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REVIEW OF THE MARCH NUMBER OF THE AGRICULTURIST 
all the branches grow: and under me weight of 
summer leaves, the)" completely shade the trunks, 
keep them cool, and it may be, in this way, prevent 
‘the return of their deadly foe, Wm. Bacon. 
Richmond , Mass.. April, 1848. 
HOW TO BREAK A COLT—A TRUE STORY. 
“George,” said a father to his son, “ that stout, 
four-year-old colt of ours has thrown 'off every one 
who has dared gef on his hack, and the man I last 
employed^ says it is quite impossible to do any¬ 
thing with him. So you may sell him for what 
you can get, taking good care to state these facts.” 
The next day, George fdok the colt and led him 
into a soft, spongy meadow, and suddenly sprang 
on his back, upon which, he reared up, plunged, 
kicked, jumped, sprang forward, then sideways, 
sinking into the mud over his fetlocks, and some¬ 
times up to his knees and gambrels, and when he 
found that he could not succeed in throwing his 
rider, he stopped and shook himself like a dog after 
coming out of the water. This last performance 
was a poser for George; but like the fellow who 
signed the temperance pledge, he “ stuck to it,” 
until the c*)lt started for the road, when, on he went, 
full speed, with his mouth wide open, running 
until he became quite exhausted. Shortly after 
this, he put him about, walked him home, rubbed 
him dry, gave him a little green grass out of his 
hand, with some water, and ever afterwards, a bet¬ 
ter horse was never backed. A Traveller. 
REVIEW OF MARCH NO. OF THE AGRICUL¬ 
TURIST. 
Cultivation of Melons .—Any one can raise mel¬ 
ons, if he has the kind of soil described by you, as 
most suitable. But can you give directions that 
will ensure a good crop of melons upon a strong 
clayey soil ? [Yes. Make a mound of sand, or 
light gravel, on top of the clayey soil, five feet wide 
at the base, two feet wide at the apex, and one or 
two feet high ; which may be enriched with any 
kind of manure most convenient to be got. If sand, 
or light gravel, is not to be had, then early in the 
fall, mound up the lightest part of the top of the 
soil you can find, and enrich this with horse ma¬ 
nure, guano, poudrette, and the leaves of trees. 
Horse manure is, perhaps, the best, and one of the 
most lasting fertilizers that can be used in a stiff, 
clayey soil, as it pulverizes and lightens it in a very 
superior degree. In this manner, we have been 
uniformly successful in growing the finest kinds of 
melons on a cold, stiff, clayey soil. A mound of 
sods, as you propose, is an excellent plan, and 
would probably be rich enough without manure.] 
My own recommendation to those who have such 
a soil, would be to raise melons upon an inverted 
Timothy sod. If anybody can give abetter one, 
let him speak, and promote the cultivation of this 
most excellent and health-promoting luxury. Let 
every farmer cultivate melons, one of which is 
worth a bushel of nasty cucumbers. 
Race between Eclipse and Sir Henry .—I have 
nothing to say against this interesting article, not 
even, that the room it occupies, might have been 
better filled with matter more directly appertaining 
to agriculture: because, I believe every agricul¬ 
tural paper, in order to be useful, must' fill a 
j portion of its pages with matter more pleasing to 
the general reader, than dry essays upon this sub¬ 
ject. But I must say, that I look upon modern 
horse racing, as anything but promcrtive of the 
great farming interest. I do think that breeding 
from the present racing stock of this country, will 
deteriorate the breed, and render it unfit for all farm 
purposes. I greatly prefer to see such horses : ep- 
couraged among the farmers, as the Cleveland Bay, 
Messenger, Bellfounder, or Morgan horse, than a 
hundred others that I could name, which have 
nothing to recommend them, except that their sires 
once won in a race. [In the main, we agree with 
you in these observations; though where a 
thoroughbred is stout enough , and of the proper con¬ 
formation , we should always prefer him for a stock 
horse. Imported Messenger, and some others we 
could mention, were thoroughbreds; yet it is to 
these horses that America traces the blood of her 
best road stock of the present day—a stock that w T e 
think unrivalled the world over.] 
How to Render Night Soil Inodorous. —Nothing 
can be better than the burnt earth and fine coal, left 
from the burning of a common wood coal pit. 
which is often procurable in the country, at no 
other cost than the hauling. Spent tan bark, will 
also answer. How easy to keep one of these arti¬ 
cles on hand, and thereby totally prevent the intol¬ 
erable smell often attendant upon farm houses. 
[Those who cannot conveniently obtain burnt 
earth, or charcoal dust, can deodorize their night soil 
by mixing with any of the following substances :— 
Wood ashes, or plaster of Paris; the sulphates of 
iron (copperas), lead, copper, zinc, or tin; the 
chlorides of iron, manganese, copper, lead, zinc, tin, 
sodium (common salt), or lime ; the nitrates of 
lead, copper, zinc, or tin; pyroligneous acid; py- 
rolignite of iron; or the mother waters arising U’om 
the manufacture of any of the before-enumerated 
substances ; coal tar, or schistous and bituminous 
extracts. Of these, the preference is given to the 
sulphates and chlorides of iron, and the nitrate of 
lead.] 
Directions for Sackmg Wool. —This is merely a 
direction as to the manner of performing the work. 
But as it is intended for new beginners in the busi¬ 
ness, it should also have stated, that the wobi 
should be sorted into three parcels, as to fineness of 
fleeces, as near as possible, so that the fair quality 
of the whole may be judged, as well by examining 
one end of the sack, as the whole. 
Keeping worthless Dogs. —“Let him that is guilt¬ 
less, throw the first stone.” Nobody will be hit. 
j Prepared Guano. —“ Let all trades live.” And 
among the rest, the humbug trade. 
Letters ofR. L. Allen , No. 2.—Mr. A. says that he 
believes the readers of this paper, in the south, are de¬ 
sirous of improvement in the manner which agricul¬ 
tural work is carried on in the north. No doubt of it. 
But, unfortunately, not one in a hundred is a rea¬ 
der of this, or any other agricultural paper. And 
the question is, how are the other ninety-nine to be 
induced to read. For my part, I cannot devise any 
plan; and, therefore, I see no way to prevent so 
many ruined plantations staring us in the face, 
throughout the whole of the southern states. They 
don’t read, And they don’t know how to maintain 
the fertility of the soil. It must wear out, and be 
