NEW 
TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND MIND,” 
SERIES.'I 
Vol. V. ALBANY, DECEMBER, 1848. No. 12. 
CLOSE OF TSE YEAR—THE CULTIVATOR FOR 1849. 
The present number completes the fifteenth vo 
lume, (the fifth of the new series) of The Cultiva¬ 
tor; and we avail ourselves of the opportunity to ten¬ 
der our thanks to the numerous friends who have so li¬ 
berally aided us in our past labors. We trust that the 
acquaintance, which, with many of our readers, has 
existed from the beginning of our work, has been mu¬ 
tually beneficial; and we have reason to hope that the 
connexion will be continued with the same advantages 
as have heretofore been experienced. 
We regret to be under the necessity of informing our 
readers, that since our November number was sent to 
press, our office has been destroyed by fire—a circum¬ 
stance which caused a delay in forwarding a portion of 
that issue. The fire broke out at about half past 12 
o’clock on the night of the 28th of October, in the 
store of Mr. D. Harris, adjoining Mr. Emery’s Agri¬ 
cultural warehouse, in which was the office of The Cul¬ 
tivator . There being only a wood partition between 
the stores, both were soon enveloped in the flames, and 
entirely destroyed. Mr. Emery’s loss was nearly 
$6,000—$4,000 insured. Our loss was about $5,500 
on which there was an insurance of only $1,150—leav¬ 
ing a total loss of over $4,000. Among the property 
destroyed, was 2,600 bound vols. of The Cultivator, and 
nearly all the back numbers of the current year, not 
more than twenty sets being saved. All the engra¬ 
vings used in The Cultivator, from its commencement, 
with the exception of some few loaned out. were also 
burnt. We have, however, all things in readiness, and 
shall go on with our publications, “ The Cultivator ,” 
and “ The Horticulturist ,” as usual, for both of which 
we solicit the kind offices of our friends. 
Our next volume will be commenced on the first of 
January, 1849, under circumstances equally as favora¬ 
ble to the character and usefulness of the work, as 
have ever before existed. Our facilities for rendering 
the work in which we are engaged, a valuable medium 
of general communication for American farmers, may 
be understood and appreciated by those who have been 
familiar with its pages. To say nothing of the edito¬ 
rial labors, it may be safely asserted that no agricultu- 
• j ral work in this country has ever possessed a corres¬ 
pondence of half the extent of The Cultivator —seve¬ 
ral of the last volumes having embraced the contribu¬ 
tions of upwards of three hundred individuals, most of 
whom are practical farmers located in different sections 
from the British Provinces to the southern confines of 
of the United States. The mass of facts and interest¬ 
ing information that is annually collected by communi¬ 
cations from so many intelligent minds, all engaged in 
the same pursuit, cannot fail to be regarded as of great 
importance; and considered in connexion with other ob¬ 
vious advantages, we think will place the Cultivator 
prominently before the public. 
We would call attention to the List of Agents pub¬ 
lished in our present and last numbers. We hope all 
will use their efforts to get up larger clubs than here¬ 
tofore, in their respective neighborhoods. We shall 
gladly avail ourselves also of the aid of any persons who 
may be disposed to use their influence for the circula¬ 
tion of our work. 
Truly grateful, as we certainly are, to all who have 
heretofore so promptly lent us their aid, by raising clubs 
of subscribers annually for The Cultivator , we beg 
leave to ask their renewed and increased attention to 
the subject at this time. It cannot be doubted but that 
the circulation of our paper might with suitable effort, 
on the part of our agents, be doubled the next year. 
We have offered, in the List of Premiums for subscri¬ 
bers to our next volume, (for which see last page of 
this paper,) inducements which we trust will cause 
greater exertion than has heretofore been made, to pro¬ 
mote its circulation. The premiums amount in all, to 
over Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars. 
December wilt be found a favorable month to obtain 
subscribers. The travelling is generally good, and the 
farmers, having now secured their crops, can enjoy the 
favorable opportunities thus afforded by the long even¬ 
ings for reading and study. How can a portion of their 
time be better devoted than by an interchange of 
ideas, through the medium of such a paper as The Cul¬ 
tivator, on subjects involving, in so high a degree, their 
best interests ? Is there any one among the thousands 
who have read the last volume of our paper, who does 
not feel convinced that he has been benefitted by the 
matter it contains, to ten times the amount of its cost? 
