104 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
plantations. And the fifth, which concludes the work, 
is occupied in a general consideration of the means for 
improving a country, the diffusion of information, the 
removing of obstacles to improvment, and by positive 
encouragement [by government.] In the body of the 
work, only general principles are discussed, and where 
minute information is necessary, it is inserted in the 
form of foot-notes; while points requiring further ex¬ 
planation or detail have separate papers devoted to 
them in the appendix. The Code of Agriculture, by 
Sir John Sinclair, must ever be regarded as the standard 
work on the stale of that science—for he has raised it 
to the dignity of a science, by establishing its principles 
—-•especially as referring to the commencement of the 
19th century. It is a monument honorable alike to his 
ingenuity, his untired perseverance and his general 
philanthropy. His mind was impressed with the belief, 
that the prosperity of the human race in a boundless 
measure depended on their knowledge of cultivating 
the soil, or, in other words, increasing the natural 
means of subsistence; and he reckoned no labor too 
assiduous, no obstacle insurmountable, when such an 
object occupied his generous enthusiasm.” 
Importance of Chemical Knowledge in Husbandry. 
“Agriculture,” says Sir H. Davy, in one of his lec¬ 
tures, “ to which we owe our means of subsistence, 
is an art intimately connected with chemical science; 
for although the common soil of the earth will produce 
vegetable food, yet it can only be made to produce it in 
the greatest quantity and of the best quality, by methods 
of cultivation dependant upon scientific principles. The 
knowledge of the composition of soils, of the food of 
vegetables, of the modes in which their products must 
be treated, so as to become fit for the nourishment of 
animals, is essential to the cultivator of land; and 
his exertions are profitable and useful to society, in 
proportion as he is more of a chemical professor.— 
Since, indeed, the truth has been understood, and since 
the importance of agriculture has been generally felt, 
the character of the agriculturist has become more dig¬ 
nified and more refined ; no longer a mere machine of 
labor, he has learned to think and to reason. He is 
aware of his usefulness to his fellow-men, and he is 
become at once the friend of nature, and the friend 
of society. If land be unproductive, and a system of 
ameliorating it is to be attempted, the sure method of 
obtaining the object is, by determining the cause of 
its sterility, which must necessarily depend upon some 
defects in the constituents of the soil, which may be 
easily discovered by chemical analysis. Are any of 
the salts of iron present! they may be decomposed 
by lime. Is there an excess of silicious sand! the 
system of improvement must depend on the applica¬ 
tion of clay and calcareous matter. Is there a defect 
of calcareous matter! the remedy is obvious. Is an 
excess of vegetable matter indicated! it may be re¬ 
moved by liming, pareing and burning. Is there a 
deficiency of vegetable matter! it is to be supplied 
by manure. In the selection of the remedy, after the 
discovery of the evil, chemical knowledge is of the 
highest importance. Limestone varies in its compo¬ 
sition, and by its indiscriminate application, we may 
aggravate the sterility we seek to obviate. Peat 
earth is an excellent manure, but it may contain such 
an excess of iron as to be absolutely poisonous to 
plants. How are such difficulties to be met but by 
the resources of chemistry ! That much vague spe- 
eulation may be found in the works of those who have 
lightly taken up agricultural chemistry, it is impossi¬ 
ble to deny. It is not uncommon to find a number of 
changes rung upon a string of technical terms, as ox¬ 
ygen, hydrogen, carbon and azote, as if the science 
depended upon words rather than upon things. But 
this is in fact an argument for the necessity of the 
establishment of just principles of chemistry on the 
subject. If a person, journeying in the night, wishes 
to avoid being led astray by the ignus fatuus, the 
most secure method is to carry a lamp in his own 
hand.” __ 
The Turnip Flea. 
Our correspondents make great complaint of the 
depredations of the turnip flea, and ask us to pre¬ 
scribe a preventive. This insect is in length nearly 
the eighth of an inch; smooth, shining, and of a 
brassy black colour, with a slight tinge of green, par¬ 
ticularly on the wing cases. This little insect preys 
upon several species of plants, as cabbages, radishes, 
but is particularly fond of the turnip, which it attacks 
both in its perfect and larvte state. It is principally 
destructive when the plants are in the seminal, or 
first leaf, snd are tender. When the second leaves 
are unfolded, and the plants have acquired strength, 
their depredations are comparatively insignificant up¬ 
on the leaves, though they continue, in their lame 
state, to prey upon and injure the roots. They are 
extremely voracious, an individual consuming, as has 
been ascertained, ten young turnips in a day.— 
In Britain, where there are from 60 to 100 acres 
of turnips on a farm, they cause immense losses.— 
They afford evidence, that there are few pleasures or 
profits without alloy, and seem to be a means of in¬ 
citing man to constant healthful industry and vigi¬ 
lance. 
