THE CULTIVATOR. 
43 
VALUABLE COW. 
P. H. Schenck, Esq. of Matte wan, Dutchess co., has 
given in the Am. Agriculturist, a statement of the milk 
and butter produced by a cow of his, during parts of the 
years 1842 and 1843. The cow is a polled cow, or horn¬ 
less, and her color red and white. In 1842, Mr. S. kept 
her milk separate from that of his other cows for one 
week. She gave 18 quarts per day, and made 15 lbs. of 
butter. During this time she was kept on grass only. 
In 1843, Mr. S. had her milk kept separate from the 21st 
of May to the 10th of June, 21 days. She gave 16 quarts 
of milk per day, and this in the three weeks produced 
65i lbs. of butter. On the 15th of June, from 154 quarts 
of milk, 3 lbs. 8 oz. of butter ready for the table, was 
made. This is certainly a most extraordinary yield of 
butter. 
NEW ARTICLE OF FOOD FOR ANIMALS. 
Mr. E. Rich of Troy, N. H., has communicated to 
the Keene Sentinel, the result of some experiments made 
by him on the value of the tops and roots of common 
Comfrey, {Symphytum officinale ,) as food for cattle. Two 
cuttings in June and September, yielding six tons per 
acre of good fodder, and the root which should be har¬ 
vested only once in two years, producing 2,400 bushels 
per acre. Experience showed both top and root to be 
very palatable and nutritious. Mr. Robinson, near Ports¬ 
mouth, has also tried the plant for this purpose, and finds 
his stock of all descriptions to eat the tops when cut most 
greedily. His product was at the rate of eight tons per 
acre. This was on moist ground, which seems the best 
adapted to the growth of the plant. Mr. R.’s plants were 
in rows fifteen inches apart. This, we think, in rich 
ground would be too close planting. Comfrey is easily 
propagated by cutting the roots into sets, as is done with 
the potatoe. It may prove one of our most valuable 
plants for animals, but further experiments are necessary. 
They can easily be made. 
TURNEPS AS A GREEN CROP FOR MANURE. 
B. W. Cooper, a farmer of Camden, N. J., suggests 
in the Farm. Cab. the propriety of sowing turneps for 
enriching land. The suggestion is a good one, and would 
probably succeed. He says —“ I have reason to believe 
that a crop of turneps when buried leaf and root, will be 
found superior to almost any other that can be obtained 
for the purpose of plowing in as a green crop for ma¬ 
nuring.” He recommends that a pound of seed, costing 
some 50 cents, be sown upon corn, which is of course 
when ripe, to be cut, and the turneps plowed under. 
EFFECT OF GUANO ON CORN. 
We find in the Boston papers, a notice of the Horti¬ 
cultural exhibitions in that city, at which some sweet 
corn was shown by Mr. Teschmacher of Boston, exhi 
biting in a striking manner the power of this celebrated 
manure on this plant. We perceive that a quantity has 
been imported at Baltimore, to give the farmers of that 
vicinity an opportunity of testing its remarkable quali¬ 
ties. It is sold at five cents per lb., and 100 lbs. is con¬ 
sidered an ample supply for an acre. It can scarcely be 
doubted that science will yet furnish an artificial com¬ 
pound equal in value to this animal product, though the 
experiments hitherto made must be considered as partial 
failures. The Boston paper says —“ A prominent object 
of attraction was the produce of two seeds of sweet corn, 
planted by J. E. Teshmacher, in the public garden, 
Charles st. on the 12th of May, in poor sandy soil. One 
without any manure, gave as product, one stalk and one 
ear, weight 1^ lbs. The other manured with guano, 
gave as product, eight good ears, and four or five use¬ 
less ones, weight 8 lbs. Only two spoonfulls of guano 
were used on this hill.” 
HEAVY PIGS. 
We copy the following from the Louisville Journal. 
