96 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
harvesting 16 or 18 days before that of the common yel¬ 
low—not an unripe ear, nor any mixture of refuse, or 
What is commonly called pig Corn , was found among it— 
Whereas among the eight acres of the common yellow, 
one-third part of the whole was, by reason of its imma¬ 
turity, thrown by as nubbings and pig corn, wholly un¬ 
fit for market. I carefully measured in a half bushel 
one hundred of ears of the Dutton corn and shelled it. 
The quantity of the shelled corn was half a bushel and 
three pints—the weight of the half bushel was thirty- 
four pounds. Those of my neighbors who planted the 
same kind of seed the last season, experienced much 
the same results. 
I have now to propose to the “ Litchfield County 
Farmer,” that if he will take the trouble to honor me 
with a visit, I will give him “a few quarts” of the true 
Dutton corn, and let him plant it on the same kind of 
land as that on which he plants his “ old fashioned corn” 
and give it the same husbandry—if the Dutton corn does 
not come to maturity at least 14 days earlier than the 
other, I will pay him for the time spent on the journey 
two dollars per day, and keep him at my house free of 
expense to him. 
I have now only to add, by way of statement, that, 
from careful observation, I am prepared to say, that, 
supposing the season to have been such as to have 
brought the eight acres of the common yelloiv to matu¬ 
rity without any injury by frost, the quantity would 
have been one-third less than on the other eight acres. 
In conclusion, I think it cannot admit of doubt, that 
the “ Litchfield County Farmer” was imposed upon in 
the “ few quarts” of seed purchased by him. His dole¬ 
ful story of the disappointment of himself, his “ children 
and friends,” in their raised expectations of the luxury 
of the Dutton corn, reminds me of an historical inci¬ 
dent, not altogether unlike in its character to the case 
of our “ Litchfield County Farmer.” 
At an early period of the fur trade between the Hol¬ 
landers 'and the western Indians of our country, the 
Dutchmen bartered off at an enormous price a quantity 
of their gun‘powder for beaver. At the close of the 
trade for the season, when the pale faces were about to 
return, they informed the Indians that they had a small 
quantity of gun powder seed, which they would sell, in 
case they could receive a price adequate to its immense 
value—assuring the red skins that by careful planting 
and good cultivation, they would be enabled in future 
to raise their own gun powder. The bait was greedily 
swallowed, and the purchase made by large piles of 
beaver skins. The Dutchmen soon took themselves oil’. 
The Indians prepared their ground and sowed the seed 
agreeably to the directions given. After waiting a long 
time for the expected vegetation of the seed, they exa¬ 
mined the ground by digging down, and the trick was 
discovered. 
The purchasers, with their papooses and friends, were 
overwhelmed with disappointment and chagrin, greater, 
perhaps, than have been endured by the “ children and 
friends” of the “ Litchfield County Farmer.” 
East Granby, May 18, 1838. HORACE CLARK. 
Books on Agriculture, for School Boys. 
We have thought the cause of agricultural im¬ 
provement would be greatly promoted by the publica¬ 
tion of a series of elementary books on agriculture, 
designed for the use of the schoolboy. Why should 
not our children have facilities for the acquisition of 
knowledge applicable to this pursuit as well as on less 
useful ones 1 If education is designed to fit us to en¬ 
gage in the practical duties of life; why is it that the 
most important of all earthy subjects, and one which 
occupies the labors of a vast majority of our people, 
is not the leading object of the schoolboy’s educa¬ 
tion 1 We have elementary books on every other 
subject; we have schools wherein are taught the ru¬ 
diments of every science, schools of law, medicine, 
divinity, of fighting, dancing, and of every thing but 
of agriculture. There is something wrong in the na¬ 
tional practice on this subject. We ought to give to 
the most important subjects the highest degree of at¬ 
tention—we must graduate various branches of edu¬ 
cation by the standard of their relative importance, 
and give to those having the nearest relation to our 
most important interests, the greatest share of favor. 
We ought to have the principles of husbandry taught 
in every common school and a chair of agriculture 
endowed in every college. And we think the first 
step to the introduction of this new branch of educa¬ 
tion is, to have the necessary elementary school 
boons. We have many men in our country, emi¬ 
nently capable of compiling such works and adapting 
them precisely to the capacity of the schoolboy.— 
And he who would prepare a set of works on agricul¬ 
ture for the use of schools, such as would give to the 
boys of the country destined for the pursuits of hus¬ 
bandly, a thorough knowledge of the principles and 
the outlines of the practice of agriculture, would do 
more for the general good and for his own literary 
fame, than in any other walk of science or learning. 
