S20 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Oct, 
Fattening Cattle in Virginia. 
warm all night without attention ? except throwing in 
at bed-time two or three large sticks of wood. The 
register needs registering only to adopt the heat to the 
nature of the weather, which may perhaps be necessa¬ 
ry once or twice a day, and is done in one second. As 
for economy, we obtain the same heat with about hall 
the fuel formerly needed for a good hot-air furnace with 
eight drums and air-pipes a foot in diameter. One 
stove heats three rooms night and day, seven months, 
with about six cords good wood. 
To prevent the rapid accumulation of soot, the pipe 
should be as nearly vertical, or with as few elbows as 
possible,* and to avoid the dropping of pyroligneous 
acid, each joint of pipe should enclose, instead of fitting 
in, each piece above it. Puffs of smoke are prevented 
by putting in a moderate quantity of wood at once, so 
■as to allow a very slight draught of air. 
Ashes and Lime---Experiments. 
Wm. H. Ross, of Sussex Co., Del., who has used 
over 40,000 bushels of ashes within the last five years, 
gives some of the result of his experiments, in the Ame¬ 
rican Farmer. In one instance, ashes were applied to 
an extiansted field, cleared more than sixty years, and 
never manured. Squares of a half acre each were 
marked off for each experiment, the quality being alike. 
The following were the results, the ground being plant¬ 
ed with corn. 
25 bu. of ashes per half acre, gave 20 bu. ears. 
50 bu. “ “ •' 20 bu. “ 
25 bu. of lime u u 15 bu. u 
50 bu. “ “ 15i bu. “ 
Two squares, unmanured with either, each, 10 bush. 
The second year, about the same rate of difference 
continued. In this experiment, 50 bushels per acre 
were found about equal to 100 bushels. But in all other 
experiments, 100 bushels of ashes were found better 
than 50, and 200 better than 100, although so large a 
quantity was not found profitable. But with lime, lit¬ 
tle difference could be perceived between 50 and 100 
bushels per acre. In some instances, lime -produced no 
good result. Ashes, on the contrary, invariably produ¬ 
ced a decided benefit, whether on poor or rich land. 
His farm, containing 400 acres of arable land, has 
doubled its products in five years, chiefly by the use of 
lime and ashes. But other manuring was lound neces¬ 
sary. 
The following experiment gave interesting results. 
A field of very poor land was manured, a part with 
mould from the woods 100 loads per acre; a part with 
ashes 100 bushels per acre; and a third portion with 
both. Where the ashes and mould were combined, the 
corn was more than twice as good as where the ashes 
were spread alone; the ashes alone gave corn 50 per 
cent, better than the undressed parts of the field; while 
the mould alone produced scarcely any sensible effect. 
A dressing of 100 loads of mould from the woods, 50 
bushels of lime, and 100 of ashes, generally increased 
the corn crop more than 20 bushels per acre, and wheat, 
in the same ratio; and so permanent are the effects of 
this mixture, that he believes its effects will be seen for 
20 years. 
The soil on which these experiments were made was 
chiefly sandy loam, with some clayey portions; on the 
latter, lime was found most beneficial. Similar experi¬ 
ments would doubtless give different results in other 
places, where the constituents of the soil vary in cha¬ 
racter and quantity. 
Increase of Exports. —For the last four months of 
1848, the exports of flour were about seven times as 
great as in the same corresponding period in 1847; of 
wheat, seven limes as great; of corn more than eight 
times as great, and of meal, a little less. 
In The Cultivator for May last, we gave an extract 
from a letter received from Mr. Noland, of Virginia, 
in regard to fattening cattle. It appears that the 
“ Agricultural Club of Albemarle ” appointed a com¬ 
mittee to make inquiries in regnrd to the business, and 
of their report we give the following abstract from the 
Soul kern Planter: 
William Garth fattened 166 head, commencing 20th 
October, 1848 
Expenses. 
150 bought at $27,. $4050 00 
11 raised 4 years,... 275 00 
5 u 3 years,. 100 00 
Total cost,. $4425 00 
Feeding of 91 at, Birdwood Farm— 
2442 bushels of corn, at 40 cents,. 976 80 
300 u oats, at 25 cents,. 75 00 
965 u bran and shorts,. 96 50 
$1148 30 
Feeding of 75 at Midway Farm,. 924 62 
Cost ready for market,.. $6497 92 
Interest on outlay, expense of driving, char¬ 
ges in Washington, Baltimore and New- 
York, commissions, &e.,. 1362 64 
Total debits,. $7860 56 
Total amount of sales in New-York, ...... 8330 76 
Profit in cash,. $470 20 
Besides 1500 heavy loads of manure. Two hundred 
fattening hogs gleaned alter the beeves, and half of 
their usual food was saved. The manure was applied 
to land that would not bring four barrels of corn to the 
acre. It was sufficient to have covered one hundred 
acres of the average land of the farm. Mr. Garth’s 
statement, was drawn up with great minuteness. Of 
course, we give but the outline. 
R. W Noland fattened 20 bullocks. 
Cost, at $29.60 each,. $592 00 
104 barrels of corn, at $2,. 208 00 
100 bushels of oats, at 25 cents,. 25 00 
200 “ bran, at 10 cents,. 20 00 
Interest on outlay,... 14 00 
Total expenses,... $859 00 
20 beeves sold at home for..... 998 14 
Leaving profit, besides manure,. $139 14 
W. W. Minor fattened 43 bullocks. 
36 cost $26.53 each,. $954 08 
3 cost $12.92 each,... 64 60 
2 old steers, estimated at. 50 00 
Interest on outlay,.. 32 00 
Fed 22 bushels corn per head, and 20,000 
lbs. of hay,.. 465 32 
Total expenses,. $1566 00 
Sales,. 1586 93 
Profit in cash, only,.•. $20 00 
Besides 200 loads manure, worth. $200 00 
Manuring by Pasturing Sheep.— Sheep usually 
select the dryest spot for the night, which thus receives 
an undue proportion of their manure. This is remedied 
in England by hurdles, but a simple and easy mode, 
stated by the Michigan Farmer, is to go into the field 
just at bed-time, and frighten the sheep from their 
accustomed resting place with an umbrella; they im¬ 
mediately drop in their tracks and remain till morning. 
