E33«5: 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
55 
dual is attentive to the raising of fruit. Though but 
Tew families, probably not more than one in five hun¬ 
dred, are well supplied the year round with the various 
fruits suited to the season. Hitherto, therefore, in this 
country the use of fruit can have had but a partial in¬ 
fluence in promoting temperance. 
The manner in which fruit is made to supply the 
place of fermented liquors is easily explained, and the 
statement, it is believed, will correspond with what most 
persons have experienced or observed. In the intervals 
of our regularly established meals, we all occasionally, 
and very many of us constantly, either feel, or fancy that 
we feel, the need of some slight refreshment. At such 
times, if fruit is not to be had, many persons resort to 
fermented liquors, and thus insensibly lay a foundation 
for intemperance. But if they are in possession of de¬ 
licious fruits, these are almost always chosen by tempe¬ 
rate people in preference to the choisest wines. This 
need of refreshment is more especially felt in summer, 
consequent upon the exhaustion occasioned by heat 
and fatigue. Fruit is then found to answer the double 
purpose of quenching thirst, and recruiting exhausted 
animal nature, and in the most perfect manner. It is a 
consideration also worthy of remark, that when our 
friends visit us, the feelings of hospitality very justly 
prompt us to set before them some refreshment, a re¬ 
freshment not only generally acceptable, but often need¬ 
ed. Those who have no fruit very commonly offer their 
friends some kind of fermented liquors, the very thing, 
perhaps, which is neither needed nor desired. But 
those who have fruit, almost invariably bring it forward, 
and to the evident satisfaction of their guests. And 
when fruit and liquors are both presented, the first is 
seized with avidity, and the wine, the strong beer, and 
the spirits are generally left untouched. The man, in¬ 
deed, whose appetite is not satisfied with the delicious 
fruits alone, already possesses a dangerous fondness for 
spirituous liquors. It may be thought by some, that 
the laboring classes of the community would set but 
little value upon the substitute here proposed for ardent 
spirits. Whether they would or not, it is certain that the 
use which they make of ardent spirits is detrimental.— 
But what reason can be assigned why they should value 
fruit less than other men. They have the same appe¬ 
tite, and fruit is equally refreshing to them. The re¬ 
formation of drunken laborers, by the substitution of 
fruit for ardent spirits, is certainly not expected; nor 
indeed the reformation of any class of drunkards. But 
in those cases where the natural taste has not been vi¬ 
tiated by the use of ardent spirits, it is believed that 
fruit would be chosen by laborers invariably, in prefe¬ 
rence to ardent spirits—allowing at the same time, that 
they were properly aware of the danger of intempe¬ 
rance. Nothing certainly can be conceived of, more 
suited to the wants of a laborer, toiling in the dust or 
sun, athirst and weary, than a plate of strawberries, a 
melon, or basket of cherries, or peaches, or apples.— 
WYth these and other fruits, Avhich'might easily be 
raised in sufficient abundance, together with some sim¬ 
ple drinks, as common beer, milk and molasses and 
water, and cider when desired, the laboring classes 
of the community would undoubtedly be able to perform 
the greatest quantity of work, with the highest health, 
and in the best spirits. 
The expense of cultivating fruit is much less than is 
generally supposed. In the court-yards and gardens 
connected with most houses, there is ground sufficient— 
and ground usually unoccupied—for raising in abun¬ 
dance, every variety of fruit suited to the climate, with 
the single exception of apples. The original expense 
of procuring the trees is trifling; and even this may soon 
be wholly saved, by a little pains in raising them. That 
which is indispensably necessary, and which constitutes 
the principal difficulty in the way of procuring fruit, is 
the frequent attention requisite for preserving the trees 
from injury while young, for improving the fruit by in¬ 
troducing good sorts, and keeping up a continued sup¬ 
ply. But this requisite "attention makes no serious en¬ 
croachment upon the time; and those who have be¬ 
stowed it, have found themselves abundantly compen¬ 
sated by the pleasure and healthfulness of the occupa¬ 
tion, aside from the direct enjoyment of their labors. 
