142 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Mayor and the Cure employ their influence in putting aside 
such obstacles as prejudice or long established custom might 
throw in their way. The forest ranger is useful in pointing 
out the exact state of the laws respecting trees, and the pro¬ 
prietors of land supply seed, corn and flowers. Half of the 
produce is given up to the instructor, a portion of the other 
half is distributed as a recompense amongst the pupils, and 
the remainder is sold to the inhabitants of the village. After 
gome time a considerable sum is raised from these sales, the 
money is laid out in defraying the general expenses, in pur¬ 
chasing tools, in providing seed without being indebted for 
it to the kindness of the proprietors, and in increasing the 
emoluments of the instructor. The little farm is thus found 
to advance rapidly to perfection, and in a short time is the 
most productive spot of ground in the country; of course it is 
understood that all the work is done by the pupils; were it 
otherwise, the object of the institution would be entirely lost, 
as practical instruction W'ould no longer be given. These in¬ 
fant schools for horticulture and agriculture are on the increase 
in France.— Laborer's Friends’ Magazine for April, 1839. 
On the Cultivation of Roots, &c. 
[From the Essex Agricultural Society's Transactions.] 
Methuen, February 16, 1839. 
Dear Sir— Taking a deep interest as I do in agricultural 
pursuits; and believing that by interchange of views, and 
making public our experiments, the agricultural interest may 
be promoted; I have concluded to comply with your request, 
and state my success the past season in the cultivation of 
roots. The land which was last year planted with potatoes, 
was ploughed and dressed with six cords of green manure to 
the acre. On the 14th of June, I planted three-fourths of a 
pound of ruta baga seed mixed with one bushel of plaster of 
paris, on three-fourths of an acre of land—planted in drills 
two and a half feet apart. After they came up, 1 applied six 
bushels of wood ashes; thinned them out when they were 
of suitable size for transplanting; hoed them three times; 
gathered them the first of November, and estimated them at 
700 bushels on the piece. I planted half an acre in another 
piece, on light pasture land, which was last year sowed with 
oats without manure; it was manured and managed the same 
as the other piece, excepting the manure was of different 
kinds. In consequence, as I supposed, of being planted too 
deep, they came up thinly, and the weather being extremely 
dry, it prevented my transplanting them. I gathered 250 
bushels on the piece; I think that had they come up well, 
they would have yielded from 700 to 800 bushels to the acre. 
I think there was one-half difference in the size of the tur¬ 
nips on different parts of the piece, owing to different kinds 
of manure, but I could not recollect what kind of manure 
was applied where the turnips were the largest. It would 
be well to try the experiment, to ascertain what kind of ma¬ 
nure is most suitable for them. I commenced plucking the 
under leaves from the turnips on the first mentioned piece, 
about the first of September, for my cows, but thinking it 
might injure the roots, I discontinued about the 15th. When 
I gathered them I could perceive no difference where the un¬ 
der leaves were plucked off, and where they were not. I 
think the leaves on that piece, as there was a luxuriant 
growth, would have kept my eight cows, in addition to run¬ 
ning in the pasture, until the last of October. I think the 
leaves of considerable value, as we have them at that sea¬ 
son of the year when stock requires extra feed. 
I also raised about 50 bushels of mangel wurzel; had they 
been planted thick enough, I think their yield would have 
been nearly the same as the ruta baga; I think they should 
be planted thicker than ruta bagas, as their tops are not so 
large; as to their comparative value, perhaps I am not a 
suitable judge; as I have had but little experience, but I am 
certain of this, that the hogs like mangel wurzel much better 
than turnips. I am of the opinion, however, that both kinds 
are much more profitable to raise for stock feeding than po¬ 
tatoes. 
I will also state one or two experiments in regard to apples. 
I have for the last four years fattened a beef for my own use 
each year, mostly on apples. The first of October. 1836, I 
dried a cow which was in ordinary flesh, and commenced 
feeding her with apples the first of November. I killed her 
about the middle of January, 1837; the beef was fat and of 
a good quality; she was fattened exclusively on apples.— 
The first of November, 1838, I commenced feeding a cow 
with apples; I think she ate about three and a half pecks 
per day; about the 25th of December, she refused eating ap¬ 
ples, in consequence of their being some rotten. I fed her 
with ruta bagas until the 9th of January, when I butchered 
her. The beef was fat, and of good quality, (what I 
mean by being of good quality, aside from being fat, is, it 
cooked well, and did not taste like apples, nor turnips, as 
some suppose,) but tasted like beef. The cow had a calf in 
the spring, gave a good mess of milk during the season, and 
I dried her about the 25th of November. 
