116 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
April. 
better way for a young farmer without capital to begin 
his profession, than by tailing a farm on shares, espe¬ 
cially if he have the judicious counsels of an expe¬ 
rienced proprietor. If he is enterprising and frugal, 
he will not be long without a farm of his own. N. Reed* 
Profits of Pork Making. 
Messrs. Editors —It has been for some time a moot¬ 
ed question, whether we can make pork profitably. My 
experience has extended over nearly 20 years as a far¬ 
mer, and from my farm there has always been sold 
more or less of pork each year, and the more pork sold 
the heavier has the return been in cash ; but no expe¬ 
riment had been made to ascertain whether we got as 
much for the grain fed to the pigs, as we could have 
got for it unfed, until recently. On the 20th of Nov. 
last, finding myself the uncomfortable owner of a pair 
of rather mean pigs, which I purchased at $2.50 per 
head, and one good half-blood Suffolk, the progeny of 
a large sow of a coarser blood, and not being quite of 
the opinion that the Suffolks are large enough for the 
best profits of a dairyman, I resolved to satisfy myself, 
and so proceeded to place them in a warm, dry pen, 
and to feed them with all the corn meal they could eat, 
mixed with hot water, (or cold as it happened, though 
the carelessness may be ascribed to the unusal warm 
weather of the season, their feed not often freezing in 
the trough,) until the 20th January, when they were 
killed. They were all nearly of the same age, not 
more than a week’s difference. The Suffolk was dropt 
on the 12th of September, and was allowed to suck 
until taken to the fatting pen, and had only one rival 
for the favors of a well fed mother. The other two 
were from a numerous family not over fed, and noted 
only for their squealing propensities ; these were about 
a week earlier. When placed in the pen,the Suffolk was 
the largest and fattest, and continued master of the 
trough. They were never weighed alive, but the diffe¬ 
rence was apparent; and now for the result: 
The half-bred Suffolk weighed. 104 lbs. 
The others, (sire not known, dam a grade Berk¬ 
shire,) 108 and 114 lbs,. 222 lbs. 
326 lbs. 
Sold at 8 cents per pound,. $26.08 
The actual cost was as follows : 
Value when penned,. $9.00 
Thirteen and a half bushels of corn at 80c. 10.S0 
One bushel buckwheat canelle,. 50 
One bushel culled potatoes,. 50 $20.80 
Balance, .. $5.28 
Occasionally a pail of skimmed milk was given them, 
the value of which I could not estimate, as we are not 
contiguous to a city, and do not have any market for 
it except the swill pail. It will be proper to remark, 
that the Suffolk when dressed, was still the fattest, 
although not as heavy as his mates. From this ex¬ 
periment I am satisfied that the Suffolk is too small for 
a profitable porker, and that pork can be made at a 
profit on any well regulated farm, and will be eaten in 
any well fed family. E. B. II. Berlin Center. 
-*«►<»- 
Butter Making. —Mrs. Julia Parkiiurst of Port 
Jackson, Clinton county, (on the old Jonas Platt farm) 
made Jive hundred and sixty pounds of butter from 
three cows , in one year, commencing Jan. 1, 1857. 
Mffk was used in the family, consisting most of the 
time of twelve persons, during the year. Who can 
beat this!— Plattsburgh Republican. 
Profits of Farming. 
At the late meeting of the Ontario Co. Ag. Society, 
they awarded the first premium on farms to Mr. Paul 
F. Bill, of Seneca. The Committee who awarded 
the prize, say “ II hen they take into consideration 
that Mr. Bill purchased his farm of 70 acres for $3,- 
000, went into debt for nearly the full amount, and 
that he has paid off that debt from the actual pro¬ 
ceeds of the farm, and that the condition of the farm 
has been all the time improving; they look upon these 
circumstances as a very fair test of good management, 
and therefore feel fully justified in awarding to Mr. 
Bill the first premium.” He has not only paid for 
the farm, but greatly improved it by underdraining, 
the removal of stone, &c., and erected a substantial 
barn, and all from the proceeds of the farm itself. 
What he has done, any other man of equal energy 
and intelligence may do. The farm has been all the 
time improving. “ That’s the doctrine.” Unprofit¬ 
able farming deteriorates the value of the farm, while 
profitable farming improves it. 
Cost of Making Chinese Sugar Cane Syrup. 
Messrs. Editors —You inquire for information as 
to the cost of making Chinese sugar cane molasses. I 
raised one-third of an acre. Here is the cost: 
Breaking up j acre at $1.50 per acre,. $0.50 
Laying off and planting,. 25 
Seed,. 1.00 
Plowing 3 times at 50c per acre,. 50 
Hoeing h day, one hand, at 75c... 37& 
Pulling blades and tutting seed, 2 days, at 75c.,. „ 1.50~ 
Cutting cane, £ day,. 374 
3 hands and 1 horse, 3 days, crushing cane and 
boiling juice, at $1.75 per day,... 5.25 
Wood and hauling,. 1.00 
Lime, grease for mill, &c.,. 25 
Rent of land,. 1.00 
Total expenses,... $12.00 
Contra. Cr. 
By 400 Bis. blades, equal to the best hay, at 
$10 per ton,. $2.00 
By 15 bushels seed, at 30c.,. 4.50 
“ begasse fed hogs, say equal to 5 bushels 
corn, at 30c.,. 1.50 
By 1 barrel (40 gallons) vinegar made from 
scum, at 10c.,. 4.00 
By 78 gallons molasses sold,. 65.30 
By 17 gallons molasses used, at 75c.,_ 12.75 
- $90.05 
Clear profit. $78.05 
From this statement you will see that the fodder, 
seed, begasse and vinegar, exactly paid the whole of 
the expenses, and consequently the cost per gallon of 
making the molasses was exactly nothing. I). L. 
Adair. Hawesville , Ky. 
-- 
Grapevines on Trees. 
Messrs. Editors —I will tell you my experience 
about grapevines, that is, that we farmers had better 
have them run on trees, or some place where they can 
extend themselves, and not be winter or spring pruned, 
for we do not summer prune, and they are not as good 
if winter trimmed and not summer; they grow too 
thick and smother the fruit. I have tried it both and 
all the ways. When a vine gets so extended and old 
that it does not bear well, begin to cut off some, part 
one year and part the next, and let some of the young 1 
shoots grow, and your vine will bear again. I have 
trimmed vines for my neighbors in the spring, but no 
after trimming, and no good grapes, when vines on trees 
close by produced good grapes. D. B. Richard. 
