56 



Magnesian Lime. — Farming Scenes at the West. — Sec. Vol. X- 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Magnesian Lime. 



Mr. Editor, — A by-stander during the 

 Magnesian war, so long and ably waged in 

 the pages of tlie Cabinet, but bottle-holder 

 to neither party, requests a small .«pace in 

 your useful miscellany, for the following 

 extract from the English Agricultural Mag- 

 azine for June. Yet it is with no desire to 

 stimulate the belligerents to another trial of 

 strength that I point your correspondents 

 Messrs. Kinzer, Webb, Van Leer, and 

 Lewis, to the subject ; conceiving, however, 

 that some one will be able to account for the 

 fact — if fact it be — that magnesia is neces- 

 sary to the growth and full developement of 

 the potatoe crop, and thus open a way to the 

 solution of the problem, if so it might be 

 termed, " Why is it, that in this part of the 

 country we cannot grow such large crops of 

 potatoes as are raised in the Eastern States, 

 or in England?" 



By the way, might not magnesia be found 

 a cure for the potatoe plague 1 Here, then, 

 follows the extract from the Agricultural 

 Magazine, with which I take my leave. 



D. L. 



Delaware county, Pa. 



"The top-dressing of potatoes with nitrate 

 and sulphate of soda, which has produced 

 such admirable effects in Scotland, has 

 given more promise than profit in an expe- 

 riment in our own neighbourhood; the plant 

 running up green and rank without propor- 

 tionate root. The general result of the ex- 

 periments show, that tliey require magnesia, 

 and when this is not contained in the soil, 

 or in the lime employed, it must be added. 

 Twenty-eight pounds of sulphate of magne- 

 sia to the acre, seems to be enough ; or five 

 gallons of bittern fiom the salt-works, may 

 be equal to that quantity." 



Farming Scenes at the West. 



About eight years ago, a raw dutchman, 

 whose only English was a good natured yes, 

 to every possible question, got employment 

 here as a stable-man. His wages were $6 

 and board ; that was $36 in six months, for 

 not one cent did he spend. He washed his 

 own shirt and stockings, mended and patched 

 his own breeches, paid for his tobacco by 

 some odd jobs, and laid by his wages. The 

 next six months, being now able to talk 

 good English, he obtained eight dollars a 

 month, and at the end of six months more 

 had $48, making in all for the year -S84. 

 The second year, by varying his employ- 

 ment — sawing wood in winter, working for 

 the corporation in summer, making garden 



in spring, he laid by $100, and the third 

 year $125, making in three years $309. 



With this he bought 80 acres of land. It 

 was as wild as wlten the deer fled over it, 

 and the Indian pursued him. How should 

 he get a living while clearing if? Thus he 

 did it. He hires a man to clear and fence 

 ten acres. He himself remains in town to 

 earn the money to pay for the clearing. Be- 

 hold him ! already risen a degree, he is an 

 employer! In two years' time he has 20 

 acres well cleared, a log house and stable, 

 and money enough to buy stock and tools. 

 He now rises another step in the world, for 

 he gets married, and with his amply built, 

 broadfaced, good natured wife, he gives up 

 the town and is a regular farmer. 



In Germany he owned nothing and never 

 could; his wages were i>ominal, his diet 

 chiefly vegetable, and his prospect was, that 

 he would be obliged to labour as a menial for 

 life, barely earning a subsistence, and not 

 leaving enough to bury him. In five years 

 he has become the owner in fee simple of a 

 good farm, with comfortable fixtures, a pros- 

 pect of rural wealth, an independent life, 

 and, by the blessing of Heaven and his wife, 

 of an endless posterity. Two words tell the 

 whole story — Industry and Economy. These 

 two words will make any man rich at the 

 West. — Indiana Farmer and Gardener. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Trap for Cut-Avorms. 



To THE Editor, — A man farming for me 

 on shares, thought the cut-worms very thick 

 this season, when he was planting corn. 

 He gathered the leaves of what is generally 

 called swamp cabbage, and placed several 

 about in the corn-field ; on examining under 

 them a day or two after, he found under one 

 leaf 42, under another 35, and under a third, 

 32, well grown cut-worms. The leaves 

 were partly eaten up. Upon examining 

 them myself a few days after, I found the 

 worms had eaten the leaves all, except a 

 part of the stem. I believe they are very 

 fond of such food, and that persons having 

 small fields, particularly near where this 

 cabbage grows, would do much to save 

 their crop, by placing a number of the 

 loaves among the corn. If the worms are 

 fond of them let them have as much as they 

 want, as they are but little worth for any 

 other purpose; and if any person wishes to 

 kill the worms, he could not ask a better 

 trap. Thomas Wood. 



Steeleville, Pa., 1S43. 



Agriculture may produce health, wealth, 

 and happiness. 



