298 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
plenty, though pears have failed. I think we have had 
less thunder and lightning than in any preceding year 
within my remembrance. We had two days ago a fine 
rain of three or four hours, ivithout any of the usual 
symptoms of thunder and lightning, though the weather 
is sufficiently warm.” 
Wheat Crop of Vermont. —Mr. Jewett gave it as 
his opinion, in a communication in our last paper, that 
the wheat crop of the present year was equal to the sup¬ 
ply of its people for the year. A correspondent at Cas- 
tleton, “L. F. B.,” says:—“I have not the least hesita¬ 
tion in saying there was not sufficient wheat grown the 
past season to supply one-fourth part of the people of 
Vermont. The large agricultural county of Rutland, 
from what I have seen and heard, will not raise enough 
wheat to supply two of its largest towns. The State is 
truly a wool, cattle, and horse growing State, and mar¬ 
ble, iron and timber, also add much to its resources for 
exportation. I wish for the good of the State and for 
‘ home protection,’ your correspondent had guessed 
right.” 
Merino Sheep. —Mr. A. L. Bingham, of Cornwall, 
Vt., informs us that he purchased a flock of Merino 
sheep in 1838, which e ‘ sheared that year, 3 lbs. 3 oz. of 
well washed wool—the second year, 3 lbs. 10 oz.—the 
third year, 3 lbs. 14 oz.—the fourth year, 4 lbs. 2 oz.— 
the fifth year, 4 lbs. 4 oz—the sixth, or last year, 4 lbs. 
6 oz.—being an increase of one pound three ounces, 
and this, by no better keeping than they had before, for 
they were kept well on hay before, and no better since.” 
He thinks “ the weight has been put on entirely by the 
crosses” he has made. The crosses have been with 
bucks from the flock, (said to be <c full blooded Paular,”) 
of Merrill Bingham. The increase in the weight of 
fleece, is certainly a matter of no trifling consideration, 
though Mr. Bingham has not informed us whether its 
fineness has been preserved. Mr. Bingham also informs 
us that he has purchased twenty-eight ewes of a flock 
which he says is “ full blooded Paular, if there is any in 
the country;” they were purchased of the importer by 
Messrs. Bufl'um & Smith, of Nantucket. “ These ewes,” 
says Mr. B. “ averaged me of well washed wool, a mere 
trifle under five pounds per head.” Mr. Bingham also 
informs us that he purchased a buck of this flock for 
which he “paid $80, which gave this year 10 lbs. 7 oz. 
of wool, well washed.” 
Grape Vines. —Mr. Harlan of Chester Co. Pa., in a 
late letter, says:—“ The young and inexperienced vine 
dresser, might suppose from the voluminous directions to 
propagate the vine, that choice wine grape vines would 
not bear to any advantage without being cut an ! carved 
in a particular manner, and divested of the r native 
shape. Now if this sentiment is imbibed, I believe it is 
an entire mistake. I maintain that they will bear at full 
natural length. I had last year, during the prevalence 
as they are completely broken loose from the sack, he 
shoves one into the belly, leaving the other in the sack; 
then taking hold of the testicle, he turns the upper end 
down, and commences shoving the end which is then up, 
around the cord, until it feels as hard as a stick would in 
the same place. He then shoves it into the belly, 
(taking care that it does not turn back,) and takes the 
other down and serves it in the same manner, shoving 
[them both as far upas they can be. He then holds fast the 
sack, while another ties a stout string around close to the 
belly. The string is left on about ten days; if it does 
not then drop off, cut it off, and all further trouble is over. 
The advantages of this mode of castration are, if bulls, 
and they are wanted for a team, it will not injure them 
in the least to commence working them the next day af¬ 
ter the operation is done—they will grow as thrifty as 
steers, only showing by their horns that they are stags— 
it does not make them slow, and they are less inclined 
for cows than when altered by any other means.” 
A Hint _Don’t suffer your revolving hay-rake, and 
your wagon rack, and hand rakes, and whatever else you 
have used in the haying and harvesting just finished, to 
I lie out in the fields exposed to the weather, but see them 
I well housed for another season. The weather destroys- 
imore tools than hard work, with some farmers; and 
more valuable time is lost hunting up and repairing lost 
implements, than their original cost. 
