THE CULTIVATOR. 
343 
PLOWING IN CLOVER. 
Among other questions which ought to be, (and may 
be) deckled, is that of the relative advantage of plowing 
in or pasturing clover. It seems to be taken for granted 
by many, that plowing in the clover crop is more benefi¬ 
cial to the land, and a more profitable course, than feed¬ 
ing it off by animals. But we do not think this point by 
any means established. In a late conversation with Mr. 
Noble, of Massillon, Ohio, he observed that from his own 
experience, he had been led to the conclusion that a 
much greater profit could be derived from pasturing clo¬ 
ver with sheep, than from plowing it in. He had found 
the wheat crop as good or better where the clover was 
pretty closely fed down by sheep, as where that crop had 
been plowed under; the land in both cases being similar. 
If this Would be the general result, the additional profits 
of the sheep, would decide the case much in favor of 
pasturage. 
In a late number of the New Genesee Farmer, we find 
Mr. Wm. Garbutt, (a very judicious farmer,) entertains 
similar ideas to those above expressed. Mr. G. consid¬ 
ers pasturing clover two years with sheep, more profita¬ 
ble to the farmer, more enriching to the soil, and more 
beneficial to the wheat crop, than plowing it under. 
We would suggest to agricultural societies the propri¬ 
ety of offering premiums for experiments to test this mat¬ 
ter. 
BREEDING RABBITS. 
We have had some inquiries made as to the breeding 
and rearing of rabbits, some believing that it might be 
made a profitable business in particular localities. If 
any of the readers of the Cultivator have had experience 
in this business, we should be gratified to hear from them; 
in the mean time, we present from our foreign publica¬ 
tions such hints as may be of service to those wishing to 
undertake the care of this animal. 
There are several varieties of tame rabbits, but the 
broad chested and short legged are the most esteemed. 
In some rabbit warrens, or places of breeding, natural or 
artificial mounds of sand are provided, in which sleeping 
and breeding places are formed, as well as holes for re¬ 
treat and security from their many enemies. In other 
warrens, they are bred in hutches or boxes placed in 
sheds, or places where they can be secure from vermin. 
The utensils for feeding rabbits should be made of some 
material they cannot destroy, such as pewter, earthen 
ware, or iron, as they are apt to gnaw all wood within 
their reach. 
The female or doe will breed from the age of six 
months, and the period of gestation is about thirty days. 
The number produced is from five to ten, and the weak 
or sickly ones, should be destroyed at once. Immediate¬ 
ly before parturition, the female makes her bed fine by 
biting down the materials, and lining it with fur taken 
from herself. The doe will admit the buck within a fort¬ 
night after parturition; and the young are weaned only a 
short time before the birth of another brood. During 
gestation, the female keeps secluded from the males, or 
should have the means of doing so, as otherwise she may 
lose her young. Rabbits may be bred throughout the 
whole year, if their beds are warm; but usually they will 
not average more than five or six litters in a season. 
Rabbits require much the same food as sheep, and ge¬ 
nerally the treatment so far as food is concerned, that best 
agrees with the one will do so with the other. Mr. Mow¬ 
bray, in his work on breeding rabbits, directs that they 
should be fed three times a day; and remarks that in 
feeding, the preference is always to be given to dry and 
substantial food. The test of health with rabbits is, that 
their dung be not too moist. The grain proper for feed¬ 
ing rabbits is oats, peas, wheat, pollard or shorts, and 
some use buckwheat. The greens and roots the same as 
for cattle and sheep. Carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, 
boiled or steamed potatoes, lucerne, clover, cabbage 
leaves, tares, &c. The best dried herbage is clover and 
meadow hay, and pea and bean straw. 
Rabbits are eagerly sought in markets where they are 
to be found. Some of the larger varieties, if cooked in 
the same way, are equal in flavor to the turkey, and are 
highly prized. They are usually sold from the teat, but 
those that are older may be readily fattened upon corn 
and hay, with an allowance of good vegetables. The 
better the feed given to rabbits, the better the quality of 
the flesh, and the more the profit, as is usually the case 
in feeding animals. Rabbits are in their perfection for 
feeding at the fourth or sixth month; older, they become 
more dry in flesh and somewhat hard. Three months is 
the time usually allowed to make a rabbit fat and ripe. 
For the table or the invalid, the flesh of rabbits is equal 
to that of poultry. 
Few kinds of live stock are less liable to disease than 
the rabbit. When diseases do occur, they may usually 
be traced to too much green food, and are remedied by a 
change to dry food and grain. If the difficulty is of a 
nature that does not readily yield to this treatment, they 
are generally knocked in the head, as the value of the 
animal will not allow much trouble in the cure. 
THE LATE JUDGE BUEL. 
One of our citizens, in looking over some French jour 
nals, found the following announcement of the death of 
our late distinguished fellow citizen Judge Buel, made to 
the Royal Agricultural Society of France in Nov. 1840, 
which he has translated and furnished for publication, in 
the persuasion that his many friends will be gratified to 
read this homage to the honorable character and impor¬ 
tant labors of one of our chief public benefactors, prepa¬ 
red for the records of the Society of France, hardly se 
cond in influence and reputation, to the celebrated Acad¬ 
emy of Sciences: 
To the President of the Royal Society of Agriculture: 
Sir—I t is my painful duty to announce the loss which 
the Society has lately met with, in the death of Mr. Bu¬ 
el, one of its corresponding members. 
This estimable citizen, like the illustrious Franklin, be¬ 
gan his career as a printer, and became the editor of se¬ 
veral works. 
After having honorably discharged the duties of a 
Judge in the County Courts of Ulster, in the State of New- 
York, he was appointed State Printer, and removed to 
Albany, where he established the Argus newspaper, 
which he continued to publish until 1820, when he gave 
up this occupation and devoted himself wholly, in the 
43d year of his age, to agricultural pursuits. 
Having purchased, near the city of Albany, a farm of 
85 acres, which was considered little better than a desert 
of sand, he improved it to such an extent, and succeeded 
in obtaining such valuable erops, that he was called the 
“ Providence of Albany-” His lands, which had been 
bought for $30 per acre, were valued at his death at more 
than $200. 
After his removal to Albany, he represented the city 
and county in the State Legislature, and was appointed a 
Regent of the University. The periodical called the Cul 
tivator, which he established in 1834, under the auspices 
of the State Agricultural Society, enjoyed so great a re¬ 
putation, that the number of its subscribers (exceeded) in 
1838, fourteen thousand. I must not forget to men¬ 
tion a small but exceedingly important volume which he 
published, under the title of (( Farmer's Companion,” in 
which he gives an account of the most valuable of his 
observations and experiments in agriculture—a w'ork 
prepared at the request of the Massachusetts Council, for 
the especial instruction of young farmers. 
This useful and honorable agriculturist died of an at¬ 
tack of bilious fever in Connecticut, whither he had gone 
to deliver a discourse before the Agricultural and Horti¬ 
cultural Societies of that State. His loss will be long re¬ 
gretted by the many Societies that were proud to count 
him among their members. 
Accept sir, the assurance of my distingnished conside- | 
ration. D. B. WARDEN. 
Paris, Nov. 22, 1840. 
Feed all fattening animals with perfect regularity— 
enough, but not too much. Save all your straw well far 
litter and winter feed. 
