. The left arm should always press gently against the leg of

the cow; for if she is inclined to kick she cannot, with any force ; she cannot strike an object that leans against her; but if she raises up her foot, as she often will when her teats are sore, the milker will be ready to ward off and keep it from the pail much better than when he sits far off from the cow.

If heifers are made tame and gentle by frequent handling when they are young they are not apt to kick the milker; their udders should be rubbed gently before calving; it is quite as grateful to them as carding. But if they are suffered to run wild till after they have calved they cannot be expected to be gentle when you first attempt to milk them. They often acquire bad habits and are not broken of them through life.— Massachusetts Ploughman.

A SIMPLE REMEDY. A physician of extensive practice tells us that a prompt and effectual remedy for violent bleeding at the nose is to soak the feet in warm water. Lay this up "against time of need."

Concord Freeman.

Stumps are among the most troublesome obstacles in the settlement of a new country. A machine is sometimes used, with lever power, to eradicate them. It is literally a huge " tooth puller." It requires great power and much expense and time to accomplish the business, even with this machine. A better contrivance, because more simple and cheap, we saw practised the other day. A little excavation was made in under the stump, and some combustible materials enclosed, and then set on fire. Previous to this, however, some dry materials were piled around the root, above the surface of the ground, and then covered over with a compact layer of turf, forming a sort of coal-pit. It has been found upon experiment, that the stumps will burn in this way, a number of days, with a sort of subterranean fire, and when the turf falls in, nearly every thing of the root is found consumed below and above the surface of the ground.— Passing by a field near where the canal enters the Connecticut, awhile since, we noticed smoke issuing from twenty little mounds of earth, and upon inquiry, found they were burning out the stumps in the manner above described.

DISADVANTAGES OF FEEDING ENTIRELY ON DRY FOOD.

Horses and cattle fed on chopped oats or rye straw in its dry state, will obstinately refuse to take up all that is put in the troughs, and what they consume will be less nutritious than when slightly fermented. The process is the following, to feed on a cheap plan and keep stock in