New-York, Wednesday, August 16, 1854, 
Our XIII. Volume commences after three num¬ 
bers more, and we have bright prospects of a 
large addition to our present number of readers. 
We also have confidence to believe that all our 
present readers are so well satisfied and pleased 
with our paper, that they will each make some 
effort to extend its circulation among their 
neighbors. We wish also to form a previous 
acquaintance with others who will assist in 
spreading a knowledge of the paper, and we 
therefore make the following 
PROPOSITION: 
During the next week, every person send¬ 
ing in a subscription to begin with the next vol¬ 
ume, shall receive the remaining numbers of this 
volume free —to be directed either to themselves, 
or to any friend, whose address they may give. 
For terms, see last page, and notice that in 
a year there are two complete volumes, each 
having 416 large pages with a full index. 
-- 
Something for the Boys.— We send out in 
this number some advertising cards to several 
of our subscribers. Each sheet contains three, 
which we hope the receiver will cut apart and 
give to three of the most active boys in his fam¬ 
ily or neighborhood; and we request these boys 
to consider themselves agents for the Agricul¬ 
turist. We will supply any of them with as 
many of these “notes” as they can use profita¬ 
bly. 
Advertisements. —There are several interest¬ 
ing new advertisements in this number, includ¬ 
ing New-York State Fair, Sales of Short-Horn 
Bulls, Brooklyn Horticultural Show, Suffolk 
Pigs. Farmer Wanted, Night Soil, and a New 
Fertilizer. 
Recipes. — A subscriber wishes to know why 
we do not publish more recipes, as she is very 
much interested in them. In answer we would 
3ay, that we do not feel justified in printing, and 
thereby recommending, any recipe which we 
have not. very strong evidence to believe is all 
it purports to be. During the year past we 
have furnished a, half dozen or more recipes, 
which are each, in our opinion, worth more than 
a dollar to every family. We would not lose 
the “ Borax washing recipe” for thirty dollars. 
Then there are the recipes for “ Rice Balls,” for 
“Yorkshire pudding,” for “Lemon pies,” for 
“ Cream cookies,” for “ Loaf cake,” and some 
others, which have all been extensively copied 
by our exchanges, and the value of which have 
been attested to by many of our own readers, 
and wr have often been thanked by them for the 
information conveyed. We are on the constant 
look out for any new and useful method of per¬ 
forming cooking and other household operations, 
and in behalf of our readers we shall be much 
obliged to those who will furnish us any thing 
valuable in this line. 
Selling' Corn by Weight. —We iearn that 
The merchants of Alexandria have agreed that 
after the first ot this month, they will buy and 
sell com by weight only, 56 lbs. to constitute a 
bushel. A good move. Oats should also be 
always sold in the same manner. 
FLAX CULTIVATION. 
We are happy to observe, that our New-Jer- 
sey friends have not been idle in reference to 
flax, but have cultivated a considerable breadth 
this year with success. Last week we had oc¬ 
casion to visit the neighborhood of Kingston—■ 
half way between New-York and Philadel¬ 
phia—and were agreeable surprised to notice a 
field containing five acres of very fair quality 
of flax, grown by Mr. Henry MacFarland, of 
Rocky Hill. He told us it would have been 
much finer, if he had paid sufficient attention to 
weeding, which he intends to do next year, as 
well as to go more largely into this crop, which 
he considers one of the best investments a 
farmer can make. He thinks it an excellent ro¬ 
tation after green crops, and before wheat or 
corn. He sows one bushel and a half to the 
acre—none too much—and has the flax pulled 
by boys, to obtain as long a fibre as possible. 
He then places it in shocks, and lets it dry with 
the seed-bolls on. This year he sells his crop, 
just in the state described, to a mill in the neigh¬ 
borhood—the New-Jersey Flax-Wool Co., or¬ 
ganized to propare flax fibre from the straw, by 
a chemical process without rotting, called the 
“ Claussen Patent.” He calculates upon 1£ to 
2 tons of straw, and twelve bushels of seed per 
acre. This company, we believe, is the pioneer 
in supplying a market to our farmers for flax- 
straw, and we have no doubt that similar estab¬ 
lishments will become numerous, just so soon 
as they are required. Thousands of acres of 
this same straw will be permitted to rot or be 
burned this year in our Western States, for 
want of such machinery; but not so next year— 
the farmer may rest assured he can sell his 
whole crop to good advantage; and seed alone, 
at one and a half to two dollars a bushel, will 
remunerate him, as he may readily obtain fifteen 
bushels if he will. 
