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SULKY CULTIVATORS. 
II a vino had six years’ experience in the 
use of this labor-saving implement, perhaps 
ft. will be of some interest, especially to those 
who have not. yet tried them. I am aware 
tlmt a large proportion of the sulky cultiva¬ 
tors—like all other new machines-—had se¬ 
rious defects in their construction, and not a 
few were entirely worthless. But ingenuity 
and enterprise were not foiled or discouraged 
by a lack of complete success at the outset, 
but took lessons from experience, and have 
counteracted-or removed objection alter ob¬ 
jection until we now have an implement ad¬ 
mirably adapted to the purpose for which it 
is intended, and which enables one man to 
perform the work of two, and do It, in a 
more t horough and better manner than can 
he done with any single plow in use. After 
a thorough trial of six years,under all kinds 
of circumstances, l have adopted the sulky 
cultivator as a single implement with which 
to cultivate all kinds of lioed crops, and am 
satisfied it. does the best work of anything 
yet introduced for the purpose. 
1 plant iny corn with a two horse planter, 
in check rows, marked with a three-ply Bled 
marker, and cultivate it both ways. .My 
teams usually get. over an average of about 
seven acres per day. And 1 desire to plow 
my corn about once a week for from three 
to five weeks, thus keeping the ground loose 
and mellow and entirely free from weeds 
and grass. When harvest does not interfere 
I continue plowing my com until it is from 
four to five feet high, completely shading 
the ground and preventing weeds from 
springing up. 
The axles of my cultivators are. but thirty 
inches high, and 1 find no difficulty in plow¬ 
ing corn from four to five feet high, as the 
com bends easily at the top, and the culti¬ 
vator wifi thus break down less corn than it 
usually does with the single-tree in plowing 
with a single plow and horse. From my ex¬ 
perience I have concluded that the sulky 
cultivator is no harder on teams than single 
plows, and much easier on t he operator, as 
lie rides and is up out of the dust, and dirt. 
I have also, the past two years, put iu my 
spring wheat, and oats with the cultivator. 1 
sow ilie grain on corn stalk ground, then 
straddle the rows of stalks, the same as in 
plowing corn with the cultivators, and follow 
with a harrow Two hands with two teams 
will thus put in, well, about seven acres per 
day. This is, therefore, a very speedy way, 
and that is a very important point; with us, 
as we frequently, in fact, Usually, have hut 
few days with the weather and ground in 
working order at the proper season in which 
to do the work. 
Last season, by this means, I put my 
crops in at the proper time, and it. immedi¬ 
ately set in hail weather and continued so 
until much of the grain sown was put in 
very late. AVhen harvest came, while the 
early sown grain produced good crops, 
much of the late sowing was not worth 
cutting. The same was the case at sowing 
time this season, and from present prospects 
will be so at harvest. 
I would not. now exchange my prospect 
for a harvest with some of my neighbors 
who depended on plowing their ground and 
then sowing, for the price of two cultivators. 
I would, therefore, recommend to nil who 
have not yet. tried the sulky Cultivators to 
try them. Get a good one, with the latest 
improvements, and if you do not succeed to 
your entire satisfaction at the first trial 
don’t he discouraged, but remember that 
you must first learn how to use it; try, try 
again, and success will no doubt crown 
your efforts. It took me about three years 
to learn to use one to my satisfaction. 
Ridgo Farm, 111. Berkshire. 
--♦♦♦- 
RUNNING IN DEBT. 
Ox page 304 the advice given to John 
Bpstked is,—“ Do not run in debt for either 
a house in town or ft farm outside — never 
run in debt." I think that if all the self- 
made men of this country were questioned 
on this subject they would j/ClUirally say that 
they had practiced the reverse of this advice. 
One of the most, thriving and wealthy far¬ 
mers of Madison Co., N. V., once said that 
the way he made his money vies to run in 
debt and work out. Hu run in debt for land 
when it, was cheap and went to work ; and 
in the meantime his land was increasing in 
value by virtue of his improvements, by in¬ 
crease of population, and the building of 
canals, railroads, schools, towns, &e. The 
course and success of this man, I venture to 
say, fairly illustrate the ease of most of the 
independent farmers and of ma ny other busi¬ 
ness men of this country. Ilia course is 
to-day being pursued by thousands with 
every prospect of success. Certainly, I 
would not. encourage rash speculation, nor 
would I advise running into debt, one who 
lias no knowledge of the business he under¬ 
takes. But one who buys a good farm, 
either South or A Vest, at, present moderate 
juices, and goes to work with a will, can 
scarcely fail, oven though be has not one 
cent. Of course iliis j»lan assumes good 
health and good credit. ir. l. it. 