For the last three years, I have kept my hogs mostly on 
apples during autumn and first of winter, and they have 
thriven well, but as I gave them some other food, I can make 
no definite statement. Experiments have been tried by other 
individuals in my neighborhood with nearly the same suc¬ 
cess. 
I am aware that some of my brother farmers may doubt 
my statement in regard to the value of apples, (especially 
those who are fond of cider.) But I would ask them to try 
the experiment. 
You are at liberty make such use of the above statement 
as you may think proper. Respectfully yours, 
JOSEPH HOW. 
To J. W. Procsor, Esq. Secy of the Essex Ag. Soc. 
The Farrier. 
[From the Maine Farmer .] 
Try before you buy. —If you meet with a horse you like, 
and are desirous of buying him, do not fall in love with him 
before you ride him, for though he may be handsome, he 
may start or stumble. 
To discover a stumbler .—If you go to buy of one that knows 
you, it is not unreasonable to desire to ride him for an hour. 
If refused, you may suspect he has some faults; if not, mount 
him at the door of the stable where he stands; let him neither 
feel your spurs, nor see your whip; mount him easily, and 
when seated, go gently off with a loose rein, which will. 
make him careless; and if he is a stumbler, he will discover 
himself presently, especially if the road in which you ride 
him bs any thing rough. 
The best horse indeed may stumble (a young one of spirit, 
if not properly broken in, will frequently; and yet if he 
moves nimbly upon the bit, dividing his legs true, he may 
become a very good saddle-horse,) I say, may stumble; but 
if he springs out, when he stumbles, as if he feared your 
whip or spur, depend upon it he is an old offender. A horse 
should never be struck for stumbling, or starting: the provo¬ 
cation, 1 confess, is great, but the fear of correction makes 
him worse. 
In the purchase of a horse, examine four things'—his teeth, 
his eyes, his legs, and his wind. 
To know his age. —Every treatise on farriery has instructed 
us to know a horse’s age by the mark in his mouth; but not 
one in five hundred (a dealer excepted) can retain it in his 
mind. I have endeavored, therefore, to represent it by a 
plate. 
Every horse has six teeth before in each jaw; till he is 
two years and a half old, they are all smooth and uniform in 
their upper surfaces. 
At two years and a half old he sheds the two middle teeth, 
(by the young teeth’s rising and forcing the old ones out,) 
which at three years old are replaced by two hollow ones. 
When he is about three years and a half old, he sheds two 
others, one on each side the two middle ones, which at four 
years old are replaced by two others, which are also hollow. 
The sharp, single teeth in horses, begin to appear in the 
lower jaw when the horse is about three and a half, or four 
years old. When he is nearly six years old, they are full 
grown, pointed, and concave in the inside. 
When he is four years and a half old, he sheds the two 
corner teeth, which at five are replaced also with two hollow 
ones, grooved on the inside, which groove marks the age 
precisely. 
At six years of age this groove begins to fill up, and disap¬ 
pear; so do the hollows of the rest of the teeth, which con¬ 
tinue till near seven and a half, or eight years old, when all 
the teeth become uniformly full and smooth. 
Crafty jockies will sometimes burn holes in the teeth, to 
make them appear young, which they call bishoping; but a 
discerning eye will soon discover the cheat. 
Eyes. —If a horse’s eyes are lively and clear, and you can 
see to the bottom, and the image of your face be reflected 
from thence, and not from the surface of the eye, they are 
good; but if muddy, cloudy, or coal-black, they are bad. 
Legs. —If his knees are not broken, nor stand bending and 
trembling forward (which is called knuckling,) his legs may 
be good; but if he steps short, and digs his toes in the ground, 
it is a sign he will knuckle. In short, if the hoof be pretty 
flat and not curled, you need not fear a founder. 
Wind. —If his flanks beat even and slow, his wind may be 
good, but if they heave double and irregular, or if (while he 
stands in the stable) he blow's at the nostrils, as if he had 
just been galloping, they are signs of a broken wind. De¬ 
ceitful dealers have a draught which they sometimes give, 
to make a horse breathe regularly in the stable, the surest 
way therefore to judge of his w'ind, is to give him a good 
brushing gallop, and it is ten to one, if his wind be broken, 
or even touched, that he will cough and wheeze very much, 
and no medicine can prevent him doing so. 
