THE CULTIVATOR. 
65 
order is half the battle as to the labor part. This lot 
No. 2, brought me 7,500 pounds tobacco, which sold at 
only a moderate price, being $402.00 for the product of 
five acres, or $80.40 cents per acre. Lands under the 
old system, under circumstances unfavorable, produce 
about five bushels wheat, which brought only 80 cents, 
being $4 per acre. , 
In 1838, in lot No. 3, being two years in clover, and 
degenerating, I planted a heterogeneous mixture of corn, 
tobacco, potatoes and beans, determining that no space 
should be left without something on it; but after all the 
work which was necessary was done, even to artificial 
seasons, I found my close planting upon the quantity of 
filth I had put upon the ground, acted only in conjunc¬ 
tion with the drouth, to fire and kill what was on it. I 
therefore failed in toto of making what I anticipated, a 
brag crop. 
Not being yet out with experiments, I planted lot 
No. 1, (which I sowed with clover when I put it in oats 
in 1837, and during the whole time keeping hogs from 
trespassing upon it, thereby giving the roots of the clo¬ 
ver a fair chance, though I grazed it,) in tobacco in 
1839. Flattering myself that there was still room for 
improvement, and that by adding manure to the clover, 
I could obtain 2,000 pounds per acre, or $100 per acre. 
Thus far I think, there is but little reason for appre¬ 
hending a disappointment, if tobacco should not fall 
from its present price. 
Should this be worthy a place in your paper, I will let 
you hear from me when the tobacco is sold, when I will 
give my manner of cultivation, &c. and should be glad 
to receive any instruction from those who do better, as 
I am only wedded to my system until a better is shown 
me. The sole improvement to me appears to be in the 
free use of clover and plaster, and the entire disuse of 
the hog upon clover. EXPERIMENTER. 
Tracer/s Landing, Feb. 5th, 1840. 
Account Current Avitfi Various Crops. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —Having been induced 
by the reading of agricultural papers, to keep a farm 
account the past season, I am much pleased with the 
plan, as we can thereby ascertain what crops are the 
most profitable, and direct our cultivation accordingly. 
The following is an account of my cultivated crops, 
which, if you think of sufficient interest, you may insert 
In the Cultivator: 
POTATO CROP. 
Piece No. 1, Containing 2\ acres—manure spread and 
plowed in—planted on ridges, two rows on a ridge. 
Dr. 
To plowing and harrowing, 
“ ridging,. 
“ planting,. 
“ 56 loads manure,. 
“ 66 bushels seed—25 cts. 
“ hoeing,. 
“ plaster,. 
“ harvesting,. 
“ board, . 
“ interest on land,. 
Cr. 
$6 
18 
By 691 b. 
pota’s 
at 
2 
98 
25 cts... 
$172 
75 
6 
37 
Deduct,. 
104 
45 
28 
00 
16 
50 
Profit,... 
$68 
30 
7 
68 
1 
00 
19 
50 
12 
50 
3 
75 
$104 45 
No. 2, Containing £ acre—manure spread and plowed 
in—planted in single rows without ridging. 
To plowing and harrowing, $2 
“ 15 loads manure,. 7 
“ 2 days’ planting....... 1 
“ 15 bushels seed—25 cts. 3 
“ 3 days’ hoeing,. 2 
“ 4-| “ harvesting, .... 3 
“ board,. 2 
“ interest,... 
05 
50 
50 
75 
25 
19 
68 
75 
Ry 94 b. potatoes 
at 25 cts. $23 50 
$23 67 
Deduct,. 23 50 
Loss,. 17 
No. 3, Containing Is* acre—planted on an inverted 
sward, without manure—single rows. 
To plowing and harrowing, $5 33 By 190 b. pota’s at 
(( A. TAlo-nti-no* 3 DO 
u 
4 days’ planting,. 
3 00 
25 cts. .. 
$47 50 
ei 
30 bushels seed—25 cts. 
7 50 
Deduct,.. . 
36 23 
u 
5 days’ hoeing,. 
3 75 
u 
10 “ harvesting, .... 
7 50 
Profit,.. .. 
$11 27 
« 
plaster,. 
90 
cc 
board,. 
6 00 
tc 
interest,. 
2 25 
$36 23 
My potatoes were an uncommon light crop, having 
suffered from a blight which injured most of the pota¬ 
toes in this part of the country. The results of the se¬ 
veral pieces speak well in favor of ridging. 
RUTA BAGA CROP. 
No. 1, Containing | acre—manure spread and har¬ 
rowed in—seed sown on ridges—rows two feet apart. 
