THE CULTIVATOR. 
6 
strikingly show what difference there is in the vital germ lying on 
the surface, where roots and leaves immediately, numerously and 
powerfully shoot from one point, and the weakened vital germ, 
which, lying at a depth of 1.680 inches, shoots forth few roots, 
but a white thin tube, which rises as far as the surface, where the 
knot is formed, whence the weakened germ pushes forth a single 
and sickly plant. 
“ Tae result of this observation was, that we took every possible 
pains to give to the surface a depth of from 1.880 to 2.820 inches, 
the necessary state of pulverization, to divide the thickly sown 
seed equally upon it, and to give it as thin a covering of the pul¬ 
verized soil as possible. But for this we were entirely without 
implements. 
“ The grubber, indeed, gave looseness to the surface, but did 
not destroy the small clods. The roller pressed the soil too firm¬ 
ly, and if it happened to rain, a fresh process became necessary. 
The usual harrow, with teeth 6.580 inchesa part, drew, even in a 
ground previously harrowed, lines in which the seed sown by the 
best sower would fall, and then stand too thickly, while a surface 
of 2.820 inches was left between these lines, which contained few 
plants, but became a nursery for weeds. 
“Then it occurred to us, (after the grubbing and usual harrow¬ 
ing,) to pass with the iron Mecklenburgh harrow reversed, the rip¬ 
er side of it being flat upon the surface, till all the small clods 
were pressed into a powder ; then I had harrows made, the teeth 
of which are only from 1.410 to 1.880 inches apart, and in the 
Flemish fashion, placed in a slanting angle. With these we pass¬ 
ed sharply over this finely pressed soil, with the horse fastened 
in the middle and afterwards in one corner, after which we sowed. 
The corn came to lie in lines 1.410 apart, and was harrowed in 
crossways, with the drag- teeth of the close harrow,* and by this 
means the seed was but slightly covered, and not a grain displaced. 
“By this mode of cultivation it was found that every germ im¬ 
mediately shot forth strong roots and several stems at once; and 
a i experience of several years has shown an increase of produce of 
from 20 to SO per cent, occasioned by it, as we continued to cul¬ 
tivate a peice of ground next to it in the usual manner. 
“ 7. I must further mention as the last, but not less important 
principle and cause of success, that each of the manured fields has 
been brought to that point of fertility in which it can yield the 
greatest produce; so that with less manure, it would not yield its 
full produce, and more manure would cause the crops to lie down, 
even if the year were not wet. The difficulty of being able to fix 
this point, for every fie’d and kind of crop with certainty, was remov¬ 
ed by the now perfected geometrical method, by which, with the help 
of a scale formed on twenty years’ experience, the degree of pro- 
auctiveness may be marked, in which the field has been left in the 
last crop; i. e. seldom below 100 degrees, which denotes a field 
capable of yielding 24.02 bushels of wheat per acre, and below 
which it is not advisable to let a field sink.” 
A FEW DAYS AT HOLKHAM. 
Holkham is the residence of Mr. Coke, celebrated as one of the 
first agriculturists of Great Britain and among the most successful 
breeders of Devon cattle and South Down sheep. The editor of 
the British Farmers’ Magazine, the Rev. Mr. Berry, himself a dis¬ 
tinguished breeder, paid a visit to this distinguished man in 1833, 
and from his memoranda of that visit, we have extracted the fol¬ 
lowing facts, for the benefit of the readers of the Cultivator. 
Mr. Coke’s estate, winch is very extensive, consists of a hungry 
sandy loam, or light gravel of the same character, with occasional 
interruptions of small patches of bog which with us would be call¬ 
ed swamps. When Mr. Coke came into possession, some of 
the e lands let at Is. per acre, and subsequently at 3s. This same 
land now yields, in consequence of the superior management which 
has been bestowed upon it, from 70 to 80 bushels of barley, and 34 
of wheat per acre. 
Mr. Coke prefers the Devon cattle, as being best adapted to his 
light soil, and he has improved their quality in an eminent degree, 
by careful attention to breeding. The dairy of Devon cows is 
highly productive; each cow, no matter what her other excellencies, 
being rejected, which proves a bad milker. 
“ Witli the teeth slanting forward. They are called drags when the teeth 
slant backwards. 
