1847. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
95 
I think would not have weighed over 30 or 35 lbs. In 
February I fed with shorts, Indian meal, and a few 
potatoes and squashes, on which they gained remarka¬ 
bly well. The largest of the two weighed 408 lbs.; 
his head with the cheeks weighed 18 lbs.; hams 58 
lbs.; shoulders 26 lbs.; ribs 48 lbs.; middlings (or 
clear pork) and leaves (or lard) 258 lbs. The small 
one weighed 300 lbs.; head 13 lbs.; hams 41 lbs.; 
shoulders 21 lbs.; ribs 40 lbs.” 
Mr. Stickney informs us that he has never slaugh¬ 
tered any of his best pigs, not having as yet been 
able to supply the demand for breeding stock. He 
sends the following account of the weights of half-blood 
Suffolks— 
“Mr. L. Brooks, of Westminster, Mass., killed two 
at 7 months and 13 days old, that weighed 273 and 
275 lbs. Mr. Howard, of Walpole, N. H., killed one 
at 13 mos. old, that weighed 378 lbs., another of 12 
mos. and 22 days, weighing 369 lbs. Mr. James 
Titcomb, of the place last named, killed one at 9 mos. 
weighing 325 lbs.; his neighbor two at 7 mos. and 13 
days, weighing 262 and 296 lbs.” 
Mr. Stickney sends us also a letter from C. 
Dewolf, of Walpole, N. H., who states that he sold a 
pig of the Suffolk breed to Mr. McCormick, of that 
place, which at 7 mos. and 10 days old weighed 325 
lbs. Mr. D. adds— 
“ I sold a pig the same spring to Harvey Stearns, 
of this town, of the Suffolk blood, which, when six 
months and ten days old he slaughtered, and it weighed 
394 lbs. I sold one to Wm. F. Knapp, of Northamp¬ 
ton, Mass., last year ; he slaughtered him at 15 
months old, and his weight was 515 lbs. I could sell 
100 pigs a year of that blood if I had them ; they are 
taking the preference here over all others.” 
Agriculture in Delaware. —H. V. L. gives us 
an encouraging account of the progress of agricultural 
improvement in this State, which, though small in 
size, he thinks is “ far from being the least in import¬ 
ance.” He says : “In a few years New Castle 
County is destined to become a garden, if the farmers 
keep up the spirit of emulation which has taken pos¬ 
session of them. In this section of the county we pur¬ 
sue the five course system. 1st year corn, 2d oats, 
3d wheat, 4th clover, 5th pasture. I think it the sys¬ 
tem best adapted to our soil, which is a light loam, 
with a stiff subsoil of yellow clay. I have been follow¬ 
ing this plan of culture. The result is favorable so far. 
I came into possession of this farm five years ago. Then 
it would not have produced 5 bushels of either corn or 
oats to the acre. Now it will produce 40 bushels corn, 
and 45 oats per acre. All this has been done by marl¬ 
ing at the rate of 600 bushels shell marl to the acre, 
and turning under a crop of clover. No manure, or 
very little, has been put on the land. Marl is found 
in large quantities in this neighborhood, from 1 foot to 
20 feet below the surface of the ground. A bed of 
shell marl runs all through the northern part of this 
county, touching the upper part of Maryland, and then 
into York and Adams counties, Pennsylvania—direc¬ 
tion N. W. by S. E. It is not quite as rich in potash 
and phosphates as the Jersey marl; still it has a large 
quantity of these substances—enough to justify the 
farmer to haul it 7 or 8 miles to his land, and to re¬ 
munerate him well for his toil. It contains a large 
quantity of lime, which of itself makes it valuable as a 
manure. This much I can say for it—it is working 
wonders for us in enrichiug the soil, and producing 
heavy crops.” 
S^J. P. Mitchell, of Frankfort, Kentucky, in a 
letter to the Cultivator, says: “ My neighbors fre¬ 
quently come to me and inquire, 1 Why is it that your 
crops are twice or thrice as large as mine? 7 and ‘ Why 
is it that your land is getting richer and mine getting 
poorer? 7 My universal reply is—‘ I read the Culti¬ 
vator. 7 77 . 
Virginia Crops. —Extract of a letter dated Lynch- 
burgh, Jan. 18, 1847, from Micajah Davis, Jr., Esq.; 
—“ In this part of Virginia our corn, tobacco, oats, 
fruit and vegetables, were about an average crop; but 
the wheat was very short; being greatly injured, in 
many fields destroyed, by the Hessian fly; and what 
escaped was much injured By excessively wet weather. 
Indeed we have had but one good crop of wheat since 
1839, and rye, once the surest crop we put in the 
ground, has for years failed to such an extent that few 
sow it, and nobody accounts for the change. We have 
had a few cold mornings—mercury at 6°, 16 p , 18 Q , 
20° and 23°, but the weather has been generally very 
mild, and many more at from 45° to 56°, and on the 
morning of the 16th 608 at sunrise, and frequently 75° 
and 768 at noon.” 
“ Ribbon-Stalk Pea.” —Mr. W. H. Hayward, of 
Salem, N. H., informs us that he cultivates a kind of 
pea under this name, which he thinks may be the same 
which has been described in the Cultivator under the 
name of the “ Cluster Pea. 77 Mr. H. says: “ This 
pea grows about 3 feet in height, and is of superior 
quality for the table. It is a medium bearer, and 
comes in season with the blue imperial. It is peculiar 
in the stem, which is flat, and sometimes an inch in 
width; and in its habit of sending out the pods in one 
cluster at the head of the stalk.” He states that he 
has sent samples of this pea to the horticulturists in 
the vicinity of Boston, and kindly offers to send some to 
us. If left with Messrs. Breek & Co., Boston, they 
will reach us. . 
Heavy Pigs. —Mr. James E. Willis, of Bridge- 
water, Vermont, gives us an account of the weights ol 
thirteen pigs, of one litter , which having been killed at 
an average age of eight and a half months, gave an 
average weight of 316 lbs. 7 oz. each, or an aggre¬ 
gate of 4114 lbs. One of them, owned by John S. 
Haines, of the town mentioned, was killed the day it 
was nine months old, and weighed 425 lbs; P. Smith, 
of the same place, killed another at ten months old 
which weighed 428 lbs. The first of the litter was 
killed at seven months old, and the last at ten. These 
weights are more extraordinary than any we have ever 
before heard of, and we much doubt whether their 
equal was ever known in the same number of pigs of 
one litter. . 
Hedges and Mules for Illinois.— “A Subscri¬ 
ber,” who is about to settle in Illinois, wishes to know 
what kind of hedges are best adapted to that section— 
their cost per rod, and the length of time which is re¬ 
quired to bring them to a state in which they will b© 
“ cattle-proof.” He wishes also to know the “ average 
price of mules in Illinois, their yearly expense of keep¬ 
ing, modes of feeding, breaking, &c.” Can some of 
our correspondents answer these inquiries? 
Heaves in Horses.—Joel Funk, Urbana, Ohio, 
says: “ Half a pound gum guiacum, dissolved in whis¬ 
ky, and about a gill given to a horse daily, with his 
feed, is said to be a good remedy for heaves.” He 
further says: “ I have a valuable young horse, that is 
what our Buckeyes call ‘ heavy-winded. 7 When driven 
fast he breathes hard, but when stopped the difficulty 
ceases. Can any of your correspondents prescribe a 
remedy? 7 ’ . 
The quantity of beet sugar made the past year in 
France has greatly exceeded that of any other year, the 
amount being 88 million pounds. 
