THE CULTIVATOR. 
13 
tion of those on crops (which were reserved for the 
winter meeting,) on the afternoon of the second day. 
The address, with reports of committees, &c., have, we 
understand been published for the use of the society. 
The course of tlie Monroe Society is destined to be on¬ 
ward, or we have greatly mistaken the spirit, intelli¬ 
gence, and liberality of the farmers of that county. 
WASHINGTON CO. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The Second Fair and Cattle Show of this Society, was 
held at Salem, Oct. 11, and came off in the most spirited 
and happy manner. The day was unusually fine, one of 
those calm, beautiful days, the glory of the American 
autumn; and the numbers collected to witness the pro¬ 
ceedings, surprised even the most sanguine. It was in¬ 
deed a general turn out of the entire mass, farmers and 
others; and we are happy to state, that to the presence 
of the matrons of the county, and their fair daughters, 
much of the interest of the day was owing. This is 
right; enlist the services and the presence of the ladies, 
and our agricultural societies will flourish. And why 
shoukl they not be present as well as their husbands or 
brothers? To what hands can the arrangements of arti¬ 
cles of taste, of domestic manufactures, of flowers, &c. 
be so appropriately confided as to the hands that pro¬ 
duced or cultivated them. The address was delivered 
by the Hon. John Savage, and is spoken of as “an in¬ 
structive, unostentatious discourse, well adapted to the 
occasion, and abounding in logical deductions from in¬ 
controvertible facts.” 
The show of Horses, Cattle, Sheep and Swine, was 
unexpectedly good, although it was well known that few 
counties contained more choice animals than Washing¬ 
ton. Mr. Long, of Cambridge, received the first premi¬ 
um for horses; John Savage, of Salem, for the best bull; 
Harry Holmes, of Greenwich, for the best cow; James 
Lake, Whitecreek, for the best Buck; and John J. Steel, 
Salem, for the best Boar. There were a great number 
of competitors for the premiums, and the several com¬ 
mittees in many cases found no little difficulty in making 
their decisions. 
The show of Agricultural implements was not great, 
and it was a subject of regret that so few of the mecha¬ 
nics of the County av'ailed themselves of this best of op¬ 
portunities to advertise their various products and arti¬ 
cles. The chairman of the committtee, J. Williams, 
Esq. of Salem, had agreed to furnish a Dynamometer for 
use upon this day, but on examining various instruments, 
he found them so uncertain in their results as to be of 
little value, and he accordingly at his own expense, con¬ 
structed a new instrument, upon a plan in many respects 
original. This was exhibited at the Fair, and in the 
opinion of good judges, promises to accomplish all that 
can be desired of such an implement. Mr. Williams 
certainly deserves the premium he received, as well as 
the thanks of his fellow farmers, and we should be high¬ 
ly gratified to receive from him a description and draw¬ 
ing of the instrument, to be engraved for the Cultivator. 
The specimens of Domestic Manufactures were very 
numerous, and spoke well for the industry of the fair 
hands by which the greater part of them were prepared 
and presented. The samples of carpeting, linens, ladies’ 
hats, sewing silk, cocoons, laces, lace veils, woolen 
shawls, &c. &c. attracted, and deservedly, much notice. 
The crops offered for premiums, proved, that however 
they may have failed in other places, in Washington 
they have been most abundant. We have arranged some 
of these in the table below: 
-St Premium, 
Wheat, • • < Qd 
ft 
^3d 
(( 
f 1st 
li 
Corn, 1 2d 
ft 
ff 
Eye,. 1st 
(( 
f 1st 
(f 
Oats, - - • ■ 1 2d 
ff 
( 3d 
ff 
Potatoes, 1st 
ff 
Bush, per acre. 
. 29, winter wheat, 
. 22, 28 qts., spring wheat. 
. 25, 7 “ “ " 
. 80 J, 8 rowed yellow. 
. 67*, 
. 85, China tree corn. 
. 25, 11 quarts. 
.. 53V, average on 8 acres. 
. 97, 4 quarts. 
. 80,6 “ 
.510|, Merino, seed cut. 
20 bushels planted. 
