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wash; bat chrome goes further, and makes a color generally esteemed prettier. In all these cases, the darkness of the shade will of course be determined by the quantity of coloring matter used. It is difficult to make a rule, because tastes are very different; it would be best to try experiments on a shingle, and let it dry. I have been told that green must not be mixed with lime. The lime destroys the color, and the color has an effect on the whitewash, which makes it crack and peel.

" When walls have been badly smoked, and you wish to have them a clean white, it is well to squeeze indigo plentifully through a bag into the water you use, before it is stirred in the whole mixture.

"If a larger quantity than five gallons is wanted the same proportions should be observed."

This is the third or fourth time that, by particular request, we have published the above recipe, which we have no doubt is an excellent one. But after all, we believe that white lead, especially at the low price at which it can be purchased at present, is the best and most economical pigment that can be used. At any rate, this is the experience of our Northern friends, who are proverbial for their economy and management. They paint every thing, except the ladies' cheeks, and that nature does for them in a manner to surpass even the purity of their beautiful cottages.

We intend to furnish directions for the mixing and laying on of white paint, so that every farmer may become his own painter. It is an operation much more simple than is generally imagined.

For the Southern Planter.

SMALL FARMS.

Mr. Editor, —The great error committed by a very large majority of farmers is to cultivate too much land. The conduct pursued by a young farmer in my part of the country forcibly impressed this truth on my mind. He commenced farming on a tract of ordinary land, and influenced by the example of those around him, planted seventy thousand tobacco hills on slightly manured land; two hundred thousand corn hills on broomstraw and hen-nest grass land; he sowed one hundred bushels of wheat succeeding his corn crop; and in return fordiligent cultivation and a continual hard press during the working season, he gathered eight or ten thousand pounds of tobacco, five hundred bushels corn, and two or three hundred bushels wheat. This system was pursued by him for several years, with about the result above stated. Now,

sir, how many farmers in Eastern Virginia are there who pursue the same course with similar results; perhaps four-fifths, or may I not say nine-tenths: that is at least the proportion within my observation.

I will pursue the history of my farmer for their especial benefit. I have said he had a tract of ordinary, I might have said, poor land ; he had something else worth a little more than his land; he had a strong mind stored with a good stock of practical sense. He concluded there must be a better way of getting along than the one he was pursuing, and that he would try by doing less work, to make more money; a notion which I dare say the most of us are willing to adopt. He cut off nearly two-thirds of his crop, thirty thousand tobacco hills; next, he made less than one hundred thousand corn hills. He concentrated all the fertilizing means which he had expended before upon the larger surface, upon the more limited one, and at the close of the year, he gathered a little more crop than he had ever made before. Now this was encouraging, was it not 1 As he had expended a little more than one-third of the labour, he had nearly two-thirds of his time, to devote to some other, and he hoped more profitable employment; that time he employed in gathering materials to make manure. Adhering strictly to a small crop well manured and diligently cultivated, he has now the pleasure of gathering at the close of each year about double as much as he did in the beginning, besides having in tobacco an article worth as much again per hundred as formerly. He cultivates no land which will not well remunerate for the labor expended ; and in addition to the ordinary means of manuring, he uses gypsum freely on his growing crop, and thought a year or two ago when tobacco was higher than it is at present, that every barrel of gypsum applied to his growing tobacco, benefited him fifty dollars.

I am here reminded of the remedy for flies in the tobacco plant bed. Is it generally known that one gallon of gypsum mixed with one gallon corn meal, is sufficient to sprinkle over a plant bed of two hundred square yards, and if repeated as often as it disappears, answers the twofold purpose of preventing the ravages of the fly, and is the best manure for plants known?

I will conclude this communication, as it is already too long, by stating what would scarcely be credited, that the example of ihe farmer, above alluded to, is lost upon his neighbors.— Men are so wedded to old habits, that they pursue the old plan, of large fields, hard work, and small profits. The occupation of cultivating the soil is certainly a delightful one, but to look upon gullied hillsides, perpendicular ploughing, and, as a necessary result, corn-stalks a little larger than broom-straws, is enough to cool down the most ardent zeal, and give it over to

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the management of the ignorant "drawers of water and hewers of wood."

BERKSHIRE HOGS.

I do not know an individual who has mixed the Berkshire in his stock, or attempted to raise them exclusively, whose stock has not materially deteriorated. I know several who used to raise an abundance of pork and a surplus for sale, who now are dependant on Kentucky for their supply. I have never had one; my objection to both Berkshire and Nobone is one that would be laughed at by the Yankee; legs too short, and body too large: they require too much food and have too little ability to get it. Give me something of the South Carolina Sand Hill hog, a hearing ear, (at least in acorn time,) a light body, and long legs, then a good range, and I will ensure meat enough.

X. R. S.

Nottoway, April 25, 1844.

HOW TO CATCH CROWS.

The following description of a successful mode of catching crows appeared not long since in an English paper—and will doubtless prove new and interesting to many of our country readers, who are annoyed by these inveterate corn-stealers in the planting season :

"At Dover, last week, a novel wager was decided at the Red Cow public house, between several persons who had met there to regale themselves. The intensity of the weather, it appears, having put the feathered tribe to the shift, a vast quantity of crows were daily ob served to congregate at Farthinglowe, between Dover and Folkestone, on a mizen, whose internal heat had rendered the surface clear of its coat of snow. This circumstance did not escape attention, and a wager as to the number of birds that could be taken resulted. Accordingly the person proceeded to prepare for the performance of his task, by carefully making a quantity of small paper caps, in shape resembling a cone; these were besmeared with birdlime round the inner part of the base, and as many holes were made in the dung-heap as were required to deposit and keep them in an upright position. Into each of these caps a bean was put; and the scheme being thus far complete, the parties left to witness the movements of the unsuspecting crows. Presently, innumerable quantities dropped upon their old haunt, and peering out the treasures which lay at the bottom of the caps, sweeter far than the grapes in the fable, strutted and croaked, and apparently complimented each other on their good fortune. At length, one of the smutty gentlemen, bolder than the rest, determined to make hay whilst the sun was shining, popped his head in to seize the treasure; but no sooner

had he grasped it in his beak, than in trying to withdraw his cranium, it adhered to his raven coat. The sight was now extremely laughable ; blacky shook his head, but he lost not the envelope; then attempted to fly, he soared a considerable height in the air, skimming wildly around, until at length he dropped and was taken; and in this way, scores of them were observed buffeting against each other, until the bet was decided by a larger quantity being caught than the stipulation of the bet required, and in less time."

For the Southern Planter. THE RIGHT USE OF APPLES.

Mr. Editor, —A farmer of this county, two years ago, made from a moderate orchard, apples of which he sold a part in Richmond and. elsewhere for $125. He used enough others to fatten his hogs through the earlier part of the fattening season ; thereby saving, as he thinks, at least fifty bushels of corn, worth fifty or sixty cents a bushel. He put away, besides, an abundant winter supply for his family; and gave to several of his neighbors as many as they wanted, for the like use. He made no brandy—no cider, except, perhaps, one keg for vinegar. He had the unspeakable comfort of reflecting, that none of his fruit contributed one atom to the frightful mass of crime, vice, want and misery, which strong-liquor is constantly creating. How nobly does that honesl farmer contrast with him, who makes the apple and. peach tree more baleful than ihe deadly Upas; and converts the harvest itself, (Heaven's richest bounty,) into a wider means of destruction than if the same fields had been sown with dragon's teeth, like the fabled one of old !

Before harvest time, I wish to say a word to your readers about the drinks which suit that time best. I want to see if you and I cannot swell the number of those who let no intoxicating liquor enter their harvest fields. There must be at least a hundred and fifty farmers in this county who act upon that principle; and in the State, fifteen or twenty thousand. I have hopes, that next harvest their number will be doubled. If those who have not tried the new plan, will consult those who have, its adoption will be certain. But I save this subject for your next number. Your friend,

John Dumpling.

Louisa, April, 1844.

SOILING CATTLE.

John Q,iiincy, Jr., at a late agricultural meeting in Boston, said that his father had kept his stock of cattle on fifteen acres, by feeding them

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with the green food in the stable, the same cattle having required ninety acres of pasturage when they ran at large. His father's farm has no fences but the boundary fence, and he supposes that the cost of keeping division fences in repair would be greater than the expense of cutting green food for them. The soiling system is beyond doubt the economical system under certain circumstances; for instance, near large towns and in all prairies. Illinois would save more than her people pay in taxes by laws to prevent stock from running at large, and dispensing altogether with fences, except such as are necessary to keep up the stock.

Louisville Journal.

For the Southern Planter. BACHELOR'S PUDDING.

J\lr. Editor, —Please present my dutiful respects to Aunt Dumpling, (for so we ought all to call her,) and tell her I always sleep on a hard bed, otherwise I should not wake in time to attend to my business; moreover, I would be affected by a pain in the breast, and a lassitude and debility unfitting me for my daily avocation. Tell her also that I have tried ripe bread long since, but prefer it made into what, for want of a better name, I call bachelor's pudding. Thus, break or grate the bread into new milk, and permit it to get soft before adding a good portion of boiled rice, some eggs, butler, and other condiments that the taste may dictate, and sweeten well with melasses.* Wonder if she will try it? My very good friend Judge R. . . pronounces it excellent, and Major Pickles says he knows what's what.

Have you heard any thing of the Robinson Grass yet? Some persons have lately been lauding the Velvet Grass. I should like to know how to get rid of it, being decidedly the most indifferent of its genus I have tried.

I really do not see the necessity of resorting to Bommer or any of his class for instruction in the art of making manure; for if we would avail ourselves of the advantages afforded us in almost every situation, there are few whose lands would not improve fast enough. Your course in relation to this matter is highly commendable, and must tend to general good, for which I trust you will reap your reward. The post of schoolmaster and editor of agricultural journals, I consider the most responsible, important and honorable in the land.

After the demise of the late lamented and estimable Buel, I proposed that each subscriber to the Cultivator should contribute one dollar to-

* A syrup of the consistence and sweetness of honey, and produced by the labor of asses in grinding sugar canes—thence melasses from mel and assinus, an ass, or asses.— Bordley.

wards erecting a monument to his memory. But my proposition was passed by unheeded, slept the sleep of oblivion, and he whose merits elevated him far above warriors and statesmen, was not deemed worthy of this small token of the estimation in which his invaluable services were held by his countrymen. But " exegit monumentum cere perennius,'' and he will forever live in the hearts of the good and the wise.

