316 
REVIEW OF THE AUGUST NUMBER OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
which reminds me to inquire how much for¬ 
eign flax is consumed in the American trade, 
which might, yes, ought to be grown at home, 
if not a little surplus for foreign countries, in¬ 
stead of drawing our own supplies from abroad. 
Plowing. —“Never plow wet land in wet 
weather.” No, nor dry weather either. You 
had much better be employed draining it in all 
weathers, until it is fit to plow in any. 
Wool Growing in Virginia—A Remedy against 
Dogs. —I am glad you republished this article 
from the Richmond Whig; for it tells a fact 
only known to a few, apparently ; that Virginia, 
at this time, offers very great inducements to 
the flock masters of the United States, to take 
up her worn-out and abandoned old fields, and 
convert them into neat, superior sheep pastures. 
The only preventive of that state becoming 
one of the greatest wool-producing ones in the 
world, is the great curse of this country—an ex¬ 
cess of mean, miserable cur dogs, almost as 
worthless as their owners. 
Sheep-Shearing Festival .— When shall we have 
that blessed time which will bring a continual 
round of these festivals for all our rural popu¬ 
lation—Sheep Shearings, May Days, Harvest 
Homes, Corn Huskings, and Apple-Paring Bees ? 
Oh! the good old times of 70 years ago. 
Strawberries. —If only one half of that state¬ 
ment about Mr. Peabody’s success in raising 
strawberries is true, the article is worth more 
than the whole cost of the Agriculturist to all 
of your subscribers for a year. By the bye, 
who is this Mr, Peabody ? Is he one of our 
Connecticut boys ? If he is, I wish him to say 
so and speak for himself, and tell us this is a 
true statement about his growing strawberries 
from the same vines five or six months in suc¬ 
cession. It is wonderful. 
Hemp Cotton. —Will wonders never cease 1 ? 
The discoveries of this age are surpassingly 
wonderful. Who will try the experiment you 
suggest upon the cotton stalk? It contains a 
heavy coating of strong fibre. So does the 
okra plant; the stalks, also, of the mulberry are 
worthy of notice. But if the same plan will an¬ 
swer to separate the fibre from the glutinous 
mass of the leaf of the common bear grass, it 
might be grown to great advantage in the south¬ 
ern states. 
Sense of Hearing in the Horse .— Perhaps the 
strongest instances of accuteness of hearing in 
the horse is evinced while he is acting as a sen¬ 
tinel, fearing the night approach of some steal¬ 
thy foe, I have known cases of this which 
surpass all human belief, As much as man 
loves this noble companion, he never fully ap¬ 
preciates his worth until placed with him in 
eminent peril. The most awful and heart-rend¬ 
ing sounds that ever fell upon my ear, were the 
dying groans of a horse, in a deep wilderness at 
midnight. 
Mulching —Mr. Allen talks of mulching new¬ 
ly-planted trees. Beneficial, yea almost ir.dis- 
pensible as it is to such, it is equally beneficial 
to bearing trees. I believe I have often doubled 
my crop of peaches and cherries by this process. 
I am greatly in favor of mulching, not only 
orchards, but many other things grown upon 
the farm. Shade is an undoubted fertiliser. The 
benefit of that is derived from mulching, and 
then the benefit of a good top-dressing of ma¬ 
nure as it decays. 
Orchard Caterpillars. —“ Nothing so defaces an 
orchard as the caterpillar.” Doubted. I would 
rather see a few caterpillars upon a well-trim¬ 
med orchard than good trees growing up more 
like scrub oaks than fruit trees; for, in one 
case, it looks as though the owner desired and 
intended to raise fruit, while in the other, it ap¬ 
pears as though he cared nothing for the com¬ 
fort of himself or family. Nothing adds so 
much to the looks of a farm as a w'ell-trimmed 
thrifty orchard full of its health-giving, luscious 
product. 
Cranberries .— You are right. It is a water 
plant, and it is forcing nature to try to cultivate 
it upon dry land; but there are many places 
upon our New-England farms well adapted to 
its cultivation, which I have not the least doubt 
may be done successfully and profitably. The 
cranberry culture should be extended, as it may 
be, until the price is brought within the more 
immediate reach of the mass of the people than 
at present. 
Keep Your Fruit Trees Straight .— Not at all 
important. Better straighten a great many 
other crooked things about the farm. I doubt 
the fact stated that an erect tree will be longer 
lived, and more fruitful than a leaning one, and 
not so liable to casuality. True, I like best to 
see straight trees; but it is not so very impor¬ 
tant, and I cannot think of any casuality more 
likely to happen to the crooked tree than the 
straight one, except being blown over; and I do 
not know why the leaning one should go down 
any quicker than the other. 
The Blackberry Culture ,— “ Their cultivation is 
extremely simple.” That is. a fact; one of the 
most successful culturists I ever knew, was the 
laziest lout in the whole country. The conse¬ 
quence was, that his “ clearing ” grew up to a 
