1847. 
THE CULTIVATOR. M3 
MONTHLY NOTICES—TO CORRESPONDENTS, &c. 
Communications have been received during the last 
month, from Solon Ramsdell, One of your "Subscribers, 
Wm. R. Prince, Wm. A. Wolcott, A Subscriber, Plow- 
boy, Caius, Z. C. Robbins, J. W. H., A Young Farmer, 
S. W. Jewett, D. G. W., Agricola, H. Palmer, D. T., A 
Subscriber, David Thomas, I. A. H., Wm. Wallis, J. 
D. Jones : , J. D., A Bee Keeper, Queens County, F. K. 
Phenix, Charles Steane, Spalding, T. C. Peters, H. D. 
R., W. H. Hayward, D. S. Howard. 
Books, Pamphlets, ho. have been received as fol¬ 
lows History of Wyoming, by Charles Minor,, an 
elegantly bound copy, from some unknown friend.- 
Transactions of Rensselaer Co. Ag. Society for 1846, 
from Geo. Vail, Esq.-A pint of Osage Orange seed, 
from Messrs. Ely & Campbell, Cincinnati.--Parts 
V and VI of Dombey & Son, illustrated edition of Lea 
& Blanchard, Philadelphia, from the publishers.-- 
Abstract from the Returns of the Agricultural Societies 
in Massachusetts, from Wm. Bacon, Esq.-Prize List 
of the Windsor Co. (Vt.) Ag. Society. 
We tender our thanks to Mf.Colman, for three beau¬ 
tiful volumes which he has just sent us from London, 
entitled, I. The Cultivation of Flax ; the Fattening 
of Cattle with native produce; Barn-feeding and Sum¬ 
mer-grazing, by John Warnes, Esq. II. A Series of 
Letters on Agricultural Improvement, by John J. 
Mechi. III. Practical Farming and Grazing, with ob¬ 
servations on the breeding and feeding of sheep and cat¬ 
tle, &c., by C. Hillyard, Esq. 
^■We have received from Wm. Sttckney, Esq., of 
Boston, a ham from one of his Suffolk pigs, cured after 
the mode mentioned in our February number, page 59. 
It is our opinjpn, as well as that of some of our friends of 
taste ,that the ham is a very fine one; but though we would 
institute no invidious Comparison, we are of the opinion 
that the excellence is more owing to the breed of pigs 
than to the mode of curing. 
Egyptian Corn. —We have received from Cyrus 
Ingalls, Esq., of New Hartford, Oneida county, N. Y., 
a sample of this kind of grain. A variety quite similar 
to this has been cultivated in this county, chiefly as a 
curiosity, for several years. It is of the same family as 
broom corn, producing its seed in a similar manner. 
We are not aware that it has any particular qualities 
which would render its cultivation profitable. 
Osage Orange. —We are pleased to learn that Mr. 
Thorburn of this city has received a quantity of the 
seed of the Osage Orange. It comes direct from its 
native country, the banks of Red River in Texas. It is 
highly recommended as a hedge plant, and for this pur¬ 
pose is considerably cultivated in some of the south¬ 
western States. We have seen some fine hedges of it 
in the neighborhood of Cincinnati and other parts of 
southern Ohio. How it may stand the winters of this 
latitude we are unable to say, but deem it well worth a 
trial, being confident that it will answer admirably if it 
should prove sufficiently hardy. From a communication 
in reference to the cultivation of this plant, published in 
the Cincinnati Gazette, we extract the following :— 
u The best way to start a hedge of this plant, is to 
procure some of the seeds, of which about 7,000 are 
comprised in a quart. Scald them in water near the 
boiling point, and plant them in nursery beds, in good 
soil, and keep down the weeds the first year. In trans¬ 
planting, the plants should be set about 12 inches apart. 
These facts will enable any person , to form a correct 
judgment of the number necessary to plant in any given 
length of hedge. The seed should be sown early in the 
spring, and if not preferred to sow as above in a nur¬ 
sery bed, to be afterwards transplanted, it may be sown 
where the fence is wanted, by preparing the ground, 
and using a garden line to get the fence straight, cover¬ 
ing the seed lightly with fine earth. When the plants 
are up, they must be kept clean and well hoed ; and in 
the fail they should be headed down to within two or 
three inches of the ground. 77 
The price of the seed is $3.50 per quart. A quart is 
said to contain from 7,000 to 8.000 seeds. It is for 
sale by Mr. Thorburn, corner of Broadway and Maiden 
Lane. 
Address at the State Fair. —It will be seen by # 
reference to the doings of the Executive Committee,, 
published in this number, that the Hon. Silas Wright 
has consented to deliver the address at Saratoga, on the 
occasion of the Fair. 
New Horticultural Work. —It will be seen by a 
notice in this paper, that the Massachusetts Horticul¬ 
tural Societji is about to commence the publication of its 
Transactions. The work will be issued in Parts, as 
the materials accumulate; and each Part will contain 
from four to six Plates, chiefly of Fruits, but oc- 
sionally of Flowers, drawn and colored from nature, 
by the best talent the eounti-'y can produce. It Mill 
contain accurate descriptions of the Fruits and -Flowers-, 
of which plates are given, original papers from the 
regular and corresponding members of the Society, its 
proceedings, &c., &e. From the talent, good taste and 
energy embodied in this Society, we confidently antiei- 
cipate a work of great practical value, in a most taste¬ 
ful dress. 
Rensselaer Institute. —By reference to an adver¬ 
tisement in this number , it will be seen that the summer 
term will commence on the 5th of the present month. 
We believe this to be one of the most useful institutions 
in the country, and cordially recommend it to those who 
wish their sons to pursue a course of studies '..which is 
particularly calculated to the adaptation of the sciences 
to agriculture and the arts. A more detailed notice of 
the system of instruction pursued here, will appear next 
month. In the meantime parents wishing to place their 
sons in an institution like this, can address Prof. B. F. 
Greene, Renselaer Institute. Troy, N. Y.. who will 
furnish them with all the information necessary to enable 
them to judge correctly as to the merits of the institu¬ 
tion. 
Fine Fowls. —We have received from Mr. Adrian 
Cornell, of Newtown. Bucks county, Pa., a cock and 
two hens of the a Bucks county breed. 77 so called, and 
a cock and two hens of a stock imported from China. 
The latter are beautiful birds—of large size, with small, 
neat heads, clean, flat legs, and almost perfect symmetry 
of body, with a fine glossy black plumage. They are 
chickens of last season, and though in only middling 
condition, the cock weighed on the scales here, eight 
and a quarter pounds. The hens were not weighed. 
We think we have never seen any other fowls of so 
large a sizb, which were in all respects so fine in ap¬ 
pearance as these. We do not mean to say that all 
Chinese hens are of this character, for Mr. Cornell 
observes-—‘ : I have seen some China fowls which were 
quite different from those I send you, being coarse-boned, 
with long legs, long neck, large head, with a short and 
disproportionately small body; but such as I send you, 
I consider the best for beauty and the table of any kind 
I have ever been able to obtain. 77 
The n Bucks county fowls 77 are large—the cock, 