Let it not be supposed that we decry other branches 
of science or learning. We are in favor of all; and 
especially those which contribute useful aids in the 
practical labors of life. We would render all subser¬ 
vient to man’s use; and it is only in this view that 
they should be appreciated. But it is admitted on 
all hands, that agriculture is the most universal, the 
most dignified, the most congenial, virtuous and pro¬ 
ductive pursuit of mankind—the substratum of all 
other pursuits—the life and soul of commerce and ma¬ 
nufactures—the mother of the arts and sciences—the 
basis of civilization ; and we insist, it is not seeking 
too much when we seek to give to her own child, the 
husbandman, a higher grade of education. What¬ 
ever description of knowledge, relates nearly or re¬ 
motely, to the multifarious labors of the agriculturist, 
should be an object of his study, and constitute a por¬ 
tion of his exercises at the primary school and the 
college, and employ his reflections in all the riper 
years of after life. One of the most absurd and mis¬ 
chievous errors of the day, is that of the father, who 
gives to the son destined for a farmer an education 
inferior to that he bestows upon the one destined for 
a profession. The husbandman deserves a better edu¬ 
cation than a lawyer or a doctor; because his occu¬ 
pation requires the exercise of more knowledge ; but 
it is too generally the case, that he is only allowed 
some snatched intervals between the crops, “ to learn 
to read, write and cipher”—and this is deemed edu¬ 
cation enough for a farmer ! O, what a wretched, 
miserable error is this—what a foe to the improve¬ 
ment and dignity of the class ! It ought, it must be 
banished, and the practice which results from it abo¬ 
lished, and a wiser and better one substituted. Now, 
however the remark may seem to censure the gene¬ 
ral opinion and practice on this subject, and although 
we may be even ridiculed by many farmers them¬ 
selves, for the apparent ultraism of the sentiment, we 
are bold to declare, nevertheless, that the farmer has 
need of a better education, and he actually more often 
requires the aid of more various branches of science 
in his ramified operations, than the member of any 
profession; and we sincerely believe, that if any dis¬ 
crimination should be made in the education of two 
sons, one destined for a farmer and the other for a 
profession, it should be in favor of the former. Let 
us not be misunderstood—the boy destined for a pro¬ 
fession or trade should be thoroughly educated in all 
branches pertaining to his distinct calling; while the 
boy intended for a farmer should be thoroughly in¬ 
structed in all the principles to which the intelligent 
and scientific agriculturist stands indebted for the suc¬ 
cessful result of his labors. We could easily show, 
that these principles are drawn from a wider range of 
sciences than are necessary to be consulted by one 
destined for any of the so-styled learned professions; 
and consequently it would be shown that the husband¬ 
man needs a more extended education. A young 
man preparing for the bar is ready to enter upon his 
legal studies on attaining some smattering of Latin, 
(or it may be Greek) ; and many do not even go thus 
far before taking up Blackstone. A short course of 
reading elementary works on the principles and prac¬ 
tice of law, and the student enters on the practical 
field of his profession. The physician requires more 
preparation to qualify him for practice. He too, 
learns the dead languages, and studies the principles 
and practice of his art, but those principles involve a 
knowledge of various abstract sciences, and he is 
constrained to invoke the aid of anatomy, physiology, 
chemistry, mineralogy, botany, &c. &c. before he en¬ 
ters upon the practice of his profession. We are 
speaking of those studies only as they relate to the 
professional qualifications of the student, and of course 
we are not to be understood as denying either the 
possession or the importance of other branches of 
learning to professional men. They, as well as agri¬ 
culturists and others, in their social and political re¬ 
lations to community, are equally required to dis¬ 
charge the duties of citizens; and we hold that all 
classes should avail themselves of every accomplish¬ 
ment which learning- or science can bestow, in aid of 
the performance of those high duties. But we need 
not array comparisons or illustrations on the subject: 
our opinions may be presented at one view. We 
would give to every one, of whatever pursuit, pre¬ 
cisely the education adapted to it—and it should be 
thorough and perfect in ail its branches, or at least so 
far as any or all the branches related to the peculiar 
pursuit adopted by the student. It should thus quali¬ 
fy him for the intelligent prosecution of the labors of 
his life and ensure his complete success. It would 
render the farmer as illustrious, and certainly as use¬ 
ful, in his sphere, as the profoundest statesman or 
professor. But the subject is too interesting to be 
treated satisfactorily in the narrow limits to which 
we are circumscribed ; and we mean to pursue it.— 
In the meantime, we submit to the board of educa¬ 
tion, ?md to the commissioners of common schools, 
the propriety of early considering the importance of 
adopting a series of agricultural works, as text books 
in the schools about to be put in operation under the 
excellent common school law of the state. They 
may do incalculable good to the children of Kentuc¬ 
ky,” which will flow to other generations, and they 
may render the system far more useful and effective, 
by seasonably directing their earnest attention to the 
subject. — Frankfort, Ky. Fanner. 
