286 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
AuOo, 
as much, or more per bushel, as Indian corn. Mixed 
•with oats and ground, they form the best of feed for 
horses, and also for sheep. The variety commonly 
cultivated is the Canada field pea. Potatoes have 
generally suffered from the rot for several years, and 
the cultivation of the crop has greatly decreased on 
this account. The variety called western reds has 
generally escaped the rot better than others. Broom- 
corn is raised to some extent in some neighborhoods, 
and is made into brooms by those who raise it. Messrs. 
Rust, Higgins and Noble, of Orwell, are engaged in 
the business. The latter has eight acres the present 
season. Of fruits , apples, pears and plums do well 
on the warmer soils, and particularly well on the slate 
loams. We were sorry to see a general neglect, in 
most neighborhoods, in regard to the culture of fruit 
trees. On many farms, the only orchards were those 
planted by the first settlers, which, though formerly 
flourishing, were in most instances in an unproductive 
condition. Now that rail-roads are soon to afford ready 
means of transportation to the best markets, we hope 
more attention will: be given in this section to fruits, 
which we are confident would give profitable returns. 
General Improvement. —We were happy to notice 
visible signs of improvement in various branches of 
agriculture, in most neighborhoods through which we 
passed; and we saw many placets, besides those we 
visited, which we should have been pleased to examine, 
had opportunity permitted, Among these, we may 
name the neat looking farms of Mr. Marsh, of Claren¬ 
don, Mr. Hull, of Wallingford, Mr. Hill and Mr. La- 
throp, of Sunderland, Mr. Canfield, of Arlington, 
and others, whose owners’ names we did not learn. 
Suggestions for .farmers. 
System, Order, and Economy, in Feeding Stock. 
To all farmers, whether occupying fifty acres or 
three hundred and fifty acres, there is no portion of 
their duty that I would more urgently press on them, 
than System, Order and Economy in feeding their cat¬ 
tle and stock generally. Nature has implanted in all 
living creatures, two laws, which never fail, while in 
health, to induce the use of nourishment: and these im¬ 
perative laws are hunger and thirst. Regular and sys¬ 
tematic obedience to these laws, conduces to health,— 
any deviation from system and regularity, leads to dis¬ 
ease and death. 
I deem it wise to seek and examine the opinions of 
men who devote large portions of their lives to the 
study of the animal structure, and the functions of the 
complicated machinery of life; and while we appreciate 
the services rendered to us, we may with advantage, 
temper their zeal, by using and applying, every day, 
facts, indicating the true course of action to be pursued 
in our agricultural vocation. 
Thus, though the process of digestion of food in the 
stomach, seems in the minds of some men to be well 
understood, I confess that to me, the subject seems to 
need far more investigation. Great advances have 
been made, deep research and strong reasoning, yet the 
conclusions may not be definite. Nevertheless, science 
has so far opened her treasures to us, that with careful 
observation, added to study, we can regulate the na¬ 
ture of our animals, so as to add to or diminish their 
fat at our pleasure. 
To effect this desirable object, we must remember 
that it is the sensation of hunger and thirst, and their 
proper gratification, we are to watch and appease. 
Observation and reasoning must guide us in the selec¬ 
tion of the proper material, and its due preparation. 
It is not my intention to go into the subject of feeding 
or fattening our animals, but to lead the farmer to the 
consideration of the importance of rigid system in this 
and every other branch of farming. It is necessary, 
however, to touch upon feeding, incidentally, to prove 
my positions. 
We give to animals a variety of substances, from all 
of which certain principles are derived, of greater or 
less value in the production of fat and muscle; but it is 
a fact which ought to be better known, that from each 
and all of these varieties of food, a few elementary or 
constituent parts, alone contain the nutritive matter. 
Hence the necessity for ascertaining which of the va¬ 
rieties afford the greatest quantity of nutriment,—a 
most important source of true economy. These ele¬ 
ments derived from vegetable substances, are mainly 
gluten, starch, gum and sugar; and of these, we find 
the largest portion of all our grains to be starch and 
gluten. 
This gluten is the great nourishing portion of our 
fodder; upon this our stock will always thrive and do 
well, while on the contrary, if gluten is absent , and 
the other elements abundant , they will fall off and ul¬ 
timately perish. 
Perhaps, some may ask, what is this gluten? why 
not use some word that all may understand? In reply 
I would say, that the brevity of the word is most con¬ 
venient; though undoubtedly this, like many other 
terms in daily use, require oft repeated explanation, un¬ 
til familiarity shall rank them among words of. every 
day common use. Gluten is the tough, elastic substance 
which remains after washing flour in a cloth until the 
starch and all other matters are carried off; gluten re¬ 
mains as a tenaceous adhesive mass, insoluble in water, 
but soluble in alcohol, and readily soluble in the stomach 
of animals. This is the portion of our wheat and oth¬ 
er grains which affords the most valuable nutriment to 
our cattle and other animals. The establishment of 
this fact., teaches us the necessity of .examining our va¬ 
rieties of food, that we may use those possessing the 
largest share of this nutritive element, and establish a 
system of feeding without waste, and accumulate fat 
in the least time. These examinations have been made 
for the benefit of the English cattle-breeders, and I se¬ 
lect a few varieties as given in the following table, to 
show how much vegetable substances vary in nutritive 
power. 
One thousand parts of the following vegetables in 
their green state, afforded nutritive matter as follows:—* 
Whole quantity 
of nuiritive 
matter. 
Starch. 
Gluten. 
Sugar, &c. 
Wheat,. 
Barley,. 
955 
730 
225 
920 
790 
60 
70 
Oats,. 
743 
641 
87 
15 
Rye,. 
792 
645 
38 
109 
Peas... 
570 
501 
30 
43 
Oil Meal,. 
151 
123 
17 
11 
Clover,. 
39 
30 
5 
4 
Timothy,... 
33 
24 
9 
r. Davy's Ag. Chemistry. 
It is to be hoped that before long we may add Indian 
Corn to the foregoing list; but as yet no sufficiently ac¬ 
curate examination has been completed. 
Here “we have facts abundant to show” the necessi¬ 
ty of a system, to avoid waste. But every farmer 
knows or ought to know that, if a cow is deprived of 
her food in sufficient quantity, for even one day, the 
quantity of milk will be somewhat reduced, and it will 
require two or more days of regular feeding to bring 
the quantity of milk back to its average quantity. This 
is another proof of the need for system and order with 
our. stock. 
We are all familiar with the art of mastication, and 
the method by which our cattle perform this essential 
preparation of their food for digestion. From observa¬ 
tion, we know the necessity of this grinding process* 
