COLLEGE FARM SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, 423 



made wheels of the Clipper, with wrought iron spokes, were liked 

 by all, as were also its steel guards. 



French's Cultivator is only the common cultivator with inch 

 square steel teeth set corner-wise, and bent towards the point so 

 as to hook forward. Judge French has been complained of for 

 claiming a patent for so simple an invention. But simple as it is, 

 the improvement is very great. No cultivator that we have seen 

 compares with it for usefulness on land that is not rocky and con- 

 tains twitch grass. When shut up it could at the time of weeding 

 be run between the rows of fodder corn which were only 2*J inches 

 apart. If this cultivator cost fifty dollars instead of twelve we 

 could not on this farm afford to do without it. As soon as the 

 rows of 'potatoes could be seen it was run between them, and as 

 it worked up near the rows they were easily weeded, and the 

 ground left in fine condition for Chandler's Horse-Hoe, which fol- 

 lowed when the potatoes were the right height. Some other far- 

 mers in this neighborhood tried this cultivator and were much 

 pleased with it. Mr. Gregory, while lecturing here in the fall 

 highly recommended it. 



Shares' Harrow and Nishwitz's Pulverizer were quite carefully 

 tried and their work compared. For pulverizing simply, Nish- 

 witz's is superior. On land newly broken up and somewhat lumpy 

 Nishwitz's did the best, but on land plowed last fiill and more 

 compact, where we wished to kill twitch grass, Shares' harrow 

 was much the best. 



Both of these implements, as well as French's cultivator, loosen 

 the soil and make it lighter, like the plow, instead of making it 

 more compact like the old-fashioned harrow. The old harrow is 

 destined to be used less and less. 



The subsoil plow was used on about an acre of the potato 

 ground. No difference could' be seen in the potatoes while grow- 

 ing or when dug. 



A very good cheese vat with the' accompanying apparatus, the 

 gift in part of William Ralph & Co., of Utica, N. Y., was in use 

 here during a part of July and August. Hon. X. A. Willard 

 instructed the students in regard to its use, and a few of tliem 

 became quite familiar with the process of cooking the curd and 

 making Cheddar cheese. The vat is very convenient and complete 

 in its arrangements, but in order to make its use economical and 

 bring out its real merits, the milk of a larger number of cows than 

 we had on the farm should be used. The vat would have accom- 



