A MONTHLY PUBLICATION, DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE. 
I KNOW OF NO PURSUIT IN WHICH MORE REAL AND IMPORTANT SERVICES CAN BE RENDERED TO ANY COUNTRY, THAN DY IMPROVING ITS AGRICULTURE - Walk. 
~v 0h . V. NO37WASfflNGT0N : ST. ALBANY, N. Y. NOVEMBER, 1838. ~ No. 9. 
Conducted by J. BUEL, of Albany. 
TERMS.—One Dollar per annum, to be paid in advance. 
Subscriptions to commence with a volume. 
•Special Agent*. —L. At R. Hill, Richmond, Va.; Bell & 
Entwisle, Alexandria, D. C.; Gideon B. Smith, Baltimore, 
Md.; Judah Dodson, bookseller, D. Landreith, and 1VI. S. 
Powell, seedsmen, Philadelphia; Israel Post, bookseller, 
88 Bowery, Alex. Smith, seedsman, P. Wakeman, office of 
the American Institute, Broadway, N. York; Hovey & Go. 
Merchants’ Row, Boston; Alex. Walsh, Lansingburgh, and 
Wm. Thorburn, Albany, gratuitous agents. For general 
list of agents see 1 X 0 . 12, vol. iv. 
The Cultivator is subject to common newspaper postage. 
[(5“ Price of the published volumes, 50 cents per vol. stitched— 
the fbur volumes bound together, $2.75—bound in two volumes, 
$0—the four vols bound each separate, $3.25. 
Tfi E C U LTIV A TO K. _ 
TO IMPROVE THE SO.IE AND THE MIND. 
We invite the reader’s attention to our article 
headed Common School Libraries, as affording' an 
outline of one of the particular objects of the socie¬ 
ty, and as exhibiting the terms of membership ; and 
we invite our brethren of the press, to commend this 
matter to the notice of their readers, as one fraught 
with incalculable benefits to our common country. 
Morns Multicanlis Speculation. 
If our produce in silk is likely to increase in any 
thing like the increased demand for this species of 
the mulberry, and its rapid multiplication, we shall 
be able, in a few years, to clothe our entire female 
population in silken fabrics, and to export largely 
in the bargain. But the demand seems to origi¬ 
nate from a hope of making money by speculat¬ 
ing in the buds, or trees, rather than in the silk 
which they are to produce. Individuals have for 
some time' been traversing the several states, from 
Canada to Florida, buying up these trees, and the 
prices have kept advancing till they have reached 
an extravagance beyond reason, and almost beyond 
credibility. The Farmers’ Register informs us, 
that Thomas Hicks, of Virginia, laid out $345, in 
1836 and 1837, for trees of the multicaulis, and that 
he has recently sold from their product, 20,000 
trees, at 25 cents each, retaining 10,000 for his 
own use—thus realizing a profit of nearly $7,500 up¬ 
on the outlay. In ten days, the seller might have 
received $1000 more for those disposed of. This 
was in September. In October, the fever of specu¬ 
lation had reached, if not its climax, at least a dan¬ 
gerous height to buyers : for the U. S. Gazette in¬ 
forms us, that at a great auction sale of these trees, 
at Baltimore, on the 4th inst. 120,000 of them 
were sold, “ at prices varying from 20 to 22 cents 
per foot, measuring to the utmost extremity, and 
counting the roots also. This amounts to $1.21 for 
each tree of five feet high.” At a sale at German¬ 
town the prices exceeded 20 cents per foot. At 
Burlington, N. J. a sale of 2430 was made by Mr. 
Greenmere, for $2500, and another of 1000 select¬ 
ed trees for $2000, being two dollars each. If this 
is not a “ Robin's alive ” business, in which some 
one will get sorely “ saddle-backed ,” we are great¬ 
ly mistaken. 
There is no tree more rapidly multiplied, proba¬ 
bly, than the morus multicaulis. Every uninjured 
bud will produce a plant in a summer. The practice 
is, among proficients in the art of propagating, to 
take olf every branch and the top, or to take up the 
entire young plants, in the autumn—to bury them in 
the ground, or put them in a cellar during winter, 
and to plant them in the spring, either in cuttings 
of one or two eyes, or by covering the branch or 
young plant, laid horizontally in a furrow, with an 
inch or two of earth. Almost every bud will grow 
from two to four feet the first season, and ultimate¬ 
ly become a tree. This will explain to the reader, 
why select trees, abounding in branches and buds, 
sold for two dollars at Burlington. They were 
cheap, if the prices can be kept up another year. 
