74 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
E 
of clover and timothy as I ever saw grow at the north, it 
being from three to four feet high. I put about four 
hundred bushels of cotton seed on this land, which I 
have no doubt is a better manure than gypsum. On 
my alluvial bottoms, it thrives exceedingly well without 
manure, but on our exhausted fields, a good coat of 
manure is indispensable. When sowed in the spring it 
comes up well, and then dies from the heat and dryness 
of our climate. 
I take the liberty of sending you twenty-four water 
melon seeds—the twelve white looking seed is called the 
mountain sprout, and has a rich yellow meat—and the 
twelve dark seed I took from a melon that weighed 
thirty-eight pounds, and three-fourths of a yard in 
length—the latter has a blood red meat. They are, 
without doubt, two of the most delicious varieties that 
can be found any where. I cultivate them thus:—I 
have holes dug in the ground, ten feet distant each way, 
eighteen inches wide at top, and twelve deep. I then 
have the holes filled three inches above the surface of 
the earth, with rich light earth, and plant and cover the 
seed about one and a half inches deep, leaving two 
stocks in a hill. The ground between the hills I keep 
well ploughed or harrowed until the vines begin to run. 
They must then be hoed often, to keep the earth light. 
A southern exposure on a hill side is the best, and the 
poorer the ground the better, except where the hill is 
made. I am of the opinion that any climate that will 
mature Indian corn, will mature the water melon. 
Most respectfully, 
T. N. POULLAIN. 
Improvement progressing in the South. 
Georgetown, D. C. April 25, 1838. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Dear Sir—We have had several very 
cold days—ice one-quarter of an inch. Great fears 
were felt for the safety of the early fruit, as it was in 
full bloom; but I am happy to say from the best infor¬ 
mation, that it has escaped with very little or no injury. 
Our winter crops, wheat and rye, look well, and pro¬ 
mise a better harvest than we have had for many 
years. 
The spirit of improvement among our farmers is in¬ 
creasing daily. To give you some idea—there has 
been two or three times as much clover seed sown this 
season as last, and would have been more if it could 
have been had. Yours very respectfully, 
JOHN H. KING. 
Miller’s Tolls. 
Burlington co. N. J. 4 th mo. 14th, 1838. 
Friend Buel — I see in No. 1, of the present volume 
of the Cultivator, some complaints of the extortionate 
toll of the millers in your state, and am surprised to see 
them make no vindication of their cause in the last No. 
and admit it looks somewhat unfavorable to them; but 
such being the case, I feel disposed to defend them in 
some measure, at least, as I fully believe they are not 
as censurable as you deem them to be; as you appear 
to make no other deduction than the customary and 
with us lawful tenth, allowing nothing for filth, fixed 
air, nor any thing else; the former of which, with some 
customers is considerable, and in such cases, according 
to your standard, the miller’s expense for cleaning ap¬ 
paratus and gratuitous labor, would only add to his 
condemnation; and further I apprehend you are not 
aware, (for if you are, you should have mentioned it,) 
that in solid bodies, there is fixed air, that in being re¬ 
duced or pulverized escapes, and thereby a loss of 
weight is sustained, of which fact nine-tenths perhaps 
of the agricultural community are ignorant, and if so, 
no wonder that millers should be accused of taking too 
much toll. I have found by careful experiment in 
grinding rye, (weighing 56 lbs. per bushel,) with my 
own hands, long before I saw the account in the Culti¬ 
vator, that it lost three and a half pounds per bushel, 
or twenty-one pounds in six bushels, the quantity ground, 
and which added to the toll, would amount to about 16 
per cent. 
Oliver Evans, late of Philadelphia, in his Millwright’s 
and Miller’s Guide, note pp. 159,160, says—“ If we consi¬ 
der that most bodies are in part composed of air, which 
is in a solid or fixed state, and constitutes a proportional 
part of their weight, and this proportion is different in 
different species of matter, from one-sixteenth to one- 
half, and in one species of wheat has been found by ex¬ 
periments to be one-fifth of its whole weight, that is, 
12 lbs. of fixed air in 60 lbs. or one bushel of wheat.” 
(Alas, for the miller’s reputation who might grind such 
wheat, it being weighed before and after taking it to 
mill.) “Now this air is roused into action two ways, 
viz. by fermentation and by heat, and as fast as it is 
roused, it instantly leaves the body and expands itself 
into about a million times more space than it filled 
before in the form of a dense body. See Martin’s Phi¬ 
losophy. As a confirmation of this hypothesis, we may 
observe, that many experiments have been made by 
weighing a quantity of wheat carefully before it was 
ground, and then weighing every thing it made in ma¬ 
nufacturing, and we have found it to be lacking in weight 
from one to five pounds per bushel, which could not be 
accounted for any way better than supposing the loss 
to be occasioned by the escape of fixed air.” This air 
being roused into action by heat, grinding grain when 
stones are dull, or glazed by garlic or the grain damp, 
occasioning more heat, it will consequently produce a 
greater escape of the air, and greater loss of weight 
will follow. Now thus circumstanced, can any miller 
possibly escape censure, though acting ever so honestly? 
