THE CULTIVATOR. 
pajt of the woody substance of the plant, called com¬ 
monly the “ sap part,” and which answers to the arte¬ 
ries of the animal system, and returns through the bark, 
which answers to the veins. Now if the bark is separa¬ 
ted, or a “ ring” of it taken oflf, the sap will pass up, but 
is prevented from returning; that is, an unnatural quan¬ 
tity of that fluid from which the tree derives its support, 
is retained in the branch above the ring—the effect of 
which is to swell it to an unnatural size—an experiment, 
by the way, very injurious in the end to the tree. 
A Yankee Farmek. 
SIXTEEN QUERIES ANSWERED. 
Messrs. Editors —I know that you are often troubled 
with queries propounded to you, which you deem en¬ 
tirely useless; yet, as‘he chief value of an agricultural 
paper consisls in its affording a medium by which we 
can suggest our difliculties, and by which we can have 
them resolved, I beg that you will arm j'ourselves with 
all your patience, and that you will answer the following 
questions for me, or have them answered by some of 
your correspondents; 
1. It has been stated that if the blossom on one kind 
of fruit tree be not impregnated by the pollen from ano¬ 
ther kind, the seed from that tree will all produce trees 
bearing the same kind of fruit. Does not this rebut the 
theory of botanists, that all kinds of the apple originated 
from the crab? There must have been a time when 
there was no kind of apple but the crab, and if it require 
the intermixture of two kinds to effect a variety, how 
could another kind originate from the crab alone? 
2. What is the best and simplest mode of making rat 
proof meat houses? 
3. Can sap wood be rendered durable by being coated 
with pitch; and if so, how should it be applied? 
4. Can potatoes be kept without sprouting in the spring, 
until the new crop is ready for the table? 
5. I have some carrots from seed sown this spring, now 
going to seed. What is the reason? 
6. Asparagus being a vegetable whose roots do not 
penetrate deeply, would it not be better to plant it shal¬ 
low instead of trenching for it? 
7. Can sheep be folded without injury to them, in the 
summer? If they can, it would afford a fine supply of 
manure ? 
8. Which is the best kind of grass for yards and garden 
walks? When, how, and in what quantities should it be 
sown, and how should the soil be treated where that pest 
the white clover has shown itself? Will not ashes and 
plaster, which stimulate the grass sown on the yard and 
garden walks, equally stimulate the white clover? 
9. My turkies never having laid eggs enough to set 
them with, can they be made to lay when they show a 
disposition to set, by being confined, as hens sometimes 
are? 
10. In j'our replies to poultry inquirers, you observe 
that eggs intended for setting, should be as fresh as pos¬ 
sible, and that keeping them in any manner injures them 
as setting eggs. Now it happened with me this spring, 
that not having turkey' eggs enough at any given time, I 
had to wait some weeks before I could obtain enough. 
Could they in such case, be kept in salt, if intended for 
setting, and how long would they be good? Moreover, 
eggs are sometimes laid in intensely cold weather, when 
if exposed for one day, they' would be too much chilled. 
11. You observe that limestone gravel is good for 
them. Is not lime in any form equally good, whether 
slaked or unslaked, or in the form of old mortar? 
12. Some think that the first offspring of animals is 
generally smaller than the subsequent offspring, and 
therefore that it should not be reserved for bleeding from. 
In the case of poultry, I know the egg from pullets is 
smaller than from older fowls, and I suppose, of cour.se, 
the chick is .smaller also; but my experience does not 
enable me to say whether the above theory is right or 
not. What think you? 
13. Fowls are said to decline after the age of 3 years. 
Can they', if old. be made tender and fit for the table by 
being fattened? 
14. Some think that the eggs of ducks and geese will 
not hatch well, unless kept moist by making their nests 
on the ground, or unless they' are occasionally moistened. 
Is it not an erroneous opinion, and should not all eggs be 
kept as dry as possible? Should boxes for nests be made 
without plank bottoms, and so that the hay or straw form¬ 
ing the nest should rest directly' on the ground? 
15. Should the thread by which grafts are bound, be 
untied during the first y'ear of their growth, and if so, at 
what time? 
16. Does the strawberry bear the male and female or¬ 
gans on the same plant; and if not, how are the different 
sexes to be distingui.shed, and in what proportions should 
the sexes be planted? There is a diversity of opinion 
about this matter. I have always thought that the same 
plant produced both sexes. A Subscriber. 
Liberty Milln, Fa., 1843. 
1. The change which takes place in plants, fruits, &c. 
is based on what are called the “ sports of plants,” in 
which some new quality is accidentally developed, and 
then by cultivation becomes fixed and permanent. Asa 
general rule, the seed of any plant w'ill reproduce itself 
unless affected by crosses, and this power is limited; but 
the accidental development of new forms and qualities, 
gives the means of increasing the varieties without num¬ 
ber. A full and beautiful explanation of the manner in 
which this is brought about, may be found in Prof. Lind- 
ley’s Theory of Horticulture, page 281. 
2. A satisfactory answer to this query, will be found 
in the communication of A. B. N.” in this number. 
