THE CULTIVATOR. 
15 
mainder for the pigs, and is so contrived, by means of 
the studs standing so near together that the mother 
cannot rob the pigs of their food. A hog is a hog, put 
him where you will. 
In the rear of each of these pens are yards, (a, a, a, 
a,) seven feet wide and sixteen feet long, with sliding 
doors in the partitions, and a door communicating 
with the barn yard from each of the outside yards. 
These yards are for exercise, air, and for the manure. 
Into these yards I cause to be thrown weeds, sods, 
muck, potato tops, and all refuse straw I can get; and 
now and then a load of fresh manure from the horse 
stables ; and should the hogs not work sufficiently, by 
throwing in a small quantity of corn or oats, they will 
set to work most lustily and turn it over faithfully. 
From my pig yards I took, last year, over eighty 
loads of first rate manure, which is worth, at least, 
one dollar per load. This will nearly pay for a man 
to take care of them. 
Should the above plans be on too large a scale, 
they may be so modified and arranged as to suit any 
sized farm. ■ C. N. BEMENT. 
- , _ - 
Profits of the Dairy. 
Rensselaerville, Jan. 31, 1838. 
Jesse Buel, —Sir,—Below is a statement of the 
amount of butter and cheese made from my dairy of 
six cows in eight months of last season, which I think 
will do credit to the farming and dairy interest in this 
town. 
1448 lbs. cheese, which sold at my door at 
7| cts...$104 88 
452 lbs. cheese at 8 cts. 36 16 
415 “ butter at 18 cts. 77 85 
$218 89 
Making an average of $36.48 1-6 per each cow. 
Sir, will you please give the above an insertion in your 
valuable Cultivator 1 and you will much oblige yours, 
&c. REV. EPHRAIM CROCKER. 
Culture of Indian Corn, &c. 
Troy, Tardy. 26 th, 1838. 
Judge Buel, —Dear Sir,—Having purchased a farm 
about two years ago in this vicinity, and concluding 
to direct its cultivation myself the past season, and 
being without practical knowledge in agricultural pur¬ 
suits, I sought through the columns of the Cultivator 
the information I heeded, and without which I could 
not expect to be successful in this new, and, to me, 
interesting enterprise. Having concluded to plant 
about nine acres with corn, I examined with some 
minuteness the different modes recommended for its 
culture. After this examination, believing I discovered 
substantial reasons, combined with practical know¬ 
ledge, in your manner of cultivating this crop, I was 
not long in deciding on adopting it. And now, not 
that the yield was an extraordinary one, but because 
it was much better than others in this vicinity where 
the old mode had been adhered to, and because by 
adding further testimony to yours, it may be the 
means of inducing others to test its utility—although 
you have so repeatedly recommended this mode of 
culture, it may not be amiss to state in some detail 
the course pursued in the culture of this crop. 
The land planted may be denominated a dry gra¬ 
velly soil. About four acres of which had the pre¬ 
ceding year been in buckwheat, and the remaining 
five acres in pasture for several years ; the latter I 
had ploughed late in the preceding fall, to prevent the 
ravages of the grub worm; during the winter and 
spring I deposited in small piles on the two pieces, about 
280 wagon and sleigh loads of manure, more than 200 
loads of which was from a neighboring slaughtering 
house, the remainder was unfermented barn-yard ma¬ 
nure ; it was evenly spread on the surface and plough¬ 
ed under just before planting. The ground was fur¬ 
rowed about three feet apart each way, and planted 
in hills the same distance apart, putting in each hill 
six to eight kernels. Commenced planting on the 
eleventh, and finished on the nineteenth May. The 
varieties planted were your twelve-rowed Dutton, the 
small and the large eight-rowed yellow, and a flesh 
colored corn. The Dutton was planted on the 17th 
May. This is stated, as the result will show its ear¬ 
ly maturity. The corn was not sufficiently thinned, 
as from five to seven stalks were left in some hills, 
three or four would have been more profitable. A 
plough was not used after it was furrowed. The crop 
had two dressings with the cultivator and hoe; plas¬ 
ter was applied as usual, and pulverized bones were 
put in a few rows when planted, and to some extent 
used with the plaster on the hills. I prefer this arti¬ 
cle to plaster, as its effects were visible where used. 
