118 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March. 
»very point,—I was surprised when the well-dig'ger re¬ 
fused to build it. “No—he had walled wells, and knew 
now, hut this leaning wall would certainly cave in, and 
he would not undertake it.” No reasoning could over¬ 
come his apprehensions, and the work was at a stand, 
when an old carpenter who happened to he present, 
offered his services—he was not afraid, and the well- 
digger served as tender. 
Now as this wall appears to stand as firmly as any 
other in this region; and as the well has always furnish¬ 
ed abundance of the best water,—I have thought it 
might be useful to make a record of the facts, as I 
know of no other attempt on this plan. 
And I am now satisfied that if our former well had 
been walled up in the same manner, we should always 
have had plenty of water. Let us examine the grounds 
of this opinion. Suppose at the commencement of a 
drouth there is 10 feet of water, which we may call in 
round numbers equal to 280 cubic feet, or 560 pailfuls. 
Then if 5 pailfuls a day be required, this reservoir would 
yield them for 115 days; but as the water dripping in 
from the top of the rock, would be equal to one pailful, 
there would be a sufficiency for 140 days. 
But as no drouth in this land has been known to con¬ 
tinue through that length of time, it is nearly certain 
that by this improvement and at that rate, we should 
have a reservior not to be exhausted; but on the con¬ 
trary, it would yield 10 pailfuls a day through any 
drouth that I ever remember in Cayuga county; and let 
me add that such water is of the purest and sweetest 
throughout the entire summer and autumn. Greatfield, 
Cayuga county, 1st mo. 20., 1851. 
Cheap and Expeditious mode of Seed-Sowing. 
Gardners frequently wish to sow small seeds in too 
considerable a quantity to be done cheaply by the fingers, 
and yet not in sufficient quantities to justify the pur¬ 
chase of an expensive seed-sower. 
Let such persons pursue the following method: 
The ground being well prepared by the plow, harrow, 
and, if need be, the rake, construct— 
I. A Marker. —Take a 8 by 4 scantlin, 6 or 8 feet 
long—bore holes, at three inches distance, with an inch 
augur; add a pole to one side with a peg through the 
extreme end for a handle. Now form teeth, made a 
little wedge shaped at the bottom. Set these 6, 9, 12, 
15, or 18 inches distance as you wish your rows, and 
your marker is done. It is in shape, you will perceive, 
like a great rake. 
Go to one side of your plat, fix your eye on some 
mark at the other end, advance with a steady step, 
drawing your marker behind you. A little practice will 
enable you to do this without varying three inches from 
a straight line. Turn round and set your inside tooth 
in the last mark made, and go back. If you are alone, 
make but a few marks before you begin to sow. 
II. The Seed-Sower. —If you have no time or disposi¬ 
tion to go to a tinner to get a handsome instrument, 
proceed thus: Take a common tin cannister with a 
steeple top. Pierce a round smooth hole through the 
cover, of the size of a small pea, or, what is better, get 
three or four covers made to it, with holes of different 
sizes to suit different seeds. Now fasten your cannister 
with a string to a piece of a barrel stave to serve as a 
handle. 
III. Preparation of the Seed, and Sowing. —Have on 
hand a half barrel of sand, dry and not too fine. Sift 
a few quarts, and be careful that not a stick, straw, or 
piece of gravel is left behind, as they would choke your 
sower. 
Mingle your seed with from five to ten times its quan¬ 
tity of sand; fill your sower by means of a tunnel; put 
on your cover, advance to the first row, insert your 
sower, and walk off. You will soon learn how to pro¬ 
portion your sand, the size of the hole, and the speed 
of your walking. The point to be aimed at is to be able 
to walk with a quick step, and yet have your seed spread 
just right. The great trouble is to make a beginning. 
A little experience will make all easy and rapid. 
IY. Covering the Seed. —A hay rake inverted, or what 
is better, a bit of wood a little longer and heavier, fas¬ 
tened to an old rake handle will cover rapidly. 
But if your soil is in good tilth, and your operations 
have been managed carefully , you may cover most of the 
seeds, to be sown by this method, with a roller. Even 
if you cover by the former method, there are numerous 
and great advantages in rolling your whole plat before 
you leave it. Your seed will spring up more evenly, 
your first weeding will be done more safely and expe¬ 
ditiously, and your seed will come with more certainty 
especially in dry weather. With such a marker, sower 
and roller, I think two men would sow at least one and 
and a half acres of turneps or onions in a day. Indeed, 
I have done all the sowing of a large market garden in 
this way for some years, although I think I should find 
my advantage in using a regular seed-sower, especially 
as it would be accommodated to a greater variety of 
seeds than the simple method which I have used. C. 
E. G. Utica, Jan. 21th, 1851. 
-- 
The Crops of New-England. 
I see it stated in some quarters, that New-England 
can no longer raise grain with profit. If it is meant by 
this that grain can not be the staple production, we have 
no objection to the proposition. Daniel Webster long 
since, with his usual keen perception, said that grazing 
must be the occupation of eastern farmers. Still we 
think there can be no question but that corn and oats 
can be raised with profit in our vallies, and even on our 
hills,—not for the home consumption of the whole popu¬ 
lation, but for the supply of the farmers themselves. 
There is much sense in the maxim, “ Have two strings 
to your bow.” The cultivation of grain will fill up the 
chinks of time, and the profits of it will fill up the chinks 
in the pocket. If any one is not satisfied of this, let 
him neglect his corn-patch for one year, and buy corn 
to fatten his pork, and meal to make his Johnycake, 
and he will probably find it more difficult to raise the 
cash than it would have been to raise the corn. A va¬ 
riety in our productions, conduces to independence and 
comfort. If one crop fails, we have another to lean 
upon; and there is a comfort in partaking of one’s own 
products, which the purchased article does not furnish. 
It is a laudable pride that the farmer feels, as he says 
to his guest, “ this bread was made of my own wheat,” 
or “ this fruit is some of my own raising.” But I took 
