50 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
tleman is a shrewd economist, and does not think it beneath him to pay sys¬ 
tematic attention to the small concerns of life. 
He says, “ I purchased two pigs December 23d, 1831, for $6.50, they then 
weighed 316 pounds, they had been dropt some time in the preceding April; 
they were immediately put in a warm pen and led on rye or corn-meal, six 
quarts a day in three feeds, with regularity and precision, until October fol¬ 
lowing, then they were fed nine quarts per day about one month, then raised 
to twelve until the 7th of December, 1835, when they were butchered; they 
then weighed 1,138 pounds. They were fed on gram 349 days, they drank the 
refuse milk of two cows, and had a few weeds from the garden. If we allow 
one-third offal in dressing, they gained in live weight a fraction under three 
and half pounds per day, and cost about ten cents per day. They ate fifty- 
live bushels of rye and corn; the grain was ground fine and the toll taken out; 
in cold weather it was scalded and fed warm, in warm weather fed dry and 
milk poured on it in the trough; none was ever made into a swill and ferment¬ 
ed. The grain cost 5s. per bushel=$34.37a; value of pork at $7 per hun- 
dred=$79.66, deducting first cost and grain, it leaves a balance in favor of the 
producer of $39.28£.”—Tolerably fair pay on two pigs. It seems this is not a 
solitary case of his success: he says he has pursued the same course for many 
years, and with much the same results. The notoriety of his success in mak¬ 
ing pork, though not a farmer by profession, and his parsonage only contains 
one acre, induced me to beg the details of his plan for the readers of the Culti¬ 
vator. 
The rationale of his practice seems to be, firstly, to give a sufficient quantity 
of the most nutritious food, to keep them in a growing contented condition, 
that they may lie down and rest, and not work off their flesh, or loose what 
they already have. Secondly, to keep them at all times dry, clean and com¬ 
fortable, never letting them to the ground to feed and wander about, or to wal¬ 
low in dirt. This seems to cross the disposition of a hog, but I think I never 
saw any so content and happy. He thinks such feed contracts the maw and 
makes it incapable of eating large quantities, like hogs that are summered on 
coarse food. _ _WM. WALKER. 
VALUE OF AGRICLLTURAL PUBLICATIONS—EXPERIMENTS 
WITH POTATOES. 
New-Bedford, Pa., February 25th, 1836. 
J. Buel—Dear Sir—I read your paper with intense interest; in my opinion 
it is extremely well calculated to further and advance the object of its publica¬ 
tion; it pleases me to see its wide spread circulation. We, in this section of 
country, very much want information on this all important subject. A paper of 
this character, so ably conducted as the Cultivator, is truly a desideratum, and 
I feel and know that every farmer should be in possession of this or of some 
other agricultural periodical. A great writer observes, and who can dispute it, 
that the state of civilization of any country is to be fairly estimated by the ad¬ 
vance agriculture has made, the liberty which the fair sex enjoys, and the re¬ 
spect paid to the worship of the Divine Being. We may add, that not only the 
happiness of the people, but the wisdom of the government, is proved by the 
above remark. There are single communications in the Cultivator, which 1 
esteem of more value than a year’s subscription. I need not enumerate them; 
the extracts taken from works of celebrity are valuable; the selection for the 
young men’s department, and prudential maxims inculcated, are excellent. I 
wish you to go on and persevere, in the laudable work you have undertaken. 
Be liberal sir, in your remarks and strictures upon the communications you 
receive. This is the way to elicit truth and combat error—the way to break 
down those impregnable prepossessions and prejudices under which the farm¬ 
er labors, more than any other class of society. I cultivate a small farm; my 
means of improvement are not ample; yet I am ambitious to work it up to its 
zenith. The intelligence communicated through the columns of the Cultivator 
is amply assisting me, and yet it is subjecting me to more work and more ex¬ 
pense. I have many things to ask and questions to propound, but the limits 
of this letter forbids. 
