THE CULTIVATOR. 
96 
the east, between Maine and Michigan. I understand 
that Mr. Cordis has a nephew at Smyrna who is happy to 
confer favors on such as are striving to improve the ag¬ 
riculture of the country. 
I sowed this season on about two acres, near 3 bushels 
of seed, from which we harvested 71-± bushels of plump 
wheat. I took to Sprague's mill in this town, some of 
this Black Sea wheat, which was cleaned in £S Bailey & 
Rich’s Smut Mill,” (which, by the way, has proved to be 
the best machine to clean damp grain , that has ever been 
introduced among us.) There carefully measured in a 
sealed measure, seven bushels, which weighed on the 
scales, 478 lbs. and 3 ounces, which is 68 lbs. 5 ounces 
to the bushel, after it was manufactured into flour. The 
yield was 360 lbs. 8 ounces, or 51 lbs. 7 ounces of flour 
to the bushel, and 14 lbs. and 10 ouncesof bran and mid¬ 
dlings—waste, 2 lbs. 5 ounces. To every 60 pounds of 
Wheat, the produce is 45 pounds of flour. 
There appears to be two kinds cultivated here, the 
white and red chaff. The heads of both varieties are 
guarded b3’ a stout and long beard. The red chaff is ge¬ 
nerally preferred to the white. The berry of this wheat 
is large and of a dark color, very hard, and not subject to 
shed in the gathering; it requires a threshing machine to 
beat out the grain ; it also requires more moisture to swell 
the berry, and is not as liable to grow by standing out in 
the field as any other kind cultivated here. 
Weybridge, Vt., Jan. 31, 1845. S. W. Jewett. 
SQUASHES—POULTRY. 
L. Tucker, Esq.—Having received a number of let¬ 
ters of inquiry respecting some statements in an article 
of mine in the Cultivator for October last, I take the 
liberty of answering some of them through your paper. 
1. The Valparaiso Squash. —I am not aware of any 
peculiar difficulty in raising them. They require a warm, 
rich soil, a good exposure to the sun, and an ample space 
for the vines. They should also be planted early, so as 
to have the benefit of the whole season. At the State 
Cattle Show and Fair at Poughkeepsie last fall, I saw a 
number of varieties of this squash, some grey, some 
yellow, &c., but generally of an oblong shape, and the 
largest was said to weigh 200 lbs. and another 152 lbs. 
The seeds can doubtless be procured at the principal seed 
stores through the country. 
The Cuba pumpkins, of which eighteen, as the product 
of one se^d, and weighing 776^ lbs. were exhibited at 
the fair, appeared to have many qualities to recommend 
them to the farmers; but when told that they were sold 
for nothing less than twelve and a half cents per seed, I 
concluded to forego the pleasure of trying them for the 
present. 
2. The Price of pure Poland and Dorking 
Fowls. —When cooped and sent away, the price is $1.50 
per pair, or five for $3; and letters on the subject should 
be post paid. 
3. Crested Fowls —From extensive observation and 
inquiry, I am led to believe that the Poland is the only 
original variety of crested fowls, and that all others are 
a cross between this and the common varieties. Of these 
cross breeds I saw several lots last fall in Fulton market, 
New-York, which were sold at high prices under the 
name of French pheasants. 
4. How long will Eggs keep so as to produce 
Chickens? —I have made no experiments to ascertain 
this, but believe if they should be put in salt immediately 
after being laid, and kept from the air and frost, that 
chickens might be hatched from them at least a year 
afterwards. Eggs laid in Europe have been brought to 
this country and hatcheTl; and if some one will procure 
and send me some of Victoria’s mahogany colored eggs 
from her China fowls, I will engage to try the experi¬ 
ment again. 
