276 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



VOL. I. 



it so late in the season, but still they preyed 

 upon it, leaving about one half to grow. The 

 next spring, I came to the conclusion to farm 

 differently ; instead of ploughing the sward, I 

 ploughed up my stubble field, gave it a good 

 harrowing, furrowed i*. out both ways, marled 

 and manured every hill, and then planted the 

 corn. In about a fortnight, I made a visit to 

 the field for the express purpose to see if my 

 corn had got up, or if the worms werelaking 

 it as they formerly had. I must acknowledge, 

 that never since 1 have been a farmer, have 

 I had my corn to come up as well ; and I am 

 fully satisfied, that it is the best manner to 

 farm where we are harrassed with worms and 

 other insects. Although the field which 1 

 farmed had two crops in succession ; yet, not- 

 withstanding, the third crop was much better, 

 sounder corn, than I had raised for many years 

 till I adopted this plan. 



The manure I had left was considerable, 

 after taking out enough to go over the corn 

 field ; and of the remaining part I made a com- 

 post, mixed with marl or lime, which make 

 it much better for wheat than to put it on in 

 separate bodies or portions. 



The field that came in regular rotation to 

 plant with corn, I ploughed up for wheat and 

 rye. Atler the process of ploughing was 

 over,! took a three horse harrow, gave it a 

 thorough harrowing both ways, to make the 

 furrows lay level, that the grass roots might 

 rot. Before the usual time of sowing came 

 on, I took what manure I had, put it on regu- 

 larly, till it was gone. The part of the field 

 which had no manure, I sowed in rye, and 

 the part which v/as manured I sowed in 

 wheat. Thus I have farmed for five years, 

 with much better success than I ever did in 

 the same length of time previously. 



REMARK. 



It is highly necessary to all agriculturists 

 to plan and try for themselves, and if their 

 plans should fail, then resort to the " Cabi- 

 net," for therein you can find various modes 

 of treating your land and probably of a de- 

 cided interest to you. I have tried many of 

 my own plans; I get along much better; 

 raise more oflTof the same quantity of ground, 

 of a better quality and more suitable for the 

 market. We, as farmers, must expect to be 

 industrious, and not let our gardens and corn- 

 fields be overrun with noxious weeds to de- 

 stroy and injure them, but keep them clean 

 and neat, and we will reap the reward of our 

 labor. 



The time is fast approaching when Ameri- 

 can farmers shall surpass all others in the 

 pursuit of agriculture. Husbandmen are 

 looking ahead for the time when they shall 

 attain a greater degree of science in their 

 profession ; so that they may cope witJi the 



Islands of Great Britain, and surpass the flour- 

 ishing vineyards of France. 



A Farmer. 

 rcmbertcn, N. J., March 10, 1637. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Reply to A Subscriber. 



BY OBSERVER. 



I am gratified to find that my remarks on 

 hollow horn, have been thought worthy of a 

 critical review by one of the avowed advo- 

 cates of the commonly received opinion, re- 

 specting that disease. This is as it should 

 be ; for so lung as people continue to " hug 

 up old errors, and love them better than new 

 truths," — so long ought they to stand upon 

 their own feet, and defend the ground they 

 occupy against every "innovation." 



" A Subscriber," will please accept my 

 thanks for introducing the symptom of cold 

 horn. I assure him it was omitted quite 

 unintentionally, when transcribing from Dr. 

 Tofts. As a sign of hollow horn, however, it 

 is perhaps of less value than what either Dr. 

 Tofts, or "A Subscriber" have supposed. 

 Observer did not " overlook the symptom ; he 

 was acquainted with the (reputed) fact" — 

 but he does not yet know that it is a fact. 

 It is believed that the horns of cattle present 

 this symptom, independent of the existence 

 of disease. The etiect of inflammation is to 

 increase, rather than diminish, the tempera- 

 ture of the part afl'ected. Our sensations of 

 temperature are liable to deceive us, — they 

 are influenced by circumstances which are 

 seldom taken into the account. Thus the 

 shell of the horn being a slow conductor of 

 heat, may possess a temperature very differ- 

 ent from the interior, according to the state of 

 the atmosphere. The quantity of heat eli- 

 minated in the horn, will be proportioned to 

 the circulation of blood through it, — and 

 this must depend in turn, on the mass of bony 

 matter, to be nourished. Hence, if the hollow 

 in the pith is very large, and the bone conse- 

 quently thin, less blood will be admitted into 

 the horn, and less heat will be evolved than 

 under the reverse circumstances. We only 

 judge of the temperature of the horn, by 

 comparing it with that of the hand. The 

 same horn may, therefore, feel either hot or 

 cold, in various degrees, depending on the 

 condition of the hand at the time. Even 

 opinion is at variance on the temperature of 

 hollow horns. I have been told by j)ract cal 

 men, that they are as often too hot, as too cold. 

 " A Subscriber" says, " it cannot be supposed 

 the author knows that death would be in all 

 cases, the immediate result of sur^pcnded cir- 

 culation of blood in the horn." Strange aa 

 this supposition may seem to him, it is never- 

 theless true. Observer does know that when 

 the blood ceases to circulate, death must 