3. Sap wood can never be rendered as durable as heart 
wood, as it is not perfect or matured. Its durability may 
be increased by covering it with a coating of pitch,which 
should be applied hot, so as to penetrate the pores as 
much as possible. 
4. If sprouts are allowed to remain on potatoes in the 
spring, they soon become worthless, as the roots from 
these sprouts will soon penetrate the tuber in every di¬ 
rection. The tuber is the natural supply of food provi¬ 
ded for the nourishment of the young plant, and the real 
roots from the shoots soon avail themselves of it. 
5. Carrots seem at times disposed to run up to seed 
the first season. We know no cause for this. The sea¬ 
son, the soil, or the seed, may all tend to produce this 
result. The injury is rarely extensive from this source. 
6. Asparagus roots do eventually penetrate to a great 
depth, and that is the reason why the soil should be pro- 
portionably' deep and rich. As the roots are not to be 
removed, it is the more necessary the ground should be 
well i)repared in the outset. 
7. Sheep cannot be safely folded in hot weather. To 
attempt it, would be to renew the scenes of the Black 
Hole at Calcutta. Sheep may be driven at night upon 
fallows where their manure is wanted, but they must al¬ 
ways have room and fresh air, or fatal diseases w’ill 
ensue. 
8. We know of no grass sufficiently fine and close for 
a good turf naturally ; and almost any of them will make 
a smooth close turf when sown thick on a good soil, and 
kept close by repeated mowings or clippings. Where 
plaster is used, it is almost impossible to keep out white 
clover, and where this is not wanted, dressings of fine 
garden mold compost, well raked in, will be better than 
plaster. 
9. We have not been in the habit of rearing turkies. 
Will some of our correspondents who are acquainted 
with the habits of this fine domestic bird, reply to this 
query ? 
10. Eggs can be kept for months, and yet hatch with 
great certainty, if preserved at a medium temperature,or 
one equally avoiding extremes of heat and cold during 
the time. Experience, with us, shows however, that in 
spite of all care, new eggs, and those exposed to the 
few'est changes of temperatui-e, will hatch better, and 
produce more healthy and vigorous young, than eggs 
kept for any considerable time. 
11. Lime in any form is good for fowls; and particu¬ 
larly if given in the form of old mortar. We prefer 
limestone gravel, because fowls find in it the materials 
necessaiy for grinding their food. 
12. There seems to be some good reason for the opin¬ 
ion adverted to by “ A Subscriber.” Maturity seems as 
necessary for the perfection of reproduction in animals 
as in plants. The imperfection arising from first off¬ 
spring, is perhaps more obvious in swine, than other ani¬ 
mals; perhaps from the fact that they are capable of re¬ 
production earlier than most others. 
13. No old fowl can be made fit for the fable, or ten¬ 
der, by being fattened. Our correspondent can easily 
satisfy himself on this point. 
14. All eggs hatch better for being kept dry, and at a 
uniform temperature. Geese and ducks go from the wa¬ 
ter to their nests, but the eggs do not hatch in conse¬ 
quence of this wetting, but in spite of it. Eggs of these 
birds hatch better when they have access to water, as 
their animal heat or health is depending on this. It is 
better to give a sufficient depth of straw, than to have the 
eggs lie on a plank, or on the ground. 
15. All fastenings used in budding or grafting, should 
be unloosed as soon as the union of the parts is complete. 
This is more necessary to be attended to in budding, than 
in grafting, where W'ax or clay is used instead of strings 
or bark. 
16. In most cases, the male and female organs of the 
strawberry are so distributed in each blossom, that there 
is no difficulty in the production of fruit. In some of the 
varieties produced by cultivation, however, this is not 
the case, and unless the difficulty is remedied in the se¬ 
lection of plants, a whole bed may be barren. The fer¬ 
tile flowers may be ascertained by their possessing both 
the stamens and pistil. Where these are deficient, the 
difficulty must be remedied by choosing different plants. 
RAIL FENCE_(Fig. 79.) 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —This cut gives you the 
plan of a rail fence, constructed in this part, which we 
consider ivind and hurricane proof. 
There are many places on nearly all farms, where a 
common fence will stand but a short season, on account 
of the bleakness or great exposure to driving winds, 
which often remove a fence almost bodily from the foun¬ 
dation, scattering the rails hither and thither, for rods, 
and thus affording an easy ingress for stock, into fields 
of grain, or opening the way unto forbidden ground. 
Now what is the primary requisite in constructing 
fence, and what the primary object ? Why, most unques¬ 
tionably, stability and firmness, and to prevent stock from, 
destroying crops. 
If a farmer has poor fences, which are not sufficiently 
substantial to withstand the fury and force of wind and 
animals, however assiiluous in laboi’, and judicious and 
frugal he may be in his management, if he has the con¬ 
sciousness that he cannot resign himself at night, into the 
gentle embrace of sweet Somnus, because of the danger 
of his stock destroying the reward of his toil, he had bet¬ 
ter “ hang up the fiddle,” discontinue all other business 
until the source of this unceasing vexation is cut off—un¬ 
til he can enjoy that tranquility of mind which ought to 
characterize every cultivator of the soil. 