We may mention, thaf we were shown 
through the works of the New-Jersey Company 
by the polite and intelligent manager, Mr. J. 
Hoskin, who will he pleased to correspond with 
any one interested in flax. He is very sanguine 
of success in introducing the beautiful white 
flax staple, or wool, which they produce, among 
woolen and cotton fabrics, its cost, being about 
double that of cotton and half that of wool, and 
the refuse he calculates on converting into stock 
for paper-maker’s use. The machinery, which 
performs these wonders, is very curious and in¬ 
teresting in itself, and it opens up a new era in 
flax cultivation among us, which our farmers 
would do well to ponder. The company named, 
have offered a premium of one hundred dollars 
for the best ten acres of flax, grown this season 
by any one proprietor; and we are much pleased 
to learn that several competitors are in the field, 
whose success, no doubt, will stimulate others 
to take up the matter, next season, on a large 
scale. It is of too much importance to both ag¬ 
ricultural and manufacturing interests to be over¬ 
looked, and we hope our enterprising men will 
at once give their attention to flax cultivation, 
and impart their suggestions freely through the 
press during the coming winter, so as to he pre¬ 
pared for an earnest and widespread effort to 
grow abundance of good flax and hemp next 
year. It must be evident to all, that the Rus¬ 
sian war is not likely to terminate suddenly, 
and that the supply of these indispensable ma¬ 
terials must be kept up from some other quar¬ 
ter, than hitherto. If we, in the United States, 
cannot make fine linens and thread—the yarn 
for which requires very careful handling, from 
rotted flax, and is a matter of life-long experi¬ 
ence—we can, at least, grow flax and hemp for 
all the coarser fabrics and for cordage, of which 
by far the larger quantity is required. We hope 
our farmers will be up and doing next spring, 
and not permit a famine in flax and hemp, and 
thereby overlook their own interest, as well as 
throw away the splendid opportunity of adding 
another valuable product to ouFdomestic indus- 
Square Rons and Feet in an Acre.— We 
read in several exchanges that “an acre of 
ground is a little less than 200 feet square, say 
200 by 190 feet.” Not so. 
An acre contains 43,560 square feet. 
A plot of ground 208f feet square is very near 
an acre, being just 1-16 of a rod over. A nearer 
approximation is 208 feet and 84 inches. The 
square of this number differs less than a foot 
from an acre, being 43,559 1-6 feet. 
A plot of ground 12 rods 10 feet and 8£ 
inches square is an acre. For ordinary pur¬ 
poses it will answer to take a plot 12f rods 
square, which will give 160 2-5 rods, 160 being 
an acre. 
An acre is contained in a plot 3 by 58£ rods; 
or 4 by 40; or 5 by 32; or 6 by 26£; or 7 by 
22 6-7; or 8 by 20; or 9 by 17 7-9; or 10 by 
16; or 11 by 14 6-11; or 12 by 13jr. Our 
farmer boys can soon learn this last table, and 
it will very often be of use to them. 
- « ® « - 
Bone Dost vs. Guano. —“ Bone dust is a good 
substitute for guano,” is a line that “fillsout” a 
column in a score of our exchanges. Not so. 
Bone dust is a partial substitute but not a good 
one. Mr. General Practice says, and we believe 
it, that no preparation of bones has as yet proved 
any thing like a substitute for guano on any 
crops except turnips. 
Healthy Color of Animals. — We have re¬ 
peatedly seen it stated, that white hoofs are 
more liable to accident and lameness than black 
ones, and that on stony soils, the former break, 
crack, and contract more than those of dark 
color. This sounds as unreasonable as the 
statement made to us a few days since by a 
noted horse and cattle doctor, that black animals 
are always more healthy than those of any 
other color. Does this hold good among hu¬ 
man animals ? or is the whole statement a mere 
whim ? 
Croup in Hens. —It is stated that, an English¬ 
man, John Baily, has taken out a patent for a 
“hen pill,” to he administered every two hours 
by pushing it down the neck of the hen afflicted 
with croup. We never saw a. feathered, biped 
sick with the croup, and cannot vouch for the 
efficacy of the pill. Will some of our medical 
readers tell us what would be its effect upon un- 
feather ed bipeds ? As this recipe has been con¬ 
sidered worthy of an English patent, we give 
