AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
21 
The Hickory will bear a strong clay soil bet¬ 
ter than most other trees except beech. Neither 
of these are well adapted to the rich mucky or 
sandy soils of the prairies. The Oak, in some 
of its varieties, will flourish on most good soils, 
not too wet or mucky, but is of too slow growth 
for our fast people. The Locust on account of 
rapid growth, valuable timber, and adaptability 
to various soils, is perhaps the most useful of 
all—but unfortunately it is so liable to be des¬ 
troyed by the borer, that it cannot be relied on 
in many parts of our country. 
Saving and Sowing Seed. —Chestnuts, Wal¬ 
nuts and similar kind of tree seeds should never 
be suffered to become perfectly dry before plant¬ 
ing. If not convenient to plant them soon 
after their time of ripening, they should be put 
iu a box of sand, and kept moist, (not wet,) and 
be allowed to freeze during winter, then planted 
early in the spring, covering them about two 
inches in depth. They may be planted where 
the trees are to remain, taking care to keep the 
plants clear of weeds and grass while young; 
or, they can be transplanted when 2 or 3 years 
old, taking them up carefully, without injuring 
the roots, and not exposing them to drying 
while out of the ground. 
Locust Seed may be kept dry for a year or 
two, without destroying its vitality, but it must 
in all cases by thoroughly scalded before sow¬ 
ing, or it will lie a whole year in the ground 
without vegetating. For a quart of seed, pour 
on 4 quarts of boiling water, and let stand for 
12 or 24 hours, when most, if not all of the 
seeds will be swollen to several times their 
former size. If a considerable portion arc not 
swollen they must be scalded again. Stir the 
seeds while in the water, so as to agitate them 
briskly, and while in motion pour off the water 
and swollen seeds, while the other being heav¬ 
ier will remain at the bottom of the vessel, then 
scald and let soak as before, and they will gen¬ 
erally all swell. The seeds can then be sown 
where designed to remain, or in a nursery bed, 
and the trees transplanted when one year old.—- 
Ohio Cultivator. 
-- 
THE POULTRY HOUSE. 
As every thing connected with poultry now a 
days has a peculiar interest, we give the follow¬ 
ing sensible remarks from an English paper. 
First, of the roost and nest-house. The floor 
should be sprinkled with ashes, loam, pul¬ 
verized peat or fine charcoal, and the floor 
should be cleaned off every week. 
The yard should contain a grass plat, some 
fine gravel, slaked lime, dry ashes, and pure 
water. The nests should be lined with moss 
heath and straw. Evidently the Dorkings are 
the best breed; they will lay an average of 185 
eggs each per annum. Fowls with black legs 
are best for roasting, while those with white 
legs are best for boiling. If you want them to 
sit early leave the eggs under them. Fowls in 
their native habits never lay more eggs than 
they can hatch. Remember that no success 
can be expected from poultry-keeping if their 
houses be damp, cold, unclean, or badly ventil¬ 
ated ; if their food does not approximate to that 
which they get in a state of nature, viz., a mix¬ 
ture of animal and vegetable food; if the water 
they drink be stagnant, the drainage of the 
manure heap, &c., or if the strongest and hand¬ 
somest be not bred from. 
- 6 0 •- 
Value of Acorns. —The editor of The Ad¬ 
vocate, Claiborne, La., has gone into a minute 
calculation upon the value of one crop of acorns 
in that parish—equivalent to our counties. He 
says that 1,800,000 pounds of pork will be con¬ 
sumed there in the year 1854, by the 12,000 in¬ 
habitants, and that the whole of it comes from 
the crop of acorns, and is worth the snug sum 
of $90,000. Besides this, he thinks an equal 
value has been added to the stock hogs. He 
thinks also that that parish grows $35,000 
worth more cotton than it would, if all the plan¬ 
ters had to depend upon the corn crop for 
their meat, so that the actual value of a crop 
of acorns is $215,000. 
- O ® • - 
Indian Farming in California. — Lieutenant 
Beal is prosecuting his labors to establish at the 
Tejon Pass, California, an Indian reservation 
and farm. He has already planted two square 
miles with grain, and has kept running con¬ 
stantly twenty-four plows. Most of the labor 
is performed by Indians who two months be¬ 
fore were running wild on the mountains. He 
began with sixty, and has now two thousand 
three hundred. 
Arrow-Root Crops in Natal.— The extra¬ 
ordinary productiveness of arrow-root in the 
soil of Natal is illustrated by the fact that, from 
a plot of less than half an acre, on the estate of 
Mr. Moorewood, at Compensation, a quantity of 
the root or tubers has been taken, weighing 
12,700 pounds, and this crop has been sold for 
cash, at Id. per pound, being upwards of £50 
for half an acre! The prepared arrow-root from 
this lot has been sold in this town at Is. per 
pound.— Gape Toion Mail. 
THE FARMER -A PRETTY PICTURE. 
The man who stands upon his own soil, who 
feels that by the laws of the land in which he 
lives,—by the laws of civilized nations,—he is 
the rightful and exclusive owner of the land 
which he tills, is by the constitution of our na¬ 
ture under a wholesome influence, not easily 
imbibed from any other source. He feels— 
other things being equal—more strongly than 
another the character of a man as the lord of 
the inanimate world. Of this great and wonder¬ 
ful sphere, fashioned by Cod and upheld by 
his power a portion is his,—his, from the center 
to the sky. It is the space on which the gener¬ 
ation before him moved in its round of duties; 
and he feels himself connected with those who 
will follow him, and to whom he is to transmit 
a home. 
