301 
1847. THE CULTIVATOR. 
distant when they will rank with the best settled and 
best cultivated portions of our country. 
I shall here close my observations, remarking that, 
as I have confined them strictly to the agricultural re¬ 
lations of the state, some topics have been omitted 
which I would gladly have dwelt upon. Prominent 
among these is the school fund of the state, which af¬ 
fords the benefits of education to the poor equally with 
the rich. As your motto is a the improvement of the 
mind,” as well as “ the soil,” this brief allusion to one 
of the most distinguished advantages of Michigan, 
may not at least be inappropriate. 
B. Hubbard. 
Detroit, Michigan, 1847. 
NOTES ON THE CULTIVATOR FOR JUNK 
Eds. Cultivator-— Whilst taking the shade, I have 
perused your June number, and like unto the rest, it is 
%< worthy and well qualified.” I am tempted to make 
some remarks on the various articles embraced therein, 
and on other subjects brought to mind by its contents. 
With no unkindness do I write, and only desire the 
good of the parts and the good of the whole. 
u Breeding Horses, No. 1.”—Having had some of 
those high bred stock for years, and knowing their 
worthlessness for the plow or the saddle, I beg no one 
to try more than one. A dash of blood in a saddle, 
harness, or plow horse, is to be wished for. Some one 
must therefore keep the pure breed; let it be those who 
need not all their stock for use. I am breeding my 
mares to Jacks, and think, from one trial that they 
cannot be excelled by the common stock. Preserve 
me from such “ pure breds ” as I have, Monsieur Ton- 
son, John Richai'ds, or--. 
“ Large pigs,” p. 173.— “ The pigs were all of one 
litter u Two were nine months and twenty days 
old, and the other two were nine months and twenty- 
eight days old.” A Yankee trick. [We do not un¬ 
derstand our correspondent. Surely, he cannot mean 
that the statement of the four pigs being of one litter, 
is false, because they were not all killed at one time. 
-—Eds.] 
Soils which Run and Bake,” p. 174.—Our soil in 
this region, back from water courses, after the de¬ 
cayed vegetable matter has passed away, is of a yel¬ 
lowish cast, not analyzed that I know of, but is evi¬ 
dently not “ pure clay.” I think it contains more 
silex, with some vegetable matter. After a heavy 
rain, the water is of a dirty yellowish cast, not as from 
the red clays of Carolina; indicating a solution and 
mixture of the earth; this muddy turpid water will of 
course, where it runs not off. settle into the crevices 
and vacancies or hollows of the earth, and where the 
water is evaporated or percolates, the earth in mixture 
is deposited. The sun then bakes this mud into a hard 
crust. This is the soil nere “ which runs and bakes.” 
The matter was iaughed at when our worthy Eufaula 
brother, who has since departed this life—sweet be his 
repose—alluded to it in your paper. I forget who did 
allude to it, but “ it is as true as preaching.” To 
plow our clay lgtnds in the fall will insure harder earth 
to plow in the spring than if it had not been done; be¬ 
cause the plowing leaves the surface uneven, leaves 
vacancies, (no such thing as a vacuum, of course;) this 
uneven surface is melted by the rain and fills the crevi¬ 
ces; the rain beats the earth, and the settling by 
weight of heavy rains, gives the hard earth; whereas, 
the surface settling by light rains and its own weight, 
forms a thin crust that admits water to pass through 
slowly and to run off rapidly. fc 
u Hydraulic Ram,” p. 180.—If somebody will send 
me one to put up at a neighbor’s, so that people could 
see it be no humbug, I think they would sell at $25. 
“ ^Ive for an inflamed sore,” p. 182.—No account¬ 
ing for taste—honey and the yolk of an egg will be as 
certain to draw, especially, as many old women’s pre¬ 
scriptions. I have known lard and ashes, lard and 
salt, used in castration. But don’t call these reme¬ 
dies to allay inflammation. Simple applications are 
best; fresh lard as good as any. 
“ Break the Crust,” p. 182.-—Try it on cabbage. I 
generally get the start of my neighbors by this very 
plan, and tell them to stir often. A good steel rake 
is a good implement, better than a hoe. 
“ Milking,” p. 183.—I have known a (i darkie,” 
over in the valley of the Mississippi, where we u out¬ 
side barbarians” need so much enlightening, take a 
bucket of water and a towel to the u cup-pen,” (cow- 
pen, Africanized.) I can assure Mr. or Mrs. Queens 
County, that one farmer’s wife would get angry if her 
darkie dared to milk without using water and a 
towel. 
“ Plan of a Barn,” p. 184.—I wish I could draw 
designs; I would give you a plan of a barn, on a cer¬ 
tain plantation, where “ cotton are grown ” May be 
you can have it done from the following. A lot fenced 
in, after the old Virginia fashion, about ten rails high, 
part of the rails with one end on the ground, a part 
with rails pushed out so as to be only upon the 
end of its under brother, a hollow log placed on short 
blocks, with one end several inches lower than the 
Other, to keep corn from running out at the upper end, 
which has no closing; a sow crawling up into the up¬ 
per end, with a half dozen shotes squealing near by, 
complaining, no doubt, of the “ old un ” for being their 
u illustrious predecessor.” Down in one corner of the 
lot are several fodder stacks, with the blades pulled 
out from one side, which gives the “ Grecian bend ” 
to the upper works; the corn crib built of poles, and 
the roof weighted down with a similar product. Talk 
of barns ! Sheer nonsense. Horses don’t require pro¬ 
tection in this country; the washing rains are intended 
by Providence to clean the stock, and the hot sun to 
dry them. Send a traveller here, to take notes for an 
agricultural 11 Cruikshank.” I will show him many 
caricatures, that are true to life. 
11 Corn in New-York ,” p. 188.- About 22 bushels 
per acre ! and New-York near the northern limits too ! 
Don’t let my Philadelphia brother chip, who vaunts so 
much about the northern limits see this. Why, sir, as 
sure as you are born, this county of Hinds, in this state 
of Mississippi, will put your state to the blush. There 
are five of one family connection in this western shady 
side of Hinds, that will beat you to death, and they 
are all pressing the cotton matter at that. I presume 
we have over 350 acres in corn, and I think our crop 
will not be short of 10,000 bushels, and with a fair 
season, it will run to 14,000. Out of 100 acres in a 
body, I will take 50 that will tip the beam at 50 
bushels per acre. You can beat this/ by bringing up 
your 20 to 100 wagon loads of manure, but our far¬ 
mers would.not know manure if they saw it; and as to 
work, two light hoeings, and two or three plowings, 
including sowing of peas, was the tale. Understand, 
this country is a cotton country. I know of no farm, 
large or small, where corn is the only product, and 
