THE CULTIVATOR: 
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION, DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE. 
Vol. IV. 
ALBANY, JANUARY, 1838. 
No. 11. 
J. BUEL,^ Conductor. 
O’ Office No. 3 WasMngton-street, opposite Congress Hall. 
TERMS.— Fifty Cents per annum, to be paid in advance. 
Special Agents. —L. & R. Hill^ Esqs. Richmond, Va.; Messrs.. Bell & 
Entvvisle, Alexandria, D. C.; Gideon B. Smith, Baltimore, Md.; Judah 
Dobson, Philadelphia, Pa.; Messrs. Hovey, Boston, Mass; Israel Post & 
Co. Booksellers, 88Bowery; Alexander‘Smith, Seedsman, Broad way, N. 
Y. Alex. VVai.sh, Eansingburgh, gratuitous agent. Any gentleman who 
will enclose us $5, free of postage, will be considered-also a special agent, and 
will be entitled to every eleventh copy, or its equivalent, as commission. 
O’ The Cultivator, according to the decision of the Post-master General, js 
subject only to newspaper postage,- vi?: one cent on-each nupiber within the 
state, and within one hundred miles from Albany, out of the state—-and one 
and a half cents on each nutnber, .to any other_part of the Unions 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
TO IMPROVE THE SO IE AND THE 'MIND. 
§Cf=-To agents and others.—A great number of accounts are now due 
to us, which, though individually small, form an aggregate which would 
enable us to pay our printer—money which we owe him-, and which he 
wants. We wish to settle all accounts of the current, before we com¬ 
mence our next volume—where it is practicable. Out mail accounts ex¬ 
ceed six hundred in number. 
gcj=- A list of Agents for the fifth volume, will be inserted on the cover, 
which will accompany the next, or February number. 
THE NEW YEAR. 
On the departure of the old, and the advent of the new year, custom 
imposes upon us the pleasing duty of tendering to our patrons the congra¬ 
tulations of the season, and warrants us in communing with them on the 
past, with a view to our mutual benefit in the coming year: We there, 
fore greet them all with “a happy New Year;” and that we may 
contribute our mite towards the fulfilment of this wish, we invite to a re¬ 
trospective .view of the past year, the better to enable us to avoid its er¬ 
rors, atone for its omissions, and profit from its experience. 
The duties of life are many and diversified. They are religious, moral, 
social and relative. They relate to our Creator, to society, to our fami¬ 
lies, and to ourselves. Leaving the consideration of the first to more suit¬ 
able and competent hands, and to the silent and unerring admonitions of 
conscience, let us direct our attention to those duties which fall particu¬ 
larly within the purview of our journal. And, 
1 st. As to our business or calling .—Have we improved in this? Have 
we augmented the fertility of our soils, and. increased .them products,—by 
draining, manuring, alternating crops,—by clover and root bulture, and by 
adopting a regular system of management? Have we Improved our farm 
stock, by breeding from the best individuals, or by introducing better 
breeds—arid our farm implements, by the use ef those which most abridge 
labor, and which perform the best work?'. And above all, have we im¬ 
proved the thind, the great lever which multiplies power, in that know¬ 
ledge which is the guide and solace of labor, and which imparts dignity 
and independence to man ? If we have not done all or any of these things, 
we have left undone those things which we might have done, and which 
in general we oughl to have done, to advance our prosperity and useful¬ 
ness. The agricultural periodicals of the day proffer to our aid the im¬ 
provements and best practices in husbandry of the agricultural world, and 
instruct us in the great principles of nature upon which the most enlight¬ 
ened and successful farming is based. These publications may be likened 
to the seed which is sown upon a good soil—the outlay is trifling—the in? 
come twenty, fifty and an hundred fold. The march of improvement, in 
all the arts of productive labor, is steady and certain; and he that will not 
go forward upon the flood of tide, must expect to be swept back by its 
ebb. 
2d. As regards our relative duties .—These involve great responsibili¬ 
ty; and our enjoyments in life, and the welfare of those entrusted to our 
charge, materially depend upon the fidelity with which they are perform¬ 
ed. In these matters the eye affords a stronger medium through which 
to convey instruction than the ear; and children more readily imitate 
what they see, than profit by what they hear. Precept may be likened to 
the moon, which shines with borrowed light, but which neither Warms 
nor animates—example to the sun, which vivifies all within the sphere of 
its influence. We hardly need be reminded^of the strong natural bias we 
NO. 11 -VOL. IV. 
have to whatever we term our own; and thatwe often commend, or justi¬ 
fy, at home, what we disapprobate, or find fault with, abroad. If the im¬ 
portance of the relative duties of life have escaped our observation, or 
those duties have been neglected, there is ample room for our improve¬ 
ment in the coming year. 