There have been many receipts published as a pre¬ 
ventive of the evils inflicted by this pigmy enemy of 
our crops ; but hitherto all seem to have failed of pro¬ 
ducing the desired effect. Among other applications 
to the seed, oil, brine and sulphur have been used, 
sometimes with apparent success; and one farmer 
completely saved his crops for fifteen years, by keep¬ 
ing the seed sometime previous to sowing, among a 
quantity of flour of sulphur, and sowing the sulphur 
along with the seed. In this way the juices of the 
plant might be tainted by absorption, so that the in¬ 
sect had no relish for it. 
The best remedies for the evil seem to be: 
1. To have the ground well prepared and rich, so 
as to insure a vigorous growth to the young plants. 
2. To sow thick, that a part may at least have a 
chance to escape the flea,—and the crop being thin¬ 
ned at the first hoemg. And it has been found effec¬ 
tual to sow thick an extra row between every two 
rows intended tor the crop—the thick sown being 
more tender, are preferred by the flea, and may be 
extirpated by the cultivator at the first dressing,—the 
extra seed and labor bearing no proportion to the 
value of the crop. 
3. And principally, reliance must be had, when the 
young plants are threatened, on dusting the plants 
with some kind of powder. Soot, ashes, gypsum, &c. 
have been used for this purpose, “ but there can be 
no doubt,” says the Quarterly, “ that by far the most 
useful application of this kind is quick-lime.” 
The Doncaster Agricultural Association, which has 
rendered-the most essential service to the agricultu¬ 
ral world by its labors and publications, has given to 
this subject the best attention; and has concen¬ 
trated, by their queries, the experience and improve¬ 
ments of more than one hundred practical farmers, 
on the means of averting the evils induced by the 
turnip flea. From this information, they have pre¬ 
scribed certain rules of prevention, from which we take 
the following, as particularly adapted to our practice : 
“ Most effectually to insure the speedy growth of the 
plant, the land should be kept in the best possible state 
of cultivation. 
“ The system of ridging the land, with manure under 
the rows, and drilling on the ridges, should be adopted 
in every possible case. 
“The most favorable opportunity for ridging should 
be chosen, and it ought to be particularly observed, 
that the land be not ridged in too dry a state. 
“As soon as the land is opened for manure, it ought 
to be laid in, the ridges formed, and the seed drilled 
immediately. The quicker these operations follow 
each other, the greater chance there is of a good crop. 
“The manure chosen should be adapted to the soil, 
and such as is likely to insure the speedy growth of the 
young plant, and a full quantity ought to be allowed. 
“ The seed should not be deposited in the manure, 
but the manure thinly covered with soil, and the seed 
drilled in this soil. 
“ A very liberal allowance of seed ought to be given, 
as much as 3 lbs. or 4 lbs. the acre for drill, and 6 lbs. 
or 7 lbs. for broadcast, and the seed should be of one 
year’s growth. 
“ As soon as the plant appears above ground, it 
should be dusted with quick-lime, and this repeated as 
often as rain or wind beats it off, and the fly reap¬ 
pears.” 
We will only add, that we spread our manure, drill 
upon the level surface, and, in eighteen years’ prac¬ 
tice, have never made any topical application, and yet 
have never failed in obtaining a fair crop of turnips. 
Mildew on the Gooseberry. 
At page 59, of our last volume, we mentioned our 
success in arresting the progress of the mildew on our 
gooseberries, by sprinkling the bushes with a weak 
pickle; and in page 159, we stated the Rev. Mr. 
Reed’s mode of preventing the blight in pear trees, by 
impregnating the soil with iron, and his suggestion 
that salt would prevent the mildew on the gooseberry 
and the grape. We applied the blacksmith’s cinders 
to a part of our pear trees, and tan to another por¬ 
tion ; and there is yet no appearance of blight on ei¬ 
ther. In February we had the ground about our 
gooseberry bushes well saturated with strong pickle, 
and our gooseberries are perfectly free from mildew, 
for the first time in twelve years. It is not yet time 
to determine upon the efficacy of the pickle on the 
grape vines. We infer from the facts that have fallen 
under our notice, that the mildew is an abiding para¬ 
site, particularly at the collar and at the roots of the 
gooseberry and grape ; that the minute seeds of this 
parasite are wafted to the fruit in a certain state of 
the atmosphere, and that salt destroys the vitality of 
the prolific parent in the soil. See No. 10, vol. iv. 