In regard to the culture of this mulberry in our 
latitude, we have only to repeat the opinion we 
have often expressed, that the tree will not stand 
our winters, except, perhaps, upon a poor dry soil, 
when the growth ceases, and the wood hardens, be¬ 
fore the occurrence of severe frosts. Indeed this is 
now virtually conceded by the growers ; for we 
believe it is the general practice to secure seedlings 
in the cellar, or to bury them in the ground, and 
to cut down the trees, cover the stumps, and secure 
the tops and branches for propagation. Cutting 
down at autumn is recommended as the best mode 
of increasing the foliage, and as facilitating the 
gathering of the leaves—as many sprouts spring 
from the stump in the spring, and the leaves of 
which may be gathered without climbing. 
That the silk business will ultimately prosper 
among us, we have no doubt j but that the multi¬ 
caulis is to supersede all other species of the mul¬ 
berry, or that it possesses very remarkable proper¬ 
ties not common to the family, we must be permit¬ 
ted to entertain doubts. Gen. Tallmadge, who vi¬ 
sited the silk establishments of Italy, and was mi¬ 
nute in his inquiries, tells us that the European 
black mulberry had a preference there. In France 
the white mulberry, it is alleged, produces the best 
silk. We have seen beautiful fabrics from our na¬ 
tive red species. While those who have seen, at 
Constantinople, the silks produced from the Brussa, 
affirm that they exceed all others for lusture and 
value. Men are prone to recommend that which 
they wish to sell. In our mind, it matters little 
what species of mulberry we cultivate, provided it 
is hardy enough for the climate. If any kind is 
well managed by household industry, they will, in 
our opinion, become a certain source of profit to 
the owner. 
Experiment in Harvesting Cora. 
In our last November No. we gave the result of 
an experiment in harvesting corn, going to show, 
that it is better to cut it up than to top it. We now 
give the result of another experiment of the same 
kind. 
In the first week of September, we went with two 
neighbors into our cornfield, where our men were 
cutting up corn, and caused 36 hills to be cut up, 
where we found them at work, which was of the 
fair average quality of the field, and stooked sepa¬ 
rately ; adjoining which 36 hills were topped, in the 
usual way ; and a third parcel of 36 hills, immedi¬ 
ately adjoining the last, was left to ripen upon the 
entire stock. On the 23d September we proceeded 
to pick, husk and weigh the corn on the several 
parcels. The result was as follows : 
No. 1, cutup, had 126 ears, which weighed 56i lbs. 
No. 2, topped, “ 127 “ “ 52 lbs. 2 oz. 
No. 3, standing, “ 125 “ “ 52 lbs. 10 oz. 
We found on trial, the same evening, that it re¬ 
quired 78 lbs. of ears to give a bushel of shelled 
corn. The field was planted at exactly three feet 
between the rows, and at about two feet four inches 
in the rows ; but assuming that the distance was 
three by two and a half feet, it would give to the 
acre 5,808 hills—and there probably was not 20 
hills deficient in five acres. Upon these data the 
product on an acre, under the different modes of har¬ 
vesting, would be as follows, omitting fractions : 
No. 1 would give 9,274 lbs. or 119 bushels. 
No. 2 “ 8,4091, “ 108 “ 
No. 3 “ 8,490 “ 109 “ 
Although the parcels selected were supposed to be 
similar, it was perceived, after the corn was gather¬ 
ed, that an apple tree, giving a shade 6 to 7 feet 
broad, stood in No. 3—the whole field being a 
young orchard—which undoubtedly had an influ¬ 
ence in lessening the product of that parcel—as it 
might reasonably have been expected to have ex¬ 
ceeded that of No. 1. 
In regard to the condition of the grain, of the dif¬ 
ferent parcels, that of No. 1, which had been cut 
up and stooked, was unquestionably best: it was 
dry, sound and bright; while much of Nos. 2 and 3, 
which had been topped, or left standing entire, had 
fallen upon the ground, was wet or mouldy, and 
some of it had actually grown. The difference in 
the fodder was still more palpably in favor of No. 1 
—it evidently exceeding in value either of the other 
parcels more than one half. 
