THE CULTIVATOR. 
49 
sand became good manure under the horses, and was 
well worth the trouble of renewing it at times ; I do 
not recollect how often. 
I have found in my various operations, that to have 
things well done by subordinates, we must make pre¬ 
parations convenient to do them well, and that is a 
part of my study in planning buildings. 
__ L. S. P ENN. 
New-Jersey Lands—Ituta Baga. 
Long Branch, N. J. March 1st, 1838. 
Dear Sir,-—I would like to call the attention of 
some of your readers to this section of country. It is 
a very improving one, and susceptible of the highest 
state of cultivation; it has a water communication 
with New-York city; is contiguous to the Atlantic 
ocean ; abounds in marl of excellent quality ; and, in 
my opinion, there are few places in which land could 
be more easily enriched, and at a cheaper rate. Farms 
can be bought here as yet very reasonably ; and I 
cordially recommend all who are in search of a desi¬ 
rable place of residence, to come and look at Shrews¬ 
bury, Monmouth co. N. J. ere they settle themselves. 
For the first time, last season, I tried half an acre 
in ruta baga turnips; and though the crop bears no 
comparison to those crops noticed in the February 
number of the Cultivator, yet I am so well pleased 
with the result, that the ensuing season 1 expect to 
sow one and a half acres, and would put in still more, 
but for the want of manure. 
Yours respectfully, E. H. YANUXEM. 
Egyptian Wheat—Morus Multicaulus. 
New-Haven, March 1st, 1838. 
Dear Sir, — I observe in yours and other agricul¬ 
tural papers, the Siberian and the Italian varieties of 
the Triticum estivum, but nothing said of the Triti- 
cum compositum, the Egyptian wheat. Experiments 
have been made by Mr. Horick, which prove that the 
fly will not feed on this wheat, though it will feed on 
every other variety of the estivum. Has this wheat 
been cultivated to any extent in this country, to ascer¬ 
tain its value for agricultural purposes 1 In the Gar¬ 
dener’s Dictionary, edited by Prof. Martin, it is said 
that this wheat has been cultivated in several coun¬ 
ties in England ; but the only objection to it is, that 
the summers are too cold for it. From this fact, it is 
concluded, that it will be well adapted to our country. 
S have a sufficient quantity of the seed of this wheat 
to make a trial, which, if it should succeed, will be 
communicated to you. 
I have made a series of experiments with the Mo¬ 
rus multicaulus since 1832, with a view of determining 
its specific character. The result of which is, that it 
is only a variety of the Morus alba, produced by a 
high state of cultivation. I planted the seeds obtain¬ 
ed from the multicaulus in 1833 ; some of those plants 
thus obtained, appeared like the common white mul¬ 
berry ; indeed, perfectly so. I then took some multi¬ 
caulus plants, and put them in very poor sandy land 
uncultivated. The plants became hardy, of slow 
growth, and formed wood so as to resist the winter. 
It appears to me, that the high cultivation has given 
to the multicaulus the properties of an annual, at 
least to a certain extent. 
Yours with esteem,, ELI IVES. 
Spring Wheat—Barn Building. 
Dear Sir :—Spring wheat, sowed the 15th of May 
on my farm the past season, has escaped the weevel 
and proved a good crop, certainly thirty bushels per 
acre. Sowed April 20th, much injured. Winter 
wheat, in consequence of the worm, or weevel, was 
almost a total failure. 
Spring wheat seems to require a high situation, 
perhaps a northern or western aspect on elevated 
lands will do best. It suffers severely if drought 
should intervene between the time when it begins to 
cover the ground, and the time of blossom. 1 think 
the 15th of May full early here, if you would escape 
the weevel; in colder climates, perhaps the insects 
deposit their eggs later. 
Barn-Buildings —That barn suits me best which 
admits of most scaffolding; my scaffolds are of scant¬ 
lings laid about six inches apart, and sufficient ex¬ 
tension to dry fifteen loads of hay at once. I find it 
difficult to cure early cut hay on the field,* and not 
sadly injure it in color and quality, but cured it must 
be before it is mowed away. 
We spread our hay on the scaffolds when but par¬ 
tially cured, and open the doors and windows ; if laid 
lightly on the scaffolds it will soon dry, and then pitch 
it down, it will invariably come out fine except injur¬ 
ed on the field. These remarks are not expected to 
apply to hay grown on old meadows, of light pro¬ 
duce, for it is expected that among those who read 
the Cultivator and are determined to go ahead, such 
meadows will be scarce. A second qualification of a 
good barn,"is stables contiguous to the thrashing floor, 
for horses and cattle, for if those be remote much in¬ 
convenience is experienced in feeding. Yard-build¬ 
ings : Upright racks four or six feet from the back¬ 
side of the sheds, add to the warmth of the shed if 
well filled with straw or coarse fodder, and I judge the 
thrifty husbandman would seldom have them empty. 
