206 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
The 1st of December, 1837,1 commenced in the same 
way, on the produce of four acres, (very heavy growth 
of the large Dutton,) except that I fed it to 20 two year 
olds. These had previously eaten no hay, and I in¬ 
structed my man to keep them rather close for the first 
few days, in order to induce them to clear their man¬ 
gers. In this I succeeded so completely, that at the end 
of feeding the stalks, I could say without hesitation, I 
did not believe, that of the whole supply, a pound to 
the ton had been wasted by rejection. From beginning to 
end, a single shovel full of leavings had not been re¬ 
moved from the mangers, and at the end, a shovel full 
could not have been obtained from them. These cattle 
were also allowed a little straw once a day in the yard. 
A short time previous to their commencing on the stalks, 
they were purchased in the neighborhood, at $17| per 
head. When they had finished them, some two months 
after, I could have readily sold the whole of them at 
$25 per head. Advance on their aggregate value, $150. 
I have not yet been laughed at for purchasing the Straw 
Cutter; and should I, by any accident, be deprived of 
the one I now have, I would run the risk of being 
laughed at, and pay $100 for another, could I not obtain 
it cheaper. I understand, however, that the price of the 
article is getting reduced, in which I very much rejoice, 
as I should like to see it introduced generally. 
I should have remarked before, that my stalks are 
uniformly cut at the ground, which practice of course I 
fully approve. The largest buts are cut 'without diffi¬ 
culty, and in no way injure the knives of the cutter.— 
These I have hitherto been under the necessity of sharp¬ 
ening no oftener than once in twelve months, though 
the amount of work done by them, in hay, straw and 
stalks, has amounted to not less than from ten to fifteen 
or twenty tons per year. To facilitate the operations 
of the machine, I annex to it a false apron for the pur¬ 
pose of receiving the stalks, the true one being of in¬ 
sufficient dimensions, and occasionally clear the spaces 
between the knives, with an instrument kept at hand for 
this purpose. 
Perhaps, from what has been advanced above, I may 
be thought by some to have a strong motive for recom¬ 
mending “ Green’s Straw Cutter.” I certainly have, sir; 
and an equally strong one for speaking in favor of any 
ether cutter that will do the same execution, and conse¬ 
quently afford the same profit to the owner. The only 
inducement I have to say a word in favor of any ma¬ 
chine of the kind, is to be found alone in the results of 
the above detailed experiments. 
Item Second—A great Enemy to Corn, 
as many a desolated field of the last season can bear me 
witness, is the cut worm, or black gruh. To prevent 
the depredations of this unwelcome visiter last spring, 
I caused each hill of my corn, immediately after plant¬ 
ing, to receive a common handful of good live ashes, and 
another immediately after weeding. This proved, how¬ 
ever, to present no obstacle to the progress of the ene¬ 
my, and I soon discovered that my whole field was more 
than decimated, and the work of destruction advancing 
briskly. I therefore ordered my men, as a last resort, 
to “ prepare for war”— to “ sharpen their finger ends,” 
and set at once about exhuming the marauders. For 
several days it seemed as if “ a whole procession came 
to each one’s funeral,” but at length victory wreathed 
the brow of perseverance; and the precaution having 
been taken to replace each foe dislodged with a suita¬ 
ble quantity of good seed corn, I soon had the pleasure 
to see my field restored, in a good measure, to its origi¬ 
nal order and beauty, there being seldom a vacancy in 
a piece of four acres. The latest planted came to matu¬ 
rity, (the white flint being the variety used for replant¬ 
ing.) and the produce of the field was estimated at 45 
bushels to the acre. Had I not pursued the course 
above indicated, I am confident that the average of the 
crop would not have exceeded 30 bushels to the acre.— 
By the process of “grubbing,” then, I secured an in¬ 
crease, in the produce of the four acres, of 60 bushels 
of good sound corn. The time consumed in the opera¬ 
tion was probably equal to about eight days. Eight 
times five Yankee shillings is $6.67. Sixty bushels of 
corn, at ninety cents per bushels, is $54. Difference, 
$47.33. From this deduct the further expenses of har- 
vesting, &c. &e. (not forgetting, however, that the stalks 
are worth something,) and there will still be left a re¬ 
mainder well worth pocketing by any small farmer. I 
would therefore recommend it to “ the profession,” 
whenever annoyed by the above-mentioned enemy, to 
“go and do likewise.” 
