67 
1853 . 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Hotes for t|e Polity. 
The Present Season.-— Up to the 13th of Jan¬ 
uary, the month had been one of unusual mildness. 
With the exception of two or three cold days, accompa¬ 
nied with a flurry of snow, the air has been more like 
April than January. Considerable rain has fallen at 
different times. On the morning of the 12th instant, 
an inch or so of snow fell, and during the succeeding 
night and day, a body to the depth of more than a foot, 
making the first sleighing of the season. 
The Hudson river is still open, though fields of floating 
ice are moving up and down with the changes of tide. 
The Argus says: i( By referring to statistics on the sub¬ 
ject of the closing of the river, we find that the river 
has not been open at this date for nearly half a century, 
or since 1810, when it closed on the 19th of January. 
Since 1790, the river has not closed but ten times in the 
month of January—twice on the 3d of February, and 
the remaining seasons in the months of November and 
December. The following statement presents the dates 
in January, at which the river has closed in the years 
mentioned: 
1705. 
1806. 
1796.. 
1808. 
1800.. 
1810. 
1801. 
1825. 
1804. 
1829.. 
ee In 1790 it closed Feb. 3d, and in 1802 on the same 
day of the month.” 
Mr. W. Bacon, of Elmwood Farm, Richmond, Mass., 
writes under the date of Jan. 7: (( The season up to 
the present time has passed beautifully away. Scarce¬ 
ly five inches of snow has fallen in all our flurries, and 
the greatest depth at one time was two and half inches, 
about Dec. 15. This consisted, too, mostly of hail, and 
in a short time was dissolved. We have had some heavy 
rain storms, but warm for winter. To-day the air is 
soft and smoky like Indian summer. Animals of all 
kinds are enjoying themselves in warm sunbeams, and 
sheep are loth to be restrained in yards. All this fine 
weather has proved an immense saving of fodder, and if 
it should continue, bay will be cheaper next spring than 
last fall. Stock looks well, and withal bears a good 
price.” -— 1 
U. S. Ag. Society —The first Ann .Meeting of the 
United States Agricultural Society, will be held in the 
Smithsonian Institute, Washington city, on Wednes¬ 
day, the 2d day of February next, at 10 o'clock, A. M.; 
the officers of the Society for the ensuing year are to be 
elected. The importance of strengthening in its infan¬ 
cy, an Institution which has for its object the promotion 
of our National Agriculture, it is hoped will secure the 
attendance of a large number of members. Robert C. 
Walker, Rec. Sec. —- 
New Mowing and Reaping Machine. —Mr. 
Horace L. Emery, of this city, well known as 
the inventor of the Railroad Horse Power, which 
took the first premium in its class at the trial of 
implements at Geneva, and of which 800 were 
j-jip sold in 1852, has recently secured a patent on a 
i 
mowing and reaping machine of his own invention. 
He claims that “ while it is the most compact, 
light, simple, cheap, durable, easy-working ma- 
chine, it is at the same time the most perfectly 
adjustable, portable, and easily convertible into a 
mower or reaper, working as perfectly in either 
form, as those of the best of other kinds, whether 
simple or combined.” 
We shall soon be able to present a cut of the 
machine, with diagrams, showing its peculiarities 
and advantages- ——■ 
Hon. Henry Wager, President of the 
N. Y. State Ag. Society, we regret to learn, has 
been compelled by the state of his health, to seek 
a milder climate for the winter. He sailed from 
New-York for Savannah, with the intention of vi¬ 
siting Cuba. —-— 
Sale of Blood Cattle. —We hear that Col. 
Sherwood, of Auburn, projioses to dispose of a 
large part of his fine Short Horns at public sale, 
in June next. If so, it will afford a rare oppor¬ 
tunity for obtaining choice animals from the best 
herd in the state. ——— 
Winter Pear. —Mr. James Wilson, the well- 
known Nurseryman and Florist of this city, pre¬ 
sented us a few days since, with a dozen Inconnu, 
Van Mons Pears. They were just ripe, and prov¬ 
ed juicy, and of moderately fine flavor—a good 
winter pear. Mr. W. informs us that the tree is 
very hardy, a free grower, and very productive. 
Grapes. —We have received from Mr. J. S. 
Goold, -of this city, a basket of Catawba Grapes. 
They were preserved in dry ash saw-dust, and were 
in good order. —-- 
Devon Herd Book.— L. G. Morris, Esq., will 
please accept our thanks for a copy of “ Davy’s 
Devon Herd Book,” recently published in Eng¬ 
land. -- 
Pumpkins and Squashes in Corn-fields. —At 
an ag. meeting in N. Hampshire, a cultivator stated 
that he had found pumpkins, squashes and turneps / 
in corn-fields, to lessen the amount of corn. This 
is to be expected,' as they must, as a matter of 
course, operate in the same way as w r eeds. He 
had'also found, by using the corn-planting ma¬ 
chine for every alternate roiv, a difference in fa¬ 
vor of the corn-planter of about seven bushels per 
acre. So much for regularity and perfection of 
work. —- 
Michigan University. —An Agricultural Depart¬ 
ment has been organised in this University, consisting 
of the following course of lectures, which are to com¬ 
mence on April 1st, and end June 30, 1853. 
1. Daily lectures on Chemistry, (elementary and 
experimental,) Chemistry applied to the Arts, Mete¬ 
orology and Climate. 
2. Geology and Mineralogy, and the application of 
the same to Mining, Drainage, construction of public 
works, &e., &c., illustrated by specimens from Michi¬ 
gan, the neighboring States, and foreign lands; also, 
Models and Drawings. 
