334 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
Nov. 
Having the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with 
Hon. William Lyon who owns a farm in the latter 
place of some two hundred acres, I have repeatedly 
had occasion to notice the admirable system maintained 
on his establishment, and the substantial manner in 
which all his improvements are made. 
When Mr. Lyon took possession of his farm r a young 
man, it was heavily encumbered with mortgages. 
These under his skillful management have not only 
been paid off, but a family has been'educated, large 
and expensive barns and out buildings have been built, 
and his farm and stock meantime kept in a state of 
constant improvement. He ascribes his success to a 
few general principles which he early adopted and has 
steadily adhered to. These are deep and thorough 
cultivation, a free use of plaster, and the raising of his 
own stock. He informed me that his whole farm, with 
the exception of an acre or two, has been under culti¬ 
vation with the plow, a thing quite too uncommon in 
that part of the country, but which required in his case 
no little patience and perseverance to accomplish, as he 
made it a point to dig or blast out most of the rocks, 
and lay them into walls. He began the improvement 
of his stock with a cross of what he called the Holder- 
ness with the native; sincfc which time he ha^earefully 
bred from his best animals, ‘and occasionally crossed 
with valuable ones of the improved breeds until he pro¬ 
duced a herd which left little to be desired, either for 
dairying purposes or for the stall. 
The farm is at present managed by his gentlemanly 
and enterprising son-in-law, Benjamin Sumner, Esq. 
He is giving his attention chiefly to the breeding of the 
Improved Short horns, and the raising of fruit, par¬ 
ticularly apples. Of the latter he has a fine orchard of 
choice varieties, planted with his own hands, which is 
just beginning to bear. 
His stock of full blood short horns, is not large, but 
includes some superior animals, and his grades do him 
much credit as a breeder of stock. I should not omit 
to mention in this connection his Suffolk swine and 
South Down sheep, both fine of their kind, though per¬ 
haps the latter are wanting something in size. 
But I fear this communication has been extended to 
an unreasonable length. If so, the fruitfulness of the 
theme must be my apology. E. 1ST. N. 
Information Wanted. 
L. Tucker, Esq.— As a subscriber to the Cultivator 
for some years past I would fain ask a few questions, a 
reply to which some one of your numerous subscribers 
or correspondents perhaps will furnish. 
Which is the best way of steeping grass-seed ? I 
have sowed last spring both Lucerne and Orchard Grass, 
but as I could not attend to it early in the season, I took 
the precaution to sow both with Buckwheat, thinking 
that the shading leaves of that plant would prevent the 
effects of drouth. The Lucerne has come up well, and 
since the Buekwweat has been removed, is growing 
nicely, but the orchard grass has come up very sparing¬ 
ly, which is owing, I suppose, to the seed not having 
been steeped. 
Is Lucerne liable to be winter killed ? If so, would 
it be advisable to cover with straw ? 
I have noticed on my young apple trees a very 
peculiar caterpillar, of which I would send you a 
specimen, but for its perishable nature. It has a 
greenish white body of about three-eighths of an inch 
in length, and sanies on its back a shield of a very 
soft brownish velvety texture. I have never seen 
any of that species before, and they are certainly very 
peculiar. Can you furnish any name to the beauty ? 
[The insect referred to, is, in all probability, the 
larva of one of the Cassidadcc. These larva are j 
broad and oval, with a kind of fringe, composed of 
stiff prickles, surrounding the thin edges of the body, 
and a long forked tail, which serves to bold the ex¬ 
crement when voided; a mass of which, half as large 
as the insect, is often thus accumulated. The tail, 
with its loaded forks, is turned over the hack, and thus 
protects it from the influence of the sun, and proba¬ 
bly also from its enemies.] v. 
Last fall I obtained from a seed store in Hew York, a 
peck of what was sold for Golden Australian Wheat, at 
the outrageous price of $4 per bushel. It was badly 
winter killed, and what survived turned otit two kinds 
of wheat. The one ripened sooner than the other 
(which I take to he the genuiue,) and rust setting in, 
both had to be harvested, though the Australian was 
yet green: consequently it is badly shrunk; but I have 
sowed it again nevertheless, intending to give it a fair 
trial in this latitude. 
It is really too bad, that our seedsmen allow them¬ 
selves to be imposed upon in this way, and injure their 
own reputation by selling an impure article for genuine, 
and at such a price. A. II. Kummel. Sharon, H is- 
consin, Sept. 20, 1853. 
Clover anb Timothy. —Is it best to seed down land 
with clover and timothy? The value of clover princi¬ 
pally resides in the leaves and the flowers; hut that of 
timothy in the stem, where sugar is elaborated. As the 
leaves of the latter are of small account, and as it ought 
to be be cut three or four weeks later, ought these plants 
to grow together? 
When is the best time to sow timothy? D. T. 
Horse Bone Lime. — Inquiry. —Amongst the vari¬ 
ous articles that have made the pages of the Cultivator 
so interesting to myself for the last five years, I find 
none on the advantages of horse bone lime as a fertili¬ 
zer; will you, or some of your correspondents who have 
tried it, please give us the results of your experiments. 
The hw-se bone stone abounds in some sections of the ! 
state, and yoa will oblige us very much by giving an 
analysis of this most potent lime, and its adaptation to 
agricultural purposes. Jos. Hudleston. Frankfort- 
ville , Herkimer Co ., N. Y. y Sept. } 1853. 
We know nothing of “horse bone stone.” If any 
of our readers can furnish the information asked for, 
we shall be glad to receive it. 
Hereford Herd Book. — D. M. B. This work is 
not, to our knowledge, to be had in this country. 
