THE CULTIVATOR. 
59 
crows. In 1838, however, I soaked my corn, as you 
directed, in saltpetre, to quicken germination, and as a 
security against birds. To my delight I found that 
pigeons, crows, and barn-door fowls, left the corn un¬ 
molested ; though they all, at first, tried to acquire a 
relish for saltpetre. And here it is but justice to say, 
that I have been remunerated twenty fold, for subscrip¬ 
tion to the Cultivator. 
I fear I have intruded too much upon your valuable 
columns. I will only add a question : Have you proved 
the short horned Durhams to be good milch cows? 
By the bye this privilege of questioning, is no incon¬ 
siderable benefit to the patrons of the Cultivator, though 
it doubtless imposes on the kindness of the editor. 
BROOKLYN. 
Inducements for entering on Rural Pursuits. 
Greenfield, Mass. April 2, 1839. 
Mr. Editor —In speaking of the inducements that 
present themselves to young men, for embarking in 
agriculture, we cannot forbear saying a few words with 
regard to the pecuniary profits that are held out. We 
do this, not to feed that love of money making and mo¬ 
ney getting, in which most of our citizens seem all ab¬ 
sorbed, and which we are almost ready to pronounce 
our country’s greatest curse, but rather to obviate an 
objection that is often urged, that but a very scanty and 
uninviting livelihood is to be obtained from agricultural 
pursuits. And on this point, let not the profits result¬ 
ing from the present system of farming be, by any 
means, taken as a criterion. The ignorance of our far¬ 
mers, and their prejudices against improvement, preclude 
them from reaping more than a tolerable subsistence, 
and we think we do not exaggerate when we say, that 
our present agricultural products might be more than 
trebled, by a more enlightened and liberal system of 
culture. Besides, these products will always find a 
market. They consist of the necessaries of life, and so 
much greater, at the present moment, is our consump¬ 
tion than our production, that we are obliged to go 
abroad to find the wherewithal to feed our citizens. In 
this, as in every other pursuit, the profits must be in 
proportion to the skill, industry and intelligence of those 
engaged in it. The gams of the farmer cannot be ra¬ 
pidly acquired from the nature of his profession; they are 
generally not inordinate, as more capital is required for 
extensive agricultural operations than most men can 
command: but they are sure, and are amply competent 
for the wants of life, and all the luxuries and gratifica¬ 
tions, that mind or body need demand. They are un¬ 
influenced by the changes, that are engendered by the 
speculations of businessmen, and politicians, and, when 
restricted at all, are so by the ignorance or blunders of 
those dependant upon them. 
But we wish to view the subjects from higher grounds 
than those of pecuniary interest. We find one of the 
greatest charms of an agricultural life in its perfect in¬ 
dependence. The farmer’s prospects stand unaffected by 
the many fluctuating relations of society, and depend, 
in a great measure, upon his single energy as directed 
to the operations of nature. His hopes and fears are 
not gauged by every breeze that blows in the mart, and 
the political arena. He feels, or ought to feel, that his 
pursuit is the corner stone of all others. He creates 
what the manufacturer works, the merchant barters and 
the ship master conveys to the different quarters of the 
globe. He draws from the bosom of the earth the very 
food of commerce and manufactures. And hence the 
dignity of agriculture. Its powers are creative, while 
most other professions are merely constructive. It eli¬ 
cits ten thousand products, that otherwise might never 
have existed, and which are remodelled in the hands of 
the mechanic, and converted into cash by the merchant. 
And this great independence of other pursuits cannot, 
we think, but create a corresponding independence of 
character in those engaged in agriculture. It must en¬ 
gender a freedom of thought and action, so desirable 
for mental development, and which is so often crushed 
in other callings, by their subserviency to each other. 
We particularly admire the character and influence 
of rural pursuits. Very many, we know, view the far¬ 
mer through the medium of the plough, the harrow and 
the spade, and make the most drudging details of his 
pursuit a criterion by which to measure his profession. 
