THE CULTIVATOR. 
17 
The receipt for the scab (Cultivator, page 110) I have tried with 
perfect success. 
Can you give any information respecting the feeding of hemp seed 
oil cake to swine, and would the seed of hemp or flax be valuable to 
boil and mix in small portions with swill for leeding store hogs 1 
Respectfully yours, NELSON CHITTENDEN.* 
RUTA BAGA. 
J. Buel, Esq.— Sir—Something like 20 years ago I commenced 
growing the ruta baga turnip, in consequence of its being so highly 
recommended by Mr. Cobbett. I found it to be one of the best of 
roots, grown with the least expense, according to its production. I 
sowed my seed by broadcast, after making my ground mellow and 
fine, about the middle of June; and from 80 rods of ground I ga¬ 
thered about 500 bushels of an excellent quality. But as this me¬ 
thod of sowing rendered it somewhat tedious to dress out the plants 
properly, I have fixed on a different, and I think better plan. I find 
by the perusal of your excellent paper, that every man’s way is the 
best, and by gathering a little from each of your correspondents, 
one might suppose it enough to make an agriculturist of any man of 
common sense, that will improve it. I however think it best never 
to recommend to the public any plan or practice, unless good rea¬ 
sons can be assigned for its utility, and the recommender can show, 
from actual experiment, that his plan is as good as the best. After 
years of experiments in the culture of the ruta baga, in which time 
I have tried many experiments, I settled on the "following parti¬ 
culars in growing this excellent root: 1st. The land properly adapt¬ 
ed to the nature of the plant is a strong loam. 2d. The land should 
be well ploughed early enough in the spring to have the sward rot 
by the 10th June. 3d. The land should be made perfectly mellow and 
smooth, and a good coat of manure, that is fine, say sheep or barn 
manure, should be put on. 4th. Throw the land into ridges 24 
inches apart, with a small horse plough. 5th. After the ridges are 
rolled down a little by some light roll, say a straight cask with a shaft 
through the middle, and a horse attached to it—put in the seed on or 
about the 15th of June ; the seed should be put in 10 inches apart 
the way the ridges go. 6th. After the plants are large enough to 
dress, be careful to have one plant in every hill, and only one. 7th. 
Dress them three times properly, and plaster them three times, say 
when they are breaking the ground, and after each of the two first 
hoeings. 
I have found the above rules, closely followed, have never failed 
to produce a good crop; the last year I raised from 90 rods of 
ground 605 bushels of sound close grained ruta baga turnips. It 
was on land a distance from the house or barn, and never had to my 
knowledge a spoonful of manure on it until a few days before I put 
the seed in the ground. 
Should you think the above worthy a place in your paper, it is at 
vour service. Yours, respectfully, 
J J. M. LAWTON. 
Great Barrington , January 2'2d, 1837. 
Letter from Judge Maison, of Sing-Sing, to the Conductor. 
FATTENING SWINE. 
We have lately seen an abundance of experiments and instruc¬ 
tions for rearing and fattening swine ; and it is fortunate for the far¬ 
mer, that the almost despised apple, (after cider was entered on the 
list of proscription) is now being elevated to its proper rank and 
standing. The apple is found to contain nutriment enough, not for 
keeping alive only, but for actually fattening and hardening our 
porkers, and that too, without the aid of corn. But like all other 
great discoveries, it will take some time and experience to reduce 
its importance to that simplicity and usefulness that will bring the 
expenses to a level with its value. 
The last directions I have seen, include boiling or steaming with 
a mixture of flour or meal, or some such expensive article. This 
may all do in our western or newly settled countries, where firewood 
and timber must be burned to get them out of the way ; but when 
wood attains the value of six or seven dollars the cord, and coals 
eight or ten dollars the ton, it would be sheer nonsense to talk about 
steaming or boiling. 
I too have tried some experiments in this way, and I find that 
apples for feeding, to give them their highest value, must be pound¬ 
ed, or ground fine in a common cider mill, and then stand in tubs. 