Cure for a broken wind. —A broken wind may be cured, if 
the following be applied on the discovery of it;—A quarter 
of a pound of common tar, and the like quantity of honey; 
beat them well together, then dissolve them in a quart of 
new milk; let the horse fast two hours before you give the 
drench: walk him an hour after, and let him fast two hours; 
give this drench every second day with warm meat and 
drink. 
A draught-horse. —A horse with thick shoulders and a 
broad chest laden with flesh, hanging too forward and hea¬ 
vily projecting over his knees and feet, is fitter lor a collar 
than a saddle. 
A saddle-horse. —A horse with thin shoulders, and a flat 
chest, whose fore feet stand boldly forward and even, his 
neck rising semicircularly from the points of those thin 
shoulders to his head, may justly be said to have a light fore¬ 
hand, and be fitter for a saddle than a collar. As most horses 
in the hands of farmers are drawn while they are young, 
which notwithstanding their make, occasions them to move 
heavily; if you desire a nimble-footed horse, choose one that 
has never been drawn. 
In buying a horse, inquire into four other things, viz: bit¬ 
ing, kicking, stopping and starting. 
A horse may be sound, though guilty of all four, which a 
man can hardly discover by barely looking on him; so I re¬ 
fer you to his keeper. 
When you are buying, it is common for the owner to say 
in praise of his horse, that he has neither splint, spavin, nor 
windgall. 
The Splint. —The splint is a fixed callous excrescence or 
hard knob, growing upon the flat of the in or out side (and 
sometimes both) of the shank-bone; a little under, and not 
far from the knee, and may be seen and felt. 
To take it off, shave the part, and beat it with a stick, 
prick it with a nail in a flat stick, clap on a blistering plaster 
as strong as you can make it; let it lie on three days; then 
take it off, and rub the place with half a drachm of the oil 
of origanum, and as much oil of vitriol, mixed; if the first does 
not do, rub it a second time with the oils; if you find any 
remains of the splint, apply a second blistering plaster for 
twenty-four hours, walk him moderately to prevent any 
swelling or excrescence from settling. 
Most young horses have splints, more or less, and they 
will occasion lameness while they are coming upon the bone; 
but after they are grown to the firmness of bones, they do 
not lame a horse, nor is such a horse worse for use, though 
he may not look so well to the eye. 
The Spavin. —The spavin is of the same nature, and ap¬ 
pears, in like manner, on the instep bone behind, not far be¬ 
low the housh. To take it off, beat the bone with a bleed¬ 
ing stick, and rub it; then anoint it with the oil of origa¬ 
num, tie a wet cloth about it, and with a hot brick applied 
to it, soak in the oil, till it be dry. 
Windgall.— Windgalls are several little swellings just above 
the fet-lock joints of all the four legs; they seem when felt, 
to be full of wind or jelly, but they never lame a horse; the 
splint and spavin always do. They all three proceed from 
one and the same cause, which is hard riding, travelling too 
far in one day, or carrying too great a weight when young. 
Setting out on a journey. —Whenever you intend to travel, 
hunt, or only ride out for the air, let your horse’s feet be 
examined sometime before, to see that his shoes are all fast 
and sit easy on his feet, for on that depends the pleasure and 
safety of your journey. 
Directions for mounting .—Before you mount, look round 
your horse, to see if his bridle, curb, saddle, and girths, are 
all fitted in their proper places. Always accustom your 
horse to stand firm and without a motion, till you are fixed in 
your seat, and your clothes be adjusted. 
Directions for going. —When you would have him go, 
teach him to move by pressing close your knees, or speaking 
to him, without using whip or spur; for a horse will learn 
any thing; and a good quality may as easily be taught him 
as a bad one. 
Corrections ill-timed. Corrections ivell-timed. An easy rein. 