The corn was slightly hilled, formed broad and flat, 
to retain the surface of the ground as even as possi¬ 
ble. The corn came up well, and maintained through 
the season a healthy appearance and a vigorous 
growth. On the 6th of September much of the corn 
was ripe, and the remainder well glazed ; on this day 
commenced cutting it up at the surface of the ground, 
and put twenty hills in a stook to cure ; on the 19th 
September, it being well cured, commenced husking 
it in the field, from the stooks, separating the nubins 
from the larger ears. On the 6th October this pro¬ 
cess was completed, with the exception of a small 
quantity put in the barn. The result was as follows : 
956 bushels ears of corn, which I put down 
at . .$478 00 
About 38 loads of pumpkins, 12s. .. 57 00 
About 27 loads corn stocks well cured, 16s. 54 00 
$589 00 
Expense of cultivating the crop, ex¬ 
cept drawing in pumpkins and 
stalks,..$162 42 
Interest on 9 acres of land, at $100 
.. ...A- 225 42 
Nett profit,.$363 58 
As I do not reside on the farm and pay cash for la¬ 
bor, it has enabled me to keep a pretty correct ac¬ 
count of the expenses of this crop. I may have over¬ 
rated its value, though I have sold about 145 bushels 
shelled corn, at 8s. a bushel, and as the corn is sound 
and bright, considerable will sell for seed at an ad¬ 
vance from this price, though some allowance should 
be made for shrinkage. I consider the stocks for fod¬ 
der worth the estimate. They are used for princi¬ 
pal fodder for eight head of cattle, and it is now mid 
winter, and not near half have been fed out. I have 
not charged the manure, as I deem its value to the 
land in succeeding crops ample to cover cost. Tak¬ 
ing the footing of the above as a basis, it will exhibit 
a profit of about forty-seven per cent on the capital 
so far as the land is concerned. 
Although I may trespass upon your columns, I beg 
to make another remark : that is, surprise I have felt 
at the apathy exhibited by the agricultural interest of 
this state, in not presenting and enforcing its just 
claims on the legislature, for its encouragement and 
its bounty. What branch of industry has not done 
this ? and what can present so well grounded claims 1 
What has done so much to elevate the state to its 
present power, wealth and resources ? And yet its 
claims have been comparatively disregarded. Permit 
me to suggest the idea, that the State Agricultural 
Society at the approaching meeting, appoint a com¬ 
mittee of ten or more efficient individuals in each 
country in the state, or the supervisors of the several 
towns in the state, whose duty it shall be to cause pe¬ 
titions to be circulated for signatures in each town, 
setting forth the claims of this branch of industry, and 
cause them to be presented to the next legislature for' 
their action. This done, and no one can reasonably 
doubt its effect, as this interest holds the controlling 
influence; and it needs only to be aroused to concen¬ 
trated action, and its influence will be felt in the coun¬ 
cils of the state, and its just claims will no longer be 
disregarded. A SUBSCRIBER. 
Judge Buel,— Dear Sir,—Enclosed I send you a 
rough ground plan for a barn, the situation of which 
would be on the east bank of the Niagara river, near¬ 
ly a level plain, and consequently much exposed to the 
cold northern and western winds ; in planning it, there¬ 
fore, one great object has been to obtain well sheltered 
yards, the expression of the architecture being a matter 
of mere fancy. I have an old affair with rough sheds 
in miniature of the above, but as I hope it may soon 
give place to a new one, which I should wish as per¬ 
fect as possible, I should be very much obliged by any 
criticisms, or suggestions of improvement from your 
good self, or correspondents, in regard to it. I will 
now proceed to explanatory details. 
[Ground Plan, Fig. No. 17.] 
