128 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I herewith send you a sketch of the Do^ Power machine in general use for 
churning in this (Orange) county. The churns are generally of the capacity of 1^ to 2 bai-rels each. One dog 
of the ordinary house dog species is sufficient to work one churn, but when two churns are worked at the same 
time, as is usual in our large dairies, two dogs will be required to drive the machine. The tread wheel is or¬ 
dinarily made about 7 or 8 feet in diameter. The large balance wheel Is now made of cast iron. Besides this, 
the whole affair is so simple, that further explanation is deemed unnecessary; as I think any individual, after an 
examination of the above plan, will understand it perfectly. The power, of course, is easily used in the cel¬ 
lar, while the machine is entirely outside the building. Your ob’t serv’t, 
Newburgh, June 26, 1843. T. M. Niven. 
QDriginai Papers from Contributors. 
Uoyds, Essex Co., Va., May 16, 1843. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I enclose a communi¬ 
cation, which was prepared for the Cultivator by my 
grandfather, Mr. James M. Garnett, and accidentally 
mislaid. Since his lamented death, I have found it, and 
now forward it to its original destination. 
I avail myself of this occasion to say how highly he 
esteemed your paper, as one of the most useful and effi¬ 
cient friends of agricultural improvement. 
Yours, very respectfully, 
M. R. H. Garnett. 
COMMENTS ON THE NOVEMBER NO. OF THE 
CULTIVATOR. 
The circumstance of this No. containing little else 
than details of the proceedings of the various Agricultu¬ 
ral Societies in New-York and elsewhere, has produced 
some malcontents among your readers. But with all due 
sympathy for the querulous temperament of such com¬ 
plainants, I must venture to tell them that they have no 
just cause for dissatisfaction. Are they so short sighted 
as not to perceive that such details furnish the most sa¬ 
tisfactory proofs that the agricultural spirit is rapidly 
diffusing itself throughout our whole country; and that 
the mere statement of those details is calculated to i-ouse 
this spirit into action in all those parts of the U. States 
wherein it has never yet exhibited any symptoms—even 
of existence? We are all mimetic creatures, and hence 
some cynical wits have insisted that we were at least 
cousin-germans to the Simia or monkey genus of ani¬ 
mals. But be this as it may, ’tis certain that our imita¬ 
tive propensities will lead us to do, or at leat to attempt 
to do, whatever we see others do before us,—especially 
if we once believe it to be the fashion. Consequently, 
even our terrapin-like brethren will be tempted to estab ■ 
lish Agricultural Societies, when they see such associa¬ 
tions springing up around them in every direction, and 
infusing animation and activity into extensive districts, 
where all before was listlessness and deadly torpor. 
Your Governor’s Address to your State Agricultural 
Society, deserves all the praise you have bestowed upon 
it. But if a private, unknown individual, may be per¬ 
mitted to dissent from any part of the production of a 
gentleman who occupies one of the “ high places” in 
our country, I would most respectfully beg leave to say, 
that there is one material point in which I cannot agree 
with him. It is in regard to what he says of the immi¬ 
gration of foreigners into the United States. He seems 
to take it for granted, that it must necessarily have been 
indiscriminate from the beginning. But this I have never 
been able to see. Why might we not have received the 
thousands upon thousands of meritorious individuals who 
have sought a home in our country, and whom I prize 
as highly as any person whatever, with a far less portion 
of the vagabonds, paupers, and fugitives from justice, 
who have been annually disgorged upon our shores, and 
have been spreading in all directions, such an enormous 
and fearful amount of moral poison, that the united pow¬ 
er of all our conservative principles can scarcely coun¬ 
teract its greatly diversified and fatal influences? In my 
humble opinion this might have been prevented in a 
great measure. But perhaps Gov. Seward considered our 
policy so fixed on the subject of immigration, that it was 
not worth his while to slate any objections to it. 