Certainly not, and I have no doubt that owing to the 
ignorance of these things, and the negligence of proper¬ 
ly cleaning their grain by some customers, many honest 
persons have had their reputation blasted and their in¬ 
comes much curtailed, and that too upon the strongest 
possibly conceived evidence on the part of their accu¬ 
sers, viz. “weighing before and after grinding,” de¬ 
ducting the toll only. 
I do not make these statements as a shield for disho¬ 
nesty in the least, for no doubt there are many who fol¬ 
low the occupation of milling, whom it would be well 
to keep a strict watch to; but for the information of 
the public, and to exonerate the upright from unmerit¬ 
ed disgrace. 
I would recommend thee to make proof of these 
matters by some honest miller, if there is any to be 
found in thy neighborhood, under thy own close inspec¬ 
tion and observation, the motive unknown to him, and 
publish the result in your highly useful and interesting 
paper. Respectfully thy friend, 
DAVID WALTON. 
Remark. —There is no doubt much truth in the remarks 
of our correspondent, as to the diminution in the weight of 
grain by grinding. But it is not so much the amount of toll 
which is objected to, as the want of a legal or other standard 
of toll, so that a customer may know when he is dishonestly 
dealt by; and we do not know of a better way of coming at 
this fact, than by “ weighing before and after grinding.” 
Webster’s Spring Beater Threshing Machine, 
[Fig. No. 35.] 
The above cut represents one of D. H. Webster’s 
machines, with the top aff. It has been in use for seve¬ 
ral years—is very simple in its construction, durable, and 
not liable to derangement. The heads of the drum or 
cylinder are of cast iron, and sixteen inches in diameter, 
the cylinder twelve inches, and sixteen inches in length. 
There are four wrought iron fluted beaters extending 
from one head to the other, supported in the centre, the 
ends turned to fit in a groove in the heads which ad¬ 
mits of half an inch play, and kept to their place by 
means of springs. The advantage of this play is, that 
in feeding, sometimes a larger quantity of grain is drawn 
in, and the elasticity of the springs lets it pass through. 
The bed plate is cast iron, with ribs running across.— 
The frame occupies four feet in length and two and a 
half in breadth. 
The advantages of this machine are, safety, durabi¬ 
lity, and simplicity. Stones, pieces of roots, sticks and 
even a hammer has been thrown into the hopper, with¬ 
out injury to the machine or those attending, which in 
a spike machine would not only endanger those attend¬ 
ing, but would injure and most probably destroy the 
machine. 
With one of Allen’s powers it is capable of doing as 
much execution, threshing as clean, and breaking the 
straw less than the spike machine. 
This thresher was exhibited at the fair of the Ameri¬ 
can Institute, in October last, for which the committee 
awarded him a silver medal, for the best threshing ma¬ 
chine exhibited. 
They are for sale at the store of Messrs. Geo. Rus¬ 
sell & Brothers, corner of State-street and Middle-lane, 
Albany. Price $35. B. 
Albany, June, 1838. 
Agricultural Employment Commended. 
“ Agriculture is the most healthy, the most useful and the 
most noble employment of man.”— Washington. 
Mr. Editor —I have made a short extract from the 
writings of Washington, on which to base a few plain 
and honest remarks. Being a man considerably ad¬ 
vanced in life, and one of the laity, and not possessing 
a very good education, the reader must not expect a 
great display of erudition or of scholastic accuracy.— 
My object is to make some common-place suggestions 
for the encouragement and consolation of the farmer. 
From my youth up, I have been principally engaged in 
agriculture. Yet I have endeavored to get some know¬ 
ledge of other occupations, so as to be able to compare 
and judge which is the most healthy, the most useful, 
and the most noble. And with the greatest sincerity, I 
can echo the sentiment of the intelligent and worthy 
Washington. I very well know, that this is not the 
opinion of many, very many of the community; yet it is 
unquestionably well founded. Ask the dandies, vflio are 
perambulating our streets, dressed in all possible finery, 
living upon the hard earnings of their parents, and they 
will tell you they consider agriculture a dirty, degrading 
business. Ask those 
“ Who lounge about in lazy bands, 
Throng tippler’s shops and tavern stands,” 
and they, too, will tell you that farming is not the busi¬ 
ness for them. But, ask the truly intelligent and meri¬ 
torious, and they will tell you that agriculture is the 
main spring of all employments. That not only the 
peasant but the king is served by the field. That it is 
not only useful, but highly honorable. They are ever 
ready to reiterate the sentiment contained in the follow¬ 
ing lines: 
“ Good Cincinnatus, at his plough, 
With more true glory shbne, 
Than Csesar with his laurel’d brow, 
His palace and his throne.” 
