THE CULTIVATOR 
109 
CANADA THISTLES—ABORTION IN COWS. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —By the enclosed slip 
from one of our papers, you will perceive some of the 
farmers of Delaware have beconie much alarmed at the 
apiiearance of that pest, the “ Canada Thistle,” upon our 
lanils. . T 1 
From occasional articles in the Cultivator, 1 hnil a 
differeiice of opinion as to its treatment, and mode of 
ridding the ground of it. To us, in this portion of the 
middle Sta es, it is comparatively a stranger, and from 
this cause has slipped in here and there, and if not im¬ 
mediately atteruled to, we apprehend it will spread with 
much raiiidity. 
We have pretty effectually succeeded in alarming our 
agr cultural friends for an attack upon it, and having pro- 
miseii them the best light I could obtain on the subject, 
with a view of laying it before them, I must appeal to 
you and one or two northern friends, to advise me, in 
your o[iinion, the most approved plan of rooting out and 
preventing its return. On this subject we shall be pleased 
to hear from you a" your earliest convenience. 
I have just received Use June No. of your valuable pa¬ 
per: it well stis aiiis its high character and credit. Your 
notice of the ileath of our valueti friend, James Garnett, 
is highly appropria:e. At this' time, in the great revo¬ 
lution that is now goiog on in agriculture in the United 
S'a es, this valneil and g'cneral officer anil leader will be 
much ni'ssed. Whilst we revere his memory, commem- 
niora e his worth, and revert to his useful lile, let us not 
despair that other Commentators'’ will arise, and fill up 
the gap that is now made. Peiers, Buel, and Garnett, all 
ripe and well filled shocks, are gathered and garnered 
away, and their last furrow has been turned, but the seed 
they have sown will spring up and continue to flourish 
to he la'es; time. 
The article Abortion in Cows,” is at this time, in 
O'W country, of dep[) in erest. Let this mysterious mat¬ 
ter be kept before the intelligent husbandmen of the U. 
States. I do n.i' know that the real cause is yet at all dis¬ 
co ered. Cer ain it is, that as an epidemic it becomes an a- 
Jarmi g thing to 'he o wners of favorite animals and whole 
tterds ofcatile. We ourselves have suffered severely with- 
sn the last year from -his ideiiLical result, in a herd of 80 
•or SO Devon N. York cows, kept for the purpose of a 
■vealery; some 20 or 25 slipped their calves last spring, 
all in good condition and havl been well wintered; this 
spring the same calamitous results have obtained, and I 
am now cer'.ain that tlie only remedy to prevent its 
spread am 'ng the herd, is immediately to remove the 
animal from your farm and neighborhooi!—of course to 
find out and bury or put out of the way, the dead fojtus 
and aTi ti-io secundines, and to feed off all cows and heifers 
that are at all aildicteii in abovtion; for vyhere one cow a- 
bor's, it is directly perceptible by instinct—of 
smell, or some cause not j^et fully ascertaineil—the sym¬ 
pathy of the whole dairy is aroused—an unnatural fever 
rages amongst them—cows with calf again seek the bull, 
or are cons‘an'ly seen jumping each other; an unnatural 
■state of eNcitensent thus brought on, will account in many 
cases for tlse frequent m’searriages, when in fact little 
■or no disease prevails; and from the experience I have 
had, (too much, to my sorrow,) I have detected no ill- 
conditioned health in the animal, beyond temporary ex¬ 
citement and slight uterine inflammation, previous to and 
VMS' hC or 'hf. ihort'oti. Still I have no doubt there are 
many sporadic cases of aborton among cows, from a rfis- 
ea ed state of bodjf, from some organic defect, or poor 
keeping, or noxious fooil or weeds. But from what I 
have seen so far, my views are to get rid at once—be 
they high priced Durham, the favorite Devon, or the 
lovvly es'eenied cattle—if they abort, turn them off and 
look to a new stock altogether. I am exceedingly sor¬ 
ry to hear of Mr. Prentice's losses; several large daii y- 
men near Philadelphia have suffered likewise within the 
last year, and I hope considerable atlention is being turn¬ 
ed to the subject by practical and intelligent men, and 
that ere long the true causes of abortion among cows, as 
well as brood mares, (and I think they will be found to 
be nearly the same,) will be fully a.scer!ained, and thus 
much that is valuable and highly prized among us, be 
saved from loss and destruction. But I have entirely tli- 
gressed from the true object of this letter, which is sim¬ 
ply to ask your views and best experience of yourself 
and corresponitents, on the desiruclion and eradication 
of the “ Canada Thistle.” J vmes W. Thomson, 
Pres’t New Castle Ag. Society. 
