152 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
lads anir ©pinions. 
Thorough and Enriching Culture. —The 
Working Farmer says that Samuel Allen, of Mor¬ 
ris, N. J., rented last year a field which had been 
planted two years in corn, and gave only 24 bushels 
per acre. He subsoiled it, and applied 200 lbs. of 
Peruvian guano and 200 lbs. of bone dust, compost¬ 
ed with charcoal dust, costing six dollars j and the 
result has been that he raised at the rate of 72 
bushels of shelled corn per acre. 
Timber for Worm Fences, —Tn the discussions 
in the Legislative Agricultural Club of Ohio, one 
member stated that worm-fence rails, well kept 
from the ground, will last 20 years—another, that 
if well put up, the fence would last without repairs 
8 years, when it should be re-layed every 4 years, 
adding two new rails each time. Handsome fences 
were made by splitting all the rails from the centre 
of the log of one shape, the ends notched together. 
The rails are found to last longest when cut in sum¬ 
mer, and the bark peeled, so that they will speedily 
dry as hard as horn, and not remain wet so as to 
become soft and half decayed by partial fermenta¬ 
tion. Black Walnut will thus last 40 or 50 years, 
and oak heart 20 or 30. Shell-bark hickory, peeled 
and seasoned, will last 20 years or more. 
Durability of Posts. —In the same discussions, 
one member said he had used burr-oak posts 7 years, 
and thought they would last 6 or 7 years longer. 
White oak will last, according to another member, 
ten or twelve years ; locust 20 years or more. An¬ 
other stated that cherry rotted in eight or nine years ; 
white oak in 10 to 14 years • black walnut in 9 to 
10 years; locust 20 years. Much depends, it was 
affirmed, on the character of the soil ■ moist land 
causing a sooner decay than dry. 
Agricultural Papers. —The American Agri¬ 
culturist says that of the 20 million inhabitants of 
this country, more than three-fourths of whom are 
engaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits, 
and most of whom obtain their entire support from 
these avocations, not one in two thousand, and we 
much doubt if there is one in three thousand, who 
subscribe for and read a purely agricultural paper! 
Corn Cobs. —The American Farmer says, “ we 
believe there is one-third as much nutriment in a 
bushel of the cobs, as there is in a bushel of the 
grain • and we know that cows or oxen, fed upon 
three pecks of the crushed and steamed cobs, in ad¬ 
dition to their usual quantity of hay or fodder, will 
keep fat.” 
Progress in Michigan.— According to the cen¬ 
sus of 1840, and the assessors returns in 1849, the 
increase in sheep and wool in Michigan, has been 
as follows:—In 1840, 99,618 sheep, and 153,375 
pounds of wool—[rather small fleeces.] In 1849, 
610,563 sheep, and 1,645, 750 pounds of wool. 
There is not so great a disparity in the quantity 
of grain. In 1840, there were 2,157,000 bushels 
of wheat, and 4,566,000 bushels of other grain. In 
1849, there were 4,739,000 bushels of wheat, and 
8,179,000 bushels of other grain. 
The Great Exhibition. —It is stated that the 
Committee, who have in charge the arrangements 
for the World’s Great Industrial Exhibition, to be 
held next year at London, have already determined 
to erect a building a mile in length, with five ave¬ 
nues each a mile long, and that this is only to begin 
with, as it is thought to be quite too small for the 
whole. This will appear more probable, when we 
April, 
remember that at the late exhibition of implements 
at the Fair of the Royal English Agricultural Socie¬ 
ty, 27 acres were covered by them. To understand 
well, all that is to be seen at the great approaching 
exhibition, will require about the same length of at¬ 
tentive observation, as the tour of Europe. 
Benefit of Deep Plowing. —The Michigan 
Farmer states that H. B. Lathrop, of Jackson Co., 
in that State,.put in a piece of wheat, plowing not 
less than eight inches deep. At the same time, a 
neighbor plowed an adjoining field, being careful 
that the plow did not run more than four inches 
deep. The deep plowing gave thirty-two bushels 
to the acre, and the shallow plowing only seven. A 
portion of the sub-soil often operates as manure, 
and a deep soil prevents excessive flooding, as well 
as excessive drouth. The result, however, may va¬ 
ry much with change in localities, but may be easily 
determined by experiment. 
Importation of Manures into Great Britain. 
—It is computed that the importation of guano into 
Great Britain in a single year, has been 219,764 
tons, and that the importation of bones has been of 
equal amount, making an aggregate of upwards of 
500,000 tons of fertilizers of this kind in one year, 
which at $5 per ton, amounts to an outlay of £2,- 
500,000—($12,500,000.) 
Mineral Manures. —An article in the Edin¬ 
burgh Quarterly Review, attributed to Prof. John¬ 
ston, speaking of the failure of certain “ patent 
mineral manures,” remarks— 4< Those insoluble ma¬ 
nures have now disappeared from our markets ; 
purely mineral mixtures, however, still retain an 
uncertain and temporary hold upon the public favor. 
But two facts are sure to banish them from the list 
of fertilizing substances, which can generally be 
relied upon in all soils and for all crops. These 
are, first, that plants do really obtain and require 
from the soil certain forms of organic food • and, 
secondly, that all naturally fertile soils do contain 
a sensible proportion of such organic matter. Sup¬ 
pose a soil to be deficient in this organic matter, a 
purely mineral manure, compounded, cannot sup¬ 
ply it; and the application of such a manure upon 
such soils must be followed by a failure. But let it 
be naturally rich in such matter, and the mineral 
mixture may possibly be applied with a profit.” 
Richness of Milk. —An experienced farmer 
says, “ I find by churning the milk separate, that 
one of my best cows will make as much butter as 
three of my poorest cows, giving the same quantity 
of milk.” 
Lard Oil. —It is estimated that 11 million pounds 
of lard and fat pork will be used in a year in Cin¬ 
cinnati for making lard oil, nearly one-third being 
converted to stearine. The fat is extracted from 
the pork, after it is divested of the hams, by means 
of hot steam under about five atmospheres in large 
tanks. One establishment thus reduces 600 hogs 
per day. 
To Destroy Moles. —The Michigan Farmer 
gives in substance the following, which must go for 
what it is worth:—A lady farmer said the meadow 
moles had annoyed them greatly, and had destroyed 
two fine pear trees. She tried an expedient for 
them with triumphant success. Their subterranean 
passage was uncovered, and two cow’s horns, with 
the large ends from each other, placed in it, so that 
the moles, coming either way may enter the horns. 
Such is the “ natur of the crittur ” that it never 
backs out of a scrape, persevering ahead till it 
makes its way or dies in the attempt. The latter it 
does in the present instance. 
