854 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Nov. 
FALL AND WINTER PLOWING. 
Plowing late in the fall and during winter, may in 
some instances be beneficial; in others injurious. As 
a general rule, the principal reason that can be given 
in favor of the practice, is that the work is performed 
at a time of leisure, and the farmer is relieved from the 
pressure and hurry which would attend the crowding 
of all his plowing into a few days of spring. Loose 
gravelly and sandy lands are not, probably, injured by 
late plowing; but compact soils, if plowed in fall, are 
sometimes so beaten down by the heavy rains of winter 
and spring, that more labor is actually required to 
bring them into suitable condition for crops, than if 
they had not been touched till near the time of sowing 
or planting. 
The idea that any thing is gained by the decomposi¬ 
tion of sward by late fall plowing, is, we are con¬ 
vinced, a mistake. On the contrary, every one who 
has had the opportunity of observing, may have seen 
that sward which is broken up after the weather has 
become warm, and the grass somewhat started in 
spring, rots much sooner than that which was plowed 
in fall or winter. 
But clayey soils, which have been well drained, may 
be greatly improved by fall plowing, if it is done in the 
right way. The ground should be thrown into narrow 
ridges, which should run in such a direction as will 
most readily turn off the water from the field. Let 
two furrows, as deep as can well be plowed, be turned 
together, in the form of what are called “ back-fur¬ 
rows,” and the whole field be plowed in this way. This 
will expose a large portion of the soil to the action of 
the frost and air. The ridges will be dry, and the 
soil being frozen and thawed while in this state, it will 
become loose and friable, and on cross-plowing the 
ridges, when the proper time arrives for seeding, the 
soil will be mellow, and in excellent condition for a crop. 
This course has produced good crops of grain and veg¬ 
etables on land which would yield little or nothing in 
any other way. 
Land which is overrun wtih couch-grass, may also be 
plowed in ridges in the fall to good advantage—espe¬ 
cially if the soil is of a compact nature. The freezing 
of the roots will tend to weaken their vitality, and 
greatly facilitate the cleaning of the land, which 
should be done by a thorough fallowing, and working 
out the grass roots, which should be collected and 
burnt the next season. 
NEW VARIETIES OF INDIAN CORN. 
In the Cultivator for 1845, page 28, is a communi¬ 
cation from the late Judge Darling, of Connecticut, 
in relation to a new variety of corn that he had pro¬ 
duced, by mixing sweet corn with a very early variety. 
A sample of the new variety was forwarded to us, 
which was distribeted to different persons in this vicin¬ 
ity, by whom it has been since raised. It proves to be 
a highly valuable kind on account of its earliness— 
ripening nearly a fortnight earlier than common sweet 
corn, and at the same time with the earliest Canada 
corn known among us. 
Another instance of producing new varieties of corn 
by intermixture, has lately been made known to us. 
Mr. John Lossing, of this city, being on a visit to 
Kentucky in 1844, brought from Mr. Clay’s farm at 
Ashland a few ears of corn. It was rather a gourd- 
seed variety, similar to what is frequently met with in 
the region where it grew, having from twenty-four to 
twenty-six rows to an ear, the stalks growing from 
twelve to fourteen feet high, and requiring more time 
to ripen than our seasons generally allow. Mr. L., 
however, planted it as early as practicable in the sea¬ 
son of 1845, and afterwards planted alongside of it some 
common eight-rowed sweet corn—-planting the latter so 
late that it would come into blossom at the same time 
with the corn from Kentucky. When the corn ripened, 
he found the sweet corn more or less mixed, as had 
been expected, with the other. He picked out the 
sweet grains, which are easily told by their shrivelled 
appearance, and in the spring of 1846 planted them, 
at a distance from other kinds. The produce of that 
season more plainly indicated the mixture—the ears 
were generally larger than the former sweet corn, 
with an increased number of rows—some ears showed 
a preponderance of one variety, and some of the other. 