—Most men whip and spur a horse, to make him go faster, 
before they bid him; but it is cruel treatment to beat a gene¬ 
rous creature before you have signified your mind to him 
(by some token which he may be taught to understand,) 
who would obey you if he knew your pleasure; it is time 
enough to correct him when he refuses, or resists you. Do 
not haul his head about with too tight a rein, it deadens his 
mouth; besides, he will carry you safer, and take better care 
of his steps with an easy hand, than a heavy one: much de¬ 
pends on the quietness of the bridle hand. Keep your el¬ 
bows steady, and you cannot hurt his mouth. Again, no¬ 
thing discovers a bad horseman (even at a distance) so much 
as throwing his arms and legs about; for it is easiest to the 
horse and rider, and he can carry you farther by ten miles a 
day when you sit as steady upon him as if you were a part 
of himself. 
Employment of Mineral Tar or Pyroligneous Li¬ 
quor, for the protection of Walls of Masonry or 
of Mud. 
When the walls are thoroughly dry, towards the end of 
summer (having previously been either newly built or put 
into a state of thorough repair), they are to be coated over, 
once, twice, or thrice, with the tar. The last coat, immedi¬ 
ately when put on, may be powdered with sand; and this, 
when solidified, may be whitewashed. In France, earthern 
walls, and the walls of court yards and terraces, are treated 
in this manner, and so rendered of great durability. 1 —( An - 
nales des Fonts et Chaussees, as quoted in the Frank. Jour. 
vol. xxii. p, 284.) 
To prevent Horses being teased by Flies. 
Take two or three small handfuls of walnut leaves, upon 
which pour two or three quarts of cold water: let it infuse 
one night, and pour the whole next morning into a kettle, 
and let it boil for a quarter of an hour;—when cold it will be 
fit for use. No more is required than to moisten a sponge, 
and before the horse goes out of the stable, let those parts 
which are most irritable be smeared over with the liquor, viz. 
between and upon the ears, the neck, the flank, &c. Not 
only the lady or gentleman who rides out for pleasure, will 
derive benefit from the walnut leaves thus prepared, but the 
coachman, the wagoner, and all others who use horses dur¬ 
ing the hot months.— Farmers’ Receipt Book. 
Efficacy of Stinkweed. 
[From the American Farmer .] 
Sir—A lady has caused to be published in the Chronicle, 
that hogs-lard rubbed on a bedstead with a piece of woollen 
cloth, will prevent the bed-bug from infesting the bedstead. 
An extract obtained by stewing Gympson or Jamestown 
weed,* in fish oil, and rubbed on bedsteads and posts, and 
the wash-boardsi n a lodging room, is found from practice, 
to destroy bed-bugs and other insects that infest a room 
during the warm summer months. During the excessive 
heat and drought of last summer, a lodging room in the third 
story of an old inhabited brick house on St. Paul’s street, 
was infested with bed-bugs. The extract of Jamestown 
weed stewed in common fish oil was applied; it destroyed 
the bugs, and no musquitoes annoyed the person who slept 
in it. The moth fly and common flies did not appear in the 
room. Spermaceti whale oil had better be made use of in¬ 
stead of the common fish oil. The South Sea Islanders 
anoint their bodies with fish oil in order to protect them from 
the annoyance of insects. 
An extract of Gympson or Jamestown weed, made by 
stewing the leaves and tender stalks in common fish oil, might 
be applied to seed wheat and corn, with a brush, stirring the 
heaps, to be kept in a close room ten or fifteen days before 
sowing or planting. It would be offensive to birds and in¬ 
sects—The germ of the Hessian fly and other insects might 
be destroyed by it. The quantity of oil required would be 
inconsiderable; it now sells at 46 cents per gallon. 
The extract might be applied to advantage on the roots of 
peach trees when replanted, and an application of it might 
be applied to seeds generally. 
The extract destroys lice and other insects on animals.— 
A little rubbed on the head and back of sheep when sheared, 
would prove advantageous. 
Metallic and vegetable poisons are much used in spirits, 
which are greatly objectionable, on account of the danger of 
keeping the solution in families. Any poison in fish oil 
would not be dangerous. 
Gympson leaves and tender stalks, stewed in any oil or 
grease of any kind, until the leaves and stalks become soft, 
then strained and squeezed through coarse linen fabrics, 
gives an extract which will keep good for use a number of 
years. A. 
[The above is from a highly respectable source, and should 
any of our readers make any experiments on the hints given 
therein, they might render a service to the public by making 
known the results.] 
* The Datura stramonium, of Lin.—The stinkweed of the 
north.— .Cond. Cult. 
