112 
REVIEW OP THE JANUARY NUMBER OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
no more sugar than it now does of cotton or corn. 
Rotation , with the addition of specific manures , 
(such as contain the silicate of potash, the car¬ 
bonates of lime and potash, the phosphates of 
lime, soda, and magnesia, phosphoric acid, the ox¬ 
ides of iron, &c., &c., the ingredients most essen¬ 
tial to the successful growth of the cane, or those 
which are most largely taken up by it,) will be 
found the only means of securing the continuance 
of good and satisfactory crops. 
REVIEW OF THE JANUARY NUMBER OF THE 
AGRICULTURIST. 
Rough Notes by the Way , No. 5.—Mr. A. is 
mistaken in supposing that the readers of the Agri¬ 
culturist are so matter-of-fact sort of people that 
kis details would prove tedious. It is these little 
gossipping items that are the most interesting. It 
is the great error of nearly all agricultural papers, 
that they are too much filled with matter-of-fact 
essays, to interest the million. “ The pill must be 
gilded to be readily swallowed.” 
American Indestructible Minercd Paint. —If this 
new substance proves to be one half that it seems 
to promise, it is one of the most valuable discove¬ 
ries of the age. This notice would have been 
much more satisfactory if it had given the cost, for 
instance, of covering 100 square feet of shingle 
roof with a sufficient coat. The great difficulty, so 
far as I have observed, in covering roofs with any 
preparation of earthy material, arises from the 
shrinking and swelling of wood in our variable 
climate, which cracks the covering. I should like to 
know whether this material is effected in this way. 
Also, how far it is fire-proof. What degree of heat 
will an ordinary coating of it stand without injury 1 
It certainly cannot be pretended that the wood will 
char without destroying the coating, or that it 
would prevent a roof from taking fire under a high 
degree of heat. It would appear from this statement, 
that it is indestructible in water also. If applied 
to the surface of a wooden cistern, how far would 
it answer as a substitute for cement 1 When ap¬ 
plied to cloth, does folding crack it I If not, a 
kind of salamander dress might be made of it. 
Adulteration of Food — Lozenges , fyc.—, One of 
the best remedies against the dangerous effects of 
these vile adulterations and poisonings is, never to 
put the dirty trash in your mouth, and you never 
will be injured j and if all would pursue the same 
course, the manufacturers would soon be driven to 
some more honest employment. 
Shearing Horses. —I have heard of a certain 
othea- animal being sheared by a certain old fellow 
with a tail, and it is said there was “ a great cry, 
and but little wool.” Whether the profit of horse¬ 
shearing is about the same, this deponent sayeth 
not, but he thinketh. 
Wire Fences. —This is a most important subject, 
and a very interesting article. The only objection 
to this statement of Mr. Peters’ is, that he has 
built the fence too cheap. I am not prepared to 
believe that wire fence can be built so much cheap¬ 
er than board fence. In fact, it does not much ex¬ 
ceed the cost of ordinary rail fence on a new wood¬ 
land farm. An 1 in many parts of the country, if 
the cost, as made out by Mr. Peters, was quadru¬ 
pled, it would still be the cheapest fence that could 
be built. The matter of building wire fences is 
well worth the attention of prairie farmers. And 
so it is of those on Long Island, and in parts of 
New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Yes, and 
in good old New England, too, except where it is 
absolutely necessary to get rid of stone. And it 
strikes me that farming is very expensive on the 
lower part of the Mississippi River ; though it is so 
long since I have been in that region that I cannot 
say for certain that wire fences would be cheaper 
than those of wood. But I guess so. 
Hints on Enclosures in Rural Cemeteries. —As an 
addition to these hints, I would hint at a wire 
fence, which, until the shrubbery is grown, would 
be the prettiest of all other fences, as not giving 
the.least obstruction to the view of whatever may 
be growing inside. 
Agricultural Tour South and West , No. 1 .— 
This number indicates that more is coming. Well, 
I am glad of it. And I trust we may look for 
something interesting every month. I should like 
to criticise our old friend Solon a little, now and 
then, but somehow or other, he don’t seem to bear 
it right well from me; at any rate, I have been 
rather unfortunate in trying to work myself into 
his good graces. 
Plowing with Elephants in India. — I don’t know 
exactly about plowing with them, but if sundry of 
our “ fellow citizens” don’t get a view of the ani¬ 
mal digging in California, I shall be greatly mista¬ 
ken in the signs of the times , and I am inclined 
to think it will not be the “ docile little animal” 
here mentioned, either ; but one of full size. 
Ventilate Your Stables. —Yes, and houses, too. 
Recollect that pure air is as necessary for humans, 
as horned cattle. 
Agricultural Capabilities of Florida. —It is said 
in this article that the sugar cane, in Florida, tassels 
and flowers. Does it ever bear seed ? [No.] I 
have no doubt of the descriptive truth of this arti¬ 
cle of the capabilities of this state, though the cul¬ 
tivable portion of it is comparatively small, and, 
notwithstanding the wet part could be so easily 
drained, and made equally fertile, I prophecy that 
congress will not do it. That would be an under¬ 
taking altogether too much of a utilitarian char¬ 
acter, to suit that body of demagogues and braw¬ 
lers. They would prefer spending ten millions of 
dollars any time in killing Seminoles, and filling 
scoundrel contractors’ pockets, than a single cent 
for agricultural improvement. 
“A bright plow share is the cheapest commodity 
ever used by a farmer,” except the good health ob¬ 
tained in keeping it so. 
Farms of Messrs. Wadsworth and Ayrault .—I 
only notice this article merely to welcome our old 
acquaintance, Mr. Sotham, once more, in the col¬ 
umns of the Agriculturist, and to see him still do¬ 
ing battle for the Herefords, like a noble and true 
champion as he is of this noble breed of cattle. 
The picture that he gives of the meadows of Messrs. 
W. & A. is such as no doubt drew his thoughts to 
his own native land. The delightful shade trees, 
under which the stock could shield themselves from 
a burning sun, are, in my opinion, one of the great¬ 
est ornaments of a farm. Here he found the 
black walnut and butternut, the sugar maple, than 
which a finer shade tree never grew ; besides, the 
fine old oaks, whose extraordinary dimensions 
