66 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
of such an institution for nearly twelve years, in a country town of 
2,300 inhabitants. Supposing the state government should enact a ge 
neral law, to enable any town in the state to establish institutions for 
savings upon such a plan, as will give all the privileges necessary to 
have for its management, by leaving a copy of the articles of their as¬ 
sociation with the secretary of state, and conform to the general laws. 
Perhaps the general law ought, however, to be on a liberal plan, es¬ 
pecially where no other bank exists in the town,- as if the trustees- 
should make application for a loan, or if they should ofl'er to be re¬ 
sponsible for others. 
Probably such an institution in nearly all the towns of the state, 
would do away the necessity of having but very few of the common 
money making banks now existing. We have had a bank for sawings 
in our town for nearly twelve years. It began with several opponents, 
and for a while was rather unpopular. At the first meeting of doing 
business, five individuals deposited eight dollars in the whole; from 
which time it went on with a steady increase for nine years, to the 
memorable panic times, when it amounted to $3,000 ; however, within 
three or four months’ time one-third of the amount was called out by 
the depositors, and nearly two years passed by before we had in the 
bank the same amount again. We have been, generally, successful, 
and have never lost a debt, find no difficulty in lending the moneys, 
and have always been ready to pay oft' to depositors, with their five per¬ 
cent interest, by their giving the required notice. We now have a sur¬ 
plus fund over and above paying the principal and live per cent inte¬ 
rest, and all expenses of its management; but this could not be, had 
not the trustees given then- services, and the treasurer taken up with a 
trifling sum. 
The operation of this bank has broken up the note shaving business 
in this place, and I think it has wonderfully lessened the number of 
writs against poor debtors. 
Our mode of receiving moneys for deposites is the same as with 
other savings banks, but in loaning the moneys, we endeavor to ac¬ 
commodate the borrower likewise. The smallest sum we lend is $10, 
for one hundred and twenty days. This is considered, probably, by 
most of the inhabitants, to be one of the best institutions among us. 
This bank never was incorporated. It has had no chartered privi¬ 
leges, nor no legislative restrictions, but to obey the state laws. 
This institution, from appearances, has benefited more people, with¬ 
out injuring any, excepting half a dozen note shavers and one or two 
lawyers, than any other similar institution in the country, according to 
the amount of its deposites. 
One part of your remarks is correct, wherein you say: There is a 
difficulty—that of inducing responsible persons to take charge of such 
banks gratuitously. We may, however, conclude, that the inhabitants 
of many towns would subscribe one or two hundred dollars to make 
the first deposite, and let it be drawn out as needed, to defray the ex¬ 
penses, until a surplus fund has accumulated sufficient to do it. 
Enfield, Ct. May 23, 1836. _G. T. E. C. 
BEMENT’S TURNIP DRILL. 
Mr. Buel —There is scarcely any part of the extensive and impor¬ 
tant science of agriculture that has received greater improvement 
within these few years, than that relating to the construction of farm¬ 
ing utensils. 
Among the great variety of different implements which have been 
presented to the attention of the farmers, some, as may be readily 
conceived, have appeared, that are evidently much too expensive and 
complicated in their construction, for the purposes intended; and 
others, probably from a want of practical information in the inventor, 
have not been properly adapted to the uses for which they were de¬ 
signed; but in general they have been such as have contributed much 
to the present very improved state of the art. 
The first drill machine was invented by a German, and presented to 
the court of Spain, in 1647; but it appears, from a communication to 
the Board of Agriculture in Britain, that a sort of rude drill or drill- 
plough has been in use in India from time immemorial. 
“ In the construction of all implements of this sort,” says Dickinson, 
in his Treatise on Agriculture, “ the greatest attention should be paid 
to have them as simple in their construction as possible, in order thai 
they may be used without difficulty by those who have but little know- 
ledge of the nature of such machinery; much care should also be 
taken to have them so made as that they may perform their work with 
correctness; that the seeds, of whatsoever kind, may be delivered and 
deposited in the grouiid with the greatest evenness and regularity; and 
that they may not be bruised or injured in any way during the applica¬ 
tion ; as the want of proper attention to these particulars seems to 
have considerably retarded the progress of the drill system of cultiva¬ 
tion.” 
