134 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Wo gave in our last, a communication from Mr. Burrows, detail¬ 
ing the uncommon fertility produced by the wool tags and other re¬ 
fuse of a woollen factory. We have another remarkable fact to 
narrate, in corroboration of Mr. B.’s statement :—Mr. Hubbard, of 
Middletown, Conn, informs us, that he cut fifteen tons of hay from 
three acres of land, at one cropping, which had been brought to this 
state of fertility, from a low condition, by the sweepings of his wool¬ 
len factory. Bets having been made by his neighbors on the amount 
of the crop, the whole was accurately weighed. Mr. H.’s profit at 
this time, may be estimated at $100 per acre—a handsome return 
for Yankee industry. Chaptal pronounces this manure the most 
valuable that can be employed. 
MAMMOTH PRODUCTS OF A MAMMOTH DAIRY. 
We called to see the extraordinary cheeses from the dairy of Col. 
T. M. Meacham, of Oswego county, when they were exhibited in 
town. There were ten, weighing in the aggregate nearly 8,000 lbs. 
and surpassing in magnitude any thing of the kind we had before 
seen, or read of. One, weighing more than 1,400 lbs. is destined as 
a present to the President of the U. States. The others, weighing 
700 lbs. each, have inscribed upon them, severally, the names of ci¬ 
ties, public bodies and individuals, that is to say—the Vice President 
of the United States, the Governor of the State of New-York, the 
Congress of the United States, the Legislature of the State of New- 
York,—the Cities of New-York, Albany and Troy.—the Hon. Da¬ 
niel Webster, &c. The cloth cases which severally enclose these 
monstrous productions, are tastefully decorated with mottos, in¬ 
scriptions and paintings, and they are transported in boxes made to 
fit them. The proprietor is desirous of receiving contributions to 
remunerate him somewhat for his expense and labor, in which we 
hope he may prove successful, and to present the cheeses according 
to the inscriptions upon them, in behalf of the people of the state of 
New-York. We highly commend the enterprise of Col. Meacham, 
yet we confess we cannot exactly applaud the manner in which it 
lias been displayed. 
The advantages of a farm upon the Hudson are particularly illus¬ 
trated by the fact, that a farmer in our vicinity has sold his surplus 
crop of hay, recently for <154,0U0, destined for the New-Orleans mar¬ 
ket. 
_ CO K K KSPON DEN C E. _ 
CORN—POTATOES—RUTA BAGA. 
Trenton, Oneida Co. Nov. 1835. 
Dear Sir—Agreeable to your request, when I saw you in May 
last, I herewith transmit to you the result of some experiments, I at 
that time contemplated making, particularly in the growth of Indian 
corn, potatoes, and ruta baga turnip. This section of country is ce¬ 
lebrated for grass and grazing, and most of our farmers have em¬ 
barked in the dairy business, under a belief that the soil and climate 
is unfavorable to the growth of all kinds of grain excepting oats. 
This being the second year that agricultural business has occupied 
exclusively my attention, my operations as yet are small. 
I had a ten acre lot of stiff, strong sward, that had not been 
ploughed for many years ; this I intended turning over chiefly for In¬ 
dian corn ; in one corner of which I measured off one acre for corn, 
and by the side of it, one other acre for potatoes, drew on about 
twenty loads yard manure to the acre, on each, turned it over, fol¬ 
lowing the plough with the roller, harrowed and furrowed it three 
feet apart from north to south, put down about the same quantity of 
manure in the hills that was turned under. Commenced planting 
corn 20th May, seed soaked, rolled in tar and water and plaster : 
put down 4 grains in a hill, one foot apart; we planted the first day 
about one quarter of an acre, which came up wel', the rest was plant¬ 
ed on the 22d and 23d, and owing, as I thought, to the seed laying 
too long in the hot sun after being soaked, before it was planted, did 
not come up scarcely one hill in a row : we replanted on the 2d and 
3J June, which came up well. 