Neiccastle, Bel., June 15, 1843. 
The remarks in the above communication on the sub¬ 
ject of abortion in cows, will arrest the attention of cat¬ 
tle breeders and dairymen. Few are aware of the extent 
of the losses arising from (his source. We are inform¬ 
ed that several extensive dairymen in the vicinity of 
Philadelphia lost the greater part of their calves the last 
year from this cause; and we are promised a paper on 
this nubject for our next No., from a gentleman in a 
neighboring county, whose experience in the matter 
will enable him to communicate valuable information 
to cattle breeders. 
We trust that the farmers of Delaware will be awake 
to the subject of the C-anada Ihislle, which we regret to 
learn from Dr. T.'s letter has made its appearance in 
that region of country. If there is one weed more than 
another, which may claim pre-eminence as a pest to the 
farmer, it is the Canada thistle. Much has been said and 
written on the thistle, and a multitude of remedies re¬ 
commended, but all may be summed up in a few words. 
Never allow the plants to breathe—or, in other words, 
never allow a plant to form leaves. Cut them up at 
once, not only once but as often as they appear, and 
their race will soon be run. We have destroyed many 
patches of the thistle in this way, and it is the only one 
in which we have succeeded. They may be checked by 
mowing, &c., but they are rarely killed. Union of ac¬ 
tion in any ilistrict of country, when the thistle first ap¬ 
pears, is all that is necessary to extirpate it; but many 
of our farmers know to their sorrow, that it is of but 
little use for them to attempt to keep their farms free, 
while perhaps their next neighbor does nothing, and not 
only allows them to spread by their roots, but to ripen 
their seeds, to float off on every wind, to lodge wherever 
the ground is broken. On no account should a thistle 
be allowed to ripen its seed; and they should be cut 
earlier than they usually are, or there will be juices 
enough in the stalk to perfect the seeds so far as to give 
them the power of germination. Whenever a thistle 
appears in a field, mark the place, and examine it every 
few days or weeks, to see that no stalks spring up; cut 
them off as deep as possible below the surface, or dig 
the ground over, and thus exterminate them root and 
branch. No half way measures will do any good, and 
the more widely this is understood and acted upon, the 
better it will be for the farmer. 
WARTS ON COWS’ TEATS. 
Editors of the Cultiv.ator— We are much trou¬ 
bled the present season about milking, by nearly all our 
cows having warts on their teats; some nearly one solid 
mass, which crack and make them very sore. If you or 
any of your numerous correspondenls can inform us of a 
cure through the agency of the Cultivator, they will much 
oblige A Subscriber. 
Glen Cove, N. Y., June 4, 1843. 
Warts are of two kinds; the first only arising in the 
outer skin or cuticle, and frequently quickly spreading 
over a large surface; the other penetrating deeper, and 
fixing themselves more firmly. The first may generally 
be removed by rubbing the skin with camiihorated olive 
oil; the last are best destroycil by a ligature. The best 
substance we have trieil for this purpose, is India rubber 
drawn out to a thread, and secured around the base of 
the wart. In a few days the wart perishes and falls off. 
