1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
251 
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a scarifier to a mammoth cultivator, or set of gang-plows. 
It may observed in passing, that Mr. Van Ber¬ 
gen makes considerable use of the subsoil plow in 
draining his grass lands. It answers in this case a simi¬ 
lar purpose t.SJ the mole plow . The implement is passed 
through the sward in such places as would be likely to 
effect the most drainage, and a channel is thus made which 
not only takes the water from the surface of the land, but 
conducts it off to natural courses. The plow does not !• 
turn over the sward, but only raises it, so that the grass 
grows as well or better immediately ovel- the channels 
as in other places. These spaces made by the subsoil 
plow remain open for two years, and are of great advan¬ 
tage. 
Injury by the Wire-Worm. —Mr. Van Bergen’s 
crops have been greatly injured this year by the wire- 
worm. His wheat and corn have been almost totally I 
destroyed; his oats have been considerably cut off, and J 
even his beans have not escaped; and judging from the 
numbers which on examination we found preying on 
their roots, their chance of affording a crop must be 
small indeed. He has not found any mode of counter¬ 
acting their ravages. 
Live Stock.—-T hree pair of horses are kept by Mr. 
Van Bergen, which perform all the team-work on the 
farm, as well as all other service required by horses. 
A yoke of oxen have formerly been kept, in addition to 
the horses, but this season their use has been discon¬ 
tinued. 
A small stock only is kept. The cows, ten in num¬ 
ber, are mostly Du r hams, Ayrshires, and grades of these 
breeds. Several of the Durhams were imported. They 
are evidently of a milking family, and show excellent 
points for the dairy. The Ayrshires are very pretty 
stock—silky haired, clean skinned, small boned, with 
all the indications of first rate dairy-stock. Mr. V. B. 
formerly fatted calves for the New-York market. He 
usually sold them at from five to ten weeks old, and ob¬ 
tained for them an average price of $9 per head. He 
sold one year 160 calves fatted by himself. The busi¬ 
ness proved profitable for several years; but competi¬ 
tion after awhile, reduced the profits, till it became no 
longer an object. 
Conclusion. —Mr. Van Bergen’s farming must, on 
the whole, be considered eminently successful. Many, 
very many farmers, even with greatly superior advanta¬ 
ges of soil, do not obtain anything like as good crops 
on the average, or realize half as good profits on their 
capital invested in farming. What is the cause of this 
success? is the question obviously suggested. We an¬ 
swer, it is to be found in the fact that ({ knowledge is 
powkr.” A mind well balanced, well disciplined, and 
discriminating, here exerts its energies; and the effect 
is seen in the systematic plan on which the various ope¬ 
rations are based, and in the highly satisfactory pecu¬ 
niary returns which are the ultimate results. 
Mr. Tucker —Your columns are seldom devoted to 
the fine arts, nevertheless I venture to send you a song, 
which may not be inappropriate to a corner in your ex¬ 
cellent paper. That the farmer has as good reason to 
sing as any other man, I suppose no one will deny, and 
if song-singing is admissible, perhaps this will be found 
as expressive and unexceptionable as any other, how- 
beit a te-totaller might think it smacked somewhat of 
hard cider. I believe the song is old, but I have never 
seen it in print. 
W, 
THE HARVEST HOME. 
When autumn freely yields 
All her golden treasures, 
Then those who reap the fields, 
Partake of harvest pleasures. 
This, lads, is harvest home ; 
Those who labor daily, 
Well know ’tis sweet to come, 
And pass the evening gaily. 
Then let each heart be light. 
Here’s no room for sorrow, 
Joy holds her court to-night, 
Care may come to-morrow. 
Now let the lab’rer wipe his brow, 
Rest and plenty wait him 
Barn, cellar, rick, and mow, 
Are fill’d to recreate him. 
Scythe, sickle, rake, and hoe, 
All are now suspended, 
Like trophies m a row, 
For future use intended. 
Then let each heart be light, &c. 
Now g-ay Pomona’s store, 
Past exertion blesses, 
Rich streams of nectar pour, 
Sparkling from her presses. 
Full goblets streaming broad, 
Crown the farmer’s labors, 
These real bliss afford, 
When shared by friendly neighbors. 
Then let each heart be light, 
Here’s no room for sorrow, 
Joy holds her court to-night, 
Care may come to-morrow. 
MEETING- OF WOOL-GROWERS. 
We learn by the Lowell Courier , that a meeting of 
wool-growers was held in that city on the first of July; 
and by the following extract, it will be seen that an 
arrangement has been formed for the purpose of ascer¬ 
taining the comparative value of different flocks of sheep 
for the production of wool, among the Saxon and Meri¬ 
no varieties. Important facts will no doubt be elicited 
by this arrangement, and we trust they will all be duly 
laid before the public. In regard to theflocks-to which 
merit shall be awarded, it will be specially important 
After having spent several hours in the examination 
of Mr. Van Bergen’s farm, we called for a short time 
at the residence of Mr. Reed, about a mile from 
Coxackie. We were unfortunate in not finding him at 
home, and therefore took but a hasty stroll about the 
premises; though we saw sufficient to convince us that 
the farm was a good one, and that it was in many re¬ 
spects a beautiful place. The site commands a delight¬ 
ful view of the river, with fine prospect scenes on either 
side. The buildings are mostly new, well constructed, 
and well arranged. The garden, which we went through, 
is prettily laid out, and is a perfect model of neatness— 
not a single weed being found in any part of it. We 
noticed that there were quite extensive orchards, which 
appear to have been properly managed; and we were 
told that 2,200 bushels of winter apples had been sold 
from the farm in a year. 
Soaking Corn. —A successful farmer effects a saving 
of a third to one-half by soaking his corn fed to horses 
in water, in barrels placed in the cellar, where it can- 
KOt freeze. 1 
and interesting to know, fully, the course which has 
been pursued in bringing them to a state of excellence; 
and we hope to be informed how those flocks have 
been derived, and how, for several generations, they 
have been bred and managed. We desire this informa¬ 
tion as furnishing the proper data from which to deduct 
a correct system, of breeding and management. 
At a meeting of wool-growers, holden at the office 
of the Middlesex Company, in Lowell, Mass., on the 
first day of July, 1846, representatives from the eight 
following states being present, viz., Massachusetts, 
New-Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New-York, 
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. Samuel Lawrence, 
Esq., of Massachusetts, was called to the chair, and G. 
Dana, of Ohio, appointed Secretary. After opening the 
meeting, an important and very interesting discussion 
took place on tbe relative properties of the Saxon and 
Merino sheep, and more especially of their fleeces, in 
which Mr. Brown, (of the firm of Perkins and Brown, 
of Akron, Ohio,) as advocate for the excellence of the 
