342 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
acre per annum for the production of potatoes for the 
London markets. The greatest pains are taken to obtain 
them early. “The mode of sprouting them,” he says, 
“is similar to that adopted by the spirited cultivators at 
West Cambridge, near Boston, where the setts are started 
under a bed of fresh horse dung, on the sunny and pro¬ 
tected side of a hill.” 
Grapes. —Mr. C. quotes from a practical gardener, 
some directions for the management of vines as follows: 
“With regard to the best way to manage the vine when 
fruiting, I invariably stop the shoot one eye above the 
bunch; and it is the practice of the best gardeners in 
England. I generally leave one shoot not stopped with¬ 
out fruit, and to fruit next season, and cut the shoots out 
that have borne fruit this year. On the shoot-spur sys¬ 
tem, every shoot is stopped an eye above the bunch, 
except the top one, and then it must be managed like 
the rest; all the lateral shoots must be stopped one eye 
above another, until they cease growing, as the more 
leaves you get, the fruit will swell larger.” 
Market Gardens. —The extent of ground required 
for supplying London and the other large English mar¬ 
kets with vegetables, is enormous. In reference to Lon¬ 
don, Mr. Col man remarks that—“ Fifty years ago, it 
was calculated there were two thousand acres cultivated 
by the spade, and eight thousand by spade and plow con¬ 
jointly The extent of cultivation must, of course, be 
at present much greater.” * * * “ The account given of 
the product, in a single case, is quite worthy of remark, it 
being the statement of a market garden. Radishes, £10; 
cauliflower, £60; cabbages, £30; celery, first crop, £50; 
second crop, £40; endive, £30; making a total of £220, 
or 1,100 dollars for the gross produce of an acre in 
twelve months!!” 
THE CROPS, &c. 
Kentucky.— Extract of a letter to the editor of the 
Cultivator, dated Frankfort, Sept. 17:—“ After some 
weeks travel through this state, I can safely say that the 
corn crop of Kentucky is considered to be as good as 
any they have overgrown heretofore; consequently the 
number and quality of the stock fattened will equal those 
of any previous year. You will not be surprised to learn 
that I had no idea of the prices already offering for hogs, 
when I tell you the farmers themselves had no such ex¬ 
pectations a few weeks since. Hogs are anxiously 
sought after by the pork packers and their agents, and 
S3 per 100 lbs. gross, (that is weighed up alive,) freely 
(offered, the hogs to be weighed and paid for at the fat¬ 
tening pen when fat, and driven at the risk and expense 
of the purchaser to the place of packing. Many con¬ 
tracts are now making on these terms, and many farmers 
refuse contracting, preferring to risk the market when they 
are fat. From what I know of this business, when a little 
excitement exists so early in the season, I should not be 
at all surprised before the season ends that $4 gross will 
yet be given for some lots of hogs in Kentucky. Pork 
will certainly be double the price, or nearly so, that it 
was last year to the packer. The best graziers say, they 
never recollect so many cattle to be fattened in Ken¬ 
tucky as preparations are now making for fattening, and 
many think they will get $4 per 100 lbs. nett, sinking 
the offal, but the majority seem to think that the numbers 
fattened will tend to keep the price at, or below, $3.50 
per 100 lbs, It seems too, to be generally admitted that the 
best beef cannot be packed, with the expectation of pro¬ 
fit, for the British market, if it comes at over $3 per 100 
lbs. nett to the packer. The hemp crop is extraordinary, 
far exceeding in quantity and quality the crop of last 
year. I have gone into several fields where they were 
cutting, and measured the average height of the stalks, 
and they exceeded 13 feet in length; the crop is now 
cut and safe in stack, although the wetness of the last 
few weeks caused the farmers much additional trouble. 
The tobacco crop is generally admitted to be very fine 
in quality, and in quantity to be over the average; what 
I have seen of it fully bears out this remark; but I have 
n*.t as yet been through the Green River country, which 
is the great tobacco region of Kentucky, but I have seen 
men from there who appear very much satisfied with 
their prospects. This staple is just beginning to be cut 
now.” 
