THE CULTIVATOR. 
147 
FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. 
By the Acadia, which arrived at Boston on the 2lst of 
April, we have received our files of foreign papers up to 
the first of that month. 
Mr. Colman’s Tour.— The first part of Mr. Colman’s 
Tour was expected by this arrival, but we have not learnt 
whether it was received by his agent in Boston or not. 
We see by a notice in our London papers, that it was to 
be issued in London (in the Farmers Magazine,) the first 
part to to appear on the first of this month. The Mark 
Lane Express, in an article on this subject, says: 
< ( Mr. Colman has been received by the agriculturists 
of Great Britain with all the kindness and respect which 
his personal character, his mission, and the kindred as¬ 
sociations of his country could demand; he has had the 
opportunity of visiting the most extensive landed propri¬ 
etors who take a general interest in the cultivation of the 
soil and the breeding of stock, and has been hospitably 
received by the most experienced and talented breeders 
and cultivators of the soil amongst the tenant farmers. 
His advantages, in these respects, have been considera¬ 
ble, and we know he will profit by them.” 
Great preparations were being made for the show of 
the Royal Agricultural Society, which is to take place at 
Southampton in July next—commencing on the 18th, and 
continuing until the 26th of that month. Besides erect¬ 
ing the necesasry buildings for the exhibition, the citi¬ 
zens of Southampton have subscribed $5,000 for the use 
the Society. Much animation exists, and the exhibition 
will probably equal in interest any former one. 
The excitement from the discussion of “ free trade” 
and “ corn laws” still continues, and a large space in the 
agricultural papers is devoted to these subjects. There 
seems, however, no probability that any important change 
in the policy of Great Britain in regard to the corn laws, 
is about to take place. The agricultural population is 
vastly more numerous, and holds of course a proportion 
ally greater influence than the manufacturing and com 
mercial. It is estimated that there are 12.000,000 of the 
agricultural, and 3,500,000 of manufacturing population. 
The former are not likely to relinquish their influence, 
or submit to measures prejudicial to their interest. 
The past winter in England was generally quite mild, 
though in some districts, especially in the highlands of 
Scotland, there were in February some very unusual 
storms of snow, which proved quite destructive to sheep, 
and in some instances to human life. March was remark¬ 
ably cold and rainy, and in some neighborhoods consid¬ 
erable damage had been sustained by hail-storms, which 
were accompanied by very high winds and thunder. At 
the close of March, however, the weather was fine, and 
all accounts state the growing wheat never looked bet¬ 
ter. A considerable proportion of the spring grains had 
also been put in the ground under favorable circumstan¬ 
ces. 
The prices of meats were considered low. The best 
of wether mutton was selling at 6 d, or in our currency, 
about 11 cents per lb., and beef from 4 id, to 53 d, or 8 
to 10 cents per lb. The demand for American provis¬ 
ions generally was dull. Wheat was selling at Liverpool 
at 8 s. 4d. to 8 s. 8 d, or $1,91 to $1,98, per bushel of 70 
pounds. American wheat 7s. lOd. to 8 s. per 70 pounds. 
Duties about 2 s. or 46 cents per bushel of 70 lbs. Farm 
laborers were generally well employed at 10 to 12 shil¬ 
lings per week, or about 38 to 46 cents per day. 
Prize Heifer. —Sir Charles R. Tempest’s short horn 
neifer, which took the first prize and gold medal of the 
Smithfi'eld Club in December last, was slaughtered soon 
afterwards. The weight of her four quarters was 1770 
pounds—the weight of the loose fat or tallow, 228 lbs. 
She was four years and nine months old. 
To Kill Thistles.— It is said in some of the English 
papers, that if a small quantity of salt be put on the centre 
of the thistle, in the course of nine or ten days the root 
and every part of the plant will be destroyed. The salt 
should be applied before the thistles have become large. 
Try it, and let us know how it works. 
