THE CULTIVATOR. 
273 
THE STATE CATTLE SHOW. 
Remember that the great show of the N. Y. S. Ag. So¬ 
ciety, will take place at Poughkeepsie on the 18th and 
19lh of this month. Contracts have been made for the 
erection of the necessary fences and buildings, which are 
now nearly completed. The show yard contains about 
eight acres, thoroughly enclosed with a high and tight 
board fence. The buildings consist of a Ticket office, 
outside the enclosure—a Business office, on the line of 
the show yard—and four buildings inside the enclosure, 
each about 100 feet by 25—one to be denominated Floral 
Hall, for the exhibition of fruits, flowers and vegetables 
—Domestic Hall, for articles of domestic manufacture 
—Dairy Hall, for dairy products,—and Mechanic’s Hall, 
to be devoted to articles of mechanical skill. 
Arrangements have been made for conveying animals 
and goods by boats from the different places on the Hud¬ 
son, at moderate charges. The rail road companies, 
with their usual liberality, offer to bring everything from 
the west to this city, free of expense; and we trust the 
owners of fine stock of all kinds, will avail themselves 
of these opportunities to send large numbers to the show. 
We hope, also, that our friends in Connecticut, will 
gratify their brother farmers of this state, by sending 
over some teams of their famous and well-disciplined 
oxen, and other stock. Mechanics and manufacturers, 
too, will not let this occasion pass, without making a ge¬ 
neral display of articles in their line, which, being seen 
by the thousands who will be there convened, cannot fail 
to be much to their advantage. It is thought that the 
exhibition will be equal, if not superior, in every res¬ 
pect, to any preceding. 
The annual Address, we are happy to learn, will be 
delivered by the distinguished historian, George Ban¬ 
croft, Esq., of Massachusetts. 
CULTIVATION OF LUCERNE. 
A ‘ Subscriber,’ at Strawberry-Hill, North Carolina, 
asks for some information on this subject. 
A deep, rich, and rather light soil, is best for lucerne, 
and it is hardly worth while to attempt its cultivation on 
soils of an opposite description. The preparation of the 
ground consists in deep plowing, and fine pulverization. 
Any kind of manure suitable for clover, may be used— 
mixed well with the soil. It may be sown either broad¬ 
cast, with some kind of spring grain, or alone in drills. 
We prefer the latter, for the following reasons. When 
sown broad cast, with or without grain, its growth is 
much checked, either by the grain or weeds, or by both 
—if a drouth occurs at the time the grain is taken off, a 
large portion of it dies, and what remains is so injured 
that the succeeding winter probably kills it. After re¬ 
peated trials, we have found it very difficult to get it 
through the first summer and winter. Unless the wea¬ 
ther is very favorable, so much of it dies, that it is left 
too thin. Having failed some half dozen times in the 
broad cast mode, we tried sowing in drills with a ma¬ 
chine, and succeeded completely. The drills were about 
ten inches apart, and the spaces were hoed once or twice, 
by which means the weeds were kept down, and the lu¬ 
cerne grew so rapidly that it was cut three times the 
first season—only about a month being required between 
the cuttings, to reproduce a growth of more than a foot 
in height. It produced at the rate of five tons of hay to 
the acre. 
We should prefer sowing as early in the spring as the 
ground would admit of, in order that the lucerne might 
get a start of the weeds. In the broad-cast mode, fifteen 
or sixteen pounds of seed is recommended—in the drill 
mode, eight or ten pounds, if properly sowed, will be 
sufficient. There is no necessity of permitting a crop to 
go to seed, as our correspondent suggests, as the roots 
are considered perennial—at any rate, they live man} 
years. In regard to the marls mentioned, it would be 
better to try them, as well as lime, plaster, &c., for the 
effect of these cannot be positively foretold. 
The seed might be had at any of the principal seed- 
stores of our cities. Its cost is from twenty-five to thirty- 
seven and a half cents per pound. By the quantity it 
could probably be had for less. 
