396 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
shire, down to the fat and punchy Suffolks, throng¬ 
ing the pens. But the Ohio pork-feeder prefers, 
best of all, a cross between the larger and small¬ 
er breeds, as best adapted to his use ; and of such 
were the choicest specimens that we saw—a hog, 
which at fifteen to eighteen months old will fat 
three to four hundred pounds net weight. In 
poultry, the specimens were not numerous, but 
showed some excellent varieties. They should 
have more choice poultry in Ohio, where corn- 
cribs are so large and abundant. 
Tree fruits were excellent, both in variety and 
specimens, but comparatively few in number, as 
the season has been a scant one in that depart¬ 
ment. But the grapes were especially fine, in 
the native kinds. Of the Isabella, Catawba, and 
Delaware, we never saw better specimens than 
those shown by Charles Carpenter, of Kelly’s Is- 
iu' d, just out in Lake Erie, opposite Sandusky, 
a'-d some other specimens from the main shore, 
near the lake—a very paradise for grapes, in its 
shallow, clay-loam, porous, lime-stone soil. The 
' v ne from Mr Carpenter’s Catawbas, is proba¬ 
bly equal to any native wine produced in the 
United States. The Delaware is a delicious ta- 
Uie grape, and destined, as we think, as it becomes 
better known, to be exceedingly popular as an 
out-door vine, from its early ripening, as well as 
choice flavor. But the Isabella, as a household 
grape, is the most popular in all Northern Ohio. 
Almost, everybody who has a garden, both farmer 
and villager, grows it in abundance. It requires 
little care, and no protection, always ripening in 
that mild climate, running at will over a fence, 
out-house, tree, or arbor, and producing a profu¬ 
sion of the richest clusters, with little or no at¬ 
tention, just as the largest and best of water and 
musk melons grow in their rich soils, under their 
ripening suns. There is no better fruit country 
in North America, for all that is native to its cli¬ 
mate, than the south shore of Lake Erie, in Ohio, 
so finely tempered by that large body of water, 
and shielded from untimely frosts. 
The other miscellaneous departments were 
creditably filled, and with the multitudinous at¬ 
tendance from all quarters, the exhibition may be 
pronounced decidedly successful, both in its char¬ 
acter and money receipts. In one thing we 
co' /id but rejoice, over any other of the kind we 
have ever attended. Not a drop of spirituous 
liquor—unless sweet cider and lager beer can be 
called so—did we see or hear of, either on or off 
the grounds ; and, of course, not a single intoxi¬ 
cated person did we find to invade the perfect de¬ 
corum everywhere prevailing. 
A female horse-race was got up on the last day, 
after the society had abandoned the grounds, 
which we intended to “ notice,” but it was a suf¬ 
ficient criticism upon itself for those who were 
present, and as we could not learn that the manag¬ 
ers were responsible for it, and the same subject 
is treated elsewhere, we drop it here. 
Reports on Fairs. 
A very large number of our readers have taken 
much pains to send us full reports of the agricul¬ 
tural fairs in their several localities. We hope 
they will take no offence at our omitting the pub¬ 
lication of them. They would all have a local 
interest, and we would gladly publish them on 
this account, but a sheet ten times the size of this, 
devoted to nothing else, would not suffice to con¬ 
tain the reports our friends desire us to insert this 
present season. The Agriculturist circulates in 
every State, and we believe in every county, if 
not in every town, in the United States. Its read¬ 
ing matter must necessarily be that which is of 
gencrcd interest. It would hardly interest Mr. 
Smith, in Iowa, to read that Mr. Johnson, in 
Maine, was chairman of the committee on sheep; 
nor would Mr. Clarke, of Ohio, wish particularly 
to have these pages devoted to a list of persons 
receiving premiums in New Hampshire or North 
Carolina. He has no personal interest in such 
matters. But an account of how Mr. A, B, C, D, 
or E, in any State or county, produced a yield of 
corn, or wheat, or potatoes, worthy of a premium, 
what was the kind of surface and subsoil, how 
treated, when planted or sown, what kind of seed 
was used, and such like particulars, would furnish 
positive information, or at least, suggestive hints 
to cultivators the country over. Such details, 
condensed and to the point, are what are desired 
and needed. Our own view is, that a variety of 
topics, such as we endeavor to introduce from 
month to month, will, on the whole, not only in¬ 
terest, but also convey useful information to the 
largest number of individuals, old and young. 
While the Agriculturist may not treat wholly upon 
precisely the topics that would interest any one 
individual, we trust that everyone will find many 
things in its pages which he would not willingly 
have failed to read. 
Another Stump Puller. 
