THE CULTIVATOR. 
79 
Alternating crops. —The present season has afforded a good op¬ 
portunity of testing the utility of alternating tillage and grass 
crops: For, so far as our observation has extended, meadows of 
similar quality of soil, have been productive in an inverse ratio to 
their age, i. e. the longer they have been in grass, the lighter the 
product. In some instances the difference has been three to one 
in favor of the new stocked lands. The more than common diffe¬ 
rence apparent the present year we ascribe to the want of heavy 
rains, in the last autumn, winter and spring. The light rains 
penetrated more readily grounds which had recently been under the 
plough, and which were comparatively porous and pulverent, than 
they did those which were rendered in a manner impervious, and 
which had remained for years undisturbed by the plough. But if 
grass greatly deteriorates, grains do much more so, without heavy 
dressings of manure, and the alternation of roots. Tillage is ad¬ 
mirably fitted to pulverize, clean and prepare the soil for grasses ; 
and grass leys are equally beneficial to tillage crops, by the vege¬ 
table matter—the food—which they give to the soil. We always 
suspect, that the man who advertises his farm, as “ suitably di¬ 
vided into plough, meadow, and pasture land,” pursues the old 
platform system, and that he knows nothing of the immense ad¬ 
vantages, particularly upon sands, gravels and loams, which re¬ 
sult from a judicious system of alternate husbandry. We do not 
wonder that such a farmer, now-a-days, should be obliged to sell 
his farm. Pastures, as well as tillage and grass crops, are aug¬ 
mented in value by the alternating system. There are districts 
which form an exception to the rule; but generally, every acre of 
a farm, which is not a rock, may, by thorough drainage, be ren¬ 
dered capable of yielding grain, grass or pasture; and the interests 
of the cultivator would be promoted by subjecting them to this al¬ 
ternation. 
Grafting in May anil June, is recommended, in Loudon’s Gar¬ 
deners’ Magazine, by Mr. Thom, as preferable to March and April. 
We remember that Mr. Corse, of Montreal, recommending to us 
a like course. He had succeeded with grafts that had lain for 
weeks in his room, and which were dry, shrivelled and apparently 
dead. 
Dear Fruit. Loudon’s Magazine for June, quotes the price of 
peaches in Covent Garden market, at £3 ($13.33) per dozen, 
about 111 cents each ! cherries at £1 to £1 10s. per lb. and straw¬ 
berries at Is. to Is. 6 d. f22 to 33 cents) per ounce! These were 
of course forced fruits. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
“I have heard it asserted, that rye grown in an orchard will 
certainly destroy it. By publishing your opinion on the subject, 
you may perhaps give important information to others as well as 
myself.— B . Bucks Co., Pa. 
Answer —We have had no practical experience in this matter, 
nor have we seen the fact before stated. We should infer, that in 
sowing rye among apple trees, the grain, rather than the trees, 
would be most likely to suffer. 
Our Bucks Co. correspondent adds, “ l had an ox in the fall af¬ 
fected with a disease very much resembling the cholera in the hu¬ 
man species. I gave him iintseed oil and glauber salts through 
the day, but without any good effect. By evening he became so 
weak, and appeared to have so much pain, that he could no longer 
get up. I then gave him about half a pint of strongly camphorated 
whiskey, and left him for the night. The next morning he was 
well, with the exception of weakness, and soon recovered.” 
Bee-House —“ I wish you would describe the inside fixture of 
your bee-house. Is there staging all round to support the comb ? 
and is the box in which the bees are when put in finally left?”— 
W. Cowan, Lower Chaunford, Pa. 
Answer —The staging in our garret bee-house is the breadth of 
the cormnon hive. It should be somewhat broader. It may be up¬ 
on one, two or three sides, according to the size of the apartment, 
but at least on the side next the wall, where the aperture is made 
for the passage of the bees through the wall. The hive is placed 
directly above this aperture, where a place is previously fitted for its 
reception, and it remains there permanently. The staging resem¬ 
bles the shelves of a dry goods store, 6 to 12 inches apart, with 
three or four laths substituted for the board shelves. 
