THE CULTIVATOR. 
53 
CANADA THISTLES. 
The suggestions or our correspondent, in the following commu¬ 
nication, that frequent ploughing will destroy the Canada thistle, is 
in confirmation of the practice of Mr. Hillhouse, as related in the 
May number of the Cultivator. The object of both gentlemen was 
the” same—to prevent the plant from vegetating; whilst the one 
used the plough, the other substituted the hoe for that purpose, 
and both it appears were effectual; these communications contain 
important suggestions, and we have no doubt they will be acted up¬ 
on by some of our farmers the coming season. 
We have this moment been called upon by a neighbor to the 
gentleman who sent us the following communication, who says the 
practice of killing the thistle in the following instance, as related by 
our correspondent, was so completely successful, that where any are 
now T left, this plan to subdue them is invariably resorted to—that 
a small farm in the vicinity was sold a few years ago at the mode- 
sate price of not more than $25 per acre, because the ground was 
almost covered with the thistle—that the method of frequent plough¬ 
ing was adopted by the purchaser, and the thistles are so perfectly 
subdued, that hardly a single one can now be seen, and this same 
farm would now readily sell at double Hie original price. We can¬ 
not for a moment doubt the correctness of the above statements; 
and if frequent ploughing is the remedy to destroy the thistle, a 
knowledge of the fact ought to be most extensively diffused. A. 
[for the Cultivator .] 
I am happy to perceive the attention of a Subscriber is drawn to 
the destructipn of the Canada thistle. What he writes is from ac¬ 
tual experience, the best school extant. The gentleman’s mode of 
destroying that most noxious of all weeds, (the Canada thistle,) I con¬ 
ceive to be based upon just principles, viz. (hat of totally depriving 
it of a top through one summer. This is an effectual mode of era¬ 
dicating them ; but I think we may pursue a system of management, 
where there are large quantities of this thistle, in a more sure and 
effectual way, than the one in your May number of the Cultivator, 
signed a Subscriber. What I here state is also from actual experi¬ 
ence. For the last four years, I had two farms which were harras- 
sed more or less with the above named thistle, one of them being 
a small farm, was almost overrun with it, so much so, as to almost 
ruin both the grass and grain crops. My mode of treatment is, to 
plant the field one year; that will subdue the sod. The next year 
commence as soon as the thistles come up in the spring, to plough 
them, and continue to plough them, say once in two or three weeks, 
or as often as they come up or appear, until it is time to sow the field 
with winter grain. By this time the thistles, if attended to as directed, 
will be totally destroyed. I have killed, last season, full ten acres 
in this way; the season before, as many more, and three years ago, 
from one to two acres. Small spots may be wholly kept down, in 
pasture fields, by salting stock upon them, and at the same time see 
to them as often as once a week, that there are no tops left. If 
there are, strong brine, when the ground is moist, poured on them 
will kill them, but if you kill all there are in sight to-day, in one 
week, examine and you will find more, so that it requires attention, 
or else you will lose your labor; there is no half-way work about 
it; when they are bad in a stone wall, the best way is to remove it 
to some other place not infected with them. The number of times 
of ploughing required to kill mine, has varied from five to ten times, 
and when the ground is bare you can plainly see whether you have 
destroyed them or not. 
If the above article should be the means of assisting the destruc¬ 
tion of one square rod of ground, covered with the Canada thistle, 
the writer will be fully recompensed. A SUBSCRIBER. 
Chatham, Columbia county, N. Y. May 12, 1834. 
CaUie iBsssluiojlry. 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 
Before we proceed in our extracts in relation to the Short Horns, 
we will state some facts which may be interesting to the cattle farm¬ 
er, in a brief way, which we glean from much that v/ould be unin¬ 
teresting to him in the work before us. 
The Hereford, Sussex and Glamorganshire cattle, noticed in the 
above table-, have probably sprung from the same origin as the North 
Devons. Tlwv are considered as belonging to the same general 
class: The Herefords are larger than the Devuns, have generally 
white faces, throats and bellies, are of a dark red, sometimes brown 
or brindled. The Sussex are also larger but coarser, than the De¬ 
vons, generally of a bright chesnut colour. The Glamorganshire is 
a Welch stock, smaller than the Devons, owing to the scanty food 
which the mountains yield. None of these breeds are considered 
equal to the Devons for the plough. The Herefords are far worse 
milkers than the Devons, and the same remark will apply to the 
other two kinds. The Leicester belongs to the class of long horns. 
of which we shall have occasion more particularly to speak hereafter. 
