THE CULTIVATOR. 
133 
of the first seed only by charging it to the tar, and yet 
the utility and safety of that application has been vouched 
for by more than one good farmer, in the pages of the 
Cultivator. It may be as well to let your readers.know 
that in one instance at least, it has proved ruinous. If the 
results of my experiments in manuring will be of any 
value, I shall be happy to communicate them after har¬ 
vesting my crop. At present, I see no difference in the 
appearance of the corn, except that which was dressed 
with ashes, which is not quite as large as the rest. 
I would not have you suppose that I considered 75 
loads of manure a large amount to make with the num¬ 
ber of animals I kept. Owing to the wet season last 
year, I was unable to get any swamp muck, and the only 
additions I could make to the contents of my barn yard, 
were such refuse vegetable matter as I could collect, and 
the straw and stalks which were dail}"^ cleaned from the 
stables. In the spring, I had several tons of oat straw 
and a larg-e stack of stalks remaining, the first of which 
I have spread in my barnyard and covered with muck, 
on which to yard my cattle next winter, while the stalks 
have been made into a compost heap, by mixing in al¬ 
ternate layers with swamp muck and lime. 
You can best judge w'hether any thing I have said is 
worthy a place in your paper. If so, I shall be pleased 
to reflect that I have contributed my mite to the treasury 
of instruction to which I feel myself so much indebted. 
Truly jmurs, H. W. S. C. 
Oatlands, Burlington, N. J., July 12, 1843. 
BARNABY Cc MOOERS’ PATENT SIDE HILL AND 
LEVEL LAND PLOW. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —Permit me to call the 
attention of the farming community to the above imple¬ 
ment. In my opinion, it possesses many advantages 
over any other plow in use. I have long thought that 
a majority of the plows in this section might be very 
materially improved in their construction, so as to run 
with more ease for a team, and be held without fatiauins: 
the plowman, and thereby perfoi'ming the work with 
more expedition and to much better advantage than is 
most usually done. Early in the spring of 1842, I sent 
to Mr. Mooers for one of his plows, intending to use it 
in breaking up some old pastures for spring crops. Ow¬ 
ing to some delay in its transportation, it did not arrive 
here until late in June following, and consequently I had 
no opportunity of judging of its merits until last fall, 
when I broke up with it about twenty acres of green¬ 
sward. The soil was a stiff clay, and had been used for 
sheep pasture twenty-one years in succession. When I 
commenced, I put on a very strong and heavy span of 
horses, and hitched another horse on forward, with a 
boy to ride, supposing that it would of course be a 
heavy draft for the three, as the severe and unprece¬ 
dented drouth of the previous summer had rendered the 
ground unusually hard. After I had plowed the first 
land, I dismissed the boy and the third horse, being ab¬ 
solutely astonished at the perfect ease and celerity, as it 
were, with which the plow glided through the ground. 
Nor was I less surprised than pleased at the excellence 
of the work done. Instead of crowding the furrows out 
one side, and leaving them standing on their edges, (as 
our best plows always do,) they were so completely in¬ 
verted as to not leave a single blade of grass visible be¬ 
tween them. The furrows run off from the mold board 
with such perfect ease and precision, that there is 
scarcely a break in them from one end of the field to 
the other, and the land is left in the most admirable or¬ 
der for the seed, being quite mellow on top, and not 
trowelled down by the mold board in the least degree. 
I could finish my two acres a day with all ease, with 
only one span of horses. The past spring, I put the 
same span of horses on to a “ Vergennes plow,” so 
called, the best we have in this vicinity, and a much 
lighter span on to my Mooers’ plow,” and went to 
breaking up another clay pasture. My hired man took 
the first, and myself the last, and the way I “ whipped 
out” the big team, with my new plow and small horses, 
was a caution. Indeed, I am convinced that I can do 
more and far better work, with one-third less team on 
this plow, than with any other plow I ever saw; and I 
would earnestly invite the farming community to pro¬ 
cure the plows, and satisfy themselves of their great 
utility and preference over all others. 
I would here suggest to Mr. Mooers the propriety of 
making an improvement in the handle of his plow. In 
the first place, they are set rather too low for a man like 
me, whose head is elevated somewhat over six feet in 
the world, and who is not inclined to stoop much to 
things of earth. There is nothing I abhor more in 
farming, than to see a plowman bending over his plow 
pushing and crowding his team before him, his leo-s 
hanging back and dragging after him, as if too lazy to 
keep up. Let him stand up straight between the han¬ 
dles, with head erect, cheering on his team with spirit 
and animation, and then there is no nobler sight seen. 
Mr. Mooers would also do well to turn the ends of his 
handles out, so that they will not hit against the plow¬ 
man’s legs as he walks. Yours truly. 