--- v . W.-wr. 
i 
A NON-SAGGING GATE. 
Tnifi annoyance from dragging a gale open 
or pulling together every time you wi ll to 
pass through the same, is not plea* ant. The 
agricultural class are not alone experiencing 
this annoyance, as the wretched apology for 
a gate opening t<> many a city residence 
fully proves. 
As concerns small, or hand gates, Ibis 
dragging them around by main force, as 
though they were devoid of hinges, is entire¬ 
ly uncalled for. Large, or farm gates, arc 
liable to sag, and in a few years need a thor¬ 
ough repairing and straight cuing up. Many 
of this class of gates are hinged to a building 
or tree, and can be rendered non-sagging by 
a simple contrivance shown in the accom¬ 
panying cut. The gate is shown hinged to 
a barn. About live feet, from the upper 
hinge is driven, or otherwise firmly secured 
ton post, a, staple, P; one is also driven ill 
the upper side of the gate arm, three or more 
feet from the latch end. These are connect¬ 
ed together by an iron rod, K, three-eighths 
of an inch thick. The staple attached to Ihe 
building should be exactly in range with the 
hinges of the gate. This arrangement costs 
from four to six shillings. If properly at¬ 
tached, the gate will never sag perceptibly. 
The plan of bracing the gate, shown, is a 
good one. u n. s. 
Barrington, Yates Co., N. Y. 
BOARD FENCES. 
L. D. S. writes in Hi iial, May 15, about 
fences for marsh or soft soil, and illust rates a 
section of fence which repre-ents the cap 
boards as meeting on the -nine posts with 
all the other hoards; and 1 have seen tenee 
made and making in the. same manner, but 
this is not the best way. To make a fence 
stand well in any soil, set the posts at; equal 
distances apart, then join the boards as 
shown, having cap board one and a quarter 
inches thick and meet out the post that the 
middle of toj> board comes on. There should 
be a face board to cover joints, well nailed 
tilth twelve-penny nails, the boards having 
been well nailed with fence ten-penny nails. 
A fence well built in tins manner will 
stand without brucine Where the ciq> and 
side-boards all join on one post, it makes a 
joint, with not. much to resist side \u •sure, 
except, the post, which, when loosened by 
frost or other cause, easily sways to one side. 
Next joint on post in the opposite direction, 
Ac. Austin B. Culver. 
West field, N. Y., 1809. 
—■+++ --—■ 
COMPOSTING MANURES. 
A Simple Way la Get a Uoml tVrtilisser. 
I no not claim this method to be the best 
possible, but that, it is simple and inex¬ 
pensive, which are two very important,items 
where one, like myself, hires all Ids farm 
work done. My farm has, practically, inex¬ 
haustible beds of muck upon it. In manuring 
for corn, oats or spring wheal, 1 prepare my 
compost heap in the fall and upon l he ground 
lobe planted or sown ; for meadow, winter 
Wheat, or other fall sown crops, the compost 
heap is prepared in the spring. A spring 
made compost heap may he made suilicientiy 
early to answer for Indian com or potatoes^ 
but not, for spring wheat, or oats. 
I take, one load of ham-yard manure to 
the field to atari, a heap; upon that I put a 
load of muck, upon that ftp read from one to 
two barrels of unleached ashes, and upon 
that another load of muck. This order l 
repeal again and again until the heap is of 
the desired size. The toj> is Icli fia t to catch 
the rains. Thus one load of yard manure 
makes three loads when thus composted, 
and, in my experience amt any soil, the result 
is more satisfactory than if three loads of 
yard manure were used. The unleached 
ashes come in contact only with the muck at 
first, where their best, effect:-, are jirodueed. 
It, might be well to shovel over these heaps 
several times, but iu the winter it cannot 
well be done, and is always a no small item 
of expense. I only disturb them when 
wanted, and let the loading and unloading, 
the spreading and barrowing, do the mixing. 
The results have been so satisfactory 1 have 
not tried to Improve upon the method, 
I should, perhaps, observe here that this 
compost is never plowed under, but applied 
to the surface, and as thoroughly pulverized 
and commingled with the soil as a harrow 
will do it. Applied to meadows, it should 
be bu lled or dragged after spreading; rains 
will do the dissolving. Where one has a 
manure cellar, or facilities for catching the 
urine of animals, and hogs to do the mixing 
nj> and working over, more manure could 
doubtless be made by carting the muck to 
the ham or yard, and adding it to the ani¬ 
mal cxeremenls from day to day, or time to 
lime, as required. 
