THE CULTIVATOR. 
37 
NOTICES OF CORRESPONDENTS. 
G. M. Lewis, Scott’s Ferry, is informed, that buckwheat, as a green 
crop, is a fertilizer of the soil. It may be sown at any season, or twice or 
thrice in a season, and turned well under whCn in full bloom—and the 
crop intended to follow it put in upon the fresh ploughed furrow. No cross 
or second, ploughing allowed. 
J. Dill, Newark, Ohio, wants a practical nurseryman, as a partner.— 
Mr. Dill’s letter may be seen at this office, or ho may be enquired of by 
letter. 
A. B. C. who dates at Huntington, L. I. will find his enquiries relative 
to the locust, anticipated in our last number. 
T. M. F. who dates near Cecilton, Md. will also find his enquiries, re¬ 
lative to a cob cracker, answered in our last. The cast iron bark mill, we 
believe, is generally used in the north for this purpose, by horse or water 
power. We have not the opportunity of knowing its price or performance. 
Maxwell’s machine, we believe, is only a corn sh'eller.'' We are not fami¬ 
liar with the process of fermenting wines; but believe the practice iscom- 
mon, in some wine countries, as it is here with cider, to manage the Vi¬ 
nous fermentation in open casks or vats; but in this way it requires close 
attention and discriminating judgment. The liquor should not be exposed 
to a high temperature, nor the fermentation permitted to run too far.— 
Twenty-four to 48 hours suffices for the juice of the currant and other do¬ 
mestic fruits. The liquor should be drawn off the moment it becomes 
clear, which is known, generally, by the cracking of the crust or scum 
which rises to the surface. 
WEEDS. 
L. Hebard asks us how to eradicate charlock, and D. Gaylord wants to 
know the best means of destroying the Canada thistle. Upon the latter 
subject the Cultivator contains ample instructions. Destroy their leaves, 
or lungs, and they will die. This may be done by frequent ploughing, say 
4 or 5 times in a summer ; by cutting them up as often with a hoe; by 
making dung heaps upon them; and, in a great measure, by cutting them 
low with a scythe at midsummer, when coming into blossom. Charlock, 
being an annual, is more difficult to get rid of. It infests clayey grounds, 
and its seeds often remain dormant a long time in the soil. The only 
practicable mode of eradicating this and other pests of annual grov\ th, is to 
prevent the plants coming to seed, by carefully eradicating them when in 
bloom, and taking care not to sow seeds with our grain and grass. As re¬ 
gards weeds generally, we remark, that annuals and biennials, as sorrels, 
are destroyed by cutting over the plant below that whence the seed leaves 
originated, as this prevents them ever springing again from the roots. 
Perennials of the fibrous rooted kind, that is, those possessing only small 
slender roots, as the crowfoot, ragweed, and fibrous rooted grasses, may 
be destroyed in the same manner. Some fusiform, (i. e. spindle shaped) 
rooted perennials, may also be destroyed by similar means; but almost all 
the thick rooted perennials, as dock, require to be wholly eradicated. 
We have two requests upon our Jersey correspondent, A. B. C., to 
know how he contrives to make the large quantity of manure, which he 
speaks of, in yarding cattle. Will he please respond to these inquiries? Mr. 
Gaylord’s enclosures will be noticed hereafter. 
ECONOMY IN BREAD. 
We have received several suggestions from correspondents on methods 
of economizing this important article of diet, by mixing with flour pota¬ 
toes, rice, barley meal, oat meal, &c. These all abound in nutriment; 
but yet it may be doubted' whether they acquire any additional nutritive 
property by the admixture, or whether they impart either nutriment or 
improved flavor to the flour. The greatest claim these admixtures have 
upon our notice is, that they seem to cheat our appetites, and make us be¬ 
lieve, that while we think we are eating bread made from superfine whea- 
ten flour, we are in reali ty stuffing ourselves and our friends with potatoes, 
rice, &c. Altho’ we like potato bread and biscuit, we nevertheless like the 
potato equally well, either as a substitute for or appendage to bread, when 
well roasted or boiled. And so with rice: it is excellent boiled or baked, 
plain or in puddings or pies. Barley, we are assured by a neighbor, makes 
good bread, hardly distinguishable from wheaten bread; and meknow that 
it makes excellent griddle cakes; and the Scotsman will tel! us, that no,- 
f/dVig. adds to the value of good oatmeal. Perhaps there is no- bread more 
healthy and economical, and none more palatable to many, than'old fa¬ 
shioned New-England rye and Indian. An English economical society 
once sent over to Ireland for a man to come and teach them how to make 
potato bread. He came, and after being sumptuously entertained, pro¬ 
ceeded to give his instructions to the society as follows: “ Take the best 
potatoes, wash them well, boil them, and dish them up and ate them while 
warm and smoking, with mate or fish, as you like, or can get—that, says 
he, is the way we make potato bread in Ireland.” Our correspondents 
will pardon us for thus treating their kind intentions; but really every good 
housewife has long been familiar with the modes of mixing, in the wheat¬ 
en loaf, potatoes, rice, Indian meal, &c. We wish some of our southern 
correspondents would instruct the northerners, through our columns, in 
the secret of making good hominy and warm corn bread. 