For this, it must be allowed, there is in many instances 
too much cause. But we are urging the choice of an 
agricultural life on different grounds. It is the charac¬ 
ter of the men engaged in it, and not of the profession, 
that gives a dignity and weight to it. The most noble 
pursuit may be disregarded by the ignorance and base¬ 
ness of its votaries, and the most humble may be elevat¬ 
ed and dignified by education and intelligence. The 
culture of the soil is becoming a science, and one of the 
noblest of all sciences. Study and discipline are made 
its ground work, and the structure is raised on the most 
liberal principles, united with taste and refinement. 
Natural science in all its departments is made subservi¬ 
ent to it. Chemistry, mineralogy, botany, vegetable and 
animal physiology, mechanics, &c. &c. are constantly 
in action in all its operations, and their practical appli¬ 
cation develops every energy of mind or body. New 
wonders are ever being disclosed, and the harmony of 
nature brought to view, and that excitement and inter¬ 
est, so necessary in all pursuits, is constant, high toned, 
and healthy. 
We have already spoken of the unadulterated pleasure 
to be derived from ruralpursuits, and we appeal to those 
who have had the advantages of experience, to correct 
us if we have advanced any thing beyond the truth in 
urging the choice of an agricultural life. We offer these 
imperfect considerations at this time for various reasons, 
and among others because we see a due sense of the 
importance of agriculture is beginning to be felt by the 
public, and a strong desire manifested to elevate its 
character, and we should regret that this desire should 
be disappointed from the absence of those, who might 
meet the wishes of the public. There is. a want of pi¬ 
oneers in the cause of those who may disseminate the 
discoveries of science and the observation of others in 
the culture of the soil, and impress their utility on our 
whole farming population. If the public spirited inten¬ 
tions of some of our leading agriculturists are carried 
into effect in the establishment of an Agricultural 
School, an opportunity not to be lost offers to those of 
our young men, who are willing to turn aside from the 
dazzling visions of wealth and office to the more quiet 
bjit not less honorable and dignified duties of the scien¬ 
tific farmer. H- V. 
Proposed mode of Planting Corn. 
Petersham, Feb. 26, 1839. 
Mr. Buel —I have a piece of green sward which has 
been mown six years. I wish to take it up in the 
spring, and plant it with corn. The soil is a dry, stiff, 
yellow loam; and it has been the practice about here to 
plough the land both ways, and harrow it down ; dung 
it in the hill and plant it. I told a book farmer in 
Hardwick, that I thought I should try the new way 
about planting time, to spread on a large quantity of 
barn yard manure, say twenty five or thirty cart loads 
to the acre, as I have a plenty of it; then turn it over 
as slick as I can, roll it down; harrow it with a,har¬ 
row that has short teeth, mark it out into rows both 
ways, and plant it. As soon as it is large enough to 
weed, to go through with the cultivator both ways, and 
then with the hoe, alternately; the gentleman told me 
that T shouldnotbe successful; that if it should prove to 
be a dry, warm summer, the sod would not decompose 
in time to furnish the food that the young plants re¬ 
quire; that turning over a green stubborn sod with so 
much unfermented manure, it would firefang, and that 
the grub worm would be a great deal more likely to in¬ 
jure it, and he thought that I should have a very light 
crop. I should like to have your opinion through the 
columns of your paper. 
