1852 
THE CULTIVATOR 
259 
seeds and other objects of interest to the American farm¬ 
er and gardener; and to act on such other matters per¬ 
taining to the advancement of agriculture as the wisdom 
of the convention may judge appropriate.” 
Cherry Trees at Midsummer.— -Many young cherry 
trees have been set out the past spring, and have already 
commenced growth. But if left with hard exposed soil 
about them, a large portion will die before the close of 
summer, or during the hot, dry weather. If watered, 
as the work is usually done, the surface will become 
hardened and crusted, the roots not reached, and some 
trees killed by the very process intended to save them. 
An acquaintance, who set out 50 cherry trees a few years 
since, informed us that he watered about a third, every 
one of which died—most of the others lived. If it be¬ 
comes necessary to apply water, the earth should be re¬ 
moved down to the roots, and replaced when the water 
is poured in. But it is far better to keep the ground con¬ 
stantly and moderately moist, than to flood it after it be¬ 
comes dry. This is completely effected by mulching. 
Spread round the young cherry trees early in summer, 
old straw, spoiled hay, mown weeds, or any similar ma¬ 
terial, to a depth of six compact inches, and a few feet 
in diameter, and they will flourish and grow through the 
whole season. - 
Mr. Morris’ Sale. —Since the page of this number, 
containing the account of this sale, was stereotyped, we 
have received from Mr. Morris a more full and detailed 
account, from which it appears that 
7 Short-horn cows averaged,....$84 28 
2 do heifers,. 82 50 
4 do heifer calves,....... 87 50 
1 do bull,. 
7 do bull calves,. 105 00 
1 do bull rented,. 
1 Devon heifer and 3 calves,. 53 75 
19 Ayrshires,... 64 07 
38 Pigs, Suffolk and Essex,. 11 56£ 
11 South-Down Sheep,... 14 22 
3 do rams, rented for one season... 
Total,.. 
Heavy Cattle.— W. H. Worrall of Poughkeepsie, 
informs us that he has two five-year-olds, one a steer and 
the other a heifer, “ which their numerous visitors have 
named Kossuth and Jenny Lind,” whose live weight is 
upwards of 3,000 lbs. each. “If any one in the world, ’> 
says Mr. TV., “ will produce as fine a heifer, of the same 
age and size of bone, I will bind myself to pay $1,000 
for her on delivery.” 
McCormick’s Bearer. —A good deal of interest has 
been excited by the application of Mr. McCormick to 
Congress, for a renewal of his patent of 1834, and the re¬ 
port of a bill in the U. S. Senate, in his favor, which, it 
is said, “ covers every other grain reaper not only, but 
every mowing machine in use—a most monstrous claim,” 
says one of our correspondents, “which, if successful, 
will render not onlythe manufacturers of these implements, 
but the whole farming community tributary to him.” 
We have not seen the bill alluded to, and know nothing 
of the merits of the case, further than what is stated in 
the remonstrances sent us. Congress will, we doubt not, 
be careful, in doing justice to Mr. McCormick, not to do 
injustice to other inventors, or the manufacturing or 
farming interest. 
North Carolina. —lVe are indebted to Jas. Sloan, 
Esq., of Greensboro, for a copy of the proceedings of a 
meeting held at Guilford County Court House, in Feb¬ 
ruary last, at which an Ag. Society for the county was 
organised, constitution and bye-laws adopted, officers 
elected, and an able and appropriate address delivered 
by Ralph Gorrell, Esq. Wilson S. Hill is President 
of the Society, and James Sloan,. Cor. Sec’y. 
Re-topping young Apple Trees.— A good many cul¬ 
tivators set out seedling apple trees, in order to do their 
own grafting. Generally, it is better to buy at once good 
grafted trees. Others wish to change the tops of worth¬ 
less sorts which have been before grafted. Both lose two 
or three years by the cutting-back which it is usually 
necessary to give them before setting the grafts. An 
easier way, with scarcely any loss of time, is to change 
the tops by budding. Trees seven or eight feet high, 
with heads, may receive six or eight buds, distributed 
evenly throughout, and older trees, (not over two or 
three inches in diameter,) a proportionately larger num¬ 
ber. The next spring, the shoots are cut back to be 
buds, (instead of lopping heavy limbsas ingrafting,) and 
the original form and nearly the original siise of the head 
retained. The buds should be set soon after midsummer. 
Fruit Drying House. —A correspondent of the Michi¬ 
gan Farmer has constructed a fruit-drying house, which 
he says “ has succeeded beyond his expectations.” It is 
12 foet square, with eight foet posts, lathed and plastered, 
with an air-tight sheet-iron stove in the center. The 
screens, 24 in number, are two feet by five, and are ar¬ 
ranged about nine inches one above another, on two sides 
of the apartment. The fruit dries twice as fast above as 
below. Three days is the usual time required. Fruit 
thus dried, it is asserted, is of much finer quality than 
any dried in the open air. The whole cost was $45. 
Ventilation is not mentioned, but we presume it is amply 
secured, as it is indispensible to the escape of the hot 
moist air, which would otherwise cause speedy rotting. 
Flat Turneps on Heavy Soils. —Many are aware 
of the difficulty in attempting to raise a crop of flat tur¬ 
neps on a heavy or clayey soil. We have known com¬ 
plete success to result from the following practice: Spread 
over the piece of ground intended for the turneps, several 
inches or a foot of old straw, fine brush, and whatever 
else of a similar combustible character may be at hand 
—burn these, and sow the turneps without disturbing the 
soil much—a good crop will be the result. Whether the 
coat of fresh ashes—the slight burning which the clay 
receives—the destruction of insects and their eggs—or 
the repulsive effect to the turnep fly,—has the greatest 
favorable influence, or whether all operate together, we 
must leave for others to decide—we only know the re¬ 
sult. -— 
Drying Tomatoes.— The Ohio Cultivator says, (early 
last summer,) “We ate some very fine tomatoes not 
long since, dried in the following manner. Fruit fully 
ripe, was scalded, strained through a seive. slowly cooked 
half an hour, spread on clean plates, and dried in an 
oven, the whole process requiring about two days before 
the fruit was ready to pack away.” 
$590 
165 
350 
180 
735 
200 
2J5 
1,217 50 
639 50 
156 50 
112 50 
