VOL. XVII IV ». 34. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



26d 



for my cattle. Of this latter article, I had on hand 

 the produce of some 4 1-2 acres, heavy growth, 

 and I directed my man to prepare of it daily a quan- 

 tity sufficient for the keep (your pardon Dr Web- 

 ster,) of five cows ; which quantity proved not to 

 vary much from ten bushels, and occupied in the 

 preparation froni one to one and a half hours per 

 day. On this allowance, with pretty uniformly a 

 little oat straw in the yard at noon, my cows were 

 kept until some time in April, when the supply was 

 exhausted. I never wish to have my cows winter 

 better. Of the fodder thus prepared, (cut simply, 

 and neither brined, salted nor steamed,) and fed to 

 them in manners in their stalls, they consumed by 

 measure, five parts out of six ; the rejected portion 

 consisting entirely of the largest huts. These were 

 thrown daily into the yard, as refu:?, a measure to 

 be placed entirely to the score of mismanagement, 

 for luid they been left in the mangers, and the al- 

 lowance shortened a little, I am since convinced, 

 they would have totally disappeared. 



At one and a half hours per day, for four months 

 the time consumed in preparing the fodder amounts 

 to seven and a half days ; which at four shillings 

 per day, will make the expense of cutting $5. The 

 saving in the/odder cannot be fairly estimated at 

 less than one-third of the wiiole, or the entire keep- 

 ing of 1 2-3 cows (so " Colburn" cuts up cattle,) 

 for four months. This being equal to the keeping 

 of one cow for (J 2-3 months may be quickly set 

 down at the current value of two tons of good hay, 

 say .$20. Clear profit, $15. But this is not all. 

 The improvement of the manure, consequent on this 

 mode of feeding the stalks, instead of casting them 

 whole into the yard after the common practice, is of 

 itself ahnost an equivalent for all the extra expense. 

 The 1st of December, 1837, 1 commenced in the 

 same way, on the produce of four acres, (very heavy 

 growth of the large Button,) except that I fed it to 

 20 two year olds. These had previously eaten no 

 hay, and I instructed my man to keep them rather 

 close for the first few days, in order to induce them 

 to clear their mangers. In this I succeeded so 

 completely, that at the end of feeding the stalks, I 

 could say without hesitation, T did not believe, that 

 of the whole supply, a pound to the ton had been 

 wasted by rejection. From beginning to end, a 

 single shovel full of leavings had not been removed 

 from the mangers, and at the end, a shovel full 

 coukf not have been obtained from them. These 

 cattle were also allowed a little straw once a day 

 in the yard. A short time previous to their com- 

 mencing on the stalks, they were purchased in the 

 neighborhood, at $17 1-2 per head. When they 

 had finished them, some two months after, I could 

 have readily sold tlie whole of them at .$2.') per 

 head. Advance on their aggregate value, $1.jO. I 

 have not yet been laughed at for purchasing the 

 Straw Cutter ; Jind should I, by any accident, be de- 

 prived of the one I now have, I would run the risk of 

 being laughed at, and pay flOO for another, could 

 I not obtain it cheaper. I understand, however^ 

 that the price of the article is getting reduced, in 

 which I very much rejoice, as 1 should like to see 

 it introduced generally. 



I should have remarked before, that my stalks 

 are uniformly cut at the ground, which practice of 

 course I fully approve. The largest buts are cut 

 without difficulty, and in no way injure the knives 

 of the cutter. These I have hitherto been under 

 the necessity of sharpening no oftener than once in 

 twelve months, though the amount of work done by 

 them, in hay, straw and stalks, has amounted to not 



ess than from ten to fifteen or twenty tons per vexation on discovering the accident was extrene. 

 To facilitate the operations of the machine, It was a favorite tree, and I had watched over its 



year. 



I annex to it a /a. 



ceiving the stalks, the true one being of insuffi- 

 cient dimensions, and occasionally clear the spaces 

 hetween the knives, with an instrument kept at hand 

 for this purpose. 



Perhaps, from what has been advanced above, I 

 may be thought by some to have a strong motive 

 for recommending "Green's Straw Cutter." I cer- 

 tainly have, sir ; and an equally strong one for 

 speaking in favor of any other cutter that will do 

 the same execution, and consequently afford the 

 same profit to the owner. The only inducement I 

 have to say a word in favor of any machine of the 

 kind, is to be found alone in the results of the 

 above detailed experiments. 



Item Second — A great Enemy to Corn, as many 

 a desolated field of the last season can bear me 

 witness, is the cut worm, or black grub. To pre- 

 vent the depredations of this unwelcome visiter 

 last spring, I caused each hill of my corn, imme- 

 diately after planting, to receive a common hand- 

 ful of good live ashes, and another immediately 

 after weeding. This proved however to present no 

 obstacle to the progress of the enemy, and I soon 

 discovered that ray whole field was more than de- 

 cimated, and the work of destruction advancing 

 briskly. I therefore ordered my men, as a last re- 

 sort to " prepare for tuar" — to " sharpen their finger 

 ends," and set at once about exhuming the marau- 

 ders. For several days it seemed as if " a whole 

 procession came to each one's funeral," but at 

 length victory wreathed the brow of perseverance ; 

 and the precaution having been taken to replace 

 each foe dislodged with a suitable quantity of good 

 seed corn, I soon had the pleasure to see my. field 

 restored in a opood measure, to its original order 

 and beauty, there being seldom a vacancy in a 

 piece of four acres. The latest planted came to 

 maturity, (the white flint being the variety used for 

 replanting,) and the produce of the field was esti- 

 mated at 4.5 bushels to the acre. Had I not pur- 

 sued the course above indicated, I am confident that 

 the average of the crop would not have exceeded 

 30 bushels to the acre. By the process of " grub- 

 bine," then, 1 secured an increase, in the produce 

 of the four acres, of tiO bushels of good sound corn. 

