44 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
to learn from you your opinion as to the difference or 
identity of the wheat worm of the east and the west.* 
I have seen in some of the newspapers, an account of 
several horses being killed at Malone, on the farm of 
a Mr. Sabin, by his allowing them to feed freely on 
turnips partially heated and rotted in the pits, from 
want of ventilation; and the inference is drawn, that 
though excellent for cattle and sheep, they are unfit or 
poisonous for horses. This I think is an error. For 
several years past I have been in the habit of having 
them fed to horses, as daily food in the winter and 
spring; and some of my neighbors have also used them 
extensively for this purpose, and without the slightest 
injurious effect in any case that I have been able to 
learn. Spoiled turnips, like spoiled potatoes or rotted 
grain, may acquire deleterious properties, and should 
not be fed to animals; but I think no farmer need be 
apprehensive of injury in feeding sound roots to any 
animal whatever. 
I have read with much interest, the brief account of 
the meeting of the State Agricultural Society that has 
appeared in the papers, and shall look with interest for 
the report in a more detailed form. What we wish is, 
to excite a proper sense of the importance of agricul¬ 
ture, among those in high places, and then we may ex¬ 
pect that something will be done for its advancement, in 
the establishment and endowment of agricultural schools, 
and county societies. Agriculture is clearly the grand 
interest of this state, and in all the legislation concern¬ 
ing it, should be so viewed. I cannot think the present 
session will pass, without some proper and useful action 
on the points most interesting to the cultivator of the 
soil. I have been led to hope much from the domestic 
production of silk; and hope to see such encouragement 
offered as shall cause its advance, if possible, in this 
way. As a people, we are given to humbugs, and the 
short horn and mulberry speculations will, a few years 
hence, be looked upon, not the least magnificent of the 
class. Both are very valuable, both are deserving of 
extensive introduction, but the order of nature must be 
reversed before the present state of things, so far as the 
Durham and multicaulis are concerned, can long conti¬ 
nue. Yours, &c. WILLIS GAYLORD. 
Farming in East Maryland. 
Smyrna, ( Md .) February 19 th, 1839 
Hon. J. Buel —While writing on business, I will say 
a word of our country between the Delaware and Che¬ 
sapeake Bays. The system of agriculture heretofore 
has been ruinous to the land. It was get all you can, 
and make little or no return to it; but for the last eight 
or ten years, our farmers appear to be convinced of 
their former errors, and are giving their attention to 
the improvement of their lands; and the effect is, our 
country is fast changing for the better—lands are going 
up in price, although now, farms with good improve¬ 
ments, can be bought at from $10 to $20 per acre. I 
have travelled through the western states, and Iowa, 
and Wisconsin territories, and as far south as Missouri, 
and I am satisfied from two tours through that coun¬ 
try, and from all the information I could get, that bet¬ 
ter investments can be made in land on the peninsula, 
between the two bays, than can be made in any of the 
western states. Our immediate vicinity to the Balti¬ 
more, Philadelphia and New-York markets, the freights 
being from five to six cents per bushel, and nineteen 
out of twenty farms being within five or six miles of 
tide water, must always give us an advantage over 
those remote sections. And again, the high price o! 
labor is a great drawback in that country; and if we 
cannot make as many bushels per acre as they can 
there, we can make as many dollars clear per acre; 
for I am convinced that every dollar we lay out on our 
land, nine times out of ten we get paid back in the 
first crop, and our land is increased in value. A few 
years past, I purchased some poor worn out land near 
this place, that would not bring ten bushels of corn to 
the acre ; and I have improved it, principally, from the 
resources and products of the land. I had a lot of 2| 
acres and 8 rods enclosed, which was in clover in 1836. 
I cut the clover twice in 1836 ; in October of that year, 
I covered it with about 130 one horse loads of cow and 
horse yard manure, and flushed it under in the fall of 
1836 ; and in the spring of 1837 flushed again, and plant¬ 
ed it in corn; the rows seven feet apart—dropped, as 
near as we could, two feet apart; left two stocks in a 
hill; and a row of potatoes between each row of corn. 