Very great exertions are now making, to banish all 
improper use of ardent spirits from our land. In these 
exertions, every Christian and every philanthropist must 
rejoice. Since the commencement of these exertions, 
the importance of providing substitutes for ardent spi¬ 
rits has frequently occurred to the benevolent, and vari¬ 
ous substitutes have been suggested. In recommending 
fruit for this purpose, it is not designed to have it take 
the place of other suitable substitutes; but to have it 
introduced into their number, with that rank and impor¬ 
tance in the scale to which its just claims may entitle it.” 
If in your judgment, there is any thing in the forego¬ 
ing extract, worthy a place in the columns of the Culti¬ 
vator, you can insert it. It is submitted entirely to 
your consideration. Yours, SIMEON McCOY. 
Deckertown, March 1st, 1839. 
Query. 
Westmoreland county, Va. 1839. - 
The machine for taking off the heads of clover seed, 
having performed its office, how is the seed to be clean¬ 
ed, or prepared for market? An answer to this would 
greatly oblige A SUBSCRIBER. 
ANSWER. 
The seed is to be taken off in a machine constructed for 
this especial purpose, called a clover machine, which costs 
$60 to $70, one of which will serve for a neighborhood. See 
article Clover, in the editorial department ot our March No. 
Inquiries in regard to Hedges. 
Saline county, Mo. February, 1839. 
Mr. Buel—S ir—Permit me to say, that I feel highly- 
gratified to find developed in the columns of the Culti¬ 
vator, so much useful information to all classes of soci¬ 
ety, and that I feel a particular interest in common with 
many of my fellow-citizens, in its circulation and the 
adoption of its principles in the far west. 
Agricultural improvement is certainly one of the most 
laudable of all pursuits, for thereby the interest and 
happiness of all classes of society are greatly advanced; 
and as this seems to be the primary object of your high¬ 
ly useful periodical, permit me, sir, to draw your atten¬ 
tion, and, (through your columns,) also your intelligent 
correspondents, to a circumstance relative to some, of 
the most fertile districts of country west of the Wabash 
and Mississippi rivers, which greatly retards the pro¬ 
gress of agriculture and population: It is the very great 
scarcity of timber for fencing. This circumstance is at 
present a barrier to a large portion of our country, best 
adapted to agricultural purposes. Your attention there¬ 
fore, to the following inquiries, sir, will be very grati¬ 
fying, and may be extensively useful in the great valley 
of the Mississippi. 
Can we not enclose land by hedging ? If we can, 
what is the best mode or material to be used for that 
purpose ? How should the hedge be treated, and where 
can we get the seed or quicks ? Will not the pyracan- 
tha, or evergreen thorn, answer for that purpose ? Can 
any kind of shrubbery be made to grow, to hinder ani¬ 
mals from the size of a pig to the sturdy ox, from pass¬ 
ing through or over it? Please to give us such infor¬ 
mation on this subject as may come within your know¬ 
ledge, or that may be communicated. In doing so, you 
will, no doubt, save us from many fruitless attempts in 
the way of fencing, and confer a favor not to be forgot¬ 
ten. 
We feel, sir, that we have a right to view the situa¬ 
tion which you now occupy, (compared with our oppor¬ 
tunity of information,) as a focus of intelligence, on 
the subject above stated. Any observations, therefore, 
which you make, (apart from our particular inquiries,) 
will be gratefully accepted. A. F. BRUCE. 
REMARK. 
The subject of hedges has been fully canvassed in our fourth 
volume, to which our correspondent is referred. We doubt 
if the evergreen thorn would be stout enough to stop catlle. 
The seeds of hedge plants, and of forest trees, might be ob¬ 
tained from the Atlantic border. See our numbers on plant 
ing, volume in.— Cond. 
New Disease in Sheep. 
Moray Farm, Fairfax co. Va. Feb. 22, 1839. 
