202 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
on rough and rocky soils, a shorter plow would work 1 
better than this, as when thrown out of the ground it < 
would catch quicker than a long one like the Centre- < 
Draft. There are but few soils, however, that this plow t 
cannct be used on to advantage.” “The workmanship i 
of these plows is admired by all. Mine being the only r 
one in the town, (and perhaps in the county,) it created <■ 
quite an excitement with the farmers who have seen it, § 
and it is hoped that others of the kind will soon be in use £ 
here.” “ There are many other kinds of improved plows, 1 
among which are Ruggles, Nourse & Mason’s, Howard’s, 
&c., and judging from the premiums they have taken, they < 
must be very perfect. In conclusion I would say, that, £ 
as there is no implement used in farming more essential i 
than the plow, procure a good one, and never think of ^ 
plowing sward without a cutter, for you cannot make ] 
smooth work without one.” 4 
Wind-Mill —In answer to the inquiry of Mr. J. Wil- * 
lcinson, inserted in our May No., we will state that we 
have been shown a model of a wind-mill invented by j 
Mr. George Parker of Corinna, Penobscot co., Maine. ] 
It is simple in its construction, and may be readily adapt- - 
ed to various purpo^s. Mr. Parker states that one can ; 
be made for a well, with all necessary apparatus for ( 
raising water, the whole cost of which would not exceed < 
twelve dollars. i 
{fCp 3 Mr. J. G. Chambers, of • Frederica, Del., gives i 
us some account of the mode of cultivation practiced in < 
his neighborhood. We trust the bad management of ; 
which he speaks is not by any means common in Dela¬ 
ware, and that the farmers of every section may soon ; 
learn the benefit of a more improved system. Mr. C. 
says:—“ Our county is completely exhausted by bad til¬ 
lage. The system practiced, has been to clear the land, 
put in corn, followed bj r wheat, rye or oats—put the : 
farm into two or three fields, and as soon as the fields are 
clear of grain, in w r ith the cattle, sheep, hogs, and hor¬ 
ses, from the first day of January to the last day of De¬ 
cember, until the land is so reduced that there is not 
more than one-fourth of it will bring wheat at ail, and 
not corn enough to reimburse the tiller. So you must 
not be surprised at my inquiry in a former communica¬ 
tion, how to start right. We cannot get any manure but : 
what we make on the farm, except lime, and that costs 
too much. It is my opinion that fully one-half of the 
present inhabitants of the lower part of Delaware, and 
the eastern shore of Maryland, would greatly better their 
condition by tilling one half the land they now go over. 
But make this proposition to a man and he w r ill answer, 
f I can scarcely get along now, and if I put myself on 
one half, I shall starve.’ 
“ We have had a warm, dry spring. Wheat k-:s been 
much injured by the fly, but is fast reviving by the late 
rains.” 
Injury to Trees from Mice. —Mr. Samuel Allen, of 
Black-Rock, showed us, the other day, several hundred 
apple and pear stocks which had been so much injured 
by mice during the winter, that the owner of the nursery 
in which they stood, had thrown them away—or rather 
had given them to Mr. A. He had them carefully cut 
down below where they had been gnawed, grafted them 
with good scions of choice varieties, and set them out in 
a good soil. They appeared to be doing well. The 
suggestion may save trees which are valuable. 
Geological Survey. —It is not perhaps very general¬ 
ly known that the legislature lately authorised the sale of 
copies of the Geological Survey, at the rate of $1 
per volume. A share of the books will be sent by the 
ecretary of State, to the treasurer of each county: 
aud persons who want to secure copies should enter their 
names with those officers—depositing $S or $10 at the 
Fame lime. There will be fourteen or fifteen volumes, 
when the work is completed—all quartos, and mostly 
thick volumes. Academies have the prior right of pur- 
chasi g at $1 per volume within a period of six months 
from the passage of the law. 
