THE CULTIVATOR. 
157 
experience of the past season sustains its superiority, 
so far as a single experiment goes, but I do hope 
that through the medium of your invaluable paper 
the agricultural public will be furnished with suffi¬ 
cient data to form a correct opinion on this deeply 
interesting subject. With a market commanding 
two dollars a bushel for the best of wheat, and ten 
dollars a barrel for best of flour, shall it be consi¬ 
dered obtrusive to urge the wheat crop upon the 
farmers’ notice ? Shall I be contradicted when I 
say that rust and smut have been for nearly half a 
century the greatest enemies of the wheat crop ? 
And will you impeach my motives (whilst you have 
not distrusted my statement,) when I tell you that 
in my four years’ experience it has resisted both 
perfectly ? Far be it from me to consider the ques¬ 
tion as having been settled by the experience of any 
one individual for a few seasons, but in the absence 
of other and better testimony let it have its due 
weight. Respectfully yours, 
THOMAS GOODSELL. 
The ears are not well filled this season, in either 
the Siberian or Italian. As we have not thrashed, I 
am unable to say what will be the comparative 
yield per shock, or per acre. 
Italian and Siberian Wheat—Dutton Corn. 
Harmony, Mugust 14 th, 1838. 
Dear Sir —I procured from Oneida county the 
Italian and Siberian wheat: the Italian did the best. 
This season, I procured the early yellow Dutton corn, 
a sufficient quantity to plant three acres : it proves 
to be the earliest, and most beautiful corn I ever 
saw. I have raised 150 bushels for seed, which, I 
think, will be insufficient to supply the wants in this 
vicinity. Yours truly, 
EDMUND WELLS. 
A Profitable Mixed Crop. 
Middletown, Monmouth Co. N. J. Oct. 11. 
Mr. Buel—E xcuse me for troubling you with a 
few questions. Is the smut on maize of the same na¬ 
ture and habit as the smut on wheat ? Does the smut 
adhere to the grain, and being absorbed by the plant, 
and circulating through the sap, produce the disease ? 
And do you think the same steeps, used successfully 
for wheat, will destroy the smut on seed corn ? I 
have been in the habit of selecting seed corn whilst 
gathering, and leaving some husk on, and tying it 
for a mark, and throwing it in the wagon with the 
others, and assorting it at the crib. Some of the 
smutty corn being thrown in the wagon likewise, 
impregnates all my seed corn. 
I have been in the habit of using fish as a ma¬ 
nure, with advantage. Now I have heard it asserted 
that in New-England, where they have used them 
many years, they have at length rendered the land 
barren and unproductive. Some intelligent men 
with whom I have conversed on the subject, think 
it not improbable that by the continued use of them, 
the ground becomes saturated with oil and forms an 
indecomposable substance, similar to oil paints. 
What is your opinion in regard to it? Will some 
of your readers, who know any of the facts in re¬ 
gard to their long continued use, publish that 
knowledge through your columns ? By so doing 
they will oblige me and others of your readers. 
I have some land that I wish to under-drain : but 
at the depth of eighteen inches it is, in many places, 
a loose quicksand. Will not the quicksand fill up 
the drain? How will slabs do for under-drains? 
Will they rot very fast where they are continually 
wet? 
I have been successful in raising a large crop 
from a small piece of ground; perhaps it may be 
useful to state the circumstances. Watermelons 
having been an uncertain crop, for several seasons 
past, I determined last spring to plant potatoes 
amongst mine, so as to be sure of part of a crop. 
I struck it out both ways eight feet apart for melons, 
and then split the intermediate spaces both ways for 
potatoes, (making the hills four feet apart,) which I 
planted early, putting one large shovel full of ma¬ 
nure in the potato hills, and three in the melon hills, 
and afterwards put three fish to a hill. The drought 
hurt the potatoes, but benefitted the melons. The 
piece contained three acres, and produced as fol¬ 
lows, viz : 
The watermelons, 47 loads, sold for $352 25 
potatoes, 207 loads, sold for 120 37 
3)472 62 
Total per acre,... 157 54 
From your constant reader, 
THOMAS ROBERTS, Jr. 