The plan above given commends itself, 
more especially where such conveniences are 
not at hand, or will not pay, and, more 
er-peeially, where the daily supervision of the 
proprietor is inconvenient or impossible. 
The muck receives and retains all the am¬ 
monia, and the unloached ashes are bene¬ 
ficial in more ways than one. 
While upon the subject, of manures, I will 
allude to one source of a very valuable 
manure that is very often overlooked in the 
country. If an animal dies, it. is almost in¬ 
variably drawn to some out-of the-way 
place, and there left to decay and etinl itself 
away. If cut up and mixed with horse 
manure and dry muck, it may decompose by 
the house or barn, without giving to the nasal 
organs disagreeable evidence of its presence, 
and yields a load of manure rich in phos¬ 
phates. O. C. Gibbs, M. D. 
Trewsburg, Chautauqua Co, N. Y. 
UNDERDRAINING ADVANTAGES. 
In the RunAIi of April 27th, ill his article 
on “Planting Grape Vines,” Frank Avion 
says :—“ 1 do not think underdraining at all 
a necessity,—in fact, I have serious doubts of 
its being any advantage.” 
I had supposed that, midi rdruining was 
universally conceded to lie of great benefit, 
even to the paying of its expenses in a single 
season. Ilia system of surface drainage, 
with his land cut up by open ditches only 
eight feel apart, may prevent water from 
standing in puddles, hut cannot remove the 
surplus water in the soil below the bottom of 
his shallow ditches. The advantages of tm- 
derdraining are so evident, in t heory and well 
established by long and extensive practice, 
that, 1 feel compelled to conclude that Fr ank 
lias thrown down the glove in fan, for some 
one to pick up and pitch in. But if he be 
sincere, l think his friends and the rest, ol 
mankind should have the benefit of the plii- 
losophy on which he bases his statement. I 
have in progress an expensive job of under- 
draining, and it is of some consequence to 
me whether it is to be of any use or not. 
II. L. R. 
——-- 
OverstooUing Pasture*. — The elTect. of over¬ 
stocking- pastures was very forcibly set forth, 
some time since, by Mr. .1 vmkson, in the Coun¬ 
try Gentleman. Many pastures, he says, me 
so overstocked that the roots of the grass and 
the whole plant arc kept so small tlmt its grov, lh 
i . feeble, and not. half l tie feed la afforded that, 
die kind would produce if stocked lightly a year 
or two, and die grass allowed 10 get a good 
i hr Iffy start. He refers to pastures in his viein- 
jiv where double the stock are sustained than 
oil adjoining finds that have been habitually 
overstocked. Lands that are overstocked not 
only yield less food, but the animals pastured 
upon them make a less yield in beef or milk 
than when the stock is in proportion to the 
capacity of the lands for producing food. 
Draining Lands.- Having some fifteen acres 
of land that needs draining, and the only way 
to drain it without discommoding my neighbors 
being to dig- a dilelt some, lilly ,\ards long mid 
from one to throe feet deep, 1 want to know 
wliat is the depth the i ilc should be at, the head, 
and the descent necessary to prevent it idling 
up. Should l lay a board down to put the tile 
on? And should small stone or straw be put on 
the tile before covering with dirt? Can any one 
tell me the best kind of tile to use, and the size 
necessary to drain fifteen acres of springy land t 
—,T. C. Case, KinwvtUe, Ohio. 
—- - 
Draining Wheal Land*. | have observed in 
the wheal Hold*, in a great many iu stances, even 
on gravelly soils, that the wheal on the emu u of 
the lauds as plowed, say for the width of three 
or four furrows, was dark colored, thrilty and 
promising, while on the slopes, near mul in the 
dead furrow, ii was yellow and spindling, show¬ 
ing conclusively the deleterious Influence of 
water to the crop, which should lie token off 
either bv surface or blind ditching-. The former 
is objectionable when the land is to be laid 
down to gross for nicndows.- e. u. m. 
--- 
Plans Wonted. —Please to given plan of hog 
pen with place for fat and store hogs, with 
smoke and kettle house and hen house overhead. 
1 am in favor of scantling frames and fill up 
with concrete, with stone in water lime for 
foundation. The kettle room to contain one 
kettle; smoke house with slats to lay the meat 
on, for strings are not sale.—J. II. Mitchell. 
BUCKWHEAT CULTURE. 
Tins cereal is an important and valuable 
crop to cultivate, its habits and chemical 
constituents arc such that a good remunera¬ 
tive crop is jirodueed upon land that would 
not produce a good crop of wheat or barley. 
The time of sowing varies with the season 
ami locality. Buckwlu-at is generally sown 
from the 23d of June to the 6th of July; 
nevertheless if sown late a good crop will 
ofi.cntimes lie produced. 