To plowing,. $1 25 By 500 b. ruta ba- 
“ 11 loads manure,. 5 50 gas, 20cts $100 00 
“ preparing ground & sow- Deduct,... 23 63 
ing seed,. 2 25 - 
“ 6 ounces seed,. 38 Profit,_ $76 37 
“ 7 days hoeing,. 5 25 
“ 5 “ harvesting,. 3 75 
“ board,... 5 00 
“ interest,. 1 25 
By 350 b. ruta ba- 
gas,20 cts. $70 00 
Deduct,.. . 22 62 
38 Profit,.... $47 38 
No. 2, Containing \ acre—manured in the ridge—rows 
2\ feet apart. 
To plowing,. $1 25 
“ 8 loads manure,. 4 00 
“ preparing ground & sow¬ 
ing seed,. 2 25 
“ 6 ounces seed,. 
“ days’ hoeing,.. 5 62 
“ 5 “ harvesting,.... 3 75 
“ board,...* • 4 13 
“ interest,.,. 1 25 
$22 63 
My ruta baga suffered from heavy rains soon after 
sowing. I also had considerable transplanting, which 
was done in odd hours, and of which I kept no account. 
CORN CROP. 
Containing one acre—manure spread and plowed in. 
To plowing and harrowing, $6 12 By 60 bushels of 
“ 40 loads manure,. 20 00 
corn, 
■§ bushel seed,. 
1 
9 
hoeing,. 6 85 
3 « 
cutting & shook- 
ing, . 
10 “ 
harvesting,.... 7 50 
plaster, 
board,. 
. 7 50 
interest, 
. 1 50 
$55 80 
75 Stalks,.... 
Deduct,.. 
Profits,.. . 
$60 00 
10 00 
70 00 
55 80 
$14 20 
My corn much was injured by the grub and cut-worm. 
WHEAT CROP. 
Containing two and a half acres. 
To plowing and harrowing, $6 10 
“ 4 bushels seed,. 8 00 
“ preparing seed & sowing, 50 
“ plaster and lime,. 4 40 
“ harvesting,. 6 00 
“ thrashing,. 4 00 
“ board,. 5 25 
“ interest,. 3 
By 40 bush, wheat, 
at $1 75,. $70 00 
Straw,.... 9 00 
State bo’nty 3 00 
75 
82 00 
Deduct,.. . 38 00 
Profit,.... $44 00 
$38 00 
OAT CROP. 
Containing one and'an eighth of an acre. 
To plowing and sowing,.... $2 75 By 65 bush, oats, 
“ 4 bushels seed, . 2 40 at 50 cts.. $32 50 
“ harvesting,. 4 12 Straw,.... 
“ thrashing,. 1 95 
“ board,. 2 50 
“ interest,. 1 50 Deduct,... 
7 50 
$40 00 
15 22 
$15 22 Profit,.... $24 78 
By way of experiment, I cultivated a small piece of 
ground with carrots, beets, and parsnips : carrots yield¬ 
ing about 800 bushels per acre ; beets 600, and parsnips 
450. The price of the several crops is reckoned at the 
market value in this place. 
Respectfully yours, 
EBENEZER SMITH. 
Middlefield, Mass. Jan. 23, 1840. 
Hay Rack for Sheep.—[Fig. 36.] 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —Number 12, volume 
6, of the Cultivator contains an article reading thus— 
“ The 20th November is universally understood through¬ 
out New-England as the close of the season of pastu¬ 
rage, and the time for bringing our cattle and live stock 
to the barn. Sheep may be left out as long as the 
ground remains bare,” &c. In my opinion here is an 
error. Sheep will live awhile thus treated, and so will 
cattle and horses; but whoever manages thus with their 
sheep will stand the chance of losing at least one out of 
a hundred during the winter. It does not consequently 
follow, that it is good management on account of its 
having long been practiced. 
Another error, in my opinion, which exists among 
many farmers, is, in permitting their sheep to range 
their meadows when bare in winter and spring, doing 
not only injury to themselves by destroying their appe¬ 
tite, without obtaining but little nutritious substance, but 
many times greatly injuring the meadows by destroying 
the grass roots that are thrown up by the frost. 
The time has come when every farmer ought to be 
provided with racks in which to feed his sheep, at least 
in wet weather ; still there are many who have no place 
other than the wet ground or dirty yard, at such times. 
Much is annually wasted in the articles of hay and' 
manui e, for want of racks. Much time and pleasure 
is lost in transporting hay from place to place in hope of 
finding some spot where the hay will not be trampled in 
the mud and wasted. 
