motion to the series of plows, in such manner as that 

 the resistance of the earth to the plows, as they enter 

 and pass through the soil, causes the machine to be 

 propelled. There is a difficulty in conveying an idea 

 of this steam plow without a drawing. If, however, 

 it continues to work satisfactorily, it will soon be 

 among us. The plow, as now constructed, turns five 

 furrows at the same time, and these may be increased 

 or diminished at the pleasure of the farmer. 



Here, then, is another stimulus for our ingenious 

 mechanics ; and no doubt need exist that if plowing 

 can be done economkatly by steam power, it will be 

 accomplished and perfected by «)nie genius of Amer- 

 ican birth. Opus. 



S WS NOTES FOR THE MONTH 



Trade with England. — The British minister at 

 Washington demurs to our raising the duty on Eng- 

 lish iron above the present 30 per cent. duty. In 

 attempting to show that the British government does 

 not reciprocate, by corresponding low duties on our 

 products, the Boston Atlas adverts to the high duty 

 levied on our tobacco, in the United Kingdom of 

 Great Britain. Why can not the Atlas tell the whole 

 truth, and say that cotton, our great agricultural 

 staple of export, compared to which, our export of 

 tobacco is but a drop in the bucket, is admitted free 

 of duty, or nearly free, into England ; and that since 

 the modification of the British tariffs and corn laws, 

 our flour, Indian com, provisions, fee, &c., are 

 admitted into Great Britain at very low duties. In 

 Great Britain, the common articles of firet necessity 

 are spared, while luxuries, like brandy, wine, and 

 tobacco, are heavily taxed. 



The Wueat and Corn Crops. — All agree that 

 wheat on the ground looks well this .-i])ring. In our 

 severe climate, the liability of his wheat to winter- 

 kill is always a source of ajiprehension to the farmer, 

 until severe frosts are over. The rust is also a dis- 

 ease incidental to our extreme climate ; but if any 

 farmer wants to see how much good tillage will do 

 toward putting the wheat crop ahead of all its enemies, 

 let him go and look upon the wheat fields of John 

 Johnson of Fayette, near Seneca lake. I am told by 

 a farmer who has traveled through Seneca, Ontario, 

 and Wayne, since the first of the month, that he has 

 seen no wheat field to compare with these; under- 

 drained fields of Mr. J.'s, in the forward and fresh 

 appearance of the growing crop. If the wheat crop 

 in Oliio should realize its present promise, this cereal 

 must necessarily be cheaper the coming year. Russia 

 has now exceeded all the rest of Europe in the pro- 

 duction of wheat for export ; the port of Odessa, on 

 the Euxine, can send to England two and a half mil- 

 lions of bushels, if necessary, in any one year. Chili, 

 a country whose mild climate is peculiarly favorable 

 to the growth of the wheat plant, now finds in the 

 market of California a great stimulus to increas-e the 

 culture of wheat. Hence it would seem that the 

 export of wheat and flour from the United States 

 must necessarily decrease, while the the export of 

 Indian corn to Great Britain must, in the absence of 

 competition, continue to increase. It is said that 

 Indian corn alone has kept starvation out of Ireland, 

 and that in England it is now in great and increasing 

 demand, to take the place of oats, barley, and oil cake, 

 in fatting hogs and cattle. Indian corn must be 

 acknowledged, sooner or later, aa the great indigen- 



ous and most profitable cereal of the United States. 

 In spite of all the efforts of the great west to grow 

 winter wheal, or its modified, inferior substitute, 

 spring wheat, nature still triumphs! and all porkop- 

 olis proclaims, that without Indian corn, the present 

 wealth, ease, comfort, and statistical respectability 

 of the great west, would be almost unknown. 



Flax Sked. — Ten years ago, the growing^ of ffax 

 for the seed was generally practiced by our farmers. 

 The crop of flax, when removed, left the ground in 

 good condition to be sown to wheat ; but this double 

 cropping has been abandoned of late, as being too 

 exhausting a process of tillage ; yet the practice of 

 sowing wheat after corn is still continued by many 

 of our best farmers, with great success. Now, as a 

 corn crop takes more of the elements of nutrition 

 from the soil than a crop of fex — as com i9 a later 

 crop, and requires much more labor to remove it from 

 the field before the field can be plowed for wheat, it 

 is evident at least that wheat may be more easily put 

 in after flax than after corn ; and if the soil was as 

 well manured and put in as good condition for flax as 

 for corn, the exhaustion of the soil must be less from 

 tl«? flax crop than from the corn crop. The probable 

 continuance of the present very high price of flax 

 seed, should encourage farmers to return to flax grow- 

 ing for the seed ; the lint is already in request in its 

 rough state, by the paper-makers ; and the p?itent 

 office report says that " progress is making in the 

 preparation of flax, which promises great results." 

 On analysis, it is found that the ashes of the flax 

 plant contain nearly one-third potash and soda; hence, 

 salt and house-ashes, sown broad-cast, are the best 

 inorganic manure. Mr. Bakti.ett of Romulus, once 

 tried the experiment of sowing salt broad-cast over a 

 part of his flax field ; the result was a visible increase 

 of seed in the plants on that part of the field. yWcUer 

 loo. J\: Y., April, 1850. 



TO PRESERVE HAMS THROUGH THE SHMMBB. 



Messrs. Euitors : — As the time of year is at hand 

 for good house-keepers to put away their hams for 

 summer and fall use, and as I hear so much about 

 hams not keeping through the summer, I have thought 

 it best to send you my method of taking care of them ; 

 and those of your subscribers who will try it as it 

 should be tried, may write me if it fail, and I will 

 pay the postage. 



Make a number of common cotton bags, a little 

 larger than your hains ; after 'he hams are well 

 smoked, place them in the bags ; then get the very 

 best kind of sweet, well made hay, cut it with a cut- 

 ting-box or knife, and with your hands press it well 

 around the hams in the bags ; tie your bags with 

 good strings, put on a card the year, to shmv their 

 age, and hang them up in your garret or some dry 

 room ; and my word for it, if yiu let them hang for 

 five years, they will be better for boiling than on the 

 day you put them up. I have kept them seven years, 

 and have some now that are four years old. This 

 method costs but little, as the bags will last for 

 years. The only loss is the hay, and that the cattle 

 will eat if given to them in the winter. No flies or 

 bugs will trouble the hams if the hay is well pressed 

 around them, the swotting of the hams will be taken 

 up by the hay, and the hay will impart a fine flavor 

 to the hams. W. T. Cutler. — Cuylfrvillc, .V. Y., 

 March, 1850. 



