290 
Sept. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
lotos for tljc 
Farm Implements. —It is a prominent object of this 
paper to give reliable information in relation to any 
new or newly constructed farm implements, after a 
trial has been made with them. If therefore the man¬ 
ufacturers will forward to our associate at Union 
Springs, any such implements, he will give them a full 
practical trial, and if they prove valuable, their suc¬ 
cessful operation will be reported to the readers of this 
journal. If the implements are heavy, they may be 
sent by N. Y. Central R. R., and directed to Union 
Springs ; but if small, they should be sent by Express, 
and directed, simply, “ J. J. Thomas, Auburn.” 
New “Disclosure” of the Cause of the Po¬ 
tato Rot. —A number of weeks ago an article appear¬ 
ed in the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser developing 
the whole secret of the “ Cause and Remedies of the 
Potato Rot.” It has been copied almost universally by 
the newspapers, as well as by a number of our agri¬ 
cultural cotemporaries. We have preferred, however, 
• to look into the subject a little more deeply, before en¬ 
dorsing, or at least giving publicity to what might 
prove as fallacious a “discovery,” as any of its nu¬ 
merous predecessors. 
The Cause of the Rot is supposed to be an insect, 
and numerous experiments are given to confirm this 
view; the insect itself is described at length. Its 
; name, with the spelling corrected, is the Phytocoris 
lineolaris of Beauvois, and it is supposed to be iden¬ 
tical with the insect described by Say as the Capsus 
oblineatus. Now if the theory that the Potato Rot 
is caused by this insect is correct, there are these diffi¬ 
culties, which must occur to any one acquainted with 
Entomology:— 
1. The insect referred to ha,s always been known in 
this country , and was probably quite as numerous 50 
years ago, as it ever has been since. From the ear¬ 
liest times the farmers have found it infesting their po¬ 
tato fields, and have consequently given it the common 
name of the “ the potato bug.” Why did it never 
cause the rot until so recently ? 
2. The insect referred to has never infested Great 
Britain —the only examples of it seen there, so far as 
we can ascertain, having been carried thither as curi¬ 
osities in collections gathered in this country. Why 
did the potato rot appear there ? Could the devas¬ 
tations of the insect in the crops of America , have 
caused the Rot that carried off all the potatoes in Ire¬ 
land one or two years before ? 
Lest there might be some mistake on our part, we 
submitted this subject to Dr. Asa Fitch, who will 
surely be received as an authority, and whose endorse¬ 
ment we have for the statements in the last two para¬ 
graphs. When we receive answers to the above queries, 
we will resume the discussion of the subject. 
An Easy Mode of Increasing the Value of 
Bone-Dust. —Mix equal quantities of bone-dust and 
fine earth or mould, moisten them with the soakings 
from a manure heap so that they can be worked up 
like strong mortar, and then put the whole in the form 
of a heap under a warm shed, and cover with earth or 
sods. A strong fermentation takes place, producing 
great heat, and the whole becomes amalgamated into 
< a brittle substance in the course of a few months. To 
be ready for use in the spring, the mixture might be 
made in the early part of winter or late in the fall. 
One who has tried this mode of increasing the solu¬ 
bility and of course immediate effect of bones, (which 
is certainly safer and more manageable as well as 
cheaper than by the use of sulphuric acid,) is of opi¬ 
nion that eight bushels of bones so prepared are equal 
to sixteen bushels of ordinary bone-dust. 
I3 55 * Tlie Commencement Exercises of Yale Col¬ 
lege were held at New-Haven last week. Among the 
Honorary Degrees conferred by the President and Cor¬ 
poration, was that of A. M. upon Luther H Tucker, 
J unior Editor of The Country Gent Aman,and The Cul¬ 
tivator , and that of Bachelor of Philosophy upon 
Mason C. Weld, one of the Editors of The Homestead , 
Hartford ,Ct. 
Lime Water for Apple Trees.—A French jour¬ 
nal relates of a landed proprietor near Yvetot, that he 
had in his garden some old apple trees which produced 
no fruit. Two winters ago he took some lime, which 
he steeped in water, and with a brush washed the old 
trees all over. The result was the destruction of all 
the insects ; the old bark fell off, and was replaced by 
new, and the trees bore an excellent crop. Most of 
them have now acquired such renewed vigour, that all 
appearance of age has disappeared. 
Salt for Animals.— In the “ Country Gentleman ” 
of June 24, it is stated that “a great deal has been 
written upon the use of salt for animals.” “ But very 
few actual experiments have been made.” “ The pro¬ 
per amount is what we want to have determined.” For 
the last twenty or more years, salt has been kept where 
cattle, to the number of about twenty head, together 
with sheep, and in summer except such stock as is kept 
remote from the barn, have free access to it. Where 
they have free access to it, they take but little at a 
time and often, and no more than nature requires. I 
have known of but one instance in which it was inju¬ 
rious. An ox was possessed of such an insatiable appe¬ 
tite that he would take too much, and it was necessary 
to restrain him. J. Sanford. Fulton , N. Y. 
Protection against the Turnip-Fly. —A farmer 
in England has secured his crops of turnips and ruta 
bagas from the attacks of this destructive insect, by 
steeping the seed for about five minutes in a solution 
of salt in water, made so strong as to float an egg. He 
stirs the seed about, skims off the light grains, puts 
the good into a sieve to drain off the liquid, and then 
places it on a cloth to dry. For sowing in the evening 
he thus prepares his seed in the morning, and for sow¬ 
ing in the morning prepares it in the evening previ¬ 
ous. He sows annually from 230 to 250 acres, and has 
not had occasion to re-sow on account of the fly for 
seventeen years. Does not this fact—this experience 
of 17 years—furnish sufficient encouragement for mak¬ 
ing trials of a similar mode of preparing the seeds of 
cabbage, cucumbers, &c., and of all plants, indeed, 
which are liable to the attacks of insects at an early 
stage of their growth? The result desired may ap¬ 
pear but little probable, or difficult to be accounted tor 
if found to take place, but if obtained, it will be 
valuable whether it can be explained or not. 
Oxen “ Drawing by the Head.”— “ Along the 
Rhine, and through the valley of the Rhone, oxen are 
worked upon the plow and cart in pairs, drawing usu¬ 
ally by the head, the yoke being laid across the fore- 