Mr. Coke’s flock were for many years the South Downs, which 
he brought to a great degree of excellence, but lie had recently 
improved his flock by crossing with the Hampshire, a more hardy 
breed. No breed in the island, says our Rev. narrator, now equals 
in profit, that of Holkham. By this cross he lost nothing in early 
maturity, while he gained in the constitution of his flock ; increas¬ 
ed the lean meat of the animal, a desideratum; and so improved 
the quality of the wool, as to render it the most valuable in the is¬ 
land. His shearlings of this improved flock, sold, on an average, 
wool and carcase, at £2 10 each, ($11.)—The fault of the old 
South Downs, like the Leicesters, was, that they had a tendency 
to run fat, and to want, in both fat and lean condition, lean meat, 
an important consideration there, as it should be here, in fine table 
mutton. It is an important advantage, too, which the Devon and 
Scotch cattle possess over the improved short horns, that the fat 
and lean of their beef, are better interlarded, and the meat more 
delicate, and consequently worth more in the market, than the beef 
of the latter. The desire in England, both in beef and mutton, is 
not to obtain the greatest quantity of fat meat, but rather, if we 
may use the term, the greatest quntity of ja,t lean meat. The ad¬ 
vantages particularly resulting from Mr. Coke’s cross of the 
Hampshire upon the South Down sheep, are stated to be, the pos¬ 
session of more vseful frame—(a description comprehending much 
that is highly important)—a superior quantity and quality of wool 
and a greater product of sufficiently lean meat per acre, without a 
sacrifice of the early maturity of the South Down breed. A lot of 
the improved sheep cut one pound and a quarter each more wool, 
and of a better quality, than a like number of pure South Downs. 
Of the Hampshire South Downs here described, a lot has been im¬ 
ported by Mr. S. Hawes, our friend and neighbor. 
Mr. Coke had growing 430 acres of Swedish turnip and mangold 
wurtzel, for winter feed of his extensive stock. The Swedes are 
sliced for the use of sheep, in a superior machine, at the rate of 
two bushels per minute. Under this management, 40 acres of tur¬ 
nips held 400 sheep three months. 
On one of Mr. C.’s estates there was, a few years ago, a bog of 
50 acres, impassable, in which a man was lost in attempting to 
cross it. It has been reclaimed, and is now a beautiful water mea¬ 
dow, worth three pounds, ($13 to $14,) per acre per annum rent. 
The fifty acres kept more than ten sheep per acre, 20 bullocks 
and ten horses. This affords a fair demonstration of the utility of 
draining and reclaiming swamps. 
The writer commends Mr. Coke’s management of a naturally bad 
soil for wheat. This crop is drilled in, on a clover lay, manured 
with rape dust, drilled in. The drills are nine inches apart. One 
machine drills eight acres per day, and the quantity of seed varies 
from three and a half to four, and even five bushels per acre. An 
essential part of the management is the rolling, which is effectually 
performed by heavy iron rollers. 
The effect of Mr. Coke’s management is illustrated by the ex¬ 
ample at Eltnham Park. In 1817, he commenced improving this 
property, by means of draining, clearing ditches and top-dressing 
with the soil taken from them. In these labors, a sum of £510 15s. 
was expended, by means of which the annual value of the estate 
had increased from 1817 to 1827, to the amount of £500, and a pro¬ 
gressive increase of value has, since the last named year, regularly 
continued. 
CULTURE OF THE MULBERRY. 
It seems to be a matter well established, that at least the white 
mulberry will do well in our state. We wish we could affirm as 
much of the morus multicaulis, but our experience compels us to 
say, that its success in the northern section of the state, is at 
least doubtful. The next question to be solved is, can the silk 
business be rendered profitable? That it can, in families who have 
females and children, who will gather the leaves and take care of 
the worms, we have no manner of doubt. The last Farmers’ Re¬ 
gister contains an interesting letter upon the subject of silk cul¬ 
ture, translated from the French, which the restricted limits of a 
monthly sheet prevents our publishing in detail, as it does many 
other articles of interest. It is written by M. Carrier, of Avey- 
ron, into which department the silk business has been recently in¬ 
troduced, to M. Bonafous, director of the royal garden at Turin, 
giving an account, among other things, of the product and profits 
