64 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
“ The thorough-paced party politician concurs in many measures that he 
does not approve; he confides in men that he secretly despises; he oppo¬ 
ses the. measures of his antagonist, though his reason tells him they are 
proper. His sins of omission and commission daily stare him in the face, 
and if ever he finds time to pray, he must confess in the words of the 
Common Prayer, that “ he has done those things which he ought not to 
have done, and left undone those things which he ought to have done;” 
while with a distrustful eye he is compelled to guard against the defection 
of his partizans, he indulges the most rancorous resentment against his 
antagonists: thus jealousy and hatred, those painful passions, are nourish¬ 
ed like the vulture that feeds on the liver of Prometheus, to prey on his vi¬ 
tals. Rural life is exempt from these evils. The husbandman hates no one, 
because he dreads no rival. If his neighbor’s field is more productive 
than his own, he borrows a useful lesson, and turns his prosperity to his 
own advantage. Two important maxims are ever in his mind—first, that 
tire earth yields nothing to the idle and the negligent; second, that though 
labor will do much, yet the return it meets will often depend upon cir¬ 
cumstances which it is not in his power to command. He is therefore at 
once satisfied with the necessity of using the means, as the divines say, 
and of his dependence on the Supreme Being for crowning them with 
success; thus reconciling (at least in an earthly sense) the intricate doc¬ 
trines of wtirks and grace. 
“ The constant attention that the farmer is compelled to give to the 
wants of his domestics, and to the animals under his care, render him ha¬ 
bitually compassionate, humane, and careful; and, if happiness i3 to be 
found on earth, it must certainly be sought in the indulgence of these be¬ 
nign emotions. As Cicero sums up all human knowledge in the charac¬ 
ter of a perfect orator, so we might with much more propriety claim eve¬ 
ry virtue, and embrace every science, when we draw that of an accom¬ 
plished farmer. He is the legislator of an extensive family, and not only 
men, but the brute creation, are subjected to his laws. He is the magis¬ 
trate who expounds and carries those laws into execution. He is the phy¬ 
sician who heals their wounds, and cures the diseases of his various pa¬ 
tients. He is the divine who studies and enforces the precepts of reason; 
and he is the grand almoner of the Creator, who is continually dispensing 
his bounties, not only to his fellow mortals, but to the fowls of the air and 
the beasts of the field. 
“ To the disgrace of this state it has so happened, that though it has al¬ 
ways possessed men of distinguished talents, the rage for party politics, 
and dissipation, have defeated every attempt to establish any society for 
the promotion of arts, agriculture, or any literary orscientific object. How 
many now hear me, who are capable of wiping off this reproach; who have 
ample means of doing honor to the state, by promoting that of this society, 
but who have yet offered it no aid! The exertions of a few friends to 
useful knowledge have enabled us to struggle through three years; and I 
would fain hope, that many now present will step forward to our future 
support.” 
Times were much then as they are now. Men heeded not the humble 
claims of honest labor—it had nothing to offer to their avarice or ambition 
—and legislators then, as now, were afraid of being thought rustic or low 
minded, if they became the champions of fanners’ rights. 
A SUGGESTION FOR THE COMING YEAR. 
A gentleman of high respectability informs us, that the following mode 
of sowing winter wheat in the spring, has been partially adopted in Ten¬ 
nessee, with the happiest success. In early winter the seed grain is put 
into casks, and water enough added to soak and cover it. It is then ex¬ 
posed so that the water becomes frozen, and it is kept in this state as far 
as practicable until the soil is fit for its reception in the spring. It is well 
known that the operation of frost upon the seed of winter grain has the 
same effect as if if is sown in autumn—as wheat or rye sown at the set¬ 
ting in of winter will grow and mature. The advantages which are expe¬ 
rienced from sowing in the spring, are, 1st, that the grain is not subject 
to be winter killed; 2d, it escapes the hessian fly in autumn, and possibly 
it may escape it in the spring; 3d, the ground being fresh stirred for 
spring sowing, the growth will be more vigorous; and 4th, as it will come 
into ear late, there is at least a probability that the crop may escape the 
grain worm. The advantages are so manifest, that the experiment is 
worth a trial; and we shall feel obliged to some Tennessee correspondent 
who will give us the details and result of the practice in that state. 
TILLAGE HUSBANDRY.— the turnip. 
All British writers agree, that the introduction of the turnip culture in¬ 
to Great Britain, which is of comparative recent date, has contributed 
more than any other improvement in rural economy to the advancement 
of agriculture. This culture is of very recent introduction here, and 
indeed may be said hardly yet to have obtained a footing among us. Yet 
from the limited experiments which have been made, and from the rapid 
extension of the culture within the two.las.t years, we have reason to be¬ 
lieve our climate and soil are well adapted to the growth of this root; and 
that although it requires some extra labor to secure the crop for winter 
and spring use, it may nevertheless be cultivated here to great advan¬ 
tage. 