Item Third —“ Doctoring” Fruit Trees. 
Very often does it happen that a valuable young fruit 
tree is sacrificed for want of a little “ doctoring.” Some 
time in the latter part of June last, a street-running 
cow, through the inadvertence of a lad on the premises, 
gained admission, just at evening, into my fruit-yard. 
Attracted by the appearance of a fine Bolmer plum-tree, 
five years from the nursery, full of luxuriant foliage 
and young wood, and richly laden with its first offering 
of fruit, she made a rude attack upon it, broke it down 
to the ground, and before the mischief" got wind,” suc¬ 
ceeded in stripping it entirely of its young wood, one 
of its largest branches, and nearly all of its fruit. My 
vexation on discovering the accident was extreme. It 
was a favorite tree, and I had watched over its growth 
for years, with an unusual interest: it had now come 
forward into full bearing, and already had my “mouth 
watered” in anticipation of its exquisite fruit. But 
there lay my “ castle,” in pitiful ruins. I had no hope 
whatever of repairing the misfortune. So with a length 
of visage that bore no mean comparison with that of 
the lualfless cow, I turned me away to comfort myself 
as well as I could with that wonderful nostrum “What 
cannot be cured, must still be endured.” By the next 
morning, however, I had made up my mind to attempt a 
cure. “There is nothing like trying.” I accordingly 
commenced by examining the wound. The tree was 
broken quite down, about two inches from the ground, 
and all that held the root and stock (or “ soul and bo¬ 
dy”) together, was a thin slip of wood, not larger, to 
speak safely, than my smallest finger; and even from 
this, the baric was severed for nearly three inches. A 
pretty bad patient, surely; however, I proceeded, raised 
it up to a little more than a perpendicular position, and 
confined it firmly, in different directions, by several 
thongs, made fast to stakes which I had driven for the 
purpose. By placing the tree in this position, I bi ought 
the bark into the closest possible contact with the slip 
from which it had been dissevered; and by confining it 
thus in different directions, prevented the winds from 
racking and twisting it, and frustrating my intention of 
reuniting the parts. I next proceeded to lay over the 
entire fracture a thorough coating of grafting wax, to 
exclude the air, and finished the operation by raising a 
cone of fresh clay loam, to the height of eighteen inches 
about the stock, to avert the influence of the sun, not 
only from the wax, but also from that part of the stock 
contiguous to the wound. To my surprise, I discovered 
within a week, that it was putting forth fresh leaves 
and new wood. This it continued to do, and even to 
ripen a number of plums, which I had left upon its mu¬ 
tilated branches. At length, by the middle of October, 
I had the pleasure to see its new wood pushed, in nu¬ 
merous instances, to the length of six or eight inches, 
and to taste of its fruit completely matured. Having 
taken the further precaution to give it another good 
dressing of loam, I am now fully confident that it will 
outlive the winter, and another spring “go on its way 
rejoicing.” 
Item Fourth—A peep at Root Culture. 
On the 18th day of October last, I took from 108 feet 
of ground, in my garden, 7£ bushels, large measure, of 
mangold wurtzel, being at the rate of 3,025 bushels to 
the acre; and from 90 feet, four bushels of carrots, be¬ 
ing at the rate of 1,936 bushels to the acre. This teach¬ 
es me what I, J, K, or any body else, might do on a lar¬ 
ger scale. Respectfully, 
ASAHEL FOOTE. 
English Potato Oats. 
