1847. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
22 1 
American Agriculturist for the previous month, under 
the signature of u A Member.” In conclusion, we 
said—Having thus shown that there was not a sha¬ 
dow of foundation for these charges, is it using too 
strong language to pronounce the writer of them an 
infamous slanderer? That his infamy may be proved, 
and the brand officially placed upon his forehead, the 
editor of the Cultivator has directed his counsel to 
demand the name of the writer of the article, that he 
may be prosecuted for the libel; and if the name of 
the author is refused, he will hold the editor and pub¬ 
lisher responsible.” The name of the author having 
been refused, suits for libel were commenced against 
the editor and publisher of the Agriculturist. Having 
no desire to go farther with these suits than to prove 
the falsehood of the charges brought against us, we 
cheerfully acquiesced in a proposition to discontinue 
them on the publication of a full retraction of the char¬ 
ges, in the paper where they were published. This 
was done, by the publication of the following notice in 
the American Agriculturist for April last: 
TO THE PUBLIC. 
“ In an article which I wrote, and which was pub¬ 
lished in the American Agriculturist for November, 
1845, charges were made against Mr. Luther Tucker, 
then Recording Secretary of the New-York State Ag. 
Society, of using his official influence to promote his 
personal interests. These charges were founded upon 
what I then supposed to be good authority; but fur¬ 
ther investigation has convinced me that there was no 
foundation for them. I therefore fully and freely with¬ 
draw those charges against Mr. Tucker, and believe 
his statement in reply to those charges, published in 
the Cultivator for December 1845, to be true.” 
“ A Member.” 
It will be seen tnat the retraction is full, covering 
not only those charges which were strictly libellous , 
but also all others brought against us. We cannot but 
hope that the author of them will learn a useful lesson 
from the entire failure of his efforts to obtain the ob¬ 
ject he had in view by the promulgation of these char¬ 
ges. With a degree of integrity commensurate with 
his ability as a writer, he might reasonably hope to 
attain the height of his ambition, while a course of in¬ 
trigue and falsehood will be as certain, in other cases 
as in this, to be followed by detection and contempt. 
Gas Tar. —A correspondent wishes to know whe¬ 
ther a coating of gas tar will afford an effectual pro¬ 
tection against sparks from locomotive engines. If 
any one. can recommend an article which will answer 
the purpose, stating where it can be procured, the 
price, and mode of application, they will confer a 
favor. 
Different Kinds of Limestone for Agricul¬ 
tural Purposes. —T. S. Me Lelland, Esq., Tye 
River Warehouse, Nelson Co., Va., makes the follow¬ 
ing inquiry, which we shoul#be glad to have answered 
by any of our correspondents who are acquainted with 
the subject: 
“We have in many parts of this country, large 
quantities of variegated or marble limestone, which, in 
some situations, could be raised at inconsiderable ex¬ 
pense. Is it equal to the blue limestone as an impro¬ 
ver of the soil ? I have heard that it was used, and 
preferred, in the state of New-York.” 
Agricultural College in Tennessee. —This in¬ 
stitution is located at Franklin, five miles from Nash¬ 
ville, Tenn., We have before us a copy of the “ Laws 
and Regulations,” for which we are indebted to T. 
Fanning, President of the College. We have, on for¬ 
mer occasions, frequently spoken of this institution, 
(see Cultivator, for 1844, pp. 74, 215, 362; and for 
1845, p. 79,) and we are much pleased to hear that it 
continues in a flourishing condition. The following 
extract from a letter lately received from Mr. Fan¬ 
ning, will be read with interest:— 
“ You will see we have as much patronage as we 
could ask, and our system has in every way, succeeded 
far beyond our fondest expectations. We are ena¬ 
bling some twenty-five promising young men to edu¬ 
cate themselves by their own industry; and all our stu¬ 
dents are much benefitted by the physical department. 
I suppose there is no institution in the United States 
in which the same attention is given to chemistry and 
natural history; and what is most remarkable, our stu¬ 
dents are generally delightod with such studies. It is 
my decided opinion, that no plan of making labor con¬ 
tribute to the education of youth, has been fully digest¬ 
ed in this country. The great difficulty, you will find 
in managing agricultural schools, consists in a lack of 
men who possess a large fund of both scientific and 
practical knowledge. It is very idle for men who know 
not how to perform labor, in good style, with their 
own hands, and are mere smatterers in science and 
literature, to talk about agricultural education. My 
conviction is, that the system will succeed everywhere 
so soon as competent men can be found to manage it.” 
§C|bThe cut of “ Black Hawk in Harness.” in our 
May number, is deemed by many a failure, so far as re¬ 
gards a correct delineation of the animal. We did not 
think the likeness a good one, but were induced for va¬ 
rious reasons to publish it The following criticisms 
on the cut, are by Gen. Silas M. Burroughs, of Me¬ 
dina, a gentleman well acquainted with Black Hawk 
as he is. 
“ I have received the May number of the Cultivator, 
containing a likeness of Black Hawk in Harness, and 
have to express my regret that the picture is a fail¬ 
ure—delineating the horse in no point as good as he 
is—and in many respects, a very faulty portrait. The 
neck has none of that elegance and remarkable bold¬ 
ness of air possessed by the original-—it is not “ clothed 
with thunder,” as it should be to be faithful. The tail, 
though like, is not well set. There is an awkward 
stiffness in the position of the limbs, and the pastern 
joints are too long and ill set, falling back quite too 
much. Black Hawk is not faulty in this point. There 
is a total lack of muscular development, and the whole 
picture is tame and wanting in character.” 
Munificent Donation.-— Hon. Abbott Lawrence, 
of Boston, has given Fifty Thousand Dollars to 
Harvard College, to be devoted to education in rela¬ 
tion to the practical sciences. Mr. Lawrence’s object, 
as stated in a letter to the Treasurer of the University, 
appears to be to secure the establishment of three per¬ 
manent Professorships, viz: “ one of Chemistry, one 
of Engineering in its various branches, and one of Geo¬ 
logy.” By the appointment of Mr. Horsford as Rum- 
ford Professor, the department of chemistry is provided 
for, and it is Mr. L.’s design, by this generous dona¬ 
tion, to place the three Professorships on an equal pe¬ 
cuniary footing. We are pleased to learn that the 
corporation has taken measures for carrying into im¬ 
mediate effect the object of the donor, whose name, by 
this splendid act, will be held by posterity in grateful 
remembrance. 
Did space permit, we should be glad to copy the 
whole of Mr. Lawrence’s very interesting and instruc¬ 
tive letter; but at present we can only give place to 
the following extract, in which some of the defects of 
our present system of education are strikingly shown: 
“ For an early classical education we have our 
schools and colleges. From thence the special schools 
of Theology, Law, Medicine, and Surgery, receive the 
