128 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
A CARD. 
For some time past our business engage¬ 
ments have so greatly multiplied, as to pre¬ 
vent our giving the attention it demanded to 
the publishing of the American Agricultur¬ 
ist. We have therefore concluded to dis¬ 
pose of the same, with its good will, type, 
and fixtures, to Mr. Orange Judd. 
For nearly three years past Mr. Judd has 
had the principal labor of editing and pub¬ 
lishing the paper, and during this time, has 
conducted it with ability and strict integrity, 
and to our entire satisfaction ; and we have 
no hesitation in recommending him to the 
public as well qualified for the arduous task 
he has undertaken. 
We established the American Agriculturist 
in April 1842, and from that time to the 
present, it has been our endeavor to make it 
a work of high character, and one which 
would prove eminently beneficial to the in¬ 
terests and advancement of the Farmers of 
the United States. How well we have suc¬ 
ceeded we leave them to judge. 
We bespeak for this Journal the continued 
and largely augmented support of the agri¬ 
cultural community. This branch of the 
farmer’s business is too much neglected in 
this country—for that it is his business, and 
a very essential and profitable part of it to 
sustain the Agricultural press, is too appa¬ 
rent to admit of a moment’s doubt to an 
intelligent mind. There isj not one farmer 
in ten throughout our country who takes an 
Agricultural paper. The loss from this 
ignorance and neglect must be immense— 
fifty times what it would cost to support all 
the agricultural publications in the United 
States. Increasing attention has been given 
to this subject of late, and we trust the prog¬ 
ress will be such for the future as to leave 
no well grounded cause of complaint from 
theTwant of adequate support! to any well 
conducted agricultural paper. 
ALLEN & CO. 
New-York, Feb. 1856. 
SALUTATORY. 
This shall be very brief. Our old subscri¬ 
bers know us already; new ones must try 
us. That will be the best test of our merits 
or demerits. We have only to say, that our 
whole time and attention will be devoted to 
the interests of our readers, and we shall 
make this just as good a paper as it is possi¬ 
ble for us to do. We expect to improve from 
month to month, and from year to year—for 
we have taken hold of the American Agri¬ 
culturist as a Life Enterprise. We hope this 
number, and that of last month, will give 
some reason for our readers to expect good 
things in the future. 
A'WORD ABOUT OUR INDEPENDENCE. 
This journal was established several years 
before anything like an agricultural ware¬ 
house was even contemplated by the Broth¬ 
ers Allen. After the implement business 
had so far grown upon their hands as to re¬ 
quire much of their attention, they still aimed 
to continue the Agriculturist on the same 
independent basis upon which it was origi¬ 
nated. They were, however, under the ne¬ 
cessity of employing other persons to attend 
in part to its affairs, which will account for 
some changes in its past management. 
When we first entered the office of the Ag¬ 
riculturist as editor, nearly three years since 
it was especially requested and stipulated by 
the publishers, that we should so conduct its 
reading pages that nothing should be admit¬ 
ted therein which could even be construed 
to favor or promote the private business, 
either of the publishers or of any other per¬ 
son whatever. We appeal to those columns 
as proof that these stipulations have been 
faithfully adhered to. Still we have fre¬ 
quently been annoyed by private as well 
as public hints and inuendoes, that this paper 
was sustained to especially further the per¬ 
sonal ends of the Publishers. Nothing could 
have been farther from the truth, and we 
must do the Messrs. Allen the justice to say, 
that in all our past intercourse with them 
they have constantly exhibited a desire to 
make this paper a reliable and worthy public 
counsellor, and a promoter of agricultural 
improvement. 
But to let by-gones be by-gones, we will 
here say, once for all, that the entire good 
will, type and fixtures have been purchased, 
and paid for in cash, by the present Proprie¬ 
tor, without any reservations, conditions, or 
obligations to any individual whatever, ei¬ 
ther expressed or implied. 
We rent and retain for the present our old 
office, as a matter of convenience to our¬ 
selves. If Mr. Allen advertises in the Agri¬ 
culturist, he pays for it as much per line as 
any other person. If he chances to adver¬ 
tise more freely than any one else, it is sim¬ 
ply because he knows and appreciates better 
than others, the number and character of the 
persons likely to be reached by such adver¬ 
tisements. 
We have deemed the above statements 
called for, as a final answer to any past or 
future imputations of a want of independence 
or reliability. 
In this connection we will add another 
word upon 
ADVERTISEMENTS. 
The few columns devoted to this purpose 
are merely a private department where, for 
a stipulated consideration, we allow persons 
to tell their own story about their own wares, 
and we assume no responsibility whatever 
for what they may say. Still, we reserve 
the right to limit the space, and to reject any 
advertisement we may not wish to admit.— 
Ed. 
Personal Matters. —Please excuse the 
amount of space devoted to personal and bus¬ 
iness matters in this number. It seemed 
unavoidable. We hope not to occupy so 
much room with such subjects again in ten 
yedrs to come. 
Delay. —The issue of this number has 
been unavoidably delayed until this 3rd day 
of March. Our spring and summer stock of 
paper was made one month ago at Chester 
Village, Mass., but owing to the blockade of 
snow and ice, it has just reached us. This 
is not likely to occur again. We love prompt¬ 
ness, and extraordinaries excepted, we shall 
always mail the paper one day before the 
beginning of each month. 
Renew Early.— With this number the sub¬ 
scription of nearly a thousand persons expire, 
of which they will be notified by a colored 
slip in the paper. We have no reason to be¬ 
lieve that one of these will fail to renew, and 
we trust that each name will come back 
doubled or trebled—perhaps more than 
quadrupled. Please send in the names at 
once so that we may estimate what number 
to print for April. The inside sheets are 
printed ten or twelve days before the begin¬ 
ning of the month. 
CUTTING GRAIN EARLY-A TRIAL OE IT. 
[Mr. A, R. Vail, of Liberty Corner N. J., in 
forwarding a friend’s subscription, gives the 
information contained below, which take the 
liberty to insert without his permission, as 
such practical tests are of more value than 
any amount of theory. The subject is not 
exactly adapted to this season, but it will do 
to think of until haying and harvesting comes 
round again.—E d.] 
* * In harvesting my wheat last year I 
endeavored to do it according to the rules 
laid down in the American Agriculturist of 
July 5th, under the head of “ When should 
crops be gathered.” I commenced cutting 
it as soon as I could perceive that it was 
ehanging from the milk to the dough state. 
My neighbors laughed and talked of my 
foolishness, and told me that I had spoiled 
my whole crop. In fact they said so much 
that I began to get alarmed myself. How¬ 
ever, I let it cure in the straw, of which some 
was green, and when cured put it in the barn. 
The result was, I had the best wheat, and 
it made the most and the best flour of any 
we ever had. My neighbors are scolding 
the miller because he makes them such poor 
flour, while he makes mine so good. They 
even came and got some of mine to make 
cake for the holidays, as theirs, that they har¬ 
vested ten days to two weeks later, was so 
miserably poor. 
I also cut my Buckwheat and let it lay one 
day in the sun, after which I raked it and set 
it up, twisting the tops. In about two weeks 
I threshed it, in fine order. My neighbors 
are in the habit of letting it lay two weeks 
and then raking up and threshing ; but the 
rain kept theirs laying four weeks this year, 
which caused it to grow. In order to ac¬ 
commodate one man with a little to sow! 
exchanged two bushels, after being informed 
by him that his would make just as good 
flour. It is not fit to eat.—A. R. Vail. 
Liberty Corner, N. J., Feb. 18, 1856. 
