34 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
WINTERING STOCK. 
^j.W.Orr.jMbav.y 
Langdon’s Horse-Hoe or Cultivator Plow. — {Fig. 15.) 
IMPLEMENTS OF HUSBANDRY.—No. II. 
It was my intention to have headed this No. with a 
description of Murray’s Corn and Cob Grinder, which 
was exhibited at the Fair in Sept, last, and to which was 
awarded the Society’s premium; hut having failed to ob¬ 
tain a drawing of it, (although I addressed a note to the 
owner early in Jan. requesting him to furnish one,) must 
postpone it to a future number. 
There were only three Corn-Shellers exhibited at the 
Fair of the State Agricultural Society,—one by Mr. 
Thorburn, Albany, Adriance’s—one by Geo. E. War¬ 
ing, Stamford, Conn.—and one by John A. Whitford, 
Saratoga Springs. A description and pictorial represen¬ 
tation of Adriance’s machine, with my opinion of its mer¬ 
its, may be found in Vol. IV. p. 93, of the Cultivator. 
I have had it in use until last summer, and have had no 
reason to alter my opinion on the subject. Waring’s ma¬ 
chine I have never seen in operation, but from those who 
have had it in use, I have always heard it highly com¬ 
mended. 
The Corn-Sheller has always been considered a very 
useful and labor saving machine. The shelling of corn 
by hand, even with the aid of the handle of the frying- 
pan, is a tedious and painful operation, and at present, I 
believe, entirely out of date. The treading it out with 
horses, or beating it out with the flail have their disad¬ 
vantages, and arc not practiced where corn-shellers can 
be had. 
It is now more than twenty-three years since the corn- 
sheller was first introduced, and very little improvement 
on the principle has been made until within a few years; 
in fact Judge Buel preferred one of the oM machines, 
(Harrison’s,) which he used during his life time. 
Whitford’s Corn Shelter. — {Fig. 16.) 
The machine from which the above drawing was ta¬ 
ken, (the tops and posts removed,) is the invention of J. 
A. Whitford, of Saratoga Springs, for which the Socie¬ 
ty’s Diploma was awarded by the committee on this de¬ 
scription of implements. 
The principle appears to be new, and as I have one of 
them in use, I can speak advisedly. It shells as clean as 
any other machine, and has the advantage of depositing 
the cob on one side and the corn at the back-side, like a 
common fanning mill, into the half bushel, in good order 
for the mill or market, the chaff being completely blown 
from it by the fan, as is seen in the end of the above 
figure; thus saving the labor of passing the corn through 
a'fanning mill after shelling, to prepare if for market. 
This machine differs from others, as the principal shel¬ 
ter for separating the kernels from the cob is a frustrum 
of a cone, (which is imperfectly shown in the above cut, 
in front and at top,) made of cast iron staves lying hori¬ 
zontally, and is surrounded with teeth set in spiral rows. 
The lower oblique sheller is placed below the main 
sheller, and nearly touching it, and is composed of a se¬ 
ries of sTnail wheels armed with teeth on their periphe¬ 
ries, placed about'half an inch apart, leaving a space be¬ 
tween them of sufficient distance to admit the bars of a 
spring concave bed-plate projecting downwards, leaving 
a space between it and the sheller sufficient to allow a 
common sized ear of corn, and to keep it between and 
against the two shelters, where it is held until the corn is 
completely stripped from the cob by the simultaneous 
movement of the shellers—the cob escaping at the dis¬ 
charging aperture, and the corn falling through the space 
which is met by the current of air from the fan, which 
blows the chaff out at the front. 
Without the fanner it requires about the same power 
as the common machines, but to use it to the best advan¬ 
tage, it should be run with power. They are for sale at 
the Agricultural Repository of Mr. H. Warren, River- 
street, Troy. Price $20. 
Among the new implements exhibited at the Fair, none 
seemed to attract the attention more, or appeared to meet 
the views of the multitude, better than the horse-hoe or 
cultivator plow, (Fig. 15,) exhibited byB. Langdon, of 
Troy. 
