16 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
pils, at 3610 ($44) per annum for each. “ The im¬ 
portance of the system brought into operation at 
Templemoyle,” says the writer whom we quote, 
“strikes us as being so vast, that questions of a 
party nature, however exciting for the time they 
be, sink into utter insignificance when compared 
with a principle so solid, and so essential to the well 
being of the country, as one which comprises the 
agricultural and liberal education of the farming 
classes.” The exhibition was attended by a great 
concourse of the most highly respectable people ; 
and the examination was conducted by competent 
gentlemen in the different departments of istruc- 
tion. The boys that had been more than six months 
at the school were examined by James Anderson, 
Esq. in the presence of some of the first agricultur¬ 
ists of the country. The questions embraced the 
whole theory and practice of agriculture,—the use 
of the instruments of husbandry, the best methods 
of draining land, the laying out of ridges and wa¬ 
ter furrows, the management of horses and cattle, 
the different modes of cultivating the several crops, 
with the most approved rotation of each, &c. &c. 
The answei’s gave high satisfaction. Capt. Portland 
examined a class in botany, “ and we question 
much,” says the report, “ if among the sons and 
daughters of the wealthy and learned, would such 
intimate knowledge of an abstruse and technical 
science be exhibited.” 
When shall we enjoy the pleasure of witnessing 
the examination of an agricultural school in New- 
York? There are thousands of parents who would 
like to avail themselves of the advantages of such a 
school for their sons, but there are few,very few, seem¬ 
ingly, who are willing to come forward to assist 
to establish one, for the benefit of their sons or 
their countiy. We might possess all the advanta¬ 
ges of such a school in a few months, if ten gentle¬ 
men of influence would embark spiritedly in the 
enterprize. We have a law of incorporation; we 
have a quarter of the requisite sum subscribed, 
to put a school in operation, on a liberal and en¬ 
lightened scale—but as it can furnish no political 
capital, and cannot be made a matter of speculation, 
it lacks the popular incentives to favor and patron¬ 
age. ___ . 
The Smithsonian Bequest. 
A Mr. Smithson, who it is said, was a natural son 
of the Duke of Northumberland, a gentleman of li¬ 
beral education, a traveller and a bachelor, who died 
some time since at Genoa, left his entire estate— for the 
diffusion of useful knoweldge among mankind, and left 
it to the wisdom of Congress to apply the avails. Mr. 
Rush has brought from England, $508,318.46, which 
has been paid into the national treasury, and most of 
it vested in productive stocks. The question is now 
before a committee of Congress, how this money shall 
he expended. Among other plans of appropriating- 
it beneficially, one has been submitted for applying a 
part of it to the establisment of a national school of 
agriculture, near the seat of government, a plan and 
estimate of which has been submitted to the commit¬ 
tee, by C. L. Fleischmann, a graduate of the royal 
agricultural school of Bavaria. The project is a no¬ 
ble one, and we hope it will be adopted. And yet we 
fear the the contemplated location is a bad one. We 
doubt if practical agriculture can be taught well, 
where agricultural labor is considered rather a servile 
employment. We think the south would prefer to 
send her sons farther north for an agricultural educa¬ 
tion ; and that the north would not like, for a like pur¬ 
pose, to send hers so far south. 
Wool Statistics of Vermont. 
Vermont is peculiarly adapted to grass husbandry, 
and to the culture of the grains and roots for feeding 
and fattening farm stock. Being mostly of primitive 
formation, there is not lime enough in the soil to ren- 
der the wheat culture profitable. Indian corn is lia¬ 
ble to be injured by the early and late frosts. The 
oat, the potato, the ruta baga, and we doubt not the 
beet, do well; but the herbage, and pasture, are pecu¬ 
liarly rich and abundant. Her hills, and even her 
mountains, afford an appropriate range to cattle and 
sheep ; and these, it seems, and particularly the lat¬ 
ter, have for some time, attracted the attention, and 
very properly too, of her farming community. 
It appears from the statement of Henry Stevens, 
made at the Caledonia cattle fair, in September last, 
that the whole number of sheep in the state in 1837, 
amounted to 1,166,234; that if averaging >he fleeces 
at 21 lbs. each, the aggregate would be 2,915,385 lbs. 
of wool; that there being 300,000 inhabitants in the 
state, and estimating that each requires, for all pur¬ 
poses, nine pounds annually, the surplus produced in 
the state, over and above the wants of her popula- 
lation, is 215,585 lbs. But Mr. S. goes on to state, 
that Vermont having no manufactures at home, sells 
her wool to the manufacturers of other states, and 
purchases her woollen goods in return, either of do¬ 
mestic or foreign fabrication, and pays for them, in the 
charges of collecting and sending her wool abroad, 
in converting it into manufactured goods, and in bring¬ 
ing them back into the state, sixty cents per pound 
over the prime cost of the wool, or in the aggregate, 
$1,600,000. Mr. Stevens argues from these premi¬ 
ses, that Vermont ought to establish her own manu¬ 
factories, for which she has capital, abundant water 
privileges, and all the materials for constructing them. 