Oberlin.

Jlpril 20, 1844.

N. B.—In this month's number there is used the word luashy instead of swashy in my communication. The sentence should read thus, " such as are too wet and swashy," &c.

GREEN AND DRY WOOD.

A cord of wood whilst green, is said to contain 1,443 pounds of water, or one hogshead and two barrels. Let every farmer who hauls wood to market, remember that when he transports it green, he is carrying that weight and quantity of water on this load, which, if he had suffered his wood to remain after it was cut till it was suitably seasoned, he might save from the burden of his oxen or horses, or pile upon the top of it three-fourths of a cord of seasoned pine, and yet have no heavier load than the green cord alone weighed.— Maine Cultivator.

EMIGRATION. We make the following extract from a letter from Dr. Philips, Editor of the South-Western Farmer, Mississippi, to his brother Editor of the American Agriculturist. We do not hesitate in expressing the opinion, that this estimate of the disadvantages of emigration, is in accordance with the experience of nine-tenths of the emigrants to other States ; the most of whom have sought, in a change of habitation, a relief from difficulties, which they were too loath to ascribe to the effects of an ill-regulated life:

"Pleasures and Advantages of Remaining at Home. —Let any man ' cypher' up the cost of moving—the cost of land—the cost of building—the cost of clearing—to say nothing of the deprivations in a country where farms are to open—the loss of dear associates—our schoolmates—and the time required to prepare for making mone}', and I venture on it, no sane man will move. I want to see many from those old countries here: not that, Indian-like, I wish them to suffer because I have, but that I want a thicker-settled country, and more demand for land. Yet with all this I would recommend them to improve at home where they now are; husband their resources; study the

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economy of manures, improved agricultural implements, stock, seeds, the best rotation, and management of crops.

" Would that man merit aught but opprobrium, who would urge his fellows to sever every tender tie that binds him to ' Home, sweet home;' to even the 'old oaken bucket;' to the soil; to his associates and relatives, for the purpose of getting richer land, which, when cleared, and cultivated as is now done, will cause the

young flock to wander again—and in reality, only serve to support one generation? I say nay, and therefore urge it on our brother farmer C. McD., as on all others in that good old State, to make it a part of their regular business to save, gather and make manure ; they will find that three years of labor, with the cost and loss of moving, will give them such lands, that they will cling to the 'old South State,' even if they live in the ' Peedee country—God bless you,' "

For the Southern Planter. FLOOD GATES

C. T. Botts, Esq..

Dear Sir, —I have been a subscriber to your valuable paper ever since you commenced its publication and I have read all of the numbers I believe (except one or two discontinued in consequence of my delinquency in failing to comply with your terms,) with increasing interest, and many of its contributions with very great advantage. I feel, therefore, that whilst I have been profiting by the labors and suggestions of others, I am under some little obligation myself to add rny rnite to the common stock.

I have determined, like all of the rest of your contributors, I suppose, to tell first what I know most about. Fixtures on farms, I think, whilst we have been rapidly improving in agricultural implements, have been comparatively neglected,

;and most certainly there is no one thing on the

I farm, which contributes more to the farmer's success than convenient, substantial fixtures,

I whilst indifferent fixtures and awkward ill-con-

j trived tools and implements serve better than any thing else to dampen his ardor and disgust

| him with his vocation. Most of our farms in Virginia are intersected by small streams running across our fields; it is, therefore, necessary

i where a fence or enclosure intersects one of those fields, to have what we call in this part of

J the country flood gates. Now, so far as my observation extends, there is no one thing about our farms worse contrived than these aforesaid flood gates. Most generally you find where the fence crosses the branch, a long pole extending across, and perpendicular stabs, (let's call

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them slobs,) driven through the water into the mud, which serve at every swell of the stream to collect a hammock, which sweeps away pole, fence and all. I have prepared a drawing of one I design putting up, which I herewith enclose you. It is designed only to prevent stock from getting into the field ; I have no doubt, however, it would be equally effectual in preventing their getting out. The drawing speaks for itself and needs no explanation. Q,.

Well constructed flood gates are undoubtedly very desirable appurtenances to a farm ; but we think the construction recommended by our correspondent is more expensive than necessary. If for his framing he will substitute a round pole extending across the branch and pinned down securely at each end, and upon this pole let his gate play by means of two white oak splits bent around it and secured to the top of his gate, he will have a fixture answering every purpose, erected at much less trouble and expense.

EXTRACT FROM COL. BONNER—CURE FOR BARREN SOWS.

" While writing, I thought it not amiss to give you the favorable results of an experiment of mine upon a fine Berkshire sow, purchased last fall of Mr. C. N. Bement, near your city. She was over two years old when I bought her, and although she ran regularly with his boars she had never produced a litter of pigs, or had even been in pig, to his knowledge. With a full knowledge of these facts, I purchased her. On the first of November last, 1 found her in season for the boar, and turned her in the pen to one of mine; he served her repeatedly for two days. In about twenty days I found her again in season for the boar, and was persuaded by many friends that she was too fat to breed. I put her again to the boar, and turned her out in the woods without any food, to reduce her.— She continued to reduce daily, and got quite •poor, but was in season for the boar every eighteen to twenty-one days, and was as regularly served by different boars, until about the 10th of June. I then concluded to half-spay her; or, in other words, to take out one of her ovaries, or prides, as we Georgians call them. I did so by making or cutting an incision in her right side, and took from her as large a pride as I ever saw. In the latter part of July, thereafter, I discovered her again in heat for the boar, and turned her into a pen to my imported boar, Ontario, and I am pleased to tell, that she not only proved in pig, but that on the 13th instant, she produced me six fine pigs—five sows, and one boar pig. I would further remark, that she had on previous occasions been served by Ontario,

and that her condition as to flesh, &c, was about the same it had been for several months, and the treatment precisely the same. It is the first and only instance of the kind I ever heard of, and thinking it possible that some of your many readers might have a sdw similarly constituted, concluded to give you the above fact."

We know of several instances where great disappointment and loss has been caused by the failure of sows to breed. Although, so far as we know, his remedy is perfectly novel, it is based on strict physiological principles. Excessive ardor, or frequently repeated sexual connection, is usually a hindrance to impregnation, and the removal of an ovary, by lessening the first, had a direct tendency to produce the result desired. It is more than possible that the reduction of flesh might have been also useful, as the pressure of fat usually closes the fallopian tubes and effectually prevents impregnation. Albany Cultivator.

For the Southern Planter. CLOVER, HERDSGRASS, AND TIMOTHY.

Mr. Editor, —I was much amused and gratified at the style in which you commented on the sayings and doings of the Farmers' Club of Henrico at their last meeting in October; and as clover formed the subject, of discussion, I resolved at the time to give you the following hints as to the manner of curing it. After cutting, let it lie as long as possible without burning, and then put it up in the following manner: Cut for each cock three sticks, eight or nine feet long; stick the ends in the ground, about two feet apart, and tie the tops together with a rope of hay ; then get a cedar log, and thrusting one end in between the foot of two of the upright sticks, let it remain in the base of the tripod; leave a limb upon the other end by which you may draw the log out when required ; stack the clover, or other hay, against the sticks and over the log; then draw out the log; an opening will be left that will furnish free circulation for the air, and the clover will be very rapidly and perfectly cured. I have put up hay in this way whilst it was raining, and found it most excellently cured.

On the subject of herdsgrass, permit me to add one word to what has been already written. Very poor and very dry land will bring it, if managed properly. It should be sown with oats or at the time of laying by your corn ; turn in the product next year, and follow the plough with a roller; then harrow lightly, and sow timothy and roll again; then add a little top-dressing in the fall or early in the spring, and you will cut a good crop of grass. Our grasses do not penetrate deep enough to get the benefit of the soil on account of the dryness of the

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climate, and they, therefore, suffer much from the drought; but when the surface is inverted and the sod is kept unbroken, the grass puts up backwards, and the growth, even without manure, would astonish any one who saw it. If you are sceptical, just come out about the 10th of June, and you will then see for yourself.— Let there he no mistake about the time the grass is ploughed under: this should be done, if the grass is to be cut, immediately after the scythe; otherwise, when the heads are dry, and when the stalks are green, but ripe.

Timothy is a different thing from herdsgrass ; it is a complete bulb or root, of the shape of a wild onion. When it is cut, this strong root, if left to itself, sprouts promptly and sends out two or three shoots. If in this sprouted, green, and growing state, it is turned under so deep as to be beyond the influence of the sun and air, it must rot, of course: but if it is turned under only two or three inches deep, it comes through, and is greatly strengthened. I am now certain, that any land that will bring broomstraw, will bring good grass.

The farm 1 live on had not one thousand spires of good grass on it four years ago, and now, although no manure was ever put on a blade of grass, I cured 40,000 lbs. last year, notwithstanding I lost from five to ten thousand weight for want of hands to save it. This year, I hope to reach 60.000 lbs. If the Farm Committee of the Agricultural Society will call on me from the 5th to the 20th of June, and will award a premium for " the most made from the least spent," I shall be happy to see them.

In my next, I will furnish you with a plan to enable poor farmers to make poor lands rich, which has forced itself on my attention, as it affords more, in rny opinion, for the amount expended than any other plan I have seen recommended.

Yours, respectfully,

J. H. D. Lownes.

Brookland, April, 1844.

There is no information more to be desired than this promised by Mr. Lownes. We shall look for hi3 next communication with no little interest.

STOPPING BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE.

Dr. Negrier, of Algiers, France, has published a new method of stopping bleeding from the nose. The following fact induced him to try the plan:—" Some years ago, I cut myself under the nose while shaving. The blood flowed copiously from this petty wound, and I could not stop it, either with court-plaster or by cauterizing with the nitrate of silver. By chance, however, I lifted up both my arms at once to reach something, and I 3aw, to my great sur-

prise, that the flow of blood, which was copious just before, immediately stopped. I lowered my arms, and the haemorrhage began again ; I again lifted them up, and again the blood immediately stopped. In this way I renewed and stopped the flow five or six times, in order to convince myself perfectly that the sudden raising of the arms was really the cause of the haemorrhage. Lastlj 7 , I kept my arms raised for one or two minutes; and during this period a plastic crust formed upon the cut, which put a final stop to the hremorrhage."

The following case, being one of those reported by the author, will show his method of proceeding:—'April, 1839. A chimney-sweep, aged fourteen, had already lost two hundred grammes (six ounces) of blood from the right nostril. The blood was still flowing very fast. I had the boy placed with his head high; then, with the fore-finger of the left hand, I compressed the nostril from which the blood was flowing ; while doing this I made him lift up his right arm perpendicularly, telling him to keep it so for two minutes ; the haemorrhage had stopped in ten seconds."