Crops in Essex County, N. Y.—M. C. Butler, of 
Moriah, writes that the wheat and oat crop of this section 
was good—corn two-thirds of a crop—potatoes half to 
two-thirds of a crop—hay less than for some years before. 
Western Reserve, Ohio. —Extract of a letter from 
from Mr. Almon Thayer, dated Aurora, Oct. 11:— 
“ The past season has been very dry with us. ®The hay 
crop is entirely cut off. As northern Ohio is better 
adapted to grazing than cultivation, grain is but little 
grown. Hay is the crop depended on for wintering 
stock, and a failure of this crop has compelled the far¬ 
mers of the north to drive their cattle to the southern 
part of the state to be wintered on corn and corn fodder. 
The stock is all susceptible of being driven south except 
calves, which are too feeble to endure a journey of 100 
or 150 miles. The farmers in this section are unac¬ 
quainted with feeding any thing but hay. I would in¬ 
quire if calves can be successfully wintered on chopped 
straw and corn-and-cob meal. Corn can be purchased 
at the south and shipped into this section by canal, at 
reasonable prices. There is a small quantity of straw 
and old hay in the hands of most of the farmers, that 
might be fed to calves, chopped fine, if they would win¬ 
ter well on this kind of feed.”' 
Note —In answer to the above inquiry, we would say, 
calves can be wintered on corn-and-cob meal, mixed 
with cut straw, though we should prefer giving some 
potatoes or turneps with the meal and straw, or instead 
the roots, some shorts or bran.—E d. 
RENSSELAER INSTITUTE. 
This Institution was founded by the late Hon. Ste¬ 
phen Van Rensselaer, in 1824, for the purpose, as 
expressed in his own language, of “showing the ap¬ 
plication of science to the common purposes of life,” 
and of qualifying “teachers for instructing the sons and 
daughters of mechanics in the application of experimen¬ 
tal chemistry, philosophy, and natural history, to agricul¬ 
ture, domestic economy, the arts, and manufactures.” 
Patriotic design of the benevolent founder has been 
faithfully executed, and the anticipations of its useful¬ 
ness fully realized. It may be safely affirmed that no 
institution has rendered greater benefits to the country 
than this has done by the education of men who have de¬ 
voted their efforts to the practical application of science. 
We had the gratification of attending for one day, the 
late examination of the students of this Institution. The 
examination as it was called, was conducted in a man¬ 
ner to us novel. Instead of being carried on by question 
and answer, it constituted a series of brief, but interest¬ 
ing off-hand lectures by the pupils, on the sciences of 
Chemistry, Geology, Mineralogy, Animal and Vegeta¬ 
ble Physiology, Botany and Meteorology. In all which, 
a thoroughness of knowledge was evinced that could 
not fail to convince every spectator of the excellence of 
the system of instruction here practiced. 
The charge of the Institution at the present time is 
under Professor G. H. Cock, who was a graduate of the 
school while it was under the supervision of its first 
teacher, the late Professor Eaton. Besides other and 
ample evidences of Prof. Cook's qualifications and abili¬ 
ties as a teacher, it is a high recommendation that he 
was selected by Prof. Eaton as his assisianf, in which 
capacity he acted for several years to the entire approba¬ 
tion of all. We believe the reputation of the school is 
at present fully sustained; and with the advantages of late 
improvements in the erection of new buildings, new and 
improved apparatus for chemical and other scientific 
illustration, with the liberal endowment which it has re¬ 
ceived from the family of its revered founder and the 
intelligent and enterprising citizens of Troy, we cannot 
doubt that it will shortly become one of the most popu¬ 
lar, as it is certainly one of the most useful Institutions 
in the country. 
For particulars in regard to the course of instruction, 
we would refer to the advertisement to be found in this 
number. 