Asparagus.— A medical correspondent of an English 
paper says this plant has great virtues in curing rheuma¬ 
tism. Slight attacks he says are cured in a few days by 
a free use of this delicious esculent, and chronic cases are 
much relieved, especially if the patient carefully avoids 
all acids. He says the Jerusalem artichoke has likewise 
a similar effect, when used as food. 
Effects of Drainage on Human Life.— The Rev. 
Professor Buckland, at a public meeting held in Oxford, 
said that in the parish of St. Margaret, Leicester, con¬ 
taining 22,000 inhabitants, it appeared that one portion 
of it was effectually drained, some parts but partially so, 
and others not at all. In the latter, the average duration 
of life is 13 years and a half, while in the same parish, 
where the drainage is only partial, the average is 22 
years and a half, thereby showing the frightful effects of 
a bad atmosphere. 
Extraordinany Ewe.-— Mr. George Underwood, of 
Shenley Dens Farm, has, for the last ten years, had in his 
possession an ewe which has, during that period, yeaned 
the immense number of forty-four lambs ! The animal 
died this year. The lambs were yeaned as follows:— 
1835, five lambs; 1836, five do.; 1837, five do.; 1838, 
four do.; 1839, three do.; 1840, five do.; 1841, four do.; 
1842, four do.; 1843, four do.; 1844, five do.—total, for¬ 
ty four. 
BARLEY. 
Many people are deterred from the cultivation of bar¬ 
ley on account of the difficulty of keeping it pure. Some 
have an idea that it has a natural tendency to degenerate 
into oats —a theory analagous to that of the transmutation 
of Avheat to chess. It is contended that if barley is eaten 
down by worms, by geese, or by any animal, while it is 
growing, some mysterious change takes place in conse¬ 
quence, by which it produces oats instead of “ seed af¬ 
ter its kind.” 
This erroneous (not to say ridiculous,) theory, proba¬ 
bly originated from the fact that oats are more hardy than 
barley; that they sooner recover from any accident, such 
as being bitten down by animals while growing; that 
they tiller more, send up more seed-stalks, and increase 
in a greater ratio from a given number of original kei 
nels, than barley. 
There is frequently some oats among barley when 
sown, and from the above-named circumstances, the in¬ 
crease of the oats is always the greatest, and if the pro¬ 
portion of oats in the seed sown is sufficiently large, and 
an accident should happen to the crop, the oats start so 
much sooner and so much more vigorously, that the bar¬ 
ley may be smothered. 
Mr. Merrifield, (a good farmer, by the by,) informs 
us that he raises barley for which he always gets in mar¬ 
ket six cents a bushel more than the usual price. He is 
particular to keep it pure. In the first place, he took 
some good two-rowed barley and carefully picked it over 
by hand, thus taking out from it the oats and foul seeds. 
He is careful that oats do not get carried to his barley- 
ground in manure, and therefore does not use manure 
with that crop; and when his horses are at work where 
he intends to sow barley, he gives them no oats unless 
they have been first burnt or baked, so that they will not 
germinate. From pursuing this method, his crops are 
clean and heavy, frequently weighing fifty-four pounds 
to the bushel. Of late, his barley has all been sold for 
seed at home, and he has brought none to market. 
SOWING CORN FOR FODDER. 
We would suggest the sowing of corn broad-cast, on 
rich land for winter fodder. Mr. Sotham, of “ Hereford 
Hall,” sowed six acres last year, which he thinks yielded 
nearly six tons of dry fodder to the acre. He has fed 
both cattle and sheep with it (cut with a machine,) the 
past winter, and is so well pleased with it, that he is de 
termined not to be without it in future. Others, who 
have tried it, speak equally in its favor. The quantity 
of seed recommended to be sown per acre, is from two 
to three bushels. Some experiments made by Mr. Welles, 
of Boston, seem to show that it is best to cut it soon after 
the spindle makes its appearance. 