For the Southern Planter. PRESERVATION OF VINES.

Mr. Editor, —The preservation of vines (such as musk melons, cucumbers, &c.) from the little green striped bug, which so frequently depredates upon them, to the great annoyance and disappointment of housekeepers and gardeners, has long been a desideratum with that class of the community; and as yet, I believe, but few remedies have been found effectual. As the season is now approaching, when the attention of such persons will be again called to the subject, it has occurred to me, that I might perhaps do them some little service,by suggesting through the Planter a plan which I have pursued for several years with complete success. It is not original with me; I am indebted for it to some agricultural paper in which I found it some years ago; but as I have never seen it elsewhere, perhaps it may be new to some of your readers. It ma} 7 not be unprofitable, therefore, just at this time, to inform or remind them of it.

The plan is simply this: Take short pieces of boards that are easily handled—shingles, old barrel heading, or any thing of the kind—lay them along the rows, or drills, immediately at the root of the vine as soon as it comes up, and let some person go every morning about sunrise, and again in the evening about sun-set, and turn up the boards. He will find the bugs reposing under or adhering to them, and with a little wedged shape stick, he may destroy every one. Any little boy can do it, and in one hour can attend to all the vines in the largest size gardens.

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The philosophy of the thing I presume is simply this: the bug takes shelter under the boards, as a convenient location to the vine, from the cold and damp of the night, and from the sultry heat of the day, and only comes out to feed in the cool of the morning when the dew is off, and in the cool of the evening, before it falls—and by anticipating their time a little, they are easily surprised and taken.

By attending to this method only a few days, if the weather is seasonable and the ground rich, the plants will soon get out of their reach, and no further trouble will be necessary. I have only to add, that I have now been trying it for five or six years, and have never failed, from that cause, to raise an abundant supply of those desirable fruits.

Your friend, C.

From the Louisville Journal. PEACH TREE WORM.

Much has been said and written respecting the worm which is so destructive to our peach trees. Now my object is not so much to point out a preventive as a cure, which, after eight years trial, I can speak with some degree of assurance. It consists in the following simple method:—Early in the spring, soon after the frost is out of the ground, I lay bare the trunk of the tree at the roots, then pour on from two to four gallons of boiling soap suds, which may be easily obtained after washing; taking care so to remove the earth as to retain the boiling suds around the tree; then immediately replace the earth. 1 usually perform the same operation again in August; and once a year I scrub the entire trunk of the tree with strong soft soap suds; this method has never failed in keeping my peach trees entirely free from worms. This method I consider much better than digging away the earth and probing with a penknife, as it takes comparatively but little time, and is much more certain. Many persons might be deterred from trying this method fearing it would injure or entirely destroy the tree but I can safely say I have never known a single instance where the tree sustained the least injury. I have sold peaches for four dollars per bushel the subsequent fall after the operation.

As to a preventive, I have never found any thing to answer as well as tan-bank, stone coal, or pounded charcoal; either will answer the purpose, but should be renewed once a year.

M. Flagg.

For the Southern Planter. RUST.

Mr. Editor, —Much has been written on the subject of rust in wheat; I have, however, seen (as well as I remember) no reference made to its being caused by fallowing and seeding the

land when too wet. I may be in error, (and some whom I have conversed with on the subject seem to think so,) but twenty j^ears close observation has led my mind to the conclusion, that in a majority of cases, the rust which injures or destroys wheat, is caused by seeding on land too wet, or that has been fallowed when too wet.

This is a tobacco planting region, and we generally sow our wheat from the 20th of September to 31st of October, sometimes earlier and sometimes later, as the tobacco housing permits. The time of commencing harvest varies from the 20th of June to the 6th of July, depending more on the season than the time of sowing.

In 1832, my land was fallowed, when excessively dry, and in seeding a cloud of dust followed the ploughs and harrows. The winter and spring following, up to the 9th of May, were ordinary; from the 9th of May to the 30th of June, there fell an unusual quantity of rain, which in many places beat down the wheat and caused the straw to have a dull, weather-beaten appearance ; there was, however, no rust; the crop was a good average, and the grain weighed upwards of sixty pounds to the bushel.

In 1835, my crop was seeded on land that was very dry, and which had been fallowed very diy. The winter was unfavorable and the spring backward up to the 25ih of May, when rain commenced and continued in torrents with little intermission until the 20th of July. Much of my wheat was cut while rain was actually falling; the crop was for the most part lodged and mildewed, indeed rendered almost worthless; nevertheless, there was no rust.

In the fall of 1836, my land was fallowed wet, though seeded when dry ; the spring of 1837, was dry, cold, and harsh, to the 12th of May, from which time to harvest, it was seasonable but not too wet. The wheat crop was badly rusted, and almost a total failure. The fallowing season (August and September of 1837,) was extremely dry, as was the seeding. Up to the middle of May, 1838, the spring was uncommonly cold ; from thence to harvest seasonable. The wheat crop in quantity and quality very heavy with bright straw.

The fallowing and seeding in the fall of 1838, was done in very dry weather; ihe winter and spring of 1839, ordinary; the wheat crop was uncommonly fine in quantity and quality.

The fallowing and seeding seasons of 1840, 1841 and 1842, were wet, and the crop of each succeeding season were ruined by the rust. I am also convinced when wheat is caused to rust by wet, hot weather in the spring, the mischief is done thirty or forty days before harvest. I believe a hot, wet spell of five or six weeks in April and May, will cause almost any crop of wheat to rust, nor can any weather in June save it.

Wheat sown on land where gypsum has been

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freely used, is certainly more apt to rust, than where it has not been used. It does not, however, necessarily follow that gypsum is the sole cause of rust; on the contrary, I consider its agency comparatively insignificant in producing that result.

Wheat seeded on land too wet, (like most other crops,) takes a bad start, does not leave the ground until warm weather sets in, say last of April or first of May, which does not leave it sufficient time to grow and ripen ; the consequence is, when the ripening season arrives, it rusts and dries up.

Lime and ashes, so far as my experiments extend, have but little agency in arresting the malady. A return of the old fashioned Indian summer autumns, deep snows through the winter, with moderately cool and seasonable springs, would remove (in my humble judgment) all complaint about rust, and I much fear the wheat growers of this region have no other hope. It is true, that virgin soils seem less liable to produce rust, than (what is called) old land; and it is equally true, (I presume) that any application which would reinstate that virginity, would be an advantage; but the question is, can such an application be made, and if so, would it effectually remove the evil 1 I think not; for 1 have seen wheat badly rusted on land very recently cleared.

The foregoing offers no remedy ; it is indeed a forlorn hope: if, however, you deem it worth inserting in the Planter, you can do so.

With esteem, I am your obedient servant,

WlLLTAM MASSIE.

Pharsalia, Nelson Co., April 8, 1844.

For the Southern Planter. TRANSLATIONS FROM THE FRENCH.

JWr. Editor, —I send you below some more translations from the French, for the Planter; I will in my next send you the article on marl, alluded to in the note at the end of this communication.

Your obedient servant, X.

Hanover, April 10, 1844.

<: The first thing that a person should do who wishes to establish a farm, is, to inform himself of all the expenses consequent upon the undertaking. * * * *

" 1 arn in favor of a farm of moderate size, where the farmer can choose his ground and spare no means by which to bring his farm to a high state of improvement. I would especially counsel you not to forget the advice of Columella, ' the field should be weaker than the laborer, for if it is stronger it will become overrun with weed3.' Adapt the size of your farm to the mean? you possess; if you possess but Vol. IV.—17 '

little, attempt but little, and never commit the folly of going in debt for your farm. However small the rate of interest that } 7 6u pay, you will find that in the first years of your experiment you will be unable to pay it from the product of your farm. You reckon falsely, if you suppose that 3'ou will be able to repay the borrowed money from the proceeds of the first harvest; almost all of those will be absorbed by expenses as necessary as unforeseen. Besides, the harvest of the first year (I hesitate not to speak of the three first) is often small, either from the bad husbandry of the farmer who preceded you, or from your own imperfect knowledge of the soil and 3'our inexperience. The instructions that I am about to give will, I hope, be useful to beginners, and I can offer them with the more confidence since I speak of that which I have seen and practised. * * *

"Hcec sunt mea venijicia, (these are my sorceries,) said Cresinus, bringing into the forum his rustic implements, and assuredly there was reason in what he said ; in the ploughs which turn over the earth well and open a deep furrow, the harrows and rollers which soften and divide the soil, behold already a part of the art of farming. It is essential then that the farmer should have some idea of the instruments which he should employ.

" The Plough. —As it would fill a volume 1o treat of all the different varieties of the plough, I will refer you to the savans who have already written on the subject. I do not even wish to decide which is the best, and I think that the plough used in each country is good, if they knew how to employ it. It may not perhaps be amiss to introduce here the words of Liebault: 'I will forbear from speaking in this place of the form of the plough and of the different varieties that are used in different portions of the country ; since it is necessary to adapt to the soil that is to be cultivated, the utensil that is to be used.' In general each country has adopted a plough suitable to its soil. In one part of France, for instance, in Brie, &c, they use the turning plough, so called because they have a share attached to one very large point above which is placed a piece of arched wood, called versoir which always turns the earth over on the same side ; they use this plough bescause they plough there in beds to draw off the water. In other parts, as in Picardie, they use a plough which has two points, near which is placed a piece of wood called an ear, which is moved at will, because the lands not being wet, they plough them flat. To change your plough without much reflection and before many experiments, is a folly. The plough which succeeds in Brie will not suit our canton, (Oixe.)

" Harrows. —It is well to have harrows of two kinds—heavy ones for land that is hard or covered with large clods—light ones to be drawn

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by one horse where the soil is soft. The teeth of the harrow should be long and made of seasoned wood, the cornelle (dog wood) is the best -wood that can be employed for this purpose. As the teeth often break, one should keep a supply of them on hand, and never permit a harrow 10 be used with teeth that are broken or too much worn. As to the form, I prefer the triangular to the square, as they break the land better and more quickly. A farmer should have one harrow with iron teeth, which should be fastened with nut» to the bars made very strong and bound with iron bands; this instrument, unknown in many places, is yet useful in all countries if you except sandy soils; all other varieties of land will derive much benefit from it when they are hardened by great rains or heat, or when they send forth much herbage.

