THE CULTIVATOR. 
&5 
THE CHICKEN. 
JVorwalk, June 21s/, 1837. 
J. Buel— Dear Sir— Permit me to make an inquiry or two upon an¬ 
other topic. Is the real manner in which the chick escapes from the shell, 
in the process of hatching, known to you and the readers of the Cultiva¬ 
tor? or is it the generally received opinion, that it is liberated by the ef¬ 
forts of the mother? If the affirmative of the latter question is true, 
there is a prevalent mistake upon the subject; and although it may seem 
but a small matter, the real process is exceedingly interesting, and a 
knowledge of it will be of some practical utility. 
Every one accustomed to the management of poultry has probably no¬ 
ticed, that fowls will sit six or eight weeks upon addled eggs, without at¬ 
tempting to break them—that successive nests full of eggs may be given 
to the same fowl, and that, if the young are taken away, she will continue 
to sit—that a laying fowl may leave her eggs in the nest of a sitting one, 
and if the young are taken away as fast as hatched, she will sit on until 
she has finished—and that a hen, sitting on the eggs of a turkey, or goose, 
will not attempt to break them at the end of three weeks. But these 
facts are not consistent with the idea, that at the termination of the peri¬ 
od of incubation, the mother sets to work and liberates her own offspring 
The truth is, that the escape of the chick is by a natural, uniform, and 
singular method, and by its own efforts; and that, any interference by the 
mother, or any thing else, will stop the process and destroy its life. 
The chick lies in the shell with its feet and tail towards the small end; 
its neck towards the large end, with its head bent down under the neck, 
and lodged on one side under the wing of that side, and with the bill pro¬ 
jecting up, between the wing and side, parallel with the top of the back. 
When it has attained a sufficient growth to feel the confinement of the 
shell, it struggles and forces its bill through it. But the singularity of the 
arrangement is, that, from the peculiar situation of the head on the side,, 
the chick is turned, by each successive struggle and the resistance of the 
shell, about one-eighth of an inch round, and every effort bleaks a new 
portion, or rather continues the breakage until, when about three-fourths 
or more of the shell is broken, in a direct line round, the remaining 
portion gives wav, during the next struggle, and it kicks itself out into 
the nest—leaving the shell, thus divided, adhering by the small portion 
of the lining membrane, which the bill of the chick has not broken.— 
Anv person who will take the trouble to examine a nest of shells, after 
the hen has left it with her young, will find them thus divided and thus 
adhering, appearing as if severed nearly in two, and then broken. There 
is another singular circumstance connected with this evolution. A por¬ 
tion of the blood of the chick circulates through an opening in its belly, 
into the lining membrane 0 f the shell, to be exposed to the vivifying in¬ 
fluence ol the air. If this membrane is torn before the circulation in it 
is stopped by the vessels being twisted by the evolution in the turning of 
the chick, it will bleed freely and the chick will die. And if the shell, 
when partially broken round, is mashed so as to interfere with the turn¬ 
ing process, the chick will die unhatched. Not unfrequently it happens, 
that the chick breaks the shell entirely round, but, owing to the tough¬ 
ness of the lining membrane, it is but partially broken, and in that case, 
if the chick is not taken out by hand, it will never get out. I have found 
three eggs out of twelve, after the hen had left the nest, in this predica¬ 
ment. B - 
THE WOOL MARKET. 
As clipping time is near at hand, I have thought some remarks on the 
subject of wool would not be uninteresting to those who are engaged in 
sheep husbandry. I am largely interested myself, and with a view of 
learning the actual state of the market, I have just visited many of the 
manufacturing towns of Connecticut and Massachusetts. 
In consequence of the extensive failures or suspensions of many of the 
large commission houses in New-York, the manufacturers were more or 
less embarrassed The losses of some were so great as to cause a failure, 
while others, witnessing the storm around them, immediately stooped 
their mills and discharged their hands. The great majority of-woollen 
mills are of this class, w'ho stopped from expediency, more than necessity. 
They have worked all their wool and finished all their goods, and only 
wait for a change of times to s art their machinery again. 
Nearly every mill has on hand the cloths manufactured in the last four 
"months, and they will not be sent to market till the fall sales commence, 
when fair prices will doubtless be obtained. 
The stock of domestic woollen goods in Philadelphia, New-York, or 
even in the country, is not large. There is nodifficulty from an over-sup- 
ply. It is well known that there will be few or no woollen goods import¬ 
ed this season, and our own manufacturers will have the entire benefit of 
the market. 
The present state of affairs prevents the importation of either wool or 
woollen goods. The duties are required to be paid in cash, when import¬ 
ed, which now amount to almost prohibition. Indeed, since the bursting 
of the credit-system, as practised by importers, goods will hereafter, from 
necessity, be imported for cash. 