Having unexpectedly met with a small quantity of 
English Potato Oats, in Baltimore, (of which the Irish 
make their oat-meal bread,) and for which, I paid $3 
per bushel, I tried them on my land in Westmoreland, 
and realized a most surprising increase. The oats I 
obtained from my land, are far superior to any other in 
quality, quantity and straw. A friend of mine procured 
one gallon of the oats, sowed them in drills, on a very 
rich soil, and obtained about eight bushelsfrom the gallon, 
with an abundance of excellent straw. 
G. GLASCOCK. 
Westmoreland C. H. Va. Dec. 1838. 
Cultivation and Profits of Potatoes. 
Warren, Herkimer co. Dec. 26, 1838. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Sir—Being a constant reader ol your 
very valuable paper, I have noticed with thrilling inte¬ 
rest the various improvements and experiments which 
have been made in the different departments of agricul¬ 
ture, and I rejoice to see such a growing interest in ma¬ 
ny, to become more intimately acquainted with the best 
methods of cultivating the soil, as also erecting the most 
convenient buildings for housing its products, so that 
the business may not only become pleasant but profita¬ 
ble to those already engaged in it, but shall induce 
others to embark in the same healthy and pleasant busi¬ 
ness. That I might cast in my mite into the scale of 
valuable experiments already published, I have been 
induced to send you my experience of about twenty 
years, of the best method of cultivating that most valu¬ 
able root, the potato. When I say the most valuable, I 
mean as I say, especially in this region, I think it takes 
the preference of all. By this, I do not mean to despise 
any of the other varieties; they are all valuable in their 
place. 
My way of raising potatoes is to have, first, a good 
fence; then clear the land from stone, and either fall 
plough, or plough early jn spring, as soon as the frost 
is sufficiently out. Here I would remark, that very late 
fall ploughing is not as good, in general, after my man¬ 
ner of preparing land, as early spring ploughing, for this 
reason—whatever you turn in late in the fall, when the 
weather becomes cold, settles down in a hard state at 
bottom, and there remains dead, but not rotten, until it 
is turned up to the air. If I fall plough for the potato 
crop, or any other, where it is to be ploughed again in 
the spring, I choose to plough the fore part of Septem¬ 
ber, when the ground is yet warm, so that the process 
of decomposition of all the vegetable matter, may 
at least be commenced before cold weather; then when 
you turn it up in the spring, it is in a suitable state to 
be food for the plants. I am much pleased with the 
mode of keeping debt and credit with certain crops, and 
I shall take the liberty of sending you a statement of 
the profits from a piece of ground planted with potatoes; 
and herein your readers will see my manner of culti¬ 
vating the potato in full, which mode, as I said before, 
I have practised about twenty years, and shall continue 
to practice, until some of your numerous readers point 
out a better method, or I find out such, by actual expe¬ 
riment. If any of your readers should be willing to try 
the experiment, and will give the result in your valua¬ 
ble publication, I shall be richly paid for all my trou¬ 
ble:—• 
Potato Field, Dr. 
To 1| days ploughing first time,. $3 00 
To 1 day with team dragging,. J.. 2 00 
To 2 men, boy and team 2 days, drawing and 
spreading manure,...... 5 00 
To 70 loads long manure at 2s. 17 50 
To ploughing 2d time,. 2 00 
To 2 hands and team fitting ground and planting, 2 50 
To bushing, cultivating and ploughing, 1 horse,. 1 25 
To 2 days hoeing,..... 125 
To 7J days harvesting,.. 5 62 
Interest on land at $50 per acre, 1| acres,. 4 25 
$44 37 
Cr. ===== 
By 600 bushels potatoes at 25 cts.$150 00 
Deduct cost,... 44 37 
Profits,.$105 65 
This piece of ground, my neighbors tell me, had been 
under the plough ever since the land was cleared, say 
25 or 30 years, and was apparently completely exhaust¬ 
ed, or worn out, as some of my neighbors told me, and 
as the crop told previous to its coming into my posses¬ 
sion, five years last spring. I cleared off the stones, 
ploughed very deep, sowed with barley, without any 
manure, had a tolerable crop; seeded with clover and 
timothy, mowed it for hay, year after year, till last 
year, when I fall ploughed a part, and the rest early in 
spring, let it lay till some time in May, then harrowed 
it thoroughly, then drew on my manure, spread it 
and ploughed it in; then dragged the ground until well pul¬ 
verized then about the first of June, planted. My me¬ 
thod is first to take my corn marker, with three teeth, 
two feet eight or ten inches apart, mark the ground one 
way, so that the rows may not only be straight, but all 
at one exact distance, then furrow with a light plough 
m the same marks, then take my marker and cross the 
furrows, so that every hill stands at an exact distance. 
