136 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIS1 
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American ^grinrlfarist. 
Wew-¥ork, Thursday, May 1®. 
This paper is never sent where it is 
not considered paid foi—and is in all cases 
stopped when the subscription runs out. 
We occasionally send a number to persons 
who are not subscribers. This is sometimes 
done as a compliment, and in other cases to 
invite examination. Those receiving such 
numbers are requested to look them over, and 
if convenient show them to a neighbor. 
THE WEATHER-CROPS-PLANTING. 
The Weather has been rather dry in this 
neighborhood throughout the spring and win¬ 
ter. On the 8tli and 9th we had a copious rain, 
but it would require several days of such to 
fully saturate the ground, and fill up the 
springs. In portions of the west there has 
been abundance of rain a month past. At 
the south, rains set in last week, which it is 
hoped will be continued. It has been ex¬ 
cessively dry there for the past nine months, 
and the streams and springs lower than for 
many years past. 
The Crops. —Nothing begins to show in 
the northern latitudes except wheat, which 
generally throughout the country is highly 
promising. In some sections of the eastern 
States, where little snow fell, wheat suffered 
greatly in February, March, and April, owing 
to the soil being much blown away around 
the roots. In these sections the crop will 
be light in any event, and it is premature to 
pronounce on the rest, as the fly and rust 
may yet do considerable injury. The breadth 
of land sown in Wheat and Rye last fall, was 
greater in proportion to our population than 
for some years, in Spring Wheat it is proba¬ 
bly 25 to 50 per cent greater. So far as we 
have heard extra large quantities of corn 
and potatoes have been planted, followed by 
a liberal supply of other grain and roots. 
But they will all be wanted at high or at least 
remunerative prices, and as much more as 
the farmers can possibly get into their 
grounds and cultivate. They need not fear 
a quick sale for all. The granaries of the 
world are literally exhausted; and it will 
take at least two seasons of extensive planting 
and sowing followed by large yields to replen¬ 
ish the world, and reduce prices within mod¬ 
erate limits ; so that the farmers can go forth 
with confiding hearts and resolute industry, 
and accomplish all that it is possible for them 
to do. It will require full four years to re¬ 
plenish the Beef market, so scarce and high 
are cattle. They can not be brought to ma¬ 
turity in less than this time. Sheep, Swine, 
and Poultry mature quicker ; yet of these 
we do not fear any superabundance short of 
three years bountiful production ; and to 
neutralize this, there are many causes con¬ 
stantly at work to prevent over-production. 
At the South the sugar cane has been ma¬ 
terially injured by late frosts, and more or 
less corn and cotton have been cut off by 
drouth and frosts, making a second planting 
necessary. Thus far the crops there show 
anything but a flattering prospect, which 
should stimulate the northern farmer to ex¬ 
ert himself still more. We close this part 
of our remarks by exhorting him to do his 
utmost, and continue planting all sorts of 
crops for the purpose of supplying the certain 
demand. If the crops are materially injured 
the coming season as they were last, people 
as well as cattle in the United States may 
well dread starvation. Those residing in 
districts abounding with food may possibly 
deride the idea ; but let us inform them that 
corn in isolated places at the south, distant 
from river or railroad transportation, is now 
worth $2 50 per bushel; and some there have 
neither money nor credit to obtain it or other 
grain, or flour, meal, or meat at any price. 
This is a humiliating and deplorable fact for 
a country with the rich soil and varied cli¬ 
mate of ours, but it need never happen again 
if proper attention be given to an improved 
cultivation of the earth. 
PLANT CROPS EARLY, 
Get in all crops early that will answer to 
be in early. If frost comes and destroys a 
part of the plants, it is no great affair to 
plant again; but if drouth comes before your 
crop has growth sufficient to cover the 
ground, there is only a partial remedy for it, 
and your crop may be inevitably gone for 
the season. The consequence of following 
out this direction has never been more man¬ 
ifest than during the last year. The early- 
planted fields having got sufficient growth to 
protect the soil in a measure from the scorch¬ 
ing sun, kept on their course steadily, the 
rank crops condensing and depositing at 
their roots a constant and large supply of 
atmospheric moisture, which is never so 
abundant as during what is called the driest 
and hottest weather. 