* We hope to be pardoned for transferring the name from the postscript to the 
communication. 
or vats, for the saccharine matter to evolve, which natural process 
will be effected in about twenty-four hours in warm weather, and 
from that to forty hours as the fall weather grows colder, until freez¬ 
ing ; and I will hazard the opinion, that one bushel of apples thus 
macerated, and passing through the incipient process of fermen¬ 
tation, will have acquired more nutriment and richness, than 
two bushels could impart if fed whole, or immediately after grind- 
Thus matured, the. apples are ready far the swill-barrel, and with 
the addition ol the wash and the wastage of the kitchen, or even 
clean water, till sufficiently diluted, will make a feed that hogs do 
become so fond of, as to leave ears of corn that may occasionally be 
given them, to fly to the trough for their favorite beverage. I have 
no doubt but the mass may be still bettered with the addition of 
bran, or shorts, or any sweepings or siftings of mills or granaries, 
the farmer may have on hand. 
It is certainly very probable, that a combination of the carbonic, or 
alkalescent gasses of the atmosphere, with the juices of the apple, 
gave rise to the opinion among some old farmers, that the cider made 
in their circular troughs, with a large wheel, was always softer and 
sweeter than that of the nut mill, which many would not use ; with¬ 
out any chemical knowledge, or even thinking at that time, that the 
slower process of the large wheel made the difference they tasted in 
the liquor. 
Thus then we find, that a good orchard, with large pounders, or 
some cheap apparatus for grinding, would enable a farmer to winter 
a large number of hogs, and cattle, and poultry for breeding, or the 
spring market, when the high prices of grain will induce him to re¬ 
duce his winter stock to the least possible number. If I was a 
farmer on a smart scale, I would go to the expense of putting up a 
cheap building to accommodate some grinding machine, with a close 
cellar under the whole to receive the necessary* apples for winter 
feeding, made tight with good floor to preserve them from freezing 
through the cold weather. 
HAY-MAKING. 
New-Berlin, N. Y. Jan. 31,1837. 
Jesse Buel, Esq. —Dear Sir— My noviciate in farming com¬ 
menced in 1835; and no operation of that year gave me so much 
anxiety as hay harvest: being ignorant of that, as of other opera¬ 
tions of the farm, I committed the management of it to one who 
had the recommendation of experience, but whose greatest merit 
proved to be a most dutiful adherence to the practice of his proge¬ 
nitors. 
A luxuriant growth of red clover was cut, spread out in the usual 
way, exposed alike to the influence of the sun and dews, and, as it 
often happens, before it can be curedj is saturated and bleached by 
showers; thus it happened ip my case, and at last was housed be¬ 
fore the stalks were thoroughly dried; the certain consequence of 
overheating in the mow ensued, and the hay came out materially 
injured. My better success the past season, I attribute entirely to 
the casual reading and practising on an article, Yol. I. No. 11, Cul¬ 
tivator, which I beg leave to remark in passing, I consider worth 
triple my whole subscription to the Gultivator. My practice was 
to cut no more each day than could be raked and put up into cocks 
of about 100 lbs. green grass; if mowed before the dew was oil; 
the swaths were turned without breaking; if when the grass was 
externally dry, the horse rake followed hard upon the mowers. If 
showers intervened before getting it into the barn, all that was found 
requisite was. to raise and loosen up the cock by inserting a fork at 
the crown; when sufficiently cured, the hay will retain a bluish green 
color. Before hay harvest was finished, it became obvious to me 
that this mode must yield a greater amount of hay by weight; ac¬ 
cordingly I weigfied out two parcels, each 80 lbs. green clover—one 
was cured by putting immediately into cock—the other spread in 
the usual way—when cured, were firmly bound up and placed in the 
mow. The result, by weighing recently, shows that the former is 
by ten per cent heavier, and the quality, judging from color and fra¬ 
grance, manifestly superior. 
The loss in weight is easily accounted for in the loss of leaves, 
blossoms, and the decomposition and dissipation of the volatile oil, 
which gives to hay its fragrance, and these I doubt not constitute 
the best properties of good hay. 
The economy of this method ought to engage the attention of 
farmers, and more so because it is at a season when labor is in the 
greatest demand, and dearest. The expense of making hay by this 