Our neighbors, C. N. Bement and Sidney Chapin, 
were present, and assisted, in the cutting up, top¬ 
ping, picking, husking, weighing and examining, 
the several parcels, and have authorized us to say 
that they fully concur in the preceding statement. 
In our experiment of last year, the loss in topping, 
over cutting up, was found to be about six bushels; 
in the above detailed experiment it appears to be 
eleven bushels on the acre. It will also be observed. 
on referring to our former experiment, that the num¬ 
ber of ears, and the product, is less this than it was 
last year. This has been caused by the drought. 
None of the succors produced ears this year, though 
many produced them last year. 
This experiment confirms us in the opinion we 
have long entertained, that there is a prodigious 
waste, both in corn and forage, and we insist in la¬ 
bor also, in the still common practice of topping 
corn. And we again beg, that those who remain 
incredulous in the matter, will make the experiment, 
as we have repeatedly done, and satisfy themselves. 
Say there are 300,000 acres of corn cultivated in 
this state, and that the loss by topping is only five 
bushels to the acre, the aggregate loss would amount 
to 1,500,000 bushels, equal at least in value to one 
million of dollars annually, to say nothing of the 
loss in labor and forage. 
The cause of the topped corn having produced 
less than that which was cut up, although often 
stated, is here repeated : the topped corn" was de¬ 
prived of its elaborating organs—its lungs—the 
leaves above the grain, and of course received no 
farther accession of growth, or but very little ; 
while the corn cut up retained these organs, which 
continued to send down nourishment to the grain 
for some days through its green succulent stocks. 
Any farmer may satisly himself readily that leaves 
are indispensable to growth, by a simple and easy 
experiment:—let him pluck all the leaves from a 
fruit-bearing branch of the apple, plum, or other 
fruit tree, at any stage of growth of the fruit—and 
he will find that the fruit on such limb will neither 
grow nor mature its flavor where there are no leaves 
—though it may change its colour. 
Rohan Potato. 
A few tubers of this potato were introduced from 
France, in 1836. We have cultivated them two 
seasons, and feel justified in recommending them 
as a valuable acquisition in our husbandry— 
First, because their quality, for the table, will 
justify it. If not superior, they are good. The 
flesh is yellow, solid, and of good flavor. 
Secondly —because they admit of a great econo¬ 
my in seed—two eyes sufficing (and many of the 
tubers have thirty to forty eyes,) to plant a hill, and 
three or four bushels to plant an acre of ground. 
Thirdly —because they require comparatively lit¬ 
tle labor in harvesting—a man being able to dig 
thrice as many of them in a day as of ordinary 
kinds. The tubers are very large, one hundred and 
ten, of the largest of our crop, completely filling a 
flour barrel. Twenty seven bushels were dug in 
our presence in one hour, the tops being pulled, by 
one man, at moderate labor. 
Fourthly —because they yield an abundant crop. 
From 85 rods of ground we gathered 175 bushels, 
while our common cultivated kinds did not give us 
half a crop. One case has been stated to us, of a 
single potato producing a bushel, and another of its 
having produced a barrel, at harvest. 
This potato sends out laterals from the main stem, 
which grow to great length; and the roots which 
feed it, strike deep, are numerous and strong. 
Hence the ground in which they are to be planted, 
should be ploughed deep, and the hills should be 
placed widely apart, that the soil may acquire solar 
heat. We ought further to remark, that they should 
be planted early in our climate, as early as the 
ground is sufficiently warmed for their reception, as 
they seem to require the whole season to grow their 
large tubers and mature the crop. 
The principal growers of tills potato, we believe, 
are J. A. Thompson, Esq. of Catskill, who was one 
of the first to introduce them into our country, and 
C. N. Bement. It may supersede inquiry to state 
also, that the price at which the growers hold them, 
is $9 the barrel, or $3 the bushel. Our crop has 
been disposed of. They are sold by the Messrs. 
Thorburns, at Albany and New-York. 
The product of this potato, with Mr. Harger, 
(see correspondence) was 144 lbs. for 13 ounces of 
seed planted ; and we are informed by a gentleman 
from New-Haven, that some of his tubers were sold 
at the horticultural fair in that city at one dollar 
each! 