Touching the warts with a strong solution of nitrate of 
silver will also remove them, but it is more apt to leave 
the surface sore for a time. An English journal states 
that a strong wash of alum will cure warts of every kind 
on the bags or teats of cows, but we have not had an op¬ 
portunity of testing the value of this remedy. If any of 
our friends are acquainteil with a cure for this difficulty, 
they will oblige us by communicating it for the Culti¬ 
vator. 
LIVE OAK. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I should be gratified 
if you would inform me through the Cultivator, whether 
the Live Oak can be grown in Lat. 41“ north. 
L. Durand. 
The live oak (Quercus vireus,) is strictly a maratime 
tree, as well as an American one. Commencing near 
Norfolk, in about lat. 37“, it is found on the coast of the 
.4tlantic around the peninsula of Florida, and along the 
gulf of Mexico to the Sabine, and in a few instances in 
the province of Texas. The coast of Florida seems the 
most congenial to the growth of this valuable tree; and 
it is hence right to infer that it cannot succeetl in a high¬ 
er latiiude than it is now found on our coast. In Eng¬ 
land, with winters much more mild than ours, in lat. 41“, 
it has been found impossible to grow it in the open air. 
“ Messrs. Editors— Pray what do you think of 
‘Mesmerism?’ The sleepers say manj^ strange things. 
Among others, they assert that the ravages of the wheat 
weevil may be avoided by sowing a bushel of plaster, 
mixed with two lbs. of suljihur, on each acre of wheat, 
when it first comes out of the ground. Skeptic.” 
As to the first part of our correspondent's query, we 
must say, that as claimed and expoundetl by some of its 
professoi's, and particularly so far as regards clairvoy¬ 
ance, or “second sight,” we consider mesmerism one 
of the greatest humbugs extant. That there is such a 
thing as magnetism, or what we call such, and ani¬ 
mal magnetism, or electro-magnetism, we have no 
tloubl. It can be traced every where; but that it confers 
the gift of prophecy, we are yet to be convinceil. We 
think, however, the guess as to the effect of sulphur on 
wheat is a shrewd one, and it is perhaps possible that it 
may render the jilant so offensive to the fly, (for that, 
we think, is what the writer means,) as to drive it from 
the field, or prevent its attacks. We hope at least the 
experiment will be tried, and if successful, let mesmer¬ 
ism receive all due credit. 
DAMPNESS OF BRICK BUILDINGS 
ATessrs. Editors-— Several of our citizens have ex¬ 
perienced a good deal of inconvenience from dampness 
on the walls of brick buildings—some to such an extent 
(bat the paper has rotted off. Various exjiedients have 
been tried, but none except lathing and plastering, 
(leaving a space between the brick and the plastering,) 
seems to have fully Evnswered, and that remedy is an in¬ 
convenient one. Can you give your readers any infor¬ 
mation on the subject? How would a coat of cement 
(vvater lime) answer? Any information on this subject 
will be duly appreciated by at least one of your constant 
readers. G. A'l. Eichelberger. 
We hope this inquiry will arrest the attention of some 
of our readers who are qualified to give the information 
sought, and we shall be happy to give it a place in the 
Cultivator, as the defect complained of is quite frequent, 
and is a serious evil. Lathing anil plastering brick 
buildings in such a manner as to leave a sjiace between 
the plastering and the brick, of what is called dead air, 
is generally practiced, vve believe, where brick builds 
ings are constructed as they should be. Brick walls 
conduct water from the foundations so freely, that when 
all external moisture is kept off by painting or other¬ 
wise, the walls will be damp, and unfit for residences. 
Stone houses, built of materials in which aluminous mat¬ 
ter or clay is the cementing ingredient of the stone, are 
subject to the same objection. Houses of limestone are, 
it is said, free from this dampness; and some have pro¬ 
posed to cut off the ascent of moisture in brick walls, 
by placing a course or two of limestone on the top of 
the foundation walls, on which limestone the brick w'alls 
of the superstructure are to be reared. 
THE LOCUSTS. 
