116 
THE CULTIVATOR 
from another room, which I supposed to be that of the 
good (?) housewife, saying ‘if a farmer can’t take care 
of his business without an agricultural paper to tell him 
how, I think he had better give up.’ Now this man 
takes so good ‘care of his business,’ that he loses half a 
dozen creatures of some kind or other, in the course of a 
year. But enough of this. I have obtained several sub¬ 
scribers to your paper.” 
Heaves in Horses. — ‘ A. S.,” Lebanon, Cobb coun¬ 
ty, Georgia, gives us some remarks on heaves in horses. 
The article which he speaks of having seen in a “ mis¬ 
cellaneous newspaper, credited to the Cultivator,” we 
cannot find, though it may have been in some of our pre¬ 
ceding volumes. 
“ A. S.” thinks the heaves are usually brought on, in 
his section of the country, by confining the horses too 
much on bulky food, such as corn-blades, (cured leaves,) 
straw, &c., and, especially feeding these articles in a 
musty, or badly cured state. After having had much 
experience in feeding horses, he has adopted the follow¬ 
ing rule, which we quote in his own words: 
“ My rule is now, for every 24 hours, according to 
work, from 6 to ten quarts of corn, as near as we can 
come to it, on the cob, and never more than four sheaves 
of fodder, averaging 2 lbs. each; and when I am pre¬ 
paring for, or on a journey, on which I expect to drive 
rapidly, I come down to about four pounds of fodder in 
24 hours, and as much corn as the horse can eat clean; 
and I am not afraid of watering, directly from the plow, 
on the hotest day, or putting to his feed as soon as I stop 
on a journey.” 
“A Country Typo,” says—“One of your correspon¬ 
dents in your January number, complaining of the neg¬ 
lect of farmer’s interests, asserts that they meet too lit¬ 
tle attention and support from the country press. No 
doubt the local papers are too much engrossed by poli¬ 
tics—but if politicians only support the paper, the editor 
must be expected to devote himself chiefly to their ser¬ 
vice. Does your correspondent himself take and pay for 
a country paper ? and do his farming neighbors general¬ 
ly do the same by their local press ? If not, he has no 
cause of complaint. It will be time enough for that 
when the editor proves unfaithful to the great mass of his 
^airons and neglectful of their interests. The truth is, 
hat farmers are to blame for not supporting the country 
press. Let every man who owns a farm, subscribe and 
pay for the nearest journal, and they will soon have 
newspapers able and ready to furnish matter to their 
tastes, and advocate their interests.” 
Necessity for Inquiry. —Extract from a letter recei¬ 
ved from A. Wiltse, Esq. Adamsville:—“The farmer 
has more need than ever, (under the present times,) to 
ascertain the best means of enriching his soil—the nature 
and adaptation of the different manures to the different 
soils—the extent to which labor saving machines can be 
introduced into his business. In short, to learn how to 
produce the most and besi of every thing, with the least 
possible expense or labor. How mistaken are farmers 
in their notions of policy and pretended economy! There 
are thousands of farmers that might get some useful hints 
to store their minds with, these long winter evenings, if 
they would take an agricultural paper. Knowledge, if 
put in practice, would be a benefit to them in after life, 
and would increase their power and means of success.” 
Wages in Derbyshire in the 14th Century.— It 
is sometimes thought that the condition of the laboring 
classes in England, is worse in modern times, than it for¬ 
merly was. The following, which we copy from a late 
English paper, seems to teach a different view of the 
case:—“ By an act, called the Statute of Labourers, 25th 
Edw. III., passed in 1351, it is provided, ‘ That no car¬ 
ter, plowman, day or other servants, shall take in the 
time of sarcling, or bay-making, but a penny the day; 
and mowers of meadows for the acre five pence, or by 
the day fivepence; and reapers of corn in the first week 
of August, twopence, and the second threepence, and so 
till the end of August; and less in the country where 
less was wont to be given, without meat or drink or oth¬ 
er courtesy.” 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
Report of the Commissioner of Patents.— We are 
indebted to Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, for a copy of his 
annual report for the year 1844. The statistical informa¬ 
tion embraced in this document is varied and extensive; 
but we have not yet had an opportunity of making a tho¬ 
rough examination of all the articles. From the tabular 
estimate of the crops for the last year, we gather the fol¬ 
lowing in regard to the total products of the U. States. 