"Manure. —Land would always produce abundantly if it received the necessary manure ; one great care of the farmer then should be, to multiply his manures as much as possible. The most common and most easily obtained, is that produced by horses, cows, sheep and swine. One can unfortunately only augment the quantity by degrees; for if manure produces good harvests, the good harvests in their turns afford the straw from which an increase of manure is derived, and this it is that renders the first years difficult; the crops failing for want of manure, and the manure being scarce on account of the mediocrity of the crops. Thus it is often necessary on a farm neglected for a long time, to purchase the first year straw of which to make manure, and to procure by these means good crops. But only that straw which has been well trampled and prepared by the cattle forms manure ; it is necessary therefore to buy a number of cattle proportioned to the quantity of forage that one has to convert into manure, which number should be augmented as the lucerne, sainfoil, and other species of grasswhich good husbandry will afford, come on. Thus three things are necessary for the collection of manure—sufficient material, a considerable number of cattle, and an abundance of food. As to the best manner of using manure. In the first place, you should be careful to have your manure well rotted, particularly such as is to go on flinty land. It must not, however, be too much decomposed, for then it loses much in quantity; they put generally two four-horse wagon loads to the arpent. It is better to put it sparingly; for four arpents with a moderate crop, will produce more than two where there is a large crop, and two where there is a small crop, on account of the need that the land has for assistance. Eesides, too much manure sometimes causes the wheat to lodge, and sometimes it causes so much grass to grow as to destroy the wheat. ' Manure frequently and little,' is the doctrine of Columella and Palla-dius. ' Much fruit may be obtained if you re-

fresh the earth with frequent and moderate ma-nurings,'says the first; 'Nee prodest nimium stercorare uno tempore, sed frequenter et modicey Pall: Nor is it beneficial to manure too much at one time, but frequently and moderately. I do not speak of the opinion of Columella that it destroys plants to manure them on the wane of the moon. I confess I put no faith in those prejudices, but prefer to say with Olivier,

'L'homme e'tant trop lunier De fruits ne remplit son panier.' The man who trusts much to the moon Will find his gamers empty soon.

"Maul is a very useful manure on some lands. Marl is a white stone found benea.th the surface of the earth at a depih more or less great; it is necessary for soils that are cold and retain water, that are hard to plough and will crumble. It is, however, necessary to put it on moderately, because otherwise it will render the land too light, and will alter its nature. After having marled land, it is proper to manure well immediately and turn under the marl and manure together; a greater quantity of manure than usual is required, well rotted and at least twelve wagon loads to the arpent."

(1) We will speak of marl more in detail in September.

HINTS TO LOVERS OF FLOWERS.

A most beautiful and easily attained show of evergreens in winter may be had by a very simple plan, which has been found to answer remarkably well on a small scale. If geranium branches taken from healthy and luxurious trees just before the winter sets in, cut as for slips, and immersed in soap and water, they will, after drooping for a few days, shed their leaves, put forth fresh ones, and continue in the finest vigor all the winter. By placing a number of bottles filled in flower baskets, with moss to conceal the bottles, a show of evergreens is easity insured for a whole season. They require no fresh water — Selected.

GUANO. We have alluded before to our own experience of the wonderful effects of this extraordinary fertilizer. Until we read the following communication, however, for the author of which the Editor of the "American Farmer," (whose statements we are always ready to endorse,) vouches, we had no idea that this substance could be made subservient to the general purposes of the farmer. If the data be correct, it is the most convenient and cheapest manure that can be obtained. There have been several importations made into this country and the price as well as

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the quality has varied very much. We obtained a small quantity in Baltimore a few days since, which we are retailing for gardan purposes. It can be had by the quantity in this market for from six to ten dollars per hundred weight.— The Editor of the " Farmer' recommends that it be kept very closely protected from the air, to prevent the loss of ammonia upon which its virtue chiefly depends. For this reason he reckons the guano imported in close casks as worth twice as much as that brought in bags. For the same purpose, to arrest the escape of the ammonia, he recommends that it should be applied in combination with plaster or charcoal. Several attempts have been made both in this country and in Europe to imitate this substance by an artificial mixture, and it is supposed that an article of equal efficacy can be obtained by the use of the fructifying ingredients in the guano, which may be furnished at a less price than the original article can be imported for.

It will never be forgotten that these manures are not intended to supersede those which can be collected or manufactured upon the farm ; they are only worth considering when the domestic supply has been exhausted.

The following is the communication alluded to:

For the American Farmer.

GUANO.

Having used the past summer, about five hundred weight of this new manure, and presuming that an account of its action or effect on various crops, will not be devoid of interest, I will give 3 7 ou the results of my experiments.

For grass crops of all kinds, particularly when used,as a top-dressing, I consider guano invaluable. Indeed so decided is its effects on grass, that, if a specific had been invented for this crop alone, it could not have answered better.

Owing to a great hurry in the spring work, consequent upon a very backward season, it was as late as the 13th of May before I commenced the experiment with guano. This was at least three or four weeks too late, as the grass had made a start of from eight to ten inches. One bushel (46 lbs. in weight,) was applied on one quarter of an acre of blue grass and clover, which, owing to its peculiar situation and other circumstances, had been undisturbed by the plough for fifteen or twenty years, although it had been top-dressed every second or third season, with stable manure. On the 13th of June, the grass was mowed; and so powerful was the action of the guano in the short period of thirty days, that the crop was double the usual quantity of hay grown from

this piece of land. This fact was ascertained, not only by comparing the crop with that on the adjoining land of the same character as to soil, but from the knowledge of its usual product in former seasons, being half a cart load, (one-fourth of a ton,) having this season produced a full heaping load (one-half of a ton )

A second crop was cut from the same spot, in August, and again it showed the same results ; the crop being fully double that on the adjoining land. If, as they have experienced in England, that one dressing of guano will act for three seasons, you will see how valuable a fertilizer guano is for this purpose.

Ten different trials on timothy, orchard grass, clover, &c.—on newly set, on old sward un-pioughed for twenty-five years, and on pasture, have fully established, in my opinion, the character of this manure for grasses. The quantity applied, was generally at the rate of two hundred pounds, or about four bushels to the acre. On one spot where it was applied too fully, (probably at the rate of seven or eight bushels to the acre,) the first cutting of grass was very luxuriant; but after that, the grass seemed to die entirely, looking as though fire had passed over it: in a few weeks, however— when the power of the guano had become weakened by the rains, as I supposed, it recovered its growth—and at the second cutting, yielded comparatively as well as the first crop. The soil on which all these experiments were made is a tolerable loam, with a stiff clay subsoil ; and the guano was applied at various times from May to August, with but one application to each spot or piece.

On potatoes and corn I was disappointed with its action—seeming to produce no decided effect ;—but this is accounted for in the fact, that it will not act on rich land or land highly manured. Both of the crops mentioned, were in strong ground and manured in the hill with stable dung, previous to the application of the guano. This accords with the experience of the London Horticultural Society in their experiments with guano, who say, " that a quantity which would be highly beneficial to a poor soil, will become deleterious upon land previously rich and well manured." In England it has been found to be an excellent manure for potatoes ; and the experiments of Mr. Teschamaker in Boston with it upon corn—published in the Farmer some time since—proves its value with this crop. If I had applied it, on the corn and potatoes, instead of stable manure, I have no doubt of the result.

On turnips (for which in England it has been found superior to the turnip specific, bones,) it produced a decidedly better crop, than another piece manured with stable dung; and I have no doubt, from its salt and pungent flavor, it

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keeps away the fly, generally so destructive to this crop.

On flowers, I found the rose to be much invigorated, both in growth and bloom; but observed no decided benefit on any ■'other species.

There is one remarkable circumstance connected with guano, or rather the application of it, which requires notice;—it is, the fact, that water is necessary for its proper action,—it ought to be applied to the soil just previous to a rain ; as owing to the large quantity of ammonia it contains, this valuable portion of its fertilizing ingredients is liable to be evaporated, unless soon carried beneath the surface, or absorbed by the plants to which it has been applied. If the soil is stirred as it ought to be, except when used as a top-dressing for grasses, immediately after its application, there is less liability of any of its good qualities being lost.

I have before me a letter from a gentleman, many years a resident in Peru. He thus describes the manner in which guano is used there:—"For maize, (Indian corn,) when the plant is twelve inches high, a small quantity is put around each plant, hoed slightly in and watered within twenty-four hours—(our frequent showers would obviate the necessity of watering;) again when the corn is just beginning to put forth ears, the same operation is performed. By this treatment, lands which unmanured gave only thirty fold, have been made to yield two hundred fold."

I believe guano can be imported from England at as low, or perhaps a lesser rate, than from South America. This is owing to the facilities granted to the English company who import it; and also to the difference in the charge for freight; freight being about two-thirds less from England, than from Chili and Peru. It was quoted a short time since in the Liverpool price current at 9 to £12 per ton— say XlO-g- per ton—counting the pound at 480, (this includes exchange,) it stands about $50 per ton in Liverpool; the freight would be about one cent per pound, and duty twenty per cent.; costing landed here, about $85 per ton ; or under, four cents per pound. Two hundred pounds on one acre, will manure it at an expense of $3. What is the comparison as to cost, between it and stable manure ? Let us have your views upon this point; twenty loads of stable manure for one acre will cost over twelve dollars, and the hauling from the city is worlh as much more. There may be differences of opinion in regard to the cheapness of guano over other manures; but it would appear from the price at which it was selling at Liverpool, that it might be imported to great advantage.

P. S.—In an article copied from the Maine Farmer into the American Farmer, of the 24th instant, guano is spoken of as requiring very little of it to manure an acre, and in the next

sentence thirty-five bushels of guano are said to be equivalent to seventy loads of dung, on one acre. Is not this a typographical error? If it is of the same component qualities as the guano used in the foregoing experiments, thirty-five bushels ought at the very least to manure seven acres.

SUBSTITUTE FOR GLASS IN HOT BEDS.

We notice in Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture, an extract from a German publication, giving a substitute for glass in hot beds. Take fine white cotton cloth and cover the frames.— To render it transparent and impervious, it is covered with the following preparation, viz: 4 oz. of dry pulverized white cheese; 2 oz. of white slacked lime; 4 oz. of boiled linseed oil. Mix these well, and add 4 oz. of the whites of eggs, and as much of the yolks, and the mass is made liquid by beating. The application is similar to varnishing any other article. This is certainly much cheaper and safer than glass. Tennessee Agriculturist.