The engraving below we make from a sketch 
sent us from a “ Jamaica Plains Farmer,” Mass., 
who thus writes : “ The Stump Puller illustrated 
in the Agriculturist (page 295, Oct. No.), is a very 
good one for extracting stumps, when not too 
firmly rooted, as I know from experience—hav¬ 
ing taken out many in that way, twenty years 
ago. There were, however, some elm stumps 
that would not yield to all the team power I could 
put on, and one of my men wished me to allow 
him to try a “ down east ” plan, to which I re¬ 
luctantly consented, after vainly trying to twist 
them out. He dug a hole between two roots, set 
up the lever, “but end ” down, as shown in my 
sketch, and fastened a chain to the top and to 
the axle of my ox cart, started the oxen and over 
went the stump with roots many feet in length.” 
We do not see the necessity of the cart. Why 
not hitch the oxen directly to the chain, though it 
may help to keep the chain horizontal and pre¬ 
vent an upward draft upon the oxen’s necks. 
With a strong lever and powerful chain, we do 
not see why this is not a practicable plan in many 
cases.— Ed. 
Take Care of the Implements. 
All kinds of farm implements and machinery 
are expensive, and with the best of care and use 
must often be replaced by new ones. But their 
durability depends a great deal upon the manner 
of using and keeping them. If never sheltered or 
painted they will work and soon rot. The wood¬ 
work of all tools, if kept well painted and housed, 
will outlast much of the iron work. Whenever 
the sun opens cracks in the timber they should 
be filled with putty and paint. Manufacturers 
declare that not. half the farmers know how to use 
machines, and it is too true for the interests of 
the latter; and even the maker of a machine is 
liable to suffer by the want of knowledge how to 
manage on the part of those who use them. Farm’ 
ers should understand the principles upon which 
the construction and operation of machines de¬ 
pend. Every part of a machine which is subject 
to friction should be kept well oiled. This wilL 
render it much less liable to breakage, will re¬ 
duce the draft upon the team, and will make a 
machine last four times as long as when not 
properly attended to in this respect. Shelter* 
paint, oiling, and careful usage are the chief re 
quisites in the use of implements and machines. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Notes on Farming in Pennsylvania- 
Wheat Crop in Southern Pennsylvania—Changing 
of Seeds—Swiss Wheat—White Bearded Medi¬ 
terranean—Mexican Potatoes—Corn Crop. 
Wheat in our fertile Cumberland Valley —which, 
although under different names, extends from.the 
Delaware in Eastern Pennsylvania, through Mary¬ 
land, Virginia, and North Carolina—is less than 
half a crop this year. The heavy rains during 
blossoming time, and the rust and weevil (midge) 
have greatly damaged the yield as far South as 
heard from, although less than in this and the ad¬ 
joining counties. Even the red Mediterranean 
wheat, in good limestone soil, and where it was 
sown early, suffered from rust and other causes. 
The white bearded Mediterranean ,* of which I had 
the greater part of two lots sown, yielded double 
the quantity of some adjoining lots with the ordi¬ 
nary white wheats—although the yield of that is 
less than one-half the yield of previous years. 
But the flour from it is of the choicest quality. 
The next best, if not equally good yield, in my 
own experience, was that of a small patch of 
smooth-eared wheat, which Judge Kennedy and 
myself procured from Basel, in Switzerland, two 
years ago. We obtained'two kinds—one white, 
the other a light yellow wheat. The judge sowed 
the former and I the latter, but I regret that, af¬ 
ter he had his barn stored with his harvest, the 
whole of it, including this white wheat, was de¬ 
stroyed with fire. Mine did very well, considering 
the unfavorable season. Neither rust nor weevil 
affected it, while in the same locality, in an adjoin¬ 
ing lot, my white wheat was almost totally de¬ 
stroyed by rust and weevil. The yield was in the 
proportion of 16 bushels to the acre—which is 
here considered very good this year. I have 
sowed all of it, except a few bushels which Isold 
to a number ot farmers, who, with myself; are 
hoping that the coming year will give it a fair and 
favorable test. 
Never before has there been such an exchang¬ 
ing of wheat in this community, as this year 
Wheat from Canada, from Italy, from New York 
—in fact, from almost every quarter, was botight 
up, to the amount of thousands of bushels, by the 
farmers in this county, at prices ranging from 
$1.50 to $5.50 per bushel. This change will be 
of great advantage, no debt. All the ordinary 
white wheats in use have ucen discarded this sea¬ 
son, as it was found, that in almost every instance, 
they have been much more affected by rust and 
weevil than the earlier kinds. In some instances 
the yield did not pay the expenses of harvesting. 
Our corn crop, however, is better than was ex¬ 
pected. It may be called an average crop. Po¬ 
tatoes are good, but the yield is rather short The 
crop of hay was abundant, almost beyond prece- 
* This is a new kind—a white ear being discovered by 
one of our esteemed farmers, Mr. John Rae, five or six 
years ago, among his red Mediterranean. IS has a rea 
stem and chaff, ripens as early as the red, and makes prime 
flour. Two years ago it yielded 6H bushels on two acres, 
for me—land in tolerable order. It weighed 65 lbs. ft 
has been my stand by for four years. Others think it aoeg 
not yield quite ns well as the red. 