Whole number of bushels of wheat, 95,607,000; bai ley, 
3,627,000; oats, 172,247,000; rye, 26,450,000; buck¬ 
wheat, 9,071,000; Indian corn, 421,953,000; potatoes, 
99,493,000; hay, (tons,) 17,715,000; flax and hemp, 
(tons,) 22,800; tobacco, (pounds,) 151,705,000; cotton, 
872,107,000; rice, 111.759,000; silk, 396,790; sugar, 
201,107,000. We find no estimate of the amount of wool 
produced last year. 
Among the discoveries of the age, the Commissioner 
mentions the electro-magnetic telegraph, as one of the 
most brilliant—an invention which he thinks is destined, 
by the rapidity of transmitting intelligence, to essentially 
affect the welfare of society. 
In regard to the progress of agriculture, it is observed 
that it has now become a science and study—that “ worn 
out lands that have been as it were, abandoned, are now 
being reclaimed under scientific treatment. Guess-work 
and hereditary notions are yielding to analysis, and the 
application of chemical principles. * * * The pre¬ 
judice against book-farming, is happily more and more 
passing away, though there is still too much of it remain¬ 
ing; but compared with some twenty years back, there 
is a vast deal more information of this kind possessed, 
than formerly. The consequence is, that as information 
is more diffused, the minds of the farmers are set in ac¬ 
tion. Many become ' contributors to the agricultural 
journals; and the value of these latter is much heighten¬ 
ed by the increased practical bearing they assume, and 
the extent ami variety derived from these sources. A 
comparison of these papers at the present day, with those 
published some twenty years since, will show how the 
science and art of agriculture have advanced in this pe¬ 
riod.” 
In regard to corn-stalk sugar, the Commissioner ob¬ 
serves, “ there is every reason to believe that all the 
difficulties in making good sugar from this vegetable, 
will be removed,” &.c. 
Among other valuable articles in the appendix to the 
report, is a communication from Dr. Jackson giving the 
results of an analysis of several varieties of Indian corn 
and other grains. The different constituents of the seve¬ 
ral kinds is quite surprising—some conlaining a much 
larger proportion of oil than others. The subject is well 
worthy of attention, as it has been long known that there 
is a great difference in the fattening tendency of different 
kinds of corn. 
Medico-Chirurgical Review. —This is unquestion¬ 
ably the most valuable journal of Medicine and Surgery 
published in this country, and for those belonging to the 
faculty, we should suppose it must be of great service; 
indeed, every one whose taste inclines them to study 
such subjects, could not fail to be benefited by its peru¬ 
sal. In the number for January, now before us. the 
publishers inform us that arrangements have been com¬ 
pleted, to give their journal a development, that has not 
been attempted by any journal in Great Britain or else¬ 
where. “Each number,” say they, “will contain three 
hundred pages of closely printed Critical Analysis of all 
the best works, foreign and domestic; forming a quar¬ 
terly library of progressive practical Medicine and Sur¬ 
gery. By this arrangement, the profession in this coun¬ 
try will be put in possession of the best parts of most of 
the works on Medicine, and the collateral branches, is¬ 
suing from the European presses ” 
Published quarterly, by R. & G. S. Wood, 261 Pearl- 
street, New York. Terms, $5 per annum, in advance. 
Still Another.— We have received the Arkansas 
Farmer, published by J. Gish, at Little Rock, Arkan¬ 
sas, monthly, at one dollar a year. We trust it will be 
an aid in advancing agriculture in that quarter. 
