1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
91 
or 4 in number, according to width, are placed upon the 
posts, then with a cap that reaches from top to bottom, 
with an iron bolt and nut through the post and each end 
of the cap, secures the boards firmly to the posts. We 
also noticed in several places on both sides of the Con¬ 
necticut river, long strings of fence constructed in this 
manner, which I think must be quite durable, if not 
cheap. 
The thought struck me as I passed some of these gra¬ 
nite post fences, what a convenience it would be to 
have some of these granite hills scattered over the wide 
prairies of the west. 
We returned by the way of West Windsor, where we 
bought of Giles Wait, Esq., 20 superior merino ewes 
which we left fora second load; from this place we 
drove in the evening ten miles to Weathersfield, put up 
at Danforth’s Inn, and called on the Hon. Wm. Jarvis 
half an hour or so, made known our business, heard 
some remarks upon the subject of importing Spanish 
sheep, received an invitation to call the next morning 
and look at his sheep, which may form the subject of 
another communication. J. N. Smith. 
Vergennes, Vt., Feb. 4, 1846. 
DWELLING HOUSES. 
Mr. Tucker —In the numerous plans of houses which 
have appeared in the Cultivator for two or three years 
past, I have seen much to admire and some things to 
disapprove. Health, comfort, convenience, elegance, 
should be studied ; but the more important should not 
be sacrificed to the less important parts. For instance, 
in the plan of the elegant and showy residence of Mr. 
Hyatt, in your January number, there is a spacious 
drawing room, &c. &c., but up stairs there are two bed 
rooms 7 by 9i| and 7 by 10 feet. 
Sleeping rooms should always be as large as 
possible, and it is infinitely more important that atten¬ 
tion be given to these, than to those more showy rooms 
that are seldom occupied. But in the plan above allud¬ 
ed to, there is a still smaller room, 6 by 7 feet, desig¬ 
nated as the servant's bed room, and, that, too, connected 
with “the steam and unpleasant odors’’ of the kitchen. 
I would suggestthat this room be used for a store room, 
without which no house is complete, and that the ser¬ 
vants be allowed a more healthy lodging. 
My better half, sitting at my elbow, says she would 
like to have some of your correspondents furnish a plan 
of a house or cottage, suitable for a large family, in 
which all the rooms should be on one floor; for, she 
says that running up and down stairs makes the women 
look old while they are young, arid that a cellar kitchen 
is an abomination. And further, she thinks that what 
little scolding and fretting is ever heard among them, is 
owing very much to the ill judged plans of their 
houses. So much for her opinion and mine about 
houses. . 
MR. QUINCY’S ADDRESS. 
The address of Mr. Quincy, in your last number, I 
have read with unmixed pleasure. It is so simply yet 
elegantly expressed, so true to nature, so confirmed by 
universal observation and experience, that I involunta¬ 
rily wished it were printed in letters of gold, and sent 
to every family in the United States. Let farmers read 
it, and learn not only to be content with their condition 
but to see thac they move in an elevated sphere, and 
occupy an enviable place. Professional men of every 
name, merchants, and men of every class, may in the 
perusal of it, derive both pleasure and profit. I would 
suggest the propriety of its being printed in the form of 
a tract, with a view to its wider circulation. If no bet¬ 
ter way be found, let the American Tract Society adopt 
it, and scatter it broadcast over the land. 
and as usual, planted one or more pumpkin seeds in eve¬ 
ry hill. The corn was tolerably good, but the pump¬ 
kins were so large and so abundant, that I carefully 
counted them when they were gathered, and found 824. 
The ground was so nearly covered with them that they 
became the subject of remark by most passers-by, and 
the inquiry was often made how so great a crop was 
produced. 
Something over a year since I had 120 barrels of night 
soil put upon three-fourths of an acre (of which the 
above piece was a part) which, after being mixed with 
ashes, lime, and stable manure, was thoroughly incor¬ 
porated with the soil; and this, I believe, was the im¬ 
mediate cause of the extraordinary crops which I ga¬ 
thered. But there were plain indications in the fall 
that the manure had only begun its work, and hence I 
am expecting a more remarkable yield from that land 
the ensuing year. 
Night soil is one of the strongest of manures, and far¬ 
mers greatly overlook their interests when they neglect 
to avail themselves of it. In England it is held in such 
high estimation, that a class of men crave the privilege 
of collecting it from the cities and large towns, without 
expense to the ovners of the premises, and after mak¬ 
ing it into a compost, sell it to farmers at very high 
prices. They often have scores of orders for it, long 
before they have ability to supply, and the demand is 
constantly increasing. 
POULTRY. 
In Mr. Bement’s valuable Book on Poultry, tw'O facts 
are omitted, by which I have been led astray. One is, 
that the eggs of the Muscovy Duck require to be set 
upon five weeks in order to hatch, instead of four, as in 
the case of other ducks. The other is that the Pea Hen 
does not lay till three years of age. H. A. P. 
Buffalo, January, 1846. 
TO DESTROY QUACK GRASS. 
Mr. Tucker —When I took possession of the farm 
on which I now live, I f&md several acres of one field 
very thickly filled with quack grass. Indeed I think it 
was the most perfect mat of quack grass I ever saw. It 
had been the previous year planted with corn. Acting 
upon the well established principle that “plants cannot 
live without breathing,” or in other words, that the 
roots must die unless the tops are suffered to grow—in 
the month of April I plowed the ground with a shallow 
furrow, and a few days after gave it a thorough harrow¬ 
ing. As soon as the blades began to appear above the 
surface of the ground, I plowed and harrowed again. 
This process was repeated seven times, and at each time 
the plow was run a little deeper than before—the last 
plowing being about ten inches deep. The quack grass 
had all disappeared, and not a vestige of it has since been 
seen. 
The plowing was not deepened to facilitate the des¬ 
truction of quack, but to give the ground a thorough 
summer fallowing and fit it for wheat, with which it 
was sown about the fifth of September, and as some per¬ 
sons fear that much plowing injures land, I will state 
the result. 
The field contained 48-§ acres, all of which was sum¬ 
mer fallowed by being thoroughly plowed from three 
to seven times. The growth of wheat w'as large on the 
whole, but largest on the portion which was plowed 
most. The whole field was injured by rust—the largest 
growth being injured most, as it was considerably lodg¬ 
ed. The yield of wheat was 1540 bushels. The vari¬ 
ety was the “ improved white flint.” E. Marks. 
Tyler P . 0., Camillas, Dec. 22, 1845. 
PUMPKINS. 
For the encouragement of others to go and do like¬ 
wise, I would state that last season I planted a piece of 
corn for table use, just 3 rods in width by 5 in length, 
Guano Poisonous. —The Dublin Farmers’ Gazette 
mentions the case of a man who lost his life by hold¬ 
ing a corner of a guano-bag in his mouth, by which a 
portion of the dust was drawn down his throat. 
