80 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March* 
These results of the farmer’s intelligence, are made 
manifest by the several agricultural reports sent forth 
from the Patent office, as well as by the pages of The 
Cultivator and other valuable agricultural periodicals. 
As, however, the use of machinery in farming has not yet 
been sufficiently extended to make its benefits known to 
our farming interest—it is proposed, as opportunity of¬ 
fers, to bring these objects more minutely to their no¬ 
tice, and endeavor clearly to prove their profits and ad- - 
vantages, as closely connected with System, Order and 
Economy. 
I have proposed above, to consider some of the means 
or machinery, by which the farmer can best arrive at 
system and order, with economy. Certain principles 
have been laid down, which it is believed are too well 
established to admit of doubt. 
In this country, where agriculture takes the lead in 
importance, of all other professions, and where the go¬ 
vernment is more dependant on her farmers for its wel¬ 
fare, than on any other class of men- and where the 
immense tracts of public land are proffered to the in¬ 
dustrious at a nominal value; manual agricultural la¬ 
bor must and will for years to come, be expensive. In 
this fact, we find a prominent exciting cause for the in¬ 
troduction of machinery, whereby one animal may be 
made to accomplish far more than the power of six men. 
And happy is it for us, that our native genius nearly 
keeps pace with the urgent demands for mechanical 
combinations. 
We now have the Plow, Harrow, Cultivator, Seed- 
sower, Horse-rake, Reaper, Cart and Wagon—the 
Threshing machine, Clover mill, Fanning mill, and 
portable Grist mill, so constructed, as to be applicable 
to any and every farm, and to render the farmer inde¬ 
pendent of a-iarge portion of the labor, which hitherto 
has been a grievous tax upon his products, and con¬ 
sumption of his time. To the foregoing, may advanta¬ 
geously be added in many places, the Hay, Straw and 
Stalk Cutter,—Corn and Cob Crusher, and the Circular 
saw, all of them used by the power of the horse. 
The larger portion of these implements are necessa¬ 
ry to the economic farmer, in greater or lesser quanti¬ 
ty, according to the size of his farm. 
It would be bold indeed to claim perfection for any of 
these farming machines, but the endeavor will be to test 
their economy, to show how they enable us to improve 
System, which will naturally lead us to dp all things 
neatly and in Order. 
The Plow is the first machine named, and has been 
so long in use, and undergone so many changes for the 
better, and prejudice does yet hold so fast of the minds 
of many in regard to some one favorite pattern, and 
as construction does not interfere with the object in 
view, no allusion is necessary to the several admirable 
forms of plow we have in use; nevertheless, I have so 
often witnessed the loss of time, imperfect work, and a 
consequent loss of crop to the farmer, by careless prac¬ 
tices with this machine, that a few remarks will be ap¬ 
plicable- Many farmers seem to view the plow as a 
common, unimportant implement, not requiring their 
special care and attention,—not knowing the amount 
of science that has from time to time been applied to 
its construction, in order to present the least resistance 
to their teams, and divide their soils in the most per¬ 
fect manner. 
That this is true, appears by the condition in which 
the plow is too often found after use—often left in the 
field, or on the road, exposed to the burning heats of 
summer, and to the frost, ice and snow of winter. How 
long will a good plow last, thus exposed 1 Not over 
two or three seasons, if so long; on the other hand, if 
the farmer had done his duty, and housed his plow in 
clean condition, and afforded to it one coat of paint du¬ 
ring a leisure hour in the -winter, his plow would last 
not less than six, eight or ten years, performing well 
its annual duty. There is no one implement on the 
farm more important than tire plow, and none needs' 
more skill in its proper adjustment and useyet the ab¬ 
sence of system, of order and economy, causes an ex¬ 
penditure for plows every two or three years, which 
might be prevented by attention to order, for three 
times that period. But this is not the only source of 
waste arising from this vicious carelessness. I have 
seen plows used, where the coulters were one-quarter 
of an inch broad, where the cutting edge^should have 
been; preventing a clean cut, and increasing the labor 
of the horses—and the same difficulty is often experi¬ 
enced by the rusting of the mould board, which, by its 
roughness, holds the soil and impedes the plow, thu& 
wasting time, and not unfrequently turning the plow 
from its course. 
So also, as regards the harrow 7 , much time is lost in 
bringing a field to proper tilth, by the exposure of this 
implement to the w r eather, instead of carefully preserving 
it, by cleaning, painting, and keeping the teeth sharp. It 
may not be easy to estimate wfth precision, in dollars and 
cents, the loss sustained from the foregoing causes, but 
from experience and observation, I think the difference 
in results, from work done with perfect and imperfect 
implements, may safely be estimated at one third. Now 
the cultivation of an acre of w r heat costs about and not 
less than ten dollars, so that the careless farmer loses 
from this cause alone, $3.33 per acre on his wheat, a 
loss somewdiat alarming, and sufficient, if saved, in one 
season, to afford a tool-room, and paint for years to 
come. 
If we compare the loss of the incautious man, with 
the sound economy of the prudent farmer, upon a field 
of wdieat of twenty acres, w r e find the latter has the 
advantage by $66.66 on the crop, besides other bene¬ 
fits which every thinking farmer ean anticipate. 
Here is a positive loss, encountered by too many 
farmers, by reason of want of system and order, wffiich 
it is hoped wall be avoided by all -who may read these 
remarks, and find any applicability to themselves. 
Before w T e consider the economy of the next imple¬ 
ment on the list named by me, it may be well to say, 
that judgement in the selection of our proper tools and 
machinery is essential to economy, and to the due pre¬ 
paration of the soil for our seeds and plants j and it is 
here noticed, because we are frequently mortified and 
disappointed by the pertinacity and cupidity of men w 7 ho 
peddle imperfect farming machines, tempting the un- 
w 7 ary by presenting them at their very barn doors, pres¬ 
sing their use wfith importunate zeal. Oft times, when 
too late, the implement is found devoid of merit, or 
made of materials too imperfect to endure the severe 
service of the farm. 
The plow 7 is so important to us, that I must allude to 
it again in my next, in connexion w T ith the harrow 7 and 
cultivator. Agricola. Seneca Co., Feb . 1849. 
Farmers 9 Clubs. 
Eds. Cultivator —We are by nature calculated for 
sociability and society; hence the many associations 
w 7 hich are formed. In an agricultural community, Far¬ 
mers’ Clubs are believed to be the most useful and ap¬ 
propriate associations that can be formed. The occu¬ 
pation of the farmer has too long been considered by 
many, as a dull stupid business, requiring but little 
learning or mental exertion; but the facts are entirely 
the reverse. His success depends upon the subtle and 
refined agencies of nature. To understand the princi¬ 
ples which lie at the foundation, so that he can rely up¬ 
on them, aided by their own exertion, to produc6 their 
natural effect, is a matter requiring great mental search 
and practical experience. Farmers have, by observa 
