THE CULTIVATOR. May 
156 
m-^ESSSSSSKEBSSSS 
containing 216 bushels, per acre. The poudrette, if 
good for anything , would have burned up and destroyed 
any vegetation that grows in the earth; and the only 
reason that the potatoes grew, if such quantity was put 
in the one-one hundred and twentieth part of an acre, 
was, that what he called poudrette was literally worth¬ 
less. The potatoes must have been entirely enveloped 
in the poudrette, and every man, who has used good 
poudrette will say, that the potatoes never could have 
grown there. 
“ Guano and poudrette are like fire, good servants, 
but hard masters, and if not properly regulated will 
do more hurt than good. Poudrette has been used for 
more than 1503 r ears, and by long experiments, its value 
in use has been tested and regulated. Guano, on the con¬ 
trary, has not been sufficiently tested according to the 
relative value of the three kinds imported, and hence 
our farmers have burned up their crops to a very large 
extent by its use. I hope Mr. B. will re-examine his 
statement, and advise us what poudrette he used.” 
DIGGING PEAT OR MUCK IN WINTER. 
H. Goodhue, West-Westminter, Vt., suggests, that 
as many peat bogs are inaccessible in summer, on ac¬ 
count of their soft and miry nature, the winter season 
would be preferable for digging out the muck. The 
muck does not freeze so hard but that it may be easily 
cut into junks, and by using a sled, more may be car¬ 
ried away in a day than could be done with a cart. Be¬ 
sides, farmers in general have more leisure in winter 
to attend to procuring materials for manure, &c. 
RURAL ARCHITECTURE. 
A correspondent, “R. ” of Poughkeepsie, writes—“I 
like the plan of Mr. Hyatt’s cottage much, and hope to 
see that style of building come into more general use 
in this part of the country. It is cheap, neat, tasteful, 
and well adapted to most situations in the country where 
an elevated piece of ground with a few trees can be ob¬ 
tained; but for many situations it might be improved 
by enlarging the body of the building, and dispensing 
with the rear wing.” 
RIBBON HOUSES. 
A correspondent who appears to understand the busi¬ 
ness, furnishes the following account of constructing 
this kind of houses: 
“The ribbon may be sawed from almost any kind of 
sound hemlock or other kinds of boards; knots or any 
thing of the kind making no difference. A fourth of 
an inch should be the uniform thickness of the ribbons; 
if it is more, the plastering will not adhere well. One- 
half of the stuff that is designed for the walls should be 
sawed four inches wide; the other half four and one- 
half inches. That for partitions, uniformly 3 inches wide. 
“ When the sills are laid, commence by nailing down 
a course of four inch stuff; next course should be of 
4 i inch stuff, the outer edge being placed plumb w r ith 
the one beneath it; and so proceed first with a four inch 
ribbon, then with a 4| inch one until the walls are car¬ 
ried to the necessary height of the window stool; then 
the windows and frames may be put in, after which 
proceed as before, always remembering to break joints 
as in brick work. The partitions should go up as fast 
as the walls; the edge of the 2d course must jut over 
beyond the first, one-half inch; 3d course plumb over 
the first, 4th plumb over the 2d, and so on; this is done 
that the plastering may stick well without lathing. 
Every alternate course in the partition should extend 
through the wall and be well nailed. 
“When the walls and partitions are carried to the 
required height, the beams may be put on without 
plates. The rafters should rest on the ends of the 
beams. All the ribbons should be nailed with eight- 
penny nails. It should be clapboarded the same as 
framed houses. No lathing is necessary if the materials 
are sawed as directed. No braces or studs are required. 
“Many have built in this way in these parts, and af¬ 
firm that it is a much better way and more economical 
than the old method. To build a one story house 30 
by 36, it requires not far from 10,000 square feet, or 
about 30,000 feet in length of ribbons.” 
AGRICULTURE AMONG THE CHEROKEES. 
We have several times alluded to the favorable indi¬ 
cations of improvement in agriculture and the domestic 
arts, exhibited by the Cherokees. We have had fears 
that the late disturbances among that people might tend 
to repress the spirit which has been so favorably mani¬ 
fested. A letter lately received from Mr. Stephen 
Foreman, (enclosing fifteen subscribers to the Culti¬ 
vator,) informs us that, though the excitement has had 
to some extent, an unfavorable effect, yet he has reason 
to hope that the “ unpleasant state of things will soon 
pass away.” Mr. F. says—“During last summer, quite 
an interest was taken in the organization of an Agricul¬ 
tural Society, called the Agricultural Society of the 
Cherokee Nation; the account of which I presume you 
have seen in the Advocate. Between seventy-five and 
a hundred dollars were subscribed and partly paid over, 
to constitute a fund to be expended in carrying out the 
objects of the society. This is but a small beginning, 
but we hope for better days.” 
FARMERS IN MISSISSIPPI. 
Theodore Gillespie, of Springfield, La., gives us 
some notes of a trip through a portion of Mississippi. 
He says, that in a journey of three hundred miles in that 
state, he found three farmers who had adopted the 
motto, “ Order is Heaven y s first law.” At these places, 
he observes, “all the houses and cows looked fat and 
comfortable. The negro-houses were in regular rows; 
the barns comfortable; stables dry; corn-cribs full; 
gins with good sheds and scaffolds; fences neat and 
well staked; fat hogs enough for the year's meat; ne¬ 
groes well clad and comfortable; and to conclude, a 
good dwelling house. And here the wells, I must re¬ 
mark, were about the kitchen. At these places one 
could discover a regular course of business—everything 
being attended to in its place—among others was the 
little homespun manufactory, which I very much ad¬ 
mired. The average of cotton made on these planta¬ 
tions was about six bales to the hand.” 
THE PAST WINTER IN GEORGIA. 
A. Pope. Washington, Georgia, writes under date of 
Feb. 18th:—The present has been such a severe winter 
with us at the south, and food is so scarce, that many 
of our largest planters have already lost a good many 
of their cattle and hogs. Should the winter be a pro¬ 
tracted one, there will necessarily be much distress 
among the poorer classes of our population, who have 
neither the money nor credit to purchase with. Corn- 
meal is selling for one dollar per bushel, with an 
upward tendency. We have had so much bad weather 
that we are very much behind with our plowing. 
Wheat looks very badly. Oats sowed last fall have 
been killed. Rye is very unpromising, and taken alto¬ 
gether, our farmers have a pretty gloomy prospect be¬ 
fore them.” . 
GAPES IN CHICKENS. 
A correspondent informs us that his chickens were 
last spring much affected with gapes, by which many 
died. He finally tried the plan of putting a feather 
down the wind-pipe, as recommended by E. F. Morton, 
(Cultivator for 1844, page 305,) for the purpose of 
drawing out the worms which it is thought occasion 
the disease. After this plan was resorted to, no more 
chickens died. . 
USE OF CARPENTER’S TOOLS BY FARMERS. 
“ J. P.” says—“ Every farmer should be a carpenter.” 
We have repeatedly recommended in the Cultivator, that 
farmers in general should be prepared to execute me¬ 
chanical work of various kinds. J. P. suggests various 
advantages resulting from this mode, for which we 
have not room in detail. He very properly remarks, 
that the farmer who is well provided with carpenter’s 
tools, and is accustomed to their use, will be more like¬ 
ly to keep his buildings and fences in order, than one 