In examining the Reports of your various Committees, 
with a view to ascertain the principles upon which they 
have awarded their premiums, it has struck me with some 
surprise what little regard they seem to have paid to the 
cost of production-, although this surely should be made 
the primary consitleration both in offering and awarding 
premiums. The greatest art of husbandry, in all its 
branches, is to obtain the most beneficial results, so far 
as practicable, at the least expense; and all premiums 
should have for their object the attainment of this art, or 
they do more harm than good,—not only to the particu¬ 
lar branch'which they are designed to encourage, but to 
husbandry in general, by promoting extravagance rather 
than economy. The wealthy may obtain such premi¬ 
ums, who care not at what expense they are procured, but 
the comparatively poor farmer or planter is a fool, if he 
becomes a competitor for such costly distinctions. I will 
take the single case of the first premium awarded for the 
fattest ox, to illustrate my meaning. This was given to 
Mr. P. N. Rust, whose ox, I have no doubt, was the fat¬ 
test, probably too fat to eat as well as beef that was some¬ 
what leaner. But that is not the point to which I would 
call the attention of your readers—it is to the cost of pro¬ 
duction. The facts by which they are to be calculated 
are thus stated. Time of fattening the ox, 19 months, 
or 570 days. Corn meal given per day, from 12 to 16 
quarts, average 14 quarts. Corn valued at 37^ cents per 
bushel, although I think it should have been estimated at 
40 cents, as it was ground into meal. Hay per week, 25 
cents worth. Ruta bagas or potatoes per week, 50 cents 
worth. No allowance was made for attendance, proba¬ 
bly because the manure was deemed sufficient to pay for 
it, although I doubt it. Now let any person who pleases, 
cast up the whole expense of fattening Mr. Rust’s ox, 
and then say how many beef eaters he believes there 
would be out of every hundred New-York farmers, if 
their beef meat cost them all as much; or how many 
beef fatteners for market could be found throughout the 
whole state. Unless my arithmetic deceives me, he 
would guess that they would be “ rather scarce.” 
Mr. Lincoln’s report upon swine, shows that papers 
of the kind need not be such dull, unentertaining matters 
of fact things as they generally are, but that in the hands 
of a master workman, they admit of much playful 
and humurous embellishment. His play, however, upon 
the words “ here'” and “hair,” is not of a piece with the 
rest of his report. — 
The speeches at your agricultural dinner were all of 
them of the right sort for such an occasion; and some of 
them tickled me ‘‘ considerable,” as brother Jonathan 
would say. It would have gratified me highly to ex¬ 
tend the right of fellowship to all the speakers, for each 
said something very appropriate, at the same time that 
all evinced the true spirit of amity and concord which 
should forever bind together our whole brotherhood, 
however separated they may be by counti-y or distance. 
Your own account of the Show at Worcester, and Mr. 
C. N. Bement’s account of the Berkshire Show, deserve 
the particular attention of all our brother farmers, who 
use horses or mules for the plow instead of oxen. "Very 
few, I believe, have yet made a fair comparative trial 
between the three kinds of team; although it is a matter 
of great importance, as regards the expense, to ascertain 
which it is best to keep. I have examined much evi¬ 
dence on the subject, but have never made any compara¬ 
tive trial on my own farm. Yet my own belief is, 
(from all I have heard or read,) that a great saving 
might be made by working oxen only. This belief 
has been confirmed by noticing that our Yankee breth¬ 
ren, who are certainly the best practical economists in 
our country, universally use oxen. It is within my own 
knowledge that they are quite as docile as horses or 
mules; that they will plow single, and without leaders 
full as well; and that they may be as readily broke to 
draw single, in light carts, wherein they will move as 
fast as ordinary horses or mules do at such work. They 
will likewise bear heat as well, if regularly fed and 
worked in the same manner. Indeed, I once knew an 
instance where a friend of mine, who having a mixed 
team of horses, mules and oxen, had ‘‘ over cropt” him¬ 
self, (as they say in the south,) and his oxen stood their 
work throughout the season much the best. Another in¬ 
stance was mentioned to me, some years ago, of a south¬ 
ern farmer, well known to me as a good manager, who 
worked oxen only at the plow, and without giving them 
any grain. But he kept a double set, and worked each 
one half the day. During the interval of rest, they had 
plenty of grass. Now, even admitting that horses or 
mules could be treated in the same manner, and do the 
same work, oxen would still have the great advantage of 
being eatable, which horses and mules are not, at least to 
the knowledge of us Americans. 