For the Southern Planter.

LARD.

Mr. Editor, —I have been reading your paper ever since you set it going, and I think an agricultural paper a most convenient and useful thing. The farmers too are a very good disposed and accommodating sort of folks. They don't keep things to themselves like Free Masons, but will tell their neighbors whatever they know will benefit them. Now, sir, some people are too proud to ask information, particularly about little matters, but 1 have always heard that good management was made up of little things, and hope some of your contributors will furnish me the information I ask. Mrs. Gig-gins, (whom of course I consider a first rate housewife, as do all who know her,) has been overtaken for once in her life. She is not easily caught I can assure you, but on this occasion she has been. The last winter we put up as nice a parcel of lard as you ever saw. It would have made you smack your lips to taste of some of Mrs. Giggins thin biscuits. Well, sir, you know if lard, or butter, or such like things, are kept in a confined' place, such as a cellar or such like place, it will acquire a certain unpleasant taste and smell. Now, our lard is not exactly spoiled, but then it is not Mrs. Giggins' kind of lard. Our cellar is an uncommonly dry one, and we thought it would be entirely secure, but it is not. You know what 1 mean better than I can tell you. I observe in your April number creosole is recommended to restore meat a little tainted, but how could I apply it to the improvement of my firkins of lard 1 Please ask some of your knowing fanners and

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chemists to help Mrs Giggins oat of her difficulties, for she is very much put out about her lard. Perhaps too they can tell me another thing. Do persons who put up a good deal of lard, put any thing with it to preserve it? A few years ago a large bacon-curer told me that he was in the habit of putting saltpetre with his, but did not say how much. Now, I am sure something is put in it, for the. grocers and other large dealers keep it in their cellars without injury.

Do, Mr. Editor, help Mrs. Giggins out of her difficulties, and she promises in turn, if any should need her aid, she will tell them how to make mincepie, or light bread and rolls, or any thing else that any other lady under the sun knows. Or if they will come and see US' they shall have the best we can give, and be their own judges.

Yours, respectfully,

Simon Giggins.

April 10, 1S44.

From our knowledge of Mrs. Giggins' housewifery, we think we can safely promise to any one who will assist her in her present difficulty ample compensation in some of her excellent recipes.

EFFECTS OF DEEPENING THE SOIL.

The Liverpool Times gives the following fact, illustrating the beneficial effects of loosening the soil to a considerable depth :

" On Saturday, there were exhibited in the Exchange News Room, two enormous specimens of the red beet, or rnangel-wurtzel, grown by Mr. Robert Neilson, in a field on his farm at Halewood. Each of them weighed upwards of twenty pounds. They were not merely curiosities in themselves, but remarkable proofs of the effects which may be produced on vegetation by deepening of the soil, for the ground which produced these gigantic roots, would certainly have produced double quantity of potatoes, or of turnips or of ordinary sized beets, usually grown on an equal extent of land.— They show that by deepening the soil, an amount of produce may be got from it much greater than any one has yet thought it possible to raise."— Louisville Journal.

For the Southern Planter.

THE HILLY AND MOUNTAIN LANDS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.

Mr. Editor ■,—A letter was some time since drawn from the Hon. T. Clingrnan by inquiries addressed to him as to the climate and agricultural resources, especially for sheep husbandry of his District in North Carolina—the famous Buncombe District. The letter treated also,

briefly, of the manufacturing capabilities of the same region. It lifted the veil and disclosed to view a fine country, hitherto, in a manner, unknown; and from the striking nature of the facts staled, and the wide circulation which has been given to them, there is reason to suppose the time may be close at hand when public attention being drawn to its resources, a portion of the enterprise and capital which rail road and canal facilities have carried exclusively to the West, will be directed to Western Virginia and the mountainous and hilly portions of the Ca-rolinas and Georgia.

To T.-S. Skinner, Esq.

Assistant Post Master General, Washington:

J\ly Dear Sir, —I received your hurried line and take the liberty of sending you some queries if you would have the kindness to get Mr. Clingrnan to answer. My object is entirely sheep feeding and stock raising. I am not bound to any place or locality but where may suit my object, but my great object is suitable ground and cheap and a healthy situation —none other at any price. But I agree with you, that the Northern States is not the place, but fear from an observation of Mr. Clingman's, these grounds are not suitable either. What would be my way there from here—by Wheeling or Baltimore ?

QUERIES.

1. At what price per acre could the district of ground mentioned by Mr. Clingrnan be purchased at, and what would "be the terms of payment ?

2. How much of it is clear of timber and fit for cultivation and fit for sheep or cattle feeding ?

3. How much per acre would it cost to clear it and have it fit for cultivation, &c. ?

4. Are there any water falls on these lands, and are the streams constant ?

5. How far is it situate from any good town ?

6. Is there any society, and of what description, near it 1

7. Is there any place of religious public worship, and what denomination?

8. Are there any good schools near it ?

9. What is the highest temperature in summer, and the lowest in winter; any severe frosts, and what is the general continuance of it ?

10. What description of timber is generally on these grounds; any of the pitch?

11. Is ague or fever prevalent in the neighborhood, and is it generally healthy ?

12. Is the ground naturally dry, or full of springs, and will it answer for growing wheat ?

We can very clearly see that with the prospect for an increased demand for wool in America, the subject of sheep raising is fast becoming the engrossing one of the day. A great

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demand is arising for good sheep lands, and we are perfectly satisfied, and have long ago expressed the opinion, that no State in this Union is better able to supply that demand than the State of Virginia. The queries above will furnish a clue to the requisites sought by our Northern friends who are inclined to embark in this business, and we shall be much obliged to any of our correspondents who will assist in developing the resources of the State by furnishing satisfactory answers to them.

ORANGE COUNTY BUTTER-MAKING.

Goshen butter, made in Orange County, this State, is celebrated the world over as being equal, if not superior, to any other produced in the U. States. It undoubtedly owes its reputation, in a measure, to the careful manner in which it is made; the food of the cows, however, from which the milk is concocted, has something to do with it, as the pastures in the best districts of Orange County abound with sweet grass and white clover, which unquestionably are great requisites to insure sweet butter. We took the opportunity during two recent trips to this county, to visit several of its dairies, and make ourselves as well acquainted with the process of butter-making here as our time would allow. Those the most complete which passed under our inspection, we found upon the farms of Frederick J. Betts, Esq., of Newburgh and General Wickham, of Goshen. As we took full notes of the latter establishment, our description will apply more particularly to this.

The cows are regularly salted and kept in good pasture during summer; in the winter, each one by itself in a stall, with a separate door to it, in a building forming two sides of a square, round a large commodious yard. The lower story of the barn is appropriated for the stables, the upper part for hay and fodder. Gen. Wickham has several dairy establishments ; the most perfect is that within two miles of Goshen, numbering forty cows. These are brought up to the yard night and morning, and regularly milked. The outer paling of the yard is distant only about fifty feet from the farm-house. Here, right opposite the farm-house, is placed a tunnel, into which the milk is poured as fast as a pailful is obtained from the cows. A short perpendicular tin pipe connects the tunnel with a horizontal one, which is buried two feet under the ground out of the way of the frost, and leads into the cellar of the house. When the milking operation is going on, a woman stands in the cellar with empty pans placed under the end of this horizontal tube, which, as fast as filled, she sets away upon the cellar bottom. Here the milk stands till it becomes loppered and soured,

as it is said to make more butter in this state lhan in any other, and of a better quality. It is now poured, cream and all into the churns, which hold about one barrel each. If the weather be cool, and the milk not sufficiently warm to come readily, a can is filled with hot water, and this is placed in the milk in the churn, and stirred about till it reaches a temperature of from 55 to 60 degrees. A small water-power is now applied to the churns, the handles of which are moved up and down. Where water-power cannot be had, a dog, goat, calf, or sheep is used. Water-power, however, is to be preferred, as it is the most steady, and according to the good housewife's notion, who certainly ought to be authority on these subjects, it produces the best butter. When the butter has come, the power is stopped, and a pump is rigged into the churn; the handle of this instrument is then attached to the power, and the butter-milk pumped up into a reservoir just outside of the cellar, standing on a level with the ground. From this the butter-milk is conducted by means of a tin pipe about one hundred feet to another reservoir close by the piggery, from which the milk is dipped out in buckets, and fed to the pigs ; so that everything almost, moves of its own accord or by water, from the moment the milk is drawn from the cows in the yard, till it is churned into butter, and the butter-milk is concocting itself into pork from the pigs' stomach. The whole expense of laying down these tin tubes is but trifling. The expense of building a water-wheel, and bringing the water to it is greater or less according to one's position; but when a dairy of forty cows is kept, it is well worthy of being adopted if not too costly.

After churning, the better is thoroughly washed off with cold water; if this be not done, it is difficult to get the butter-milk clean out of it.— As soon as cool and solid', the butter is taken on to a marble or smooth stone table, properly salted with clean, fine salt, and worked over thoroughly with a wooden ladle or spatula.— The hand is never allowed to touch the butter, as it is warm, and softens it. After being thoroughly worked, half, or full firkins, made of white oak staves, (the latter holding about eighty-five pounds, and the former forty pounds,) are used for packing it. Previous to packing, the firkin is well washed inside with cold water, and then rubbed all around with salt; the butter does not then adhere to the sides of the keg, but comes off clean when wanted to be taken out for table use. It is put down in layers as churned of three or four inches deep. When the firkin is full, a linen cloth is placed over the top of the butter, on this about half an inch of salt, to which a little water is added so as to form a brine. The firkin is now headed up and sent to market. Mr. Betts thinks if the butter be destined for shipping, stone jars with covers

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would be preferable to firkins for packing, and his opinion coincides with our own.

In butter-making, a good cellar is a very important consideration ; indeed, without one, it is almost impossible to produce good butter. The cellar should be about seven feet deep; eighteen inches of which should be above the level of the ground, for the purpose of having windows in it for ventilation. These should be open at all times, and instead of glass be made of fine wire-gauze, stretched across the apertures.— This prevents the entrance of the smallest fly or gnat, and yet is no hindrance to the air. The walls ought to be of stone, and pointed ; the bottom of stone slabs or cobble stone, thickly plastered with water cement. Made in this manner, neither rat, nor mouse, nor any other

vermin can find entrance; and the butter, and cream, and milk, are perfectly protected.

