THE CULTIVATOR. 
51 
rence of rent that is given by a grazier or butcher, for a field of new 
and a field of old grass ? Have you ever put the question to your¬ 
self, Why is this? I shall give you the answer: Let both fields be 
shut up and cut for hay, weigh the produce, see the great difference 
in favor of the new grass, and the secret is out. Still keep the cat¬ 
tle from the field; look at the new grass, how soon the aftermath 
springs! Well, then, is not the overplus of the hay that which 
would have fed so many more cattle! and yet people prate about 
old grass.” 
« l Not only is the produce of an acre of new grass far greater than 
that cf an acre of old, but it is more palatable to the cattle, and, as 
far as I have been able to observe, exactly in the ratio of the age of 
the grass. An example of this came lately under my eye: A trades¬ 
man occupied a field which he cultivated regularly—breaking up a 
bit, green cropping it the following year, and then sowing it down, 
after which he pastured it by wethering his beasts. The man hav¬ 
ing the place, 1 caused some hurdles (fence) to be put around the: 
bit not in grass, and left the rest of the field in pasture. The cat¬ 
tle, during the whole of summer, ate the new grass to the very earth, 
and did not taste the older, until the force of hunger made them do 
so. Next season, the bit which had been hurdled off was sown out, 
and was allowed to go with the rest of the field. The very same 
thing took place—the new grass was first eaten, and then that which 
was older. I had an opportunity of observing last summer the mark¬ 
ed preference which sheep give to young grass, compared with old, 
by putting cattle into two fields, separated by a fence only,—one ve¬ 
ry fine grass of some years standing, the other only three years old, 
and, pulling out some of the lower rails of a communicating gate, 
permitted forty sheep to pass through, and pasture in whichever field 
they pleased. The result was, they were constantly to be found in 
the field of younger grass, and very seldom went into the old grass 
enclosure. At last I was forced to shut them into the old grass, 
finding they were reducing the feed in the one, and leaving too much 
in the other. Be it always remembered that land must be well laid 
down. If grass, however new, be growing on poor land, or wet, or 
on land that has been badly cleared, cattle do not relish it. I have 
seen frequent instances of this. More particularly do they dislike 
pasturing on foul land.” 
“ Having now broached the subject, I would not for the present 
at least, pursue it any further ; but ere I take my leave, I would in 
the first place, state in corroboration of what I have been endeavor¬ 
ing to maintain, that by following the breaking up system instead of 
the top-dressing one, I have not only altered the verdure, but I have 
increased the rent of the old grass lawn on my farm from three to 
five fold. In conclusion, I would make a brief recapitulation of my 
sentiments: I maintain that except a few favored spots, as banks of 
rivers, &.c. no ground can, without loss, be left long in pasture: that 
it appears to me four or five years is, generally speaking, the long¬ 
est period land should be allowed to lie in grass; that if pasture be 
the object, at the end of that time, the ground should be broken up 
and returned to grass again. I maintain that without grass severely 
cropped land cannot be restored to full fertility; and without crop¬ 
ping, grass cannot be made to continue at the maximum point of 
utility and verdure.” 
Information wanted.- —The inquiry is often made, where fine ani¬ 
mals, new and improved farm implements, and rare and choice agri- 
ultural seeds, can be procured, and at what prices respectively,' 
The Publishing Committee are desirous of collecting informations up 
on these subjects, with a view of publishing it, in a condensed form* 
in their September number of the Cultivator, in time to have it dis¬ 
seminated preparatory to the October fairs. And as the State Ag¬ 
ricultural Society have appointed a State Cattle Fair to be held at 
Albany on the first Wednesday and Thursday of October next, they 
are also desirous of notifying buyers, before hand, through the Culti¬ 
vator, of the choice animals, implements, and seeds, which will be 
offered for sale at said fair, and as far as practicable, the names of 
owners, and the prices which will be demanded. They invite in¬ 
formation upon both these subjects any time before the 20th August; 
and as the information will be gratuitously published, it is hoped our 
correspondents will not subject us to the charge of postage. 
Editors of newspapers will aid us in our object, and we think ren¬ 
der an acceptable service to their customers, by inserting the pre¬ 
ceding notice in their journals. 
Old Apples.— Mr. Lewis Tucker, of Cummingham, Mass, has sent 
us three Roxbury russets* which have been kept through two win¬ 
ters and one summer,— in dry sand. The fruit was sound, and but 
little shrivelled, and had the freshness and flavor of last year’s crop. 