3d. Of our social duties _These relate to our neighbor, and to society 
at large; and in the aggregate they form national character, and constitute 
hational power. The isolated being," who extends not his charities nor 
his kind offices beyond the circle of his family, mistakes alike his duty and 
his true interest. The command is, “ love your neighbor;” and it was a 
governing principle with Franklin, that to do good to others, is to fulfil 
one of the great duties of life. The reward, even in life, is sure. The 
consciousness of having, contributed to the promotion of virtue and human 
happiness, is a sure reward, to-all who justly apprehend the difference 
between virtue and vice.. The social duties are performed in a variety of 
ways. Individual example, in habits of industry, frugality and temperance 
—in aotsof kindness, benevolence and liberality—in the practise of ho¬ 
nesty and integrity in our dealings—in affording friendly counsel and pe¬ 
cuniary aid to the-unfortunate—in the diffusion of useful knowledge—and, 
generally, in efforts to lessen the evils, and to multiply the substantial en¬ 
joyments of society;—individual example, we say, has, in these matters, 
an imposing and salutary influence, in a greater or less degree, according 
to our standing and influence in the social circle. There is no man, how¬ 
ever humble be his condition in life, whose example does not, exert an 
influence, for good or for evil, upon some of the circle of his acquaint¬ 
ance. Let as all then endeavor to throw ourselves into the.scale forgood, 
tliat good may more abound among us; and if we have neglected any of 
this class of duties, to make amends before another new year. 
We have gone through the retrospect we designed to take. If the con¬ 
siderations we have suggested for improvement, should influence any one 
—and we hope they may many—to become a better farmer, a more 
watchful and exemplary parent, ora more useful citizen, during the com¬ 
ing than he was during the past year, then shall we consider the time em¬ 
ployed in penning these remarks as having been profitably spent. 
AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR 1887. 
The season of vegetation, during the last year, may be denominated a 
cold, and comparatively wet one. But a few hot days were, experienced, 
and the quicksilver, at no time, rose above 92° of Fahrenheit. The mean 
temperature, it is believed, was some degrees lower than in ordinary sea¬ 
sons. In some districts, frosts early in August partially injured tender 
crops. Other districts were not visited' by frost till the middle of Sep¬ 
tember, and others again not till the night of tfie 3d of October. Low 
flat districts and localities were visited most early by frost, while those 
more elevated, where the Winds had full sweep, were last to feel its 
blighting effects. This was owing to the humidity and comparative stag¬ 
nation of the air in the vallies. In consequence of the low temperature 
of the summer, vegetation was from ten to fourteen days later than usual; 
many fruits and vegetables, natural to warmer climates, but which have 
hitherto been generally brought to maturity in our gardens, and some that 
are indigenous in our latitude, as the hickory nut, black walnut and honey 
locust, did not attain maturity before the intervention of frost. The Isa¬ 
bella and Catawba grapes, the melon, tomato, egg plant, okra, and other 
tender productions of the garden, but partially ripened, except where 
their growth’ had been facilitated by glass or other artificial protection. 
- We will remark here, that an opinion is entertained by many, seeming¬ 
ly based upon the Huttonian theory 6f the earth, that our climate is muta¬ 
ble; that there is a gradual but continual lowering of the temperature of the 
globe; and that it consequently becomes necessary to make a gradual 
transition of plants from higher to more temperate latitudes. Dr. Muse, 
in an address to the Dorchester. Agriculture Society, Maryland, imputes 
to thlS cause, though we think erroneously, the failure of the winter 
wheat crop in that state, in late years. The failure of the wheat crop, in 
that and other districts of our country, though in part owing to the muta¬ 
tions of climate, we think is principally to be ascribed to defective hus¬ 
bandry—to the exhaustion, in the soil, of the specific food of this grain. 
There are" various geological and historical facts, adduced in favor and 
against the Huttonian theory; but this is not the place, noris it our inten¬ 
tion, to recapitulate them, or to express an opinion in the matter. We 
merely allude to the subject incidentally, and pass to the prominent pro¬ 
duct of our soil— 
Wheat .—On the breaking up of winter, this crop looked bad, in most 
parts of our countiy. The Hessian fly had been at work, particularly in 
the middle states; the winter had been unpropitious, and the spring open¬ 
ed unfavorably. The fine weather in May, however, seemed to renovate 
the crop, and the prospect became%heermg till the eve of the harvest. 