In the fall of 1837, we got 149J- bushels good sound 
corn, and 315 bushels potatoes. The corn at 85 cents, 
the market price, is $127.07; 315 bushels potatoes, at 
35 cents, the market price, is $110.25; gross amount, 
$237.32§, being $84.76 per acre. My friend and towns¬ 
man, George W. Cummins, Esq. last year, cut from 39 
acres 2 roods and 15 perches, 992| bushels red wheat, 
average weight 60 lbs., making a fraction over 25 bush¬ 
els to the acre. 
I make these statements to show what our land will 
do with attention. None of this land is in a high state 
of cultivation. Some part of Mr. Cummins’ wheat, it 
was thought, would cut 40 bushels to the acre. I think 
I can say we have not one waste acre" to the 1,000, 
clear of the influence of the tide; that our country is 
remarkably healthy, and that we have all the good 
things the bays and rivers furnish: and yet, with all 
these advantages, for the last 20 years, you will dis- 
* In our report to the agricultural convention inserted in 
our last, we expressed our belief, that the wheat-worm of the 
east and of the west were not identical. Mr. Gaylord has 
confirmed that opinion— Condi 
cover our population has been nearly stationary, owing 
to the mania Tor emigration to the south and west.— 
Many persons wishing to emigrate, a few years past, 
would sell off their farms for much less than their 
buildings cost, and give away perhaps 300 or 400 acres 
of land, nearly worth $20 the acre with proper manage¬ 
ment ; but I am pleased to say the thirst and mania 
for emigration has almost ceased. Many have gone 
and spent the labor of years, and returned; and now 
they can appreciate our country. I saw in my west¬ 
ern tours, persons from New-York state in the west, 
land speculators, who, if they would come and view 
our country, could not but be pleased with it. Per¬ 
sons of information who have travelled much through 
the United States, say this is the garden spot of the 
United States. BENJ. BENSON. 
We suspect Mr. Benson is right in saying, that Maryland 
and Virginia offer better bargains to the enterprising farmer, 
than are generally found at the west. The lands in the for¬ 
mer can be rendered productive—and they enjoy advantages 
of markets, &c. which must be a great drawback to the inte¬ 
rior west.— Cond. 
Criticism on tlie Mulberry. 
Mulberry Farm, N. J., March 5th, 1839. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Dear Sir—In tlie last number of the 
Cultivator, I find an answer from a gentleman aggriev¬ 
ed by your valuable remarks and criticisms in the Jan¬ 
uary number on mulberry venders and growers. I am 
sanguine in the belief, that the mulberry culture and 
silk growing will be both mystified and retarded by the 
disposition many venders of the tree have to impose 
new names on plants that differ so slightly by climate, 
soil and cultivation from their natural history charac¬ 
ters ; thereby coufusing the plain and honest grower 
with new names—creating a fear that he is cultivating 
the wrong variety of the mulberry. That this preva¬ 
lent speculative spirit, (unsanctioned by any principles 
of botanical nomenclature whatever) is productive of 
evil consequences only, there is not the slightest doubt ; 
and the result is, many are prevented from embarking 
largely in this important branch of national agriculture. 
I cannot see, for the life of me, the advantage gained, 
either by individuals or the community at large, by 
this multiplicity of names imposed on one or two vari¬ 
eties of the mulberry. In a late number of the Far¬ 
mer and Gardener, the editor, when speaking of Mul¬ 
ticaulis, Alpine and Moretti, says, “the Alpine mul¬ 
berry, so called, is not known in Europe by that name, 
having received its own cognomen from Mr. Whitmarsh, 
etc.” In a measure, this remark is applicable to some 
other kinds, at least so distinguished. The mulberry 
in question is cultivated in Italy, within the region of 
the Alps; hence its name, Alpine. Botanical men, I 
fancy, know it by the name of Morus Alba, var. Ita- 
lica, in allusion to the country where it was first grown. 
