340 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH GUANO. 
Mr. L. Tucker— Having tried numerous experiments 
with guano and stable manure, I send yoa the results. 
If you think it is worth a place in your truly valuable 
Cultivator, it is at your pleasure. 
1. Four rows of potatoes planted in March—a small 
quantity of guano strewed in the rows with the potatoes. 
Four rows planted at the same time, abundantly manured 
with stable dung. In three row's were more potatoes 
than in the four manured with guano: the rows manured 
with guano were easily distinguished by the deep green 
foliage. 
2. Rows of Lima beans manured with guano, about 
one gill to each hill. The beans sown did not germinate. 
I believe the guano killed them. I transplanted some in 
the hills, but I did not observe any difference between 
the produce of them and the two rows richly manured 
with stable dung. The foliage of the former was of a 
deeper green than the latter. 
3. Two rows of maize, richly manured with stable 
dung; two rows with guano, well mixed with the soil; 
one row with charcoal. The two rows manured with 
guano were more productive than the other three. 
I have tried different experiments with maize and gu¬ 
ano. In some I used from half to a gill in each hill, but 
it proved a failure. The guano should be broken fine, 
and strewed over the ground as thick as grass seed—after 
that well mixed with the soil. 
4. Two pieces of ground of equal size, the one part 
manured with guano, the other part with stable dung. 
They were sown with Ruta Baga Turneps. The part 
manured with guano proved the best crop. 
5. A north border planted with Broccoli. One part 
manured with guano, the other with stable dung. No 
difference. 
In the summer of 1844, at this place there was a piece 
of green clover plowed in, and in the autumn it was 
manured with guano and sown to grass. This autumn it 
has a good appearance; there is also among it a great 
crop of ambrosia elatior, ripening off a fine sample of 
seed. I have been told that this weed will not injure the 
crop of grass! It reminds me of old Tusser's advice: 
‘ l Slack never thy weeding, for dearth nor for cheap, 
The corn shall reward it, ere ever he reap, 
And ’specially where he do trust for to seed, 
Let that be well used, the better to spead.” 
R. Parnell, 
Gardener to D. F. Manice. Esq. 
Oatland, Hempstead , Oct. 23 d, 1845. 
THE PEAR. 
Mr. Tucker —I send you some pears, raised from 
grafts handed to me by an old countryman. As I first 
introduced it into notice, it is called in Oswego, si Wor¬ 
den’s Meadow,” (not Bleeker’s Meadow.) The tree is 
every way right; bears young, grows vigorously, and 
bears large crops of fair fruit every year, and is worthy 
of extensive cultivation. Fruit from medium to large, 
form variable with a knobby and uneven surface; flesh 
very fine grained, melting, juicy, sweet, musky, and high 
flavored; yellow at maturity. This pear must be picked 
and matured in the house, which takes place from the 
10th to the 15th of Sept., as the seasons vary. It is not 
so good this season, owing to the drouth. 
I discover that the cultivation of the pear is much neg¬ 
lected by our farmers, the objection being that it takes 
so long to come into bearing; but this is not the case: 
and for the benefit of farmers, I will mention those that 
bear young and are good: 
Summer Fruit. —Bloodgood, Julienne, Petit-Muscat, 
William’s Bonchretien or Bartlett. 
Autumn Fruit. — Andrews, Cushing, Seckel, Frederic 
of Wurtemburg, Napoleon, Flemish Beauty, Brown 
Beurre, Yergalieu. Schuyler Worden. 
Oswego , Sept. 13th, 1845. 
WHARF RATS—INQUIRY. 
Mr. L. Tucker —Since the building of the Chenango 
Canal, a new kind of rat has been introduced among us, 
Called the wharf rat. They seem to possess more cun¬ 
ning in eluding the efforts of rat-catchers, than any species 
of rat hitherto known among us; and such is their aston¬ 
ishing increase and industry of mischief, that it has be¬ 
come a subject of serious inquiry among farmers living 
within 8 or 10 miles of the canal, how to get rid of them. 
