36 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
selves in the happy decision—‘ my father did so, and ’tis the best way. ’ 
It is, however, a matter of true congratulation, that one star after ano¬ 
ther is arising to enlighten our agricultural horizon, whose vivifying rays 
are felt, and will continue to be felt, on every field whose arable bosom is 
laid open to their genial influence ; and that we may confidently hope that 
the time is not far distant, when on this subject men will no longer ‘ love 
darkness rather than light.’ One reason, doubtless, why these agricultural 
periodicals are so lightly esteemed, and book-farming despised, is, as hinted 
above, the want of scientific knowledge among our farmers. As it was in 
the beginning, so now : * the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness 
comprehendeth it not ’ This is ‘ darkness which may be felt.’ Indeed 
it is felt, for we know neither how to determine the deficiencies of our 
soils, or to develope their resources. It is felt by individuals, by neigh¬ 
borhoods, by communities,—by the state and nation: nor may we expect 
the burden to be removed from our shoulders, but by the establishment 
and successful operation of Schools, sucl^as have been recommended, 
under legislative patronage, in which scientific and agricultural instruction 
shall be blended. .One such luminary in each of our counties, to which 
the whole farming community might turn their faces, would soon dispel 
the darkness, would shed meredian day, would'guide our doubtful feet, in 
the paths of rural and domestic abundance, ttould pour millions into our 
public treasury.” T. A. 
STALL FEEDING VS. YARDING. 
W. H. who dates from New-York, in reply to our N. Jersey correspon- 
dent,.on stall feeding, pithily remarks as follows: 
“Nature has laws that it is indispensably necessary to follow: yet in 
many cases much may be done by the aid of the skilful agriculturist to as¬ 
sist and improve. For instance, our corn.grows, and is food to fatten’our 
pork or beef; but a little help, if we may so speak, by grinding, makes 
it better ; and if it is cooked, it is still better, at least for our pigs: Our 
friend says, if nature ties her bullocks by the neck, lie will then admit the 
practice of tying to the stall to be correct. I would just say, by the same 
rule, if nature puts shoes upon our children’s feet, I would also think that 
practice a good one. But our education, and knowledge of our own com¬ 
fort and health, directs us to clothe our feet. And also, if we can judge 
from' appearances, animals seek in winter the places where they are tied 
in their stalls, as most agreeable to.their feelings. Brute animals are 
taught by instinct, and what they appear fond of generally proves benefi¬ 
cial, if they have it prudently given. ” 
the same. 
M. Chapman, of Linwood farm, Rhinebeck, has also sent us a com¬ 
munication in reply to A. B. C. against stall feeding. He gives it as his 
opinion, matured by thirty years’ experience, on both continents, that cat¬ 
tle will fatten with greater facility, and less expense, in the stall, than in 
the yard. He says stables should be well ventilated, and frequently clean¬ 
ed and well littered; and that the cattle should, be regularly fed and wa¬ 
tered. In laying on fat, he thinks a moderate degree of warmth, so as to 
cause a slight perspiration, and a variety of feed, contribute essentially to 
this object. He stables all his cattle except the year olds. The manure 
is deposited in piles at the stable doors, and every few days removed to 
the fields where it is to be used for summer crops, and deposited 1 in long 
heaps 
HOW TO IMPROVE A POOR FARM. 
Richard A. Leonard, of Middletown; N. J. has furnished us with 
an interesting account of his manner of improving a worn-out farm, and of 
the sale of its products the last year; and we regret, that from the great 
accumulation of matter on hand, we cannot give his letter in detail. We 
are obliged to content ourselves with a brief abstract of material facts. 
Mr.Leonard came into possession of 90 acres of cultivated, but exhaust¬ 
ed land, in May, 1833. In-that year, the sale of its products amounted to 
$550.88; in 1834 the sales amounted to $718.05; in 1835 to $1,125.04; 
and in 1836, notwithstanding the unfavorable season, and the failure'of 
most of his staple crops, to $1,166.13—thus more than doubling its pro¬ 
ducts, by judicious management, in three years. His expense during the 
last year, for labor, dung and freight, amounted to $254.72—thus leaving 
him a nett profit on his farm, of $912.41—or more than $10 per acre per 
annum. We will quote Mi - - L.’s statement of the means he adopted 
to thus double the fertility of his soil. 
“ My farm, says he, was in so Iowa condition thatit would qot produce 
more than ten bushels of rye, or twenty of corn per acre; and as I had no 
other income but what I could make upon this poor farm, I set about 
farming in earnest. I found it was in vain to attempt improvement with¬ 
out manure; so I contrived to get about 400 loads a year, 300 of which I 
made in the following manner. I have marl, though of very inferior qua¬ 
lity. I cart about 1Q0 loads of this into my barn yard, and by yarding 
my cattle upon it through the season, contrive to increase it to 200 loads. 
