THE CULTIVATOR. 
25 
given by these children, and the silk when reeled, was 
sold for one hundred and seventy-five dollars.” The 
other instance is the experiment made by the Rev. Mr. 
McLean, of New-Jersey, the past season; and is, we 
think, perfectly conclusive not only as to the practica¬ 
bility, but the profit of growing silk. From one quarter 
of an acre of ground, planted with the morus multicau- 
lis last spring, he fed worms which gave him of fine 
reeled silk twelve pounds, or about 50 lbs. per acre. 
This is a low, and we think a perfectly safe estimate of 
the quantity that can be grown from an acre of mulberry 
trees, even where they were to be taken up every win¬ 
ter, and set out in the spring, (where the tree will en¬ 
dure the winter, the amount will of course be much in¬ 
creased,) and at the very lowest prices of the raw mate¬ 
rial, this crop would give a greater profit per acre, than 
could be derived from almost any other source. 
We shall give Mr. McLean’s paper an early insertion, 
as it is in its details more full and clear than any which 
has yet come to our notice. 
Inquiries. 
A ‘Boston Subscriber,’ has propounded a number ef 
queries, which we shall answer seriatum: 
“1. What is your method of employing liquid ma¬ 
nure ?” 
Liquid manure, as the term is understood abroad, we 
have never used either on grass or plowed lands. 
Where the proper substances are provided, there will be 
little or no liquid manure in our stables or yards; it will 
be absorbed, and may be applied with the other parts 
of the manure at once to the soil. Where manure is 
with difficulty procured, the modes of preparing and us¬ 
ing liquid manure may be adopted with profit; at pre¬ 
sent its combination with other materials will be prefer¬ 
red by the farmer. 
“ 2. What is your opinion of fall plowing for New- 
England soil ?” 
The benefit or propriety of fall plowing in New- 
England and elsewhere, is depending on the quality of 
the soil itself. Light soils do not require, and are not 
benefited by fall plowing; but those that are com¬ 
pact and heavy, and abound in clay, are benefited by 
such plowing, frost being one of the most active agents 
we have in pulverizing the soil. 
“ 3. What is the difference of profit between milking 
cows twice or three times per day; and what the differ¬ 
ence in the cost of keeping or pasturage ?” 
We know of no experiments that determine these 
points; they are of but little consequence, however, and 
our correspondent can easily test the matter for himself, 
if he chooses to institute the proper experiments. 
A variety of plans for improved farm buildings, barns, 
&c. have already appeared in the Cultivator, and the 
suggestion of our correspondent as to barns with cellars 
shall not be overlooked. Hogs require both light and 
air, but barns can be easily constructed which will allow 
these, or other animals, to be kept under them. 
We are unable to name any agent for foreign agricul¬ 
tural periodicals; but in all our principal cities, book¬ 
sellers may be found, who will order for subscribers 
such works as they may desire. 
Suffocation of Wheat. 
Extract of a letter from a correspondent in Western 
New-York: 
“ The winter thus far has been one of unusual severi¬ 
ty. The mercury has been lower that it has been for a 
number of years, and below 0 far more frequently than 
usual. The heavy body of snow which accompanied 
the storms of December, and the fore part of January, 
has had the effect of preventing the freezing of the 
ground, or rather taking out what little frost was in it 
previous to the fall of snow. In this state of things, 
the wheat crop is always in danger ; you recollect how 
much the country suffered in 1836, from this cause, al¬ 
though it was not in operation at so early a period of 
the year. When the ground is unfrozen, there is always, 
owing probably to the slow thawing going on, a space 
between the earth and the overlaying snow; and as in 
this space the air cannot circulate, it speedily becomes 
deteriorated, parts at first with its oxygen to the plants 
in the unfrozen earth, and then produces on the plant 
the same effect as confinement in carbonic gas does on 
vegetation. The more dense and solid the snow be¬ 
comes, as it always does towards the spring of the year, 
the more urgent the danger; as at this time the 
warmth is increasing, and consequently the greater the 
space occupied by the confined air. At this time of the 
year, the wheat plants, if dug down to, will be found a 
fine green color, but as soon as the snow goes off, and 
it becomes exposed to the sun’s light, it speedily turns 
yellow, and then white and dry. In the year above men¬ 
tioned, I lost entirely 16 acres of the finest looking 
wheat I ever saw on my farm. It was oak land, had a 
gentle slope to the east, and the snow did not disappear 
from it till in April. It lay very evenly over the whole 
field, and when it went off, the wheat, to an unpracticed 
observer, would have appeared fine. As fastas the snow 
disappeared the whole dried, having evidently been suf¬ 
focated, and not a bushel of wheat was produced from 
the whole ground. The wheat as yetis not hurt; but 
if the snow continues to accumulate, or we have no 
thaws to bare the ground, before this snow is carried off 
in the spring, it can hardly fail of suffering more or less. 
