122 THE CULTIVATOR. March, 
Preserving pure Seed. —James Webb, near Cam¬ 
bridge, England, (says the editor of the Michigan Fann¬ 
er,) who had a 200 acre wheat-field just ready to cut, 
promising 40 bushels per acre, raises “ all his seed-wheat 
in a field by itself on a distant part of the farm, from 
picked ears or heads, the best only being selected and 
picked out by hand. In this way he not only improves 
the quality of his wheat, but effectually excludes all 
foul stuff/’ We should like respectfully to ask friend 
Isham if he succeeds in perfectly excluding chess —and 
whether wheat changes as badly to this weed in England 
as in Michigan? - 
The Boston Cultivator. —We learn that Mr. James 
Pedder, who has for some years been the agricultural 
editor of this journal, has not left it, as we supposed; 
and that hereafter that department is to be in the joint 
charge of Messrs. Pedder and Howard. 
Straining after large Statements. —It is not un¬ 
usual, in giving statements of the extraordinary growth 
of pear trees, pumpkin-vines, &c., to sum up together 
the several lengths of all the branches. This cannot give 
the reader any definite idea of the real linear growth 
made by the main shoot—one good strong shoot is often 
better than twenty weak and slender ones, and ought to 
tell as well on paper. Whoever thinks of measuring the 
height of the stalks of wheat, by reporting the aggregate 
length of a dozen stalks fromohe stool; or of the growth 
of a cabbage by the united breadth of all the leaves? 
Fine Sample of Oats. — Mr. P. J. Vandevere, of 
West Glenville, Schenectady county, has exhibited to u» 
a very fine sample of the Black Tartarian Oats, grown 
on his farm the past season. The stalks were about six 
feet high. We believe he left some of them for sale at 
Messrs. Emery & Co.’s, in this city. 
Albany and Rensselaer IIort. Society. —The an¬ 
nual meeting of this Society was held February 4th— 
V. P. Douw, Esq., President, in the chair. Officers for 
1852 were elected, as follows: 
President—HERMAN WENDELL, M. D. 
Vice Presidents—E. P. Prentice, B. B. Kirtland, D. T. Vail, 
Wm. Newcomb. 
Secretary—B. P. Johnson. 
Treasurer—Luther Tucker. 
Managers—V. P. Douw, J. McD. Me ntyre, J. M. Lovett, L. Me- 
nand. E. Coming, Jr., C. P. Williams, A. F. Chatfield, J. S. Gould, 
E. Dorr. 
The constitution of the society was amended by mak¬ 
ing the annual fee of membership $1, instead of $2, as 
heretofore. 
Meetings and exhibitions for 1852, are to be held on 
the 22d June, 6th July, and 14th and 15th September. 
Annual meeting, third Wednesday of February, 1853. 
A premium list for 1852 was adopted. This is to be 
printed in pamphlet form. 
There was a fine show of plants and flowers, princi¬ 
pally from the green-houses of Messrs. Erastus Corning, 
Jr., L. Menand, James Wilson, and the President, V. 
P. Douw, Esq. - 
Poultry Show at Cincinnati. —We have been fa¬ 
vored with the report of a Poultry Exhibition held at 
Cincinnati, in December last, from which we infer that 
the u Chicken fever” has commenced its ravages among 
the Buckeyes. In the variety and beauty of the birds, 
it appears to have equalled the Boston exhibitions, though 
less in numbers. At its close, a “ Western Society foi 
the Improvement of Domestic Poultry,” was organised. 
Confined Poultry. —The Ag. Gazette says that if 
poultry are cooped up to fatten, “ they will do well up 
to 12 or 14 days. Keep them in coops beyond this time, 
and feed them as you like, and they will grow leaner 
every day until they die.” Close confinement produces 
a similar result on men and most other animals, at least 
to some extent. 
Plowing Head-Lands. —We observe that this is often 
inconveniently and awkwardly done. The best way is to 
leave strips of untouched land at the sides as well as at 
the ends of the field, all of equal width, and then the 
whole is finished by going round with one continuous fur¬ 
row until it is finished close to the fence. In this way 
none of the newly plowed ground is trodden hard. 
Catching Hawks. —A Michigan correspondent of the 
Genesee Farmer, catches hawks with great facility by 
erecting a tall post near the poultry-yard, and in an open 
piece of ground, on which a smart steel trap is secured 
by a short chain. The intruder will be sure to take his 
stand there, to make his observations, and as soon as 
caught he should be quickly removed, so as not to alarm 
others. We should feel much reluctance to destroying 
this useful bird, so long as snakes, mice, &c., are nuisan¬ 
ces, and would only resort to the above from necessity. 
We believe birds generally are the farmer’s best friends; 
the only exception we make being in case of those who 
despoil the fruit crop. - 
Draining in Indiana. —Gov. Wright, in his address 
before the Wayne county Agricultural Society, estimates 
the amount of marshy lands in Indiana at three mil¬ 
lion acres. These were generally avoided by early set¬ 
tlers as being comparatively worthless, but when drained 
they become eminently fertile. He says, “ I know a 
farm of 160 acres that was sold five years ago for $500, 
that by the expenditure of less than $200, in draining 
and ditching, the present owner refuses now $3000.” 
Again, he says, I have a neighbor who informed me that 
in 1850, a very dry season, he had ditched a field that he 
had previously put in corn; in the low and wet parts of 
the field he usually gathered in the fall a few nubbins, 
but went to the high ground for his crop. In the fall 
of last year, he obtained his best corn from the low land, 
his worst from the high; and the extra crop of the year 
paid for the whole expense of ditching.” 
JProuiy and Mears’ Plows. 
A LARGE assortment can be found at the Slate Agricultural 
Warehouse, No. 25 Cliff street, New-York. 
March 1—2t. LONGETT & GRIFFING. 
GUANO. 
TTTE have now received our supply of Peruvian Guano, put up in 
VV bags, averaging 1(50 lbs each. 
Bone Dust put up in barrels, sawings, turnings, and crushed, 
$2.25 per barrel. 
Bone Coal , Poudrette, Plaster of Paris, Sugar-house Scum, Potash, 
&c.. See. For sale by LONGETT Sc GR1FFING, 
March 1—2t. No 25 Cliff street, New-York. 
Colman’s European Agriculture. 
E UROPEAN AGRICULTURE, from personal observation, by 
’ Henry Colman, of Massachusetts. Two large octavo vols. 
Price, when neatly bound, the same as published in Nos., $5. For 
sale at the office of THE CULTIVATOR. 
