46 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
tough sod will not decompose in time to feed the corn 
crop this year. 
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
Samuel Manning, of Weston, Vt. will find most of his 
queries on this subject satisfactorily answered in our 
last number, in the extract from Daubenton, and the re¬ 
port of Mr. Randall to the State Society. In crossing 
breeds, with a view of multiplying good points, it is a 
general rule to take the male from the smaller, and the 
female from the larger breed. The markets are too 
fluctuating to quote, and prices vary greatly according 
to the purity of blood and beauty of the individual, of¬ 
ten fifty per cent. The Hampshire among us are a va¬ 
riety of the South Down. We do not know of any Ayre- 
shire cattle in the market. It is impracticable to ob¬ 
tain the statistical information our correspondent asks 
for. An excellent work on sheep, written by Chancel¬ 
lor Livingston, was published some years ago, at the 
expense of the state, and may be had of the Messrs. 
Skinners, booksellers, in this city. 
To restore worn-out lands to fertility. —B. S. Patton, 
who dates at Clarksville, and who represents himself as 
being young in farming, solicits our advice. We pos¬ 
sess no universal panacea; and can only apprise Mr. 
Patton, as we do all others like circumstanced, that ex¬ 
hausted lands can only be renovated by a course of ma¬ 
nagement the reverse of that which has made them ste¬ 
rile ; and that abundant instructions in the modus operan- 
di of imparting, or perpetuating fertility, may be found 
in the columns of the Cultivator, and particularly in our 
March number. Men young in farming, as well as 
those young in life, must learn to depend for success, 
principally, on their individual efforts—on their mental 
as well as physical powers. Husbandry is a business 
in which a man may learn as long as he lives; and in 
which, the more the learns, the more he finds to learn. 
Suckering Corn. —W. Gatwood, of Strasburgh, asks if 
the Dutton corn should be succored? We are not in the 
habit of succoring our corn. We have done it by way 
of experiment, without apparent improvement in the 
crop, and at a loss of time and forage. If the suckers 
are to be taken off, we should prefer cutting them at the 
surface to tearing them from the stock. The opinion 
has been given, and we think ivell sustained, that the 
succors perform an important office—that the pollen of 
their tassels impregnates the male blossoms after that 
of the main stocks, which developes earlier, has been 
blown or fallen off—so that, although they do not in¬ 
crease the ears, they increase the corn, by causing the 
ears to fill out to the extremity of the cob. 
Beet Sugar. —We possess no data which enable us to 
answer satisfactorily the queries of J. Tomlinson, of Le 
Roy, upon this subject. We refer him to our March 
number, and give him the assurance, that he shall be 
enlightened further in the matter as soon as it is in our 
power to gratify him. 
ITALIAN WHEAT. 
The testimonies in favor of this grain multiply on our 
hands, although they were before amply sufficient to 
establish its high reputation. 
Levi Hopkins, of Sennet, Cayuga, from six bushels 
of seed, sown on the 10th April last, on five acres of 
sandy land, threshed and cleaned up 202 bushels. The 
sample sent us is beautiful. Mr. H. had sixteen acres 
in winter wheat adjoining, which was much injured by 
rust, and produced less than the five acres of Italian. 
A. B. Clark, of New-Hartford, Oneida, has raised the 
Italian wheat three years, twice successively upon the 
same field, without manure, (bad husbandry,) and ob¬ 
tained the first season twenty-five, and in the latter thir¬ 
ty bushels per acre. Mr. Clark also sowed three acres 
of Siberian on soil similar to that sown with Italian, 
and the product was twenty bushels to the acre. These 
facts are sent us by J. H. of Oneida, who adds, that 
“ a great deal of the wheat lately taken to Albany, and 
called Italian, is not genuine.” 
Hams —A correspondent in New-Jersey asks how we 
keep hams in summer? We have employed various 
modes, but have not always been successful until we 
adopted that of covering the ham tight with crash or 
other coarse cloth, and then covering the cloth a with sub¬ 
stantial coat of whitewash. This has always been ef¬ 
fectual. Our correspondent notifies us of an error we 
committed in our directions for making the Knicker¬ 
bocker pickle, in p. 187, vol. iv.: There should be 9 lbs. 
salt, and 3 oz. salt patre to six gallons of water. 
“A Subscriber who dates at INFew-York, is informed, 
that it would not be dealing fairly with our old patrons, 
to republish articles from our back volumes. He will 
find the information he desires in vols. 1,2 and 3, which 
he can procure of our agents in his city. 
Our Westboro’ correspondent is informed, that “by 
50 to 100 bushels of lime to the acre,” we mean lime 
directly from the kiln—unslacked lime. 
“ Will you be so good as to let rne know your opinion 
of the Indian buckwheat spoken so highly of by Gov. 
Hill, and to have a bushel forwarded to me, or direct 
me where it can be had? JOHN H. KING.” 
