TIE CULTIVATOR: 
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION, DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE. 
I KNOW OF NO PURSUIT IN WHICH MORE REAL AND IMPORTANT SERVICES CAN BE RENDERED TO ANY COU NTRY, THAN BY IMPROVING ITS AGRICULTURE. Wash 
Yol. VI. 
^o757WASHINGTON-ST. ALBANY, N. Y. OCTOBER 1839. 
No. 9. 
Conducted by J. BUEE, of Albany. 
TERMS.— One Dollar per annum, to be paid in advance. 
Subscriptions to commence with a volume. 
Special Agents .—Lewis Hill & Co. Richmond, Va. ; Bell 
& Entwistle, Alexandria, D. C.; Gideon B. Smith, Baltimore, 
Md. ; Judah Dobson, bookseller, D. Landreith, and M. to. 
Powell, seedsmen, Philadelphia; Israel Post, bookseller, bs 
Bowery, Alex. Smith, seedsman, P. Wakeman, office ol the 
American Institute, Broadway, New-York ; Hovey & Co. 
Merchants’ Row, Boston; Alex. Walsh, Lansingburgli, and 
Wm. Thorburn, Albany, gratuitous agents; John Thorburn, 
seedsman and general agent, St. Louis, Mo. E. Valentine, 
Johnson’s Springs, Va. See No. 12, vol. v. 
The Cultivator is subject to common newspaper postage. 
ITi/ 53 The published volumes are for sale at the subscription price, or, 
if bound, the cost of binding added. The bound volumes may be also 
had of our Agents in the principal cities. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
TO IMS*MOVE THE SOKE AND THE MIND. 
The engagements of the Conductor rendering it 
necessary that he should he absent during the first part 
ot October, the next number of the Cultivator will be 
published on the first of November, and not on the 15th 
with the harrow is deemed better than covering with 
the plough. “ The wheat produced after the land has 
been limed, is believed to be thinner skinned, and to 
yield more good meal, than other wheat, and to make 
better bread.” 
To secure the best kinds of seed, of garden products, 
the most healthy plants must be chosen, and those which 
are most early in respect to the season; these should 
be so insulated, as to have no weak plants of the same 
species, or even genus, in their vicinity, lest the fecun¬ 
dating dust of weaker plants should be blown by the 
winds upon the stigma of the stronger, and thus pro¬ 
duce a less vigorous progeny. 
To collect good seeds, consists not in procuring new 
seeds from distant places, as is generally supposed, but 
in selecting the best seeds and roots of your own. This 
rule was practised successfully by the late Joseph Cooper, 
of N. J. who thus continued to propagate from his own 
seed for many years, with manifest advantage. We, 
however, think there are exceptions to the rule, in the 
potato and other crops where it is difficult, if not im¬ 
possible, to make the required selection. In saving his 
radish seed, Mr. Cooper took ten or twelve that he 
most approved of, and planted them at least one hun¬ 
dred yards from others that blossomed at the same 
time. In the same manner he treated all his other 
plants, varying the circumstances according to their na¬ 
ture. 
October, as heretofore proposed. 
The Crops 
Are represented to be unusually abundant through¬ 
out our whole land, with some partial exceptions; and 
the probability is, that we shall have a large surplus of 
all the productions of agriculture. Prices will therefore 
■ultimately depend upon the extent of a foreign demand. 
Wheat is already selling in the western states at 62£ to 
75 cents per bushel, and the expectation is entertained 
that prices will fall. This, as we have remarked, will 
depend on the foreign demand. While, therefore, we 
would recommend to the farmer, to sell at a fair remu¬ 
nerating price, we would not advise him to be frightened 
into a low price, by the representations of interested 
speculators. And as it requires more fortitude, or phi¬ 
losophy, to combat prosperity, than it does adversity, 
we advise the farmer to remember the fable of the 
milk-maid, who counted her chickens before they were 
hatched—not to run in debt on the strength of his 
abundant crops, till lie realizes the amount of his actual 
sales. 
There are, as we have observed, some drawbacks. 
Wheat has been seriously injured by rust, in many dis¬ 
tricts, particularly late sown spring wheat, many fields 
have not paid for harvesting, and other fields have not 
been harvested. We sowed some handsome varieties 
of foreign seed wheat, about the 15th May, and sowed 
our Italian at the same time, and in the same field.— 
The latter was somewhat injured by rust, while the new 
foreign varieties were virtually destroyed by it. 
Indian corn, in some places, suffered by frost in Au¬ 
gust, and in many other places, and more severely, by 
the frosts of the middle of September. As the season 
has been much later than usual, it is feared this crop 
will prove very deficient, and defective in quality. 
