278 



THE farmers' cabinet. 



VOL. I. 



obtain the conclusive evidence of " seeing, 

 feeling, and knowing," — and will conse- 

 quently believe that the " hollow horn, (or a 

 disease attended with a wasting of the pith 

 of the horn,) lias no existence in nature." 



J\rew Garden^ 'id mo. 8th, 1837. 



P. S.^ — Since my second number was writ- 

 ten, several persons have related to me, in- 

 stances of cattle dying from reputed hollow 

 horn, in which a high degree of disease was 

 found to exiit in the many-plus, and contig- 

 uous organs. T would again call the attention 

 of my readers to observations of this kind, 

 when their cattle die o? hollow horn. 



Agriculliaral IiEBplcnients. 



NO. II. 



THE HARROW. 



To tlie Editor of the Faimeis" Cabinet. 



Sir, — As there are some improvements in 

 this implement, which possibly may not be 

 known to all the readers of your paper, I take 

 the liberty of forwarding a description of 

 them. 



The object for which a Harrow is used is 

 to pulverize the earth, and destroy such 

 growth of vegetable substances as may be 

 injurious to those which we wish to bring to 

 perfection, and to effect this the form, &c. to 

 suit different kinds of soil and surface, require 

 some variation. They are all, however, re- 

 duced to two principal kinds, viz. those with 

 pointed teeth, and those with edges or cutters 

 at the lower extremities. The latter some- 

 times called a Cultivator. 



In order to have one of the former kind to 

 operate well on rough land, the frame which 

 holds the teeth, should be constructed with 

 hino-es in a line with the draft, (or motion,) 

 when in operation, so that the ditterent parts 

 Avill change in relation to each other: this 

 will allow a greater number of teeth to act 

 on the ground, than where the relative parts 

 are fixed; what the width of those relative 

 parts that change their position with each 

 other should be, will depend upon circum- 

 stances; perhaps upon most land one foot 

 would be a good width. The anterior, and 

 posterior corners should each have a staple 

 lor the team to be attached, so that either 

 corner may go in advance ; this will keep the 

 lower extremities of the teeth in a better 

 form, than when drawn only by one corner. 

 The other kind of teeth (cultivator,) with an 

 edge at the lower extremity of each siiould 

 always be made as thin as possible, consist- 

 ent with the necessary strength. The form 

 of the part that goes into the ground, should 

 ascend from a horizontal to a vertical 

 direction ; or other convenient part of a 

 cycloidal curve, and the anterior part be an 

 angle, say trom thirty to forty-five degrees, 



or any other angle most convenient and use- 

 ful. The parts from the anterior to the pos- 

 terior extremities, should be perfectly straight 

 horizontally, and the anterior angle should be 

 a cycloidal curve, or line of quickest descent 

 from the highest to the lowest point. The 

 parts above the ground should be made in 

 size, &-C. to correspond with the force of team 

 to be applied, and confined to the frame by 

 keys or nuts, as may be most convenient. 

 Teeth of tiiis form, with a hole* through the 

 centre of each, in the part above the ground, 

 for grain to descend through, may be used 

 for drilling. These teeth are sometimes 

 composed of cast iron, at other times of 

 wrought iron and steel. One of the last 

 mentioned teeth, can be used when ploughing 

 to stir the earth in the bottom of each furrow, 

 so as to deepen the soil, without the risk of 

 injury that would in many cases arise from 

 bringmg a poor soil to the surface. This tooth 

 may be attached to a piece of wood, and the 

 wood bolted to the plough beam, so as to 

 bring the tooth into the furrow made pre- 

 viously ; or into the furrow immediately 

 behind the plough, or it may be attaclied to a 

 beam with handles and a separate (or other) 

 team used. 



Chester Co., Pa., Ath J.Iareh, 1(^37. 



Compositiou for Boots and Shoes* 



(Communicated.) 



One part bees-wax, and two parts tallow, 

 melted together and put upon the leather, 

 about as warm as a person can bear the finger 

 in it, and dried in as near a fire as a person 

 can bear the hand. After it is dried in, the 

 leather may receive blacking in the usual 

 way until the process is again renewed, and 

 so on as long as the shoes or boots are exposed 

 to wet. Experience will direct how often 

 the composition should be renewed ; perhaps 

 once a week will be found in ordinary expo- 

 sure sufficient. 



For the Pariners' (,'abiiict. 



As I have never seen the following ttite- 

 ment in print, perhaps you may think it 

 worthy a place in your useful paper. It 

 was, formerly, the custom in New Jersey, 

 in raising the sweet potatoe, to take the po- 

 taloe out of the hot-bed, and cut it up with 

 a sprout on each piece, consequently the 

 hot-bed was finished with the setting out. 

 On one occasion, an old hog got into a patch 

 and rooted up every hill, and ate the pieces 

 of the potatoes ; the owner considered his 

 crop lost, but thinking that some few might 



* A tiihe of a [)r(ipt?rsize, to pais from Ihi: liopper that 

 hnld:> IIk; grain down through the frame, n sulReient 

 distantc. m) as to disthatte the grain immediately 

 bi'hind the tooth, will an^■^ver instead of a hole throujii 

 the tooth. 



