miscellaneous. 
40 
increase the distances in carting out manure, bringing 
home the crops, and driving the stock to and fro. 
6. They have a sensible effect in delaying the 
warmth of spring, by occasioning snow-drifts and 
water puddles. Land, fora strip of several feet wide, 
on the north side of the fences, does not become dry 
and warm and fit for working so soon as in the open 
fields, by at least 3 to 7 days. This is frequently 
highly vexatious to the farmer, and positively inju¬ 
rious in causing delay in his plowing and planting. 
7. They totally mar the beauty of the landscape, 
and make the fields look as if they were all impri¬ 
soned. Strangers coming among us from an un¬ 
fenced country, unquestionably at first sight think us 
and our cattle awfully vicious to require such ugly 
hedging in and around. 
All the above objections to fences must strike the 
reader as so plain and forcible, that they need but 
one elucidation, and that is as to their cost; and for 
a calculation of this we will take New York as an 
average example of one twentieth part of the Union. 
This State is supposed to contain a surface of 
30,000,000 acres. Deduct one half for unenclosed 
lands and water, and it leaves 15,000,000. We are 
of opinion that the average size of fields here is about 
15 acres; but we will suppose, for fear of making 
too large a calculation, that they average 20 acres. 
To surround one of these, allowing a trifle for inequal¬ 
ities of surface, it would require 230 rods of fence. 
On account of numerous roads and lanes, all of this 
does not answer for division fences; instead then, of 
throwing half of it off for this purpose, we will sup¬ 
pose 110 rods enough, and call the remainder (120 
rods) sufficient on the average for each 20 acre 
field. Dividing 15,000,000 acres by 20, they make 
750,000 fields These multiplied by 120 rods, the 
length of fence requisite to enclose each field, make 
©0,000,000 rods. Farm fences cost in this State, 
from 40 cents to 150 per rod. We will suppose, on 
an average, that the cost is 75 cents per rod, this 
would amount to the enormous sum of $67,500,000 
for fencing New York alone. Now, allowing this 
to be one twentieth the cost of all the fences in the 
United States, the result would be $1,350,000,000 ! 
These enclosures, including stone and wood, do not 
last, on an average, over 25 years; the cost, then, 
is $54,000,000 per annum, which, with $81,000,000 
of interest at 6 per cent, on the first cost, amounts 1 
to $135,000,000 annually expended in the republic 
for fences ! It is absurd to suppose that so much 
fencing is necessary, and we now respectfully ask 
whether, in the outset of this article, we too strongly 
reprobated the law and custom compelling the farmers 
of this country to submit to so grinding and odious 
a tax upon their industry. 
Chinese Silk Cotton.— We have received from 
Mrs. James Huling, of Holly Springs, Miss., a beau¬ 
tiful specimen of this cotton. It is as white as the 
driven snow, as soft as down, and nearly as fine as 
silk. What beautiful comforters it would make! 
We respectfully solicit an article on this subject to 
enrich our Ladies Department. And by the way, the 
Southern ladies will please consider themselves es¬ 
pecially invited to assist in this matter. There are 
hundreds of things in their domestic economy, which, 
though very familiar to them, we would gladly hear 
about, and tfcey wou;G greatly interest m* northerners 
Black Sea Wheat.' —We have received the sam¬ 
ples of this wheat from Mr. Samuel Evarts of Corn¬ 
wall, Vermont, spoken of in his communication last 
month. The berry is of good size, clear and plump. 
He says of it, “ this wheat is successfully cultivated 
in Addison county, and in some other parts of the 
State, it yields from twenty to thirty bushels per acre, 
and has thus far resisted the aitacks of the fly and 
rust or mildew. It has a very strong stalk, and is 
consequently not as liable to lodge as other kinds of 
wheat that have been tried here. The berry is very 
hard, and when ground in the natural state will not 
make as good flour as other kinds of spring wheat. 
The method practised here is to take a flour barrel 
and put into it a layer of wheat, then take a broom 
and sprinkle it with water, add another layer of wheat, 
sprinkle that, and so on till the same is filled. Let 
it stand till the next day and then have it ground. 
When treated in this way it will produce more and 
better flour than any kind that has ever been raised 
in this section of the country.” 
The other sample sent we handed over to the New 
York Farmers’ Club, with Mr. E.’s account of it. 
We understand that it is a spring wheat, and we pre¬ 
sume it can be had for $1 per bushel, by proper ap¬ 
plication. Mr. E. being the Postmaster at Cornwall, 
can be addressed free of postage. 
Smoking Hams.— Having given in our late volumes 
several excellent recipes for curing hams, we will 
now say, that unless properly smoked, these will be 
of little value. To do this the smoke-house must be 
well ventilated at the top, the hams hung at least ten 
feet above the fire (twenty to forty would be still bet¬ 
ter), and the smoke given out in moderate quantity, 
and come from corn cobs or hickory wood. It 
is important that the hams be kept cool and dry 
through the whole operation. Proper ventilation of 
the smoke-house ensures this. If they be kept moist 
by improper ventilation, or are placed so near the fire 
as to become warm, it greatly injures their flavor. 
Mutton Sheep. —Mr. Clift, of Putnam county, 
brought eight of his Leicester wethers to this market 
last month. They were extremely fat, and were readily 
taken by the butchers for prize mutton. They paid 
Mr. C. $15 each, for two of the lot, and $12 per 
head for the balance—making $102 ior tbe eight 
sheep. 
A Fat Calf. —Mr. C. also brought down at the 
same time a heifer calf five months old, of the Durham 
breed, which he sold to a butcher for $30. This 
calf had run wfith the dam since its birth, and took 
all her milk. In addition to this, it had eaten some 
grass and hay, and ten bushels of meal, worth $3.75. 
Mr. C. informs us that the price he obtained for the 
heifer, left him a larger profit for the milk, grass, and 
meal it consumed, than he could otherwise have re¬ 
alized from them. 
New York Farmer’s Club.— At the meetings 
the past month, various fruits, vegetables, and seeds 
were exhibited, and their merits discussed. The 
establishment of an Agricultural College in the vici¬ 
nity of New York, was the principal topic of discus¬ 
sion, and a petition was got up and signed, to be 
presented to the Legislature, asking $50,000 in awl 
thereof 
