1817. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
m 
Erie canal. The herd of stock will be a great ac¬ 
quisition to the immediate vicinity in which it is loca¬ 
ted, and the farmers will find it greatly to their advan¬ 
tage to introduce the blood into their herds as fast as 
practicable. 
Mr. Corning still keeps at his farm a few prime in¬ 
dividuals of the former herd. 
{fdp® Mr. Sotham’s post-office address is Black 
Rock. 
Egg-Hatching Machine.— We would call atten¬ 
tion to the advertisement of Mr. Hoffman’s machine, 
in this number. We think there can be no doubt that 
it is superior to any thing of the kind heretofore in use, 
and it is the opinion of those familiar with its operation, 
that it is destined to come into general use. 
Bees.— In the month of July last, Mr. St. John, 
who has charge of the public grounds attached to the 
Capitol here, discovered a swarm of bees on one of the 
trees in the park. He cut off the limb to which they 
were attached, and took them down; when it was dis¬ 
covered that they had made a considerable quantity of 
eomb, and were evidently at work in their usual way. 
The top of the tree was very thick and full of foliage, 
completely protecting the bees from the sun, and af¬ 
fording besides, some shelter from rain. There is no 
doubt that they would have continued to make this their 
“ abiding place” till frost and cold weather would have 
destroyed the leaves and their own lives. They were 
readily put into a hive., and ure doing well. 
Death op American Eclipse. —In our June num¬ 
ber we mentioned that this noted horse was still 
alive and well. He, however, died on the 11th of 
July last, at Shelbyville, Kentucky. He was at the 
time of his death, the joint property of Jilson P. 
Yates and S. T. Drane. 
Cloth op Gold Rose.—M r. James Wilson has 
sent us samples of this celebrated rose. It appears 
to flourish well in his garden, producing numerous 
flowers of good size and beautiful form. 
Vanilla. —J. D. Jones, of Topsail, North Carolina, 
has sent us some leaves of a plant which he says grows 
wild in the woods of -that section. He observes, “ It 
is said to impart an agreeable flavor to tobacco used 
for smoking. It might no doubt be much improved by 
culture, and I think could be rendered an article fit for 
commerce. It is one of the most agreeable perfumes 
in nature.” The plant commonly called Vanilla, is 
described as an orchideous climbing shrub of Mexico 
and tropical America. Whether the leaves sent us by 
Mr. Jones, are from a plant of this species, we cannot 
tell; they, however, emit an abundant and very agree- 
ble odor. 
Apple-paring Machine. —We have lately seen an 
improved machine for paring apples, invented and pa¬ 
tented by Messrs. Bullock & Benson of New-York. 
We had supposed that Yankee, ingenuity had previous¬ 
ly brought this article to the greatest possible perfec¬ 
tion; but it will be admitted that something new has 
been added, when the fact is known that this machine 
will perfectly take off the skin of an apple in the neat¬ 
est manner in about one second, and that it will 
continue to work at this rate as fast as the apples can 
be taken off and put on. It is quite simple in its con¬ 
struction, though considerably different from the com¬ 
mon machines of the kind. We are told that its pro¬ 
bable cost will be about three dollars. 
Renovation of the Soil. —Mr. S. W. Tallmadge 
purchased a few years since a farm of 300 acres, near 
Castleton, nine miles below this city. A large portion 
of the farm had been much reduced in fertility, from 
having been “ hard run” for several years before Mr. 
T. purchased it. In his first attempts at renovation, 
he purchased in the city large quantities of oyster- 
shell lime, leached ashes and stable manure, which 
were transported to the farm and liberally applied. Af¬ 
ter several years trial with these articles, Mr. T. came 
to the conclusion that their effects were not of suffi¬ 
cient value to balance the cost of purchase and trans¬ 
portation, and that some less expensive mode of manu¬ 
ring must be adopted. He is now, therefore, opera¬ 
ting on the following plan : Clover- and Timothy seed 
are sown, and the crop, (or nearly the whole of it,) is 
allowed to die and rot on the ground. The first year, 
the growth is principally clover, the second, clover and 
timothy in about equal proportions, and third nearly all 
timothy. By the fourth year, or sooner, according to 
the previous state of the ground, it is to be broken up, 
and cropped to the extent which shall appear to be ex¬ 
pedient. The previous course to be repeated to the 
extent which may be necessary to prevent the deterio¬ 
ration of the soil. Some of the fields under this course 
had on them a growth equal to a ton and a-half to two 
tons of hay per acre. 
We would suggest to Mr. Tallmadge an expen 
ment in connexion with his system, viz : that he should 
lay off an acre of this land—which should be of equal 
quality and have on it an equal quantity of clover and 
grass compared with the land adjoining—and pasture 
it with sheep for as many seasons as the crop on the 
other portions of the lot shall be rotted on the ground 
Keep the growth on the pastured piece fairly fed down, 
not gnawed to the roots, but permitting nothing to go 
to seed. Credit the pasturage of the sheep at a fair 
price. Break up the pastured acre in connexion with 
the same extent of adjoining {and—or together with 
the whole field, as may be convenient—-crop both por¬ 
tions alike, under the same treatment. Carefully com¬ 
pare the product of the pastured and unpastured por¬ 
tions ; and after having ascertained and set down the 
value of each, add the value of the pasturage to its ap¬ 
propriate portion, and let us know which acre shows the 
greatest 'profit. 
Plaster. —Mr. Tallmadge -has frequently used 
gypsum on portions of his farm which have been seve¬ 
ral years under cultivation, but without the least per¬ 
ceptible effect. This season, however, he is cropping 
for the first time some new ground, and the Indian 
corn and potatoes are evidently much benefitted by 
plaster. The contrast between the rows to which it 
had been applied, and the adjoining ones, where it was 
purposely omitted, was obviously in favor of the 
plaster. 
Plank Roads.— -In company with George Geddes, 
Esq. we lately enjoyed a ride on the Salina and Cen¬ 
tral Square plank road. This road, in constructing 
which Mr. G. was engineer, was completed during the 
past year. Its length is fifteen miles. It is decidedly 
the most agreeable road to ride ever, that we evei 
saw. The carriage glides along as smoothly as on tht 
frozen surface of a lake or river. The plank are hem- 
leek, eight feet long and three inches thick; laid im¬ 
mediately on the earth, which is made perfectly smooth 
to receive them. They keep their places without any 
fastening. On one side of the road there is a good 
ground track, twelve feet wide, made exactly level 
with the plank, on which carriages turn out, and which 
in dry weather is a good road. The cost of this road 
(including both the earth and plank tracks,) was $1,- 
500 per mile, and it is expected the plank will last 
eight years. A team will carry about double the 
weight on this road that it will on the common roads, and 
a horse in a light carriage will readily go along at the 
rate of sixty or seventy miles a day. In sections where 
plank can be cheaply procured, we have no doubt that 
these roads will be found profitable. 
Large Egg.—W. Walsh, Esq., has left with us a 
hen’s egg which weighed ounces, and was eight 
inches and three-fourths in circumference the longest 