The uninitiated should remember that if 
sown too early the drouth and scorching sim 
blasts the flower, rendering it unfruitful; 
and if too late, it is apt to be injured by lrost 
before maturity. It will grow upon any 
tilled soil; :i light loam is best adapted to 
tliis crop. I am unacquainted with a crop 
that is so jicrfeetly adapted to be sown on 
newly cleared land as this one. Its rapid 
and dense growth coinjiletely hides other 
slow growing jilants and obnoxious weeds 
from the genial influence of the sun’s rays; 
in fact, I have known a spot of ground com¬ 
pletely covered with the Canada Thistle— 
<'iniit in //rn/cv—entirely rid of this pest by 
two crops of buckwheat. 
It lias a spreading habit; therefore, only 
such quantity of seed should be sown as will 
cause the plants to cover the whole surface 
sown when in blossom. Those farmers who 
have made the culture of buckwheat a 
specialty inform me that one-half buslid per 
acre is a sufficient quantity if sown evenly 
over the whole surface. 
The average yield of Ibis crop is from 
twenty to twenty-live bushels per acre, yet 
on good soil, and a favorable season, double 
this amount is often jirodueed. Not only 
should it be sown for food for the human 
family, but in sections where bees arc kept 
tin- flowers arc their favorite resort. It is a 
most valuable plant for jdowing in as a fer¬ 
tilizer. 
—-- 
RAISING CROPS POR FODDER. 
There may be other farmers situated like 
myself, not able to raise July enough to win¬ 
ter the stock they desire to keep njion a 
small farm. They need have no difficulty 
in fMijijilying the deficiency. Not. only small 
farmers, but those having an abundance of 
land, practice sowing com either broadcast 
or in drills as food for all kinds of stock. In 
any part, of the country you xvill find 
nfeadows that will not cut on Hie average 
more Ilian three fourt hs of a toil to the acre, 
which 1 have found a poor use for land, if 
remuneration is expected in tilling the soil. 
Often there nreeaiujcs, its winter killing, wet, 
cold, frosty spring' weather, and afterwards 
continued drouth, that cut off the expected 
supply of hay. Every one can provide for 
such contingencies with not a very large 
plat of ground and a moderate amount of 
labor. 
I usually select a jionr piece of meadow or 
pasture, and, after jilanting it over, plow it. 
carefully in largo lands, about, eight inches 
deep, taking care 1o turn the furrows down 
flat; after which I roll the field will) not a 
very heavy roller, as too heavy a roller 
makes hard work for n team. Tf the field is 
good size, I prefer to hire my neighbor’s 
wheat drill, and drill in the corn, as it sows 
more uniform and covers better, requiring 
less seed. This will leave the vows nine 
inches apart, and, as the ground is warm 
and freshly stirred, the. com comes up qunfit¬ 
ly and makes a good healthy growth. Being 
in sod, the weeds will be few and far be¬ 
tween, and so shaded by the erop, which at 
once gets the start, of them, that they do not 
amount to much, and very few ol them ma¬ 
ture seed. 
The best corn-fodder I have ever grown 
was from large-eared sweet corn and the 
variety known as “ Stowell’s Evergreen,” 
which have vigorous stalks and throw out a 
good supply of suckers. Northern Ohio 
corn, if seed can be procured that, will grow, 
is excellent; and in place of that I have 
used the ten and twelve rowed Dalton, with 
satisfactory success. With a drill, two and 
a halt to three bushels will seed an acre, 
where five would lie required from broad¬ 
cast, as it Is not possible to cover all the sped 
with a harrow, and there is sometimes a 
difficulty ill disturbing the sod and inducing 
too much grass. 
On ground t hat, has been crojiped and li¬ 
able lobe rather weedy 1 prefer to sow broad¬ 
cast, quite thick, and barrow both Avays 
thoroughly. It is desirable to sow early as 
practicable tlmt it may be ready for harve. t- 
ing while the weather is warm and sunny, 
and before the fall rain lias set in. 
Those of my neighbors who have large 
fields cut theirs with a mowing machine, let¬ 
ting it lie and euro, turning it with a land 
of barley fork, and then gathering it with 
the same and putting it in small stacks, top- 
ping out with straw. They succeed very 
well if they are not too late. If it grows too 
large it is difficult to cure. I usually cut 
mine with a corn hook, laying in small bun¬ 
dles, Avhich, in a day or two, as it wilts, I 
turn over, and when partially cured set iiji 
in small shocks, and around stakes and fence 
corners until cold weather, when it is jiut, 
into an open shed. Have found it difficult 
to cure in rainy weather, but if some moldy, 
I find cows eat it freely, especially if the 
weather is a little rainy. Sheep are very 
fond of ihe leaves and fine stalks. Indeed, 
the whole stock eat. it with a seeming relish. 