J. Etjel, Esq.—Dear Sir—Will you allow me to solicit 
your aid in eliciting information through the columns of 
the Cultivator, which may enable myself and others to 
understand the cause and treatment of a disease which 
has recently attacked my sheep. The subjects affected 
are ewes with lamb. The symptoms, in most cases, are 
total blindness—a twitching of the limbs, similar to a 
nervous affection—apprehension of fear, and a state of 
indolent lassitude, much inclined to lie down, from ap¬ 
parent stupidity. The symptoms in all are very similar, 
with the exception of the loss of sight. 
While writing, will you allow me to request Mr.Wha- 
len, who speaks of his drill-barrow, at page 59, volume 
5, of the Cultivator, to favor the public with a descrip¬ 
tion of it. By so doing, I presume he will much oblige 
many patrons of the Cultivator. Yours respectfully, 
LEWIS BAILEY. 
Culture of the Mulberry. 
Judge Buel—S ir—In the spring 1838,1 made a plan¬ 
tation of ten thousand white mulberry trees; and the 
success and trifling expense with which it was effected, 
have induced me to offer to you for publication a detail¬ 
ed account of my operations, with an estimate of the 
expense. 
In the spring of 1836, I made a small experiment in 
raising the trees, which was so successful that I deter¬ 
mined to attempt the making of a plantation; and pur¬ 
chased from Mr. Thorburn, of Albany, about six shil¬ 
lings worth of seed, which I sowed on the 24th of May, 
1837. The land was a light sand, sufficiently rich to 
afford corn at the rate of thirty-five or forty bushels 
to the acre. It was prepared for the seed by once 
ploughing, harrowing and raking. The line was laid 
down, and drills about half an inch deep, were made 
with a pointed stick. The seeds were sown by hand, 
care being taken to drop them in the bottom of the drills: 
and not to have them so thick as to rise in bunches. 
To expedite the vegetation of the seed, which, in the 
mulberry is slow, I poured upon the seeds about a quart 
of water, as hot as the hand could bear, and left it to 
cool; then pouring it off and covering the seeds, they 
were put in a warm place and permitted to stand over 
night, and just before sowing, they were spread to dry, 
so much as to prevent their sticking together. The drills 
were three feet apart. The mulberry plantis small and 
delicate on its first appearance: and the first weed¬ 
ing is not only somewhat tedious, but the youngmulber- 
ries are often pulled out, along with the Aveeds To ob¬ 
viate these inconveniences, I carefully marked the ex¬ 
act course of drills by setting up small sticks at conve¬ 
nient distances along the drills, and pulled out the weeds 
as fast as they appeared, and before the mulberries 
came up. After the plants were up, they were kept 
free from weeds, by frequent hoeing and hand weeding. 
The bark of the young mulberry, at the surface of the 
ground, is so delicate that it is often destroyed by the 
frosts of winter. It is expedient, therefore, to protect 
them by a covering of litter from the stable, before the 
hard frosts of the fall. By this means, my mulberries 
to the number of nine thousand, were carried safely 
through the winter of 1837-8. In order to have them 
ready for transplanting, I raised them out of the ground 
early in May ; tied them in parcels of fifty each; cut off 
the tops within an inch or two of the ground; cut off the 
tap-rooi, and such roots as were wounded in the taking 
up, and buried the plants in the earth to protect the 
roots from injury by drying. Thus far, I kept no exact 
account of the labor bestowed, and must rely principal- 
•ly upon estimation. But as the details are given, eve¬ 
ry one will be enabled to correct my estimate, to suit 
his own judgment and circumstances. The same re¬ 
mark may be made as to the expense of preparing the 
ground for the plantation ; the soil of which was very 
similar to that in which the plants were raised. It had 
been under the hoe in 1837, and was ploughed in May, 
and harrowed. It Avas then laid out in broad furrows, 
six feet apart. To make the furroAvs straight, I set up 
a line of stakes about four feet high, quite across the 
field. By this line of stakes, the ploughman struck his 
furrow, passing directly over, and ploughing down the 
stakes; then turning and passing the plough in the same 
furrow to the side of the field Avhere he began. While 
he Avas doing this, another hand setup the line of stakes 
again, at two paces, or six feet from the first furroAV. The 
ploughman struck his second furrow by this new line 
of stakes, and proceeding in this manner, the Avhole field 
Avas laid out in. broad straight furrows at six feet apart, 
sufficiently deep and Avide to receive the roots of the 
plants, Avithout the necessity of digging holes for them. 
