THE CULTIVATOR. 
Feb, 
78 
The Cultivator—Improvement of the Mind. 
Eds. Cultivator— Allow roe, for the encouragement 
of the readers of your valuable periodical, to speak of 
some of the pecuniary benefits which I have derived from 
its perusal; and to make some suggestions, relative to 
the mental improvement of the agricultural class of com¬ 
munity. And here let me remark in order that we may 
he the more able to ju-dge correctly of the merits of the 
Cultivator, as an agricultural guide, that I am a young 
farmer, and always worked on the farm, under the in¬ 
structions of my father, (whom I ever considered a good 
practical farmer,) until I was of age; since which time, 
I have had a separate interest, of about eight years, in 
a farm of about 35 acres of tillable land. There being 
no orchard on my farm, at that time, my first business 
was, to have one growing, as soon as practicable; which 
is now in a thrifty condition. But could I have had the 
knowledge, then , which I have since obtained from the 
pages of the Cultivator, with regard to the management 
of young fruit trees, my orchard, with less labor than 
has been expended in its cultivation, would have attained 
a growdh sufficient to have returned, in fruit, more than 
two hundred dollars, before I shall, now, realise one 
twentieth of this sum. 
At that period, there was not a rod of subterranean 
drain on my farm, although there was not a field which, 
in some parts, could not be greatly improved by draining. 
In this branch of agriculture, I had never had any in¬ 
structions; and the business, in this immediate vicinity, 
was very imperfectly understood; therefore, I commenced 
reclaiming those parts, when a surplus of water was found, 
at a great disadvantage. While in some localities the 
first crop paid for the expense of draining, in others, the 
land was benefitted by the drain, only on one side of it. 
I relied for success upon the counsel and experience of 
those who had been engaged in the business, for a num¬ 
ber of years; and whose advice is, “ cut your ditches in 
the lowest and wettest places f which a little science 
proves to be erroneous. But when the August number 
of the Cultivator for 1844 appeared, the mystery of some 
of my drains proving a failure on one side of them was 
unravelled. What volumes of instruction are reflected 
from that number on the subject of thorough and effectual 
draining! From the illustrations and remarks on draining 
in that number, I immediately discovered, by the applica¬ 
tion of the principles of geology to the practical purposes 
of agriculture, that the drains, which had been made, 
were several rods distant from the place where they 
should have been; and now, in order to secure my crops, 
for the future, from the injury of surplus water, another 
drain must be made, at an expense of twenty or thirty 
dollars. And here, allow me to copy from my agricul¬ 
tural notes, taken at that time, on this subject: 
11 In field number 1, thirty rods of ditch were made 
at an expense of ten dollars, and proves of little utility 
to the crops. This field slopes about 4 or 5 inches in a 
rod; and it has ever been to me, a mystery, why such 
ground requires draining; but the Cultivator, for the 
present month, has not only informed me the source 
whence the water comes, and where is the most correct 
place to make a drain, which will cut off the water veins, 
but has been the means of my unlearning what I had 
learned amiss, on the subject of underdraining. * * * 
The loss of grain, on this ground, by winter-killing, and 
the expense of making another drain, which is necessary, 
I may, with safety, reckon at one hundred dollars. So 
much for the information on two or three pages of the 
Cultivator.” I might speak of other pecuniary benefits 
which the cultivator has been to me; but I forbear, for 
fear of prolixity. 
To attempt a computation, in dollars and cents, of the 
value, or benefits which the Cultivator has been to me, 
in a mental point of view, would be the height of ab¬ 
surdity. But I have no hesitancy in affirming, that, 
could we, by any means, arrive at anything tangible, the 
stipend would double, treble, aye, quadruple the amount 
already mentioned. Its instructions and suggestions 
have been and are even now, a source of infinite satis¬ 
faction to me. It has had more influence in inspiring a 
desire for correct thought and investigation, on the 
subject of agriculture, than all other periodicals and 
books combined. 
Who dares make an estimate of the value which the 
analytical communications, of distinguished chemists, 
may be to me, in saving economically, in correctly pre¬ 
paring, and judiciously applying manure to the soil, for 
the benefit of crops'? Who is able to assure me, that the 
foundation for agricultural education, which has been 
laid, by the perusal of the Cultivator, will not in years 
to come, pay for a thousand copies of it, for one year in 
advance? Who can tell, that the result of some experi¬ 
ment recorded in the Cultivator—some suggestions—some 
manner of performing certain kinds of labor on the farm, 
will not prove, in future years, a revenue of many hun¬ 
dred dollars? 
But what I have learned from the Cultivator, others 
may have the equal benefit of. A person of superficial 
knowledge, passing through the land, could not fail to 
discover scores of opportunities for the application of 
science t'o the practical part of agriculture. There are 
yet vast and boundless fields unexplored in the grand 
science of agriculture, which is teeming with so much 
magnificence and delight, towards the highest state of 
perfectibility. And if young men would keep pace with 
the more important improvements of the age in which 
they live, which are making such gigantic strides, they 
must labor most assiduously, or they will be left far in 
the distance. If they wish to be a nonentity —a being 
which the human race would be ashamed to own as one 
of their numper, and an abuser of heaven’s richest gifts, 
let them relax all efforts—throw off all restraints; and a 
few years will have accomplished that object. There is 
no 11 jump on and ridef in the road to usefulness, honor 
and renown. Every one has a mind which he is under 
obligation to cultivate; and in this day of intelligence, 
there can be no excuse for any one, who does not avail 
himself of the facilities for acquiring a respectable edu¬ 
cation. 
Now the Cultivator is most happily adapted to impart 
aid, to any one, whose motto is improvement. The con¬ 
tents of the Cultivator in a good degree are worth study¬ 
ing. The novice may here study the first principles of 
agriculture; and the result of such efforts will not fail 
to improve the mind and the purse. 
I am well aware, that young men plead a :c want of 
timed ’ But, if there is a disposition , perhaps no class 
of citizens have more leisure hours, and greater oppor¬ 
tunities for reading and reflection, than farmers. What 
great inducements the long winter evenings hold out to 
the agriculturist, after his daily task is done, to culti¬ 
vate the mind, and to store it with useful knowledge! 
It seems as if it was one of the creator’s prominent de¬ 
signs, in sending long evenings in winter, that farmers, 
while the earth is being prepared to yield food for the 
sustenance of their bodies, might be treasuring in the 
storehouse of the mind, that knowledge which will tend 
to make them wiser, and mankind better. 
It is, undoubtedly, too true, that most young men, 
who labor on the farm, hate anything like mental appli¬ 
cation ; and when they are not engaged in manual labor, 
time hangs heavily upon them. Therefore, as a pastime, 
they frequent the store, the hotel, or any other place 
of public resort, to hear the news, tell a*nd hear silly 
stories; and in many instances, engage in very unbe¬ 
coming amusements—in ludicrous nonsense, &c. 
I would not depreciate the social circle; indeed, it 
should be the aim of every young man to go into the 
society of the wise, the intelligent and the good. It is 
a very important part of education, to know how to use 
knowledge for the benefit of ourselves and others. But 
the place where the song of ribaldry is sung, and the 
indecent story told, for the purpose of exciting laughter 
