246 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
July, 
This decrease is attributed to the inferior quality of 
the cheese. Of good cheese probably double the 
amount exported last year would be taken by Great 
Britain. The receipts of cheese at New-York in 
1834 were only about six million pounds, from which 
they have gone on in a regular gradation of increase 
to 1848, when 43,278,526 pounds were received. 
The exports to Great Britain commenced in 1840 
with seven hundred thousand pounds, and have in¬ 
creased to fifteen million pounds in 1848. 
Water Lime, &c. 
Eds. Cultivator — I should like to be informed 
how water lime, or the common cement used in lay¬ 
ing stone to guard against water, will do on wood. 
Will it do to plaster a coat of it over the roofs of old 
buildings? If so, what is the mode of preparation? 
Do you prepare the mortar different from that used 
in laying stone? I should like advice also on the 
subject of laying water lime pipe, to conduct water 
for common watering purposes. What are the ad¬ 
vantages and disadvantages of this kind of pipe, as 
compared with lead pipe? And, lastly, what can I 
do to prevent plum and cherry trees from blistering, 
or raising black bunches, and what is the remedy 
to restore them to soundness? J. A. Cheney. 
Cooperstown, May 19, 1850. 
Rotation ot Crops. 
Edmund Ruffin, Esq., of Marlbourne, Va., a 
successful farmer and well-known writer on the 
subject of agriculture, gives the following as a ro¬ 
tation which he has practiced with advantage: 
1st year—Corn, (on grass land, grazed the pre¬ 
ceding year until July or August only,)—and se¬ 
condary crop of peas, planted or sown among the 
growing corn. 
2d year—Peas, sown broad-cast, and plowed un¬ 
der in September, for 
3d year—Wheat on pea-fallow—clover sown. 
4th year—Clover—(which receives all the stable 
and barn-yard manure)—first growth mown, where 
fit, and second plowed under in August and Sep¬ 
tember, for 
5th year—Wheat on clover fallow. 
6th year—Pasture, from spring until the wheat 
fields are cleared to admit the grazing stock. 
To Plow in Clover, Weeds, &c. 
Those who have undertaken to plow in green 
crops, know the difficulty frequently attending the 
operation, on account of the liability of the plow to 
be clogged, and the vegetable matter being left 
uncovered. A correspondent of the American 
Farmer gives the following description of a con¬ 
trivance he has adopted, which is stated to answer 
the purpose completely: Saw off a block from some 
hard, durable, and heavy wood; say about ten 
inches long, and three and a half or four inches in 
diameter; then take a piece of trace chain, about 
three feet long, confine one end to the block, by 
driving a small staple in the end, having first 
passed the staple through an end link of the chain. 
Point the other end of the block, and attach a 
larger chain in the same manner to that. Tie the 
short chain (attached to the square end of the 
block,) to the rod which passes through the mould- 
board and beam of the plow, by wrapping it around 
the beam at that place; drop the block in the 
bottom of a furrow which has been already opened, 
(of course on the mould-board side,) draw up the 
long chain, and attach that to the clevis pin or 
clevis;—be sure that you have both chains just tight 
enough to permit the block to lie in the furrow; al¬ 
low no slack. The short chain gathers the clover, 
weeds, &c., and bends them down; the weight of 
the block prevents the chain from rising, and the 
plow laps the dirt over the weeds, whilst they are 
in a recumbent position. I am this day turning 
under weeds as high as the heads of the plowmen, 
who are almost wholly concealed. 
Saving Clover Seed. 
Eds. Cultivator —In the January number of 
the Cultivator is an inquiry from C. W. Cathcart, 
respecting the saving of clover seed at the East. I 
will give you onr mode in Litchfield county, Conn. 
At the proper time for securing the crop, we go 
with our scythes and mow when the dew is on, be¬ 
ing careful to stop as soon as the dew is off. In 
cloudy or foggy weather we mow all day. We let 
it remain in the swath until it is cured, then rake it 
into winnows, and roll it into small heaps while it is 
damp with dew. In the after part of the day, 
thrash or tread it off from the straw, either on the 
barn floor or on a bed made in the field for the pur¬ 
pose. If it is threshed in the field, it will 
be necessary to take up the chaff every night, 
as it gathers moisture from the ground, which 
greatly retards the cleaning. We consider it best, 
when we can, to use the barn floor, and let the seed 
remain until we finish the field. By keeping the 
chaff level on the floor, we can work to advantage 
until the chaff accumulates to the depth of three 
feet or more. 
The greatest difficulty, in treading it from the 
straw with cattle or horses, is the time required to 
shake the chaff from the straw, so that it will not 
be thrown out with the straw; but in my opinion it 
is decidedly best to use oxen in thrashing. In this 
way a load the size of a ton of hay can be thrashed 
at three or four floorings, and three turnings to 
each flooring will make it entirely clean. We then 
carry the chaff to the mill, where it is cleaned in 
good order for market, for one dollar per bushel. 
The machine is manufactured by Harmon Baldwin, 
Esq., of Washington, Litchfield county, Conn., and 
was put up and set running in this vicinity, for (I 
think) $120. The machine requires but a small 
power to carry it, probably not an eighth of that 
required for a run of provinder stores. A Sub 
scriber. 
Harvesting Grain. 
Eds. Cultivator. — Grain Harvesting is an 
important business of the farmer, and when the sea¬ 
son for performing it arrives, every other business 
should give place to it. From observation, I am 
satisfied that farmers generally let their grain stand 
too long before cutting. When left to get ripe, a 
great deal shells out and wastes in the harvesting; 
but if cut when the straw is green, this waste is 
saved, and the flour is of better quality, and the 
grain is heavier, as has been proved by experiment. 
In good weather, wheat and rye may be taken up 
in one day from the cradle or sickle, bound in con¬ 
venient bundles, and set up in shocks of four, ten, 
or twelve bundles each. With wheat or oats two 
bundles may be laid, crossing each other on the top 
of the shock, which will serve to shed off the rain. 
With rye, a shock of bundles set up with the butts 
well braced, and no cap sheaf set on, is found to 
cure better, and in case of a long storm, is less 
liable to sprout than when shocked in the old way 