 The time consumed in the operation was probably 

 equal to about eight days. Eight times five Yankee 

 shillings is $6, 67. Sixty bushels of corn at ninety 

 cents per bushel, is $54. DiflTerence, $47,33. From 

 this deduct the further expenses of harvesting, &c. 

 &c. (not forgetting, however, that tlie stalks are 

 worth something,) and there will still be left a re- 

 mainder well worth pocketing by any small farmer. 

 I would therefore recommend it to " the profession," 

 whenever annoyed by the above mentioned enemy, 

 to " go and do likewise." 



Item Third—" Doctoring" Fruit Trees. Very 

 often does it happen that a valuable young fruit 

 tree is sacrificed for want of a little '• doctoring." 

 Some time in the latter part of June last, a street- 

 running cow, through the inadvertency of a lad on 

 the premises, gained admission, just at evening, into 

 my fruit-yard.° Attracted by the appearance of a 

 fine Bolmer plum tree, five years from the nursery, 

 full of luxuriant foliage and young wood, and rich- 

 ly laden with its first oflering of fruit, she made a 

 rude attack upon it, broke it down to the ground, 

 and before the mischief " got wind," succeeded in 

 stripping it entirely of its young wood, one of its 



apron for the purpose of re- growtli for years, with an unusual interest: it had 

 now come forward into full bearing, and already 

 had my "mouth watered" in anticipation of its ex- 

 quisite fruit. But there lay my "castle," in pitiful 

 ruins. I had no hope whatever of repairing the 

 misfortune. So with a length of visage that bore 

 no mean comparison with that of the luckless cow, 

 I turned me away to comfort myself as well as I 

 could with that wonderful nostrum " What cannot 

 be cured, must still be endured." By the next 

 morning, however, I had made up my mind to at- 

 tempt a cure. "There is nothing like trying." I 

 accordingly commenced by examining the wound. 

 The tree was broken quite down, about two inches 

 from the ground, and all that lield the root and stock 

 (or 'soul and body") together, was a thin slip of 

 wood, not larger, to speak safely, than my smallest 

 finger ; and even from this, the bark tvas severed for 

 nearly three inches. A pretty bad patient, surely ; 

 however, I proceeded, raised it up to a little more 

 than a-perpendicular position, and confined it firmly 

 in different directions, by several thongs, made fast 

 to stakes which I had driven for tlie purpose. By 

 placing the tree in this position, I brought the bark 

 into the closest possible contact with the slip from 

 which it had been dissevered ; and by confining it 

 thus in different directiims, prevented the winds 

 from racking and twisting it, and frustrating my 

 intention of reuniting the parts. 1 next proceeded 

 to lay over the entire fracture a thorough coating 

 of grafting wax, to exclude the air, and finished 

 tlie operation by raising a cone of fresh clay loam, 

 to the height of eighteen inches about the stock, to 

 avert the influence of the sun, not only from the 

 wax, but also from that part of the stock contiguous 

 to the wound. To my surprise, I discovered with- 

 in a week, that it was putting forth fresh leaves 

 and new wood. This it continued to do, and even 

 to ripen a number of plums, which I had left upon 

 its mutilated branches. At length by the middle 

 of October, I had the pleasure to see its new wood 

 pushed, in numerous instances, to the length of six 

 or eight inches, and to taste of its fruit completely 

 matured. Having tiken the further precaution to 

 give it another good dressing of loam, I am now 

 fully confident that it will outlive the winter, and 

 another spring " go on its way rejoicing." 



Item Fourth — A peep at Root Culture. On the 

 18th day of October last, I took from lOS feet of 

 ground, in my garden, 7 1-2 bushels, large measure, 

 of mangold wurtzel, being at the rate of 3,025 

 bushels to the acre ; and from 90 feet, four bushels 

 of carrots, being at the rate of 1,93G bushels to the 

 acre. This teaches me what I, J, K, or any body 

 else, miglit do oa a larger scale. Respectfully, 



ASAHEL FOOTE. 



CoKSiDERATF. HuMAsrrr. It is stated in the 

 Baltimore Sun tliat the late Isaac McKim, has made 

 provision for the continuance of his copper mill 

 and his shipping interest to a certain remote period, 

 which will enable many an honest man in his em- 

 ploy, to be continued in his honest labor without 

 being thrown on the world at a moment's notice. 



A farmer in the, northern part of Scotland Bome 

 forty years ago, when turnip culture was beginning 

 to creep into the country, sowed a head ridge for 

 the use of the public ; and put up a label with this 

 inscription. — " You are requested to steal out of this 



i:3rf :;rX: and Z^^T i^ of itT fimt. My | spot."-quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 