In the first volume, there is apiece taken from the Maine Farmer, if I recollect 
right, on the comparative merit of planting whole or cut potatoes. The expe¬ 
rimenter put two whole potatoes in the hill; against these he put four sets of 
cut potatoes, a very unequal match. He used twenty-three bushels more of 
whole potatoes than of cut ones; he might as well have planted this excess 
over the cut potatoes on a separate acre of land, and brought the produce to 
bear against the four set hills. A moderately large potato 1 cut into five or six 
pieces—these I put into a hill; I put one potato in the hill, which would cut 
the same number of sets; in this way, I use equal quantities of seed, whether 
whole or cut. In the experiments here alluded to, there was no equality in 
the seed. Had the two potatoes been cut, they would probably, on an ave¬ 
rage, have given ten or twelve sets; the produce of potatoes is in the ratio of 
the seed put in; that is, increase the quantity of seed, and you increase the 
quantity of potatoes, on any given piece of ground; to a certain extent this is 
true. The stopping points has not been ascertained by experiment. 
This question ought to have been settled long ago. Every farmer who cul¬ 
tivates this plant, if he has made any observation, must know that the whole 
potatoes are the best for seed, and will give the greatest results, either m 
weight or measure, when the quantities of seed are equal. I would ask, when 
our fields are overrun with sorrel, does it not indicate the absence of calcare¬ 
ous earth? and would not its presence eradicate the nuisance, or neutralize 
the acid ? The clay marl you recommand, is extremely well adapted to your 
farm, it gives tenacity and fixedness. Would not lime be better on ours, which 
has a subsoil of tenaceous clay ? 
I am sir, with great respect, yours, WM. JOHNSON. 
Note —Sorrel indicates the presence of oxalic acid, which lime or marl will 
neutralize, or absorb. Lime, or silicious or shell marl, is best suited to our cor¬ 
respondent’s soil.— Cond. 
BEES MAY BE KEPT IN CELLARS IN WINTER—REQUIRE AIR. 
Lebanon, January 23, 1836. 
J. Buel, Esq.— Dear Sir —I would beg leave to solicit the privilege of pre¬ 
senting a few lines, which I have been inclined to think, may be useful and 
interesting to those who have had but little experience in the principle of cul¬ 
tivating bees, and who would also deem it a favor to be reminded of the dan¬ 
ger to which that article may be exposed. 
It is a fact, that the principal losses sustained, are for want of proper care 
and judicious management. After trying the experiment to my satisfaction, 
I would just recommend the following course, in order to preserve them during 
the winter. Instead of allowing them to remain out of doors, as many are ac¬ 
customed, it is far more desirable to put them in a dry cellar, and moderately 
warm, likewise, so as to guard as much as possible against the unpleasant con¬ 
sequences produced by bad. mouldy comb. This practice is preferable on two 
accounts. They are less liable to die, do not require so much honey, and are 
much more inclined to swarm the following season. Notwithstanding having 
pursued this course of practice, yet I have frequently met with losses, and 
have not, till recently, been satisfied with having ascertained the principal 
cause. It is just about one year ago now, on passing an examination, as usual, 
I found a number of dead swarms of bees; my curiosity was again excited; I 
raised one of the hives and viewing it closely I found the comb neat and clean, 
and a large supply of dead bees lying principally on the bottom of the hive, 
with a sufficient quantity of honey to have supplied their wants a whole year. 
On removing those found dead, from their several shelves, I happened to place 
a lighted candle near the mouth of a hive of dead bees, and then raising it 
gently, in order to look in, my light was immediately put out, which contribu¬ 
ted to my understanding, that the evil effects had been produced from what 
we sometimes call stagnated air. This experiment, although accidentally per¬ 
formed, served to render it certain that more air was necessary in order for the 
safety of others. Since the circumstance occurred just related, I have had ex¬ 
cellent luck; and do believe that bees may be wintered apparently with light 
losses. Since in autumn, it becomes natural for bees to be more quarrelsome, 
especially ns soon as the flowers are decayed, it is my practice to watch them 
closely, and immediately after I discover an assault, to move the hive liable to 
be conquered, into a dark cellar, which invariably produces the desired ef¬ 
fect of forming between the two parties, a principle of reconciliation. I prac¬ 
tice this course untd at length it becomes necessary to carry them all in from 
the cold weather. Placing them on a shelf, one deep, am very earful to open 
a communication for them at the top and bottom of the hives, so as to have a 
free circulation of air, and I am happy to say, that from this course, l have ex¬ 
perienced as yet a favorable result. I have lost but two swarms out of forty, 
that had sufficient quantity of honey, and 1 do not anticipate the loss of any 
more this season. 