It affords me great pleasure to have it in my power to 
speak of the merits of this machine from experience, 
having used one the past season in my corn. My corn 
ground was laid off in squares planted in the corners, 
leaving the hills three feet apart, which enabled me to 
run the horse-hoe both ways. W'^hen the soil is tolerably 
loose it penetrates from two to three inches; the edges 
being sharp, cut off the weeds, which with the soil pass 
over the top of the inclined share which rises 3^ inches 
above the cutting edge of the share, leaving the soil 
very light and loose. The cutters on the upper section 
of the share are useful for pulverizing the soil. The 
breadth of the share from point to point crosswise, is 17 
inches, which I find sufficiently wide for rows at 3 feet 
distance, for it loosens and breaks the soil beyond the 
reach of the share. After passing through the corn both 
ways, there is little left for the hand-hoe to do. It is a 
very efficient machine, and I have the testimony of a 
number of farmers and gardners who have used it, and 
all speak in the highest terms of it. I did not try it for 
digging potatoes as my crop was on a side hill, but those 
who did try it say it exceeds anything for that purpose 
which has yet been introduced. When used for earthing 
up potatoes, the upper sections of the share with the 
cutters, are removed and wood boards are substituted, 
which is readily done by means of one screw bolt through 
the upright part of the share. 
Since the foregoing was written, Mr. Langdon has 
shown me one of his horse-hoes embracing an improve¬ 
ment. By referring to (Fig. 15) you will perceive the 
improvement consists in extending the cutters beyond 
the share, by which means the soil will be left very loose 
and well pulverized. The point of the share, instead of 
being square or chisel shaped, as heretofore, is now ta¬ 
pered to a point, by which means the roots and weeds 
which formerly catched on the point and annoyed the 
plowman, will now be avoided. 
It is not generally known, I believe, that Mr. Lang¬ 
don was the inventor of the horse power ferry-boats, 
and I will venture to say, one of the most useful discov¬ 
eries for that purpose, of the age. What kind of an ap¬ 
pearance at the present time, would one of the old fa¬ 
shioned scow ferry boats, propelled by human power 
with immense poles, at a snail’s pace, make along side 
of one of those? In fact it would be necessary to have 
enough of them to reach nearly across the river at Troy 
to accommodate the present travel, notwithstanding they 
have a bridge near by. 
I find I am digressing; I will now return to the horse- 
hoe. The best and most substantial evidence of the esti¬ 
mation in which this implement is held by those who 
have seen or heard of it, is the amount of sales and the 
number of orders already received, exceeding the most 
sanguine expectations of the proprietors. I was inform 
ed not long since by Mr. L. that he had received an or 
der for twelve, to go to Chicago or Wiskonsan. The 
proprietors are induced to put them at the lowest possi¬ 
ble price, to meet the pressure of the times, and offer 
them at $8 complete. They may be obtained of H. War¬ 
ren, River-street, Troy, or by addressing the proprie¬ 
tors, J. C. & B. Langdon, Troy, N. Y. 
Three Hills Farm, Jan. 1843. C. N. Bement, 
Note. —^In the first number I have stated the price of 
Baldwin’s Corn and Cob Crusher, to be $85. Mr. Thor 
burn informs me it is only $65. 
Messes. Gayeoed & Tuckee —There is no subject, 
perhaps, connected with farming, of more consequence 
than the care and management of stock; and I know of 
none that in general is so much neglected, or which re¬ 
ceives so little attention. 
I propose making a few remarks on the manner of 
wintering stock in this part of the country; and although 
some of the practices which here prevail may be un¬ 
known in your vicinity, yet I trust that a notice of them 
may not be regarded as useless. 
One of the first things which strikes the attention of a 
New-Englander on coming to the West, is the great 
waste of grain and fodder in the feeding of animals; and 
the remark is frequently made, that if these articles of 
food were used with the same economy and judgment 
that is practiced by good farmers in the ‘‘ land of steady 
habits,” there might be kept from twenty-five to fifty 
per cent more stock than there is now. This remark is 
unquestionably correct in a general sense, though it 
should be received as subject to some exceptions. 
