1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
311 
found it necessary to set his work-people, in some 
seasons, to complete his operations with the mallet 
and the stone-hammer, to break the unruly clods. 
He had to pulverize and to clean —the one could 
not be done without the other, and the former had 
to be effected somewhat in this manner: First the 
unctuous clay was cut in long longitudinal parallel 
pieces by the plow, and left on edge to dry, being 
divided by a double wedge called a plow. This 
mass being sufficiently dry to admit the treading of 
horses’ feet with impunity, is cross-cut into large 
cubes, and these are subjected to the action of nat¬ 
ural processes. The sun and air dry out all the 
moisture, owing to the large surface exposed to 
their action. The moisture abstracted, the clods 
begin to crack, and show here and there symptoms 
of fissures by the evaporation of the moisture, 
forming receptacles for the next rains, which one 
by one again swell out the particles, and slowly 
the whole is broken down into a friable soil.” 
He observes that the practice now is, to follow 
the plow as soon as the soil is suitably dried, 11 with 
the clod crusher, or some similar powerful separator 
of clods, and by once or twice going over the field, 
the soil is reduced to as fine a tilth as if it had un¬ 
dergone a whole summer’s exposure.’ 
Pipes for Water. 
Eds. Cultivator —I noticed in the July number 
of the Cultivator the inquiries of a correspondent, 
desiring information on the subject of laying water- 
lime pipe to conduct water for common watering 
purposes, and asking what were the advantages and 
disadvantages of this kind of pipe as compared with 
lead pipe. As it regards the utility of lead pipe, I 
could say nothing from personal experience, never 
having used any; but should suppose from observa¬ 
tion that water-lime pipe was superior to lead for 
all ordinary purposes, where it is practicable to 
make it,—having the advantage of cheapness in 
construction and durability, if nothing else. 
1 have had some experience in making water-lime 
pipes, and can recommend them to any one who wishes 
to lay them, as being both cheap and durable. I will 
give my plan for making this kind of pipe, which I 
think is as good as any, or at least I know of no 
better. The tools necessary for this purpose are a 
common brick trowel, a mould, the size you want 
the bore of the pipe. This should be turned in a 
lathe perfectly smooth and round, and of equal dia¬ 
meter at each end. Its length should be about two 
feet and a half, with a handle turned on one end, 
smaller than the rest, to draw by. The materials 
necessary in making the pipe, are good water-lime 
and coarse sand—the coarser the better, if sifted 
from the coarser pebbles. Have your drain dug to 
the required depth with a smooth bottom, and about 
eighteen inches wide at the bottom so that there may 
be room to work with ease. In the middle of this drain 
dig a trench about four inches deep and from three 
to five inches wide, according to the size of the 
bore of the pipe, with a rounding bottom, if you 
choose, to save mortar. The advantage this trench 
has over the ordinary way of laying the pipe on the 
level with the bottom of the main drain will be seen 
at once. By using the trench you save considera¬ 
ble mortar, and the necessity of waiting for the mor¬ 
tar to dry before drawing the mould. If it were 
laid on the level, it would be necessary to wait for 
it to stiffen before you drew the mould, or it would 
flatten out. Mix your mortar, one part lime and 
three parts sand; make it as stiff as you can and 
have it spread well. 
When you are ready to lay your pipe, commence 
by spreading a layer of mortar an inch or an inch 
and a half thick, in the bottom of the trench. This 
should be spread only the length of the mould at a 
time. Lay the mould on this spreading of mortar, 
and then spread the mortar on the top and sides of 
the mould; press it down tightly, so as to fit the 
mould, on all sides; smooth it off with the trowel 
on top, and lay down another spreading of mortar; 
then take hold of the handle of the mould and roll 
it around so as to start it loose, and draw it out to 
within three inches of the end,—spread on another 
layer of mortar, and smooth it as before. So keep 
doing, until you have your pipe the length required. 
Be careful that you don’t press with your trowel on 
the pipe above the end of the mould, or it may cause 
it to cave in, especially if the bore of the pipe be 
large. Let the pipe remain three or four days, 
until it gets hard and dry; then cover it up with 
earth. Be careful and not let any large stones fall 
on the pipe,—they will be apt to crack it. A pipe 
properly made in this way, will remain perfect as 
long as it is kept from the frost. R. A. Hutchin¬ 
son. Geneva, July 29, 1850. 
Preserving Corn from Worms. 
In the spring of 1847, we plowed up one acre in 
a corner of a six acre meadow, which had been 
several years in grass, and the whole of which was 
much infested with cut-worms, and the yellow wire 
worm. The acre was planted with corn, and 
totally destroyed by the worms. Late the ensuing 
fall, the whole field was manured and turned over, 
smoothly: the spring of 1848 the whole was sown with 
barley, which was very much injured by the worms— 
in many places entirely destroyed. In September 
it was sown with wheat with the same result as 
with the barley. In the spring of 1850, we manured 
it well with fresh barn-yard manure, turned under; 
harrowed and marked 3^ feet apart by 2| and 
planted corn, four grains in a hill, the first of June. 
It came up in five to seven days, and is now a very 
promising piece, as forward as any planted the 
middle of May. 
The seed was soaked in a decotion of a pound of 
tobacco in four gallons of water. There were 
plenty of worms in the ground, as I found in plant¬ 
ing and hoeing; but they would not 'touch the 
tobaoco scented corn, while there was not a single 
weed to be found; and indeed they did no small 
benefit in destroying the grass and weeds. The 
field was kept as clean of everything but corn , as it 
well could be. At the first hoeing I observed a 
large mullen plant, the leaves of which were eaten 
through like a riddle, and upon digging around it 
I found over twenty cut worms. Noah Agard. 
Havana, Chemung Co., N. Y. 
Breeding Animals. 
The principles of breeding animals have rather 
been illustrated than discovered by animal physiol¬ 
ogy—the very principles of that science having been 
taught before a single scientific axiom had been ap- 
plied. 
The watching of physiological tendencies, and 
availing themselves of these judiciously in practice, 
was long anterior to scientific research. Emulat¬ 
ing the skill of the wily progenitor of the Jewish 
race, and intelligently perceiving what was requir¬ 
ed, a Gulley and a Bakewell attempted and attain¬ 
ed the production of sheep, and of cattle, 11 ring- 
streaked, spotted and speckled,” at pleasure. See- 