I submit these few brief remarks to your consideration, and relying confi¬ 
dently that they will be disposed of according to your better judgment. 
Respectfully yours, C. C. GRAY. 
CURE FOR THE SCAB IN SHEEP. 
Mr. Buel—Sir —In a late Cultivator, you mention the diseases to which 
sheep are subject, and many things considered beneficial to many disorders. 
Having suffered much from the scab in my small flock, four years ago this 
winter, I thought it might be useful to some of your readers to state my expe¬ 
rience in contending with this destructive complaint, and the result. The first 
of September, I had 200 merino sheep, in good flesh, but thought symptoms of 
the scab were discoverable in two or three. I went a journey to Ohio, and 
returned the 3d of November. When I came home, about 40 of my flock were 
in a situation sickening to behold. Knowing it was the scab, and being expe¬ 
rimentally ignorant of the proper remedy, I resorted to books and the various 
recipes generally used. Among the rest, I tried the mercurial ointment, re¬ 
commended by Sir Joseph Banks, without the desired effect. The disorder 
increased and baffled all my exertions. The sheep began to die, and at shear¬ 
ing time, more than 100 were dead—after I had taken unwearied pains, and 
spent much time, and several dollars in money for medicine, and had lost more 
than half of my flock, I felt almost ready to abandon the wool-growing busi¬ 
ness. All my remaining sheep appeared more or less under the influence of 
the disagreeable disorder. But having heard of tobacco, and this being almost 
the only remedy prescribed and not tried, I made use of it, and with perfect 
effect. The modus operandi was this. I bought, fifteen or eighteen pounds of 
cheap, shilling tobacco, cut it to pieces to get the strength easily out, put it 
into a large kettle and boiled it as long as I thought necessary. I then took a 
forty gallon cask, with one head out, sawed the end so as to nail a wide board 
on the edge of the cask, and the other end of the board was fastened to the 
yard fence, enough higher than the cask to have the liquor run back into the 
cask. The tobacco liquor put into the cask hot, as soon as cool enough not to 
injure the sheep, put into the liquor about a gill of spirits of turpentine; this 
should be repeated about once to every twelve or fifteen sheep; if all put in at 
once, a few of the first put into the cask wiil catch the whole of the turpen¬ 
tine. Take the sheep by the forelegs, and put him in tail foremost, as you 
would a pig to scald, the liquor coming, as you crowd him down, up to his 
head and ears; turn him round in the cask, to have the liquor touch the sheep 
all over. I had many of mine ducked head under, then pulled them up on the 
board, and held them to drain a few minutes, and let them go. Having served 
them all in this way, I turned them to pasture, and have not lost a sheep since, 
unless by accident. If done effectually, it kills all the ticks. In shearing, the 
next year, we discovered only two ticks. The lambs were dipped as well as 
the old ones. The sheep were all fat the next fall, fit for mutton. I fully be¬ 
lieve this mode of treatment will prevent ihe disorder, make the sheep more 
healthy, the wool better, and by the improvement of the flock, pay the expense 
and trouble many times over. Some think the scab cannot be cured, when the 
fleece is on in cold weather; others mention the expense. For my part, I be¬ 
lieve the cure can be effected in moderate weather, in winter, though I never 
triedit. It will, in this case, be necessary to use a much greater quantity of 
tobacco; but what is the expense to the value of the sheep ? If the complaint 
comes on in the early part of winter, the wool is poor, and the sheep will die 
before the next summer, if not cured. And furthermore, one infected one will 
ruin the whole flock. 1 think farmers are too backward generally, in commu- 