I also cart about 50 loads to my hog pen, on which I keep my hogs the 
year round. In this way I get 100 loads more, which is excellent for 
potatoes, corn, &c. and as my farm is situate near the bay, I obtain from 
New-York, annually, from 50 to 75 loads of the best stable dung, at about 
one dollar per load on delivery, and by mixing it with earth, &c. make up 
the 400 loads. By this treatment I find my land improve rapidly, and my 
income in like proportion. But I am sorry to say there are many farmers 
among us who are still pursuing the old land-killing system, scarcely ma¬ 
king both ends meet. I might say something concerning the beneficial 
results of underdraining, and of lime as a manure; but I must conclude 
lor the present.” 
This communication affords a worthy example of prudent industry and 
good management, and shows that even a poor farm, well managed, may 
be rendered more productive than many a good farm now is under bad ma¬ 
nagement. 
the land of promise. 
William Gourd, formerly of Lorrain, but now of Greenfield, Ill. 
sends us the following account of the country of his choice, which may be 
interesting to many of our readers. 
“ I have bought 200 acres of land here, on String Prairie, at $3 per 
acre: 160 acres prairie, and 40 timber five miles off. Partially improved 
farms .sell from $5 to $15 per acre- I am much pleased with my situation 
for the following reasons. 1. The land is cheaper than at any other place 
I have visited. 2. It is nearly all owned by individual settlers. 3. It is 
healthy. I reckon we are 100 feet higher than the waters of the Illinois 
river. 4. The face of the country is beautiful. There are roads in every 
direction, without any labor but travelling them. 5. Nearly all our fields, 
and principal roads, have right angles—a very great convenience in my 
opinion. 6. There is but little waste land. 7. The climate is delightful. 
8. Slavery is prohibited here. 9. The temperance society is flourishing. 
And 10, the soil is rich and productive. Melons grow enormously large; 
corn becomes like a forest, 10 to 15 feet high, with ears having 20 or 30 
rows on the cob; grapes are abundant and delicious, apples fine, and we 
abound in wild turkies, prairie hens, rabbits, &c. Our stone is in quar¬ 
ries. I can get raw prairie broke up at $2 per acre. The soil is general¬ 
ly black, and from 2 inches to 10 feet deep; much of it 2 feet.” “ N: B. 
If you publish my letter, I request that the words be spelled according to 
Cobband Walker, which is a much better standard than Webster. Yours 
in the Spirit of enterprise and improvement.” 
SOW SPRING WHEAT DATE. 
Reuben Wheeder, of Vergennes, Vt. having suffered the loss of his 
wheat crop, by the grain worm, for several successive years, adopted the 
practice >of sowing his spring wheat late, and has in this way had fine 
crops, while the early sown grain has been uniformly destroyed by the 
worm. The same practice has been adopted by his neighbors, with like 
success. 
CURE FOR THE SCAB IN SHEEP. 
Mr. Wheeler also writes us, that his flock was so afflicted with scab, 
that he lost one hundred, and his fleeces were diminished 11 cents per 
pound in consequence of the diseased state of the animals. He cured 
them of disease, and restored his flock to fine condition, in which they still 
remain, by the following means. He boiled 8 lbs. tobacco in 8 pailsful wa¬ 
ter, down to 5 pailsful. To this he added five pailsful of weak ley from 
wood ashes, and one barrel of soft soap, and added soft Water. Filling in 
part a half hogshead with the liquid, he dipped into it 350 sheep, liquid 
being added as required. The sheep were, as fast as they'were dipped, 
placed in another tub, and the liquid pressed out of the fleeces with the 
hands. The wash cleanses the skinfrom all scurf, kills the lice and ticks, 
promotes perspiration, and greatly facilitates the growth of the fleece and 
the health of the animal. There is no doubt of the utility of any applica¬ 
tion that destroys lice and ticks, and fits the skin, by thoroughly-cleansing 
it, to perform its all-important functions. [Mr. W.’s order for seeds is 
sent to Mr- Thorburn.] 
CURE FOR SLABBERING IN HORSES. 
Thomas Paine, of Paine’s Hollow, recommends, that when horses 
slabber, on being pastured in clover, they be turned into dry, or old pas¬ 
ture, or fed with hay or oats, 
TO DESTROY ST. JOHNS-WORT. 
Mr. Paine advises us, that he has fully succeeded in destroying this nox¬ 
ious plant, by cutting and burning the plants, thus destroying the seed, 
and then dressing the grounds with a good coat of plaster. The effect of 
this mode of treatment was, that where there was but little grass before, 
he obtained a heavy crop, and there was Scarcely a stock of the St. Johns- 
wort to be seen. He advises sowing plaster early. 
Washington county, Va. March 4. 
The last crop of wheat in south-west Virginia was greatly lessened by the 
hard winter and Hessian fly, and rye was nearly a total failure. Oats and 
hay were a bountiful crop, and potatoes were never superior—one pro¬ 
prietor raised ten thousand bushels, This winter has been very unfavor¬ 
able, very similar to the last. 
Permit me to mention the mode of raising potatoes in our neighbor¬ 
hood, and it is the only mode in which we are successful. We plant our 
corn six feet apart, in rows east and west, and after the first dressing, we 
plant potatoes between the rows of corn, and afterwards dress both toge¬ 
ther, The corn crop thus shades the potatoes, and protects them from 
the meridian sun. We have seen a similar protection recommended for 
strawberries, by planting south of and near the strawberry bed a row of 
Jerusalem artichokes. 