Perhaps his farm has come down to him from 
his fathers. They have gone to their last home, 
but he can trace their footsteps over the scenes 
of their daily labors. The roof which shelters 
him was reared by those to whom he owes his 
being. Some interesting domestic tradition is 
connected with every enclosure. The favorite 
fruit tree was planted by his father’s hand. He 
sported in his boyhood beside the brook which 
still winds through the meadow. Through the 
fields lies the path to the village school of ear¬ 
lier days. He still hears from his window the 
voice of the Sabbath bell, which called his 
father and forefathers to the house of God; and 
near at hand is the spot where his parents are 
laid to rest, and where, when his time is come, 
he shall be laid by his children. These are the 
feelings of an owner of the soil. Words can¬ 
not paint them; gold cannot buy them. They 
flow out of the deepest fountains of the heart; 
they are the life spring of a fresh, healthy, and 
generous national character. — Puritan Re¬ 
corder. 
-«*e- 
AN UNPARALLELED HORSE. 
An auctioneer in Demara thus describes a 
horse he put up for sale. This is piling up the 
adjectives in a style that few Americans can 
surpass. 
A strong, staunch, steady, sound, stout, safe, 
snug, servicable, strapping, supple, swift, smart, 
sightly, sprightly, spirited, sturdy, shining, 
sure footed, sleek, smooth, spuky, well-skinned, 
sized and shaped,- leather colored horse, of 
superlative symmetry, called Sir Tatton, with 
small star, and swift, square bodied, slender 
shouldered, sharp sighted, and steps stately, 
free from strain, sprain, spavin, spring halt, 
staggers, strangles, seelling, sellander, surfeit, 
seams, stumous, swelling, serances, scratches, 
splints, scars, sores, scattering, shambling gait, 
or symptoms of sickness of any sort. He is 
neither stiff mouthed, shabby coated, sinew 
shrunken, spur galled, saddle backed, shell 
toothed, slim gutted, surbated, skin scabbed, 
short winded, splay footed nor shoulder slip¬ 
ped ; and is sound in the sword point and stifle 
joint. He has neither sick spleen, sleeping evil, 
set fast, snaggle teeth, sand crack, subentan- 
eous sores or shattered hoofs; nor is sour, 
sulky, stubborn, surly or slow, sluggish nor 
stupid; he never slips, strips, strays, stalks, 
starts, stops, shakes, snivels, snuffles, snorts, 
stumbles, and seldom sweats';-has a showy 
stylish switch tail, and a safe set of shoes on ; 
can feed on stubs, straw, sage coron or Scotch 
grass; can carry 140 lbs with great speed and 
long strokes. Upset price low. 
CLAIMS OF AGRICULTURAL PATENTS 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 7, 1854. 
Seed Planters. —L. B. Fisher, of Cold water, 
Mich.: I claim constructing the driving wheels 
of planters with cut rims and divided hubs, 
substantially as described, said hubs being made 
to traverse the driving shaft by means of forked 
levers operated by a screw or its equivalent, for 
regulating the alignment of the hills in a cross 
direction, as set forth. 
I also claim the scraper in combination with 
the two pins and the two levers, arranged and 
operating substantially as described, for pre¬ 
serving a given space between the edge of the 
scraper and outer surface of the rim of the 
wheel, as specified. 
The Gauge of Straw Cutters. —Warren 
Gale, of Louisville, Ky.: I claim the arrange¬ 
ment of the adjustable gauge, as described. 
Opening and Closing Gates. —W. G. Philips, 
of Newport, Del.: I claim the double span ro¬ 
tating gate opening and closing continually for¬ 
ward, by means of levers and inclined planes, 
as well as by pulleys and cords, combined and 
arranged as set forth. 
Hanging Gates.— Mr. Ashley Hotchkin, of 
Schenevus, N. Y.: I claim hanging a gate by 
means of two lower turning pivots, or pintles, 
working on separate step projection of a box, 
or frame, the upper end of the gate being stead¬ 
ied and carried by suitable rollers, (any num¬ 
ber) or their equivalent, working or traveling- 
in fixed grooves, channels, or spaces, so as to 
admit the gate opening either way,—the several 
parts being constructed, arranged, and opera¬ 
ting, as described. 
Cotton Seed Planters. —G. W. Cooper, of 
Palmyra, Ga.: I claim the combination of the 
saws and feeders, the said saws having a reci¬ 
procating rectillinear motion, and the said feed¬ 
ers having a reciprocating rotary motion, the 
above parts being constructed and arranged as 
set forth. 
Apparatus for Opening and Closing Gates. 
—Samuel G. Dugdale, of Richmond, la. Ad¬ 
ditional to re-issued letters, Jan. 31, 1854 : the 
nature of my improvement consists in hanging 
a pendulous lever provided with a notch, by 
which l cause the weight of the gate to be the 
means of holding the bottom to the point to 
which it is drawn, and at the same time holding 
the vertical lever down until the carriage has 
passed over it, thereby preventing any appenda¬ 
ges that might be attached to said carriage, or 
vehicle, from catching said lever. 
The application of a pendulous lever pro¬ 
vided with a notch, or its equivalent, as set 
forth. 
Re-issue. 
Grass and Grain Cutting Machine.— Wil¬ 
liam F. Ketchum, of Buffalo, N. Y.: Original 
Patent dated Feb. 10, 1852, I claim, first, sus¬ 
taining the outer end of the rack piece in the 
manner set forth. 
The shield plate in combination with the 
shoe and cutter bar, for the purpose aforesaid.— 
Scientific American. 