When the ground is thus prepared, commence dropping 
the potatoes the same way the ground is furrowed, ob¬ 
serving the cross marks, so that the rows are straight 
both ways, at the same time treading on every potato, 
to prevent them being removed out of the place by the 
horses; after two or three rows are dropped, I take my 
team and plough and commence covering, by turning a 
furrow each way on to the potatoes; in this way, two of us 
with one team, furrowed and cross marked, dropped and 
covered, the 1 j acres I have described, in one day, tak¬ 
ing all the potatoes at the same time from the cellar.— 
Here I would remark, by the by, that land that lies 
high and dry we calculate to furrow to about half the 
depth of soil broken up; but on flat land that lies ra¬ 
ther low, furrow very shallow. In this way of planting, 
there are several advantages over that of covering with 
a hoe; first, the labor is much less; secondly, you stir 
all the ground; thirdly, you cover them much better; 
fourthly, you throw all the soil and manure on the 
rows, and fifthly, if your ground is wet, these furrows 
receive all the surplus water, and leave the hills dry.— 
In this way we have never suffered any loss ■when we 
have planted on flat low ground, while I have known 
many of my neighbors suffer very much by having their 
potatoes immersed in water, and rot in the ground.— 
Another advantage over that of covering with a hoe is, 
in after tillage, when covered with a hoe, there is no 
way of cleaning the hills from weeds but with a hand 
hoe; but in our way, you will observe, there is a ridge 
thrown over the row, and just before the potato shoots 
through the ground, we take a good heavy bush and 
cross the ridges, which sweeps off every vestige of weeds, 
grass, small stones or lumps of earth, and drops them 
in the furrows between the rows, leaving the hills per¬ 
fectly clean, and at the same time leaving the ground 
light and mellow. As soon as the potatoes are up, so 
that we can follow the rows, we ,cross the rows with a 
cultivator, or, if destitute of one, take a one horse plough 
and go as near the potato as possible, without disturb¬ 
ing it, so that the ground may be kept light and mellow; 
after six or eight days, we go through with the same 
process the other way; after six or eight days more, we 
take our two mould-board plough, or horse hoe, as 
some call it, and go one furrow in a row, or between the 
rows, leaving them thus till the potatoes are of a suitable 
size for earthing for the last time, and this must be done 
before the tops begin to fall, or set for blossoms; then 
we go through the other way with the plough for the 
last time, and the tilling is about accomplished. We 
generallv go over them lightly with a hand hoe, but this 
part of the labor is soon accomplished. In our field, 
this year, we left threerows withoutusinga hand hoe at 
all, either in planting, or hoeing for an experiment, and 
when harvesting, we dug two of the rows where the hand 
hoe was not used, and two of the others adjoining, measur¬ 
ed them exact, and found there was no difference per¬ 
ceivable, except in a few hills falling a little short, in 
consequence, as I suppose, of laying through a small 
piece of quack grass. On the whole, however, we think 
it best to go over the ground with a hand hoe, and just 
haul up the earth from each side of the hill lightly, 
leaving it flat and broad, so that the potatoes may have 
all the advantage of dews and light showers. The 
manner in which some hill their potatoes, we think very 
injurious; in some seasons, the earth being thrown up 
in the form of a coal-pit, such as we used to make when 
we were boys, very sharp at top, gathering the tops or 
vines into a small compass, and thereby retarding their 