All these things will eventually help our manufacturers, by giving them 
the market of this country, quite as effectually as by an excessive tariff of 
duties. 
The manufacturers of New-England are by no means broke down or 
disheartened, but like prudent men, are holding up for a change of times. 
They will do very little for the next ninety days, but i>y that time they 
will nearly all be at work. It is evident there will be no demand for wool 
till fall, when I see no reason why good prices should not be obtained. If 
cloths sell well, wool must do the same. 
Every man can make his own inference, but my advice to wool grow¬ 
ers is, not to dispose of their wool this summer, but by all means keep it 
till fall. After shearing, place it in a pile, in a clean, dry loft, and cover 
it over with blankests, and there keep it till business is again resumed. 
Many will probably sell at once, for the most they can get, and thereby 
depdve themselves of a better market, later in the season. 
Yours, &c. OTSEGO. 
June, 1837. 
TO DESTORY WORMS—THE GRUB—THE LOCUST BORER. 
Windsor, Broome co. JST. Y 25th May, 1837. 
J. Buer,— Dear Sir,—If your correspondents, who inquire how to de¬ 
stroy worms in their gardens and fields, will mix strong wood ashes with 
the surface of their ground, they will be relieved from their depredations. 
To prevent the destruction of cut worms, it is only necessary to place 
ashes about the plants which they prey upon—the ashes must, however, 
always be wet, but the rains and moisture of the earth are usually suffi¬ 
cient, if not, artificial watering must be resorted to—the eff-ct will last 
several weeks, and the quantity of ashes need not be very large. Dry 
ashes or lime has no sensible effect, as I have frequently witnessed from 
numerous experiments. It is true, that some labor and care are necessa¬ 
ry, and the application sometimes needs repeating. A seasonable use of 
ashes will prevent turnips and other roots from being wormy; it is a verv 
good way to sow ashes on field turnips when the seed is sown. The 
above statements I have verified by five years experience. I suppose 
lime or salt (muriate of soda) as good as ashes for the destruction of ver¬ 
min. 
I intend, hereafter, to send you a communication on the cultivation of 
the pear and the yellow locust. The borer, so formidable to the latter, is, 
I believe, invited by a diseased state of the tree; which disease, if it be 
one, may be entirely avoided. Be that as it may, it is certain that the 
borer may be avoided. Healthy trees are not usually attacked by borers, 
the apple and some others may be exceptions. The primary cause of the 
fire blight, so destructive to the pear, must, I believe, be loo- ed for in 
the vegetable physiology of the tree, and traced to improper cultivation. 
This idea does not ensure the absence of insects as its immediate cause, 
for nature, who undoubtedly is an excellent cultivator ol hei locusts, sel¬ 
dom or never has any borers among them; whereas, when they come un¬ 
der the cultivation of man, they are sometimes eaten up belore they are 
grown up. I once informed you what I deemed a preventive ol the fire 
blight in the pear, and every year since has confirmed me in my opinion. 
I am with respect yours, &c. N. BLATCHLY. 
Remark. —Our correspondent resides in a district where the locust 
seems indigenous, and where the borer has probably not yet made much 
progress. This insect, we have no doubt, is the cause, and'not the con¬ 
sequence, of the disease in the locust.— Cond. 
DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING CHEESE. 
Mr. J. Bukl,—S ir,—In the first number of the current volume of the 
Cultivator, you invite to discussion on the best method for the attainment 
of certain purposes therein mentioned The subjects proposed I con¬ 
ceive to be highly interesting to every agriculturist, and hope that the facts 
that may be elicited will prove beneficial to your numerous readers, and 
promote the purposes for which your useful pages are so eminently calcu¬ 
lated. For a considerable number of years my attention has been turnt d 
to the dairy, and particularly to the manufacture of that kind of cheese 
known in market as English imitation. Although this article is in good 
demand, and its consumption much on the increase, it is not extensively 
made in this country, nor is the method of making it very generally known. 
Conceiving that this kind, as much as any other, is embraced in your in¬ 
vitation, I have concluded, in this communication, to give a detailed state¬ 
ment of the whole process, founded strictly on my own practice, and ac¬ 
companied occasionally with such remarks as I think may be useful to 
such as are unacquainted with the business. The few fbllowing prelemi- 
narv observations, if attended to, will be of service: 
That a dairy may become profitable, special attention to various particu¬ 
lars is absolutely necessary; among the most prominent are the following: 
That the cows be good milkers, and the milk of good quality; that they be 
well wintered, so that they may come in in good order; that they come 
in in the proper time; and that they have abundance of pasture through 
the milking season. 
Cleanliness is absolutely indispensable in the manufacture of good but¬ 
ter or cheese; no vessel or utensil should be used without being washed 
and properly scalded, from the chum to the butter ladle, or from the 