General Wickham's farm-house is one of the nicest cottages we have lately viewed ; with a pretty yard in front, studded with, flowers, and embosomed in shrubberj'. The piggery, barns, stables, and yards, are also very complete; and .they all stand close by a wild little stream that runs babbling on in its clear full course over a pebbly bottom to the noble Wallkill. Altogether it is one of the prettiest models of a dairy establishment we have ever seen, and a young friend of ours, who accompanied us to inspect it, quite forgot his own handsome cottage and fine farm, in admiration of that of General "Wickham's. .American Agriculturist.

MOTT'S AGRICULTURAL FURNACE

We present our readers with a cut of Mott's Agricultural Furnace, one of the most convenient and economical utensils ever invented for the use of the farmer. It is so constructed as to expose the greatest surface of water to the action of the fire. The economy of fuel is very great, and it is an object to save the labor of getting wood even where fuel is plenty. The apparatus is complete in itself furnishing both furnace and boiler and needs only a short piece of stove pipe to make it ready for use. For boiling food for stock, it i3 unquestionably the cheapest and best apparatus that can be obtained. We saw Mr. Moll's wareroorn strung

eEff

with medals awarded at different agricultural exhibitions, and certainly amongst the farmers of the North this apparatus stands unrivalled. We have just made arrangements with the manufacturer for a constant supply, and can furnish them at the following prices:

A Boiler holding 15 gallons for $11 GO A Boiler holding 30 gallons for 17 CO A Boiler holding 40 gallons for 20 00 A Boiler holding 50 gallons for 22 00 A Boiler holding 60 gallons for 25 00 A Boiler holding 80 gallons for 32 00 A Boiler holding 120 gallons for 42 CO

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HARROWING GRAIN.

We have often found great benefit in harrowing winter grain in the spring of the year, as soon as the ground is well settled and dry, more especially when somewhat winter killed. It stirs the earth, encourages tillering, and adds to the vigor of the growth of the plant. The harrow should be followed by the roller, so as to' replace the roots of the plants which may be made bare by the harrow, and crowd them into the earth. It is hardly necessary to add, that the harrow should be light, with short fine teeth. Among the German population of this country, we have seen wooden-tooth harrows frequently made use of for this purpose.

We believe that barley, oats, and all spring crops of grain may be harrowed to advantage, whenever the surface of the ground becomes somewhat hard and encrusted, which all clay soils are liable to after a hard rain. Harrowing the hemp crop under such circumstances, we were informed in Kentucky, has been found highly beneficial.— American Agriculturist.

We have both harrowed and rolled wheat in the spring, and never without deriving decided advantage.— Editor American Farmer,

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS.

We are indebted to the politeness of Mr. Ellsworth and some of our friends in Washington for several copies of the interesting Report of the Commissioner, for the year 1843. An act of Congress passed in 1839, appropriated from the patent fund a certain amount to be expended in the collection of agricultural statistics, and the character of this report must satisfy the most sceptical as well of the policy of the appropriation, as of the ability of the officer to whom the task of making the collection has been assigned. We wonder at the ingenuity which has enabled Mr. Ellsworth, with such small means and such slender facilities as are at his disposal, to produce such an interesting and instructive document. Nothing but a genuine and thorough devotion to agriculture could have lead to such a result.

Mr. Ellsworth has undertaken to furnish a tabular estimate of the different crops made in the different States of the Union during the year 1843. We wish the Commissioner had informed us of the sources from which he had obtained his information, that we might judge for ourselves of the reliance to be placed in this statement. We do not entertain the shadow of a doubt that Mr. Ellsworth has done all that

labor and ability could effect, but without much more accurate means than any we imagine to have been at his command,.we doubt his abdity to do any thing more than make a very rude guess at the actual result; a guess, if he will excuse us for saying so, almost as much calculated to mislead as to inform. At any rate, the tables derived from the census of 1840, "with all the means and appliances to boot," are admitted to have been, in many respects, fallacious in the extreme. Still, we do not mean to say that much valuable information could not be collected by such an indefatigable officer as Mr. Ellsworth, but only to hint that in our opinion the report would have been more full and complete, if the author had given us a better opportunity of judging of the accuracy of the information with which he has been pleased to favor us. According to these tables, in the product of wheat, Ohio ranks first, New York second, Pennsylvania third, and Virginia fourth: in Indian com, Tennessee first, Kentucky second, Virginia^ third, and Ohio fourth: in tobacco, Kentucky first, Virginia second, and Tennessee third.

But these tables form but a small portion of this valuable report: in three or four hundred pages Mr. Ellsworth has presented us with a condensed view of the latest improvements in the arts, especially in those appertaining to agriculture and rural economy. From these pages we design making copious extracts for the benefit of our readers. Instead of the 15,000 copies of this report printed by order of Congress, the number ought to have been sufficient to enable the memhers to place one in the hands of every farmer in the Union.

From the Tennessee Agriculturist. TO DESTROY WORMS ON CABBAGE.

Gentlemen, —I am not aware that the following easy and simple method of destroying worms on cabbage, has ever appeared in print. I believe it was discovered by an unlearned person, and I hope will not be less efficacious on that account. As the worms are already commencing their depredations, it will be well to publish it soon.

At night (about sun down) strip off one of the lower leaves and lay it on the top of the cabbage, back side down. In the morning very early take it off, and the whole, or a large proportion of the worms of that cabbage will be on it, and can be disposed of as any one sees fit.

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Two or three trials will effectually free the cabbage from all worms. I believe it never fails except when the nights are quite cool. Respectfully,

W. Chandler.

A NORTHERN TRIP.

We have just returned from a pretty extensive tour at the North, and we design in a very few words to inform our readers of what we saw in the agricultural way worthy of note.— In the cities of New York and Boston, we found many novelties, and a few, very few, improvements in agricultural implements: of these we shall speak more at large hereafter. We spent several days in Albany, and we are indebted to the kindness and hospitality of our friends of the Cultivator for an introduction to some of the most agreeable acquaintances we ever made.— Under their auspices we visited the splendid villas, and still more splendid herds, of Messrs. Prentice, Sotham, and Vail. We went extremely ignorant, and came back, we flatter ourselves, fully initiated into all the mysteries of the great art of "handling." No one, we believe, can look wiser than we can now, when speaking of the head, the eye, the brisket or the quarter of a bull or cow.

At Mr. Sotham's we saw his splendid herd of Herefords, and although to our unsophisticated eye, the color of this stock was not so agreeable as the beautiful roan of the Durhams, still, from all we saw and heard, we are inclined to think, that for the combined purposes of the pail, the shambles, and the yoke, this stock cannot be excelled in America, at least. We wish some of our graziers in the Western part of this State could have looked in upon Mr. So-tham's herd; if we are not greatly mistaken, some of his stalls would have been quickly emptied, and it would not have been long before the beef of the Richmond market would have exhibited proofs of the Hereford cross. We will not leave Mr. Sotham without reminding him of the recipe for that "home brewed," and of the specimen barrel with which it was to be accompanied.

Mr. Prentice informed us that we did not see the best of his Durhams, but if those that were absent were to be judged of by those we saw, then must they indeed have been splendid specimens of their species. Here we were shown a little thorough bred Ayrshire cow, with one Vol. IV.—18

of the most beautiful calves we ever saw. We adhere to the opinion, notwithstanding the more imposing form of the fine cattle at which we have just been looking, that this is the breed best adapted to the scanty pasturage and proverbial negligence of Eastern Virginia: they are good any where ; as milkers, we believe they have few superiors in Europe, and for hardihood they have no equals. It would be hard to find much finer specimens than those in ihe possession of Mr. Prentice,and in consideration of what we consider a false relative estimate of a more favorite stock, this cow and calf can be bought at a price that ought to cause them to be jumped at by any farmer who wants a stock, that will afford him the greatest quantity of milk and butter, fur the least food and attention.

It was really delightful to witness the judicious use of wealth in the many elegant comforts and pleasures with which this refined and cultivated gentleman had surrounded his family; his elegant and convenient mansion, his beautifully ordered and highly cultivated garden, his fish pond, and the thousand proofs of capital judiciously invested in real comforts and pleasures, served to distinguish the kind and liberal paterfamilias, and the elegant and accomplished gentleman. We saw here collected on a little spot of fifty acres, at an expense hardly greater than the annual incomeof someof our rich landed proprietors, more rural elegancies than we ever dreamed of in our own thoughtless, extravagant, harem scarem country. Mr. Prentice showed us some twelve or fourteen different varieties of pigeons, some of them, especially the English carrier pigeon, surely the most beautiful of the feathered tribe.

We also went over to the beautiful and flourishing village of Troy, to visit Mr. Vail and his herd of Durhams. Take it altogether, this is beyond doubt the finest slock of Durhams we ever beheld, and we confess we had formed no idea of the majesty of a bull, until we saw Wellington and Meteor.

Our observation, however, lead us to this conclusion, that in the preference we have given to the Hereford herd of Mr. Sotham, green as we are, we may have been somewhat mislead by the superior keep of this stock; for we are inclined to think from the appearance of his cattle, and the style of his fixtures, that Mr. Sotham is a thoroughly practical man, who sees and attends to his own business, and that as a cattle

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raiser he has no superior, and probably hardly any equal, either in the North or the South.

It was with great regret that we left the city of Albany whose hospitality we shall never forget. The road from Albanj r to Boston passes through one of the wildest and most picturesque countries that it is possible to conceive, and until you approach the city of Boston there is hardly room for a vestige of cultivation. In fact, to one who has seen the best of Virginia farming, there is little in the cultivation of crops that is to be learned in a Northern tour. Their country is marked by a neatness of villages, by the richness of occasional patches, by an air of comfort and tidiness about the homestead, that are delightful, but for any thing like a system of farming, it is folly to talk about, going to the East. They are a vigorous, intellectual and economical people, and they will become the greatest manufacturers that the world ever saw, but nature has denied them the opportunity of being farmers.

It is singular how extravagant these economical people about Boston have become in the style and finish of their agricultural implements. It is very hard to be extravagant in the purchase of a too], and it is an error into which our farmers are not likely to fall: but the thing is possible, and we think that in Boston, it has actually occurred. We saw ploughs selling there for thirteen and fourteen dollars, that, except for parlor ornaments, could have been made just as well for eight or ten. We were offered dung forks at thirty-six dollars a dozen, and we saw ordinary looking men in smock frocks, paying the retail price, $3 50 a piece, for them. We had a great mind to buy one and bring it home, just for the fun of the thing. Think of offering a man a dung fork at $3 50, who, if you show him one at seventy-five cents, wants to know if you hav'nt a commoner article at fifty. They run into one extreme and we into the other; but of the two, theirs is undoubtedly the safest and most economical.

