lSli). 



THE CENESEE FAliMKR. 



23 



Spirit of tl)c Agricultural tyttss. 



In each number of this volume we design to give a page 

 (ir two under the above heading. It will be our aim to 

 condense and extract from our exchanges in such a mannor 

 ■s to convey, in a small space, much valuable information — 

 thus giving a collection of items that may !«• appropriately 

 termed tin* Spirit of the Agricultural Press. 



Rotam Mould Boabd Plow. — The Scientific American 



snys, that nt the lair Fair the most novel agricultural imple- 

 ment was a Revolving .Mould Hoard Plow, the invention of 

 Mr. Page, of Baltimore. The mould was a circular concave 

 shield revolving from the point with tho sod of earth. This 

 mould hoard was movable, and could he taken off and put 

 on at pleasure. Whether its complexity will prevent its 

 general introduction or not, remains yet to be seen. Its 

 principle is the combination of a revolving apron to move 

 with the earth, and perform tho same office as a friction 

 wheel in a shaft box. 



SniK-lIiLi. PloWIITO. — Plows aro now made to go forth 

 and back in the same line, and to turn all the furrows down 

 hill. This is convenient when the land lies in such a 

 position that one side of the hill is inaccessible. When one 

 side only can be plowed, the side-hill plow turns the whole 

 in one direction, and no lands are marked off Some farmers 

 object to turning the furrows all down hill, because they 

 would not expose the high parts to barrenness or dead 

 furrows. But plowing furrows up-hill is decidedly up-hill 

 work, and should be avoided if possible. When we have 

 a circular piece of land, rising in the middle to a peak or a 

 knoll, we begin to plow at the base and make the dead 

 furrow on the' ridge. It is so much easier turning furrows 

 down-hill than up-hill, that we prefer to cart a larger share 

 of manure on to the peak, and make up the loss. — Mass. 

 Ploughman. 



Advice is Poultry Keeping. — The principles upon 

 which I rely for success in keeping hens, are, first, to have 

 two breeds — a few to hatch and rear the chickens, and 

 twice the member of everlasting layers, as eggs are more 

 profitable than chickens ; second, to get a hatch as early as 

 possible in spring, and to keep them well ; these never cast 

 their feathers like the old birds, and if they begin to lay in 

 autumn, lay more or less all winter ; third, never to keep 

 old fowls, (none but favorite fowls ought to be kept more 

 than two years ; ) old birds lay larger eggs than pullets, but 

 not nearly so many ; fourth, to give them the best barley I 

 could get, and as much as they could pick up, once a day 

 in summer, and twice in winter ; they are not only more 

 profitable, well kept, but the eggs are better. The two 

 breeds I like best are the spotted Dorkings for sitting, and 

 the pheasant breed for laying. — Agricultural Gazette. 



The best Breed of Sheep. — Let it be assumed that the 

 best breed of sheep is that which produces the greatest net 

 profit in money from a given quantity of food. — lb. 



Westphalia Plan of Smoking Hams. — A room in a 

 garret ; fire in the cellar ; smoke gathered in a tunnel, and 

 led to the smoke rooms by a small pipe ; by the time it gets 

 there all the heaviest part of the pyroligneous acid has 

 condensed, and the smoke has become cool. Nothing 

 touches the hams but a pure, light, cool smoke, which is 

 allowed to pass off by a number of small apertures, about 

 as fast as it is supplied. 



Wire Worm. — A successful farmer in this vicinity, Mr. 

 D. D. T. Moore, states that he has tried various substances 

 for preventing the ravages of the wire worm, none of which, 

 excepting sulphur, proved of any use. An Irishman told 

 him that sulphur had been used with advantage in Ireland. 

 Before planting his corn, Mr. M. wet it and rolled it in flour 

 of sulphur, and afterw : ards coated it in plaster to prevent 

 the sulphur from wasting. He saved a crop by this means, 

 where he had failed for three years before. We see no 

 reason why the sulphur might not be ccpually effective for 

 any other grain. — Cultivator. 



One-Horse Carts. — A great improvement has been made 

 in attaching the horse to the. cart, to prevent the sudden 

 descent of the weight of th load upon the animal's back, 

 after mounting obstructions. A half elliptic spring is fas- 

 tened under each shaft, the centre of which 'is connected 

 to the lower ends of the staple, which passes freely through 

 a hole bored in the shaft, and connects with a chain that 

 passes over the back of the horse. — lb. 