It is stated that the Dandolo, Moretti, Multi, &c. came 
from France and Italy; but no such plants are recog¬ 
nized there, except by gardeners, who are continually 
coining new names. By calling this plant an Alpine, 
that a Manilla, it does not prove that that country is 
the habitat of either, because neither are a species, 
but can be produced at any place, “ et ceteris paribus,” 
by climate, soil and cultivation. Then Mr. Whitmarsh 
has, with equal justice, the same privilege to call his 
plant Alpine, that others have to call their’s Expansa, 
Rigida, Dandolo, or any other absurd name, (each 
identical, or differing in no essential character,) pro¬ 
vided it is not to the detriment of truth, and prejudice 
of individual advancement. It would be a little more 
definite, setting aside the principles of naming plants, 
to call them all Multicaulis: thus, Alpine Multi, Mo¬ 
retti Multi, Dandolo Multi, Mannilla Multi, &c. This 
may be done with as much propriety as the Morus 
Aiba, var. Macrophylla, is called Morus Multicaulis.— 
The following supposed species are mentioned by 
some of the gardeners, who are continually making 
mere varieties into species, and will elucidate the ab¬ 
surdity of new coinage: for instance, the Morus rubra, 
commonly called red mulberry, may be called Morus 
Virginica, Pennsylvanica, &c. in contra-distinction to 
Morus rubra, because its habitat is North America, 
and it flourishes in all the states. Morus Tartarica, 
habitat, on the grounds overflown by the Volga and 
Tanais: pronounced a mere variety of Morus Alba by 
Sprengel, the author of the latest complete work of de¬ 
scriptive botany. Morus Italica, habitat Italy, pro¬ 
nounced a mere variety of Morus Alba by Sprengel.— 
Morus Sinensis, habitat China ; the Alpine, Dandolo, 
and Moretti, I fancy, are improved from the native 
Morus Italica. The Canton is taken from Morus Si¬ 
nensis, while the Manilla and Multicaulis, I apprehend, 
are types either of the Morus Latifolia, Morus Austra¬ 
lis, Morus Mauritania, (Jacq,) Morus Anipolis, (of 
Poir,) Morus Insularis, (Foster?) whose habitats are 
Persia, the Mascarenhas and Madagascar Islands. 
In recommending the several varieties of the mul¬ 
berry to the attention of silk growing enthusiasts, the 
largeness of the leaf is particularly descanted upon, as 
if that feature is the great and paramount object. As 
far as my experience and observation extend, it is a 
mistake to suppose that the largeness of the leaf is the 
great disideratum. For one kind of plant may produce 
leaves twice as large as some others, yet contain less 
fibrous substance, of which silk is assimilated. As 
this is the case, then, in aiming to procure plants pro¬ 
ducing such large leaves of vigorous growth and forc¬ 
ed cultivation, we lose sight of the fact that those 
leaves contain less fibrous matter, but more succulent 
substance, than leaves of smaller dimensions of slower 
growth, and more compact in texture. Again, all the 
forced varieties deteriorate when left as standards, and 
the ordinary culture in such cases bestowed on them, 
while the amount of foliage is not so great by one-half. 
If a leaf of the Multicaulis, measuring 6 by 10 inches, 
contains no more nutriment proper for the worm than 
a leaf of the Brousa measuring 4 by 6 inches, wherein 
consists the advantage of the Multicaulis over the Brou¬ 
sa or other varieties ? If such is the case, then two- 
thirds of the leaf is superfluous, and must he thrown 
off as excrement by the worm ; for all of the compo¬ 
nent parts of the leaf, in a measure, not fibrous, is al¬ 
most of absolute waste. It is said that worms prefer 
the leaves of the Multicaulis to all other varieties.— 
This is purely speculative. If two different varieties 
of leaf of the mulberry are given to two or more worms, 
they will invariably eat of the leaf nearest to them, 
without manifesting any sign whatever that they are 
displeased with their food, or prefer one kind to ano¬ 
ther. They are no epicures. Well fed worms move 
about but little; it is the half starved ones that roam; 
and they are so uneasy with the pains of partial hun¬ 
ger, as to eat but little and taste often. We have a 
vast deal yet to learn on this subject, and many will, 
no doubt, meet with disappointments when they have 
counted largely the gain, without knowing the cause of 
failure. A year or two will suffice to bring us to our 
senses on this subject; and then, I opine, we will grow 
silk advantageously, realizing only a fair profit from 
capital invested, instead of the erroneous returns given 
by theoretical and visionary men. 