Remarks —We have not made any observations m regard 
to the smut in Indian corn—nor seen any remarks of others; 
and of course do not feel qualified to answer the inquiries of 
our correspondent in this matter. Quicksand is a serious ob¬ 
stacle to encounter in draining; yet this obstacle, we think, 
may bo overcome, where there is a moderate descent, and a 
continued run of water, by covering the drain well with sods 
or straw. Slabs area worthless material for drains. 4he 
suggestion that the use offish, in manuring lands, ultimately 
impoverishes them, is new to us; and if such be the case, 
which we very much question, it must, be by accelerating 
the decomposition and exhaustion of the vegetable matter in 
the soil. The decay of the latter, particularly when fibrous 
or woody, is slow; but when brought in contact with animal 
matter, as fish, which ferments rapidly, its decomposition 
may be greatly accelerated. But even in this case, nothing 
w'ould seem to be lost, as the first crops gain what the later 
ones lose.— Cond Cult. 
The Crops. 
Black-Rock, Sept. 16, 1838. 
After all, our boasted wheat crop in west New- 
York is a small affair. I am told, on threshing, 
our farmers have not more than half the quantity 
they expected at harvest. And although the Ohio 
and Michigan crop is good, it will be so late to 
market, that flour will be high through the season. 
Indeed, pretty much all the mills of the country, ex¬ 
cepting those at Black Rock [and at Oswego and 
Rochester] are dry. These cannot fail so jong as 
Lake Erie holds out. The drought with us is terri¬ 
ble. No rain for several weeks; and indeed only 
half a dozen light showers since the 1st of June. 
How the country stands it so well I don’t know ; 
yet cattle look well, although the pastures are dry 
and perfectly parched up. Many of our meadows 
have been burnt over. Oats are light; potatoes not 
half a crop—turnips nothing; sugar beets and car¬ 
rots good. Ruta bagas cannot be depended on— 
they are so subject to fly and insects—wet seasons 
only do for them with us. Hay was a good crop. 
I fear our cattle will go into winter quarters poor. 
And if the drought continues, it will be very diffi¬ 
cult to plough for a large wheat sowing this fall, so 
hard and dry is the ground. L. F. A. 
Chinese Corn. 
Hallet’s Cove, L.I. Sept. 21, 1838. 
Mr. Jesse Buel —Sir—I send you four ears of 
the Chinese tall prolific or tree corn (a few grains of 
which were found in a box of tea some three years 
ago,) which was given me by a gentleman. It is a 
new variety, as it strikes off in branches from the 
stalk, hence its name “ Tree Corn;” sometimes 
four, but seldom less than three branches, and bear¬ 
ing an ear at the end of each branch. It grows 
from eight to ten feet high, produces abundance of 
fodder, and is a large white flint twelve rowed corn 
—ears from ten to fourteen inches long. I counted 
six hundred and sixty grains on some ears. I plant¬ 
ed this corn on the 10th of May; it had ears fit for 
boiling the 10th of July; its produce was much 
curtailed by the long drought—but notwithstanding, 
I counted two thousand one hundred and twenty 
grains, the produce of one stalk, being upward of 
two thousand fold. The Dutton, (which is an ex¬ 
cellent corn) planted on the same day, on the same 
field, and received the same quantity of manure, 
cross-ploughing and hoeing, did not produce one- 
half : my patch about two hundred hills was exam¬ 
ined by Mr. A. Polhemus of Hurlgate-farm, and 
many more of our neighbors, who all agree that it 
was something new, and something very superior. 
This corn is for sale at the store of G. C. Thor- 
bum, 11 John-street, New-York, and at William 
Thorburn’s, North Market-street, Albany; the price 
is 25 cenfs an ear. One ear will plant one hundred 
hills. Now if there is a farmer between Maine and 
the Rocky-mountains, who would rather give two 
shillings for two gills of brandy, in preference of 
his being put in possession of seed for one hundred 
hills of such corn—he deserves to be fed on sup- 
paan and butter-milk, as long as his little soul and 
big: carcass will hang together. Yours, 
GRANT THORBURN. 
We received the four ears oi corn accompanying the above 
letter, and thank our old friend for the compliment; we hope 
this new variety may realize his most sanguine expectations. 
— Cond. Cult. 
Common School Libraries. 
New-Rochelle, Sept. 26, 1838. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Dear Sir—I have just seen the 
August No. of the Cultivator, and am gratified to 
notice that you advocate the formation of agricultu¬ 
ral schools, and adoption of measures by govern¬ 
ment to advance the science, and give additional 
interest to the practical pursuit of this interesting 
occupation, by better acquaintance with the theory. 
You do not over-estimate the subject, and I trust 
the day is not distant when state authorities will be¬ 
stow attention upon it, and adopt such measures as 
shall tend to make us an agricultural as well as a 
commercial and manufacturing people. Then shall 
we begin to realize the blessings with which a be¬ 
neficent Providnece has surrounded us in the diver¬ 
sified soil and climate of our favored country. 