Lucerne is greedily eaten by all kinds of stock, and it 
is considered highly nutritive. It may be fed green or 
made into hay. We know of no plant of equal value 
for soiling. Its growth commences very early in the 
spring, and continues without interruption through the 
whole season. No ordinary drouth affects it in the least, 
after it once gets fairly rooted. The roots have been 
traced to the depth of more than three feet in the earth, 
the first season, when sown in drills. The only cultiva¬ 
tion that it requires after the first season, is an occasional 
harrowing before it starts up in the spring. 
CALEDONIA COUNTY, VERMONT. 
We have been furnished by Henry Stevens, Esq. 
Barnet, VI., with several papers in relation to the Agri¬ 
cultural products of Caledonia county, Vermont, of a 
very interesting character. This county is situated in 
the northeastern part of the state, its northern boundary 
being only about 25 miles south of the 45th degree of 
north latitude. In size it is about equal to 18 townships 
of six miles square. About four-fifths of its whole ter¬ 
ritory yet remain a wilderness, there being but 90,456 
acres of land improved. From the table of statistics 
furnished us, we learn that the number,of “polls”—that is, 
we suppose, male persons over 21 years of age—in the 
count} 7 , is 3,756. This would give 24 acres of improved 
land to each poll. The products of the county, as care¬ 
fully ascertained from the persons who took the census, 
would give each male inhabitant over 21 years of age, 
more than one of oxen and nine head of other cattle— 
over 26 sheep, fine swine, nearly two horses—more 
than 228 bushels of grain—nearly 50 lbs. of wool, 284 
bushels potatoes, about 18 tons of hay, and over 177 lbs. 
of maple sugar. The value of dairy products to each 
poll, is $57,35, and of family goods, $22,72. 
This statement of actual facts speaks volumes for the 
credit of the hardy sons of Vermont. There is probably 
no state in the union where property is more equally di¬ 
vided than in this, and here, with a hard soil and a cli¬ 
mate of great severity, we find on an average every man 
of 21 years, has 25 acres of improved land, from which 
he produces an abundance of all things necessary for his 
subsistence and comfort. 
Mr. Stevens says—“ I have carefully compared the ag¬ 
ricultural statistics of Caledonia county with other coun¬ 
ties, not only of the New-England, but of the several oth¬ 
er states, and I give it as my honest opinion that, when 
you take into consideration the number of acres of im¬ 
proved land, its appraised value, and the number of in¬ 
habitants, there isno county in the United States that pro¬ 
duces so much as this. That portion of the population 
who are engaged in agricultural pursuits, are generally 
very industrious, economical and persevering in business. 
Many of our farmer's wives have the credit of making 
excellent butter and cheese, and have received the high¬ 
est premiums in the Boston market’.” 
IMPROVEMENT OF SANDY LOAM. 
Mr. Eli Harris, of North Carolina, inquires, first— 
“ What is the best method of improving an exhausted,high 
sandy loam?” Second, “ What is the best plan of sowing 
clover seed?—at what time—how much seed to the acre 
—the preparation of the ground? &c.” 
In regard to the first inquiry, we remark, that ashes, 
clay, or clay-marl, will improve the texture of a sandy 
soil. Use urine, if it can be got, (and it can if you will 
only save it,) in place of coarse barn-yard manures, be¬ 
cause the latter makes the land still lighter, and we sup¬ 
pose lightness is already one of its defects. Plow pret¬ 
ty deep—try plaster, and by all means induce as large a 
growth of clover as possible. 
In regard to sowing clover, it does well sown on a 
moist snow in March, or the latter part of winter. We 
have known it do well sown with rye in September, and 
on land not subject to be throivn up much by frost, we 
do not see why it might not generally do well sown a 1 
that time. As to quantity of seed, we should not sow 
less than six quarts per acre on such land as described, 
and we presume a ‘peck would do no hurt. A preparation 
of the ground suitable for any kind of errain, is proper 
for clover. 
