410 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
NOTES FOR THE MONTH. 
To Agents and Postmasters. 
We invite your attention to the article on the first page, 
and to the Prospectuses of The Cultivator, and our 
new weekly journal, The Country Gentleman, pub¬ 
lished on the last page of this paper. In these you will 
see the development of our plans for 1853, which we 
doubt not will meet your approbation, and for which we 
ask your hearty and energetic support. 
Notwithstanding the’reduction in price of The Culti¬ 
vator, we intend it shall be fully equal in merit to any 
of our previous volumes. It will be. considering the 
amount of matter given, the cheapest, while we shall be 
enabled, we trust, by the facilities afforded by its con¬ 
nection with our weekly sheet, to make it, if not the 
eest, at least equal in merit to any of our monthly ag¬ 
ricultural journals. 
To all who want a weekly journal, especially devoted 
to the interests of country life—to rural improvement in 
all its branches, we commend The Country Gentleman, 
which we intend shall combine all the advantages of an 
Agricultural, Horticultural and Family Journal, and be 
worthy of a place at the fireside of every household. 
We are already under great obligations to our friends 
who have labored so steadily, year after year, to pro¬ 
mote the circulation of our work. They have benefitted 
the public as well as us; and we ask their continued kind 
offices in behalf of The Cultivator for next year, and 
our new work, The Country Gentleman. The price 
of The Cultivator is now so trifling that no farmer who 
has any ambition or any desire to improve, can refuse to 
take it if properly applied to; and we look wuth confidence 
to the efforts of our friends, for a great increase in our 
circulation next year. 
We have intended to send Prospectuses to all those 
who have heretofore acted as Agents; but if any have 
failed to receive them, they will please give us notice, 
that other copies may be sent. 
K7“ To any of our subscribers who are disposed to act 
as agents, we will send Prospectuses and sample num¬ 
bers, on application. 
[Agents.— We should be glad to secure active and 
energetic Agents for our papers, in every part of the 
country. Those disposed to act as Agents, will please 
address us on the subject. 
The Country Gentleman. —We have selected this 
title as peculiarly adapted to express the purpose and 
character of our weekly journal, and our opinion has 
been strengthened by the flattering reception the speci¬ 
men number has generally met with. While a strictly 
agricultural title is too narrow in its signification to con¬ 
vey the intention of such a paper, The Country Gen¬ 
tleman is at once simple and comprehensive, -while it 
expresses what every man should be, and what most 
men claim to be. The farmer is the true representative 
man of the age, the embodiment of the calm thought 
and sound sense of his time—the true gentleman. It is 
for such men that our paper is intended—it is for them 
we labor, and we hope to make our journal a welcome 
Dec. 
and looked for visitor at the fireside of every Country 
Gentleman —to the sunburnt farmer in his unpretend¬ 
ing house, to the amateur in his vine-clad cottage and 
garden of flowers, as well as to the gentleman of leisure 
who seeks in country life, the enjoyment which was de¬ 
nied him in early years of business and constant toil. 
Agricultural Chemistry at Yale College.— We 
are pleased to learn that Prof. John A. Porter takes 
the place of the lamented Norton, in the School of Ap¬ 
plied Chemistry at Yale College, and that the usual 
course of lectures on Agricultural Chemistry will com¬ 
mence on the 7th of January, and continue for ten weeks. 
Prof. Porter has devoted several years to the study of 
Agricultural Chemistry, both at home and in Europe, 
and we know of no one whose knowledge of the subject, 
better qualifies him to succeed Prof. Norton. 
Persons attending this course are not necessarily other¬ 
wise connected with the College. It is intended for farm¬ 
ers, and will be made so plain and practical that all can 
understand and apply it. The subject will be illustrated 
by numerous experiments, including the analysis of soils 
and manures, the process for which will be explained in 
detail. 
Persons attending the lectures have access to a valua¬ 
ble library of agricultural works, with which they may 
occupy their leisure time. The fee for the course is $10. 
Those desirous of engaging in the practical analysis of 
soils, manures, &c., in the laboratory, may do so at an 
extra charge. 
Facilities ase also afforded to those who wish to pursue 
chemistry experimentally, with the object of applying 
it in manufacturing or mining, or with the design of be¬ 
coming teachers. For further particulars, address Prof. 
John A. Porter, New-IIaven, Conn. 
Science and Experiments.— We are glad to observe 
a determination with some farmers to settle disputed 
points by a resort to acctual experiments, in connection 
with the suggestions of science. Performing experiments 
without the guiding light of science, is like trying to make 
money without keeping any accounts—the man may 
sometimes get considerable sums, but he cannot for the 
life of him tell by what operation he has made it, nor 
how he is likely to be successful again. So, in a random 
experiment, the farmer may succeed finely, but he cannot 
guess which of the dozen operating causes has had the most 
influence; which is essential and which useless—nor why 
he has succeded. It is true, he may find out after re¬ 
peated trials, like the blind man who goes over a piece of 
ground till he becomes familiar with all its parts, which 
the light of vision would have revealed to him at a glance. 
On the other hand, science not corroborated by experi¬ 
ment, is but little better, being not unlike that of the 
ancient philosophers, who preferred to shut themselves 
up in the closet, and by profound abstract reasoning for 
a life time, found out what they could at once ascertain 
by a few minutes of manipulation. Both are as needful 
and useful as the two rails of a railroad,—we should 
make rather sorry work in trying to run the train upon 
one alone. It is true, we know more at present through 
the teachings of experiment than of science; but this is 
because we have the practice of many thousand people 