But the greatest modern improvement in the yard, is 
the straw house surrounded with rack-sticks instead 
of siding, with projecting roofs to shelter the cattle; 
around this the cattle can feed without fear of being 
pent up in a corner. I think we have not carried out 
one ton of hay on our yards in the old way in two 
years; our cattle make very little waste and I think 
feel no pinching want, the cows go to grass in good 
condition, but I cannot come up to our neighbor 
Jones, of Jefferson, who sells 200 weight of butter 
from each cow; I have only made a little over 2,000 
lbs. of butter and 400 lbs. of cheese this season from 
twelve cows, but my pasture is chiefly clover, which 
perhaps is not so good. With much respect, 
Yours, &c., WM. WALKER. 
Cobleskill, February 14th, 1838. 
*If our correspondent will adopt our mode of curing 
his hay in cock, in the field, instead of curing it upon 
the scaffold, we are confident he will save labor, and 
have equally as good hay as he has now. The advan¬ 
tages of his mode are, that the hay, by being cured by 
the air, and not by the sun, retains more of the leaves 
and nutrient properties, and has ajbetter color, and 
more aroma, than it would possess if cured in the sun. 
The same benefits are secured, and with far less la¬ 
bor, we think, by putting it into grass cocks, and cur¬ 
ing it there, as soon as the mown grass is wilted in the 
swarth and freed from all its external moisture.— Con. 
Cult. 
Utility of Agricultural Journals. 
Upper Middletown, Ct. Feb. 28, 1838. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Dear Sir,—I take the liberty of ad¬ 
dressing you a few words in relation to your paper, 
the Cultivator. It has been, I believe, but a few years 
since agricultural papers have been successfully esta¬ 
blished in this country; and I may say, Chat the 
amount of information which the farming community 
are capable of obtaining from them, is really invalua¬ 
ble. The improvement which, by the means of the 
knowledge farmers gain from these papers, they are 
capable of making, is worth at least ten times the 
cost of them ; and they can, if they choose, extend it 
much beyond this. A paper like the Cultivator, at one 
dollar per annum, is low, and few can find an excuse 
for not taking it, as they can have it delivered to them 
at an annual cost of $1.19, to any part of the union. 
Men do not consider their interests when they neglect 
to take such valuable works, at so inconsiderable cost; 
if they do, I know of no better way of describing their 
policy, than by the old adage of “penny-wise and 
pound-foolish.” It is no doubt a fact, that agriculture 
is capable of great improvement, perhaps beyond what 
can now be expected. This improvement is to be 
gained by practice and experiment. But, if every 
man would practice and experiment, and keep the re¬ 
sult to himself, there would be but little gained. 
It is, then, by the diffusion of each one 5 s experience 
and knowledge, who has made himself acquainted 
with any important facts among the whole communi¬ 
ty, that this result is to be gained. And in what better 
or cheaper way can this knowledge be diffused, than 
by cheap periodicals 1 Evidently none. Therefore 
I say, that every man who conducts such a paper, and 
every one who, by subscribing, contributes his aid to 
support it, is a public benefactor. 
It is the duty, and indirectly, the interest of every 
farmer, to try and extend the circulation of such agri¬ 
cultural periodicals. For if his interests depend on 
the improvement of the soil, it is evident, that the ex- 
tention of knowledge is to produce this result, there¬ 
fore it is his interest. Let every farmer then, try and 
induce his neighbor, who does not take such a paper, 
to take one ; and by so doing, he will not only benefit 
himself and his neighbor, but his country and man¬ 
kind. 
Our farmers need only to possess information to 
value it. If they once see the importance of agricul¬ 
tural periodicals, they will be at once convinced of 
the value of such information. I believe the time will 
soon come, when they will see the advantage of it, 
from the increasing prosperity and thriftiness of their 
neighbors who, endeavor “ to improve the mind as 
well as the soil.” C. P. WILLIAMS. 
On sowing grain early and feeding it off. 
Schenectady, 6 March, 1838. 
Dear Sir,— I have considered it important to sow 
summer wheat, oats, barley and peas, as early as the 
season will admit in the spring, that they should come 
forward, shade and protect the ground from becoming 
too dry by early drought, which often happens in May 
and June, sufficient to starve and stunt the plants, 
and render the crop light. If this method should be 
departed from, I think it should be by feeding the 
grain by cattle before it spindles up in the spring, with 
a view to prevent its ripening till autumn. 