The machine figured above, is simply a Turnip Drill, which is no¬ 
thing more or less than a modification of the Northumberland Drill, 
It consists of a frame and wheel, fig. 4, with a grooved nave to receive 
the band, which passes round a pully on the end of the tin cylinder, 
ifig. 2, barrel-shaped, the centre pierced with holes for the seed to es¬ 
cape into a funnel which conducts them to the drill, fig. 3, whieh forms 
tlie rut, and deposites the seed. Fig. 1, is a east-iron roller which fol¬ 
lows, covers and presses the earth to the seed. In using, the laborer- 
pushes it before him, sows and covers one row at a time. From three 
to four acres in a light soil, placing the rows thirty inches apart, may be 
put in per day if required. It is very simple in its construction, very 
light, and not liable to get out of repair, and can be used by a boy or 
any person who can walk on a straight line. 
They are manufactured by the subscriber, and sold at ffm. Thor- 
buin’s Seed Store, Market-st. Albany, price $8. 
Albany, Apri l, 1836. _ CALEB N . BEMENT. 
Sherburne , May 17, 1836. 
Mr. Buel —Sir—Can you prescribe any feasible plan to destroy 
weevils V if not, I wish you would ask the question in the Cultivator, 
Possibly it may catch the eye of some person that can, and you will 
oblige a MILLER AND SUBSCRIBER. 
Answer .—The Society of Meux, in France, recommend that cloths, 
made of flax or hemp, be soaked in water, wrung out and spread over 
the grain. In two hours time all the weevils will be upon it. It must 
then be carefully gathered up, that none of the insects may escape, 
and immersed in water to destroy them. A plant of henbane, placed 
in the middle of the corn, will drive them away. The like efficacy is 
ascribed to cloth saturated with nitre, and also to aromatic herbs, as 
mint, sage, &c. We have tried none of these means, but notice them 
on the authority of the Domestic Encyclopedia. The shavings of red 
cedar, which are odorous, and cloths sprinkled with spirits of turpen¬ 
tine, will preserve woolens from the ravages of moth, in summer. 
They may be efficacious, in grain, to protect it from weevil. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH SWEDISH AND OTHER TURNIPS— 
BAD PROSPECTS OF THE CORN CROP, &c. 
Mr. Buel —Encouraged by the kind invitations you have so often 
given to young farmers, to make known through the columns of the 
Cultivator, the result of their agricultural experiments, I will inform 
you of my success in cultivating the ruta baga. I was led to its culti¬ 
vation by the high recommendation you gave it, for I never saw it un¬ 
til growing in my own field—the farmers in this section being generally 
unacquainted with the root or its value. The ground selected, was a 
gravelly, sandy soil, and had been tilled, without manure, for five 
successive years, and the three last years in potatoes, by the tenant 
who occupied the premises, consequently it was very poor. The spot 
on which they were sown was but the one-fifteenth of an acre, in one 
corner of the field. The field was ploughed in May, and lay until the 
time of sowing, June 30th, when I drew on four loads of short ma¬ 
nure, the scrapings of my barn-yard. This was spread evenly, and 
three bushels of ashes and one peck of plaster sowed on it, the whole 
ploughed in and harrowed level, and the seed sown by hand in drills, 
eighteen inches apart. They were afterwards dressed out by hand 
four times, on accound of the ground being very weedy, but were not 
thinned until the last hoeing, when the tops soon covered the ground, 
the rows overspreading each other. 
After pulling, topping and cutting off the roots I had 55J bushels, 
good measure, being at the rate of 833 bushels to the acre. I observed 
your directions in securing them for winter, and on opening the pit 
this spring, found them as sound as when placed there. My cattle 
evinced an uncommon fondness for them, and they were of great ser¬ 
vice to my cows. I considered them well worth three shillings per 
bushel, when hay was selling for $20 per ton. 
I had likewise some turnips of the green and red top variety culti¬ 
vated by the side of the ruta baga, in the same manner; the yield was 
a fine one; but this spring they were pithy and light, while the Swedes 
were sound and heavy. I was so pleased with this root that I intend 
hereafter to cultivate it more extensively, and as far as I am able, in¬ 
duce the farmers of my neighborhood to commence it. The errors I 
committed were, first, the rows were placed too close together; and 
second, they were not thinned in season, two serious injuries to the 
crop. 
