THE CULTIVATOR. 
Tlie Country Gentleman. 
It is pleasant to have evidences that one’s ef¬ 
forts are appreciated, and to reeeive acknowledgments 
of at least some measure of success in their accom¬ 
plishment. To keep such manifestations as constantly 
in public, however, as they come before us in private, 
might be less agreeable, in a practical point of view, 
to our readers. It is seldom therefore that we publish 
such extracts as the following: 
Baltimore, Md. —“ I cannot refrain at this time, 
from expressing not only the great satisfaction and 
pleasure, but profit derived from the perusal of the 
C®. Gent, the past year, and to congratulate you upon 
the success which has attended your labors—a success 
which, if not of pecuniary advantage, has been at 
least that of improving the mental condition of a por¬ 
tion of the agricultural community.” j. A. r. 
Canton, St. Law. Co., N. Y— I receive 15 papers 
per week, and take most satisfaction in reading the 
Country Gentleman of them all, although I am not a 
farmer, l. e. b. w. 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. —I feel much pleased with the 
Country Gentleman, and it would be only reiterating 
what has so frequently been said by others for me to 
say, that in my opinion it stands at the head of the 
Agricultural publications in this country, and while I 
have a farm to cultivate, I shall feel unwilling to do 
without it. s. M. 
Greenfield, Mass. —Allow me to say that of all the 
Agricultural literature of this country, I regard this 
paper [the Co. Gent ] as the most valuable, and I am 
somewhat of a judge. J. s. G. 
Oak Woods, Grant Co., Ind .—I do not think there 
can be said too much in praise of your valuable publi¬ 
cation the “ Country Gentlemanit is certainly a 
paper that should be in the hands of every farmer who 
cultivates the soil; but when we look around, it is in¬ 
deed surprising to find ho vrfiew there are who take any 
interest in Agricultural journals, j. E. 
New-Jersey. —In conversation with Mr. II., at the 
annual meeting of our State Ag. Society, he paid the 
“Country Gentleman” the high compliment of saying 
that it was the best paper in the United States, and 
added that Mr. Howatt’s article on Potato Culture in 
the first number of this year, was worth at least five 
years’ subscription. 
-oo-»- 
Tlie Chinese Sugar Cane at the South. 
We make the following extract from a letter received 
a short time ago from E. Wm, Russell, Esq., of Walk¬ 
er Co., Georgia. It will be seen that South, as well as 
North, the prospects of the Sorgho appear good: “I 
purchased at the North one dollar’s worth of the seed, 
planted in trenches or rows four feet apart, two or three 
seeds every two feet in the row. It was cut in Septem¬ 
ber when the seed was fully ripe, and ground on a 
wooden mill with three rollers, such as are used in 
grinding the common sugar cane in the lower counties 
of this State. The juice was strained and boiled in a 
large iron kettle. Six gallons yielded one of thick 
syrup, quite equal to that made from our common cane, 
and has kept up to this time quite as well. In using 
the syrup one of my family remarked there was sugar 
in the cup, and on examining the vessel that held about 
ten gallons of the syrup, I found several pounds of su¬ 
gar ; I put it in a cloth to drain. It is dark in color, 
but the grains equal to good brown sugar. I used about 
one-half pint of lime to thirty gallons of juice.” 
Books for a Farmer’s Library. 
Messrs. Editors —Our Library Association wish to 
purchase $30 to $40 worth of agricultural works. Will 
you please furnish us a list of such books as you would 
recommend for this purpose, with the prices, and where 
they can be had. We wish it to include the new series 
of The Cultivator, bound, and your Rural Affairs, and 
vols. on cattle, sheep, bees, <fcc. h. b. 
In answer to the above, we give the following list, 
which will furnish an answer to several other inquiries : 
The Cultivator, new series, 5 vols.,.$3.75 
Rural Aftairs,.... 1.00 
Farm Implements, by J. J. Thomas,. 1.00 
Stephen’s Farmer’s Guide, 2 vols., ..5.00 
Dadd’s Modern Horse Doctor,. 1.00 
Dadd’s American Cattle Doctor,. 1.00 
Stockhardt’s Chemical Field Lectures,..1.00 
Norton’s Scientific and Practical Agriculture,_ 60 
Johnston’s Elements of Agricultural Chemistry 
and Geology,.1.00 
Johnston’s Lectures on Agricultural Chemistry 
and Geology,.1.25 
Nash’s Progressive Farmer,. 60 
Breck’s Book of Flowers,.1.00 
Allen’s American Farm Book, —. 1.00 
Allen’s Rural Architecture,. 1.25 
Bement’s Poulterer’s Companion,. 1 25 
Guenon’s Treatise on Milch Cows,. 60 
Youatt on the Breed and Management of Sheep, 75 
Youatt on the Horse,. 1.25 
Youatt, Martin, and Stevens, on Cattle,.1.25 
Youatt and Martin on the Hog, .. 75 
Barry’s Fruit Garden,. 1.25 
Munn’s Practical Land Drainer,. 50 
Quinby’s Mysteries of Bee-keeping,.1.00 
Saxton’s Rural Hand Books, 4 vols.,.5.00 
Brownie’s Field Book of Manures, .. 1.25 
Boussingault’s Rural Economy,. 1.25 
Thompson’s Food of Animals,. 75 
We can furnish the above, or any other works which 
may be desired. 
Uuderdraluiug Impervious Clay. 
As an editor is presumed to know everything, I 
would be much obliged if you would solve a question 
that has occurred to me. I am draining a piece of wet 
land. At the depth of a foot or less below the surface, 
I find a solid bed of very pure clay, almost white, with 
a slight bluish tinge, and so far as I can see, absolutely 
impermeable to water. I cut through this say two 
feet, make my drain and fill it up in the usual way. 
Now I want to know how the surface water is to enter 
that drain 7 In a well made drain, to be effectual, the 
great body of water must enter at the bottom. Here 
I cannot see that it can enter at all. Will such a drain 
prove of service 7 C. W. T. Bucks Co., Pa. 
Draining will be useful on this land, in different 
ways. The drains having descent the shortest way 
down the slope of the land, the water will flow beneath 
the common soil, over the surface of this impervious 
subsoil, (generally only a few yards,) till it finds the • 
drain, when it will be carried off. Without draining, 
the water would have to flow over this subsoil-surface; 
the whole breadth of the field before it made its escape, 
and the soil would thus be loaded with water. By cut¬ 
ting the drains about three feet deep, and afterwards 
subsoiling eighteen inches, this water-tight crust would 
be rendered porous, the air would probaby improve its 
texture and quality, and the soil could be deepened 
and rendered dry enough. There are probably hori¬ 
zontal as well as other seams in this subsoil; and fre¬ 
quent drains would let off the water from these seams, 
and prevent its entering them by cutting off any broad 
flow from above. 