The benefits that result to the farmer from the culture of turnips, as a 
field crop, are three-fold, viz: 1. They serve to ameliorate the soil, and 
are excellent as a green crop, to alternate with grain and grass. 2, 
They afford the most animal food, at a given expense, on a specific mea= 
sure of land. And 3. They return the greatest quantity of manure to the 
soil. The turnip, like the clover and root crops generally, not only ex¬ 
haust the soil least, but make up for this exhaustion, in a measure, by di¬ 
viding and pulverizing the soil, and freeing it from weeds. Although 20 
tons an acre may be deemed a fair average crop, the product has in many 
cases been carried beyond 60 tons. They come in use at a season when 
succulent food is most in demand; they are eaten by all kinds of farm 
stock, and constitute, in Britain, the principal material for winter fatten¬ 
ing beef and mutton. It will be seen in our March number, that turnip 
feed is estimated to add one-quarter to the dung of the cattle yard. 
These considerations induce us tq add to the facts we have already pub¬ 
lished, in regard to the turnip culture, such others as may tend to increase 
their growth among us. 
Soil. —“ The soil best adapted to turnips is of a dry bottomed, free 
nature, of some depth and fertility; but, although distinctively termed 
‘ turnip land,’ it yet comprises every species of earth which can be profit¬ 
ably used for any arable purpose, provided it be light, dry and friable: con¬ 
sequently exclusive of heavy clays. It must, however, be understood, 
that although the common root can be grown on the poorest sands and 
gravels, yet there are some species which require stronger soils—even 
rich free loams; and they all demand very careful culture, with an abun¬ 
dant supply of manure. The plant delights in a cool, temperate and moist 
climate,” and therefore will thrive best in the northern section of the 
union, and in elevated districts. 
Specie —Although the varieties are numerous, the British writers class 
them under the heads of white and yellow species, and Swedish. The 
latter has gained a decided preference, on account of its superior richness 
and long keeping property. Yet, as affording earlier feed, and as enabling 
them to preserve Ihe Swedes till late winter and spring, the extensive 
turnip growers in Europe generally cultivate also the white and yellow. 
The white turnips,—the white globe is preferred,—are fed first; the yel¬ 
low, which are richer, and keep longer than the white, particularly the 
Aberdeen yellow, are fed next, and the ruta baga last. The roots of the 
Swedish are at least one-third heavier than the other species; and their 
tops are so much more palateable, that cattle, after being fed upon them, 
will not eat the common kinds, unless impelled by hunger. They are be¬ 
sides more hardy—a large quantity having stood the severe winter of 
j 1835-6, in the open ground, without material injury; though it should be 
mentioned that they were sown very late, and had not attained their na¬ 
tural growth. They differ in another respect from most other roots—the 
|larger they grow, the greater is their specific weight and nutritive pro¬ 
perties. We will add another remark—there are varieties of the ruta ba- 
|ga, differing greatly in excellence. The true sort has yellowish flesh, a 
lobular shape, and is without a stem; but it is apt to degenerate by the 
esh becoming white, or by the crown running up into a stem of more 
jor less length. None but the true kind should be employed for seed.— 
Besides, this species requires a richer soil than will grow the other kinds, 
j Seed and Sowing. —The time of sowing should vary according to the 
I kind and the climate. It has been suggested, that if the white and yellow 
were sown in April or May, as in Britain, they would afford fattening ma¬ 
terials for cattle and sheep in September and October. We do not know 
that the experiment has been tried, but we doubt its success, on account 
of the heats of our summer being unfavorable to their growth. From se¬ 
veral years experience with all the kinds, we recommend, for this lati¬ 
tude, from the 20th June to the 1st of July for the ruta baga; from the 5th 
to the 15th July for the yellows and globe, and from the 20th to 30th July 
for the flat red and green top—the first of these periods for cold soils and 
elevated districts, and the latter for warmer situations. For table use, 
where large size is an objecti®n, the Swedes may be sown in the early 
part of July, and the flat kinds early in August. Half a pound of good 
seed will give plants enough tor an acre, put in with a drill barrow; yet as 
many seeds will not vegetate, and as the plants are liable to be destroyed 
by the fly, we generally allow a pound of seed to the acre, and some give 
double this quantity. The seed should be full bodied and black, the green 
and yellow often proving abortive. 
Culture —The drill culture is decidedly best for the Swedes, and for 
the other large varieties, on account of the greater facility of cleaning and 
stirring the ground with the cultivator among them. The British writers 
recommend ploughing directly after harvest of the preceding year. This 
would be a waste of labor and of ground here. Early southern clover 
may be cut in time to put in even the Swedes here, and our small grain 
is off the field here generally in time to sow the white and yellow as a se¬ 
cond crop upon the stubble. And at all events, if the crop is put on tilled 
land, the more recent the ploughing and harrowing before sowing the bet¬ 
ter. If sown broadcast, the ground should be afterwards rolled, and the 
crop hand hoed and thinned as soon as the plants have well put forth their 
first rough leaves. The manure, which should always be applied to this 
crop, is differently applied. If long manure is employed, we would pre¬ 
fer to have it spread and covered with the plough; though if it is applied 
