.Agriculture is the most healthy , the most useful , and the most noble employment of man .— Washington. 
VOL. VIII. NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER, 1849. NO. IX. 
Messrs. Allen, Editors. C. M. Saxton, Publisher, 121 Fulton Street. 
THE 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
AND 
IS PUBLISHED ON THE FIRST OF EVERY MONTH BY 
C. M. SAXTON, 121 FULTON STREET, NEW YORK. 
JOSIAH TATUM, 50 NORTH FOURTH ST., PHILA. 
F. S. SAXTON, 19 STATE ST., BOSTON. 
TERMS. 
One Dollar a Year in Advance. 
Three Copies One year, or One Copy Three Years..$2 
Eight Copies One Year (if sent to one address).$5 
Twenty Copies “ “ “ ....$12 
NEW SUBSCRIBERS will be furnished with the back 
numbers of all or any of the volumes. Seven volumes now pub¬ 
lished. 
BOUND VOLUMES in complete sets, or in separate volumes, 
furnished at One Dollar Twenty-five Cents each. 
ADVERTISEMENTS.—Any advertisement not exceeding 
12 lines for one insertion, $1; and 50 cents for each and every 
additional insertion. 
*** ALL LETTERS, making inquiries, &c., for the benefit 
of the writer, must he post paid , to receive attention. 
ORDERS for change of address, or stoppage, should he free 
and contain the name of the person and post office at which 
the paper is now mailed. 
Postage. 
The following is an extract from the law of the United 
States on the subject of postage as applicable to this periodi¬ 
cal 
« For newspapers of 1,900 square inches or less, sent from 
the office of publication, not more than 100 miles, or any dis¬ 
tance within the same state, One Cent. Sent over such dis¬ 
tance One and a Half Cents,” 
TO POSTMASTERS AND OTHERS. 
Upon an examination at this office of the May 
number of the “ American Agriculturist,” printed 
in New York, at 121 Fulton street, it is.decided, un¬ 
der the approval of the Postmaster General, that said 
publication is a newspaper, within the intent and 
meaning of the 2d and 16th sections of the Post- 
office act of Congress, of 3d March, 1845, being in 
its superficial dimensions not more than 1,900 
square inches, and “ conveying intelligence of pass¬ 
ing events” in that department of the affairs and 
business of society to which the publication is de¬ 
voted. S. R. Hobbie, 
First Dpt. P. M. Gen'l. 
Post-Office Department , Contract) 
Office , May 28th, 1849. ) 
WORK FOR SEPTEMBER, NORTH AND WEST. 
General Remarks. —Any portion of the work 
oirAted to be done in August, or impracticable to be 
performed from the state of the climate, as recom¬ 
mended in our last number, may be accomplished 
this month, such as sowing winter rye or wheat, 
destroying weeds, composting manure, draining wet 
lands , sowing turnips , fyc., fyc. 
Selection of Seed Corn. —This month, seed corn 
should be selected. It can only be well done in the 
field, by gathering those ears with small butt-ends, 
the second ripe, and taken from stalks which have 
two or more well-filled ears to each. In this way, 
the best varieties of corn in cultivation have been 
obtained. 
Threshing out Grain. —Continue to thresh your 
grain as fast as your business or circumstances will 
allow; for the sooner this is done, the greater the 
chance of destroying the eggs of the “ weavil fly,” 
which deposites them in the grain in its green and 
succulent state. “If wheat is threshed soon after 