Chimney Point, Vt '., July 1, 1843. D. C. Goodale. 
SOWING CLOVER IN AUTUMN. 
Messrs. Editors —You may perhaps recollect that I 
was at your office in August, 1841, and made some inqui¬ 
ries with regard to sowing clover in the fall of the year, 
on dry sandy soils, and mentioned I had a field contain¬ 
ing 22 acres, sandy soil, which I intended to try by way 
of experiment. I applied 100 loads of barnyard manure 
and plowed it in the spring of 1840, and planted it with 
corn; yielded from 30 to 40 bushels per acre. Next 
spring sowed it with oats; had a middling crop. I ap¬ 
plied 100 loads more of barnyard manure after oat har¬ 
vest, and plowed it under and sowed the field with wheat 
and rye; after harrowing in the grain, I sowed clover 
and timothy seed, and went over the field with a bush, 
and I have now a fine field of clover and timothy, large 
enough to mow. T think it will do well to sow clover 
seed early in the fall, on dry sandy soil, if a little manure 
is applied previous to sowing, as 1 have frequently known 
it to fail when sown in the spring. 
John R. Blair. 
Kent, Ct., June 28, 1843. 
SHEEP RACKS. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker—A writer in the Cul¬ 
tivator for June, 1842, N. Titus of Ohio, says:—“With 
regard to hay seed and dust, they will get more or less 
in the wool, on the head and neck; and so they will if 
fed in board boxes or in racks, or in any way that I am 
acquainted with, except feeding on the ground.” The 
above assertions put me in mind that I had better com¬ 
municate, perhaps, my plan, as I wish the best plan to 
be adopted by my brother farmers; and if any one has, 
or can improve upon it, I for one certainly will be 
thankful. 
Ten years ago, I planned and built for myself a sheep 
barn, as I call it, thirty-two feet long and thirty wide, 
with a rack the whole length on each side; a two inch 
plank floor over the whole, six feet between joints; a 
double boarded floor over head, to keep seed and dust 
from the sheep. I put in studs at an angle, for the frame 
of the rack; one foot from the floor I put in a two inch 
plank, 13 inches wide, (the covering of the building 
made the back side of the rack;)' near the center of the 
plank, in a line, bored three-quarter inch holes, one inch 
deep. I did the same in the edge of a thick board, four 
inches apart; cut the rack sticks twelve inches long, 
about one inch through; inserted one end in the plank, 
the other in the edge of the board; slipped it down and 
fastened it; boarded up above, tight to upper floor. I 
guessed they would stay there. Ten years’ use since, 
by from forty to one hundred sheep, has not displaced 
one of them. No dust or seed gets in the wool on the 
head or neck of the sheep. 
The manure is all under shelter till wanted; the build¬ 
ing is boarded up and down, which leaves some cracks, 
and four windows, two in each end, sufficiently venti¬ 
lates it. It contains plenty of room over head to con¬ 
tain all the fodder for the sheep the building will accom¬ 
modate. The rack is six inches wide at the bottom, and 
two feet six inches at the top; a strip of board, four 
inches wide, nailed on the outer edge of the plank, 
makes a very good manger to feed either grain or salt 
in. No objection can be made to six inches wide at the 
bottom, as every farmer knows that in taking the hay 
from a mow, it can be as readily put in edgewise as any 
other. 
It appears to me that a very cheap rack can be made 
on this plan, to place near a barn or stack; only make it 
double, and the sheep can eat out of both sides of it. 
The barn being built on a division of two lots, I have 
two doors for the sheep to enter—one at each end. The 
sheep do well then; one door is left open all winter, 
and the sheep will as readily go out and in as a man 
will go out to take exercise and air, or return to get 
away from the cold and storms. 
Front view of Rack and Manger, (Fig. 61.)_The 
space above the rack to be boarded up. 
End view of Sheep Barn, (Fig 62..)-—A. door to en¬ 
ter, take out manure, &c.— B. door to put in fodder— 
c. two slip doors for sheep to go in and out, in either lot, 
being built on division, one on each end— d. four slip 
windows, two on each end, to open or shut at pleasure— 
0 , 0 . rack and manger. 
Very respectfully yours, John Beach. 
EastkUl, N. Y., ms. 
FORK FOUND IN THE STOMACH OF A COW. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In December last, Mr. 