We find also the following account of an experiment 
made by Mr. Holmes, in sowing corn broadcast:—“ On 
the 5th of Maj', I sowed broadcast and harrowed in, 12 
quarts of corn on half an acre and eleven rods of ground 
without manuring, and it was not touched again until the 
22d of Sept., when I cut it up, and set it up on the ground, 
in the same way that I did the corn which I planted in 
hills; and on the 5th of Oct. I husked from it 46 bushels 
of ears, (i. e. nearly 9l per acre.) I have got a much 
larger amount of fodder than from any piece of the size 
which I have planted, and I have no hesitation in saying 
that the stalks will more than pay all the labor of rais¬ 
ing it.” Farmers will doubtless another year, many of 
them at least, try the experimjent of sowing corn broad¬ 
cast, as a resource for winter fodder, as in every instance 
where it was tried the last, either for soiling or for win¬ 
ter use, it was eminently successful. 
TOMPKINS COUNTY CATTLE SHOW AND FAIR. 
We were kindly furnished, by one of our friends in 
Tompkins county, with papers containing an interesting 
account of the Show and Fair of that county last Octo¬ 
ber; but it has unfortunately disappeared from our desk, 
and we are obliged to substitute a brief notice flirnished 
in a note from another friend in that county. We the 
more regret this, as the society of Tompkins county is 
one of the most active and efficient in the state, and its 
reports in the various departments of the Fair, are such 
as might serve as models for many others. ■ Our friend 
says—“ The Show and Fair this year was, in almost 
every respect, a decided improvement on the one of last 
year. The attendance of farmers and others was great¬ 
er; the best spirit every where pi’evailed; a generous 
feeling of emulation and devotion to the good cause 
seemed to actuate all; the show of stock, cattle, horses, 
sheep, and swine, was excellent. There were many 
beautiful cattle present, and Tompkins has for years been 
celebrated for some of the best flocks of flne-wooled 
sheep in the state. These were well represented, as were 
also the various sorts of pigs at present most prized by 
breeders. The show of domestic manufactures was, as 
it always has been in this county, good, and speaks well 
for the taste, skill, and industry of the ladies of Tomp¬ 
kins. In the department of vegetables, fi'uit, &c., it is 
enough to say, that all present were surprised at the va¬ 
riety and excellence of the specimens on the tables. In 
this respect, high as the character of Tompkins has here¬ 
tofore been, she may be said to have exceeded herself.” 
We cannot doubt, judging from the representations that 
have reached us, that the meeting was in all respects a 
most gratifying one, and calculated to give a decided 
impulse to the cause of agricultural improvement in that 
part of the state. 
Note© for 11)0 iltonti). 
CoREECTiON. —In the communication of Commenta¬ 
tor, in our December number, in the last line of the 
second column, instead of “ prevents all shaking,” read 
prevents all choking; and in the 17th line of the third 
column, instead of “ grown state,” read green state. 
The Farmers’ Register —The lOlh vol. of this 
publication closed with the last year, and with it ter¬ 
minated the editorial labors of Edmund Ruffin, its able 
conductor and proprietor from its commencement. He 
has disposed of it to T. S. Pleasants, a gentleman well 
qualified to succeed even Mr. R., by whom it will here¬ 
after be edited and published. A new series will com¬ 
mence with the present year. Petersburg, Va., monthly, 
64 p. 8 VO. at $5 per year. 
The New Genesee Farmer. —Mr. Colman having 
determined to spend a year or two in Europe, this pub¬ 
lication has been transferred to Messrs. Crosman& Shep¬ 
ard, by whom it will hereafter be published. Mr. Col¬ 
man will continue its editor till April, and will be a re¬ 
gular correspondent through the year. The paper is to 
be enlarged at the commencement of a new vol., this 
month, and the price raised to $1,00. 
“ The Indicator : a Miscellany of Self-Improvement,” 
is the title of a magazine published in New-York, by J. 
