T1IE CULTIVATOR 
57 
writiny on h subject of so much importance, and whose principal 
apology is in belonging to (lie class who are most immediately in¬ 
terested in such considerations. To this is joined the hope, that, it 
may he the means of eliciting from some of your readers, with 
whose thoughts and feelings it is 1'amiliaily identified, such view- 
and suggestions as may promote the end designed. When the 
means of intelligence can be commanded and desired by the pro¬ 
ducing classes, unu agriculture and knowledge become synony¬ 
mous, all wi 1 be realized that pit lantliropy and patriotism havi 
contemplated. Traits of character, both • f virtue and ta ent, will 
arise from the ohscme-t recesses of the country, from quarto 
little expected and now unavailable. Schemes of nnceitain specu¬ 
lation will cease to attract so many of our most promising \ out h, and 
scientific agiiculture regain tlie rank to which its bearing on the 
happiness of mankind entitles it. S. W. G. 
Huntington , L. I. May 2.'/, 1835. 
CATEPILLARS. 
Mr. Buel —In the Cultivator for June last, T noticed an article 
on destroying the caterpiller, signed bv Mr. Bridges, in which he 
speaks of killing the worms ami destroying the eggs, by the sa i e 
operat on If it would not. be thought too trillng. I would correct 
an error which he has evidently fallen into, in supposing that he 
not only killed the worms, b"t destroyed the eggs. The fact is. 
th.it the eggs are never to be found in the nest or web that con¬ 
tains the worms. They are deposited in a sort of glutinous enve¬ 
lope, around some of ihe small or outer branches of the trees, in 
the summer or autumn of the preceding year, (as I suppose,) and 
I hav - hut little doubt but that it is done in the latter part of au 
tunin by the insect, when in the winced state, and not by a worm. 
Probably all of these eggs are hatched during the time tlm buds ore 
expanding into leaves, and the great error is that the work of de¬ 
struction is not commenced soon enough, by those who would pre¬ 
serve their trees from injury. This should be done as soon as the 
worms can be detected by means of their web. Yesterday, on a 
small tree of mine, by means of their ueb, I detected a company 
of these caterpillars, which, three days before, were (probably) 
in the egg. The house which contained the eggs, from which they 
had emerged, 1 found near the end of the same branch on which 
they had commenced their web. Let those who would preserve 
their trees despatch the worms on tl.eir first appearance. 
Qucy .—Does thecaterpilier undergo a transformation, bv which 
it assumes wings? JOHN I. WILSON. 
Port Byron, April 17, 1835. 
Remark. —When tl.e leaf-bml is bursting, a colnnv of calerpillers mav be 
covered with three lingers, arid easily destroyed; and even now, tliey will be 
found concentrated on a small spot in the morning, and may then readily be 
destroyed by a brush, or squab, affixed to a pole. The caterpiller does un¬ 
dergo a transformation. — (tend. 
QUERIES. 
Mr. Buel —Allow a sub.-criber to make a few brief inquiries. 
Is it not an error (if one, venerable for its agf, I confess,) to 
suppose that vegetable mat or must lie reduced to ‘-food for 
plants,’’ by the process of fermentation ? Is it. not, true that by the 
lowest degree of heat tit which fermentation can be produced the 
most valuable part of vegetable matter, consisting of the various 
gttses, are d iven off, and that there is as much difference between 
vegetables before and after the application of heat, as there is be- 
t ■ een bread “ with the gin in it,” and bread made of dour from 
which the alcohol has been distilled 1 
Are not the various vegetable substances from which manure is 
generally made, hay, straw, &,c. &.o. capable of being sufficient Iv 
decomposed for the purpose intended, by being intermixed with 
dung ..r rotten vegetable matter, .and kept in a heap quite moist 
and sheltered from the sun—and by such process would the sub¬ 
stance- to be produced lo-e tiieir properties as is above supposed 
in the case of fermentation ? 
Have we in this country any thing answering precisely to the 
prat of the old world ? 
answers. 
