AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
85 
depend upon the tilth more than on any other 
circumstance. Peruvian guano, or a mixture of 
that with nitrate of soda, are the best substances 
to use, they should be sown at the same time as 
the seed, and it is advisable to sow as early as 
possible in the spring. It is essential that the 
land should be tolerably clean, otherwise the 
manure is expended on the growth of weeds in¬ 
stead of corn. We have in the present prices of 
corn an example of the powerful influence of 
climate apart from legislation, and although the 
effects of a good harvest must be to reduce 
prices, we can hardly expect very low prices un¬ 
til after a second abundant harvest. In the 
meantime advantage should be taken of the times. 
If a farmer cannot follow the plan adopted by a 
manufacturer, who at one time works his fac¬ 
tory at full power or half power, or at another 
time closes it altogether, he may to a certain 
extent imitate it by increasing both his average 
produce and acreage extent of corn when prices 
are high, and reducing them when prices are 
low. It may be said that many tenant farmers 
would be willing to grow more corn were they 
not restricted by leases or covenants. That cer¬ 
tain restrictions are necessary to protect the 
landlord there can be no doubt, and it is for 
them to consider whether an agreement could 
not be made which, while giving full liberty to 
the tenant as to his course of cropping, at the 
same time protects the soil and the incoming 
tenant from injury. That, with the advancing 
knowledge of the day and the increasing sources 
of manure, an inflexible rotation is injurious, 
there can be but little doubt, and as any reduc¬ 
tion in the profits of the farmer must, sooner or 
later, injuriously affect the landowner, it would 
be well for them to take into consideration the 
hint which I have just thrown out.— J. B. 
Lawes, in Bendle's Price .Current and Farm 
Directory. 
GREAT DISCOVERIES. 
As a specimen of what we often receive, we 
publish the following letter, without “note or 
comment,” for the information of all concerned. 
Will the poultry committee please attend? We 
cannot, however, promise to publish any 
others. 
Youngstown, Ohio, April 8, 1854. 
To the Editors of the Am. Agriculturist: 
Knowing that you are publishing a leading 
agricultural paper, I have concluded to address 
you on some very important matters relative to 
that branch of business, especially on fruit grow¬ 
ing, &c., as I am in possession of certain know¬ 
ledge relative to the protection of fruit trees 
against the borer and other depredators, which 
would be of vital importance to the farmer and 
the horticulturist. My remedy is a radical, and 
also philosophical one, and is very easy of ac¬ 
cess, being in the reach of every farmer or hor¬ 
ticulturist, it matters not how small his pecuni¬ 
ary abilities may be. And the application is so 
plain and easy, that a boy twelve or fifteen 
years of age may be able to tend an orchard of 
fifty trees in a few hours. I have been in pos¬ 
session of this knowledge for the past ten years, 
but thought best to retain it and test its merits 
more thoroughly. 
I find from reading newspapers and agricul¬ 
tural journals, that many orchards are almost 
destroyed, especially in the bounds of the State 
of New-York, therefore I thought the most de¬ 
sirable point for such knowledge to be imparted 
and gained, would be where the most public 
complaints arise, viz., within the State of New- 
York. Therefore, I will lay this matter before 
you for consideration and investigation. I would 
wish also to inform you that my pecuniary abil¬ 
ities are such that I cannot afford to give my in¬ 
vention or discovery to such a rich government 
as this for its sole use and benefit, without some 
small remuneration for it. The price which I 
have placed upon it, I consider a small amount 
for the labor and time which I have spent in ac¬ 
quiring this means of a philosophical and radi¬ 
cal cure. I have concluded to dispose of this 
knowledge for the benefit of this Great Republic 
upon receiving the small amount of five thou¬ 
sand dollars. If I were in France I would get 
fifty thousand, and it would be considered very 
cheap at that. I am certain of a preventive in 
the protection of young orchards from frost dur¬ 
ing winter, which I will give you and your readers 
gratis for investigation and thorough trials. I 
am satisfied as to the beneficial results of my 
experience in the matter. It is this: 
Plant seedling stalks, and not trim or prune 
off any of the shoots from the ground up, saving 
a few which may be taking considerable lead, 
graft on the top of the stock at from five to seven 
years old, leaving the sprouts as usual on the 
trunk or body of the tree. The consequence 
will be a hardy, tapering stock from the ground 
up, which will resist all frost. Shape the top up 
to fifteen years’ growth from this, and it will 
bear more fruit. Use no alkaline washes. 
From fifteen to one hundred years is the time 
to stimulate the tree. 
I am also in possession of certain knowledge 
in sheep culture, which is of most vital import¬ 
ance to the farmers of these Uuited States, in 
the protection of sheep from disease arising from 
different causes, but this scientific discovery I 
am not disposed to impart as yet, until I test its 
merits more thoroughly. It will be of the ut¬ 
most benefit to these United States, when I am 
inclined to make it publicly known, both in a 
commercial point of view and national wealth. 
You will probably wish to know something- 
relative to some other branches, connected with 
the apiary business, or keeping or tending all 
kinds of birds, judging of their qualities and 
qualifications, and also poultry. In every thing 
and every department connected therewith, I 
am perfect, in treatment and management. I 
am also perfect in management of the different 
kinds of fruit, and packing for market. You 
will, therefore, please recommend me to some 
one connected with the poultry club—P. T. Bar- 
num, or some other members of said club. My 
address is Youngstown post-office, Mahoning 
County, Ohio. You will please inform the 
members of the poultry club of my address. If 
they should wish to employ a person perfect in 
every thing connected therewith, they will please 
send to my address at the earliest convenience, 
and oblige your humble servant, 
Thomas Wilson. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
THE CANADA THISTLE. 