In consequence of the late planting and the unfavorable season, 
I long since abandoned the idea of obtaining more than a common 
crop. It, however, grew well; we gave it two good dressings with 
the cultivator and hand hoe. On *be 6th Sept, we had a frost that 
checked its growth, and on the nights of the 12th and 13th Sept, 
were killing frosts ; while it, appeared to be in full bloom, on the 
14th, we cut it all up by the roots and placed it in small stocks, 
where it remained until about the middle of October, when we husk¬ 
ed it out, taking care to keep the one-fourth acre first planted, by 
itself. We husked in a large basket holding little more than a bush¬ 
el. We took from the quarter acre, forty-eight baskets, one of 
which we spread on the shelves in the milk bouse, where we 
kept a fire in a stove, and left it about ten days, then shelled it out, 
and got 17 quarts 1 pint shelled corn, giving 26 bushels 8 qts. or 105 
bushels to the acre. The other three-fourths did not do as well, but 
taking it together, we got 94 bushels and 2 qts. shelled corn. I 
would not wish it understood from the above, that I am in favor of 
late planting, by no means. I am decidedly in favor of early plant¬ 
ing, (weather and land permitting.) I would never leave it later 
than 10th May. Urgent business calling me f om home, was the 
cause of my late planting at this time. 
Potatoes. —My potato ground was prepared the same as for the 
corn and planted the first and second days of June—furrows three 
feet apart one way, seed all whole and large, put down one in a 
place, one foot apart; we gave them one good dressing with the 
plough and hand hoe, which was all that was done to them until har¬ 
vesting. About one-quarter was planted with the pink-eye, the rest 
with the orange potato. We took up 519| baskets weighing each 
69 lbs. A fair measured bushel potatoes weighs 64 lbs. By this 
standard we got 560 bushels as fine potatoes probably as is often 
taken out the ground. The orange yielded about 8 per cent more 
than the pink-eye. In no part of my farm did potatoes yield as much 
by one-quarter, as they did the preceding year; I do not, therefore, 
consider the yield of 560 bushels to the acre, by any means a large 
one. 
Ruta Baga. —The ground planted was barely sufficient to give 
a fair trial, less than half an acre, part of it on sward, and part on 
ground where potatoes were raised last year. Those where potatoes 
grew the preceding year, were the best. I measured from one end 
of the patch, twenty square rods, from which we got 154^ bushels, 
or 1,236 bushels to the acre, 55 lbs. to the bushel. The ground wag 
ploughed but once, threw into ridges about three feet apart, a man 
sent ahead with a hoe to level the tops of the ridges, following my¬ 
self with a tin canister with two small holes in it, with the seed in. 
(And here, in justice, I must acknowledge the receipt of the simple 
idea obtained from the Cultivator, in a communication in the May 
number of this year, from William R. Smith, of Macedon, which I 
consider of more value to me, than many years subscription to the 
Cultivator.) This canister I shook over the ridge, passing nearly on 
a common walk ; a boy following with a garden rake, to cover the 
seed, and it was done. The seed came up well—required a little 
thinning in some places, and filling up in others. I consider the 
ruta baga a crop which every farmer should raise, particularly the 
poor man, who keeps but one cow, and hires a tenement, with but 
one acre of land. Let him set off one quarter of an acre and plant, 
it with ruta baga; with proper treatment, this would furnish his ta¬ 
ble nearly the year round with an excellent vegetable, and with the 
aid of a few bundles of straw, winter his cow better than she could 
he wintered on hay. Mine were planted 7th. June, which in our 
latitude I think is not too early. I will endeavor to make as near an 
estimate of the expense of the cultivation as I can, commencing 
with the corn. 
Dr. —Ploughing, harrowing and furrowing 1 j days, at 16 shillings 
per day,... $3 00 
Planting, 4 days’ work, at 6s. per day,.. 3 00 
Drawing on 40 loads manure, at 20 cents,. 8 00 
First dressing with cultivator, half day,. 1 00 
Six days’ work hoeing first time,. 4 50 
Six days’ work second dressing,. 4 50 
Halfday with the cultivator,.-. 1 00 
Seed $1, interest on cost of land, $3.50. 4 50 
Total,.$29 50 
Cr. —By 94 bushels of corn, at 6s.$70 50 
Expenses,. 29 50 
Profit,.$41 00 
I have not taken into calculation the expense of harvesting, con¬ 
sidering the fodder to be ample pay. 
Potatoes. Dr. 
Ploughing, harrowing and furrowing,. $3 00 
Planting, 4 days’ work, at 6s. per day,. 3 00 
Ploughing 1 day,. 2 00 
Hoeing 4 days, at 6s. 3 00 