Various attempts to improve the Devons in weight have been at¬ 
tempted, as with the Hereford, Sussex and Durham breeds: but 
with one exception they seem to have been unsuccessful: a single 
cross with the Herefords, obtained by stealth, is said to have pro¬ 
duced some of the most perfect of the Devon family. Across with 
the Guernsey has been thought to improve their quality for the dairy. 
The Devon stock sells high. They have sold as high as 100 gui¬ 
neas, and a lot of twelve cows, the stock of Mr. Rogers, averaged at 
public sale, J630 or $133 each. 
Calves are preferred to be dropped late. They are permitted to 
suck three times a day for a week. They are then used to the fin¬ 
ger, and warm new milk is given for three weeks longer. For two 
months after they have plenty of warm scalded milk, mixed with a 
little finely powdered linseed cake, (for which corn meal offers an 
excellent substitute) and entirely weaned at four months old. 
“ The grand secret of breeding is to suit the breed to the soil and 
climate.” The Devons deteriorate in some counties, and improve 
in others. 
Clouted Cream, considered in Devonshire a great luxury with 
coffee, tarts or strawberries, is thus prepared : The milk stands in a 
bell-metal vessel twenty-four hours, when it is placed over a small 
wood fire and heated gradually. In an hour and a half, when it is ap¬ 
proaching a state of simmering , the vessel is struck every now and 
then with the knuckle, or is very carefully watched. As soon as 
it ceases to ring, or the first bubble appears, and before it boils, it 
is taken off and set by twenty-four hours more. At the end of this 
time, the cream will have become wholly separated, will be thick 
enough to cut with a knife, and may be skimmed off. The dairy 
people say there is economy in this process:—that five pounds of 
butter can be obtained in this way where only four could be obtained 
in the ordinary way, and that the butter is more saleable, on ac¬ 
count of its pleasant taste. 
To keep up in size and proof a good growth, it is deemed neces¬ 
sary to change the bull every two years. The Somerset farmers 
think that frequent bleedings, in small quantities, accelerate the 
process of fattening. The calves in this county are principally fed, 
if not intended to be fattened, on cheese-whey. The Herefordshire 
farmers insist, as the result of experience, that the breeding quali¬ 
ties of a cow are materially lessened, and that even her form is de¬ 
teriorated, by her being inclined to give a large quantity of milk. 
We find no comparison between the North Devons and the Short 
Horns, as to their facilities of fattening, in ordinary or extraordi¬ 
nary feeding. We insert, however, the following comparison of the 
latter, with the Herefords, a branch of the Devon or middle horned 
s f ock ; 
“ Three Herefords and three Short Horns were selected; they 
were put together in a straw yard on the 27th December, 1827, 
and were fed in the open yard, at the rate of one bushel of turnips 
per beast per day, with straw only, until May 2, 1828, when their 
weights were taken, and they were sent to grass. 
No. cwt. qrs. lbs. I No. cwt. qrs. lbs. 
1 Hereford,.... 8 3 0 | 1 Short Horns, 920 
2 do .... 7 3 0 I 2 do 820 
3 do ....7 0 0 | 3 do 900 
On the 3d November, they were taked from grass, and put into 
the stable, when their weight was as follows: 
No. 
1 Hereford,. 
2 do ., 
3 do 
cwt. qrs. 
. 11 3 
. 10 2 
. 10 3 
lbs. 
0 
0 
0 
No. 
1 Short Horns, 
2 do 
3 do 
cwt. qrs. lbs. 
12 3 14 
12 2 0 
12 3 0 
From that time to the 25th March, 1829, they consumed the fol¬ 
lowing quantities of Swedish turnips and hay : 
Turnips, lbs. Hay, lbs. 
The Herefords,. 46,663 5,065 
The Short Horns,. 59,430 6,779 