I have another piece of one acre, the soil the same, 
which I wish to plant with carrots. Three years ago 
it was a clover ley. I spread on to it a very large quan¬ 
tity of manure two years ago, and ploughed it very 
deep, say twelve or fifteen inches; then crossed it and 
harrowed it; furrowed it out, and dunged it in the hill 
with fine manure, and planted it. I had a very great 
growth, but the frost came so early that I lost it entire¬ 
ly. Last spring I ploughed it, and it was very light; I 
sowed it with four bushels peas and oats, two thirds peas; 
ploughed, harrowed and bushed it, and it was perfectly 
pulverized like a garden; I also seeded it with timothy 
and clover. It all came up very fine ; the oats grew 
very rank, and soon began to lodge. I had so much to 
do, that I let them stand too long, or rather lay, for it 
took three hands one day to mow them. The weather 
was bad, and I had to turn them three times. I had 
four very large loads of straw, and fifty-seven and a 
half bushels of grain; and I should think there was left 
on the field as much as ten or fifteen; but if you think 
this land would bear a good crop of carrots, I should 
like to know the best way of raising them. Respectful¬ 
ly yours, , . D. C. PAIGE. 
Remarks.' —If the manure had been spread, and the ground 
ploughed last fall, it would have been better. But as it is, 
spread the dung and plough early ; if the dung is unfer¬ 
mented the better. Do not plough slick, if that means a flat 
furrow, but lap the furrow-slices on to each other; and if the 
surface is horizontal, gather the land into ridges for three or 
four rows. If the furrows are lapped, and then well harrow¬ 
ed down, the injury and inconvenience from rain and from 
grass will be sensibly diminished. The dung, if spread, 
will not fire-fang, nor is much to be apprehended from the 
grub—which will feed upon the green matter turned under. 
The second piece of ground will be in good condition for 
carrots, though had the soil been more sandy it would have 
been preferable. See our directions for culture in another 
column. Will Mr. P. advise us of the result of his experi¬ 
ments ? 
Directions for making good Mortar. 
Schenectady, 5th April, 1839. 
Dear Sir —Until the Society for promoting Useful 
Knowledge, shall be in active operation, the Cultivator 
appears to be the proper vehicle. 
Soon after the great fire in the city of New-York, in 
December, 1835, I noticed an inquiry in the Commercial 
Advertiser, “whether the art of making good mortar 
had been lost,” as in the modern built brick buildings, 
the mortar “ did not connect and adhere to the bricks.” 
I wrote, and stated the former and modern method of 
making and using mortar, and it was published in that 
paper. 
As inquiries on this subject are frequent, and as it is 
painful to see the impositions practised on those who 
employ builders, without knowing how to guard against 
deception, I will give the opinion I have formed, by long 
observation, and some practice in erecting buildings. 
Formerly, hard burnt bricks only, were used for build¬ 
ing houses. The bricks were put into a tub of water, 
kept on the scaffold for the purpose; and when saturat¬ 
ed with water, they were handed by the laborers to the 
mason, who laid them into the wall. Walls made in 
. this manner, when taken down, a crowbar and hammer 
must be used with force, to separate the mortar from 
I the bricks. 
It was noticed by persons who were present at the 
great fire above quoted, that some of the new brick stores 
then lately built on Exchange Street, when partly burnt, 
fell down; and the adjoining buildings, to which the fire 
had not extended, fell after them. 
A few years ago, the six story brick store of Messrs. 
Phelps & Peck, on the corner of Cliff andFulton-streets 
in New-York, fell down, and crushed several persons—• 
an awful sight and calamity. 1 was in the city, and 
passed by the store, about one hour before the fall. It 
was observed, that the bricks separated from the mor¬ 
tar, as clean, as if they had not been laid in the mortar, 
and the mortar was fine, like dry sand. 
Modern brick walls, are chiefly made, not of hard 
burnt, or what are called weather bricks, but what are 
called salmon, or half burnt, or imperfectly burnt bricks. 
These bricks are brought dry, and in some instances, 
warm from the kiln, and laid immediately in the wall. 
The moment such bricks are laid on the mortar, they 
absorb all the water from the mortar, as quick as a flash, 
leaving the mortar merely damp. The mortar when 
dry, will be soft, and the wall may be taken down with 
the hands, as there is no cohesion in the mortar. If the 
bricks are saturated with water, before they are laid in 
the wall, even such bricks of inferior quality, will make 
a tolerable wall, though not so strong as of hard burnt 
bricks. 
