1881. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
149 
of the wheat growing farmers of western New York, 
(pigeon-weed,) and that is by planting the ground with 
Indian corn two years in succession. It has succeeded 
on a 28 acre field of mine. But I have long known that 
a man had to follow up some experiments by more than 
one trial to make sure of the result. I am going to fol¬ 
low up this one, straight forward. 
Shelter for Man ore. —I notice a great deal is now 
said and much written, about keeping barn-yard manure 
under cover. Now this is what I have been experiment¬ 
ing upon for over 20 years, and I am fully of the opin¬ 
ion, after many trials, manure is not any the better for 
being kept under cover, and I think decidedly worse, if 
it is to be immediately applied to potatoes or Indian 
corn.* I do really wish that some thorough, working, 
practical men would test it fairly and give their opinion 
through The Cultivator. I know that men of practice 
are seldom writers, and more seldom speakers in public 
meetings 5 but I would rather have the opinion of one 
thorough, experienced farmer, than the opinion of ten 
theorists. I know scientific men, or some of them say, 
what may answer my farm, may not answer my neigh¬ 
bor’s a mile off; but barn-yard manure answers for all 
land that is dry, in all places and all countries I ever saw 
or read of j and the farmer can always have plenty of it 
if he manages right; but he must not feed his cattle and 
sheep at straw stacks through the winter, with nothing 
else. Would you believe that in this famous county of 
Seneca, you may see fine thrifty steers, in the fall, that 
ten bushels of corn meal and less than a ton of hay would 
make fit for the butcher, or for New York or any other 
market, turned to a stack of straw, or more often a heap 
of straw, without any other shelter, there to do the best 
they can. I have seen them eating a tunnel through the 
stack of straw j and when the spring thaws come, some 
have had both cattle and sheep smothered. 
Still some of those farmers, lay up money. If they 
are penurious in feeding their cattle and sheep, they are 
generally penurious in other things, and if their cattle 
or sheep bring them little, they feed them nothing that 
they could sell, and what they get they keep. 
There are farmers, and those who own good land, too, 
that turn all their cattle and sheep on the highway 
through summer, and some will even buy young cattle 
in spring and turn them on the highway through sum¬ 
mer, and after harvest, give them a run on their stub¬ 
bles until winter sets in; then turn them to the straw 
stack or heap. A great many sheep are kept in the 
same way. 
I am well aware that the most of your correspondents 
give a flattering account of the improvement of the 
farming community. I firmly believe that there is a 
great improvement within the last ten years, but still a 
great many farmers go on as I have represented, and yet 
lay up money. If their wheat should only average them 
12 or 16 bushels per acre, they raise it with their own 
* There may be some points in connexion with this subject, that 
our correspondent has overlooked. For instance, it is sometimes the 
case that manure kept under cover is over heated, and much of the 
valuable part burned out. To settle the question fairly, the sheltered 
manure should be kept sufficiently moist and cool to prevent waste. 
If all the circumstances were properly at ended to, we cannot doubt 
(hat the result of the experiment would be in favor of the manure 
which was protected from the air and rains. Eds. 
labor, and like their stock it is almost all gain. If I 
happen to tell some of them that they should feed their 
sheep something better than straw, they will say, that 
their sheep will compare favorably with mine, yet some 
of those who formerly fed nothing but straw to their 
cattle and sheep, have changed their course, and now 
have as fine cows and sheep as any man has, and it would 
be much to the credit of our country were every farmer 
to do so. John Johnston, near Geneva, Feh. 12,1851. 
P. S.—I have not yet finished threshing my last crop 
of wheat, but know that it will average over thirty 
bushels per acre. I have now a little over fifty acres on 
the ground, that I expect a large crop from. With the 
exception of six or eight acres, it is thoroughly tile- 
drained, and otherwise in good condition. 
Hussey’s Reaping Machine* 
Eds. Cultivator. —I observe in a late number of 
your journal, a statement from Mr, McCormick, with 
regard to his reaping, machine j also one from another 
person respecting my reaping and mowing machine, which 
seem to have been in response to an inquiry made in a 
previous number of your paper. As that inquiry did 
not come under my observation in proper season, I was 
deprived of the advantage of making a parallel state¬ 
ment. Believing, with others, that I was not fairly 
represented in that correspondence j as the statement 
made for me by your correspondent did not refer to 
machines made by myself, or to such as are made with 
the improvements of latter years, I wish to make a few 
remarks. 
Without troubling you with arguments, I will confine 
myself to stating a few facts. My reaping machine has 
been in'successful use fifteen years. The patented im¬ 
provements of latter years have increased its value as a 
reaper, and made it a mowing machine. It has driven 
from the field east of the Alleghany mountains 
every other reaper: for this fact, I will refer to all the 
prominent planters in lower Virginia, and the Shenan¬ 
doah Valley, and of every other place where other reap¬ 
ers have had time to become known. Another striking 
fact is this: hundreds of mechanics in the western states 
are now infringing on my present patent right, in getting 
up machines to go by other names, while infringments 
on the other inventions for reaping are scarcely 
known. I will not boast of making a very large num¬ 
ber of machines 5 the extent of my business has hereto¬ 
fore been to fill orders. 
Another fact is this: by recent improvements my reap¬ 
er has become a mowing machine. James Clark, of 
Lasalle, Ill., in a published letter, says he has cut 400 
acres of grass with one of my machines in the last har¬ 
vest —200 of meadow and 200 of prairie. I will take 
the liberty also to refer to Edward J. Eno, of Berlin, 
Sangamon county, and to Sami. Thomas, of Green 
county, Illinois, and to John Cockey and John Merry- 
man, of Baltimore county, Md., and could refer to hun¬ 
dreds of other farmers for its merits as a mowing 
machine. 
As regards the cutting of lodged grain, I will refer to 
matter already published, the signatures of responsible 
and disinterested farmers, instead of making any state¬ 
ment of my own. 