1 find it, is very much improved by the use 
of my small straw cutter; dampening it in 
the manger and adding a little fthiji stuff or 
com meal. 1 find also it pays well to have 
a small jialeh sown early, to cut for the coav 
during t!u‘ long, hot days, when Hie grass is 
short, and the heat jirevenls her going to 
pasture very willingly. It increases the milk, 
and sweet corn stalks, especially, produce 
rich milk in abundance. J have no doubt 
many daliymen would reaji a larger harvest 
of butter and cheese if they were to devote 
a few acres to corn as a summer green feed 
for cows, in jdace of having them roam over 
twenty to fifty acres of short pasture to sus¬ 
tain life, with a very much diminished sup¬ 
ply of milk. It has often been a matter of 
surprise that so few of them ever got into the 
jiraetieo, and that those who have done so 
sowed but small jiatchcs. 
A Small Farmer 
Genesee Co., N. V., 1309. 
LATE IRISH POTATOES. 
In reply to the. inquiry of your corresjion- 
dent, J. II. Palmer, Salem, Va., I would 
state tlmt he can probably obtain an excel¬ 
lent kind of late potatoes from any merchant 
in Salisbury, N. C. There is a kind raised 
there and in the surrounding section which 
is not planted till harvest, and is called the 
“Fall Potato.” Though familiar with it, I 
am not sufficiently acquainted with the vari¬ 
eties to say whether it can projicrly bear the 
name of any of the widely-known varieties. 
I have heard that it was found in cultivation 
by the Dutch in the valley of the Vadkin 
and introduced among other farmers. 
Last, June T received one bushel of the 
sort. Most of them were red-skinned,— a 
few of a beautiful, smooth yellow. 1 plant¬ 
ed them on the 2?th and 30th of June, during 
the severe drouth that prevailed. One of 
tlie patches was in n wheat field—from 
which the crop had just been harvested. 
Owing to the drouth, but few of the whole 
bushel came up, though 1 planted whole 
tubers. The few that came up yielded very 
well. I saved them for seed. Last week I 
examined them, and discovered that, as I 
had stored them on the earthen floor in the 
cellar and covered them with sand, they 
were sprouting so much that it was best to 
plant them. J therefore put them in on the 
21st and 24th days of May. The sprouts, 
though, were not nearly so long as those 
upon another and earlier kind lying near 
them. They mature here about frost. They 
arc of superior quality for t he table. 
A great advantage, in them consists in the 
fact that, if kept iu a dry place they would 
be much better than the ordinary potatoes 
for use in the spring before the new crop 
comes in. Your correspondent would find 
them to do well after wheat. 1 am not sure, 
but presume that they can be obtained of 
AIcConna T T onv & Co. or Bingham & Co., 
Salisbury. If to lie had, they will not he 
held at humbug prices, like the fashionable 
novelties of this kind hi other jilnces. 1 see 
that “Irish potatoes” are quoted there at 
jiresent at, from sixty to seventy-five cents 
per bushel; and I think this kind is us low 
as any. a. w. m. 
Plat River, N. C., May, 18G9. 
-4-*-*.--- 
RUTABAGA CULTURE. 
Youn Kentucky correspondent wants to 
know Hie best way to raise liuta-Bagas or 
Swede turnips, 1 give our plan. Sow the 
seed in the garden the same as cabbage. I 
select a piece of land that, is rich. During 
the winter I draw on plenty of barn-yard 
manure; plow deep early in the spring; then 
draw and roll often until the plants are large 
enough to set out, say about the middle of 
June. Then ridge it up in rows three feet 
apart; take a rake and smooth it down. It 
is now as line as a garden and not a weed 
on it. Choose a bland day ami four smart 
hands will set one acre per day. 
In about ten days all the planta will 
straighten up; jmt in the cultivator, jilow 
deep and often. Thus I get from eight hun¬ 
dred to nine hundred bushels pqr acre. My 
soil is a gravelly, sandy loam. I have taken 
I he first premium at our county fair on 
Swede turnips for several years. Last year 
I exhibited one bushel ; ten turnijis made a 
bushel. One of them, after cutting off the 
roots and tops, weighed nine pounds six 
ounces. I get my seed from an honest seeds¬ 
man— James Vick, Rochester, N. Y. 
J. O. Barrington. 
Cambria Mills, Mich. 
Let the Rural realtor take notes upon his 
growing crops as the season progresses. It will J 
be found a profitable record to refer to. 
