THE CULTIVATOR. 
21 
had little expeiience, and yet it is one on winch the i fficiency and 
usefulness of our whole system of public instruction, and indeed 
our religious, moral, and we may add, political character, very ma¬ 
terially depends. 
BOOK FARAILMG. 
We have been to'd of the following 1 facts, and have only to re¬ 
gret. ihat. the like to them are not of more frequent occurrence. 
A number of intelligent farmers, residing in a neighborhood, some¬ 
where, we believe, in Dutchess county, concluded to form a farm¬ 
er’s association—to make a common stock of their knowledge and 
observation—believing that knowledge, like money, would be pro¬ 
ductive in proportion to t.tie capital. It. was known that, A. raised 
the best horses, and got the be.-t price for them; that B. was far 
more successful in his wheat and corn crops ti an his neighbors; 
that C. reared the finest neat cattle, and kept the best cows and 
oxen; that D. excelled in sheep husbandry; and, in short, that some 
individual excelled the rest in a particular branch of husbandry. 
Each possessed not only some excellence, but some glaring de¬ 
fine in bis management. Thus the farm stock of one was sickly, 
and many died, because the owner did not. know how to manage 
them; another’s larm had become dreadfully impoverished, from 
neglecting the manure, and from close cropping; while the farm 
of a i bird was neither fit for plough land, or for sweet grass, on 
account of the water which every where saturated the soil, and 
rendered it poachy, cold and sour. Unlike too many now a days, 
each of these men was conscious he could learn much from ins 
neighbor’s practice, which would enable him to manage his farm 
with more profit—and that he could teach his neighbors some¬ 
thing in return. These expectations were amply realizi d ; but as 
the members lived somewhat remote, it struck them that it would 
save much time, and be a more sure way of rendering the improve¬ 
ments of all available to each, if they were to write down their 
practice in the particular branch in which they respectively ex¬ 
celled, and the principles, or science, upon which that practice was 
based. This was accordingly done, and for their mutual conve¬ 
nience, as well as for the benefit of others, the whole was printed, 
and these men were afterwards denominated, by some of their en¬ 
vious neighbors, book-farmers , because they took their instructions 
from a ’printed book. This did not disturb them ; for they got from 
their book the secrets by which the others had excelled in their 
particular department, and each profited by the good management 
of his neighbors. The consequence was, that all gained by the 
interchange. The defects of all were speedily remedied, and in a 
few years prosperity crowned their labors; and they now exhibit, 
we aie told, the best models of profitable farming any where to be 
found in the land; and they enjoy the felicity of reflecting, that 
while they have greatlv benefitted themselves and their families, 
they have by their example and instruction, done much good to 
others. They have afforded a fair illustration of the advantages 
of book farming, when combined with lntelhgent practice. 
Were Ibis example extended to the fanning community of our- 
country, how greatly the work of improvement would advance, 
and the comforts of the human family be multiplied: were each to 
contribute his mite of practical knowledge, in the branch in which 
he most excels, what a treasure of information would be collec'ed, 
to guide us in our practice, and to stimulate us to habits of indus¬ 
try. And do we not already possess, in a considerable degree, 
these precious advantages'! What are our agricultural journals, 
hot a record of instructions, by the best farmers of our own and 
every other country—a detail of the methods by which they have 
succeeded—have excelled—in the various departments of husband, 
ry! There is not a man in the community who may not profit, in 
some degree, by the teachings of these journals. The self wise 
are ever the most profoundly ignorant; for as we advance in know¬ 
ledge, we become more and more humbled by the consciousness of 
our comparative ignorance. 
We beg that the readers of the Cultivator will take this matter 
into serious consideration, and remember, that, an obligation rests 
upon them individually, to requite the favors which they are month 
ly receiving from others, hy communicating whatever of their 
practice that may promise to be beneficial to their brother farmers. 
A correspondent recommends the rubbing of the limbs of the 
plum, with soft soap, to prevent the black canker. He says he has 
tried it with success. 
MADDER— (rubia tinctorum.) 