The manner of wintering cattle varies somewhat in 
the different sections. In the great Indian corn districts, 
they are fed chiefly on the fodder of that grain; sel¬ 
dom, or never eating hay. The corn is sometimes 
husked from the stalk in the field, (the stalks not being 
cut,) and the cattle are turned in to eat what they choose, 
or whatever hunger compels them to eat. This custom 
is liable to many objections. The cattle are commonly 
allowed to range in the “ stalk-fields” at all times, with¬ 
out regard to the state of the weather or the condition 
of the land. The fluctuation of the climate during the 
winter months causes frequent freezing and thawing of 
the land; and when it is muddy or soft, the tread of the 
cattle is very injurious; it makes the soil into mortar, 
which, when dry, becomes as hard as a brick, and plants 
cannot grow in it. Besides, much of the fodder is lost 
by being trodden into the earth. But perhaps as great a 
waste as any attending this custom, is the loss of nutri¬ 
tious matter in the fodder by being left to become totally 
dead; sometimes killed by frost, and the saccharium of 
the stalk (probably its principal nutriment,) wholly dis¬ 
sipated. In this state, it can do little more than barely 
sustain life. The bark and wood of trees, if the animals 
can masticate them, will do as well. I have many a 
time seen animals kept in this way so miserably poor 
and weak as to be hardly able to lift their feet out of the 
mud and crav/l from one bunch of stalks to another. 
A better mode of managing corn fodder, and which 
the iest farmers greatly practice, is to cut it up and shock 
it as soon as the corn begins to harden. It may be cut 
and well saved so early that the greenness and sweetness 
of the stalk and leaf will be principally retained. The 
difference in the value of fodder thus saved and that 
which is suffered to dry up or be killed by frost is great. 
If cows that are fed on the latter give any milk it is thin 
and watery. Butter can scarcely be made from it; if 
any is produced, it is frothy, crumbling, colorless and 
worthless, while the cows are as poor as skeletons. On 
the other hand, cows fed with the green fodder give 
rich milk, which, if properly managed, will yield butter 
of nearly as good consistence, color and quality, as if the 
cows were fed on grass. 
But even when fodder is saved in the best manner, a 
great waste is frequently allowed in consequence of its 
not being properly fed out. It is too often thrown into 
the mud, or on to land that is too wet and soft for cattle 
to tread on. It can be fed to the greatest advantage in 
mangers, suitably arranged around the barn-yard, where 
all is consumed that is eatable, and the remainder, if the 
yard is rightly formed, is converted into good manure. 
But when the number of cattle is very great, it may be 
difficult to provide for them all in the barn-yard; and on 
grounds of almost inexhaustible fertility, as are some of 
the alluvial lands in the west, there is less occasion to 
feed in the yard for the purpose of making manure. In¬ 
stead however, of feeding on land which would be 
trodden up and injured by the cattle, a dry and sheltered 
spot should be selected, with (if possible,) a firm blue- 
o-rass sward, which will bear the tread of cattle. 
Hay is generally worse managed in this part of the 
country than I have ever known it in other places. It is 
commonly allowed to get too ripe before it is cut; being 
often entirely dead before it is touched with the scythe. 
But whatever may be its state of ripeness, it is^ suffered 
to lie in swath after it is mowed, “rain or shine,” till 
the farmer is ready to put it up. Sometimes he gets 
ready the first day and sometimes he is not ready under 
a week. But when tlie time comes for stacking, it is 
put up whether it be wet or dry. The consequence is, 
it “spends well,” as they say; for the animals must be 
driven to starvation before they will eat it; and some¬ 
times they cannot then be induced to eat enough to keep 
the breath of life in them. _ r ^ .v 
Those only who have had the experience of feeding 
hay cut while it is in blossom and properly dried with¬ 
out being wet by either dew or rain, can appreciate its 
value over such musty, strawy stuff as too many call hay. 
An idea prevails among many people that cjover hay 
is necessarily of inferior value. This very false notion 
arises from the bad manner in which it is made and 
kept. Sometimes the leaves are all gone before it is 
cut. ' Sometimes, if it is cut in proper season, it is knock¬ 
ed about in alternate sunshine and shower till the heads 
and leaves are all gone, and nothing remains that can be 
gathered up but a mass of dry, tasteless stems; and 
iometimes it is put into the bam or stack with so much 
moisture and wet about it that it heats, and all its good- 