Hints for the Season. 
“ Like produces like,” is an accredited maxim among 
farmers. Hence he who wishes to rear fine animals, 
should take care to secure good breeders, and he that 
would raise fine grain and roots, should take care to 
save, or procure, good seed, in time. This is the sea¬ 
son to attend to these matters, particularly in regard to 
seed corn. If it has not already been done, no time 
should be lost in selecting the earliest and finest ears of 
corn, twin ears if you please, of stripping off most of 
the husks, of braiding, or wristing them, and hanging 
them in an airy loft to dry. Seed corn should never be 
suffered to go into a pile with the main crop, as it may 
heat, or mould, and lose its germinating principle. If 
the corn has been cut up and stooked, the early ripened 
ears may be readily distinguished, when the crop is ga¬ 
thered, by the eolour of the husks and brightness of the 
grain. 
The admonition which we give extends alike to other 
farm, and to garden seeds; and in regard to the latter, 
it may be remarked, that they keep better in their cap¬ 
sules, or seed vessels, than otherwise, provided they are 
kept dry. 
Steeping seed wheat, and other small grains, in pickle, 
serves two, if not three good purposes. 1. The light 
and imperfect grains will float, and may be skimmed off. 
2. It will prevent the crop being smutty; and 3. It will 
insure a more prompt and even germination. And if 
the seed is afterwards limed, before it is sown, as it 
should be, it will tend to preserve it from the 
attacks of insects. Asa covering of one inch is thought 
sufficient for seeds that have been acclimated, covering 
Seeds retain their vegetating principle for a greater 
or less length of time, according to the manner of their 
being kept, and according to their structure and proper¬ 
ties. Thin seeds, as the carrot, parsnip, lettuce, &c. 
cannot be depended on after they are a year old. Peas 
and English beans will germinate well, it is said, at se¬ 
ven years old, while our common garden bean will sel¬ 
dom do well after the first year. Cucumbers, melons, 
squashes and pumpkins, are said to improve to the fifth, 
sixth and seventh year—the older the seeds are, the less 
the plants run to vine, and the more to fruit. Seeds 
have been made to vegetate and grow which have been 
one hundred years old, by the use of oxygenated muri¬ 
atic acid and water. 
To preserve seeds they should be kept dry, and kept 
alike from great heat and great cold. To transport 
them with safety a great distance, and especially to or 
from a tropical climate, the practice has been successful 
of mixing them with brown sugar, or with charcoal 
dust, or with raisins, in a close vessel. 
Ail seeds should be sown when the soil is just plough¬ 
ed or dug, as by these operations much atmospheric air 
is buried, which is essential to the germinating process; 
and the ground is withal moist, another requisite to quick 
growth. 
The Pageantry of Republics. 
To maintain republican principles and a republican 
government, it is necessary that we preserve republican 
habits and customs. We affect to hate kings, jet we 
worship men. We affect to be free, yet we glory in 
being the slaves of party. We profess toleration, yet 
we proscribe, as unworthy of public confidence, the 
brother who dissents from our political creed, or who 
refuses to support our candidate, be he ever so bad.— 
We are republicans by profession, but aristocrats or 
sycophants in practice. 
Our news journals, for the lasttwo months, have been 
filled with accounts of pageant processions, laudatory 
addresses, and sumptuous entertainments, got up, osten¬ 
sibly, in honor of distinguished citizens, whose duties or 
pleasures have induced them to travel abroad. Thou¬ 
sands, many thousands, have been expended, a vast deal 
of time has been wasted, and some of the more dange¬ 
rous of the human passions invoked, in getting up these 
shows,—not so mueh, we suspect, with the view of do¬ 
ing real honor to the individuals, as of strengthening the 
interests of party, and subserving the sinister purposes 
of individuals. As republicans, we ridicule the adula¬ 
tory homage paid to the crowned heads and privileged 
classes of Europe, by what we term an ignorant and en¬ 
slaved population; and yet we outstrip them in indis¬ 
criminate and fulsome panegyric, and partizan worship. 
Our constitution and laws regard public officers as pub¬ 
lic servants, not elevated for their own, but for the pub¬ 
lic good; yet, in our practice, we treat them as our 
masters, and it would be no wonder, such is human pro¬ 
pensity to abuse power, if they soon assumed to be such. 
Rome granted triumphs to her distinguished men; and 
these distinguished men became her masters. Elections 
by the legitimate authorities soon ceased to be voluntary; 
and Caesars were raised up, by the tumultuous accla¬ 
mations of the mob, or the army, to curse and enslave 
the republic. 