Might not this mode of preserving winter apples and pears be adopt¬ 
ed on a large scale with profit 1 It certainly might if they command¬ 
ed the price here they do in the London market. The Gardener’s 
Magazine for April quotes Newton pippins at 10, to 12s. ($2.22 to 
$2.86) per bushel—Nonpareils at 11. to 21. 10s. ($4.44 to $11.10.) 
per bushel, and pears at 4 to 6s. per dozen. 
Young Farmers Associations. —We have received a letter from a 
young man in Decatur, who states that he is yet in his teens, soli¬ 
citing our advice as to the formation of a Young Farmers Society , 
for mutual and self-instruction, which he and the neighboring youth 
are anxious to establish. The object is praiseworthy, and the zeal 
of our young correspondent is so highly commendable, that we con¬ 
sider it a duty and a pleasure'to comply with his request. 
The plan we would recommend is this : that the objects of the so¬ 
ciety be limited, for the present, to the procurement of an agricultu¬ 
ral library, and to the discussion, at stated terms, during the winter 
months, of subjects of common interest, relating to the business of 
husbandry, or the relative and social duties of life. We will sup¬ 
pose that a district or neighborhood contains twenty young men who 
would be willing to associate—and we would fain believe this num¬ 
ber, between the ages of fourteen and twenty-four years, would be 
found almost any where—and who would agree to contribute six 
cents a week to this object; their joint contributions would amount 
in a year to sixty-five dollars. The same contribution from ten, or 
of three cents a week from twenty, would give $32.50 per annum; 
and even this latter sura would suffice to purchase all the agricultu¬ 
ral periodicals of our country, and to buy annually some of the stand¬ 
ard works on husbandry. The three or six cents weekly, might, be 
earned by an hour or so of extra labor, or saved by curtailing some 
needless expense. The maple yields its sap only by drops, and yet 
its daily droppings soon amount to pails-full, and produce the sugar 
for our tables. The prudent employment of time and money is no 
less surprising and certain in its results and its benefits. These pe¬ 
riodicals and books might be read in succession by every member of 
the association, and thus each individual would reap the full benefit 
of the contributions of the twenty; or in other words, by paying 
three dollars and a quarter a year, he might enjoy the perusal of 
sixty-five dollars worth of books and agricultural papers;—and from 
these he might learn the practices and management of the best 
farmers m every department of husbandry, and acquire by degrees, 
more or less knowledge of the principles, or science, upon which 
good farming is based. The hours of ordinary relaxation from labor 
would afford ample time for acquiring this knowledge, during the 
years of youth and incipient manhood; and every day’s labor would 
serve to illustrate, and render it subservient to profit and pleasure. 
These hours of relaxation, applied to useful study, have often done 
more to inspire a laudable ambition, to improve the intellect, and to 
elevate humble worth, than an uninterupted habit of study. And 
our young friends may rely upon the fact, that this reading, accom¬ 
panied by the good habits which it tends to beget and confirm, will 
as surely lead to pleasure and profit—to respectability and distinc¬ 
tion—as the seed deposited in a well prepared soil will yield its ac¬ 
customed increase. He that would gather a harvest in manhood, 
must sow the seed in youth. 
Young men greatly err who suppose, and the error is but too 
common, that either a good reputation, or talent, or, I might venture 
to add, fortune, are hereditary, and descend from father to son as 
matters of course. Every young man has in a measure to fix the 
standard of these for himself. Parents may educate, may inculcate 
good habits, and may confer wealth—but after all, these are but the 
foundation—the superstructure of character,—be it for usefulness or 
sloth,—for virture of vice,—must be reared and receive its finish 
from the son himself. The richer the soil, the greater vigilance is 
required to keep it from weeds. What happens to the soil will hap¬ 
pen to the mind : without culture it also will run to weeds. 
Our young readers are doubtless familiar with the names of Frank¬ 
lin, Fulton and Rittenhouse, and know the pride with which their 
names are ever pronounced by Americans.—These, as regards fame 
and fortune, were self-made men. They all spent their youth in 
habitual labor, without wealth or influence, and with but the ordi¬ 
nary advantages of education; yet they found ample time to enrich 
their minds by study. They had no better prospects ahead than 
hundreds, and we hope thousands, of farmers’ boys, who may read 