KILLING THEM WITn BUCKWHEAT. 
There are various opinions among practical 
men as to the best method of exterminating this 
pest to the farmer. It is clearly understood by 
all, that to have a plant flourish, it is necessary 
it should have a good healthy top. The roots 
cannot live without a top, more than the top 
without roots; consequently, if we destroy one 
we bring certain death to the other, sooner or 
later. But a tough hardy plant, like the Canada 
thistle, daisy, elder, &c., requires close attention, 
and the tops must be constantly cut or bruised 
off. You may do this as you like, but the point 
is, do not let the tops grow at all. I will relate 
my course of destroying these intruders. 
The elders are cut with a brush scythe, and 
where thistles and daisies are plenty, I over¬ 
power them with the plow. Where they are 
scarce, I do it with a hoe. When I wish to run 
them out, I begin early in the spring, and plow 
the ground, then let it lie until the first of June, 
and plow again. On or near the Fourth of July, 
I sow buckwheat and harrow in. After the 
buckwheat comes off, I plow again and leave it 
for the winter. I repeat this process every year 
and raise good crops of buckwheat. I make it 
an invariable rule to set in with my plow as 
soon as the plants begin to grow. 
Buckwheat exhausts the land but little, and I 
raise several crops in succession. 
A. L. Smith. 
Nichols , Tioga Co., N. T. 
$ 
CLAIMS OF AGRICULT URAL PATENTS; 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCn 9, 1854. 
Preparation op Vegetable Fibers.— David 
A. Wells, of Cambridge, Mass.: I do not claim 
broadly subjecting vegetable substances to the 
action of acids, as this has been done before for 
other purposes, and under essentially different 
proportions and circumstances, and with a dif¬ 
ferent view, and therefore I do not wish to be 
understood as claiming broadly subjecting vege¬ 
table substances to the action of acids, except 
when used for the purpose of removing bases 
which would entirely, or for too long a time, re¬ 
sist the chemical action of the other branches 
of the process employed to obtain cellulose. 
I am also aware that lignine has been sepa¬ 
rated from woody fiber by dissolving the ce¬ 
menting substances in alkalies more or less 
caustic, and then subjecting them to subsequent 
mechanical operations for obtaining fibers, I do 
not therefore claim simply subjecting vegetable 
substances to the action of caustic alkalies. 
1 am also aware that vegetable substances, 
after being subjected to the action of caustic 
alkalies have been treated with acids but under 
different circumstances and for a different object. 
Heretofore this has been done for the purpose 
of removing any adhering alkali, and all other- 
foreign matters, whilst in my process I use an 
acid of an entirely different strength, not for 
the purpose of removing any alkali remaining 
from the previous branch of the process, for 
this I previously wash out, and not for the pur¬ 
pose of removing any gummy or glutinous mat¬ 
ter, for this I previously remove by means of 
the caustic alkali. 
But I have found that the cellulose treated 
with an acid of such a strength and for such a 
length of time is so altered, that the subsequent 
bleaching by the ordinary means is greatly fa¬ 
cilitated and cheapened, and therefore I do not 
claim broadly treating vegetable substances with 
acids after they have been subjected to the ac¬ 
tion of caustic alkalies irrespective of the cir¬ 
cumstances and the purposes specified. 
First, aware that acids have been used in the 
treatment of crude or unprepared vegetable 
fibers chiefly for the purpose of breaking up 
and mechanically separating the woody and 
gummy matters, I do not therefore claim any 
such process. 
But what I regard as my invention, is remov¬ 
ing coloring and resinous matters, from the 
cleaned and dressed flax, hemp, and other- 
equivalent textile and fibrous material, designed 
to be spun, felted, &c., by means of weak acid 
of about 3 deg. Beaume, as set forth. 
In combination with the above I also claim 
the employment of caustic alkalies, as specified, 
to obtain cellulose from vegetable substances for 
the manufacture of paper and for other pur¬ 
poses in combination with the use of alkaline 
earths, as specified, to preserve or restore the 
caustic state of the alkalies, as set forth. 
And finally, I claim in combination with the 
process for the separation of cellulose from 
vegetable substances, subjecting the products 
thereof to the action of a solution of efflores¬ 
cent salts, as specified. 
[Every improvement in the preparation of 
flax is of great importance to our country. We 
know that many plans and processes for effect¬ 
ing the easy and complete separation of the 
woody from the fibrous parts of flax, have been 
employed, and yet difficulties surround every 
one of them. Dr. Wells, the discoverer of 
these new improvements, is a good chemist, and 
has deeply investigated this subject. The re¬ 
sults set forth in his patent were only obtained 
after laborious researches and many experi¬ 
ments. We are confident that he has added 
something new and important to the chemistry 
of flax treatment, and we hope his invention 
will be the means of removing every difficulty 
which now lies in the path of preparing flax for 
spinning and weaving.] 
Cranberry Winnowers. —Phanuel Flanders, 
of Lowell, Mass.: I claim the cleaner and the 