This fence is constructed precisely like the common 
rail fence, until it is eight rails high, (higher if neces¬ 
sary,) and then rails or poles are laid on the top, ex¬ 
tending from the middle of one panel to another. Stakes 
are then set in the ground close to the bottom rail, in 
each crook or corner, inclining into the corner formed 
by the top rail and the pole. The small dots in the cut 
represent the stakes; and farther description is deemed 
unnecessary. 
You will readily perceive that it will be a hard mat¬ 
ter for the wind to overthrow such a fence on the reac¬ 
tion of the rails, poles and stakes; and ere it can be re¬ 
moved, a great force must be applied. And furthermore, 
it does not occupy as much space as the common stake 
and rider fence; and if riders are laid on these stakes, its 
stability is exceedingly augmented. Such fence is gene¬ 
rally made for the sake of economy; and it is the only 
fence which should be made in bleak situations, espe¬ 
cially between farms on the line. For nothing has a 
greater tendency to perpetuate the peace and harmony of 
neighbors, in one respect, than maintaining a good line 
fence. And it is far more advisable to hallucinate by 
buihling a litile too high and firm, than too low and tot¬ 
tering. Above all, poor fences should ever be avoided: 
for nothing is so productive of mischief and of incalcu¬ 
lable evil. By them, the farmer too often sustains many 
great losses; and that too, in various ways. By depend¬ 
ing on them, he loses his time, his labor, remuneration 
for his labor—his stock become unruly—neighbors are 
set at variance—detestable animosity is aroused—restitu¬ 
tion appeals to the hand of justice—and then, hurrah fo7 
litigation! Yours, S. E. T. 
Lansing, Tompkins co., N. Y., 1843. 
WINTERING CATTLE. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I believe it is the doc¬ 
trine of your most excellent paiier, that the wintering of 
cattle is best accomplished by having them confined to 
good warm dry yards during the day, and at night to 
stalls and stables, kept clean, well ventilated and littered. 
I know not, inileed, but I may say without fear of con¬ 
tradiction, that such is the opinion of every agricultural 
paper, and also of every enlightened agriculturist in this 
or any other cold climate. Taking the fact therefore for 
granted, I am utterly at loss to conceive how the practice, 
almost universall}' prevailing in this section of country, 
should continue, of allowing cattle during winter to feed 
at stacks in open fields, unprotected from winds or stornis, 
and allowed to ramble at large upon highways frequent 
ly, at some distance for water, to the incommoding of 
iravelers, and imminent danger to the poor beasts them 
selves. If such a method of wintering stock is best for 
them, and most profitable for the owners; and it must be 
they think so, and are well convinced of it, or surdy 
they would not go on from year to y'ear, in the same 
way, ‘‘unvarying and unvaried.” If then, the practice 
adopted, (I may almost say' univ ersally,) is the most cor¬ 
rect, economical and humane, and tends to produce the 
finest animals, and enrich the owner to a greater extent 
than the contrary, the system is brought to perfection 
among us; for you can see the complete exemplification 
of it evei-y day, of the poor cattle marching and counter¬ 
marching in single files, from the stack to the brook, 
and back again, halting occasionally behind a fence or 
sunny' side of a snow bank, to reflect on the beauties and 
(s^f their “unhoused free condition,” and regret 
that the days of “sweet summer” are coming again, 
when they will be debarred the glorious privilege of 
roaming free as the winds that whistle around their un 
sheltered heads, and be ])ent up within the enclosure of a 
single field. Such an economical free wintering, without 
care or trouble, generally gives to cattle a remarkable fine 
glossy coat and mellow skin, and fleshy, or rather fle.sh- 
less bodies in the spring. 
If, Messrs. Editors, the above described mefhod of 
keeping cattle through the winter, is the. best, and the 
almost universal practice proves it, then I think you must 
fairly' be convicted of heresy in this particular ; and any 
more “ pictorial illustrations” of barns, sheds, stables, 
stalls, and all the appliances for feeding stock profitably 
and economically', and all those excellent essays from 
y'Ourselves and correspondents, on the necessity of in¬ 
creasing the quantity of manure by the proper construc¬ 
tion of barns and barnyards, ought immediately' “ to cease 
and determine.” There are many, I know, who main¬ 
tain that cattle to be well wintered need only to have 
plenty to eat, and that stabling or sheltering- them is all 
moonshine; and besides it is so much trouble, they can’t 
think of it. I am inclined to think this free wintering 
system will do best for a large farmer, who has plenty 
of forage to waste; but for one vvho wishes to make the 
most of his supply of winter keep, the confining them to 
good yards during the day, and at night tie them up in 
good warm stalls with plenty of dry litter, will much 
better subserve his purpose. The extra trouble will be 
more than compensated, by the excellence and quantity 
of manure, and the thrifty and contented appearance of 
his stock. 
I have written this to elicit some remarks from your¬ 
selves on the subject, which I consider of vital impor¬ 
tance to us farmers in this country of long winters, and 
not with the expectation that you will deem it worthy of 
an insertion in your excellent paper. 
Clinton, chess co., April 15, 1843. P. 
