THE CULTIVATOR. 
149 
other kinds. The ravages as far as I have heard, are 
confined to a few miles of this place. P. C. 
Penn’s Manor, Bucks Co. Pa., April 5, 1844. 
Note. —The worm described above, is new to us. As 
to its being the “ Army worm,” we would observe that 
the common names of insects are so various that nothing 
definite can be learned from them. We are unable to 
find a description of the Army worm in any entomologi¬ 
cal works; but have heard that name applied only to a 
species of the Agrotididce, or cut-worm family, between 
which and the insect described by “ F. C.” there would 
seem to be but little similarity. 
CONDENSED PARAGRAPHS. 
Mr. Editor —Under this head, I send a few r articles 
for your paper. 
Prevention of the bee-moth. —Col. Nathan Beck¬ 
with, an old and experienced agriculturist of this town, 
informs me that the bee-moth may be effectually destroy- 
*ed by placing, during their active season, near the hives, 
a few basins of honey and water (made weak,) after 
night-fall, and removing early in the morning. They 
are attracted to it and drowned. 
Cisterns. —Those who design putting down a new 
cistern, (and no house should be without one,) will find 
it much to their advantage to use water cement. Take a 
dry time in the summer, and dig a hole with sloping sides, 
sufficiently large and deep to contain the desired quantity 
of water, below the frost. Then mix the cement with 
equal parts of washed sand and spread it upon the ground 
two inches thick—carefully exclude the water for ten 
days, when it may be covered in the usual way, and is 
ready for the rains. Remember about the frost, and it 
will last forever. 
Protection of Cows against flies. —As the “ fly 
season” is approaching, I am reminded of a discovery I 
have made, (which should have been made public be¬ 
fore,) to prevent the annoyance of cows by flies while 
milking. It is simply, blanketing. A blanket should be 
provided for each milker, of such ample dimensions that 
it will cover the whole animal, falling down as low as 
the knees, with the right corner scolloped out for the 
milker. Make a loop for the horns. It may be made 
of any material, but coarse cottons being the cheapest 
and lightest, recommend themselves. Animals unused to 
blanketing, will of course at first demur, but by gentle¬ 
ness or slight coercion, they soon become as gentle to the 
spreading of the blanket, as they are to the approach of 
the milker. Try it—“ it works like a cham.” 
Tivoli, N. Y., 1845. G. Cooke. 
TRIMMING GRAPE VINES. 
Correction. —Mr. Sidney Weller, of Halifax, 
North Carolina, informs us that we made a mistake in 
condensing his article on grape vines, in our March num¬ 
ber. The produce of his vineyard is there stated at 
“ eight to ten barrels of wine yearly.” Mr. Weller says 
it should have been that the annual increase is eight to 
ten barrels, &c., the whole product of the vintage being 
from twenty-five to thirty barrels of wine. He would 
have made more last season, but for a long drouth, and a 
high wind which occurred at a critical time and injured 
the crop. He thinks the vine “ will stand a severe spell 
of dry weather, as well if not better than any other sort 
of farm product; but the effect of a very long continu¬ 
ance of dry weather, causes some of the grapes to dry up 
and others to fall off the vines prematurely ripe.” Mr. 
Weller is a pioneer in the grape culture in North Caroli¬ 
na, and we think his practice well worthy the attention 
of others, and would therefore invite the perusal of the 
following brief sketch of the course pursued with his 
vinery. He says — (i first, it is very important to have the 
right kinds of vines, or such as not only bear well, but 
are not subject to tantalize the cultivator by rotting. The 
Scuppernong, Norton's Virginia seedling, my Halifax 
seedling, &c., are of those kinds, and are all large fruit, 
and excellent for the table or wine. 
“I plant the rooted vine as a fruit tree; say 10 feet 
apart each way; or if Scuppernong, 20 or 30, and put a 
high stake to the north side. I trim 2 or 3 years, to 
prevent the vines from becoming bushy, and give all the 
strength to one or two main stems. Then take out the 
stake and insert a post 8 or 10 feet high, square at top, 
with two cleats on each side to secure a rail or piece of 
timber to lay from post to post, to help support the scant¬ 
ling, and form the scaffolding. After this, I suffer the 
vines to take their own course pretty much in ramifying 
over the support above; and scarce ever trim any more; 
and if I do, I simply cut off a branch and let it remain to 
decay and fall away of itself. Any part decaying or giv¬ 
ing way is easily replaced by propping up, and another 
inserted. Instead of digging holes, I make them by what 
I call a jabber, or a large pointed piece of hard wood, 
with a peg inserted across towards the top, by which 
with a crow bar or stake, the jabber is drawn out of the 
ground after being pounded in, at a wet time, by a maul 
or beetle. In this way, it is much less trouble to keep 
up a vineyard and manage it, than might be supposed. 
And as to trimming, or saving all or most of the perpet¬ 
ual European labor, in that matter, I believe it the true 
“ American plan,” and I see others of your correspond¬ 
ents stating also to this amount. In short, I believe to 
entirely succeed in grape culture and wine making; the 
kind of grapes, manner of managing vineyards, and pro¬ 
cess of wine making must be our own, or American 
throughout, or the European will not do in our country.” 
PROFITS OF POULTRY—KEEPING EGGS. 
Mr. Editor —I ask your attention, while I give you a 
statement of my attempt to profit, in rearing of poultry. 
I am a mechanic, hire a house and lot; and I wish to 
submit for the benefit of others in similar circumstances, 
the results of attempting to profit by poultry. I saw in 
the Central New-York Farmer, a statement of Master 
Geo. Bement, upon the subject in question, and that has 
induced me to ask a place in your invaluable paper for 
this article. 
The result is for one year, ending the 1st of Dec. 1844, 
as follows: 
Dr. Poultry Establishment. Cr. 
35 Hens,. $4,38 88 Hens,. $11,00 
1 Top Knot cock and hen,.. 1,00 1 Top Knot cock & hen, 1,00 
Grain for feeding,. 18,67 3,115 Eggs, . 32,45 
Rent of yard and barn,.... 15.00 
Uost,. $39,05 $44,45 
39,05 
$5,40 
Thus you will see that I have a clear gain of $5,40, 
after paying the enormous rent for the use of the barn 
and yard. My own labors I count as nothing, because 
they were given before and after each day ? s labor. 
The yard in which the poultry were kept, is a trian¬ 
gular area, surrounded by a high picket fence; through 
the center of this yard, a stream of water passess, afford¬ 
ing the poultry all the drink they needed; and in the cen¬ 
ter of the yard, there is a bed of coal-dust; and what is 
not a little novel, each hen had her particular place in 
which she rolled. 
I will however, state that the stock hens had increas¬ 
ed from 35 to 88, and that the increase is 53. I hope 
this effort will spur on others who think they will try 
to do something to live, to make their way through the 
world in the best mrnner possible for the convenience of 
themselves and families. Much can be done to render 
less the sufferings incident to man; and we are hereby 
admonished of the truth of the adage 
He that by the plow would thrive, 
Must either hold himself, or drive. 
Preserving Eggs _My manner of keeping* eggs so 
that they will be fresh, is as follows: I place a layer of 
saw-dust in a keg, then pack the eggs closely to each 
other with the small end down, to prevent the yolk pass¬ 
ing through the white of the egg, over this, place ano¬ 
ther layer of saw-dust, packing closely to and between 
the eggs, where they do not touch each other, and so on 
to filling the keg; then head it tight, and change it end 
for end every 24 hours. In this manner, eggs will keep 
a year, and be as fresh as the day they were laid. 
Westmoreland, Feb. 10, 1845. Philip Smith, Jr 