I will give a description of a moveable rack (fig. 36,) 
which is light, cheap and durable, fourteen of which I 
have used three or four years, two only have been out 
of repair. 
It is made with four posts, four inch square, two feet 
ten inches long ; four rails, two inches by four, fourteen 
feet long, two on each side; one board on each side, four 
inches wide. The posts to be bored with a two inch 
augur, and the ends of the rails shaved down to fit the 
hole; the boards to be nailed on the outside of the posts 
at the bottom or lower end; two end rails, two feet four 
inches long; a board nailed upon the ends of the rack 3 
at the top of the posts. 
Yours, &c. L. G. NORTHRUP. 
Shoreham, February 17, 1840. 
Harrow for Old Lands.—IFig. 37.] 
Messrs. Editors —The object of my present com¬ 
munication is to lay before the readers ol your most 
valuable paper, a plan and description ol a HarrcAv. 
Description. —As far as my observation has extended, I 
find that the Harrow or Drag, most commonly used, is well 
calculated for new land, to delve between stumps and 
stones; but, for older farms with but lew roots and 
rocks, the above representation, Avill be found much sv» 
perior as a labor-saving implement; on account of the 
great number of teeth, not any two of which traverse 
the same track. It is composed of two pieces of frame 
work. The stiles 2-] inches square, and rails 3 inches 
and | of an inch thick. The rails go the whole thicl - 
ness through the two middle stiles, and are shouldered 
to tenon into the outside stiles; are hung asabo\ r e repre¬ 
sented, with iron hinges, haiung a shoulder at the stile 
hinged, and a nut at the opposite outside of the stile. 
The teeth may be 8 inches long and f of an inch square, 
tapering to a point— n. n. n. n. are the nuts— h h. where 
hinged. The dotted lines are parallel with the direc¬ 
tion the team goes. Respectfully yours, 
JOHN CAIN. 
Rutland, Vermont, Feb. 15th, 1840. 
Hearing Calves on Milk and Meal. 
Messrs. Editors- —In the last number of the Culti¬ 
vator, you published some remarks of mine on the mode 
of feeding calves by Mr. Hearsey, by giving skimmed 
milk Avith some meal, &c. 
Mr. Hearsey saj r s that it is necessary to explain the 
manner of mixing the meal—that if the raw meal is put 
into the milk it will scour the calf. He makes the meal 
into suppaun, heats the milk OA r er steam to the state of 
its coming from the cow, and then mixes about one 
pound of the cold suppaun in the milk, and feeds the 
animal in this way three meals a day. His calves thus 
fed, at the end of the y r ear are more than double the size 
of those cahves that suck the cow. He now makes 12 
lbs. butter a week from tivo cows, and uses six quarts 
of milk daily from the same coavs. 
He adds a pint of boiling water to a pan of milk Avhen 
set, holding six quarts, and the next day the cream will 
all be floating on the top, and skimmed off and churned. 
DAVID TOMLINSON. 
Schenectady, March 10, 1840. 
Preserving Hams for Summer use. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —As the time is now 
come to put up hams to be kept for summer use, I Avill 
state to you my mode. I belieA^e Ave have tried all the 
methods in practice, and must prefer the one here de¬ 
scribed. 
We take a dry cask or box, say an old flour barrel, 
put a good layer of coarse salt in the bottom, and then 
put doAvn a ham; cover that with coarse salt, and put 
doAvn another ham, and so on till the cask is full, or the 
hams all deposited. Set the cask in a cool dry place, 
and whenever a ham is Avanted take it out, and it Avill 
be eA r ery way as clean, clear from vermin and all other 
impurities, as when put down. This is attended Avith 
A^ery little trouble or expense, as the salt is not at all 
injured for any other use in the fall. My cellar being a 
very dry one, Ave put the cask of hams in a cool place 
in that; but a damp cellar Avould be apt to dissolve the 
salt. The hams should be well dried before being put 
doAvn. Yours, CALVIN BUTLER. 
Plymouth, Conn., March 14, 1840. 
Sore Teats in Cows. 
Messrs. Editors —As many of our farmers suffer se¬ 
verely annually , by swollen udders and teats in their milch 
coavs, the folloAving is a cheap, simple, and a most sure 
remedy. 
Take the bark of the root of the shrub commonly 
called bitter-SAveet, Avash and simmer it Avith a small 
quantity of lard, until it is very yellow, and Avhen cool, 
apply it to the parts that are SAVollen, two or three 
times a day, until the udder and teats are perfectly soft 
and free from kernels. It has been tried Avith great 
success in our Ancinity. 
East Windsor, Ct. Jan. 15,1840. 
$23 63 
A FARMER. 
