THE CULTIVATOR. 
331 
under the Juras, and this side them, the plows and 
scythes are of better character; the former resembling 
much our own, and without wheels. The scythes are 
short and broad, of thin metal, and lightly hung upon a 
stick into which the tholes are framed. They cut easily 
and closely, as I took occasion to prove by actual trial, 
upon (he banks of the Rhone. The working cattle 
are to the west, horses and mules; in the interior some 
oxen appear, and to the east, and in the mountains, ox¬ 
en are used almost exclusively. The horses are not su¬ 
perior except in power of endurance, and the harnesses 
are most cumbersome and slovenly. The oxen draw, 
yoked together by a straight beam passing directly across 
the top of their heads and bound strongly around the 
horns and forehead. As a consequence, their heads can 
be moved only up and down, and then only by common 
agreement. When worked singly, as they often are, the 
collar and trace is used. The oxen, except upon the moun¬ 
tains, are of good size and finely built. The cows are 
generally small; few are seen along the post-roads of 
France, but in the valleys among the mountains, vast 
numbers are pastured, and great quantities of cheese are 
sent thence to the city markets. Its quality is vastly in¬ 
ferior to the English or American, and its price ranges 
from 7 to 14 cents per pound. Butter is worth in the 
Paris market from 25 to 40 cents a pound. For dressing 
various dishes, and for frying, a cheap oil is used instead 
of either lard or butter. Potatoes fried in olive oil is a 
very common dish of the country. A plain boiled po¬ 
tato was not set before me from the time I left South¬ 
ampton, until I reached Geneva. I need not say, they 
are now a luxury. 
Teasles were frequent along the whole route through 
France, growing wild, but I saw none cultivated. Plums 
have been seen in abundance. Apples are not common 
except in particular districts, and are there inferior. Al¬ 
monds and walnuts are plenty. Wine and bread with a 
bit of cheese is the common food of the country workers. 
They are indolent in habit and dirty in person. The 
grain is mostly reapt, and a good American cradler 
would lay as much in a day, as a whole family of Bur¬ 
gundian workers. Men, women, and children are all in 
the field, and there seems to be little difference in the 
respective amounts of their labor. I have seen a girl of 
eighteen at the plow stilts, and a man of forty driving. 
What say your Hudson demoiselles to this? 
Until again, yours truly, D. G. Mitchell. 
domestic Correspondence. 
APPLICATION OF MANURE. 
Editor of the Cultivator —It has been said that 
manure is the raw material of the farmer, from which he 
manufactures his agricultural products. Much, but not 
too much, has been said in modern days, upon the modes 
of increasing the raw material. Permit me to call the 
the attention of cultivators, more particularly to its 
application. A good manufacturer is careful not only in 
procuring stock, but more especially, in working up 
this stock to good advantage. With too many farmers 
it seems to be the aim to make and apply manure, not 
stopping io inquire how it can best be applied. Green 
and rotted, composted and clear, it is too often applied, 
indiscriminately to all kinds of soil, when and where 
convenience or custom may direct. There can be no 
question that long manure is best adapted to hoed crops, 
and well rotted compost for a top dressing. But the 
principle, to which I would particularly invite attention, 
is that given by the Creator to Adam, and legible in all 
nature’s works, viz: that seed produces seed after 
its kind; in other words, that like produces like. Look 
upon the stately trees of the forest. How have they at¬ 
tained their great dimensions? Who has been their cul¬ 
tivator, and what the mode of their cultivation? He, 
who does all things well is their culturist, and their food 
the decayed leaves and branches that are annually de¬ 
posited at their roots. Man has been slow in learning the 
simple principle from the Great Teacher. It is but a 
recent thing that the vine dressers of France have dis¬ 
covered that the prunings form the best manure for the 
vines. It has long been observed that hog manure is 
exceedingly well adapted for a crop of corn. Does not 
the fact that hogs are generally fatted upon corn, furnish 
the reason of its adaptation? An experiment of a good 
farmer in this vicinity, bears directly upon this principle. 
Cutting the tops of corn for fodder, he places the bottom 
stalks between the rows, and upon these stalks he turns 
back furrows; without further manuring or plowing, he 
plants his corn, and his crops are above the average of 
those in the neighborhood. A similar experiment with 
potatoes has proved that the tops well covered at the 
time of digging, will furnish sufficient manure to ensure 
an equally good crop the succeeding year. Onions 
it is well known succeed best when sowed on the same 
ground year after year. Is not the rationale found in the 
fact that the tops are always left on the ground. Rye, 
has been known to grow on the same land for a course 
of years, with undiminished yield, with no other manure 
than that furnished by the stubble plowed in. Chip ma¬ 
nure is universally recommended for promoting the 
growth of young fruit trees. The wherefore is found in 
the simple principle we lay down, that like produces 
like. Nature has furnished all seeds with nutriment in 
themselves the best adapted for the future plant. Who 
can doubt hut that the pulp of the apple was designed as 
food for the seed as well as to gratify man’s appetite? 
The blade of wheat and the sprout of the potatoe, as they 
first shoot forth, feed solely upon the parent stock. 
The principle we have thus briefly illustrated and en¬ 
deavored to prove, has important practical inferences. If 
the principle is true, no top dressing can be better adapt¬ 
ed for grass than the aftermath left to decay on the 
ground. The manure from stock fed on hay should also 
be applied to grass lands, while that derived from grair 
should be applied to farinaceous crops. It is not neces 
sary to carry these inferences further. They will sug 
gest themselves to all readers of reflection. 
Lee, Sept. 15, 1845. Berkshire. 
GUANO FOR ROSES AND GRAPE VINES. 
L. Tucker, Esq. —Brooklyn is somewhat celebrated 
for its shade trees and grape vines, certainly with those 
who have lived here; and a man in looking up a place to 
rent, would almost as soon expect to find his house with¬ 
out a kitchen as his yard without one or two grape vines. 
There is no doubt it has often been the turning point in 
men deciding about taking a place. Nay, l may go far¬ 
ther, and say that most men would absolutely pay an ad¬ 
ditional fifty dollars rather than be without these adjuncts; 
and this feeling seems to be pretty generally appreciated* 
for a house is no sooner completed here, than down go 
the shade trees in front, and t ho little patch of a yard is 
embellished with—certainly the vines—and as many 
shrubs and flowers as can bn stowded into it. But my 
purpose is not to describe this delightful city, (which 
New-York may well be jealous of,) but to give a bit of 
experience I have had with guano this year. I feel 
more like speaking of it now, as before me are a couple 
of heaping plates of the most delicious grapes, of the Isa¬ 
bella kind, I ever saw, which I think is the result of its ap¬ 
plication. I had read and heard a great deal of the won¬ 
derful power of guano upon plants, &c., and having 
something of a turn for experimenting as well as rural 
pursuits, and my field for operations being rather small, 
I concluded to buy a small quantity ar.d try it upon my 
grape vines and house plants. I had learned about its 
dangerous effect unless judiciously applied; sol made a 
mixture of one part of guano to four of earth, a portion 
of which I applied to a rose bush in a pot, by digging it 
in about the roots; it had been doing very poorly, so 
much.so that I thought it of small value, and had almost 
concluded to throw it away, believing it was merely a com¬ 
mon garden variety, and utterly useless as a house plant. 
The effect upon it was truly wonderful; it commenced 
directly putting out new shoots, and in a short time 
was covered with blossoms of the most fragrant kind 
which remained a long time in the stem; it has since done 
well, and is now bearing three beautiful roses. 