D. Lockwood, every alternate month. Each number 
contains 64 pages, and is embellished with an engraved 
frontispiece. Price $1.50 per year. The first three 
numbers have been laid on our table, and their perusal 
has afforded us high gratification. It is devoted to “ the 
discussion of principles that promote the acquisition of 
knowledge, the culture and discipline of the mind, and 
the formation of character,” and we should rejoice to see 
it take the place, especially in the hands of our young 
men, of the numerous “ popular” magazines which are 
so rapidly spreading over the country, to the great detri¬ 
ment of a more substantial and useful literature. 
American Turf Register. —The December No. 
completes the 13th vol. of this work, now the oldest ma¬ 
gazine in the country. It is embellished with a beauti¬ 
fully executed portrait of the celebrated racer “Boston,” 
on steel, and an outline ofBee’s Wing,” a famous Eng¬ 
lish race horse. To the breeders of blood horses, this 
magazine is invaluable. A new vol. commences with 
the year. Terms, $5,00 per year. W. T. Porter, Esq. 
Editor, New-York. 
Fat Cow —Mr. L. V. V. Schuyler, of Watervliet, in 
this county, recently slaughtered the six year old Dur¬ 
ham cow, which he exhibited at the late State Fair. Her 
weight was as follows:—The four quarters 890 lbs.; tal- 
tallow 150; hide 93; total 1,113 lbs. That the beef was 
of the best quality, we had sufficient proof in the fine steak 
sent us by Mr. Schuyler. 
Agricultural School —T. Fanning, Esq. one of 
the editors of that excellent paper, the Agriculturist, at 
Nashville, Tenn., proposes to open an Agricultural 
School at the commencement of the present year. As it 
is an experiment, he will limit the number of pupils the 
first year, to twelve. We rejoice to see a gentleman of 
his talents and energy, engaging in such a work, and of 
his success we cannot permit ourselves to doubt. 
The late State Fair. —Adam Ferguson, Esq. of 
Woodhill, Canada West, who acted as chairman of the 
committee on Bulls, at our State Fair, has published a 
flattering account of his visit to our state, in the British 
American Cultivator. Of the stock exhibited, he says: 
“ It is impossible for me to give any correct account of 
the host of fine animals on the ground. I was aware 
that much attention had been paid to Short Horn Stock 
in New-York and adjoining states, but I was not prepared 
to see animals of symmetry and beauty, which might 
have competed successfully in any British exhibition. I 
was much pleased with the sheep pens. Leicester, South 
Down, and Cotswold, in high perfection. The great 
size and fine form of the latter, will be a sure panacea for 
renovating Leicesters when they become too fine.” 
Importation of Silk _The Nashville Agriculturist 
states, that in the last twenty-one years, there has been 
imported into this country, the enormous amount of two 
hundred and thirty-eight millions of dollars worth of 
silk and silk worsted goods. From the experiments al¬ 
ready made, there is no reason to doubt, but that these 
goods can just as well be raised and made here as in 
Europe. 
Self-Foddering Barn. —One of our correspondents, 
Mr. J. Horsfield, in speaking of the self-foddering 
barn, a view of which is given in our last vol. at page 
147, says:—“ The appearance of the barn itself, upon pa¬ 
per, and indeed the whole arrangement and construc¬ 
tion of its exterior, I will readily admit to be proper 
enough, and as Mr. Mitchell says, ‘ a sightly object;’ 
but for the practical operation of self-foddering, it will 
undoubtedly prove a total failure. Of the interior ar¬ 
rangements he gives us no description, and we practical 
farmers are led to infer, that the whole space within, 
from the ground floor to the roof, is to be occupied by 
the hay; and if so, I would like to inquire of Mr. Mitch¬ 
ell, how the self-foddering operation is performed. It 
appears to me, that if he had had much experience in 
foddering or the management of hay, he would readily 
see that the rack after being once eaten out by the cattle 
to the extent of their reach, would need something more 
than the pressure of superincumbent hay to replenish it. 
And if Mr. Mitchell wishes to furnish hides for the tan¬ 
ner next spring, in my opinion he has only to enclose his 
cattle with such a barn, however well filled, without 
giving them the assistance of human hands.” 
Kentucky Corn Crops _The Louisville Journal 
states that Mr. P. Chamberlin, of that neighborhood, 
raised an extraordinary crop of corn the past season. 