We are daily expecting to be able to give satisfactory answers to the in¬ 
quiries of J. M. Garnet, Esq. 
The Rev. Rob. Wilson, of Williamsport, will find his wishes, in regard 
to planting, pruning, &c. in a great measure anticipated in our last No. 
We should recommend autumn or winter planting in the south, particu¬ 
larly if the trees are obtained from the north. 
Mr. Todd will find answers to his queries, in regard to the hop culture, 
under correspondence, in the communication of Judge Cheever. 
We have received an interesting account of the agricultural exhibition 
at the Big Lick, Ky. which we are obliged to decline publishing in detail, 
for the reason, that the numerous societies among the members of which 
the Cultivator circulates have an equal claim to our columns, and that it 
would be impossible to publish all of their proceedings; The exhibition 
was remarkable for the number of fine horses, and cattle of improved 
breeds brought on the ground, and shows that great attention is there paid 
to blood, as both horses and cattle are mentioned by name, and their pe¬ 
digree scrupulously detailed. 
Prejudice and conceit are the offsprings of ignorance, and the 
great barrier to agricultural improvement. An African prince 
threatened to take the life of a traveller, because he dared to as¬ 
sure him, that water became solid by freezing, in his country.— 
Because he had not seen it, the prince deemed the traveller an 
impostor and a liar. A few years ago, the growth of a hundred 
bushels of corn on an acre was considered a fabulous tale by the 
mass, of our farmers. They had not seen such a product, and they 
therefore did not believe in it. But such a product is now of so 
common occurrence, that few doubt its reality. Tell these men 
that they cah double the.products of their farms, by economizing 
and judiciously applying their manures;—that they can quadruple 
it, by this, by underdraining, by alternating crops, and by root cul¬ 
ture—and they are as incredulous as the African prince, because 
they are ignorant of those natural laws which ever have governed 
the material world, and which ever will govern it. The savage 
laughs at and rejects the arts of civilized life, for the same reason 
that the ignorant or indolent farmer scouts the idea of improving 
ihe condition of society by agricultural societies, agricultural 
schools and legislative bounties for agricultural improvement.— 
They either do not know enough of natural science, to compre¬ 
hend its utility in the ordinary business of life, or they are govern¬ 
ed by a sordid, selfish, illiberal policy, which, could it be carried 
out,- would shut out every ray of light, and smother every senti¬ 
ment of patriotism, which should either thwart their views, or 
which would tend to elevate their fellows above their own limited 
standard in society. Some men seem to have an idea, that they 
are balanced in a scale ; that as others can be made to sink, in the 
same proportion they shall rise, and vice versa. The first re¬ 
quisite to improvement, in any business, is the conviction, that 
we can learn; the next, that we will learn. And it perhaps is in¬ 
variably true, that the more we do learn in useful knowledge, the 
more we become sensible of our comparative ignorance, and the 
more we are anxious to learn. This results not only from a wish 
to serve ourselves, and multiply our enjoyments, but from a sense 
of sacred duty to society. 
TheConlrast. —Massachusetts gives nothing from her public trea¬ 
sury to sustain her common schools, but she gives bountifully 
from her public treasury to sustain and encourage her agricultural 
societies, and is now about making an agricultural survey of her 
territory. Her Schools are surpassed by none in the Union. New- 
York has given millions to her colleges, and millions to her com¬ 
mon schools; but she clenches her purse with a convulsive gripe 
when she is asked to aid and encourage agricultural societies.— 
If it is true, that wisdom lies between two extremes, these states 
might learn from each other. 
Fat Mutton. —Half a dozen of Dunn’s New-Leicester sheep 
were lately butchered, and the mutton exhibited in our market, 
which excited the admiration of all who saw it. The total 
weight of the six carcasses was 810 pounds, averaging 135 pounds 
each. One carcass and a haunch were sold to a gentleman of N. 
York for $51.25. We have heard of several of this breed of sheep 
being sold, this year, to the butcher, at $20 and $25 each. 
Errata. —The reader is desired to correct two material errors in 
our last, viz. p. 7, 2d column, 24th line, read “ Winter pruning 
bares to the sun ;” and in p. 8, 2d column, read the two last lines 
preceding the tables as follows—“ els—(204-27= 540) by the num¬ 
ber of heaps—193—and the result shows that each heap should 
contain 2.79-100th bushels.” 