The Crops oi i::i::.— We invite attention to a valuable 

 table which we give below. It baa been compiled by the 

 editor of the New Orlei as Commercial Times, and is accu- 

 rate as anything of the kind can be mad- under exi 

 circumstances. Under the head of crops, thirteen different 

 i are included, on each of which tin ■ value lias been 

 adjusted to the several States, with the necessary advance 

 on the same items, as they were reported in 1840; thus 

 affording the approximate value of the crop of 1848, together 

 with the sums invested in manufactures and merchandise, 

 respectively. In making up the " ■ . have been 



assumed as follows :— Cotton, at 6 conta per pound: sugar, 

 4; rice, :{ ; tobacco,"; wheat. 60 cents per bushel; com, 

 30; barley, .'50; oats, 25; rye, 40; buckwheat, .',11; and 

 potatoes 30 cents ; hay, $10, and hemp I iO per 



ton. These are the home prices before transportation to 

 market, and apply to the first column of the following table: 

 Estimated value of the crops of 1S4S. and the sum- Invested in 

 manufactures and merchandise in each State. 

 , Crops. Manufactures. 



Maine $13,000,000 $10,000,000 



New Hampshire. . .. 9,000,000 12.000,000 3,000,000 



Massachusetts 1-1,000,000 $% 1.000 10,000.000 



Rhode Island 1.500.000 13,0 



Connecticut 9 000.000 17,000^000 8^000,000 



Vermont 15,000,000 5,000,000 1.000,000 



New York 79.000.000 09.000.000 53.000.000 



New Jersey II OOO.OOO 14,000.000 5.000,000 



Pennsylvania 55,000.000 50.000,000 -!■">.' 



Delaware 1.800.000 2.000.000 1,300,000 



Maryland 10,000. -i^iuoOO 13.01 



Virginia S^OOoiOOO la.uuoOOO 21.000.000 



North Carolina 19.000.000 5,000.000 6 000.000 



South Carolina 14000.000 4^000.000 10 000.000 



Georgia 21,000,000 4.000.000 11.000.000 



Alabama 17,000,000 3,000 000 8.000.000 



Mississippi 14.000.000 2^000 000 7,000.000 



Louisiana 19,000l000 8^000 000 20.000.000 



Tennessee 40.000.000 5,000.000 !).<hmi.<hx) 



Kentucky 28.000.000 7^000.000 11,900.000 



Ohio 49.000.000 20.000.000 27.000.000 



Indiana 47.000.000 5.000,000 V.mut.ooo 



Illinois 18.000.000 4.000.000 6,1 ,000 



Missouri 12,000,000 4,000,000 10.000.000 



Arkansas G.000.000 1,000.000 2.000^000 



Michigan 7.000.000 4,000.000 3.000.000 



Florida 3.000.000 1.000.0CO 2,000;000 



Wisconsin 2.000.000 8,000.oi m l.omi.umi 



Iowa 2,000,000 3,000.000 1,000,000 



District I of" Columbia*. 100.000 1.200.000 3.000,000 



Total $591,400,000 $343,300,000 $022,000,000 



From the above estimate it will be seen that nearly 

 $600,000,000 in value will be derived this year from the 

 cultivation of the soil, besides what may proceed from 

 gardens, orchards, dairies, &c, amounting at least to $50,- 

 000,000 more. These productions are increased with every 

 harvest, as new parts of the country are settled, and addi- 

 tional labor is employed to the ratio of population. 



Agricultural Schools in France. — At a recent session 

 of the National Assembly of France, the principal part of 

 the day was devoted to the bill relative to agricultural 

 schools. It was resolved that one of these institutions 

 should be founded and maintained in each department at the 

 public expense ; and further, that tho country should be 

 divided into agricultural districts, not exceeding twenty, in 

 each of which a government school is to be established. — 

 Foreign paper. 



Poudrette Companies in France. — It is stated that 

 there are twenty-two companies in France busily engaged 

 in converting the refuse of towns into inodorous poudrette. 

 The disinfectant generally employed is said to he the 

 chloride of iron. — lb. 



How to Kill Chickens. — The best method of killing 

 fowls is to cut their heads off at a single blow with a sharp 

 axe, and then hang them up and allow them to bleed freely. 

 By this process, they never know what hurts them, or 

 endure pain for a second. Wringing the necks of poultry 

 is almost as shocking as nailing their feet to planks, for the 

 purpose of fattening them, and follows in the same bar- 

 barous category. — American Agriculturist. 



Fecundity of Hens. — A young hen will lay the first 

 year about 150 eggs ; the second 120 ; the third 100 — 

 diminishing every year as she grows older ; and, says the 

 Maine Farmer, she should "go to pot" after the fourth. 



Experiments, without noting the actual circumstances 

 connected therewith, avail but little. 



