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THE CULTIVATOR. 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 
SEED OF THE WHITE PINE. 
Robert Burton, of Lewes, Del. is desirous of obtaining half a bushel of 
seed of the white pine ihe ensuing fall. It will require thirty-five bushels 
of cones, or burs, to produce half a bushel of seed. The seeds grow be¬ 
tween the scales of the cone; and the latter open about the first of Octo¬ 
ber to release them. The cones should therefore be gathered in Septem¬ 
ber, and after drying a few days in the sun, the seeds will fall out, espe¬ 
cially if beaten with a stick. Aliy person disposed to furnish the seed, 
may advise the Conductor by letter, post-paid, and state the price for a 
peck or half bushel, or address Mr. Burton. 
As Mr. Burton’s letter contains useful information for the inhabitants of 
the sea coast, as well as ot the prairie west, for making plantations of co¬ 
niferous trees, we subjoin extracts from it. And we beg Jeave to recom¬ 
mend his example to others, particularly in the districts already indicat¬ 
ed. These young forests will in a few years become important as shelter, 
not only to farm crops and farm stock, and for plantations of more tender 
trees, but they will become a source of certain and substantial profit—and 
will in some measure compensate posterity for the reckless havoc we have 
made of the primitive forests. In the vallies of the Ohio and Mississippi, 
the white pine, we understand, is seldom found growing. Its value as a 
building material stands deservedly high; and the pine forests, upon the 
streams tributary to the Ohio and Mississippi are fast disappearing. Were 
it known in the north, that the seeds *of our coniferous and other forest 
trees were in demand, at a fair price, our seedsmen might collect and 
furnish them in any quantity. 
“ Twenty-five years ago,” says Mr. Burton, “ I planted half a bushel 
of clean seed of the yellow pine, on a poor sandy soil, about five feet apart 
each way, and now I have trees from them that will measure, one foot 
from the ground, ten inches in diameter, and in height they are from thir¬ 
ty toforty feet. The seed did not all come up. The way I did, as soon 
as I had gathered the burs, I put them in a loft over the cook-room, two 
or three feet thick, where they would be always dry and ivarm, and in 
the course of a month or so the burs had opened, and by threshing Ihem 
with a small rod the seed fell out. I then took the seed and had them rub¬ 
bed in the hand, to break the small feathers attached to each seed, and 
then fanned them as clean as wheat. 
“ The cheapest way for a person to seed his field with pine, is to plant 
the seed in rows about fifty yards apart, in a north-easterly and south¬ 
westerly direction, so that the north-westerly winds, which here are the 
driest winds that blow strongly, may send the seed from the trees which 
will grow in these rows, across to the other. The seed should be planted 
shallow, if planted with the hoe. If planted in rows fifty yards apart, the 
best way is to plough the rows, and sow the seed on the top of the furrow, 
or to harrow the row, and sow the seed on the place—the rains will settle 
them deep enough in the earth when the ground is broke a little.” 
green’s straw cutter. 
A correspondent, who dates Fauquier county, Va. and who “ is a feed¬ 
er of nearly 200 head of cattle, upon the stall and in-door plan,” asks our 
opinion respecting the application of horse power to Green’s Patent Straw- 
Cutter,—and what quantity of hay or corn fodder, it will cut, with such 
power, in an hour? We doubt whether this machine, as now construct¬ 
ed, would perform much more if propelled by horse, than it now performs 
by manual power. Little can be gained by accelerating its motion; and 
the strength of a man propels it without fatigue. A very extensive and 
intelligent farmer who visited us while writing this, assures us that two 
smart men may cut five tons a day, of hay, with Green’s Straw Cutter, 
by manual power. 
We have heard highly commended the horse power establishment of a 
gentleman upon Staten Island, in which the power is applied, at pleasure, 
to cutting hay and fodder, upon an improved machine,—to grinding grain 
for family and farm use,—to crushing corn cobs and corn, grinding apples 
or roots, sawing, &c. We have solicited a plan and description of the 
building and machinery, the cost, &c. from the intelligent and liberal pro¬ 
prietor; and hope to have the satisfaction, ere long, of laying them before 
the readers of the Cultivator. Such an application of horse power, upon 
the farm, has been long a desideratum; and we cannot question the wil¬ 
lingness of the proprietor to win the gratitude of his countrymen, by mak¬ 
ing the communication solicited. 
ORNAMENTAL EXOTIC TREES. 
A correspondent at Newark, Ohio, wishes us to indicate eight tried ex¬ 
otics, other than the European Linden, of the large class, most admired for 
park ornament, and where they can be obtained. Were we better ac¬ 
quainted with the winter temperature of Newark, we could give more 
satisfactory answers. The American forest trees of the first class surpass 
in beauty those of the old continent. The sycamore,* English and Scotch 
*elms, European larch,* weeping willow,* ailanthus,* European ash, and 
Oriental plane, are the principal species of large exotics found in our 
nurseries. Of the second class, the mountain ash ,* (Sorbus aucuparia,) 
horse chesnut* and European alder,* are very ornamental. Those mark¬ 
ed with the asterisk *, as well as the European linden, may be had at the 
Albany Nursery, though of some kinds the plants are small. 
