44 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
Feb. 
and increased by elongation. This being the fact there 
is no analogy in the maxim, and results fully prove there 
is not a necessity to plant large potatoes in order to pro¬ 
duce large returns: 
I have grown good crops, particularly of the coarser 
varieties, by planting simply the parings, as taken off 
by the cook; but in this case, by throwing so many eyes 
into a hole, although numerous, they were mostly small. 
The present season, I planted two acres of the pink¬ 
eye varieties. The rows were twenty rods long. The 
seed selected of the undersized or medium, excepting 
six rows which were of the smallest kind, usually call¬ 
ed pig potatoes. I sort my potatoes into three sizes, 
thus—large, for sale, medium to small, for seed, and the 
balance, none larger than an inch in diameter, are boil¬ 
ed for the pigs, poultry, &c. Being short of seed for 
the ground prepared, I ordered these cullings, not lar¬ 
ger than a common marble or hickory nut, to be used to 
finish out with. The result is, these six rows are equal 
in every respect, and by the diggers thought to be bet¬ 
ter, than any other portion of the whole plat. 
Form of Ox Yokes. 
Nearly every person, on looking at these two 
figures, would give a decided preference to the 
upper, because it looks better. True, Hogarth’s 
line of beauty is largely introduced into its out¬ 
line; but the line of beauty, however excellent a 
pattern for gravel walks and ornamental furniture, 
is hardly the right principle to govern the form of 
substantial farm implements. Indeed, we have 
often observed with suprise, that lightness and 
strength are sacrificed in a considerable degree, 
in making ox-yokes, to what appears to be no¬ 
thing but mere fashion—a poor place for its intro¬ 
duction. 
Fig. 1, represent a form which is very common 
throughout the country; but the reader will ob¬ 
serve by the lines a b, that about three-fourths 
of its real strength is destroyed by the deep hoV 
low in the middle, and that there is a useless or¬ 
namental hook at each end. As a necessary con¬ 
sequence, an increase of weight must be given, 
to compensate for the lack of strength. The result 
is, every farmer’s boy, possessing less than man’s 
strength, has a dread of the task of yoking a pair 
of oxen, because he cannot, without great effort, 
hold up the heavy yoke. Added to these diffi¬ 
culties, is the time consumed in hewing, and the 
timber required for material, a breadth equal to 
a c , Fig. 1. 
Fig. 2 represents an improvement. This yoke 
may be quickly made of a scantling, 4 by 6 inches, 
answering all the purposes accomplished by the 
other, and having only one half its weight. An 
iron strap for holding the ring, passes round the 
center, which is not weakened by the usual mode 
of piercing for the iron bolt. The point of draft 
may be regulated by the length given to the iron 
shank holding the ring. What this length should 
be, has not, w r e believe, been, very accurately as¬ 
certained. If the ring is high, nearly all the 
draft will press upon the top of the animal’s neck; 
if too low, the bows will be drawn back with so 
great a force as to choke him. The proper me¬ 
dium—throwing most of the draft upon the neck 
above, relieved however by a proper degree of 
pressure by the bows—cannot be determined by 
the dynamometer, but only by close observation 
of the effect upon the team, while using a yoke 
which has a ring capable of being raised or lowered 
by means of a screw. This is an experiment well 
worthy of trial; for it will make a considerable dif¬ 
ference in the farmer’s profits in ten years, wheth¬ 
er his oxen are enabled to draw with a force of four 
hundred pounds with a well-made yoke, or only 
three hundred by means of a bad one—a considera¬ 
tion quite as important as that of an easy-running 
plow. —o-— 
Can Farming be Made Profitable. 
Mr. Tucker —In the November number of the 
Cultivator, there is an article signed “ Mercutio,” 
which comments severely upon the occupation of 
the farmer. Now, although the language used is 
perhaps too strong to agree with facts when pro¬ 
perly stated—yet there is certainly much truth in 
the idea advanced, that as things are now, compa¬ 
ratively speaking, little money is made by agricul¬ 
ture. But this does not arise as is usually suppos¬ 
ed, from capital invested in agricultural operations 
paying so poor an interest, but from causes to 
which we shall presently advert. No class of men 
labor harder than the farmers, and no class are 
more deserving of the reward of that labor; if, 
therefore, we are not getting that reward, some 
measures ought to be taken to secure it to us. 
That the subject of the profit of farming is begin¬ 
ning to attract attention, is a good omen; it is a 
subject it can do no harm to agitate; it will elicit 
truth, and truth is what we always welcome. We 
cannot believe with Mercutio, that agricultural 
editors are to blame about this matter; they are 
but the expounders of public opinion, and we can¬ 
not conceive why they should wish to cloak the 