We may have something more to say of what we saw and heard during this trip hereafter, as occasion offers.

them the size of a pin; by blowing, force out their contents. Then take calcined gypsum and Spanish white, about equal parts; mix them with water to the consistency of stiff paste, and fill the shells quite full with it, and place them in a warm place to dry. When dry, the substance will be quite hard. If the hens chance to break the shells of such eggs as ihese, there still remains good formed ones, and those of better consistency than chalk."

"NEST EGGS."

"G. C. M." informs us that he manufactures " nest eggs" as follows:—Take eggs and make holes in the large ends about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and in the small end make

HORSES AND CATTLE.

We would recommend to the domestic quadrupeds of America to hold a convention, after the fashion of the daj', and vote a resolution of thanks to Mr. J. S. Skinner for the benefit he has confeired upon the race by his introduction to the American public of Youatt's celebrated treatise on the horse, and Clater's " Every man his own cattle doctor."

Like every thing else, the veterinary art has made rapid strides within a few years; and now that science has rescued our poor dumb servitors from the dominion of empiricism, "Mason's Farrier" has ceased to be a text book and the ornament of a farmer's library. Professor Hind's work long ago taught us to discard this popular book as the very essence of quackery. Youatt's work, enhanced as it is by the notes of the American Editor, ranks, we presume, as the most valuable treatise extant upon the subject of the horse. Clater's work upon the diseases of oxen, sheep, and swine, we are not familiar with, but it is enough for us that it has been revised by Youatt, and edited by Skinner. Surelj', the most interested considerations should induce every man who owns a horse and a cow, to make himself master of these valuable works.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES.

We again ask farmers to try the Jerusalem artichoke for hogs. Break the ground well, lay off the rows four feet apart, and put a root every two feet; cultivate as corn. It will require three or four bushels of seed to the acre, but it is a pretty safe calculation to count on raising five hundred bushels to the acre.

Tennessee Agriculturist.

BLACKING. We received a letter from a friend in Kentucky enclosing us a list of subscribers, for which he says all he asks is, that we will publish in the Planter a good recipe for making

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blacking. Ever since, we have been watching the gentlemen's feet as they passed our office, and having observed one whose boots cut a great shine, we begged him for the sake of our Kentucky friend to inform us where he got his blacking. To our great surprise, he told us that he was his own blacking maker—he said that the composition was a profound secret, and hinted that it was supposed by some philosophers that it was to this identical preparation that his Satanic majesty was indebted for his well known shining qualities. Under the circumstances, he could not refuse to communicate it to our Kentucky correspondent, but he does so, of course, under the seal of confidence. The recipe is as follows:

3 oz. ivory black.

2 oz. coarse brown sugar.

\ oz. oil of vitriol.

\ oz. muriatic acid.

1 table spoonful of sweet oil.

1 pint of vinegar.

Mix the ivory black, oil, sugar, and vinegar, and then add the oil of vitriol and muriatic acid mixed together.

CORN MEAL RUSK.

Among the many delicacies in the form of bread, which render the enjoyment of breakfast so acceptable, we know of none more deserving of notice than the one prepared according to the following recipe:

Take six cups full of corn meal, four of wheat flour, two cups full of molasses, and two table-spoonfuls of saleratus, mix the whole together and knead it into dough ; then make two cakes ; bake them as you would pone, for three-fourths of an hour, and you will have one of the most grateful descriptions of bread that ever graced the table.— Ex. paper.

HOUSES OF UNBURNT BRICK. A mortar formed by a mixture of sand and clay, has long been used for cheap buildings in Europe, especially in France, where they are known as Pise buildings. It is said to make a very ornamental, cheap and substantial house, and has been highly recommended to the notice of our agriculturists. We remember that in some early numbers of the "American Farmer" very particular directions are given for the construction of these buildings, and we recollect to have heard of some gentleman in the county of! Cumberland who had made a very satisfactory!

trial of Pise building in the erection of some negro quarters.

The Pise mode proper, consists, we believe, in ramming and beating into moulds, until it is solidified, a proper mixture of sand and clay.— In his annual report for 1842, Mr. Ellsworth, the Commissioner of Patents, recommended a somewhat different mode of building with unburn; brick, which he had adopted in the erection of a beautiful cottage in the neighborhood of Washington City. In his last report he declares that experience has only confirmed his favorable opinions of the durability and value of this mode of building. We furnish the following description of it adopted into Mr. Ellsworth's report from the " British American Cultivator," Toronto, Upper Canada:

Houses properly constructed of this material are warmer, more durable, and cheaper than frame, and are destined to take the place of the log shanty, as well as the more expensive wooden walls. They are admirably adapted to the peculiar circumstances of Canadian settlers, as they neither require much skill nor expenditure to erect them. Those who profess to be the best acquainted with the subject, are of opinion that they are best calculated for cottages, or buildings that are not designed to be carried higher than fifteen feet. The great difficulty in high walls built with mud brick, is, that the rough casting, or outer coat of plaster, is subject to fall off; the real cause of which has been heretofore overlooked. This falling off proceeds from the fact that the ingredients composing the plaster are not properly compounded and tempered so as to cause the surface to be impervious to water. By examining plastered walls minutely, there may be seen small apertures, which act as so many receptacles to receive the water. The difference between burnt and unburnt brick is simply this: the one becomes soluted the moment it comes in contact with water, and the other admits the moisture without becoming dissolved. Clay or unburnt brick houses are much more wholesome for either man or beast than either, burnt brick or stone, in consequence of their having less affinity to moisture. Burnt brick are extremely porous, and each brick freshly taken from the kiln will admit one-third of its weight of water. From these facts, then, it would appear that the only difficulty in the way in bringing rnud or unburnt brick houses into general use, is the liability of the plaster to fall off. We feel satisfied that two very successful plans might be practised—the one to build a verandah around the whole building; and the other, by compounding the ingredients which compose the plaster, so as to form a close,—solid,—and im-

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penetrable surface. A plaster may be formed with an equal proportion of pure clay, sand, ashes, and lime, thoroughly incorporated together, and mixed with a portion of fresh bullock's blood, equal to one-half of each of the above ingredients. The blood should be well stirred, to prevent it from coagulating.

To those who have already built and are apprehensive that the plastering exposed to the action of the changes of the weather will not prove durable, we advise them to make a composition of the following materials, and apply it, while hot, on the outer surface with a common painter's brush:

To five gallons of water, add five quarts of Liverpool or rock salt; boil and skim; then take six quarts of unslaked lime, slake and sift it, put it into the hot brine; also, one pound of alum, half a pound of copperas, three-quarters of a pound of pearlash—'.he last to be added gradually; then add four quarts of fine pure sand; mix the whole together, and apply two coats as above. Any coloring matter may be added, to give the shade required. If this pro-ceess be properly performed, it will make the wall have the appearance of slate, and be remarkably durable.

The mode of making brick is veiy simple. The first step is to make a clay pit in an oval shape, and fill it with pure clay. Blue is the best, if procurable. As soon as this is done, water should be copiously applied; and after the clay has been saturated with water twenty-four hours, a yoke of oxen may tread or temper it; and, during this operation, short straw must be applied, at the rate of four common bundles to a hundred bricks. The bricks are moulded quite convenient to the pit, by simply placing the mould on the ground, which should have an even surface, and filling it with the tempered mortar with a common three-pronged fork. By drawing a straight-edge board across the upper surface of the mould, and raising the mould, the brick is formed ; which must remain on the spot until it becomes sufficiently dry to turn on its edge. When they are dry enough to move withont spoiling the shape, they may be stacked up to season, and should be secured from the wet by broad boards.

In constructing this style of houses, the two following particulars must be invariably observed, viz: The erection of a substantial stone wall, at least two feet above the level of the ground, and a hip or cottage roof projecting over each side of the wall not less than thirty inches. Another very important feature is, to have a quantity of bond timber interspersed through the wall, consisting of one and a half inch or two inch plank. To give our readers some idea of the costs of such walls, when they are civen out by contract, we will illustrate the subject by mentioning the following facts :—Mr.

William Beason, of the village of Yorkville, one mile north of this city, has built a very great, number of these buildings, and has invariably taken them by contract at the rate of one pound per hundred brick, including making and laying the bricks, being six inches thick, twelve inches wide, and eighteen inches long. He built, the last summer, a number of houses of various sizes, one of which was for a farmer by the name of Robert Masharfey, of the township of York, the dimensions being twenty-eight feet wide by thirty-eight feet long, and fourteen feet high, exclusive of two feet of stone wall for the foundation. The number of bricks in the wall (windows excepted,) was two thousand two hundred and forty-eight, which, at one pound per hundred brick, would equal twenty-two pounds ten shillings. There were eleven toises of stone required for the foundation, which cost six shillings per toise for laying into wall.— About one-half the quantity of the mortar is used for plastering on mud brick that is required on lathing; and the plasterers will do the work for thirty per cent, less than on the latter. The chimneys and inside walls are very frequently made of the same material, but the bricks are much smaller. Any size may be used ; but the most convenient and expeditious size for building is six inches thick, six inches wide, and from twelve to eighteen inches long: the bottom and top of the chimney have, of course, to be built with burnt brick or stone. The only cement used for laying up the brick, is an equal proportion of pure clay and sand mixed to the consistence of mortar.

Extract from the British American Cultivator, (Upper Canada,) March, 1843.

We received, a few days since, a note from a friend of ours, who resides in the Brock district, in which he desires further information relative to the mode of constructing the above cheap, durable, and warm houses. We heartily respond to the call; and take pleaure in not only answering his inquiries, but will give such additional facts as suggest themselves to our mind at the present moment. And if any other inquiries are made by the same, or any other respectable party, on the above—or, in fact, any other subject upon which we feci competent to give correct and satisfactory answers—we would take a pleasure in disposing of them in the same way.

The bricks referred to, for the construction of the inside walls and chimneys, may be made of almost any size to suit the taste and convenience of the builder; but the dimensions we gave in our last are decidedly the most preferable, and are sometimes used for outside walls when the building is not more than one story high. The whole of the chimneys for two-story houses may be built with unburnt brick, excepting the

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fire-places as high as the mantel-pieces; and the portion of the chimneys that project above the roof, joining on to it, be made so that it will not admit any water to reach the clay, (unburn t brick.)