The extract on which I have proposed to remark, 
contains three propositions:—The first is, of all em¬ 
ployments, agriculture is the most healthy. This is evi¬ 
dently a fact, from the following considerations: 
Man was created for exercise. Toil must nurture 
him, or else his powers and faculties will never ripen. 
When this cannot be brought about, he sickens and dies. 
Taking into consideration the regularity that may at¬ 
tend a farmer’s labors, the regularity in meals and 
sleep, and the salubrity of the air he breathes, and the 
sun that warms and vivifies him, we at once perceive, 
that no employment is so well calculated to aid the 
functions in fulfilling their purposes. As vegetable 
creation is affected, so is animal. Shut out the sun and 
air from a vegetable, and deprive it of terraqueous, or 
natural aliment, and how soon it will become sickly! 
just so with the human family. 
Again—agriculture is well calculated to afford peace 
of mind. A farmer’s business being very much within 
himself, there is not that chance for altercation, disap¬ 
pointment, perplexity and mortification, that other men 
experience. Just compare with the professions. The 
clergyman, if he make every effort to give satisfaction 
to his parishioners, must meet with disappointment.— 
If he preach like one inspired, he cannot please them 
all. 
“ Some wanting grace, 
Laugh in his face, 
While solemnly he’s prosing; 
Some sneeze or cough, 
Some shuffle off, 
And some are even dozing.” 
“ The lawyer leads a harrass’d life, 
Much like a hunted otter, 
And ’tween his own and other’s strife. 
He’s always in hot water.” 
I should like to say something better of a doctor’s 
business, but am not able. 
“ For like a tavern waiting man, 
To every call, he’s 1 coming,’ 
Now here, now there, 
Must he repair, 
Or starve, sir, by denying; 
Like death himself, 
Unhappy elf, 
He lives by other's dying.” 
The next proposition is, that agriculture is the most 
useful. And how can this be, when so many other em¬ 
ployments are so useful? I will give an explanation, 
my dear readers, for it is very capable of illustration. 
The community, or the different classes of people may, 
very properly, be compared to the human frame, which 
is composed of body and limbs. All the members are 
very useful in their places. One cannot say to the 
other, I have no need of thee. Yet, we may at once 
perceive, that they are not equally important. A leg 
or an arm may be amputated, and yet the person or the 
body may survive ; though it must be a great loss. But 
kill the body, and the limbs will die also. So with the 
community. The farmers are the body, the other class¬ 
es are the limbs. Now amputate or cut off these limbs 
from society, the body may survive, though it must of 
course suffer much. But destroy the body, or farming 
interest, and all is lost. 
The third and last proposition is, that agriculture is 
the most noble. This is acknowledged by all noble 
minds. It is what heaven ordained that man should 
pursue. It is the business in which our first parents were 
engaged. It is the business that has and must sustain 
the human family. It is noble in itself—it produces no¬ 
ble effects. How it ought to ennoble the mind, to be 
employed so much among the works of nature. How 
it ought to lead the mind from nature up to nature’s 
God. 
“ A farmer’s life’s the lifejor me, 
I own I love it dearly; 
And ev’i y season full of glee, 
I take its labor cheerly.” 
AN AGRICULTURIST. 
Westborough, Worcester co. Mass. May, 1838. 
On wintering Sheep. 
In rural economy, as well as in the arts, our success 
is generally expected to follow industry and attention 
to our husbandry; but unless we use both care and skill, 
our labor will be of but little use. The wise proverb, 
that “ the hand of the diligent maketh rich,” will be of 
little avail, unless we give proper attention to little 
things. Hard work will not advance us in prosperity 
unless we work it right. We always find some farmers’ 
stock in good condition—and why? Because they work 
it right. In an adjoining fold, their neighbors remain 
in poor condition, notwithstanding they may be suffi¬ 
ciently supplied with fodder of the best quality. This 
farmer heeds not little things. He does not take up the 
“ stich in time” to ensure success. 
The season will soon arrive, when sheep require more 
attention than farmers in general are apt to bestow on 
them. To do well through the winter, they must be in 
good condition when they begin it. Sheep well summer- 
ed, and got up to hay in good heart, are half wintered. 
It’is with us, a very common practice to permit them to 