This plant has a perennial root, and an annual stalk. It is cul¬ 
tivated for the roots, which, after being dried and ground, are em¬ 
ployed in considerable quantities in dying a fine red color, and like¬ 
wise as a first tint lor several other shades. It is principally cul¬ 
tivated in Holland, the province of Zealand being almost entirely 
covered with it, from whence it is exported to every part of Europe 
and America, Yielding almost incalculable profits. The imports of 
this article, for the use of our manufactories, is stated to amount 
in value, to more than two millions of dullars annually. Our soil 
and climate are found to well adapted to its culture, and some suc¬ 
cessful experiments have been made in raising it in the counties of 
Madison and Otsego. We refer the reader to the communications 
of Mr. Bronson, a cultivator of it, which will be found in pp.85,141, 
of our first vo ume. We invite the attention of our farmers to the 
subject, as a matter of importance to them and ihe community at 
large. 
Madder does best in a deep rich sand Dam, moist but not wet. 
It requires three summers to come to perfection ; and as the roots 
strike deep, the ground should be ploughed and mellowed to ihe 
depth of two and a half or three feel., for its reception. Miller 
.,ays it should be planted with a dibble, (it is propagated by off-setts 
irom the old roots,) in rows from two to three feet apart ; while 
Beechstein says they should be planted only six inches asunder. 
The practice in this country, vve believe, for we are not pm tonally 
familiar with it, is to plant in rows four to five feet apart, and to 
cultivate rows of corn or potatoes between them, at bast the first 
year. The season for planting is in May or June. The acre pro¬ 
duces from ten to fifteen and twenty hundred weight. The price 
in the market is about 20 cents per pound. 
GRAIN WORM. 
We promised to insert the memorial of the State Agricultural 
Society to the Legislature m this number; but as we understand 
that the committee to whom it was referred, deem it not worth re¬ 
porting upon, we shall content ourselves with stating its purport. 
The journals of the day noticed it as being an application fur aid. 
The fact is not so. The memorial slates, that the ravages of me 
grain worm have become alarming; that in some of the northern 
and eas ern counties, the loss incident to their destruction of the 
wheat crop has already exceeded, by computation, two hundred 
thousand dollars; that it is progressing south and west, at the rate 
of 40 to 60 miles a year; and that unless sumo means are devised 
to check the evil, it threatens to become destructive to the gmat 
staple of the w-tst. Viewing 'he magnitude of the evil, and ihe 
prospectof its greatly increasing, the society thought it iniuht com¬ 
port with the duty and the dignity of the legislature, who are ap¬ 
pointed to watch over the interests of the state, to endeavor to ar¬ 
rest it, by holding out pecuniary rewards for the discovery of an 
efficient remedy. This, they supposed, would tend to cal! the at¬ 
tention of scientific as well as practical men, particulaily to the 
subject, and might eventuate in the discovery of a preventive of the 
>vil—in which case the state would be benefited a thousand times 
the value of the premium to be paid;—and if no such di.-covery 
should be made, then the money would remain in the treasury. 
There are men who still believe it is impious to raise rods to avert 
the lightning from our buildings. The money which isofien spent 
in a day’s useless debate, at the shrine of personal vanity, if offer¬ 
ed to check this evil might save the state many millions of dollars; 
and could not possibly do any harm. 
PEACII TREES. 
A correspondent of the Farmer and Gardener says, that having 
cleared his peach trees from the worms, he took some fine screen, 
ins's of anthracite coal, and having cleared away the dirt from about 
the stock, put about a quart or two of screenings to eacli; and 
that the trees thus served, were, a year afterwards, wholly free 
from worms. In corroboration of the efficiency of this remedy, we 
add, that we have applied the ashes, blended has they always are 
with fine coal, in like manner, and with like apparent succe.-s. 
Slock and Pattern Farm —A petition is before the Legislature of 
New-Humpshire, for establishing a farm of this description in some 
central part of that state. Though late, the agricultural communi¬ 
ty seem to be awakening to a sense of their importance in society. 
They are not only the main source of national wealth, but they 