Martin Bishop, near this towu, slaughtered a cow, in 
whose stomach was found a common two pronged table 
fork. Regarding the circumstance as unusual, I re¬ 
quested Mr. Bishop to give me some account of it for 
publication. A few days since, I received from him 
the fork referred to, together with a part of the ster¬ 
num, or breast bone, into which it had penetrated. The 
fork was probably swallowed by the cow while drink¬ 
ing slop from the kitchen. How long it had been in 
the stomach, is uncertain; but there is no doubt that it 
would soon have made its way through the body of the 
animal, which it is likely would have been done with¬ 
out occasioning any farther inconvenience than had al¬ 
ready been experienced. From appearances, it would 
seem that the prongs of the fork first pierced that part 
of the stomach lying near the posterior termination of 
the sternum: that the stomach had become firmly at¬ 
tached to the sternum, so that there was no possibility 
of its contents passing out at the aperture made by the 
fork; and that the fork had not only passed through the 
stomach, but nearly through the bone which had oppos¬ 
ed its progress. It had entered the sternum at a point 
between the two last ribs which are attached to it, and 
had worked in so far, that the points of the prongs had 
nearly protruded on the opposite side. That part of the 
stomach around the fork had assumed the form of a 
tube, resembling, in the language of Mr. Bishop, ‘‘ a 
speaking trumpet,” the small end attached to the ster¬ 
num. 
I subjoin a brief note from Mr. Bishop, which, with 
what has been said, exhibits the principal facts of the 
case. These facts are certainly worthy of preservation, 
as showing the wonderful economy of nature in preserv¬ 
ing her works from injury. S. H. 
Zanesville, O., March, 1843. 
“Mr. Howard—The fork and bone which I send you, 
were taken from a cow which I slaughtered on the 9th 
of December last. This cow was dried off on or about 
the middle of September, but not without much diffi¬ 
culty, so great was the flow of milk. The pasture in 
which she ran was good, and I did not commence feed¬ 
ing her until November, and then only once a day, 
with corn in the ear. In this way she was fed through 
November, or until within a week of killing her. The 
last week of feeding, she was put in a stable, and her 
feed and water given regularly, three times a day, she 
continuing to eat large and full meals to the last. 
While this cow was living, there was no appearance 
of disease, except an occasional stiffness in her limbs, 
but then only in case of her being exposed to cold 
storms. I can give you no definite idea when this cow 
could have taken the fork into the stomach; but from all 
I can learn, it could not have been later than March 
last, (1842.) The fork, you will perceive, is in a good 
state of preservation. Respectfully yours, 
M. Bishop.” 
EXPERIMENT WHEAT. 
Messrs. Editors —Five years ago last March, I sow¬ 
ed a bushel of white handsome winter wheat; it came 
up and grew, spreading over the ground like a mat; the 
seed stalks sprang up, but very scatteringly. The pro¬ 
duce was half a bushel of badly shrunk wheat. The 
next spring I sowed, in April, a peck of the best of it; 
it grew very much as it did the first year; produce, two 
quarts. The third season, sowed again in April, which 
grew naturally, like spring wheat; produce, twelve 
quarts of plump wheat. The fourth year, I did not sow 
until the\ middle of May; produce, two bushels of 
shrunk wheat, which I attribute to late sowing. Fifth 
year, sowed the two bushels on one acre of ground, 
April 15th; had the satisfaction of harvesting twenty- 
seven bushels of handsome, plump wheat. I like the 
wheat so well, that I have this season sowed eighteen 
bushels of it. I think it bids fair to be a valuable addi¬ 
tion to the wheat family. S. Peck. 
Cazemvia, N. Y., June 26, 1843. 
Rotary Knitting Loom _Mr. Arsamus French of 
Springfield, Mass., has, after much labor and study, in¬ 
vented a machine which knits stockings and hosiery of 
all kinds, of perfect shape, without seam or blemish, 
with a rapidity and cheapness unparalleled. Each ma¬ 
chine, (says Mr. George Darracott,) will knit one sock 
per hour, while one girl can easily tend ten machines, 
and five hundred machines may be drh'en by one horse 
power. Rev. John Pierpont declares it is the greatest 
mechanical invention of the age. Unlike the clumsy 
and cumbrous stocking machines of former days, it 
weighs but three pounds, and may be placed on the 
centre table of a lady’s drawing room. It will knit 
cotton, woolen, silk, or any fabric, from the finest to 
the coarsest.— Ex. paper. 
Extraordinary Yield of Corn. —Mr. Thurston 
Wood, of Madison county, Indiana, raised from a single 
grain of corn, last year, nine ears, all sound and good; 
when shelled, it measured two quarts and nearly half a 
pint, which contained 4,363 grains. 
Swedish Proverbs. —Laziness is the devil’s cush¬ 
ion.—Peace cherished is strife banished_A little cloud 
can hide both sun and moon.—Unpunished crime only 
induces to still further crime; bitter must be atoned for 
by bitter. 