On the 16th of May, 1838, I commenced the setting 
out of the plants, with four ordinary field hands, whol¬ 
ly unacquainted with such work. Each man took his 
furrow and his plants. If the bottom of the furrow AA r as 
smooth, and sufficiently broad and deep to receive the 
roots, no further fitting of the ground Avas necessary; 
otherrvise, the ground was fitted by the hand; deepen¬ 
ing, filling up, widening, levelling or smoothing it, as oc¬ 
casion required. The plant Avas placed on the bottom 
of the furrow; the roots spread out and covered by pul¬ 
ling down Avith the hand a sufficiency of earth to hold 
the plant in place, and pressing it down with the hand. 
In this manner, the furroAV Avas filled with plants, at 
about tAvo feet apart. The planter then took his hoe, 
and drew doAvn the earth about the plant, filled up the 
furroAV, and levelled the earth around the plant; leaving 
at present, that part of the furrow betAveen the plants, 
to be filled up at the first hoeing, or sooner if dry wea¬ 
ther should follow, and threaten injury to the plants. 
On this day, the four hands set out four thousand 
plants. On the 17th, one of the two best hands Avas taken 
off, leaving only three hands in the field; but these 
three set out four thousand seedlings, and about fifty 
plants of tAvo years groAvth. The setting of the residue 
of the ten thousand Avas done at intervals, but Avith 
equal despatch. Thus the setting out of ten thousand 
trees Avas accomplished Avith eight and a half days’ work 
of ordinary and inexperienced field hands, and the Avhole 
expense of the plantation, as it then stood, did not ex¬ 
ceed fifteen dollars. That the work was Avell done, ap¬ 
peared from the subsequent groAvth of the trees ; some 
of Avhich rose to five feet, the Avhole averaging about Iavo 
and a half feet. A very inconsiderable number of the 
plants perished; but I do not believe that a single good 
one failed by the operation of transplanting. They now 
appear to have gone Avell through the winter. The 
ground occupied by the plantation is three acres, by es¬ 
timation. The items and estimate of expense stands 
thus:yV 
ESTIMATED EXPENSE OF REARIN^ 10,000 TLANTS. 
Ploughing and harrowing l-5th of an acre, by 
estimation,. $0 40 
Raking the ground and making the drills,. 0 25 
SoAAung the seed and covering it,. 0 25 
Seed,. o 75 
Weeding and after culture,. 1 25 
Covering Avith litter in the fall, one day,. 0 75 
Taking up and tyingin parcels of 50 each, 2§ days 1 87J 
$5 52& 
Expense of preparing three acres of ground for 
the plantation. 
Ploughing, harrowing and furrowing, estimat¬ 
ed to be equal to the Avork of a man and 
pair of horses three days ; but as corn Avas 
planted betAveen the roAvs of trees, only half 
the expense of ploughing, &c. should be 
charged,. 3 00 
Actual and known expense of setting out 10,000 
trees. 
First dajq 4 hands, at 75 cents for Avages and 
board, set out 4,000, .... 3 00 
Second day. three hands, 4,050,. 2 25 
Setting out the remaining 1,950, at the same 
rate,.... 1 12i 
$14 90 
Our farmers, fearing the expense, and unacquainted 
Avith the culture and habits of the mulberry, are reluc¬ 
tant to enter into the silk-groAving businss. No farm¬ 
ing operation, however, is more easy. It resembles, in 
every particular, and almost exactly, the field culture of 
the carrot, and I do not knoAV that it costs more to raise 
a seedling mulberry, than it does to raise a carrot. The 
work may be performed by the farmer himself, and a 
small plantation of 3,333 trees, occupying one acre, made 
Avith a very few days’ labor, and Avithout the expenditure 