But I find I have nearly spun my sheet out and must 
close. I have hastily strung a few words together to 
fill this sheet, as a passing tribute to another year’s 
subscription to your valuable paper. I enclose the 
amount. Very respectfully, &c. 
J. N. KEELER. 
Drawbacks upon the Farmers Profits—Ruta Baga. 
J. Buel —Sir—Many readers of the Cultivator, who 
are not practical men, have been led to form extrava¬ 
gant expectations in regard to the pleasures and profits 
of farming, from the report of some of your correspon¬ 
dents. They read of the extraordinary nett revenue of 
some highly cultivated acre or field, but don’t hear of 
the many losses and lailures which might be told; and 
some, from this partial view of the subject, have em¬ 
barked in the business, with anticipations only to be 
disappointed. 
I belong to the “new school” of agriculture, if the 
term may be used, and am passionately fond of my pro¬ 
fession, yet entirely practical, and moderate in my hopes 
of profit. I could tell of the almost total failure of the 
corn crop, for three successive years, after expensive 
preparation, and on land which has yielded ninety-nine 
measured bushels of corn per acre. Of wheat, too, we 
all know the loss suffered in attempting to cultivate it 
for three or four years. For successive years, the ave¬ 
rage nett profits are good, if the business is well conduct¬ 
ed ; but many will be disappointed if they would be¬ 
come rich in a minute, and that without care and labor. 
Those who write for farmers, should remember that 
they are plain, common sense men generally, and are 
apt to be offended with any utopean schemes. 
To renovate an old meadow, which cannot be plough¬ 
ed, I pasture with sheep for one or two seasons. The 
sheep should be in number sufficient to bite it very close; 
they should then be turned out, and the grass be per¬ 
mitted to grow a few weeks. This should be repeated 
several times in the season. I have seen a most sur¬ 
prizing effect from this plan. 
I must state a fact in regard to ruta baga. I fatted a 
beef principally with this root, which was fed to him 
until the day before he was butchered. It imparted a 
very unpleasant taste to the meat. The milk and but¬ 
ter of some cows that were fed upon the roots, were al¬ 
so slightly affected; and what is worse, sir, my friends 
ascribe all the mischief to Judge Buel. Now, notwith¬ 
standing this, I believe the ruta baga will become an 
important crop. N. REED. 
Amenta, Dutchess co. 
[FT Judge Buel has always directed, that cattle fattened 
upon ruta baga should be taken from that food ten days be¬ 
fore they are slaughtered; and that milch cows fed upon them 
should have dady access to salt. In Great Britain, many 
thousand beefcattle are annually fattened upon ruta baga. 
Management of Horses—Reading. 
Schenectady, 20 th February, 1839. 
Hon. Judge Buel —If we could, we would most 
cheerfully aid you in the herculian task you have un¬ 
dertaken, to combat the popular errors and prejudices 
in farming; in the improvement and employment of 
useful labor-saving machines, the best mode of making 
and using manures and treatment of the different breeds 
of animals. 
We see that you often meet with mortifying trials; but 
my friend you have learnt the use and exercise of patience 
with your subscibers and readers as with children, for 
we are children of a larger growth. It is much more 
easy to lead than drive. We approve, much, your calm 
mode of answering useless questions. But, you must 
allow free inquiry from us who are ignorant; for we 
must ask questions, or remain in ignorance like children, 
who ought always to be answered in all their inquiries, 
however trilling. The answer should be to inform and 
interest. 
My son labors with farmers to persuade them to sub¬ 
scribe for the Cultivator, by showing the variety of mat¬ 
ter therein exhibited, and the extensive scope and codec- 