In 1847 he again planted by themselves the sweet 
grains from the largest and handsomest ears that were 
best mixed with grains of another kind. The result is 
that he has this year produced a kind of sweet corn 
having considerably larger ears than any sweet corn 
we have ever seen before; but having the general habit 
of growth as to size and height of stalk, and ripening 
at the same time that the old kind of sweet corn did. 
The first year of these experiments, there was also 
a few grains of corn planted which were the result of 
a mixture of sw T eet corn and the large white Tuscarora 
corn. This was allowed to mix with the Kentucky 
corn in the same way that the other kind did. The pro¬ 
duce of this is, therefore a mixture of three kinds—the 
Kentucky, the Tuscarora, and the Sweet. The same 
course in regard to planting by itself, was pursued 
with this as with the other kind, for 1846 and ’47, and 
the produce the past season is quite uniform and dis¬ 
tinct. The grains have the size of the largest Tusca¬ 
rora corn, with the shrivelled character of the sweet, 
and a flecked or reddish tinge denoting the Kentucky 
cross. 
Samples of the above kinds of corn may be seen at 
our office. 
PRICES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. 
New-York, Oct. 20, 1847. 
FLOUR—Genesee, per bbl. $6.56a$6.60—Ohio and Michigan, 
$6.56a$6.62. 
GRAIN.—Wheat, per bu., $1.40a$1.42—Corn, northern, 75a 
78c.—Rye, 90a93c—Oats, 47a48c.—Barley 75a78c. ' 
BUTTER—Orange County, per lb., 20c.—Western, dairy, 
15al7 cents. 
CHEESE—per lb., 6£a7£c. 
BEEF—Mess, per bbl., $lla$ 12. —Prime $7.75a$8.25. 
PORK—Mess, per bbl., $14.87a$15—Prime, $10.50a$10.75 
HAMS—Smoked, per lb., llcts. 
LARD—Per lb. 10all£c. 
HEMP—Russia clean, per ton, $225. 
HOPS—First sort, per lb., 9allc. 
COTTON—New Orleans and Alabama, per lb., 9al2c.—Up¬ 
land and Florida, 9|al2c. 
WOOL—(Boston prices,) Oct. 19. 
Prime or Saxon fleeces, washed per lb. 45a47| cts. 
American full blood fleeces,. 40a42£ “ Ji 
' “ three-fourths blood fleeces,. 34a36 ‘‘ 
“ half blood . do .. 32a35 “ *1 
“ one-fourth blood and common,. 28a30 
Remarks. —By the Cambria, which arrived at Boston on the 19th 
October, (she having left Liverpool on the 5th,) we have news of a 
further decline of flour in the British markets of about two shillings 
sterling per barrel. The news has, however, had no perceptible 
effect on our own market, and the demand is brisk at our quotations. 
Indian corn in England was in fair demand. The failures of Eng¬ 
lish corn dealers have continued up to the latest dates, and the de¬ 
rangements in commercial affairs are disastrous. The potato dis¬ 
ease is much less virulent in the British Islands than for two previ¬ 
ous years. 
There is considerable demand for provisions, especially for pork 
and for butter. —- 
BRIGHTON CATTLE MARKET, Monday, Oct. 19. 
At market 1600 bedf cattle, including 1950 stores, 14 yokes work¬ 
ing oxen, 46 cows and calves, 5200 sheep and lambs, and about 
3500 swine. 
Prices Beef Cattle.—Extra, $7.25, first quality $6.75, 2d and 3d 
do. from $4.50 to $5 75. 
Store Cattle.—Sales were not noticed. 
Working Oxen.—Sales made at $70, $74, $82a$103. 
Cows and Calves.—Sales noticed at $16, $19, $22, $26, $30a 
$42.50. 
Sheep.—Sales of old sheep were made at $1.75, $2.33a$.237; 
lambs at $1.63, $2.12, $2.23a$3. 
Swine.—At wholesale 4£a5£ for shoats ; at retail from 5£ to 6£; 
old hogs, fat, at 5j-to 6c.; do. do. lean, 5c .—Boston Traveller 