Few litters of pigs, we think, can be found to exceed 
Mr. Spilman’s, and those must be unreasonable, who with 
such evidence before them as is afforded by the weight 
of Mr. Sprague's or Spilman’s hogs, still complain of the 
light we’ght of the Berkshires. “ Mr. Thomas B. Spil- 
man of Hunter Bottom, Carrol co. Ky., recently slaugh¬ 
tered 9 Berkshire pigs, full blood, of one litter, 20 months 
anil 6 days old, weighing 3,429 lbs. Mr, S, says that 
these hogs were fed as a majority of farmers feed their 
hogs, no more care being taken of them than is general¬ 
ly taken of common hogs. The weight was certified by 
two respectable citizens. Three weighed over 400 lbs. 
each. Mr. S. banters the state to beat him with one lit¬ 
ter of the same number of pigs.” 
NEW DOMESTIC FOWL. 
In the Queen's aviary at Windsor, are many birds of 
the most rare and valuable kinds. Among these, ac¬ 
cording to the London Times, are seven Cochin China 
fowls, five hens and two cocks, imported direct from 
Asia, and presented to the Queen. Such is the extraor¬ 
dinary size of these birds, that when full grown they 
will stand on the ground and feed from a table 3 feet in 
height; their usual weight being from 22 to 24 lbs. per 
couple. Their eggs, the shells of which are of a dark 
mahogany color, possess a delightful flavor, and are 
highly prized by the Queen. One of the pullets has laid 
50 eggs in less than eight weeks.” Sir George Staunton, 
in his “ Macartney’s Embassy to China,” was the first to 
make this bird known to the European public, and it has 
been described by Temminck under the name of Fire- 
backed Pheasant of China, (Euplocamus ignitus,) and is a 
most beautiful as well as large and rare bird. It is figur¬ 
ed among other pheasants in Temminck, and in the En¬ 
cyclopedias. It is supposed that hybrids of this bird and 
the common domestic fowl, would be most valuable to 
the farmer or poulterer. 
SALT AS A MANURE. 
A writer in the Farmers’ Journal says that Salt has the 
effect to keep soils moist in the heat of summer, and 
soft in the winter's frost; thus it suits dry soils and sea¬ 
sons, while most other concentrated manures require 
wet—that by this and its penetrating quality, it keeps 
every thing in the soil in the softest and most soluble 
state, best fitted to work on each other, and to be acted 
on by the air and weather. 
SILK. 
The Newburgh Telegraph contains a communication 
on the silk business, from Nathaniel G. Church. Mr. C. 
has been experimenting in this business for four or five 
years, successfully. He says he means to keep an exact 
account of all the expenses and results, in order to lay 
before the public, another season, satisfactory evidence 
of the utility and importance of the business. We hope 
he will do it —-facts are what the people are waiting for 
LARGE HOGS. 
The Boston Cultivator says that Capt. Daniel Chandler 
of the House of Industry Farm and Garden, at South Bos¬ 
ton, has lately killed 27 hogs, which weighed on an ave¬ 
rage 415 pounds. They were one year old last spring. 
These hogs came (when young,) from Columbia county, 
N. Y., and were said to be a cross of the Berkshire anil 
Grass breeds. “ Capt. C.” continues the account, “ keeps 
his hogs in summer, on swill from the house, and vege¬ 
tables from the farm and garden, until within three 
months of the time of killing, then meal is added to these 
articles.” 
BARBER CO. (ALA.) AG. SOCIETY. 
A letter from a friend in Eufalla, Ala., informs us that 
an agricultural society had been formed, and a fair hold- 
en in that neighborhood, which promises lobe very use¬ 
ful in exciting a spirit of improvement, &c. The writer 
describes the country as new, but improving rapidly. 
Ten years ago, it is said, it was an unbroken forest. 
Cotton is now selling at as high prices as are brought in 
the United States—a considerable quantity has lately 
changed hands at 84 to 104 cents per lb.; the farmers and 
planters are vying with each other in the production of 
a good and beautiful article. The writer of the letter al¬ 
luded to above, wishes to know whether marl should be 
spread on the land immediately after being dug—what 
time and manner it should be applied, in what quantity, 
whether mixed with other manures, &c. 
THE CULTIVATOR FOR PREMIUMS. 
During the last month the Cortland Co. Ag. Society 
of this state, have ordered 24 copies of the Cultivator— 
the Newcastle, (Del.) 20 copies—the Ohio and Brooke 
counties (Va.,) 14 copies, and the Muskingum (O.) 8 
copies for premiums. 