Frost. —On the morning of Sept. 5th, there was a 
slight frost on the plains near Schenectady. We also 
learn that there was frost in the eastern part of Mass., on 
the morning of the 5th, 6th and 7th of Sept., but no inju¬ 
ry of consequence was done. At Chicago, Ill., we learn' 
there was a slight frost about the 10th of August. 
Cost of Fencing. —Mr. Biddle, in an address before 
the Philadelphia Ag. Society in 1842, makes some cal¬ 
culations as to the cost of fencing, which will surprise 
those who have paid little attention to the subject. He 
I estimates the expense of farm fences in Pennsylvania, 
and gives the data upon which his calculations are based, 
at $105,600,000. He thinks that the interest on this out¬ 
lay, and the annual wear and tear of fences, is equal to an 
annual tax of $10,000,000, upon the farmers of that State. 
Mortality among Sycamores, or Button-wood— 
The destruction of sycamores which has for several years 
been complained of in Massachusetts and some of the 
other eastern States, begins to be seen here. We have 
;noticed several trees along the river, and some in other 
'places, which will hardly survive the season. We are 
'not aware that the cause of this destruction has been yet 
fully ascertained. Some suppose it to be an epidemic, 
[which commencing (as did the cholera,) at the east, is 
Isweeping over the country. Others alledge that the 
[cause of death is a minute insect, which corrupts the sap. 
|Mr. R. L. Pell, thinks (as we see by the Farmer & Me¬ 
chanic,) that the severe frosts of the last three winters 
of the noted frost in June, a seedling vine which grew j[have occasioned the trouble 
on an apple tree in the corner of a garden, where hung 
large bunches of grapes, protected from the frost by the 
foliage of the tree, thinned out in the heart of the head. 
This vine exceeded all others in bearing, which were 
pruned in the usual manner, there being none of conse¬ 
quence on those exposed to the frost. I may add there 
is a good crop on it the present year.” 
Experiment.—A gentleman cultivated two hills of 
cucumbers, each having the same number of plants, un¬ 
der precisely the same circumstances, excepting in the 
following particular, viz: the ground around one hill I 
was hoed every day, (Sundays excepted,) as long as the' 
state of the vines would admit—the other was hoed just 
often enough to keep down the weeds, but no more. The 
hill which was hoed every day, produced more than 
twice the quantity of cucumbers that the other did. Who 
can give the “ why and because?” 
Castration. —Mr. J. J. Reed, of Moravia, Cayuga 
Co. N. Y., says,—“ The method of castration I appi-ove 
of as being most humane, is called turning. The beast 
is cast, his legs made fast, the hind ones drawn as far for¬ 
ward as convenient. The operator then takes hold of the 
sack at the lower end with one hand, and with the other 
commences shoving the testicles into the belly. As soon 
I White native Strawberry.— A. Goodwin, Ashfield 
'Mass., describes in the Mass. Plow man, a kind of straw- 
iberry, which he thinks is a native of the Berkshire hills. 
■He says, “It is larger than the common field strawber- 
jry, very hardy, and yields a great quantity of fruit, pro¬ 
ducing in succession three or four weeks. When ripe,, 
jit is of a yellowish white, contrasting beautifully with 
|the red strawberry. It has a fine flavor, and when pick¬ 
led always cleaves from the hull. I have distributed them in 
Northampton and West Springfield, where they are much 
admired.” 
Flax Puller. —According- to a correspondent of the 
New Genesee Farmer, they have in use in Seneca coun¬ 
ty in this State, a machine for pulling flax, which works 
well. Tt is manufactured by Wood & Hurd of Waterloo, 
who have had several machines in operation this season. 
They “charge one dollar an acre for pulling, they fur¬ 
nishing the machine and one hand. Two hands and a 
pair of horses will pull four to five acres a day. To use 
the machine effectually, it requires some practice; a 
green hand would probably make bad work, if he were 
not a mechanical genius. They charge for these ma¬ 
chines, $90 each, with the right to use the same. It 
weighs about 700 pounds.” 
