1846 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
159 
I send you a description of a cheap and efficient gate 
latch. There may be better; but for the cost or labor 
of making, I know of none I consider equal to it. Any 
one who can use tools can make it. It acts so quickly, 
that when the gate is thrown shut it rarely fails to catch. 
A, the latch, 10 or 12 inches long, and 1^ square, with 
a shoulder at each end, made by reducing the thickness 
to one inch at a, and | of an inch at b. Into the under 
side of the latch, a mortice is made six inches long, and 
f of an inch wide, and of the same depth, to receive a 
spiral wire spring. Tne mortice and spi’ing are shown 
by dotted lines, being hid entirely from view. The 
spring is made by wrapping a cold wire round a stick 
half an inch in diameter. B is the head-piece of the 
gate, with a hole morticed for the latch; c, c, palings; 
C, collar piece to hold the latch. D, cross-piece 
under and in contact with the latch, to keep the spring 
to its place; and into which is inserted the peg F, 
which holds one end of the spring, and which causes 
the latch to fly back to its original position after being 
drawn back by the thumb-piece, G. 
Knoxville , Tennessee . D. A. D. 
INQUIRIES. 
Hot air furnaces. —E. H. O. (Petersburg, Va.) 
Between this and autumn, we hope to be able to give an 
article which shall embrace the particulars you wish. 
Culture of the Cranberry. —We will give an 
article on this subject shortly. 
Suckers on Corn. — C. B. (Redford, Mich.) We 
have made some experiments to ascertain whether there 
is any advantage in cutting suckers. We have cut the 
suckers from alternate rows, and compared the product 
with the uncut rows at harvesting, but have never been 
able to see any advantage from cutting. But something 
may depend on the kind of corn—some kinds giving 
ears on the suckers, and others not,—and something 
also, may depend on the thickness at which the corn is 
planted—if too thick, thinning, by taking out the suck¬ 
ers, might be an advantage. 
Black Sea Wheat. — “A Subscriber , 55 (Stokes, 
N. Y.) This is a red, bearded wheat—the kernel 
rather round. But to give a description by which this 
may invariably be known from all other kinds, would 
be impracticable. 
The Poppy. —J. C. A. (Brutus, N. Y.) We are un¬ 
able to give much information on the culture of the 
poppy, or the process of extracting opium therefrom. 
We doubt whether it could be produced to profit in this 
part of the country, as the heat of tropical climates is 
said to be required to give strength and potency to the 
juice. The kind called the white poppy, ( P. somnife- 
rum ,) is we believe preferred for its narcotic qualities, 
but we cannot say where the seed can be procured. 
Shell Marl.—A. H. H. (Westmoreland, N. Y.) 
The marl you speak of may be spread on grass-land in 
the fall. When from such situations as you describe, it 
seems to be an advantage to expose it awhile to the air 
before using—after which it forms a good top dressing 
for most crops. 
Rye — Sowing grass-seed. — W. H. W. (Halifax 
co., N. C.) We think rye is as favorable to grass as 
any other grain, excepting, perhaps, barley. We have 
sown grass-seed with winter rye, sown early in autumn, 
on dry ground, with good success—and have no doubt 
it would do well with spring-rye. The quantity of 
winter rye usually sown per acre is one and a half bush¬ 
els—probably two bushels of spring rye per acre would 
not be too much. As to the kinds and quantity of grass- 
seed, we do not see that we can give any information 
in addition to that offered on page 94, current volume. 
The course you suggest as to plowing in peas, &c., is 
apparently a good one. 
What food will produce most "wool? —L. D. 
(Richfield, N. Y.) Mr. Morrell, in the American 
Shepherd, page 230, gives the results of an analysis by 
De Raumer, from which it appears that 
1000 lbs potatoes produced lbs wool. 
“ mangel wurzel c£ 5£ “ 
“ wheat “ 14 “ 
“ oats “ 10 “ 
“ barley “ 114 “ 
“ peas “ 14 i “ 
“ rye with salt “ 14 « 
“ do. without salt “ 12| “ 
“ buckwheat, “ 10 “ 
Mr. M. adds in reference to the above—“ The legiti¬ 
mate conclusion from the foregoing is, that the flock- 
master, whose object is wool only, must rely on good 
hay and some straw, whose constituents are admirably 
adapted for the growth and perfection of wool, with a 
moderate allowance, daily, of ground peas and oats, and 
some potatoes as green food. 55 
Flour from Black Sea Wheat. —“ A Subscriber, 55 
(Livingston, Alabama,) writes to know “what im¬ 
provements have been made in the manufacture of flour 
from Black-Sea wheat ? 55 as he has seen it stated in the 
Cultivator that it was supposed to make inferior flour 
till the millers learned how to grind it.” Will some of 
our friends inform him ? 
Chinese Geese. —J. T. (Urbanna, O.) These geese 
can be had here in course of the season, duly caged, 
&c., at $5 to $6 per pair. They could be forwarded by 
canal to Columbus. 
Knitting Machine. —J. T. We know nothing 
more than what has already appeared about it. 
Works on Horticulture- —E. W. H. (Macomb 
county, Mich.) Downing 5 s “Fruit and Fruit Trees of 
America, 55 is a work of 590 pages—price 1.50. The 
“Fruit Culturist, 55 by J. J. Thomas, (noticed in our 
last,) is 50 cents. They are for sale at most of the 
book stores. 
Cement Pipes. —M. I. (So. Hartford, N. Y.) We 
have never supposed that the mode of making cement 
pipes, as described in the January No. of the Cultivator, 
was patented, and presume you run no risk in construct¬ 
ing pipe according to those directions. 
“Sugar Parsnips . 55 —J. E. H. (Huron county, O.) 
We do not know any variety of parsnip by this name. 
We suppose the “comparative value 55 of the root might 
be in a great degree proportionate to the sweetness. 
Use of Lime. —G. W. C. (Campbell co., Ya.) We 
think lime is of the greatest benefit to soils containing 
the greatest amount of organic matter. We should ap¬ 
ply to a plowed surface, and not work it in deeply. 
Charcoal for Manure. —S. H. (Mercer, Pa.) On 
moist grass-land, the refuse charcoal you mention would 
be a good top-dressing—on dryer soils, and for culti¬ 
vated crops, it might be harrowed in. Our opinion is, 
that “ it doth not yet appear 55 to what principle its fer¬ 
tilizing action is due; but there is no doubt about the 
effects. Charcoal is also the best article for absorbing 
the liquids of your stables and yards. The leached 
ashes you speak of, will be found valuable on most soils 
as a top-dressing—especially on sandy and gravelly 
loams. 
Wet Land. —J. D. B. (Murfreesboro 5 , Tenn.) We 
hardly know what could be done with the land you 
mention. Are you sure it cannot be drained by opening 
the natural outlet? If it can be drained, it seems from 
your description that it would be good land. A little 
experiment will determine whether the soil would be 
valuable on upland fields. 
Grafting Grape Vines. —A. C. (Edgartown, 
Mass.) Mr. Downing directs that scions be cut in win¬ 
ter and kept buried in a cool damp cellar till wanted. 
About the tenth of June, or as soon as the leaves of the 
old vines are fully expanded, cut off the stock smoothly 
below the surface of the ground, split it and insert one 
