THE CULTIVATOR. 
167 
four horned sheep, is figured in the “ Library of Usejul Knowledge — 
(Farmers ’ Series.” CALEB N. BEMENT. 
Albany, Jan. 1836. 
Mr. Buel— Sir—Having had considerable experience in the culture 
of the ruta baga, and some in the mangel wurzel crops, I enclose to you 
some remarks that have not passed under my eye of late in any agricultu¬ 
ral paper. 
First, the seed should be raised from the smoothest and fairest roots, 
having the smallest and shortest necks, for in looking over the fields in 
various parts of the country, there will be found an essential difference in 
this respect when grown to maturity. 
2d. It is common at the harvest to top them at the bottom of the neck. 
Such should not be the practice when designed for seed, save the main 
stem; neither should the seed be raised near any cabbage or kale, and 
vice versa, neither should the cabbage be allowed to seed by the side of 
the ruta baga, as both belong to one family, and both will degenerate: the 
ruta baga will have long large necks, and the root rough and sprangled. 
So also will the beet gender with the mangel wurzel, and both degenerate. 
The farmer, if wise will raise his own seed, or buy only of those on whom 
he can confide as selling the genuine seed. 
The great dairy farmers in this section are waking up to their interest 
in this cultnre, and I have no doubt that the period is nigh, when the ruta 
baga will entirely supersede the growth of potatoes as a feed for sheep, cat¬ 
tle and horses; for one acre of rich land will produce on an average thrice 
as many tons of ruta baga, and will not cost in the planting, seed, tilling 
and harvesting more than one-third as much as does the potato acre, and 
is not as cold a feed in winter as the potato. On a four acre lot of ruta 
baga, the best acre last season yielded more than 20 tons, which will do 
much for 6 cows the winter on a short allowance of dry fodder, even if it 
were good straw. Our ruta baga plants of the first and second planting 
were entirely destroyed, immediately after they came out of the ground, 
by the little black insect resembling a flea. The third planting (about the 
middle of June) seemed to be hopeless for a while. Some have tried ashes 
and lime to good effect, as the plant comes out of the ground. Robin’s 
drill barrow has on my farm the last season,been worth thrice its cost (15 
dollars.) An acre of rutabaga, onions, mulberry seed, or corn, can be 
planted in 4 hours, and it would require more time and precision than any 
one would have patience to bestow, to do it as well on smooth land in any 
length of time. Mr. Bement, of Albany, is well acquainted with this la¬ 
bor saving machine, and will doubtless keep them for sale. Mr. Robins, 
of Copenhagen, Lewis county, is the patentee, and Daniel T. Buck, of 
Lowville of that county, the proprietor of this state. Green sward well 
turned over in the spring, and repeatedly harrowed lightly, is well adapted 
to growing ruta baga. 
It seems to me, sir, that our common practical farmers might often call 
on the literary and scientific agriculturists for a solution of many problems 
connected with their pursuits to acceptance and great profit. And I do so 
in relation to the expediency of taking up the stone pavement in Broad¬ 
way in New-York, and substituting wooden blocks of 1£ or 2 feet long, 
set end-ways. Will they be durable? Will the earth upon them shut the 
pores of the wood and become so impervious as to exclude the air, that 
they will not decay ? If so—we too in the interior can substitute wooden 
blocks for stone; and we have yet some roads to make, over which stands 
a sufficient growth of timber, and that in wet mucky swampy land, where 
I should think wooden blocks w’ould be more durable than in Broadway. 
I learn that this improvement (if it be such) is from the Russian practice 
of road making. An article on the philosophy and principles connected 
therewith, I am sure would be read with much interest by the subscri¬ 
bers for your valuable paner. With much respect, I am yours, 
EPHRAIM PERKINS. 
South Trenton, Oneida Co. Jan. 15, 1836. 
I concur with Mr. Perkins in the above. Yours truly, 
S. Trenton, Jan. 18, 1836. M. A. POWELL. 
Montgomery Co. JV. Y. Jan. 20, 1836. 
IMPROVED PLAN FOR SETTING GATE AND FENCE POSTS.-WA¬ 
TER LIME AS A SUBSTITUE FOR PAINT, AND FOR TOPPING OUT 
CHIMNIES, AND PLASTERIN GQiV ALLS OF HUOSES. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Sir—Being desirous of giving publicity to any facts 
that may be of use to the community, I am induced to communicate the 
result of some experiments made with the above mentioned objects in 
view. 
Something greatly desirable in setting gate posts i3, to have them fixed 
in the ground with the greatest solidity and firmness, and at the same time 
have the part beneath the surface preserved from decay. This end may 
be obtained in this manner: The hole for receiving the post is dug of a 
sufficient width to allow a space all round the post of from eight to twelve 
inches, and of a depth of from two to three feet. The post, which should 
be of hard and well seasoned wood, and of a size that will not render it 
liable to bending, is placed in the hole, and supported in an upright posi¬ 
tion and the hole filled up with cobble stones, the largest of which would 
pass through a ring of live inches diameter. A thin mortar, or grout, is then 
formed ot two parts sand and one part water-lime, and being of a consis¬ 
tency to run freely, is poured on to the stones and entirely fills up the 
interstices between the stones, and in a few days firmly fixes the stones 
to each other and to the post, and the whole becomes as one solid piece 
of stone of the required shape to surround the post, without leaving space 
for the admission of water. This operation is the same with that in ma¬ 
king cisterns of a certain kind recently invented and patented by a citizen 
of this state. 