There is no doubt but the suggestion is a wise one, 
though the benefit would not be to the extent stated. 
Were the wool manufactured in the state, the fabrics 
would be principally sold in Boston and New-York, 
and brought hack by the retail vender. The manu¬ 
facturer could not wait the tardy returns from the lo¬ 
cal market; the merchant would contrive to make 
his purchases at the great depots, and even the con¬ 
sumers, such is the force of habit, would buy them 
the more readily by their being denominated boughten 
goods. 
New Agricultural Journals. 
The Boston Cultivator, has been commenced at 
Boston, by Mr. Buckingham, one quarter part of 
which is to be devoted to agriculture. 
The Farmer's Monthly Visitor has beem commenc¬ 
ed at Concord, N. H., by Isaac Hill, formerly editor 
of the New Hampshire Patriot, and subsequently se¬ 
nator in congress and governor of the state. 
In our young days, while conducting a political 
journal,—and by the bye, political journals were then 
less abusive, if not more tolerant, we think, than they 
are now—we received in exchange, the Albany Re¬ 
gister, published by S. Southwick, the Balance, pub¬ 
lished by H. Croswell, and the New-Hampshire Patri¬ 
ot, published by I. Hill, all then distinguished political 
journals. These gentleman are all now engaged in 
other, and we believe better employments—in im- 
proveing the moral, social and agricultural condition 
of their country; and may success and happiness 
crown their labors; and may others, seeing their 
good works, profit by their example. 
We hail the increased circulation of agricultural 
journals as highly auspicious to the best interests of 
our country. Were their circulation increased fifty 
fold, the country would be proportionally benefitted. 
Our system of husbandry in the main has been 
wretchedly bad. It has greatly deteriorated the old 
settled portions of our continent, and is rapidly ex¬ 
hausting the virgin fertility of the west. These agri¬ 
cultural periodicals are calculated to arrest our down¬ 
hill course—to expose the errors of our practice, to in¬ 
troduce improvement, and to elevate the character 
and standing of this great business of our nation. 
They will produce a benign effect wherever they 
circulate, and it is the interest of all to endeavor to 
extend the sphere of their usefulness. 
Editorial Pilfering hy Wholesale. 
We have just received the entire first volume of the 
“ Ohio Cultivator,” published at Belmont, Ohio, by 
Thos. S. Reid, comprising 160 pages 4to. On run¬ 
ning over the pages, we find that the editor has filled 
thirty-two of them entirely, and to the amount of five 
or six more in parcels, making nearly one quarter of 
the entire volume, with matter which was first pub¬ 
lished in our paper—either written by the Conductor 
or his correspondents—and which justice, as well as 
the universal practice of editors, entitle us to credit 
f or — without intimailng that it originated in our paper! 
If the editor is an old man, he ought to know better, 
and do better. If he is a young man we hope he will 
learn, that “honesty is the best policy,” the world 
over. We know of but one excuse—and that is, that 
the Ohio Cultivator may claim to be a legitimate child 
of the Cultivator at Albany—and justify itself upon 
the principle, that what belongs to the father belongs 
to the son. Be the fact what it may, we forgive the 
past, and hope, for the credit of the name, that we 
shall not have cause to repeat our admonition. 
Agricultural Items. 
A Steam Plough, of a very peculiar construction, has 
been invented in France, with which it is said four miles 
of ground can be excavated, with an engine of only 
eight horse power, to the depth of a foot, and the breadth 
of two feet, in a single hour. _ The earth as it is turned 
up is thrown into a sort of sail, which throws it to a dis¬ 
tance of sixty feet. Its particular advantage is in the 
excavation of canals— Farmers’ Magazine. 
Beet Sugar Manufactories. —Bavaria, with a popula¬ 
tion of a little more than three millions, has eighty-nine 
beet sugar manufactories in full operation, and many 
more ready to commence. 
Bone Manure. —In a circuit of ten or fifteen miles 
round Driffield, in Yorkshire, says the Farmers’ Maga¬ 
zine, three to four thousand tons of bones are brought 
yearly from Hull, as manure, and this independent of a 
considerable quantity obtained from the mills at Bever¬ 
ly and Malton. Bones are imported into England from 
Russia, Sweden and South America. A bone mill has 
been erected at Waterford, Saratoga county. 
The Turnip Fly, although one of the smallest, is yet 
one of the most destructive foes to British husbandry. 
The British societies have offered many premiums, and 
awarded several, for preventives to its ravages, but all 
to little purpose. At length a patent has been taken 
out for a machine which it is confidently affirmed will 
destroy not only the turnip fly, but other insects and their 
eggs deposited on the surface—by means of steam! A 
boiler, to generate steam, is mounted on a small pair of 
wheels to be drawn between the rows. The steam pas¬ 
ses through a pipe behind the boiler, into flat conductors 
which extend along the vacant space between the rows 
of turnips, and nearly touch the surface of the soil, so 
that a perpetual strong jet of steam is discharged against 
the surface of the ground, which it is said effectually 
destroys the fly in a chrysalis state, as well as the flies 
themselves, who it is generally believed, throw them¬ 
selves down off the turnips as soon as they are disturb¬ 
ed by any movement of the plant. 