The appearance of the Cicada septen'lecc'm, or seven¬ 
teen year Locust, among us, in great numbers, reminds 
us that the destined period of its duration in iis imper¬ 
fect state has arrived, and that it now issues from the 
ground, throws off its previous covering, and appears in 
a new form, to live a new kind of existence, short indeed, 
but the most important part of the whole; for in the few 
weeks which they exist in the winged state, the whole 
business of providing for the succession of the species is 
perfected, and these animals then perish. 
As the name of this insect indicates, it appears among 
us but once in seventeen years, the whole intermediate 
time being spent in the grub stale, princip.illy beneath 
the ground. It must be remarked however, that although 
it is well ascertained :hat their regular period of arriving 
at perfection is seventeen years, yet they appear in dif¬ 
ferent jilaces in different 5 'ears. It is therefore only from 
the progeny of a single worm that we are to look for 
their return at slated intervals in the same place. From 
what is recorded of them, it would seem that they ap¬ 
pear in the perfect state almost every year, in some part 
or other of the United States. 
The general opinion that (hey devour vegetation, is 
cerlainly unfounded, for the insect appears to have no 
such desires. After throwing off its original co'V'ering, 
it crawls upon some shrub, or even upon fences, and re¬ 
mains till capable of flying to a more suitable situation. 
In some instances they scarcely use their wings at all, 
but remain on the shrub where they first attach them¬ 
selves. At this moment, our fields, where the shrub 
oaks and thorn bushes grow, literally swarm with them. 
The mode in which these insects injure vegetation, is 
by puncturing the small branches for the purpose of de¬ 
positing their eggs, of which every female deposits from 
four to five hundred. The oak is usually preferred by 
the insects for making the nests for her eggs; but they 
often attach themselves to other trees, and orchards fre¬ 
quently suffer severely. About the time the eggs are 
hatched, the branches begin to decay, and from the effect 
of winds or their own weight, fall to the ground, or re¬ 
main hanging by the bark. 
We would say to our readers, that the habits of these 
insects are worth observing, and it is an opportunity 
which will not soon again occur; go therefore and see 
in what manner nature has provided for the succession 
of this race. Be satisfied also, that they are not the de¬ 
vouring creatures which the name suggests, but that (he 
injury they perpetrate is only done while preparing for 
the protection of their eggs, and providing for a succes¬ 
sion of the species. 
“THE GREAT AGRICULTURAL ERA COMING.” 
Under this head, the I/mg Island Star, after alluding 
to the labors of Liebig, Johnston and others, in connec¬ 
tion with'the application of the principles of chemisti-y 
to agriculture, says: 
“ A greater advance than heretofore, has, we under¬ 
stand, been latterly made. Dr. Wm. Valentine, hereto¬ 
fore better known in other departments than that of a 
chemist, in which he has been well educafeii, and for 
which he has a natural aptitude, has been lately devoting 
his whole attention to AgricuKural Chemistry. By 
means of powerful apparatus, he has been analyzing soils 
with a view to applying the best means of fertilizing 
them, and has been learning the means of compounding 
by means of chemical agents, the best manures. He be¬ 
lieves. (and other scientific men believe so liiiewise,) 
that he has acquired the art of enabling farmers to ma¬ 
nure their land at oiie-'enth the ordinary expense of mo¬ 
ney and labor. His discovery has been jiatented, and he 
has recently been employed in laying vats on the farms 
of Wm. AI. Weeks and others, at Glen Cove, and is cal¬ 
culating to extend his operations widely.” 
Since (he above was in type, we have had an op¬ 
portunity of conversing with Dr. Valentine, on (he 
subject of his researches in agricultural chemistry. He 
explained to us the substances used, and the manner of 
making his artificial manure. That it will prove a pow¬ 
erful fertilizer, we do not doubt, and are glad to learn 
that its merits are being put to a practical test by several 
farmers on Long Island, the result of which will in due 
time be made public. 
We have received a note from Dr. Valentine, setting 
forth the advantages to be derived from his discoveries 
which shall have a place next rnonth. 
