88 THE CULTIVATOR. March, 
38 —PERSPECTIVE VIEW. 
Ettral ^rrijiterture. 
A Swiss Cottage. 
The above is a representation of a cottage in the 
Swiss style, erected by E. P. Prentice, Esq., at 
Mount Hope, near Albany. It is placed on the side 
of a considerable eminence, which gives an appropriate 
site for a building of this picturesque and somewhat 
39— GROUND PLAN. 
wild character. It is a style evidently adapted to a 
country of varied and uneven surface, and we think 
might be introduced with excellent effect in our hilly 
and mountainous sections. Though especially tasteful 
and ornamental in such situations, it admits of equal 
conveniences for household economy and comfort, as 
any other style, as will appear by an examination of 
the plan herewith presented. It is proper to remark 
that there are three good bed rooms on the second 
floor. 
The external covering of the house is shingles, which 
are cut to a pattern before being laid, so as to give the 
appearance represented in the engraving. The frame 
°1 the house was first covered with rough weather- 
boarding, on which was laid a covering of tar-paper,—a 
cheap but useful article for such purposes, rendering the 
house warm and dry. 
The plan of this cottage was designed by Mr. Pen- 
chard, an architect of Albany, who also designed se¬ 
veral other handsome cottages, erected by Mr. Pren¬ 
tice, which have greatly ornamented his estate, and 
added much to the interest of the neighborhood. 
®l}e JTarmer 0 Notebook. 
Indian Corn as Food and as a Crop. 
BY PROF. EBENEZER EMMONS. 
I believe the value of Indian corn has never been 
over-estimated. Possessing in itself every element 
which is essential for sustaining life, to supply the 
waste of the system which it continually undergoes ; 
and being at the same time easily assimilated, it seems 
to unite in itself those properties which render it one 
of the most important productions of the soil. 
But this does not comprehend all that may be said 
upon its value ; we have reason to believe that many 
of its varieties may be employed for special purposes. 
Some, possessing a higher value for fattening, others 
as a common nutriment, in which the balance between 
the calorifient and nitrogenous matters are nearly 
equally preserved, and others still, in which the nitro¬ 
genous matters considerably exceed the fat-producing 
or calorifient matters. Indian corn, however, has 
rarely, if ever, been cultivated with a view to obtain 
from it the special advantages which its varieties pos¬ 
sess. Indeed, if we may judge of the views of wri¬ 
ters upon this subject, we are rather led to believe that 
Indian corn in its composition, is the same in all its 
varieties; and it may be true—indeed, ought to be 
true—that this grain should possess within certain 
limits, a composition of its own, and which is not es¬ 
sentially different in its varieties. Still, it is found on 
analysis, that some kinds are better adapted to special 
purposes than others, and without doubt, considering 
its readiness to form varieties, we have reason to sup¬ 
pose that if attention was turned particularly to this 
object, we should obtain, as we may other products, 
varieties -which for particular purposes, would be more 
valuable than any we now possess. As they are now 
found to be constituted, some, as I have already indi¬ 
cated, possess advantages for particular purposes which 