We would by no means withhold, from public officers, 
the respect due to their stations, nor from distinguished 
individuals, the honor due to their merits. We would 
as cordially tender our hand, and our respects, to merit, 
as any man, yet we verily think, that this respect and 
this honor would be more compatible with our republi¬ 
can professions, less derogatory to our dignity as free¬ 
men, and equally complimentary to those whom we 
would honor, if processions, cavalcades and military 
parade were dispensed with. It is but too apparent, 
that these pageants are got up for party, and not for 
public benefit; and that if tolerated, they will increase 
in frequency and in mischief. It is not the evils that 
have happened that we so much deprecate, but the evils 
that are likely to grow out of these anti-republican pre¬ 
cedents. It should be a man’s virtues, his public servi¬ 
ces, and his fidelity to our republican institutions, that 
should recommend him to public confidence and support 
—and these are likely to be known whenever they are 
developed—and not the number of partisans which can 
be drummed up to swell his cavalcade. A good man 
needs not these extraneous anti-republican contrivances, 
and a bad man is certainly not entitled to them. 
We intend no political or personal allusions in these 
remarks. We consider the practice a bad one, incon¬ 
sistent with our republican professions, one that is grow¬ 
ing upon us, and one that should be discountenanced by 
the sober, reflecting part of the community. 
Schools of Agriculture. 
When we consider that agriculture is the great busi¬ 
ness of the nation—of mankind;—that its successful 
prosecution depends upon a knowledge, in the cultiva¬ 
tors of the soil, of the principles of natural science— 
and that our agriculture stands in special need of this 
auxiliary aid—we cannot withhold our surprise and re¬ 
gret, that we have not long since established profession¬ 
al schools, in which our youth, or such of them as are 
designed to manage this branch of national labor, might 
be taught, simultaneously, the principles and practice of 
their future business of life, and on which, more than 
on any other branch of business, the fortunes of our 
country, moral, political and national, essentially de¬ 
pend. We require an initiatory study of years, in the 
principles of law and medicine, before we permit the 
pupil to practise in these professions. We require a 
like preliminary study in our military and naval schools, 
in the science of war and of navigation, ere the student is 
deemed qualified to command. And yet, in agriculture, 
by which, by the permission of Providence, we virtu¬ 
ally.“live, and move, and have our being,” and which 
truly embraces a wider range of useful science, than 
either law, medicine, war or navigation, we have no 
schools, we give no instruction, we bestow no govern¬ 
mental patronage. Scientific knowledge is deemed in¬ 
dispensable in many minor employments of life; but in 
this great business, in which its influence would he most 
potent and useful, we consider it, judging from our 
practice, of less consequence than the fictions of the 
novelist. We regard mind as the efficient power in 
most other pursuits; while we forget, that in agricul¬ 
ture, it is the Archimedean lever, which, though it does 
not move, a world, tends to fill one with plenty, with mo¬ 
ral health and human happiness. Can it excite surprise, 
that under these circumstances of gross neglect, agri¬ 
culture should have become among us, in popular esti¬ 
mation, a clownish and ignoble employment ? 
In the absence of professional agricultural schools, 
could we not do much to enlighten and to raise the cha¬ 
racter of American husbandry, by making its principles 
a branch of study in our district schools ? This know¬ 
ledge would seldom come amiss, and it would often 
prove a ready help, under misfortune, to those who 
should fail in other business. What man is there, who 
may not expect, at some time of life, to profit directly, 
by a knowledge of these principles? Who does not 
hope to become the owner, or cultivator, of a garden or 
a farm ? And what man, enjoying the blessing of health, 
would be at a loss lor the means of an honest liveli¬ 
hood, whose mind had been early imbued with the phi¬ 
losophy of rural culture—and who would rather work 
than beg. 
An early acquaintance with natural science, is calcu¬ 
lated to beget a taste for rural life, and rural labors, as 
sources of pleasure, profit and honor; to stimulate to 
the improvement of the mind—to elevate and to purify 
it—to self-respect, to moral deportment. And it will 
tend to deter from the formation of bad habits, which 
steal upon the ignorant and the idle unawares, and which 
consign thousands of promising young men to poverty and 
disgrace, if not to premature graves. A knowledge of 
these principles, to a very useful extent, can be acquir¬ 
ed with as much facility, in the school or upon the 
farm, as other branches of learning. Why, then, shall 
they not be taught ? Why shall we withhold from 
our agricultural population, that knowledge which 
is so indispensable lo their profit, to their indepen¬ 
dence, and to their correct bearing as freemen?— 
Why, while we boast of our superior privileges, keep 
in comparative ignorance of the principles of their 
business, that class of our citizens who are truly the 
conservators of our freedom ? We know of but one ob¬ 
jection—the want of teachers. A few years ago, civil 