Quality of Milk during the process of Milking.— 
Several large coffee-cups having been successively 
filled from one cow, till she was quite dry, the follow¬ 
ing results appeared: great care being taken to weigh 
the cups to ascertain that they held exactly the same 
quantity: In every case the quantity of cream was 
found to increase in proportion as the process of milk¬ 
ing advanced. In different cows the proportion va¬ 
ried, but in the greater number the excess of cream 
in the last cup, as compared with the first, was six¬ 
teen to one—in some it was not so considerable:— 
therefore, as an average, it may be called as ten to 
twelve to one. The difference in the quality of the 
two sorts of cream was no less striking: the cream 
given by the first drawn milk was thin, white, and 
without consistence, while that furnished by the last 
was thick, buttery, and of a rich color. The milk 
remaining in the different cups presented similar dif¬ 
ferences : that which was drawn first was very poor, 
blue, and had the appearance of milk and water: 
that in the last cup was of a yellowish hue, rich, and 
to the eye and taste, resembled cream rather than 
milk. It appears, therefore, from these experiments, 
that if after drawing seven or eight pints from a cow, 
half a pint remains in the teats, not only almost as 
much cream will be lost as the seven or eight pints 
will furnish, but that of the best quality, and which 
gives the richest taste and color to butter. This 
fact has been corroborated by chemical experiments, 
and holds good with respect to goats and asses.— 
Blachler’s Essay on the Improvement of small Farms. 
[From the Fanners' Magazine .] 
Old and New Husbandry. 
Sir —Glad that my former observations have inte¬ 
rested your readers, I am now desirous, with your 
permission, of further prosecuting my original object, 
which was to encourage the employment of the poor 
by the occupiers of land. To this end I wish to ex¬ 
plain somewhat more fully the means by which I am 
enabled to employ nearly half as many more men as 
are usually employed on the same number of acres, 
not only, as I think, without loss, but with a fair re¬ 
turn of profit. 
It may be proper to premise that my farm consists 
of about 200 acres; comprising 30 of wood, 42 of 
pasture, the rest arable. Of the arable, 85 acres are 
of good mixed soil, well adapted to turnips and bar¬ 
ley, but not considered equal in value to the best 
wheat land ; the remainder consists partly of a hun¬ 
gry gravel, partly of clay, of very inferior quality.— 
It is cultivated on the Norfolk, or four-course system. 
1. I diligently collect litter of every kind, sea¬ 
weed, furze, fern, leaves of trees, &c. for bedding my 
yards, in addition to the straw grown on the land.— 
In the last 12 months I have brought in about 50 wa¬ 
gon loads of this description; each wagon load gives 
employment to about three men for a day, the total 
is therefore 150 days. 
2. This increase of litter would avail little or no¬ 
thing if I did not keep an extra number of live stock, 
for I observe that many farmers do not even make 
their straw into good muck. I therefore fat about 40 
hogs and four or five head of horned cattle every win¬ 
ter ; enough, in short, to consume half my Swedish 
turnips, which are drawn and carried into the yards 
for this purpose. The drawing, topping, and carting , 
together with the time occupied in looking after the 
stock, may be estimated at one man’s employment 
during the winter months, equal to 150 days. 
3. The removal of one-half the turnips would in 
jure the succeeding barley crop, if I did not lay on, 
at the time of sowing the turnips, an extra quantity 
of manure, say 25 single horse cart loads per acre, 
about 10 loads more than the usual allowance. This 
I am enabled to do, partly by the great quantity of 
litter in my yards, partly by placing a bottom of earth 
or chalk under every dung heap, and a thin covering 
of the same materials over the top. The practice of 
carting all my dung twice, first from the yards to bot¬ 
toms prepared in the fields, and then on the land when 
wanted for use, of course employs many hands, as 
well as the turning their composts, and mixing the 
materials together. I believe I do not over rate the 
number of cart loads filled annually on my farm at 
2,400, whereas on the same number of acres, a far¬ 
mer who moved his dung only once, carrying it im¬ 
mediately from the yard, and at the rate of 10 loads 
per acre for turnips, the same for wheat, would fill 
only 600 cart loads annually. The extra 1,800 loads 
may give about 112 days employment, and the turn-i 
ing of the compost about 20 more; making together 
132 days. 
4. I have introduced this year the Norfolk practice« 
of dibbling wheat. This occupies two men and six; 
children for 30 days, at the rate of half an acre peri 
man per day. Computing the six children equal to i 
one man, the dibbling gives extra employment of 90 
days. The expense is paid in the saving of seed, to 
say nothing of the increased produce, which is esti-i 
mated by the best Norfolk farmers at a sack per acre.; 