It will be observed that this manner of setting posts for farm gates dis¬ 
penses with resorting to anchors and braces to give the required firmness. 
For setting fence posts this plan will perhaps be advisable only when of 
the best seasoned cedar, some of which, of the red species, are known to 
the undersigned to exist in a sound state at this time, that were taken 
from the stump in the year 1745. 
As a cheap and valuable substitute for paint for outhouses the same ar¬ 
ticle mentioned above has been used to a considerable extent in this vici¬ 
nity, and with the most decided success. The ingredients are the most 
simple and easily procured, though one is of a nature that would not at 
first be considered as suitable for uses of this kind. To give greater ad¬ 
hesiveness to the cement, or water-lime, when it is to dry in the open 
air, milk that has had the greater part of the cream taken from it has been 
used. This and the cement are used instead of oil and white lead, or 
other paint. When a different colour from the natural, (a dusky white) 
is desired, a small proportion of common paint is added to give the colour. 
One peck of cement, which costs one shilling, and five pounds Spanish 
brown, costing about four times that amount, will form a paint, and of 
a very good colour, for an ordinary sized barn. This is for one coat, and 
for two about twice the quantities will be necessary. It forms a durable 
paint and effectually preserves the boards from decay. Cement in the 
vicinity of Albany costs about two dollars per barrel. The nearest manu¬ 
factory is that of Messrs. J. Van Eps & Co., Amsterdam, whose cement 
is of the lightest colour, and therefore best fitted for paint. 
Chimnies when laid up wholly with quick-lime, are subject to having 
the top bricks become loose and fall off by the crumbling of the mortar. 
This difficulty is avoided by the use of equal parts of quick-lime and ce¬ 
ment. Mortar of the same kind may be used to advantage in plastering 
walls, or for a second coat after the first of quicklime has been roughened, 
when it will make an excellent hard finish. H. VAN EPS. 
Cattle anel Slieep Husbandry. 
SHEEP. 
Agriculturists have applied different names to the sheep according to its 
sex and age. 
The male is called a ram or tup. While he is with the mother, he is 
denominated a tup or ram-lamb, a heeder; and in some parts of the west 
of England, a.pur-lamb. From the time of his weaning, and until he is 
shorn, he has a variety of names: he is called a hog, a hogget, a hogga- 
ret, a lamb-hog, a tup-hog, or a teg; and, if castrated, a wether hog. 
After shearing, when probably he is a year and a half old, he is called a 
shearing, a shearling, a diamond or dinmont ram, or tup; and a shear¬ 
ing wether, &c. when castrated. After the second shearing he is a two- 
shear ram, or tup, or wether; at the expiration of another year he is a 
three-shear ram, &c.; the name always taking its date from the time of 
shearing. 
In many parts of the north of England and Scotland he is a tup-lamb 
after he is salved, and until he is shorn, and then a tup-hog, and after 
that, a tup, or if castrated, a dinmont or a wedder. 
The female is a ewe or gimmer lamb, until weaned; and then a gim- 
mer hog, or ewe hog, or teg, or sheeder ewe. After being shorn she is a 
shearing ewe or gimmer, sometimes a theave, or double-toothed ewe, or 
teg ; and afterwards, a two-shear, or three-shear, or a four or six-tooth 
ewe or theave. In some of the northern districts, ewes that are barren, 
or that have weaned their lambs, are called eild or yeld ewes. 
The age of sheep is not reckoned from the time that they are dropped, 
but from the first shearing, although the first year may thus include fif¬ 
teen or sixteen months, and sometimes more. 
When there is doubt about the age of a sheep, recourse is had to the 
teeth, for there is even more uncertainty about the horn in horned sheep, 
than there is in cattle; and ewes that have been early bred from, will al¬ 
ways, according to the rings on the horn, appear a year older than others 
that, although of the same age, have been longer kept from the ram. 
It has already been stated, that sheep have no teeth in the upper jaw, 
but the bars or ridges of the palate thicken as they approach the fore part 
of the mouth; there also the dense, fibrous, elastic matter of which they 
are constructed, becomes condensed, and forms a cushion or bed that 
covers the convex extremity of the upper jaw, and occupies the place of 
the upper incisor or cutting teeth, and partially discharges their function. 
The herbage is firmly held between the front teeth in the lower jaw and 
this pad, and thus partly bitten, and partly torn asunder. The nodding 
motion of the head of the sheep is a sufficient proof of this. 
This animal is one of those especially destined to support man with his 