Short Horned Cattle, seem to retain their former large 
prices in England. Extensive sales of large herds are 
recorded in the Farmers’ Magazine. The average prices 
of cows, heifers and bull calves are from forty to fifty 
guineas, and some choice cows and bulls have sold as 
high as 100, 200 and 230 guineas each. The guinea is 
a little less than five dollars. 
Spade Husbandry. —A notable illustration of the ad¬ 
vantages of spade husbandry was shown to the Derby¬ 
shire Agricultural Society in October, by C. Pole, Esq. 
Wheat grown on land dug, and an adjoining piece of 
like quality which had been worked by the plough. 
The ears on the dug piece were longer, by at least an 
inch, than on the ploughed, and the product greatly su¬ 
perior. Mr. Pole estimated the product on six acres of 
dug ground to be worth £207, while that on the plough¬ 
ed—32 bushels per acre—would be but £12 0, leaving a 
balance in favor of the former, after deducting £18 for 
digging, of£69—$306.36, or 51 dollars an acre. 
Notices of Correspondence. 
Rockwell’s Corn Planter. —See advertisement in last 
number. This machine plants two rows at a time, at 
any required distance, and any required number of ker¬ 
nels in a hill. It makes the furrows, drops the seed, co¬ 
vers it and rolls the ground at one operation, propelled 
by a horse and guided by a man. It was exhibited at 
the fair of the American Institute; since which the 
price has been reduced from fifty to thirty dollars. It is 
said to be simple in its construction; easily taken apart 
and again united, and is packed for transportation in 
a box of fivefeet by twelve and a half inches, and 
eighteen inches deep. Address D. S. & F. A. Rock¬ 
well, Ridgefield, Ct. 
Oil-Cake —“ A new subscriber ,” inquires as to the va¬ 
lue of oil-cake, the mode of using it, &c. We have had 
but little experience in the matter; yet we know it is 
extensively used in Britain in fattening cattle and sheep 
•—lar'ge quantities being annually imported from Hol¬ 
land and other parts of the continent for this purpose; 
and that it is also used in the United States for the like 
purpose. It cost us, some years ago, ten dollars a ton. 
We do not know the present price. It is a valuable 
auxiliary in fattening caitle and sheep, and was worth 
all we paid for it; though the flesh it adds to the animal 
is rather gross, or of inferior quality. It is given to ani¬ 
mals in three ways—ground to powder, broken into 
small pieces, or reduced by water to a jelly. The first 
mode is the most common, though we think the last 
most serviceable. It is fed with roots, hay, &c. in about 
the same quantities as corn meal. 
Improvement by selecting Seed. —George P. Frost, of 
Ithica, Tompkins, has sent us two samples of very large 
corn, Tuscarora and Sweet Corn, which he says he has 
greatly improved in size, by carefully selecting the seed 
for some years. “I have succeeded in enlarging the 
grains of the Tuscarora,” he writes, “to nearly double 
the ordinary size, and I think the sweet corn is three 
times as large as the grains used to be, and both still re¬ 
tain all their former sweetness and richness for table 
use.” Mr. Frost’s closing request shall be complied 
with, and he may compensate us by sending us a larger 
sample of his improved corn in the spring. 
The Brussa Mulberry. —Mr. Abraham Marsh, of Tol¬ 
land, Ct. has propounded to us several queries in rela¬ 
tion to this species, or variety of the mulberry. Until 
experience shall enable us to speak with more certain¬ 
ty upon this subject, we must refer Mr. M. to the re¬ 
marks upon it in our January number, page 188. 
More Insect Enemies. —Daniel Andrews, of Meadville, 
Crawford county, Pa. writes, that, “ insects nearly ate up 
or destroyed much of the last summer’s crop. One kind 
got in the wheat, when nearly ripe, and was threshed 
out in pecks. At times and places, another kind were 
seen travelling in thousands across the roads to buck 
wheat fields, which in some parts were wholly destroy¬ 
ed by them. Another kind attacked the cabbage, at the 
root and on the leaf. At the roots of some plants, there 
would be thousands not much larger than pin heads; 
and the only resort was to get a hen and chickens 
among them.” 
The Pea Bug. —The habits of this bug are too well 
known to need a description wherever they have ap¬ 
peared. But as there are many districts which have not 
been visited by them, it may be well to remark, that as 
soon as the pea begins to form, the perfect insect punc¬ 
tures through the pod, and deposites the egg or the 
young in the pea, which feeds upon the pea, grows and 
matures, and comes forth the next spring a winged in¬ 
sect. The maggot is in the green pea when it is served 
up at table, but the great injury to the crop occurs after 
it is gathered—the insect consuming a great portion of 
the interior. Mr. Jason Smith, of Tyre, in this state, 