If a pitcher of ice-water, or any other 
equally cold body, could be placed near every 
hill of corn at such times, the condensation 
of water from the air would be equivalent to 
a certain extent, produced by a rich growth 
of corn and most other crops. The dark, 
rank stalks and leaves radiate heat rapidly, 
bringing their surfaces below the dew point, 
and thus become condensers of moisture 
from the surrounding air, even when the 
sun is fiercely blazing on the upper portions 
of the plants ; and at night every part of the 
plant is similarly employed, and an incredi¬ 
ble quantity of moisture is thus daily ab¬ 
sorbed by the stalks and leaves, and some¬ 
times the water will be found to have run off 
in puddles upon the ground. 
Similar effects are produced by all luxu¬ 
riant crops. Who has not often observed, 
in wading through a heavy growth of mead¬ 
ow grass, on a clear day in midsummer, and 
while the sun was still high up the heavens, 
the portion of grass nearest the ground was 
laden with moisture, when the upper leaves 
and tops were dry with the parched atmo¬ 
sphere l This is one of the beneficial re¬ 
sults of early and careful planting or sowing 
on a fertile soil. 
Lateness of the Season. —In 1853, the 
peach and cherry trees at our residence, 16 
miles north of the Battery in this city, 
showed their first full blossoms on the 18th 
of April; in 1854 on the 28th of April; in 
1855 on the 3d of May, a difference of more 
than a fortnight between this and 1853. It 
is one of the latest seasons within our recol¬ 
lection, and everything except wheat and 
grass is uncommonly backward. 
We are in receipt of the Premiums and 
Regulations, with the names of Awarding 
Committees, of the Western Virginia Agri¬ 
cultural Society and Industrial Institute, for 
their Third Annual Show, to be held at 
Wheeling, Va., on Sept. 26th to 28th, 1855, 
The exhibitors will embrace many from 
southern Ohio, as well as from western Vir¬ 
ginia, and include manufacturers as well as 
farmers. We shall doubtless hear good 
reports from this enterprizing association. 
Whitewashes. —We have seen a white¬ 
wash preparation recommended, to be made 
as follows : Pour boiling water upon un¬ 
slaked lime and stir it until slaked. Dis¬ 
solve in water, say two ounces of white vit¬ 
riol (sulphate of zinc) to each gallon, and 
with this and the lime make a wash of the 
consistency of thin cream or rich milk. The 
sulphate of zinc is a cheap material, and can 
be procured at most druggists for a few cents 
per pound. 
We have not tested this, but it is highly 
commended, and from the chemical affinities 
of the materials we think it may be a very 
good method. 
Alum is also recommended, and it proba¬ 
bly serves a similar purpose with tha*white 
vitriol. Common salt added to whitewash 
also improves its firmness. 
SULPHUR AS A MEDICINE. 
Farmers do not properly estimate the val¬ 
ue of so simple a medicine as sulphur for 
their stock. Fed at the rate of one tea¬ 
spoonful per week to sheep affected with 
the foot-rot, it will soon cure them, if re¬ 
moved to dry pasture. The way we give it 
is, to spread tar about half an inch thick 
over the bottom of a wide trough, mix one 
part of powdered alum with one part of fine 
salt, and two parts of sulphur, and scatter 
this over the tar, to which it adheres, and 
the sheep will then come and lick it as they 
desire. 
We have known sulphur recommended as 
good to put into the food of any animal 
suckling young, to prevent their scouring; 
and also that young pigs are easily prevent¬ 
ed scouring by feeding their dam a tea¬ 
spoonful or so of sulphur every other day 
for a short time. 
It is also said that sulphur will kill lice on 
cattle, by giving one to three tea-spoonfuls 
per week in their food for a few weeks. It 
is supposed the sulphur impregnates the 