But the more particular object I have in this com¬ 
munication is, to correct the impressions you en¬ 
tertain in relation to the school library, recently is¬ 
sued under the direction of the American society 
for the diffusion of useful knowledge. It is admit¬ 
ted that the fifty volumes do not embrace all the to¬ 
pics of general interest, that the committee were 
desirous they should ; and which in their published 
prospectus they designed to introduce ; but the re¬ 
peated calls upon them “as stated in the introduc¬ 
tion to each volume, induced them to issue a selec¬ 
tion from existing publications, while they go on as 
fast as possible to complete the plan.” 
You will understand from the accompanying do¬ 
cuments, the general objects of the society, and how 
prominent a place the subject of agriculture had in 
the proposed library for schools, independent of one 
designed to be issued expressly for the farmer 
whenever the committee shall receive the necessary 
materials, prepared and adapted to the genius and 
character of our own country, by practical and scien¬ 
tific men. The difficulties under which the com¬ 
mittee have labored can well be compared to the 
magnitude of the undertaking. At a time when all 
our citizens were engrossed in their own occupa¬ 
tions, and when few had sufficient resources to meet 
their daily engagements, the committee have gone 
on with their work, without seeking the pecuniary 
assistance of the community, and have prepared, 
principally of standard works, a library for our 
schools, which has found favor wherever it has been 
examined, and which I think must commend itself 
to you. Even when those books shall be included, 
which the committee promise to add when materi¬ 
als shall be found, and their means be sufficient, the 
present selection ought to have a place in the libra¬ 
ry. You are aware of the time, labor and means 
necessary to prepare a set of books on any given 
subject, properly adapted to a specific object. How 
difficult then must be the task of preparing a sys¬ 
tematic series of books on agriculture, suited to our 
soil and climate, when the subject, as you admit, 
has been so much neglected ? Must we, therefore, 
withhold all aliment from the minds now maturing 
in our common schools ? 
The committee do not pretend that the library is 
by any means complete, but that it is in itself unob¬ 
jectionable. The undertaking is one of national 
importance, in which you and other philanthropists 
may engage, and by a united and wide spread co¬ 
operation make this library as comprehensive and 
useful to the rising population, as the territory over 
which they wish it to diffuse an influence, is vast 
and extensive. 
A WESTCHESTER FARMER. 
Making and Fining Cider. 
Ballston, September 20, 183S. 
Dear Sir—A greeable to my promise, I send 
you an account of my process of making cider. 
I grind my apples after they have become mel¬ 
low, carefully throwing out all that are defective. 
I stir up my pomace till it becomes red from the 
action of the air ; then press out the juice slowly— 
put it in casks—bung it up—and immediately place 
it in the cellar. Before the fermentation commences, 
I insert a flexible tube (lead pipe I have used) 
through the bung, and bend the other end into a cup 
of water or cider placed on the cask near the bung, 
to allow the carbonic acid gas to escape, and to 
prevent the oxygen of the air from decomposing the 
saccharine matter. So soon as the gas ceases bub¬ 
bling through the cup, the fermentation has ceased ; 
it is then drawn off into clean casks, bunged tight 
and placed in a cool dark cellar, where it will con¬ 
tinue sweet for any length of time. The advantage 
of this process is, that you preserve the juice per¬ 
fectly sweet, and you are more sure to draw it off 
at the right moment after fermentation has ceased. 
I place it in the cellar to ferment, because the tem¬ 
perature is more uniform, and it is not so liable to 
be agitated by sudden gusts of air or disturbed by 
other causes. When fermenting, the lighter parti¬ 
cles of pomace are rising, the more heavy settling; 
and the least touch of the cask will disturb the ope¬ 
ration. I use no ingredient ivhatever to make my 
cider good or to preserve it; and I almost invaria¬ 
bly have it of the purest and best quality. Yours 
most respectfully, W. G. YERPLANCK. 
The Wheat Maggot. 
New-Scotland, October 9, 1838. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Sir—In the October number of 
the Cultivator you ask for information respecting an 
insect or worm, which preys upon the wheat crop 
after it has ripened. I will describe a destroyer 
which I have seen, which may or may not be the 
one you allude to. I had five acres of winter wheat 
on a dry gravelly soil in the summer of 1832, and 
a few days previous to cutting it, I rubbed in my 
hand one of the heads, and among the kernels I dis¬ 
covered a greyish worm, about one-eighth of an 
inch in length, and about the thickness of a cam¬ 
bric needle : it appeared brisk and active, and, 