5. How DID YOU ASCERTAIN THAT A HEN, CHANGED 
to a new Cock, would continue for four or five 
WEEKS TO PRODUCE EGGS IMPREGNATED BY THE FORMER 
one?— Finding nothing in any poultry book in relation 
to this matter, I substituted a white cock for a black one, 
and then by marking and hatching all the eggs a hen pro¬ 
duced in six weeks, and repeating the experiment a 
number of times, I came to the conclusion that the time 
was between four and five weeks. Other experiments 
have convinced me that the notion entertained by some, 
that a cock running with a lot of hens for a few days will 
impregnate their eggs for a whole season, is without any 
foundation in fact. 
6. Poultry House. —A Mr. Lyman has recently be¬ 
gun an experiment near this city, of keeping fowls on a 
large scale. He has erected a poultry house seventy-two 
feet long, twelve feet wide and fourteen feet high, divided 
into upper and lower rooms the whole length. At one 
end is a room for various conveniences of the owner, 
and over it a room for storing grain. The rest of the 
building in the upper story is fitted up exclusively with 
roosting perches for the fowls, and the room below it, 
connected by a flight of stairs, is fitted out with numerous 
feeding hoppers and tiers of boxes to lay in, &c. A door 
from this room opens into a yard of some half an acre, 
enclosed with paling eight feet high. Mr. L. has already 
1,200 fowls in his establishment, and is seeking to in¬ 
crease the number to 2,000. He intends to keep an ac¬ 
curate account of debtor and credit, and will be able to 
show in a year or two something of the profits of such 
an enterprize. May we not hope that, what a king of 
France wished in regard to his subjects—a fowl in every 
one’s pot—maybe soon enjoyed by every family among us. 
Buffalo, February , 1845. H. A. Parsons. 
FARMING EXPERIENCE. 
Mr. Editor —In farming, as well as in other opera¬ 
tions, mere theory and speculation is worth but little; 
practical experience is what is wanted to uphold the busi¬ 
ness. The results of experience in farm management, 
are what farmers want to read and study. Every farmer 
has a system of management, which to his own mind 
seems most correct. It may be the system practiced by 
his father, of increasing to the greatest possible extent, 
his number of acres. Now I would never leave the old 
way for a new one, so long as it was certain that the old 
way was the best, nor would I follow the old track for 
the reason that it was old, when convinced, after care¬ 
ful examination, that a new one was to be preferred. 
Reading agricultural papers, may perhaps be said to 
constitute the first step towards improvement. This 
reading gives an opportunity of becoming acquainted 
with the practical experience of farmers. It is much to 
be desired that more of this class of farmers could be in¬ 
duced to give their views. There is too frequently a re¬ 
luctance to writing. This reluctance should be over¬ 
come. It is not to be expected that plain farmers should 
always frame sentences in the style of literary writers, 
nor is this necessary—give us the facts in an intelligible 
manner. Any man that can give his ideas to his neigh¬ 
bor in conversation, can do this, and this is all that is ne¬ 
cessary. L. Durand. 
Derby , Ct., Jan. 1845. 
Fattening Cattle. —It is not often that the Ci reductio 
ad absurdum ” is used as a mode of demonstration in 
agriculture. So good an example has occurred to me 
that I cannot but offer it. I had directed my manager, a 
young and inexperienced man, to fatten three or four 
steers, while kept up, instead of permitting them to 
run at large with the rest, (bad management, too; I hope 
to adopt shortly the soiling system.) “ What are these !” 
I exclaimed in astonishment, at seeing the lean and ill- 
favored kine. They had been placed on the north side 
of a shelter, were fully exposed to wind and rain, and 
were up to their knees in mud, which the overseer hoped 
to make dry and comfortable by drawing in leaves, straw, 
&c.!!!—and hoped to fatten them by furnishing abundance 
of corn!!! Enough had been wasted on them to have 
fatted a herd, while he could not conceive why they re¬ 
mained so poor! “ Turn them out,” said I, “ till we can 
put up more houses.” The situation had been selected 
for convenience of watering. S. 
Milk. —It is estimated that 2,000,000 quarts of milk 
are annually consumed at Rochester, which, at four cents 
per quart, would amouut to $80,000. 
