1848. 
251 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
building before now, on the alert for insects which re¬ 
sort there for warmth and pastime. Here is one now, 
a fly has just settled within a few inches of him. You 
scarce saw the instantaneous motion with which his 
head was presented to his game as it alighted. Mark 
the oily, sidelong movement with which he gains a place 
above him, and now see the cautious, stealthy, almost 
imperceptible motion with which he advances—nearer, 
nearer—there! a leap of eight times his length, and 
he has him ! Was ever anything more tiger-like ? 
But there is another chap who most excites my ad¬ 
miration. He is a small brown fellow with a light 
body and long legs; and he has a peculiarly pert way 
of standing on the very ends of his toes, bearing his 
body high up. He is the true sportsman of his race. 
He scorns the adroit stealthiness of the last, and holds 
all devices for entrapping his game in infinite disdain. 
He takes his position on a standing board, or in the gar¬ 
den walk, when the sunshine falls thick upon it, and as 
the creature of elegant leisure drops down to enjoy a 
moment of luxurious repose, he darts upon him with 
the celerity of lightning, and with an assurance of 
success, that seems utterly unconscious of the possibi¬ 
lity of failure,—it scarce mattering what degree of 
space intervenes. I have rescued his victim almost on 
the instant of his seizure, but he was stone dead. Ve¬ 
nom as virulent as the scorpion’s, had pervaded his sys¬ 
tem. 
There is also a spider of magnificent proportions, 
robed throughout in richest black or dark brown velvet. 
He roams everywhere. I have seen him in the woods, 
bearing off a centipede twice his own size, with the 
royal air and ease of a lion conveying a stag to his 
quarters. He is fierce, fearless and indomitable, and 
is said to hold equal combat with the toad. 
My attention was once arrested by a small, compact 
irregular mass of dirt, moving off upon the floor with 
mysterious alacrity and regularity. On examination, 
I found it to be a small spider, whose body had a pecu¬ 
liar glutinous secretion, to which particles of dirt and 
sand adhered—thus effectually concealing his personal 
attraction. I have never but once since met with this 
curiosity. Doubtless many a young rat among insects 
has rued the day that he mistook “ that white heap 
yonder” for something as harmless as “meal.” 
All these, and an infinite variety of others of this ac¬ 
tive and intelligent race, are constantly laboring for the 
welfare of man. Again, I say then, spare the spi¬ 
ders. J. C. H. 
Syracuse , 12 th June, 1848. 
A Miode-Island Premium Farm. 
Mr. Thomas Andrews, of Smithfield, obtained the 
premium offered for the' best cultivated farm, by the 
Rhode-Island Society for the Encouragement of Do¬ 
mestic Industry in 1847. The committee who exam¬ 
ined this farm speak of it in high terms. It had been 
in the possession of Mr. Andrews ten years, and the 
committee say, that having been familiar with it in 
former years, they u were not less surprised than gra¬ 
tified with the striking change that has been effected 
by its present owner.” They say further— £< The farm 
throughout shows skilful, sound, and clean husbandry; 
the buildings are nearly all in excellent condition, and 
the many contrivances within doors, and without, for 
abbreviating labor and economising time, for the com¬ 
fort of the family, and for the humbler tenants of the 
stable and the sty; and especially, the arrangements 
lor the collection and preservation of everything that 
can be converted into manure—all indicate the orderly, 
pains-taking and industrious farmer; and show that 
while he keeps a steady eye upon everything that can 
be turned to profitable account, he is not unmindful of the 
higher duty of rendering his home agreeable and respect¬ 
able.” In regard to Mr. A.’s mode of feeding his animals, 
the committee remark that he has gone on the “ senten¬ 
tious advice of an experienced old farmer, ‘ feed high 
He has always acted upon this plan. Every animal 
upon his premises, biped and quadruped, is well fed and 
full fed. His cattle are not lank, hide-bound, costive 
and cross, but fat, sleek and kindly.” 
We make the following extract from Mr. Andrews’ 
statement' to the committee: 
“ My farm contains 113 acres. There are about 50 
acres of arable and reclaimed land, 30 acres of pasture, 
and the balance is mostly in wood. 
“ When I bought the farm, the buildings and fences 
were out of repair. The land had been so long cultivated 
with very little manure, and that probably applied in the 
hill, it was in a very poor and run down condition. There 
were not more than two cords of manure on the place. 
The first summer I raised 40 bushels of potatoes, and 
60 of corn. I kept four cows, a pair of three year 
old steers, and two horses, but was obliged to buy 
three tons of hay to carry them through the winter. 
Since that time, I have depended upon the resources of 
the farm and stock for manure, except two hundred 
and nine dollars worth of stable manure, and about two 
thousand bushels of ashes which I have bought. The 
present condition of the farm will be sufficiently indica¬ 
ted by the following enumeration of its products the 
present year—the prices are such as I have actually 
sold the articles at, or can now command for them. 
80 tons of good hay, from 30 acres, 12 
acres yielded 36 tons, $14,. $1120 00 
3 tons swamp hay, $5,. 15 00 
8 “ oats, on 4£ acres, cut green for 
fodder, $12,. 96 00 
2 “ rye straw, $6,. 12 00 
Corn stalks and husks from 5k acres,. 50 00 
283 bushels Indian corn, $1,. 283 00 
32 “ rye, $1,. 32 00 
600 “ Potatoes sold, averaging 65c.,... 390 00 
400 11 “ on hand, have been offer¬ 
ed 75 c.,. 30000 
90 “ “ small, 25 c.,. 22 50 
1000 lbs. winter squashes, 2c.,. 20 00 
87 bushels winter apples,. 36 00 
3 “ quinces,. 6 00 
29 loads pumpkins,. 29 00 
7 bushels white beans,. 10 50 
Small fruits, $15.74,. 15 74 
Sweet corn, $5,. v . 5 00 
43 bushels fall turneps, 33 c.,. 14 19 
Garden vegetables, of various kinds,. 25 00 
$2481 93 
“ I now keep 4 oxen, 12 cows, 2 horses, a bull, 20 
shoats and 2 hogs. 
“ The following answers to your queries will show 
my mode of cultivation. 
“ 1st. Depth of Plowing.—I plow 8 i inches in all 
cases where it is possible, and in some loamy soils 
deeper. 
“ 2 . I used the subsoil plow last year on a field of 6 
acres; subsoiling 4, and leaving 2, as an experiment. 
I plowed with a common plow, 7 inches deep, and fol¬ 
lowed with the subsoil 20 inches—stirring the earth 27 
inches—sowed oats and grass seed. The oats were 
very large, on all the six acres, averaging 5 feet high, 
and there was no perceivable difference in the oats by 
subsoiling.* 
“ 3. Rotation of Crops.—I find planting Indian corn 
more than one year on the same land makes but little 
difference to the crops, but almost every other kind of 
* The grass was a week later on the part of the field that was 
suhsoiled; there was less clover, but more herds grass and red top; 
the yield of hay was somewhat greater. 