B, C, L, M, (fig. 17,) is the main part of the building, 
sixty feet by one hundred, with the gable ends fronting 
south-east and north-west; the sills laid upon a wall 
three feet high, open, however, on the south-east end 
into the yard, where hogs could be kept, or terrier 
dogs have free ingress, and thus destroy rats or any 
vermin that might be disposed to harbor under the 
bays. A mast also should be placed in the centre of 
each mow, leaving a space around it, in the manner 
of the Shaker’s barn at Hancock, for the purpose of 
ventilation, and carrying off the steam from the new 
hay, and the open space under the bays would be ne¬ 
cessary to insure a sufficient current of air for this 
purpose. Under the passage way the earth should 
be excavated four feet, and a strong cemented wall 
built up to the floor, thus making a cellar seven feet 
deep, one hundred feet long, and twenty feet wide, 
and capable of holding more than 8,009 bushels of 
roots, and perfectly rat proof. In the floor, over the 
cellar, trap doors should be placed sufficiently often, 
so that carts loaded with roots might drive in and be 
tipped up, thus saving the whole labor of unloading, 
that is usual in carrying into cellars. A moveable 
tackle and fall should be hung, with large baskets, so 
that one man could hoist out any quantity of roots 
through the trap doors when wanted. For the bays 
a crane should be rigged, that would take up the hay 
loaded on the carts, in a moveable rack-body from the 
wheels, swinging it over the mow, and then turning 
it topsy-turvy, and thus unload in a single minute. 
Granaries could be partitioned off from any part of 
the bays with hemlock plank, through which a rat ne¬ 
ver knaws, and any other internal arrangements made 
that fancy or convenience required. Many would un¬ 
doubtedly object to so wide a passage as twenty feet 
in the main building, but I find a roomy thoroughfare 
and threshing floor of very great convenience for a 
thousand purposes of the barn and stock, and besides, 
if not all were thus wanted, any part could be used 
just as well as if it were so much bay, in the storage 
of grain, in sheaf, corn in stook, &c. &c. 
A, B, and C, D, would be additions running out 
sixty feet each side of the main building, B, C, L, M, 
with gable ends fronting north-east and south-west, 
and may be built sufficiently high to accommodate all 
the hay over head that the cattle stabled in them 
would consume during winter, or their fodder could 
be thrown from the bays, and taken through the five 
feet passage ways to their mangers. Plank or ground 
floors, as is judged best, could be used, the bottom of 
the stercorary sunk three feet below, with a cement 
floor, and laid up in wall, the roof running over it, and 
doorway partitions between it and the stable, to be 
opened only when the stables were cleaning. The 
manure thus, both solid and liquid, would be complete¬ 
ly protected from wasting air and rains, and its whole 
nutriment preserved till the moment of its being cart¬ 
ed out to fertilize the land. Two feet of turf placed 
on the bottom of the stercoraries in the fall of the 
year, and laying all winter with the urine from the 
stables, and moisture of the cleanings leaking down 
and saturating it, would become in the spring, for 
most purposes, equally valuable to fresh dropped sta¬ 
ble manure. 
K, I, H, and E, F, G, are sheds running south-east 
from the additions A, B, and C, D, and parallel to the 
main building. These also could be of a sufficient 
height to take in fodder enough over head for support 
of the stock below through the winter. The stables, 
&c. are on the same plan of A, B, and C, D, and need 
no further remark. From I to H, and F to G, are 
left as open sheds, either for sheep and young cattle, 
or tool and wagon house. A well should be sunk, 
and a pump house erected over it, where the four cor¬ 
ners of the large yards meet, with watering troughs 
in each, and pipes leading to them, and so arranged 
that the water would not freeze in them during the 
coldest weather. The yard fences may be so construct¬ 
ed as to be enlarged or contracted at pleasure, or 
more subdivisions made if necessary. The divisions 
seem to me of great utility and convenience. Sheep 
may be thus kept separated, large and small cattle 
divided, breeding mares, colts, and stud horses let out 
from their box stalls, for the regular exercise, that is 
so beneficial to them in winter, and for want of which 
disease is often contracted. 
[North View, Fig. No. 18.] 
Thus, sir, you have my general plan, which may be 
enlarged or circumscribed, according to the wants of 
the builder. If many sheep or young cattle were kept, 
the open sheds must necessarily be extended, or if a 
small farmer, who would not care for the additions A, 
B, arid C, D, and yet wished to preserve the principle 
of the plan, the main building could be reversed, the 
gable ends fronting north-east and south-west, and 
then sheds attached as from K to H, and F to G, of 
just such dimensions as suited his wants. 