I believe the reason why our oats and other grains 
are lighter than the same are in England is, because 
our seasons are warmer, and ripen the grain too fast* 
If I were to engage again in farming, I would sow 
wheat the 1st August, and when it became too large, 
feed it down by cattle. It would then acquire large 
roots, and In the spring would urge forward much 
larger plants than that sowed in September, and I 
suppose must produce much a heavier crop. 1 think 
this experiment worth a trial: for, I believe it is a 
fabt, that winter wheat and rye will live for years, if 
fed and not permitted to spindle and seed. As the fly 
which deposites the egg of the grain-worm flourishes 
about the ordinary time that wheat is in blow, I would 
feed it again in April and May, or 1st June, that it 
should not spindle nor be in blow till about 1st August. 
It would then escape the fly, and ripen in September, 
as it does in England. The ymather being then cold¬ 
er, it would ripen slower, and the grain be heavier, as 
it is in England. 
It would also escape the injury called rust, which is 
a disease caused in June and July, by means of very 
wet and very warm weather, which feeds the wheat 
plants too fast, whereby they become gorged, and the 
little vessels injured and burst, making sores on the 
straw, called rust; like as men when they eat and 
drink too much of good things, become diseased there¬ 
by- 
I would thus experiment with wheat, oats, &c. to 
avoid the fly. If the fly can be thus cheated, it Would 
be for our profit, although the worm appears to be a 
new creation, to chastise us for disobedience. 
A field of wheat of the present spring might be 
fenced into several parcels, and try experiments of 
feeding till 1st June, leaving a patch, &c. 
Most respectfully, 'D. TOMLINSON. 
Remarks. —Wheat and rye sown early in September, 
generally prosper better than that which is sown later, 
though the former is more exposed to the Hessian fly ; 
and we have heard of instances of the good effects of 
sowing in August. It has been stated, with good rea¬ 
sons for its support, that the fly upon early sown wheat 
may be destroyed by feeding off the crop with sheep in 
autumn, who bite off that part of the grain in which the 
nit or maggot is deposited. The suggestion of feeding 
wheat in spring, to retard the derrelopment of the head 
till the fly of the grain-worm has disappeared, is cer¬ 
tainly worthy of attention, and merits trial. It is an 
undoubted fact, that grain ripening in a cool season, or 
cool climate, is plumper and heavier than that which 
ripens in a hot season or hot climate. We have evi¬ 
dence, that Italian wheat sown late in May, did well the 
last summer.— Cond. Cult. 
The Wheat Insect. 
Doct. De Kay, of the Zoological department of our 
Geologists, in his report of December 3d, 1836, says: 
“ During the past summer, our farmers, more particu¬ 
larly in the northern parts of the state, had occasion 
to mourn over their blighted harvest, and witness 
the devastation of their property, occasioned by an 
apparently insignificant insect, and to regret their 
ignorance of its peculiar habits, in order that they 
might be prepared to suggest some rational reme¬ 
dy for his depredations.” 
YVTien the labors of this learned entomologist shall 
have made some progress, and been reported, I know 
no mode by which their utility will be aided so effec¬ 
tually, extensively and generally, as through the co¬ 
lumns of the Cultivator. 
This new enemy, the wheat insect, known chiefly 
by his deeds, has escaped the notice of farmers ; ac¬ 
customed to find the root of the evil from the lame, 
or maggot state of most insects, as of the hessian 
fly, cut-worm, &c., hence this has been called the 
grain-worm, grey-worm, &c. 
Having been absent at the south two summers, I 
had only the worms to examine,—these were confin¬ 
ed with the grain, but of which they never ate. The 
last summer I sought early for the insect, and before 
the appearance of the wheat ear, a species of fly be¬ 
gan to cluster about the field, and as their numbers 
increased I secured several of them for future exa¬ 
mination, by placing them in colorless spirits. I was 
happy in bestowing them upon Mr. Mather and his 
associate geologists, although too late in the season 
to supply my loss. 
The want of my specimens prevents giving the mi¬ 
nute specific description to be drawn from the length 
and situation of the antennte, &c., and the still more 
important organs of destruction, its pointed proboscis, 
the perfect insect, and not its larvae, being the cause 
of the evil. I can only describe them from recollec¬ 
tion. About half the size of the horse-fly, of a bras¬ 
sy green color; body and legs light, shoulders large, 
and wings long, adapted to long flight; altogether dif¬ 
ferent from the Hessian fly, whose compact body and 
short wings curtail its locomotive powers. This fly, 
and not. its young, destroys the wheat; it pierces the 
grain with its proboscis, and sucks out the juice while 
in a fluid state, and at the same time deposits five or 
six orange colored young within the glume or husk 
of the grain; a layer is in all cases interposed be¬ 
tween them and the kernel; a spot under and around 
