138 
THE CULTIVATOR 
and thus avoid not only “ carrying coals to New Castle,” 
but paying dearly for them too. A general knowledge 
of chemistry and the kindred sciences, would also put an 
effectual stop to blindfold and costly experiments. It 
would also put a stop to universal agricultural panaceas. 
No body would then think of saying that common salt, 
soda, lime, anything, was an universal manure. They 
would then be all good only where and when they were 
wanted in a soil. But, says everybody, how can all this 
be done? How can everybody be educated and made sci¬ 
entific? I answer, by introducing scientific education 
into all the schools. How many a farmer’s son is taught 
French, Latin, Greek, Mathematics, Algebra, and a dozen 
other subjects, not one of which will ever be a hundredth 
part as useful to him as chemist.iy and vegetable physio¬ 
logy would be. Enough of chemistry, and all the collat¬ 
eral sciences, should be, and can be, taught in plain Eng¬ 
lish, in any country school, to make every farmer a truly 
scientific agriculturist, and it seems tome the legislatures 
of the states should take the matter in hand. In my 
opinion, there should be in every county of the state, 
schools expressly for this object, at which teachers should 
be prepared to teach these sciences in the common schools. 
Gideon B. Smith. Baltimore,-Feb., 1852, 
- ►*« - 
The Influence of The Cultivator. 
The following extracts, from a letter of a correspon¬ 
dent in Vermont, show in what spirit, and with what pur¬ 
pose a paper should be read:— 
There are large numbers who are able, (who is not able 
to pay 75 cts?) to pay for an Agricultural Paper, and 
who ought to be better informed on this subject. The 
reply is frequently made, when asked to subscribe, u I 
don’t think much of farming by rules, and some of those 
laid down I know wont do for me.” No intellgent read¬ 
er of your .paper looks upon it as containing fixed rules 
that any farmer can follow implicitly with profit. Be¬ 
cause a man near Boston can pick $60 worth of tomatoes 
in a day, a man in this section would be a fool to attempt 
to imitate him. Other cases equally plain might be men¬ 
tioned. 
Though I value very highly many of the experiments 
in, and modes of farming, yet it is not on this account 
alone, that I feel interested in the circulation of the Cul¬ 
tivator. A person who should read nothing in our lead¬ 
ing political papers, but their strictly political articles, 
would read to little profit. These papers have become 
a kind of circulating family library, of a useful and en¬ 
tertaining character, and he must be an ignoramus, who 
does not learn from them something of the principles of 
philosophy, chemistry, geology, law and science, in all its 
branches. Nearly every week brings news from all parts 
of the globe, and a citizen of the United States must feel 
amply paid for a year’s subscription each week, as he 
glances at the changes going on everywhere, and sees 
with pride, our republican institutions extending their in¬ 
fluence, and crushing one despot after another—and our 
countrymen excelling in every branch of industry and 
skill. 
It is in this light I look upon Agricultural Papers, 
which are conducted upon scientific principles. I have 
before observed, that I have not for several years receiv- 
Apeil, 
ed a single number of The Cultivator, for which I would 
not have readily paid its price for a single article. What 
a mighty sum that would- be b-^about six cents—a sum 
that would purchase two glasses- of whiskey in your state, 
(it is more in Vermont I believe,) or it might pay two 
small papers of tobacco, or two segars! 
The other day I took one of the back volumes, and 
read the article of a Southerner, asking what he should 
do with his seventy slaves, and twelve hundred acres of 
land. I consider the privilege of reading that article for 
the fourth time, as worth more than the cost of four num¬ 
bers. It is candid, and well written, and shows the ob¬ 
stacles which lie in the way of emancipation. The reply 
of your Kinderhook correspondent is worth a whole vo¬ 
lume of the Cultivator ,• yet neither of these articles are 
strictly agricultural. 
There is your Hinsdale correspondent, who has as many 
aliases as Bristol Bill ever assumed. Why such a 
writer should resort to such expedients, I cannot con¬ 
ceive, but with all his attempts to conceal his real name, 
his character is well known, and his articles can easily be 
traced home. Prof. Norton’s articles are more proper¬ 
ly scientific than agricultural,, while Mr. Holbrook’s par¬ 
take more of the historical and biographical. 
I do not know that I can show a single improvement 
on my farm, but that I can point to a number of the Culti¬ 
vator and say, 11 1 got that there.” But while I have 
been reading its agricultural matter, my attention has 
been called to other subjects directly or indirectly con¬ 
nected with it, that have been of more value to me than 
the cost of twenty volumes of the paper. Yours truly, 
John S. Pettibone. Manchester , Vt, r Jan. 1852. 
We consider these remarks as remarkably just and ap¬ 
propriate. It is a striking feature of all true knowledge, 
that it is suggestive. One fact leads to inquiry, one truth 
reveals another, and a single idea conceived by a vigorous 
sound mind, paves the way for a series of discoveries al¬ 
most astounding in their results. Thus it is, that improve¬ 
ment in any branch of industry, invariably leads to im¬ 
provement in kindred branches, showing that the pro¬ 
gressive tendency of the age is toward a higher standard. 
Though a man is usually estimated by his success in his 
own business, and a paper by the rank it holds among 
others of the same class, it would be an error to measure 
the influence of either, strictly by what has been accom¬ 
plished in a particular sphere. Manly effort put forth in 
any one direction, tells on the elevation of the whole hu¬ 
man race; and when, now and then, we hear the echoes 
of a long since uttered voice, coming back from the green 
hills of Vermont, we feel a sense of gratulation which 
spurs on to renewed exertion. Eds. 
Mammoth Steers. —The Granite Farmer says that 
the mammoth steers lately exhibited at Haymarket 
Square, Boston, weigh about 4,000 pounds each, and 
that the proprietor has been offered $15 per hundred for 
them for beef, which would be twelve hundred dollars 
for the pair. Dr. Crosby says, “ While standing by one 
of them, our eyes came up to within four inches of the 
top of the shoulder, and to see upon his back we were 
obliged to mount a box.” If the Doctor had given his 
own height, we should be able to judge of the height of 
the ox. 
