216 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
June. 
that the writers of books often make great mistakes, but 
it is not very common for a farmer to make a mistake in 
giving advice • thus a farmer may deprecate corn cobs, 
either steamed or ground, as food for cattle or other live 
stock, while they are in reality an excellent feed. This 
tirade against hook farming, therefore, must fall to the 
ground, for none but an ignorant or thoughtless person 
could sustain such an idea. One of the first things for 
you to learn is, what the different soils, crops, and ma¬ 
nures are composed of, and this is to be done by means 
of such books as Johnston’s Catechism of Agricultural 
Chemistry and Geology, Johnston’s Agricultural Chem¬ 
istry, Norton’s Elements of Scientific Agriculture, and 
numerous others. Perhaps you say, “what is the use 
of all this science?” I answer, by agricultural chemis¬ 
try we can find the component parts of a soil ; we then 
find the component parts of the crop we wish to raise; we 
can then see what the soil lacks, to form the crop in per¬ 
fection. Suppose, for instance, we find that there is not 
enough sulphuric acid in the land, why then we must 
find what manure will supply the deficiency. We then 
find the analyses of the different manures near at hand; 
some have very little or no sulphuric acid, but when we 
find the analyses of gypsum or plaster of Paris, we per¬ 
ceive that it is composed of 40 lbs. of sulphuric acid to 
28-| lbs. of lime. In 685 lbs. of gypsum, therefore, we 
find that this would be a good application. It is necessary 
that a farmer should know the composition of these 
substances. This can be illustrated in this way. Sup¬ 
pose any of you should turn baker, you would have to 
learn what the different kinds of cakes, pies, &c. were 
composed of; you would have to learn the proper propor¬ 
tion of each ingredient. In the same way you should 
know what all crops are composed of, as I said before, 
as well as manures and soils. The baker also, knows that 
if he would continue to make pies, cakes, &c. he must 
replenish his stock of flour, sugar, eggs, See., the dif¬ 
ferent ingredients of which they are made, for it would 
be folly for him to suppose that he could keep on making 
cakes, pies, Sec., without replacing those substances into 
his flour barrel, sugar barrel, Sec. In the same way a 
farmer must not expect to raise a crop without he re¬ 
turns the substances he takes from his land in the shape 
of crops. Now I think you can plainly see that chemis¬ 
try is of great use to the farmer. 
In learning from books you may come to something 
you cannot understand. If you do find anything you 
cannot comprehend, the best way for you to do, is to 
write to the editors of this paper, and they will probably 
either print it for some other person to answer, or else 
will answer it themselves- Boys, you can try experi¬ 
ments of various kinds. Thus, for example, your 
fathers often discuss the merits of thick and thin plant¬ 
ing. It would be a good plan for you to get your father 
to allow you a small patch of ground, and then you can 
thoroughly pulverize the soil and put the proper manure 
on; then divide the pateli into two equal parts.; on one 
half you can sow wheat, barley, oats, or rye, broadcast, 
and on the other part you could sow it in distances of 
from two to six inches apart, according to your choice. 
If your patch is large enough you might try all the dis¬ 
tances from two to six inches, as well as broadcast; but 
be sure to have all the divisions of a size, and you should 
be particular to give the grain in all the lots exactly the 
same treatment. When ripe, keep the lots separate and 
thrash them separately, and then measure each lot, and 
note down the particulars of the distance apart that the 
seed was sown, the size of the patch, the quantity of and 
kind of manure, also the quantity of seed obtained; 
then write the results for The Cultivator. These ex¬ 
periments can be varied in many ways. 
In reading Johnston’s Catechism I -find that a soil 
“ may be barren though it contains all the substances 
which plants require, if it contains a very large propor¬ 
tion of one, such as oxide of iron, which in great quan¬ 
tity is injurious to the soil.” Then I would inquire what 
I should do to improve a soil in this condition? I find 
in the above work that “ I should thorough drain and 
subsoil it, that the rains might sink through and Wash 
out the injurious matter, and should lime it if it required 
lime.” I will ask you, boys, if, when the rain washes 
out this injurious matter, it will not also wash out the 
good matter of the soil? I would be much obliged if 
some one would be kind enough to answer this question. 
One who intends to be a Farmer. 
INVITATION. 
BY SYLVANUS. 
“ If a man would eat, drink, die, and be forgotten, let his dwelling 
place be in the city; if he would live, love, and be remembered, let 
him speed him to the glens of the mountains. ”—M’Donnough. 
From the city’s strife and din, all ye weary Toilers come, 
From the prison house of Care with its never ceasing hum, 
From the moral desert flee to the beautiful and free 
Land where Innocence and Glee, dwell together evermore. 
To the land of beauty come, where in summer glades at eve, 
Fairies sing with sylvan gods, while the balmy zephyrs grieve; 
To the land of hill and dell, where the Muses love to dwell, 
And in numbers sweet to tell tales of beauty evermore. 
Where the tiny wavelets sing songs of joyfulness and glee, 
While the birds on buoyant wing chant a chorus wild and free; 
Where in soft Elysian bowers zephyrs woo the budfling flowers, 
Crowning with delight the hours, gliding stealthily away. 
Here, in Nature’s wide domain, Love and Beauty ever dwell, 
Making bright each lonely cot, lighting up each sylvan dell; 
Here before the face of Ill, Autumn’s shade and Winter’s chill, 
Summer flowers are blooming still, shedding fragrance evermore! 
Then ye toiling careworn Millions, leave the city’s strife and din 
Nature’s storehouse lies before you, Nature bids you enter in; 
Peace and plenty ye shall find, balms to soothe a wearied mind, 
Care and Sorrow leave behind, Sin, Despair, and brooding Ill. 
Come ye Toilers worn and weary, taste enjoyment pure and free, 
Smiling Health awaits to greet ye when the brooklets sing with giee; 
Where Aurora’s golden train, flashing glory o’er the plain, 
Waketh many a thrilling strain, bright and joyous, pure and free! 
Then arise ye Sons of Labor, time shall bring thy sure reward,— 
Soon the world shall own thee ruler, sovereign prince, and rightful 
lord; 
Soon, for lo! thy morning star riseth proudly from afar, 
Soon shall thy triumphal car crush Oppression’s bloody throne! 
April 19, 1851. 
“ Worm Fences.” —The common worm rail fence, 
causes snow to accumulate in the form of drifts, in large 
bodies. We notice that at a late discussion of the East 
Bloomfield Farmer’s Club, (reported in the Rural New- 
Yorker ,) Mr. Ira Peck estimated that the damage done 
to the wheat crop by the snow-drifts formed by those 
fences, was equal to one acre in thirt } 7 of all the wheat 
sown in that section. 