WHITE OAK AND POST OAK. 
J. Seelye, of Sharon, Con. inquires, first, what is the distinction be¬ 
tween post oak and white oak, the former being esteemed, at the south, 
better and far more lasting, than the latter. And second, on what particular 
day in the year a tree, perforated by woodpeckers, or slightly girdled with 
an axe, will die. White oak is a tree of the first class as to magnitude, 
and grows in every part of the United States, though in Florida it is found 
only on the borders of the swamps. It is the only oak, on which a few of 
the dried leaves persist till the circulation is renewed in the spring. Of all 
rhe American oaks, this is the best and most generally used, according to 
Michaux, being strong, durable, and of large dimensions. The post oak 
resembles somewhat in foliage the white Oak, though the lobes of the 
leaves are broader, and less pointed; and its acorns are not hal f so large as 
those of the white oak. The leaf of the white oak has three, and that 
of the post oak four lobes. This oak belongs to the second class of forest 
trees, its height rarely exceeding forty feet. It is not found growing 
north of the neighborhood of the city of New-York, but abounds in the 
middle states and in Florida. The wood is less elastic, though finer grain¬ 
ed, stronger, bnd more durable, than the white oak: hence it is preferred 
for posts, and is used with advantage by wheelwrights and coopers. As 
to the second point of inquiry, we are not aware that there is way parti¬ 
cular day in the year, and we are sure there is not, when a tree will be 
killed by the pecking of birds. Trees die either by cu tting off the supply of 
sap, which passes from the roots through the sap wood, or for want of ela¬ 
borating organs—the leaves—which convert this sap into vegetable nutri¬ 
ment. Cutting through the entire sap wood, at any time in the early 
part of summer, so as to prevent the ascent of the sap, or divesting it en¬ 
tirely of the leaves, which elaborate this sap, in June, will seldom fail to 
kill the most hardy tree. 
SAXON SHEEP AND WOOL. 
E. Tilden, Esq. P. M. New-Lebanon, Col. has a flock of 1,000 Saxon, 
and Saxon and Merino crossed sheep, which he considers of the first 
grade, and offers a part for sale—the bucks at from five to twenty-five 
dollars, according to age and quality. Samples of the wool from these 
bucks, have been deposited, for examination, at the office of the Cultiva¬ 
tor. 
J. C. Van Wyck, of Fishkill, Dutchess county, has also a flock of 500 
prime Saxon sheep, bred with great care, which he wishes to dispose of 
—price not mentioned. 
PRATT’S STUMP EXTRACTOR. 
We have received from J. R. Drake, Esq. of O wego, a handbill, which 
contains a figure and description of this machine, and also certificates of 
its performance, which we shall forward to our correspondent, J. M. Gar¬ 
net , Esq. of Virginia. The machine is worked by a pair of oxen or horses, 
and can advantageously employ five men. It aippears from the certificate 
of H. Hutchinson, engineer on the Chemung canal, that with one of these 
machines, sixty-eight stumps were extracted between two o’clock P. M. 
and sunset; and that with another two hundred and thirty stumps were 
extracted in a day. It is applied to green stumps, as well as to those 
which are partially decayed, and without the previous labor of cutting the 
roots. Nos. 1 and 2 are heavy, and designed for extracting green stumps; 
No. 3 is more compact, and may be transported on common wagon or cart 
wheels. Four men, says Judge D. with two yoke of oxen and a stump- 
boat, will extract., and convert into fence, stumps enough for fourteen 
rods in a day. The price for a first rate machine, with ropes, chains, &c. 
is nearly $375—without the apparatus the machine is offered at $150, de¬ 
livered at Albany or Troy. 
RUTA BAGA HOE. 
We have been presented with a neat little implement for thinning tur¬ 
nips, or other crops, manufactured by Wm. R. Gates, Lee, Mass. It is 
for sale by Thorburn, at the moderate price of 37$ cents, including the 
handle. 
HOLLOW HORN. 
Sylvanus W. Gray, of Middlefield, Ohio, has sent us the following re¬ 
cipe for curing the horn-ail in neat cattle. We publish it, though we con¬ 
fess it smacks too much of quackery. It has too many ingredients, apart 
of which we suspect are at least useless. 
“ Take three eggs, same in bulk of black pepper, same of soot, same of 
salt, same of hen dung, mix with wheat flour till hard enough for pills; 
make nine, and give one at a time three successive mornings, and inter¬ 
mit three, and give three again, &c.” 
ITALIAN SPRING WHEAT. 
There has been an abundance of this grain sown. It looks well, and, 
the grain worm permitting, there will be plenty of seed. Mr. H. Ste- 
phensoD, who writes from North Lake, Mich, shall be supplied. The 
price cannot now be determined. We beg Mr. S. not to forget the beau¬ 
tiful prairie flowers, the seeds and bulbs of which he promises to send us. 
Mr. S. says, that fall wheat in his district, with some exceptions, will be 
a failure. We coincide with him in opinion, that in many parts of Ihe 
country our reliance must ultimately be upon the spring varieties of this 
grain. 