1. Fermentation denotes ‘•that > itange in the principles of or¬ 
ganic bodies, which begins to take place spontaneously, as S"on 
as their vital finctio s have c a sell, and by them are at leimth re¬ 
duce 1 to their first principles.” Vegetables as well as animals are 
Vol. II. 8 
organic bodies. Fermentation lias been distinguished into thtee 
stages: the vinous or spirituous, the acid or .acetous, ami the pu¬ 
trid. The disengagement of gas'-ous matters from dead veueta- 
bles is therefore a sure indication that fermentation has commenc¬ 
ed. It can only be prevented or retarded, by the absence < f beat, 
moisture or the oxygen ol the atmosphere. Thus seeds maybe 
buried deep, beyond the reach of the atmosphere, < r excluded from 
moisture, and the egg may bo rendered impervious to atmosphere 
mfiuem e, for years, with ut losing their vitality, or their power 
to germinate or hatch; and until vitality has become extinct, nei¬ 
ther the seed nor the egg will give otl gas, or food for plants.-— 
Ammonia is given off only in putrid, or the highest stage of fer¬ 
mentation, and i- supposed to result from a union of the hydrogen 
and nitrogen of the decomposing matter. From ihose considera¬ 
tions we are induced to think that the old received opiiiir n is a cor¬ 
ed one, that vegetable matter must undergo fei mentation before 
it can become the food of plants. 
2. “ Peat, or turf, is a congeries of vegetable matters, in which 
the remains of organization are more or le.-s visible; consisting o ' 
trunks of trees, of leaves, fruits, stringy fibres, and the r mains 
of aquatic mosses.” Peat is fo n I in varioi s parts of our conntiy, 
though tl.e remains of aquatic mo.-se- are less abundant, perhaps 
here than in Europe. The term we think is correctly applied w hen 
the vegetable matter is capable, by being cut and dried, of being 
converted into fuel, tin ugh the quality of American pr at may differ 
somewhat from that which is found in northern Europe. Peat is 
found near Philadelphia: it has been long used at Poughkeepsie; 
and we have seen much of it undergoing the drying process in the 
state of Massachusetts. It is usually denominated turf with us, as 
it is in Ireland. 
Tillage Husbandry* 
There are few furmeis, if any, w lm. in our opinion, manage tlieir corn crop 
m..re judiciously than Mr. Clutmller. The variety of corn lie cultivates is 
the same we have cultivated and recommended for 12 or 14 rears. 11 is 
method of ploughing immediately before plaining—of using the barrow, 
roller and cultivator—of not earthing the bids, and of sleeping the seed in a 
solution of nitre—are also the methods we have puisued. Yet there are 
points in which we differ. Mr. C. sows turnip seeds at his last dressing.—• 
We arc perfectly satisfied ol the mill y of this practice, and intend to adopt 
it. He speaks of the plough in dressing corn; we do not use it. We think 
its use prejudicial, in breaking the roots, and in limiting their range for nu¬ 
triment. He says nothing of harvesting the crop. We harvest ours early 
in tsepiember, which w ill give the turnip crop an opportunity of coming lo 
something, lie plants at tfj feet hy 18 inches—we at 21 by 3. He leaves 
six or e ; ght and w e four stalks in a lull. Hut the material point of differ¬ 
ence is in manuring; he harrows in his manure, or puls it in the hills; we 
plough it in; he uses compost, i. e. rotted dung mixed with earth or other 
matters—we rotted stable dung. 
If dung is long, or unferinented, its first fertilizing properties ascend, in tbe 
form of gas, and it should hence be buried at the hot'om of the furrow, 
w here the roots ultimately seek for it. Hut if it is short manure, w hich lias 
principal y las' its volatile properties, its feriiliztng properties will sink, and 
hence il is proper o apply il near llie surface. As to dunging in the hill or 
spreading broadcast, although Mr. Chandler's experiments seem to favor the 
former mode, we arc nevertheless inclined lo think, both from theory and 
practice, that further experiments will induce him lo adopt a contrary opi¬ 
nion, especially if he uses, as we do, unlermented manure for Ids corn crop. 
We are not pertinacious in our opinions, and are sensible of our imperfec¬ 
tions. 
From the New- England Farmer. 
INDIAN CORN. 
Sir —Having been often requested both by scientific and practi¬ 
cal farmers, to publish my method of growing Indian corn, I take 
the liberty to offer to the public, through your useful Journal, the 
New-England Fanner, a few practical hints to young corn-grow¬ 
ers. The reader will readily perceive, that I am more used to 
handling the plough and hoe than the pen, consequently he will 
exons me, if 1 should now and then make a baulk with the latter. 
In this, I shall give the re-ult of my experience, in raising corn oil 
green sword, so called. 
I plough as late, or as near to planting in the spring as possible, 
sons to turn under as much growth of green grass a: I possibly 
cart, which will immediately ferment, anil help to decompose the 
old fog and sward, which makes the best of food for the latter 
.■r ivvtli of the corn. I usually plough one day, anil plant the next, 
in the following manner: I commence on the fuitber side «.t long¬ 
est way ol the field; after ploughing one day or so, I cart on to th*j 
furrows, and drop in Leaps, at die rate ot about twenty ox cart 