“ I have a grape vine in my garden, which is a very fine pro¬ 
miser, but no bearer, owing, I presume, to its want of a mate to 
fructify its blossoms. It has been in this town many years, but 
never brought any fruit to maturity. I send you a branch with the 
blossoms and leaves. Be pleased to inform me how it may be ren¬ 
dered productive, or send me a mate — Jesse Gove, Rutland, Vt. 
We apprehend our old school-mate and his neighbors have been 
bestowing their labor upon a seedling vine, which will never af¬ 
ford them fruit, even with the assistance of a mate. Vines raised 
from seed often prove barren, for want of the pistil, the female 
organ of the flower, and we know of no process by which such 
can be rendered fertile. Our practice has been to throw them 
away. We advise Mr. G. to follow our example, and to raise 
from cuttings of vines known to be fertile. His specimens came 
to hand, but the bloss< ms were too much decayed to permit us to 
determine their character. 
Hedges. —Reuben Wheeler, of Vergennes, Vt., recommends 
what he terms the white thorn as a superior plant for hedges. 
He directs that the haws, or seeds be gathered in the fall, buried 
in the ground, and suffered to remain there till the second spring, 
when they may be sown in drills—they will grow one foot the first 
season, and if properly managed will make a good fence in six 
years. As the white thorn (C. oxyacantha) is exotic, and we be¬ 
lieve not yet introduced into Vermont, we presume Mr. Wheeler 
has allusion to some of the indigenous species, which are of more 
vigorous growth than the white thorn of Europe. In burying the 
haws, we have mixed two parts of earth with one of seed, laid 
them in a ridge upon the surface, in the garden, and covered with 
about three inches of mould. They were once overhauled during 
the summer, replaced and recovered. In the autumn following 
they were found to have germinated, and were then sown iri drills. 
Mr. Wheeler sends us also his mode of making pickles, which 
is, to take for each barrel 4 lbs. good salt, \ lb. alum, 1 lb. salt 
petre, with water enough to cover the cucumbers when the barrel 
is filled. Wash the cucumbers when put in, and keep the barrel 
in a cool place. When wanted for use, take them from the pickle, 
and turn upon them scalding vinegar. They will be fit for the ta¬ 
ble in 24 hours, fresh and green. 
Rhubarb, or Pieplant. —The seed of this plant having ripen¬ 
ed, it may be sown immediately with advantage, on abed of good 
earth. Sow in drills, cover the seeds l of an inch, press the earth 
smarthly to them, thin the plants, and next spring they may be 
planted out, at a yard apart, and the stalks may be used the first 
season. 
Mowing Machines. —Two implements have recently been invent¬ 
ed, one we believe in Columbia and the other in Montgomery, for 
cutting grass by horse power. We have seen the latter; but as 
we did not witness its operation, we are not prepared to speak of 
its merits. 
SAXONY SHEEP. 
fit was not until to-day (July 29) that the article from which the following ex¬ 
tract is made, met our eye. Our correspondent R. in our May No. in an 
swering queries which we sent him, animadverted somewhat severely 
upon the Saxony breed of this animal. Mr. Grove, who is owner of a 
large flock of Saxons, selected by himself in Germany, an excellent sheep 
manager, and a gentleman whom we highly respect and esteem, thinking 
the communication of R. calculated to prejudice his interests, published a 
reply in the June No. of the New-York Farmer. We make from it the fol¬ 
lowing extract, unsolicited, as an act of justice to Mr. Grove ; and at the 
same time venture to express our belief, that our correspondent R. intend¬ 
ed nothing personal in his communication to the prejudice of Mr. G. For 
ourselves, never having been engaged in the sheep business, and knowing 
very little of the relative merit of breeds, we are free to say, it did not oc¬ 
cur to us that injury would accrue to the feelings or interests of any indi¬ 
vidual from the publication.] 
THE EXTRACT. 
“ There is in Saxony a breed of sheep which were introduced 
and reared with great care by Augustus, Elector of Saxony and 
King of Poland, which, in commenoration of the introducer, have 
been called the Electoral breed. I was brought up in that coun¬ 
try to rural husbandry, particularly to the care and management 
of sheep, and was perfectly acquainted with the purest and most 
celebrated flocks. From these I selected my sheep, and brought 
them to this country. They bore the fatigues of the voyage re- 