This Indian buckwheat we presume to be the same 
as is known under the names of Indian wheat, Polish 
buckwheat, and Siberian buckwheat, or properly, ac¬ 
cording to Loudon, Beech wheat, from its resemblance 
to beech mast, ( Poligonum Tartaricum.) In some pla¬ 
ces it has the reputation of being superior to the com¬ 
mon variety, but after cultivating it three seasons, we 
were not aware of its marked superiority. Its habit is 
rather dwarfish, blossoms green, and seed small. We 
like the flavor of the cooked flour better than that of 
common buckwheat. Tor a green crop, to be ploughed 
under, we think the old kind is to be preferred. It is 
out of our power, at present, to send the seed to Mr. K. 
not knowing where it can be procured. Von Thaer, 
who tried it repeatedly at the Prussian Agricultural 
School, found its produce quite insignificant. 
Pumpkin seed oil. —N. Carter, of Painesville, O. writes 
us, that he has extracted five gallons of oil from ten bu¬ 
shels of pumpkin seeds; and he thinks if any plan can 
be devised to take off the hull, the business may be pro¬ 
fitable. Mr. C. asks if there is any machine for effect¬ 
ing this operation? We do not know that there is. 
W. Spencer, of Hadlyme, Ct. writes—“ The last sea 
son I enlarged my turnip yard to half an acre, from 
which I got 443 bushels. I sowed the 7th July, in drills 
twenty inches apart one way, and about nine inches the 
other.” 
In reply to Mr. Spencer’s queries,—what is the value 
of the ruta baga in comparison with potatoes for fatten¬ 
ing animals? and what is the best way to keep them 
from heating and rotting? From comparative experi¬ 
ments it has been found, that the Swedish turnip is at 
least equal to the potato in fattening beef. To keep tur¬ 
nips from heating and rotting, they should be dry before 
they are housed or pitted—should not be stored in large 
masses—and should have ventilation. They are not lia¬ 
ble to heat in cellars, which are capacious, and from 
which the rarified air can escape. Pits in the field should 
not exceed three feet in breadth, though they may be of 
any length. The roots should be raised above the sur¬ 
face in the form of a roof; and after the earth has been 
thrown upon them, holes should be made in the ridge, at 
intervals of a yard, to let off the heated air. Wisps of 
straw may be placed in these holes, that the impure air 
may escape. 
Dextrine. —P. C. Spafford, of Westminster, will find his 
query in part answered, in regard to dextrine, in p. 78, 
last vol. of Cultivator. 
“far west.” 
Within our recollection this term meant Utica, or 
Pittsburgh—but population has since been travelling 
west, till “ far west ” now at least means west of the 
Mississippi. We have a letter before us, inclosing 
five dollars for the Cultivator, dated “Far West, Mis¬ 
souri,” fifteen hundred miles west of our longitude. 
We subjoin an extract, which will serve to give some 
idea of the vast extent of our unimproved territory, 
and of its inexhaustible recourses. “ Far west,” will 
soon mean, the Rocky Mountains—the valley of the 
Columbia River—the Pacific Ocean. 
“The resources of the ' vast ocean of prairies ’ in the 
far west,” says our correspondent, “ are untold, unsung, 
unwritten, and if we should philosophize a little, or ask 
the geologist to search for something in these everlast¬ 
ing fields, it might bring forth some fresh blessing from 
the ‘ treasures hid in the sand.’ Our weeds yield rosin; 
an account of which I have never seen in print. Some 
of the weeds taste like white pine, and some like pitch 
pine. When the prairies are on fire, this material 
greatly increases the flame and the smoke, so that, as 
the prophet said, 'the land thereof becomes like burn¬ 
ing pitch.’ When millions of pitchy prairies are rolling 
up their massy columns of smoke, our eastern friends 
should be informed, that we are making ' smoky days,’ 
or the ‘ Indian summer.’ 
“ The prairies have many things peculiar to them¬ 
selves, which, if published, would be instructive and 
amusing. The soil, the grass, the flowers, the animals, 
the fowls, the insects, the climate and the winds, are 
different from the wilderness, or the cultivated coun¬ 
tries of the east. Our bees are wild, but generally rich; 
and our paroquets may be said to be * 1 green birds with 
brass heads.’ The robin of the northern states fre¬ 
quently stays in the Missouri bottoms during the winter 
months, but is never seen in the summer.” 
Several communications on hand will receive at¬ 
tention in our next. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
On the Construction of Barns. 
Farmington , Con. February 9th, 1838. 
Judge Buel, —Sir,—I am a subscriber to the Cul¬ 
tivator, and think much good will be effected by your 
labors ; already within the circle of its influence is the 
spirit of inquiry aroused to the subject of improving 
our worn-out lands ; and I think, too, our young men 
are turning their attention to their farms at home, 
with a view to render them more productive, rather 
than abandon them for the El Dorado of the west. 
I was particularly gratified to notice your offer of a 
premium for the best plan of barn and stable adapted 
to common farmers. There is much and great need 
for improvement in this particular; the buildings in 
common use for the storing of hay and grain, and for 
the shelter of cattle, are any thing but convenient; 
indeed, convenience seems not to have been thought 
of in their origin. I have been waiting, in the expec¬ 
tation of seeing a plan presented by some of your cor¬ 
respondents, which would evidently be an improve¬ 
ment; one that might be a pattern barn for future 
builders ; but as yet have none such. The two pre¬ 
sented by Mr. Jewett and Mr. Johnson I think are 
objectionable. 