The principal object of bond timber is to attach fixtures to the wall—such as verandahs, door and window sills, base and surbase, &c; and no danger need be apprehended respecting their rotting, as the walls would have to be made impervious to water, to insure their durability. It is obvious, when wood is thus secured from that devouring element, that it would re-1 main sound for centuries.

Two-story houses require four pieces of timber, at least four inches thick, sawed or hewn ! out the exact length and width of the building, which should be laid into the wall for the raf- [ ters of the verandah to rest upon, and should be laid about one inch within the outer edge of the wall. The rafters of the verandah should be attached to the lower edge of these timbers, and they, as well as all other outside bond tim- j ber, should be lathed with ordinary lathing; and, by this precaution, the plastering will re-main as sound on the timber as on any portion of the building.

October is the best month in the year for plastering outside walls, as it would be dried

principally by the air, which would make the process more slow and perfect.

Dr. Drury, an English gentleman, built a house on his farm on Yonge street, twelve miles from this city, in the summer of 1836, which was neither plastered nor protected with a verandah until the fall of 1838; and the wall, to all appearance, is as sound as the hardest granite. This building is fifty feet long, thirty-six feet wide, and proporiionably high, and certainly has the most imposing and respectable exterior show of any farm building in the home district.

We do not recommend this description of buildings to be raised very high in the wall, although but little apprehension need be entertained, if at least one experienced workman be employed about the job.

A false notion has gained ground with many, respecting the tempering of the clay, in supposing that but little care need be bestowed on that department of the business ; whereas nearly the same minuteness should be observed as for burnt brick, with the exception that small stone or gravel do not materially injure them, and, therefore, need not be separated from it.

We highly recommend unburnt brick for the construciion of sheds and stables for stock, and for every description of out-buildings that are desirable for the comfort of man and beast.

PROPOSED METHOD OF TAMING A SAVAGE BULL.

The Cap that screws oa the horn.

Fig. 1.

Fig.

Fisr. 2.

We have seen several plans for guarding against the danger of unruly cattle but none have appeared to us so neat and convenient as the following, described in a letter to the Editor of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England:

"Sir. —As 1 heard last week of a farm-servant being nearly killed by a bull, and as I sometimes hear of valuable bulls being killed on account

of their being too savage to be safe, I have ventured to send you a plan to prevent bulls from injuring persons or animals of any kind. But, in case you consider this plan of too trivial a nature to be of general use, I request }'ou will put my letter and its contents into the fire ; as I have no doubt you are much troubled with useless communications.

The plan I send I have used, with perfect success, with a very savage bull 1 bought. Any blacksmith can make it; the cost about five

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shillings: and it does not cause any annoyance to the animal when he does not try to use his horns.

b is a cap screwed on the end of the horn ; a c is an iron rod hanging on a pivot in the cap— a chain from it leads to a ring in the bull's nose. The end of the rod a c, at a, Fig. 1, ought to be in a line from the root of the horn to the end of it; so that, in attempting to touch anything with his horn, the point a comes in contact with it, when of course the rod a c takes the position of one of the lines in Fig. 2, d e or g h, and punishes the bull by forcing up his nose.

I turned a three-year-old savage bull with a cow that was bulling, and also turned a yearling bull with them; in a few minutes the j'oung bull found that he was master, and punished the old one very severely: and 1 was shortly after able to lake off the irons, and as long as I had him he never offered to hurt a person, although when I bought him he had tossed several people, and was sold to me as incurable. I have, &c.

Erasmus Galton. Loxwn Manor House, near Cross, ) Somersetshire, June 13, 1843. $

THE NORTH MEHERRIN AGRICULTURAL CLUB.

It gives us great pleasure to record the foundation of a new agricultural club in the county of Lunenburg, to be called the North Meherrin Club. We believe that these social neighborhood clubs are to do more for agriculture than will ever be effected by the more pretending, but less substantial, system of shows and fairs. We should rejoice to see them established in every neighborhood in Virginia.

For the Southern Planter.

RATS! RATS!

Please, Mr. Editor, invite earnestly, the attention of your correspondents to the following. I am sure you will rat-\fy what is said of the importance of the subject. S.

Dear Father, —I forgot in my letter of last night to say any thing about rat traps. The rats here are getting beyond endurance, and have done damage to the amount of four or five barrels of corn at least. Could you not go to Mr. Ellsworth and get some information about rat traps ? It is astonishing how little is written on the suliject in the agricultural papers! Surely they are as great pests to the farmer as crows, grub-worms, and other vermin. In Europe the destruction of rats is a regular trade, handed down from father to son. The rat catchers

travel about from parish to parish, and for a small remuneration will insure any establishment against rats. If you could set people to writing about it in Botts' paper or the Cultivator, something useful might be brought out. April 12, 1844.

TO SOFTEN PUTTY.

This being often an object with the gardener, that he may remove glass from frames without breaking it, he will be glad to know, that a very strong solution of caustic potash, or caustic soda, applied to it for a few hours, by laying i^pon it an old rag dipped in the solution, will have the desired effect.— Farmers' Cabinet.

From the American Farmer.

MANAGEMENT OF PEACH TREES AND CULTURE OF INDIAN CORN.

To the Editor, —The accompanying letter from Mr. Physick, son of the illustrious physician and surgeon, is too interesting to be buried on a private file. It is in fact a reply to one which, as Corresponding Secretary of the Columbian Horticultural Society, I was prompted to address to him for his views on the strangely contested question, whether it be or not, advantageous to cultivate peach trees ? The whole letter may be deemed worthy of insertion, and if so, it is at your service. Your subscribers, I am sure, will unite with me in a sentiment of thankfulness and respect to the writer, who, besides the obligation he confers by the prompt and courteous communication of his experience and opinions, sets in that respect, a salutary example to all who have it in their power to contribute some-thins; to the hive of knowledge. Yours, respectfully,

J. S. Skinner.

Washington, Dec. 17, 1843.

To John S. Skinner, Esq..

Dear Sir, —Your favor of the 25th instant, with the National Intelligencer, containing your address to the Columbian Horticultural Society, is received, for which you will please accept my thanks.

In the management of my peach trees, I use one part of saltpetre, to about four to eight parts of common salt, and apply in its solid state, about half a pound of this mixture to a bearing tree upon the surface of the ground, and in close connection with the trunk of the tree. I never disturb the earth about the tree—for a long time I applied it three times in the course of the year, though twice, I now think will answer—I have heretofore applied it in April, June, and first of September—now last of April and first of September.

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Of five hundred trees, three hundred were treated with salt and nitre, and two hundred left without its use—those around which the salt and saltpetre were put, were and still continue entirely exempt from worms—of those left without the salt and saltpetre, not one escaped the ravages of the peach worm. In your address you speak of the practice of taking- out the worm with a hooked wire. Allow me to suggest the proper time for destroying them, which is from the 15lh to the 25th of August with me, when they have enveloped themselves in a cocoon, or otherwise are in their chrysalis state. The envelope of the aurelia, is made up of the tree, and resembles the outer bark in color, and will be found lying under the gum, on the ground, near the tree, or in connection with the tree. I have taken in this way, as many as thirty-nine of these worms from one tree, and have sedulously watched thern building their cells for hours together. The greatest distance I ever obtained one from the tree, was about three and a half inches, and have often made them build their chrysalis habitation under the bark of the tree, near the outer opening of their depredations. It is generally believed that this worm causes the yellows—this it may do; but I do not believe that such a case occurs once in a thousand. I have produced the yellows in young trees, about which there never was a peach worm, and upon taking them up have examined them, but no trace of that insect could be found.

The worm I believe to be the effect of bad culture, or an error in general culture, and as uch as this idea may be laughed at—for I nk I see you smile—I believe I can prove it ctically. I have five trees that have been full bearing for five or six years, about which orm has never been, although I have endeavored to have them; but as a few years will test this matter with me, upon an extensive scale, I will take leave of the subject for the present, and attend to your inquiry about corn. Time of Planting. —As soon as the temperature of the earth is sufficient to produce germination quickly, which is with me from the 1st to the 10th of May, though my neighbors prefer planting in April.

Distance. —Two and a half to two feet nine inches square, or three feet by fifteen inches drilled, leaving two stalks in the hill. As the corn plant probably grows more luxuriantly, and obtains a greater height, of stalk with you, I would suggest for drilled corn, three feet by not over eighteen inches.

Kind. —I have not experience enough in the different varieties to name any particular kind, my plan being to select a kind adapted to my soil, that will give the greatest yield of shelled corn per stalk, without reference to the number

of ears upon the stalk, and with that view I plant a variety of gourd seed.

Manure. —Stable manure spread upon a clover sod in the spring,—the grass not to be disturbed—ploughed in the fall, and the succeeding spring cross-ploughed when the ground is dry, breaking the sod and turning it partly up again. I have no experience with swamp mud, and not sufficient with night soil, to say any thing about its application.

Working the Crop. —I should like to see the matter taken hold of by an abler hand—for I seriously believe, that the general crop of corn throughout the country, is shortened one-fourth, if not more, by an error in culture, and there is as much more labor expended upon the working of the crop, as there should be. When a plant is maturing organs for the deposit of matter, for its re-production, it cannot be disturbed without injury. It is well known to gardeners, that by hilling plants, when coming into bloom, early maturity is obtained; though the quantity of fruit or seed may be lessened ; too much working prevents nature from performing her part. As I have given my views of this matter to the public, I will close this hasty letter by saying, that as soon as my corn will admit of it, after it is up, I throw a furrow from it, and the next day flake it down—if drilled, I hoe out the grass and weeds that have started between the hills— in about ten days to two weeks after this working, I throw a furrow to it and flake it down ; this is all the working I give the crop, and at this last working, the plant has probably attained about one sixth of its matured height. I have no weeds in my corn-field; the shade of the corn keeps them in check, and 1 do not believe that my crop of Indian corn ever fell short of seventy-five bushels per acre, except the dry summer of 1838, when I had four bushels to my neighbors' one, per acre—his corn being planted four feet or four and a half feet square. With much respect,

I am, dear sir, yours, &c.

Lyttleton Physick.

Ararat Farm, Oct. 28, 1843.

For the Southern Planter.

STEAMED CORN.

JMr. Editor, —If you think the following worth communicating you can do so. Corn as a grain food for horses or any other stock, in the spring months, fed in the usual Virginia way, is generally too hard and indigestible, affording very little nourishment. After trying cob meal, hominy, soaking the ear, &c, I have concluded that they are all objectionable. Cob meal is too binding, and hominy not conveniently prepared, the soaking is too apt to sour before it is ready for use, (though good for hogs,) I was induced