The rows were laid off two and a half feet apart, with a 
single stalk every 18 inches in the rows. Mr. C. had one 
acre measured, and the produce was 112 bushels. All the 
work which he gave his corn, was to pass a cultivator 
through it once. The ground was of the ordinary ferti¬ 
lity of his farm. The season was very unfavorable to 
corn, inasmuch as not a drop of rain fell in July, the 
time at which the corn most needed rain. 
Molasses from Corn Stalks. —Mr. Vaughn of Hen¬ 
ry CO., Tenn., has been successful in producing molasses 
from corn stalks, which is declared to be preferable to 
that made from the sugar cane. He ground the stalks in 
a very simple mill, which cost but six dollars, which was 
run by two horses, and produced 120 gallons of juice per 
day. Five gallons of the juice made one of molasses. 
He thinks sixty gallons of molasses may be made from 
an acre of corn. 
Fatting Hens. —Paine Wingate, in the Maine Farm¬ 
er, says his experience tells him that the following pro¬ 
cess is the best mode of fattening hens. Shut them up 
where they can get no gravel. Keep corn by them all 
the time, and also give them dough once a day. For 
drink give them skim milk. With this feed they will 
fatten in ten days. If kept over ten days, they should 
have some gravel, or they will fall away. 
New Grass. —Capt. Ross, in his narrative of his South¬ 
ern Expedition, describes a grass found on the Falk¬ 
land Islands, which promises, according to the account 
given in the New Farmers’ Journal, to be a valuable ac¬ 
quisition in all maratime districts. “ Every animal here 
feeds on it with avidity, and fattens on it in a short time. 
It may be planted and cut like the Guinea grass of the 
West Indies. The blades are about six feet long, and 
from 200 to 300 shoots spring from one plant.” A man 
will cut about 100 bundles In a day, and horses and cows 
would eat the dry grass from the thatched roofs in pre¬ 
ference to good grass of other kinds. It loves a rank 
wet peat bog, with the sea spray over it. What is to 
hinder this grass from taking possession of the large 
tiacts on our coast, now producing only worthless coarse 
salt or bog grass? It is called the “ Tussack Grass.” 
Steam Rotting Hemp —A discovery that promises 
much for the agriculture of the west, has been made, and 
the experiments made have been eminently successful. 
The great obstacle in the way of the Hemp culture, has 
been in the rotting; dew rotted being unfit for the prin¬ 
cipal uses to which that article is applied, and water rot¬ 
ting being injurious to the health of those engaged, as 
well as requiring considerable nicety in the operation. 
It has been found that hemp submitted to the action of 
steam, is rotted thoroughly in a few hours, and that the 
quality is of the very best kind. We perceive that Mr. 
Sullivant, the great corn grower and farmer, near Co¬ 
lumbus, Ohio, has thisyear raised a fine crop of 40 acres, 
being his first attempt. Should the process of steaming 
succeed as well as is now anticipated, we may shortly 
expect to find the rich vallies of the west supplying the 
United States with hemp, instead of importing it from 
Russia, as we now annually do to a large extent. 
Rule for ascertaining the weight of Cattle 
BY measurement_A correspondent sends the follow¬ 
ing from an English paper :—“ Measure the girt close 
behind the shoulder, and the length from the fore part 
of the shoulder blade along the back to the bone at the 
tail, which is in a vertical line with the buttock, both in 
feet. Multiply the square of the girt expressed in feet, 
by five times the length, and divide the product by 21, 
the quotient will be the weight of the four quarters in 
imperial stones of 14 lbs. avoirdupois. Example:...^If 
the girt be 6J feet, and the length 5^ feet, we shall 
have 6i multiplied by 6^=42:), and 5^ multiplied by 
5=26^; then 42^ multiplied by 26|=1109 1-16; and 
this divided by 21 gives 52 4-5 stones, nearly; or 62 
stones 11 pounds. It is to be observed, however, that ii^ 
very fat cattle, the four quarters will be about 1-20 more j 
while in those in a very lean state, it will he 1-2Q lea^ 
than the weight obtained by rule^’^ 
