202 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
clover that would have turned a ton to the acre. Their 
course seemed to be—potatoes on a grass lay—next oats 
or flax with clover or rye grass—sometimes wheat inter¬ 
vening, or vetch and rye, followed by flax with small 
grass seeds. From my description of potatoe planting, 
you will see that the land has the appearance of a great 
number of high beds; these are plowed lengthwise for 
seeding; the consequence is—the fields present a succes¬ 
sion of rounded barriers, not easily cropped under our 
method of mowing. They use, however, a short hook 
in plaee of a scythe—another reason for the fact notori¬ 
ous with us—that an Irishman is no mower, but a good 
reaper. The horses seen in the fields are far inferior to 
English horses in bone and flesh; the same is true of all 
seen in the curiously constructed Irish cars, and I note 
here an exception to the generous character of the people 
—the horses are most cruelly treated. I have nowhere 
seen so hard beatings given—nowhere seen them so well 
deserved—nowhere seen them so little cared for. 
Large estates are not so frequent along the way as in 
the neighbor isle, and where existing, are much more 
scrupulously guarded against encroachments, being sur¬ 
rounded with walls of huge height and thickness. 
Not the least attractive features in a day’s ride north¬ 
ward, are the bleaching fields of several large flax weav¬ 
ing establishments. Hundreds of acres of green lawn 
are covered with white linen—the surface of a bright 
stream seen at intervals between, and the gentleman pro¬ 
prietor's cottage or mansion seated in a group of trees 
amid it all; in the distance the hills curiously checkered 
with fresh growing wheat and new tilled lands, and way 
pasture grounds. 
Over three thousand cattle are at the Smithfield fair 
to-day, and thousands and tens of thousands of slaugh¬ 
tered sheep and swine come up weekly from ever part 
of the country. Butchers even go to Lancashire to 
buy. Every hotel is full, and the consumption is im¬ 
mense. Rhubarb, asparagus, new potatoes, radishes, 
&c., abound in the market. Strawberries, cherries, 
and peaches, may also be had for money. Cucum¬ 
bers have also been in the market since the first of 
April; they are a foot or more long, but no larger round 
than ordinary. The price varies from 25 cents to $2 
each. Greater luxuries are by no means so cheap. 
Weather continues cold—colder than with you, I doubt 
not. Lilac and apple trees are just in bloom. 
Truly yours, 
D. G. Mitchell. 
He has capital enough to take advantage of markets, to 
some extent, and proceeds upon something of a whole¬ 
sale system. He has, however, no tenants, all his em¬ 
ploye sleeping either in his own residence or in his 
barns. His daughters are eligible to presentation at the 
prince’s court, and his sons to posts under government. 
He labors with his sons and his men, and has no stewards 
or other intermediate agents between himself and those 
with whom exchange of crops or products are made. 
Thus much have I concluded from an interview ofa couple 
of hours yesterday, during which an econom conducted 
me through his suite of barns, folds, &c. 
His residence was, earlier, the summer palace of the 
Prince of Brownfels, and may have an interest to some 
American readers, from having been the birth place of 
the heroine Charlotte, in the “Sorrows of Werter.” It 
is beautifully situated at the head of a valley, closed in 
throughout a distance of nearly a mile, with a varied 
forest of evergreen, oak and maple. Like all the old 
houses, it is a frame work of wood, the interstices be¬ 
tween the timbers of which are filled in with unburned 
bricks, and plastered or whitewashed without. The 
roof is of tile, and all the windows present in the sash 
the never changing form of the cross. Immediately 
about the dwelling were some hedges, but over the entire 
farm, as far as I could see, were no walls of separation, 
either of hedge, wood or stone. This is usual. The 
barns, sheep folds, swinery, kennels, ice house, w r agon 
house, &c. surround a quadrangle about two hundred and 
eighty or three hundred feet in diameter, in the centre 
of which is a paved basin of about sixty feet by forty, 
for the reception of manure. The barns w r ere of brick 
and wood, and roofed like the house. I will number in 
their order the several apartments and objects that I saw, 
and the following diagram will give their arrangement; 
LETTERS FROM MR. HORSFORD—No. Y. 
German Farming—Farm Buildings — Stack, Rotation of 
Crops, SfC. 
Giessen, March 14, 1845. 
L. Tucker, Esq.—Yesterday I visited, for the first 
time, in Germany, a—so called— Econom.* I have some 
hesitation in the employment of language to explain what 
I here observe and hear; first, because I may convey in¬ 
correct information; and second, because I may do injustice 
to the general land, in a very small state of which I 
happen to reside. What is quite true of Livingston 
county, in New-York, for example, might fail if applied 
to lands upon the Aroostook or in the Accomack district. 
And again, it is by no means grateful to hear the United 
States charged with being a repudiating, duelling, slave¬ 
holding nation, as I not unfrequently do. Distance, in 
lending enchantment to some views, draws a veil of in¬ 
definiteness and generalism over others. Englishmen 
and Europeans generally, know nothing of Mason and 
Dixon's line, and judging others by myself, a statement 
of what is observed in Hessia Darmstadt might be thought 
applicable to each of the remaining thirty-seven Ger¬ 
manic states—an application against which I here caution 
the reader of my communications. 
An Econom, claims to be a scientific farmer; claims to 
employ the best practical methods for making a given 
number of acres, taking all his wants and relations into 
consideration, produce the largest amount of money. 
* Every man is titled in Hessia. Here are some illustrations : 
Mr. Prof. Dr. Bischoff, Merchant Labroise, Baker Berkman, Hair 
dresser so and so, Boot black so and so, Peasant, &c. 
German Farmery. — (Fig. 69.) 
1. A stable for cows, calves and yearlings, each se¬ 
cured by itself to a rack and manger, without intervening 
partitions. In the centre of the stall is a half hogshead 
for the preparation of food, which consists of chopped 
straw, pounded beets, and boiled potatoes. They are 
kept in the stable throughout the entire year. The calves 
have all the milk for the first six weeks, and are then 
fed with diluted milk, and gradually come to live upon 
the food given to the cows. The cows were rather 
small—not sleek, spiritless, varying dun brown and 
tawny colored creatures. 2. A similar stable occupied 
by about twenty-five large fine looking cows, and a bull, 
that would have shown well at Poughkeepsie last autumn. 
The cattle were long, with great depth, and like many 
fine bodied animals I have seen, had generally any thing 
but good horns. They were too long and slender, and 
curved irregularly. Among them all, the dun was the 
prevailing tint. 3. A stable for working cattle. Of 
I these the number was not large—about a dozen. They 
looked well. The same apartment lodges two workmen. 
4. A stable for breeding mares and colts. Of these no 