To retain the Ammonia of urine. —Dr. Jackson 
gives in the New-England Farmer, the following as an 
excellent mode of collecting the salts and gaseous matters 
of urine. “Take 20 measures of dry peat and one of 
ground gypsum, and mix well together. Place barrels 
half full of this mixture in places where urine may be 
collected, and it will be found that the salts and ammonia 
of many barrels of urine will be consolidated in this mix¬ 
ture, without giving the slightest odor, or being in any 
way offensive, for the salts are taken up, and the carbo¬ 
nate of ammonia, formed by decomposing urea, is imme¬ 
diately absorbed. A mixture of peat or swamp muck and 
gypsum, will also serve to absorb all the disagreeable 
gases of vaults, which will be converted into valuable 
fertilizing compounds.” 
Cattle. —A friend informs us, as an evidence of the 
emulation created by our Agricultural exhibitions, that 
among those who are preparing animals and articles in 
western New-York, he knows one gentleman who is 
getting ready ten yoke of cattle as his contribution in that 
line towards the next State Fair at Poughkeepsie. The 
“ River counties,” and the fine cattle of New England, 
should be largely and nobly represented on the occasion. 
Sheep and Wool. —In a communication from Daniel 
S. Curtiss to the State Ag. Society, he mentions that he 
has on his farm in Canaan, Col. co., a flock of sheep 
which he commenced seventeen years ago, from “ good 
Escurial merino” ewes—using the best Saxon bucks he 
could get since then. The flock has improved much in- 
quality and quantity—the fleeces averaging, for the last 
two years, three pounds six ounces; and Mr. C. thinks 
the clip of this year will exceed that average a couple of 
ounces. His flock consists mostly of bearing ewes and 
yearlings, and he keeps no wethers. 
Persons having good stock may find their interest 
in reporting their experience to the State Society. 
Harvesting Wheat, &c.— “ A Working Man” cau¬ 
tions farmers against harvesting wheat too early. He 
says—“ it is doubtless a good plan to cut grain before it 
is quite ripe; but farmers would err widely if they should 
cut it when absolutely in the milk. It W'ould be so damp 
as to render its preservation difficult.” We did not un¬ 
derstand the statement alluded to by our correspondent,, 
as representing the yield of the crop at an average of 70 
bushels per acre. To have made the experiment of val¬ 
ue, the product of an acre or more should have been gi¬ 
ven. No farmer should adopt any practice he may see 
s detailed in the agricultural papers, or which may be re¬ 
lated to him by his neighbors, without considering 
whether his circumstances, location, soils, &c. render it 
probable that such practice will be the best for him to 
pursue. Much, for instance, has of late been said in fa¬ 
vor of the use of charcoal as a manure, and where a far¬ 
mer is so situated that he can make an experiment with 
it at a trifling expense, it is doubtless worthy of a trial 
but the man who should leave his stable manure in his 
yard, and depend upon charcoal alone, would be guilty of 
consummate folly. So with a hundred other things, several 
of which are mentioned by “ A Working Man”—the far¬ 
mer should read, reflect, ami decide with judgment and 
common sense whether the practices of others are suitable 
for him. 
Farming in Tennessee. —Mr. James Holmes of Rea- 
dyville, Tennessee, gives us some interesting remarks in 
relation to the state of agriculture, &c., in that State. 
Mr. H. speaks of the practice of sowing wheat on corn- 
ground while the corn is standing, and says it is quite 
common to do so where the weeds and grass are so thick 
among the corn that it is quite impossible to cover the 
grain with plows or other implements. The yield in 
such cases, although the ground is naturally of the best 
character, is not over twelve bushels per acre—yet, he 
says, most farmers are satisfied, because they get as much 
as their neighbors. Indian corn, he thinks, does not 
I yield over 35 bushels per acre, take one year with ano¬ 
ther, on what is called very good land. But we cannot 
doubt that agriculture is improving in that section—and 
with advantages of soil and climate, perhaps not excelled 
. by any State, we trust Tennessee will one day assume 
the rank to which her natural resources entitle her. 
i Peach Trees.— Mr. Charles J. Ryan, of Long Island, 
i in a letter to us on the cultivation of peach trees, says he 
> thinks plowing among them is injurious. “ The peach,” 
' (says he,) “ is a tree whose roots have a tendency to run 
s near the surface of the earth. At the end of every years* 