The most expensive part of our buildings, and the 
least enduring, are the roofs ; it is, therefore, a desi¬ 
deratum, to obtain the most space under a given 
amount of roof; the nearest approximation to that re¬ 
sult, which we can obtain in our buildings, will proba¬ 
bly be found in the square, with an elevation of the 
roof as far as is practicable with safety, and conveni¬ 
ence of storing away fodder. With this principle for 
a guide, it has seemed to me that convenience and 
economy both would be obtained in a barn built on 
the following plan, viz : Length fifty-six feet; breadth 
forty-nine feet; heighth and length of posts twenty 
feet; space for floor through the centre; bays for hay 
and grain on each side of the floor; stables the whole 
width of the barn across each end, excepting a space 
for entrance, at the front end, which space may be a 
recess for storing the hay cart, or the doors may be 
placed flush with the outside of the building; the 
height of the stables to be barely sufficient for a man 
of ordinary height to stand erect, that all the space 
above may be obtained which is possible, and have 
the cattle stand comfortably; the loft over the floor 
to be so high as barely to admit the largest load un¬ 
der it, for the like reason; and if the floor is larger 
then necessary for threshing grain, the loft over the 
floor on the opposite end to the great doors, may be 
brought down to the level of the loft over the stables, 
which will leave room for the team hauling loads into 
the barn to pass under, and bring the front of the load 
close up to the loft. 
The advantages'of this plan are, saving the expense 
of mangers, and also one set of barn doors; greater con¬ 
venience of feeding cattle ; do. of stowing away hay 
and grain; a greater amount of space and more com¬ 
pact ; a greater saving of waste room on and above 
the floor. 
The slight draff of the plan I send you, has only one 
entrance and one set of barn doors; the cattle are to eat 
from the floor, consequently only requiring a manger 
pole, and boarded from them to the floor; the great¬ 
est distance to pass to convey food to the stock is eigh¬ 
teen feet from the barn floor ; the three feet spaces are 
for a passway to convey food, and for the cattle to eat 
from. I think it preferable for cattle to eat from the 
floor, because it is the natural position ; because you 
can better feed to them the sweepings and seed of the 
hay-mow ; and because it is a saving of hay, in that 
the cattle will not so readily scatter it under their 
feet; the space can be more readily cleaned of the 
refuse than from a manger. The hay and grain can al¬ 
so, with much less labor, be deposited in two bays, the 
load standing in the centre, than one large one, on 
one side only. It is also a convenience to have two, 
one for grain and one for hay ;• no more waste space 
for the floor than is absolutely necessary. I have 
said thirteen feet width of floor; this is not too wide 
for convenience of threshing and covering of grain ; 
nor is it too wide for the convenience of hauling in 
loads. The end opposite the entrance may be occu¬ 
pied by a low loft, which could not be done were there 
an entrance at each end of the floor. The team haul¬ 
ing in loads can be learned to back out the cart with 
the same facility they would pass out forward; and if 
they are taken from the load in the barn, they can pass 
out by the side of the load singly, or pass through the al¬ 
ley, by a door at the end. The space under the low loft 
will be the proper place for a fanning-mill, cutting box 
and tub for mixing straw and grain ; and under this 
part of the floor may be placed the cellar for roots, so 
there will be no loss of room. 
The objection to Mr. Jewett’s plans, are needless 
expense in manger, or rather necessary in his arrange¬ 
ment of the stable, but needless in a different location; 
also in one set of barn doors, and double the length of 
plan that is needful; also, waste of space consequent 
on the length of plan, too long for width. The ex¬ 
pense of inclosing the yard with buildings, is unneces¬ 
sary ; a yard should always have a southern or east¬ 
ern exposure for the benefit of the sun. 
The objection to Mr. Johnson’s plan are, that the bay 
is too large ; it will be inconvenient storing away the 
hay, and a consequent loss of labor ; and the remedy 
he proposes is to unload from the outside ; but this is 
not to be done beyond a certain height, within the 
reach of the hand unloading, consequently not but a 
a partial remedy. A greater distance to supply the 
stock with food in the large barn ; distance from floor 
thirty-six feet, in the adjoining stable or barn forty 
feet; larger proportion of roof for the same amount of 
space; large barn too long for width. The expense 
of sinks I should think unnecessary, (I suppose his ob¬ 
ject is to save the liquid from the cattle.) I think this 
is better saved by a liberal supply of litter, and chang¬ 
ed daily as its becomes saturated. 
The stanchions for securing cattle is a rough way, 
and perhaps more cattle may be stabled in the same 
space than in any other way; but they cannot lie as 
comfortably, and therefore I much prefer securing with 
a rope tied about the head. 
I have thrown out these thoughts, sir, not in the be¬ 
lief that this plan is the best that can be devised, but 