This is the mode of erecting buildings all over the 
country, because a little labor and expense is saved, by 
not wetting the bricks. Too much mortar is often used. 
Enough to fill the seams and make a solid body, is best. 
Those for whom buildings are erected, particularly in 
the city of New-York, in general, are as ignorant as 
children, of what constitutes the difference between 
good and poor walls. Placing perfect confidence in ma¬ 
sons, carpenters, builders—as they do in lawyers and 
other professional men, they get a building for a little 
less money, and a very little less too; and in some ca¬ 
ses, it falls down before it is finished and off the hands 
of the builders, when the walls are only of the thick¬ 
ness of the width of the bricks, as they frequently are, 
particularly when against another building, to hold them 
up. 
Another fault is, in making mortar of loam or quick¬ 
sand, (common in some places,) instead of clean and 
coarse sand. 
One part of quick stone lime, and five parts of clean 
coarse sand, will make good mortar for brick or stone 
walls. 
The masons object to much sand and little lime, be¬ 
cause the mortar will be short and crumbly when used, 
particularly the over-head ceiling, but when so made 
and put on, it will be twice as hard as if otherwise made. 
The loam and more lime, make mortar much more easy 
for the mason for plastering ceilings. The quantity of 
lime wanted, is merely to fill the interstices, and make 
of the sand a solid body, for strength. 
When masons want a winter’s job, they will tell you 
that the mortar vti\\ freeze dry, and be as good as when 
laid in summer. Such masons, if honest, are not philo¬ 
sophers, nor will philosophers believe and employ 
them. 
In the March number of the Cultivator, it is asked by 
a subscriber, “ What is the best method known among 
our builders and mechanics, of protecting north-east 
brick walls, and generally, of keeping stone and brick 
walls dry.” Hard burnt bricks, called clinkers, will not 
absorb water. If north-east walls are made of such, or 
covered with boards, water cannot penetrate them. But 
few persons understand the difference in the quality of 
bricks. Street pavements made of clinker bricks, will 
last dn age and be dry, except while it rains. 
Stone walls are liable to be wet, by condensing mois¬ 
ture from the air, when the atmosphere changes sud¬ 
denly to a warmer temperature. Respectfully, 
DAVID TOMLINSON. 
Clover Machine. 
Courtland, Ala. March 27th, 1839. 
The re-appearance of a paragraph, in a late number 
of the Cultivator, describing the machine for gathering 
clover seed, used by M. L’Hommedieu, constructed with 
an open box and teeth in front, suggested to my mind 
the propriety of informing you of a trial made of one, 
made from the same description, published perhaps in 
the 4th volume. This experiment was a complete fail¬ 
ure. The shafts were fastened to the ends of the axle- 
trees outside the wheels, which were eighteen inches in 
diameter ; which left the body completely under control 
of the driver, to be raised or lowered at pleasure, ac¬ 
cording to the growth of the clover. On putting the 
machine to work, the clover-heads and stalks, in a few 
steps, choked up the teeth, so that the driver was com¬ 
pelled to stop and relieve them ; and this happened so 
often, that I determined to attach a revolving cylinder, 
with four steel knives, just above where the choking 
took place, according to a suggestion in the Farmer’s 
Register. This cylinder was driven by a three inch 
band, running on a notch on the inside of the wheel, 
twelve inches in diameter. The addition was beneficial 
in some degree, but the original objection of choking 
continued to be so inconvenient, that the machine has 
been laid aside as a complete failure. Very respect¬ 
fully, JAMES E. SAUNDERS. 
Rotation of Crops. 
Putney, Vermont, April 6th, 1839. 
Mr. Buel —Sir—Having been for some time a regular 
subscriber to the Cultivator, and having practised in the 
rotation of crops, lor the last twenty years, I deem ifa 
