34 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Jan. 
after. If we do not entirely mistake the signs of the 
times, our modes of preparing land for culture will ere 
long be essentially modified by the use of the sub-soil 
plow. In the county of Worcester, where the manage¬ 
ment of land and teams is understood as well as in any 
part of the commonwealth, the premiums are limited 
to one one pair of cattle without a driver .” 
WINTER EMPLOYMENTS. 
“ Now shepherds, to your helpless charge be kind— 
Baffle the raging year, and fill their pens 
With food at will; lodge them below the storm. 
And watch them strict.’’ 
Next to man’s duty of providing for himself and his 
own household, is that of relieving, to the extent of his 
power, the wants of his fellow-men in general,—and 
next to that, is the duty, (to say nothing of interest,) 
of protecting and nourishing the animals placed under 
his care, and from which his own comforts are so large¬ 
ly derived. Winter is indeed a season of gloom and 
unhappiness to those who are in need of food, raiment 
or shelter; and in truth, however well provided the 
farmer and his family may be in these respects, if he 
has the common sympathies of humanity, he will find 
himself a stranger to peace of mind, while any of the 
animals dependent on him, are miserable from hunger 
or exposure; but let every individual of his flocks and 
herds, receive the full care and attention requisite to 
their comfort and enjoyment, and a consciousness of this 
will enable the owner to rest quietly on his pillow, 
though the storm may howl and rage around. 
Besides the cutting and collecting wood and timber, 
and other business usually done in the winter, the farmer 
may do much in this season, towards forwarding the 
labors of spring. Every farmer should have a work¬ 
shop, where, in stormy and inclement days, he or his 
men may be employed in mechanical work. If exten¬ 
sive operations are carried on, there should be a black¬ 
smith’s forge with an anvil and such apparatus as is 
necessary for doing small jobs. Implements should be 
made and repaired, and everything put in readiness for 
use. A little practice will enable any man of tolerable 
ingenuity to use the carpenter's or blacksmith's tools so 
well that he may save many a dollar. 
Although the farmer is sometimes prevented from 
carrying on out door operations by the severity of the 
weather, his time during this season may be as profita¬ 
bly employed as in any other part of the year. The 
leisure now enjoyed, permits his mind to be directed to 
subjects of interest and importance which he had not 
the opportunity to examine thoroughly, when more 
busily engaged. He has time for studying and laying 
plans for future operation—time for reading and for in¬ 
vestigating the principles on which his art is based,-—a 
knowledge of which enables him to direct his labors 
understandingly. By reading he acquires information 
as to the state and condition of agriculture everywhere. 
In relation to the different branches of husbandry, he 
notes well the practices of others, and carefully com¬ 
pares them with his own-—resolving to improve his 
system by adopting whatever is applicable to his cir¬ 
cumstances. While prosecuting his inquiries, however, 
he should avoid a credulous assent to untried schemes 
and theories. Though he should examine freely, he 
should apply cautiously—he should endeavor to “ prove 
all things , and hold fast that which is good ”—counsel, 
which, though originally given in reference to spiritual 
concerns, should be held as a motto in all temporal 
affairs. 
The farmer should also provide means for the intel¬ 
lectual improvement of his family. The character of 
his sons and daughters, depends much on the opportuni¬ 
ties they have at home for the acquirement of knowledge. 
Many young men are made discontented with the life of 
a larmer, and are, perhaps, driven to habits of irregular¬ 
ity, from the want of opportunities for cultivating their 
minds—from the want of that knowledge which would 
give them both “power” and pleasure. Every effort 
should therefore be made to render home pleasant. 
Books and periodicals, suited to the ages and capacities 
of both sexes, should be provided. They should be 
such as will not only convey instruction in relation to 
the business affairs of life, but of a character also that 
will tend to improve the morals and elevate the higher 
sentiments. 
Nor should the mind of the farmer himself be re¬ 
stricted to one subject or class of subjects, for in the whole 
range of nature there is nothing that bears not some 
relation to his happiness. Let him, then, study nature 
in all her shapes and forms—let him heed well her 
teachings, 
“ And mark them down for wisdom.” 
Every season will afford opportunity, to the man o 
philosophic mind, for observation or for useful reflec¬ 
tion and contemplative enjoyment ; 
“ E’en winter wild, to him is full of bliss, 
The mighty tempest, and the hoary waste— 
Abrupt, and deep, stretched o’er the buried earth, 
Awake to solemn thought.” 
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES. 
Disease in Fowls.—J. L. R. (Wilmington, Del.) 
The disease you speak of is called by various names in 
books, such as roup, catarrh, &c., but is more known in 
this country as “ swelled head.” It is a bad disease, and 
is believed to be contagious, though it is often produced 
spontaneously, or from causes unknown. As soon as a 
fowl is discovered to have the disease, it should be ta¬ 
ken away from the healthy ones, and kept in a mode¬ 
rately warm and dry place. We have heard of various 
remedies, but believe the best is to wash the head often 
with Castile soap-suds, with occasionally a wash of su¬ 
gar of lead. If they are very bad, it is as well to cut 
their heads off, for it is difficult to save them; and if 
they live, they generally lose one or both eyes. 
Training Horses for Saddle and Harness.— 
“ A Subscriber” at the island of Bermuda wishes fox- 
some directions on this subject. Will not some one fur¬ 
nish us an article giving the best mode of breaking 
horses for these purposes ? 
Hybrid Strawberries.—“ A Subscriber, ’’(Smith- 
town, L. I.) We cannot suppose different kinds of 
strawberries would mix in the runners. Hybrid plants 
are produced by the pollen from blossoms of different 
kinds impregnating the same pistils; the seed produced 
from such an impregnation, partaking of the intermix¬ 
ture. We cannot imagine any other way in which hy¬ 
brids could be produced, and as the runners you speak 
of do not come from seed, we cannot see how- any new 
variety should occur. 
Worn out lands for orchards.—C. Smith, (New¬ 
port, N. Y.) We do not see why the “worn out lands 
of Long-Island and New-Jersey,” if naturally warm, 
may not be made to produce fruit-trees well. As to the 
“barren land near Albany,” we remark that much which 
a few years ago was considered such, is now made to 
produce fruit trees and fruits quite well, and excepting 
the liability of some portion of it to frosts, we believe 
it w'ould generally do well for that purpose. As to the 
“four best varieties of winter apples,” we suppose 
hardly any two persons would agree in opinion; but all 
things considered, can you do better than to take the 
Blue Pearmain, Herefordshire (or Winter) Pearmain, 
the Swaar, and either the Esopus Spitzenburg, or Rhode- 
Island Greening ? 
Agricultural reading.- —W. B. H.(Philadelphia.) 
We would recommend, as a course Of agricultural read¬ 
ing for a young man, the best of our agricultural peri¬ 
odicals, Johnston’s works, (beginning with his cate¬ 
chism,) and the whole of the works relating to agri¬ 
culture, published under the direction of the British 
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge; but 
with all reading, we would earnestly advise the con¬ 
stant practice of observation and comparison, by which 
only, can knowledge be practically and px’ofitably ap¬ 
plied. 