I have searched your Cultivator for information, and 
have seen nothing upon the subject. Will you give us 
any information which you may have got through any of 
your various correspondents, and if you have none, you 
will oblige a numerous class of subscribers by asking 
for information through your paper. 
Binghamton, Oct. 10, 1845. G. E. J. 
NEW-YORK STATE AG. SOCIETY. 
The monthly meeting of the Executive Committee of 
the N. Y. S. Ag. Society, was held at the Society's Hall, 
Albany, on the 9th Oct.—the President, B. P. Johnson, 
Esq. in the chair. 
The Recording Secretary presented a package of Rus¬ 
sian pamphlets, received for the Society, from Charles 
Cramer, Esq. of St. Petersburgh, consisting of, 
1. Zembnilsky, on the Localities of Diamonds in Rus¬ 
sia—2. Historical account of the celebrated Sanic Di¬ 
amond, by the same author—3. On the use of Granite in 
St. Petersburgh, by the same—4. Mineralogical System 
of Mohs, by the same—5. Kutorga’s Description of Pe¬ 
trifactions found near Sympheropol—6. Brykoff, on 
the Locality of Gryphotes in the government of Orloff— 
7. O'bodoffsky’s translation of Buckland s Petrified Sago 
plants, of the island of Portland—8. Sturm’s translation 
of Fuch’s Theory—9. Mach in’s Chemical analysis ot 
Platina from the Ural mountains—10. Analysis of an 
Aeseolite fallen in the government of Smoreusk, 1818— 
11. and 12. Wonders of Nature in North America, 
Parts 1, and 2, by Charles Cramer. 
A copy of the (i American Shepherd,” was received 
from the author, L. A. Morrell, Esq. 
The thanks of the Society were voted to Messrs. Cra¬ 
mer and Morrell for these donations, which were ordered 
to be placed in the Society’s Library. 
A plan and view of the show grounds of the late ex¬ 
hibitions at Utica, were presented, drawn by J. J. Thom¬ 
as, and views of Floral Hall, and the temples of Ceres, 
Pomona and Flora, drawn by Dr. Thompson, which 
were ordered to be engraved for the Transactions. 
A resolution was passed directing the publication of 
Mr. Quincy’s Address in pamphlet, as soon as it should 
be received from the author. 
Resolved, That the Treasurer purchase a model of the 
celebrated Broughton Prize Heifer, for the Society’s 
rooms. 
After auditing various accounts and the transaction of 
other business, the Executive Committee adjourned to 
the 2d Thursday of November, at 10 o'clock, a. m. 
PREMIUMS. —All premiums, whether cash, medals or 
diplomas, will be paid on application, to Luther Tuck 
er, Rec. Sec’y, No. 20, Markel-st., Albany. 
Important trial and decision. —The United States 
Circuit Court, now in session in this city, Judge Nelson 
presiding, has been engaged for the last three days in the 
trial of a very important patent case. Benjamin H. Wood, 
executor of Jethro Wood, sued -Antony for an in¬ 
fringement upon the patent which Jethro Wood had 
taken out for “ Wood’s Plow,” an invention of his own. 
This article is in general use throughout the United 
States, and scientific writers have said that it has been a 
more beneficial improvement than any other of the pre¬ 
sent century, except the steam engine. We understand 
that the rights of the patentee had been so generally in¬ 
fringed upon as to render his invention almost useless to 
him, so far as pecuniary benefit was concerned. The 
jury after a patient hearing of the evidence, and the ad¬ 
dresses of the able counsel engaged, returned a verdict 
for the plaintiff. The effect of this verdict is to establish 
the patent of Wood, to this useful invention, and thus put 
an end to the infringement upon his rights. Counsel for 
ihe plaintiff, W. H. Seward, Samuel Stevens and Z. A. 
Leland, esq’rs; for the defendant, Daniel Wright, esq.— 
Albany Ev. Journal. 