The account of the exhibition by the Horticultural So¬ 
ciety of Boston, is one of the most interesting things 
which has ever appeared in your paper; and ought to 
excite every where, an earnest desire to encourage simi¬ 
lar associations, and similar modes of celebrating their 
anniversaries. Such social meetings of the two sexes 
deserve all the encouragement that can be given to them, 
for they result in nothing but good—unmixed good to 
both parties. To us men the effect is highly beneficial 
in every point of view; it softens the natural coarseness 
of our manners and conversation; it refines our grovel¬ 
ling tastes, and elevates all our moral aspirations. Whilst 
the other sex,—if treated as we ought to treat them, and 
as they would be on such occasions,—will be led by it, 
in aid of other moral influences, to form that just estimate 
of all their peculiar duties—of their true position and 
powers to do good in society, which will really make 
them at once the most amiable and best of all God’s 
known creation. — 
Your London correspondent has stated one fact into 
which I hope you will make farther inquir 3 '; as your 
readers, I am sure, would be highly gratified by it. This 
is the Belgian CoxmtYiowpescYi's^^ patent for the prepara¬ 
tion of a manure, more powerful and cheaper than any yet 
invented.” None of these recently discovered manures, 
I believe, are said to combine both the essentials of su¬ 
perior power and cheapness, unless it be Mr. Bommer’s; 
and he has neglected to give us all the facts which would 
enable us to judge. The prices of his patent rights are 
moderate enough; but unless we know the cost of the 
material, and the process necessary to make the manure, 
and could also see some authentic statements of its effects 
when applied to the earth, we must remain rather scep¬ 
tical in regard to the full extent of the promises made 
for it. Still the recommendation of your committee is 
sufficient to justify as many experiments with it as will 
suffice to determine its true value. Your correspondent 
mentions another thing which has excited at least my 
own curiosity, and probably the curiosity of many others 
of your readers. I mean the Agricultural Tour of Count 
Conrad De Gourcy, through England and Scotland. 
Would it not make a very saleable reprint in our country, 
or a good ar-ticle for your paper published in parts? I 
have no doubt that a majority of your readers would be 
much better pleased with such an article, than with the ac¬ 
counts of enormously large fat pigs of rival breeds; of pro¬ 
digiously big roots, and sundry other marvels which they 
occasionallj' see in your paper, teaching as little to amuse 
as to edify, but for the publication of which, be assured 
Messrs. Editors, I do not blame }'ou. I have always sup¬ 
posed that such communications were sent by some of 
your subscribers, worthy men probably, whom you were 
unwilling to disoblige. But at the same time I could 
not help suspecting either that thej'were writing for such 
readers as some satirist says, 
“Are pleased with a feather—tickled with a straw,” 
or that they themselves belonged to the same class of 
easily pleased, good natured quid nuncs, who are quite 
as numerous among our brethren as they are in other 
classes. — 
On the last page of this number I see that another 
wheat machine and horse power has been patented to a 
Mr. Warren. This practice of granting patents for im¬ 
plements and machines of every kind, but especially for 
those called agricultural, merely on account of some lit¬ 
tle alteration which is really no improvement, has become 
so common as generally to excite a strong prejudice a- 
gainst every thing which has the tevm“ patent” stamped 
upon it. "With many persons it amounts to a noli me 
tangere —touch me not. I mean not to apply the remark 
to Mr. Warren’s, for I never saw them; but the adver¬ 
tisement presents a fit occasion to suggest the propriety 
of still farther amending our patent law, so as to increase 
the difficulty of obtaining patents. One mode of doing 
this, would be so to apply a part of the large revenue de¬ 
rived from the patent office, as to provide the means of 
actually testing all agricultural machines and implements 
presented for a patent, and making it the imperative duty 
of the chief officer not to grant one in any case, unless 
upon actual trial it should appear that some real improv'e- 
ment had been made. Models alone will ver}' rarely 
suffice to demonstrate this satisfactorily; for the most sci¬ 
entific machinist cannot always be certain how a machine 
will work until he sees it in operation. As the patent 
law now stands, the fees paid for patents^ constitute a 
source of revenue, and consequently^ there is a constant 
temptation to grant them on very insufficient grounds; 
and hence it is that patent machines and irnplements so 
often prove good for nothing, that few experienced farm¬ 
ers will risk their money in bujdng^ any of them, until 
they can see them tried, or can obtain assurances of their 
efficacy from some person on whose judgment and ve¬ 
racity they can depend. Commentator. 
