214 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
July 
of as good a quality in every respect, made in central 
and western New-York, as the state affords ? J. 
Wheat in Virginia. —Your correspondent, William 
Bacon, in the February number of the Cultivator, says, 
The wheat crop is not abandoned because exposed to 
rust. Farmers have learned to manage the crop so as 
in a great measure, to avoid its influence.” In this 
part of Virginia, the rust has caused great injury to the 
wheat crop every year but one since 1839; indeed, on 
some entire farms, and many fields which once produced 
fine wheat, the crop has of lato years been destroyed, 
so as to not be worth cutting. If Mr. Bacon will in¬ 
struct us how to prevent it, he will be a puDlic bene¬ 
factor. You will much oblige me by calling his atten¬ 
tion to the subject. Micajah Davis, Jr. Lynch - 
burgh, Va., March 13, 1847. 
To Measure Hay in the Mow or Stack.— 
More than 20 years since. I copied the folio wing method 
of measuring hay, from some publication, and having 
verified its general accuracy, I have both bought and 
sold hay by it, and believe it may be useful to many 
farmers, where the means of weighing are not at hand. 
Multiply the length, breadth, and height into each 
other; and if the hay is somewhat settled, ten solid 
yards will make a ton. Clover will take from 11 to 12 
yards for a ton. H. A. P. 
Wool Depots and Sheep. —In the July number of 
the Cultivator for, 1845, I called the attention of wool- 
growers to the Depot, then about being established for 
the sale of wool, by H. Blanchard, at Kinderhook; 
which at that time was a matter of experiment, and had 
nothing practical to commend it to the notice of those 
concerned; but now, after a trial of two years, I feel 
justified in recommending it to the patronage of all who 
have wool to sell.—as a successful and beneficial ope¬ 
ration; because I have been satisfied with the sale of 
my wool; because it has given general satisfaction; and 
because it is admitted by all with whom I have con¬ 
versed on the subject., that the wool in this section has 
been sold higher than it would have been had there 
neen no depot. My wool has sold for the last two 
years, for more per pound at the depot, than it did the 
three years previous, notwithstanding the market price 
has been from eight to ten cents lower. Wool at the 
depot is sold upon its merits, and brings all the manu¬ 
facturer is willing to pay; because the agent knows its 
value, and understands the market as well as the buyer. 
Not so with the grower; he has no means of knowing 
its exact value; because he does not know how it will 
compare with the different sorts of the manufacturer. 
No two lots of wool will assort alike, and a man that is 
not conversant with the business, and has not had prac¬ 
tice, is altogether incompetent to do it; and if he can¬ 
not assort wool well, and does not know the prices of 
the different sorts, he cannot be a close judge of its val¬ 
ue; hence he is liable to be cheated, because the buyer 
knows its exact value, and when he has no competitor 
will seldom pay it. If he is a speculator, he buys low 
to make money; if an agent, to suit his employer. 
Another reason why wool-growers in this section should 
patronize the depot, is because there has been no com¬ 
petition for many years to any considerable extent; as 
one man has been the principal buyer in Columbia and 
Rensselaer counties in this state, and Berkshire in 
Massachusetts, and before the depot was established, if 
we did not sell to him we c >uld not sell at all; why this 
is so I know not; but wool-growers generally believed 
there was a combination or understanding among the buy¬ 
ers, that each one should buy within an allotted territory, 
and that belief was one of the principal causes which led 
to the establishment of the depot 
While writing, I wish to say a few words on the im¬ 
portance of greater improvements in flocks- I suppose 
two-thirds of the flocks in this section that do not have 
particular attention, do not, at the present low prices, 
produce more than about one dollar’s worth of wool per 
head. Now I suppose with a trifling expense for bet¬ 
ter bucks, and with a little attention to the selection of 
the most unprofitable sheep, (which should be sold or 
killed,) any such flock in a short time, may be so im¬ 
proved as to enhance the value of the fleece twenty-five 
cents apiece, and in a short time more, another twenty- 
five cents may be added. 
All we add to the value of the fleece, is profit, as a 
sheep that yields but two and one-half pounds, requires 
as much feed and more care than one that yields three 
and one-half pounds. 
I have had the same stock of sheep for twenty years, 
and have improved them till they have averaged me for 
the last five years, from three pounds five to three 
pounds nine ounces per head, which sold at the de¬ 
pot for forty-four cents per pound, and the fifty cents 
per head I get more than the owner of an ordinary 
flock, comes of improvement. Daniel S. Curtis. 
Canaan Centre , June 14, 1847. 
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES. 
Machine for Sowing Clover Seed. —A Sub¬ 
scriber, Perinton, N. Y. The notice to which you 
refer in the Genesee Farmer , was taken from the Frank¬ 
lin Repository . The machine for sowing clover seed, 
was stated to be manufactured by Richard Woods, 
Chambersburg, Pa., and the cost was said to be 
“ aboui ” three dollars. We have no other information 
in regard to it. There may be other machines de¬ 
signed for the same purpose, which will answer as well 
or better. If there are such we should be glad to hear 
of them. 
Oil-Cake for Ewes. —A Subscriber. We have 
often known oil-cake fed in moderate quantities, to 
ewes before lambing, without any injurious effect; but 
with decided advantage. It may be given freely after 
the ewes have lambed, and will produce a large flow 
of milk. 
Millet Seed. —A Subscriber. We presume ground 
millet would be good horse-feed; but on account of the 
smallness of the seeds, we should not suppose it would 
be worth much for this purpose in its whole state. 
Hand Threshing Machine. —W. H. J., Smith- 
field, R. I. At the present time we do not know of 
any hand threshing machine in use 
Muck for Manure. —L. P., Proctorsville, Yt. We 
shall shortly furnish an article on the best mode of 
managing muck for manure. For the present, we can 
only say, mix it with unleached ashes, if they are to be 
had conveniently, at the rate of from one to three bu¬ 
shels per cart load. Let it lie in heap a month, if 
practicable, before it is used. 
Transplanting and Grafting Hickory Trees. 
—The best mode of raising hickory or walnut trees , is 
by planting the seed in nurseries and transplanting 
them when four or five feet high. The nuts should be 
planted as soon as they fall from the tree, or be kept 
till put in the ground in such a situation that the ker¬ 
nel will not shrink. It is said in Downing’s u Fruits 
and Fruit Trees,” that the different kinds of walnut 
may be grafted, 11 with due care, on the common 
hickory.” If this has been successfully tried in this 
country, we should be glad to learn the particulars. 
Sheep Killed by Dogs. —W. R. Putnam, near 
Marietta, Ohio, had 50 sheep killed by Dogs; and 
Judge Richardson, of Auburn, N. Y., had more than 
60 killed in one night. 