We beg here to observe, that we err here as in the 
most other kinds of fruit, in esteeming the largest as 
the best varieties. The large gooseberry has gene¬ 
rally a thick tough skin, while the best, and they are 
generally of a medium size, have a thin smooth skin, 
indicative, also, of good flavor. 
We overlook the Main Point. 
Did our politicians, including, of course, the hono¬ 
rable members of our legislatures, display half the 
zeal, and expend a tithe of the money, to enlighten 
and encourage agriculture, and to render the earth 
more prolific in the bounties of Providence, that they 
display and expend in the scramble for power—for 
the spoils of office-—which many grasp at but few ob¬ 
tain—we should have less complaint of hard times; 
and we should become, what we too vauntingly boast 
of being already, an independent, a prosperous and 
1 appy people. There would then soon be but little 
occasion for young lawyers and boys running about to 
instruct our sturdy farmers in their interests and po¬ 
litical duties. He is not a wise man who does not 
know how to vote—nor a free man who dares not 
vote as he thinks right-—nor a patriot who will not 
do so. 
Sale of Mr. Weddle’s Cattle. 
In our advertising sheet for February, was noticed 
the intended sale of a fine stock of cattle at Bloom¬ 
field, the property of Mr. Thomas Weddle. Twelve 
cows and heifers sold for $4,133—averaging $344 
each, and some selling as high as $500 and $520. 
Nine bulls sold for $3,437, averaging $382—two of 
them bringing $600 each. Three cows and their 
calves for the three last years, sold for $1,690, $1,- 
584 and $1,642. The highest priced animals, and 
we presume the best, were generally bought by Gen. 
Dudley, of Kentucky. 
Hints on Pruning Forest Trees. 
There were five competitors for the Highland So¬ 
ciety’s ten guinea premium, offered for the best essay 
on the pruning of forest trees,—a business which, to 
be sure, is not yet much practised among us; but as 
many of the principles which govern in the operation, 
apply in the pruning of fruit and ornamental trees, we 
shall state some of them. The essays are not pub¬ 
lished entire, but a digest of them is given by Wil¬ 
liam Scott, one of the directors, who states, that on 
all the leading points, except as to the time of prun¬ 
ing, there is almost a perfect coincidence of opinion 
expressed in them all. 
1. Is pruning beneficial ? “Although pruning in 
ordinary cases does not ultimately increase the weight 
or bulk of wood, yet trees which are early and judi¬ 
ciously pruned, will be improved in quality, increased 
in their useful dimensions and ultimate value, and a 
greater number can be grown on a given space.” 
2. Thinning the plants, as they advance in growth, 
is deemed indispensable. 
3. Pruning should be begun early, and the direc¬ 
tions for pruning, coming as they mostly do from pro¬ 
fessional nurserymen, are worth remembering:— 
“ When trees in the plantation have produced three, 
or very thriving two years growth, pruning should be 
commenced. At this period the knife is the most 
suitable instrument, and the top is the principal part 
of the plant which requires attention. In order that 
only one shoot may be allowed to remain as a leader, 
the others next in size, if not very inferior, should be 
headed down, generally to about one-half the length, 
and all the stout lateral branches of the tree headed 
in the same manner. No such branches need be cut 
close to the stem at the first, second, or third prun¬ 
ing.” “All suckers or branches that spring from the 
roots, which tend to make the plant more like a bush 
than a tree, should be taken away.” 
4. Error to be avoided. The practice of cutting 
away the side branches to a certain height, at the 
first pruning, and afterwards to operate only on the 
under branches of the tree, is reprobated, as tending 
to produce a small trunk, an irregular top, and side- 
branches more vigorous than the leader. Under this 
management, in “exposed places, not one in a hun¬ 
dred ever becomes a large and valuable tree.”— 
“ Such an excess of amputation destroys the health 
of the tree, by depriving it of the organs by which a 
sufficiency of sap is secured [elaborated] to be after¬ 
wards converted into wood.” 
5. The leading shoot should be preserved, and all 
others checked which have a tendency to compete 
with it, so as to divide the stem into forks or clefts. 
6. “ The writers agree in opinion,” says Mr. Scott, 
“ that young trees should not be pruned at once close 
to the stem, but that the larger branches which it 
may be necessary to cut away, should be shortened 
first, and cut close afterwards.” As decidious trees 
give out an irregular tier of branches yearly, any 
branch should be shortened which is of greater length 
than the majority of those on the same tier ; or, if the 
whole of them be too long, they must be shortened. 
By the concentration of the sap, which the shorten¬ 
ing effects, a much greater quantity is thrown into 
the main stem,” the leaves are much larger, the fo¬ 
liage healthier, and the tree shoots up much faster, 
and at the same time maintains a proportional circum¬ 
ference of stem. 
The objects of the pruner should be “ to give, in 
