THE CULTIVATOR. 
345 
WIARD’S PLOWING MACHINE—(Fig-. 95.) 
The above engraving- represents, though not very correctly, a plowing machine invented by Mr. Thomas Wi 
ard of East-Avon in this State, it is a combination of plows, arranged in such a manner as to operate precisely 
like a common plow, only that it is made so as to turn two, threl or four furrows at once. It is designed to ope¬ 
rate on all soils, after they are broken up, and is said to be used with great success on light or sandy soils even for 
the first plowing. The depth of furrow, from two to six inches, is regulated by a movable wheel. It has been tho¬ 
roughly tested, and found to work well. The inventor has received the medals of the State Ag. Society and the 
American Institute, by whose committees it has been highly commended. All inquiries on the subject should be 
addressed to the patentee, Thomas Wiard, P. M., East-Avon, N. Y. 
in many a part of the country that have cost their owners 
almost as much as it would to have paved their entire 
surface with silver dollars; and yet they are not a whit 
more productive than many others that never cost an ex¬ 
traneous cent. Many a farm may now be seen in any 
part of our country, that five years since, would scarcely 
pay for cultivation, but now yielding full, even heavy 
crops, that have never felt the influence of a particle of 
mannre or other fertilizer, that it had not itself produced 
either directly or indirectly. This is the kind of im¬ 
provement our farmers want; this is the only kind that can 
be generally adopted. The men that have money enough 
to improve land, are generally those that will make some 
other use of it; and the few that will appropriate it to 
that object are rather exceptions than constituents of the 
rule. Much more good, therefore, will result from the 
publication of instances of self-improved lands, and the 
processes of the improvements, even though but a mode - 
rate degree of excellence be obtained, than can possibly 
proceed from the dissemination of facts in relation to paid 
for improvements; because the one proceeds from the 
proper application of industry and intelligence, and can 
be universally followed as an example; the other from 
the concentration of extraneous means, and can be imita¬ 
ted by but very few. No one can objeat to the applica¬ 
tion of foreign means to this object; on the contrary, the 
more they are thus applied the better. It is good for the 
individual most concerned; it is good for the country 
that the gold in his coffers should be made to enrich the 
land. But do not hold him up as an example to be fol¬ 
lowed by those who have not the means to do likewise; 
and very few have; not one in ten thousand probably— 
for it is rather tantalizing for a poor man to be told that 
he can make his land as rich and productive as his neigh¬ 
bor Dives’, if he will expend five or ten thousand dol¬ 
lars in its improvement! Rather tell him how to do it 
by the means he possesses, his industry, for that is all his 
capital, and lay before him instances with details, of oth¬ 
er cases that have succeeded by the same means. The 
man that shall raise from impoverishment a piece of land 
in this way, that is by his own industry out of its own 
resources, deserves more of his country than all the mere 
politicians that ever lived since the world was formed. 
G. B. S. 
Baltimore ,, Sept. 1844 
Saleratus a substitute for Salt Petre in curing 
meat— Saltpetre has long been considered by physi¬ 
cians as a bad article to be used in curing meat, being 
extremely injurious to digestion; it is of so cold a nature 
that only a small quantity is sufficient to destroy life. In 
the article of saleratus, we have an excellent, convenient 
and harmless substitute, and should be used in the same 
manner as saltpetre has been. Meat has a stronger affin¬ 
ity for saltpetre than for common salt. Saleratus has the 
same power in that respect, and thereby prevents the 
meat from becoming too salt; and the same quantity 
should be used as of saltpetre. There is this difference 
in them, that saltpetre dissolves readily in cold water, 
whereas saleratus does not; it should be pounded and 
dissolved before it is put into the brine. Saleratus is 
composed of sulphate of potash and pearlash; and if any 
person is disposed to procure the sulphate of potash at 
the shops, and use it instead of saleratus, they will find 
its effects substantially the same. 
The usual way of saving hams and shoulders, is to cut 
them as soon as possible after the hogs are killed. This 
course makes the meat tough and stringy. In cool wea¬ 
ther they should be kept on hand just as long as they can 
be, and not be in any wise tainted. Then rub them over 
with sugar or molasses, and let them lie a day or two. 
Then put them into brine in which has been put an ounce 
of saleratus dissolved, for each ham or shoulder; let them 
lie three or four weeks in the brine. Smoke them in an 
airy smoke-house, and they will be found tender and de¬ 
licious. C. D. 
Niagara Falls. —From a paper in a receut number 
of Silliman’s Journal, it appears that “ the motive power 
of the cataract of Niagara, exceeds by nearly forty fold 
all the mechanical force of water and steam power, ren¬ 
dered available in Great Britain,” and that probably the 
law of gravity puts forth in this single water fall more 
intense and effective energy, than is necessary to move 
all the artificial machinery of the habitable globe. From 
a series of observations and measurements made with 
great care and skill at Black Rock and Lewiston, it is. 
estimated that there flows out of Lake Erie, 22,440,000 
cubic feet, or 1,402,500,000 lbs. of water every minute. 
The whole power used in driving machinery in Great 
Britain, is equal to 233,000 horse power, while that of 
■Niagara is 4,533,334 horse power 
