116 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March, 
near Philadelphia, Pa., has the best situation for his 
spring-house that I have seen. It is on the north side 
of a steep bank of rock, about 80 feet high. He keeps 
his milk vessels in the water. 
If I was building a spring-house in this climate, on 
level ground, I would put the door and windows on the 
north side, and bank up the other three sides as high as 
the lower story. This I think, with planting trees round 
it, would keep it cool enough. John J. Craig. Madi¬ 
son, Indiana, Dec. 31, 1850. 
Inquiry—Wens. 
Eds. Cultivator —I have a cow, on whose under jaw 
is a large excrescence; and is said to be a wen. I have 
searched my agricultural books in vain, for a description 
of the wen, hoping to find a cure; and if you, or any 
correspondent can tell us a remedy for such a tumor,they 
will confer a favor, and, perhaps, save my cow. 
In March, 1850, this cow was hooked rather uncere¬ 
moniously, by another cow, when in her stall; and in 
her attempt to escape through the manger, I conclude, 
she injured her jaw; for I discovered immediately after 
this fracas, a little hard lump, about the size of a hen’s 
egg, which increased in size until June, when it broke, 
and smelled very offensive. Medical counsellors pre¬ 
scribed an escharotic of caustic potash. This was ap¬ 
plied during the summer, sometimes twice a day, with 
little or no benefit. 
During September and October I paid but little at¬ 
tention to it; but would occasionally apply some. Now, 
I apply potash once in 3 or 4 days. The cow is much 
emaciated; and it is difficult for her to eat anything but 
roots and cut feed. When she ruminates, she froths at 
the mouth; and a stream of slabber is constantly flow¬ 
ing. Its size, now, is like the half of a man’s head. It 
inspires a great repugnance; and nothing but an appli¬ 
cation of potash will cleanse it. 
Who is able to prescribe a cure? S. Edwards Todd. 
Lake Ridge, Tompkins county, N. Y. 
Legislation in Relation to Agriculture. 
We have received a communication of considerable 
length in relation to several subjects which were alluded 
to by Mr. Merriam, in his articles published in our 
last volume, pp. 29, 391. Want of space obliges us to 
give the following extracts only, instead of the entire 
communication. In relation to flax-seed and linseed 
having been placed in the tariff of 1846 as distinct arti¬ 
cles, the following explanation is given: 
u Legislators may be too ignorant of what is most con¬ 
ducive to the best interests of the farmers, but the fact 
that flax-seed and linseed were treated as two distinct 
articles by the Congress of 1846, was more the result 
of accident than ignorance on their part. The first ap¬ 
pearance of flax-seed and linseed as two distinct articles, 
was in the tariff of 1833. It was placed there in that 
condition by one of the most distinguished statesmen 
of our country, and one whose devotion to agriculture has 
obtained for him the title of : The Farmer of Ashland.’ 
It was introduced into a Congress of which Mr. Nathan 
Appleton was a member. The bill received his special 
attention in two or three able speeches. It finally pass¬ 
ed that Congress, with flax-seed and linseed expressed 
as two distinct articles. In that condition, by accident, 
they were copied into the tariff act of 1846. The bill 
was reported to the House in April. It was amended 
in July, by raising the duty on flax-seed from ten to 
twenty per cent., and on wool at the same time 
from twenty-five to thirty, and in that condition 
passed the House. The bill was amended in the Senate 
and returned to the House for concurrence. The fact 
was then discovered that flax-seed and linseed were not 
only in the bill as two distinct articles, but owing to the 
amendment of July, were at different rates of duty. It 
was too late however, too make an amendment, as a 
return to the Senate would have been fatal to the whole 
bill. It was therefore allowed to pass in that shape, and 
a letter was addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury, 
inquiring at which rate under the circumstances the 
duty would be collected. The Secretary’s letter, in 
answer, (which can now be found in the possession of the 
gentleman then representing the 27th congressional dis¬ 
trict in this State,) asserted that the duty would be 
collected at twenty per cent. 
u When farmers shall have to rely less upon practice 
to the entire exclusion of theory, they will learn to ap¬ 
preciate such artificial helps as may be brought to bear 
upon agriculture by both science and legislation. They 
will then learn to avail themselves of existing agricul¬ 
tural associations, and if necessary to frame new ones, 
in order to investigate and ascertain what artificial helps 
may be made most conducive to their general good. 
Their wishes, expressed through such associations, will 
have the force of commands in obtaining, at the hands 
of legislators, all they can reasonably require. The as¬ 
sociation in Rhode Island, of which your Tewksbury 
correspondent speaks, and similar associations in every 
State in the Union, would be powerless if exerted against 
the wishes of the associated agriculturists of the country. 
Let the farmers be but true to themselves, and we shall 
hear no more that their interests are neglected in our 
halls of legislation.” 
The Philosophy of It. 
By seeing an apple fall, Isaac Newton was led into a 
train of thought which resulted in the discovery of the 
laws of gravitation. This may be called an accidental 
discovery, but thousands had seen the same before and 
thought no more about it. But it required a right kind 
of mind to be directed to it, to pursue the investigation 
and learn the philosophy of it. It was such an accident 
that led to the discovery of the properties of steam. 
Many had seen the power of steam in lifting the lid of a 
tea-kettle, but there were only a few that had philosophy 
enough about them to comprehend the nature of such 
an agent for motive power, and to pursue investigations 
in order to test its value. The history of discovery in 
the sciences and arts, gives many illustrations of 
the manner in which persons have arrived at important 
results in studying the philosophy of their pursuits. 
A gentleman of my acquaintance, who has the over¬ 
sight of a large workshop, is a great philosopher—in iiis 
way. He is for searching out all the whys and where¬ 
fores of his business, and in directing his workmen he 
not only tells them how to do their work, but why it is 
done so. He explains the philosophy of it, so that it is 