For this danger there appears to be no available reme¬ 
dy; and I never knew but a single instance in which 
one was attempted. A farmer had some five or six acres 
of wheat on which the snow lay equally, and till late in 
the spring. By digging through the snow he found there 
was no frost, and thus his wheat was in danger of suf¬ 
focation. The snow was then about a foot in depth, 
and very compact; but by taking advantage of its sof t¬ 
ening in the middle of the day, and driving his stock of 
cattle repeatedly over it in every direction, he filled the 
snow with holes, partially expelled the vitiated air, and 
gave an opportunity for its replacement by atmospheric 
air, and in that way saved his wheat, while others simi¬ 
larly situated, yet who neglected such precaution, suf¬ 
fered a total loss. Perhaps this preventive might be 
used oftener than it has been, and it might be success¬ 
ful. At any rate where practicable, no injury could re¬ 
sult from attempting it where the wheat crop is simi¬ 
larly situated. H. M- G.” 
Inquiry—Roots. 
“Messrs. Editors —I should be pleased to have your 
opinion on the following points; what kind of roots will 
be the most profitable for us, in this section of the coun¬ 
try, to cultivate? Should roots be washed when fed to 
animals? and is cutting or slicing them necessary for 
feeding to cattle ?— Kentucky, Dec. N. S.” 
From what we know of the general character of the 
soils of that State, and the temperature, and frequent 
dryness of their seasons, and the fact that the ruta baga 
frequently fails in a dry soil and a dry summer, we 
should suspect that valuable as the turnep is, the sugar 
beet or the carrot would be better for our correspon¬ 
dent than that root. As the turnep must be sown late, 
just as the period of our summer heats is commencing, 
it does not get as firmly rooted as plants sown earlier, 
and consequently cannot resist a drouth, should one 
occur, as well as such. We are of the opinion that for 
the Middle States, the sugar beet will become a favorite 
root, not only for the making of sugar but for feeding 
animals. The moist, humid air of England secures their 
turnep crop against drouth, while it is unfavorable to 
the beet; here the seasons are in a manner the reverse, 
and it is not unreasonable to suppose, in this respect, 
practice must be so too. 
We have never found it necessary to wash roots for 
animals, unless grown in a tenacious soil, and gathered 
at an unfavorable period. Turneps, beets, and carrots, 
thrive best in a soil loose and friable, and if gathered 
when dry, there will not enough dirt adhere to the roots 
lo produce any injury in feeding. But if grown in 
ground tenacious in its character, or where the earth is 
wet, so much dirt will be found on them as to render 
washing necessary. The same remarks apply to pota¬ 
toes, which are extensively used for feeding swine, and 
which are usually prepared by steaming or boiling.-— 
We have never found any advantage in washing them 
when gathered dry and in good order, and from the avi¬ 
dity with which swine, when confined, seize onfresh dirt 
when accessible, think it possible it may be beneficial in 
small quantities, rather than hurtful. 
Roots, when fed to horses, hogs, or sheep, should be 
cut, particularly the ruta baga; but when the latter are 
fed to cattle we prefer them whole. For a number of 
years we have grown and fed turneps to a considerable 
extent. At first we were in the habit of slicing or cut¬ 
ting them, but we found cattle were very liable to be 
choked with the pieces when cut, and rarely or never 
when given whole. The practice of cutting for cattle 
has therefore been wholly abandoned, and we have not 
had a creature choked since. It is a pleasure to see an 
animal used to the ruta baga, making his way with dex¬ 
terity and ease into the large yellow roots; and feeding 
in this way is no inconsiderable saving of labor, where 
a number of cattle are to be fed. 
“A Subscriber,” at Knoxville, (Tenn.) who requests 
a “detailed accountof Mr. Bement’s Forcing Pump, &c.” 
will find his wishes gratified in our next paper, Mr. Be- 
ment having furnished us with the desired description, 
and a drawing of the apparatus, which is now in the 
hands of the engraver. 
Giant Rhubarb. —Several of our friends have request¬ 
ed us to send them a few seeds of this recently intro¬ 
duced variety of the Pie-plant, which we would do with 
pleasure could the seeds be procured, but none are to 
be had in this city. 
Dutchess Co. Ag. Society. —The report and Con¬ 
stitution of this Society, furnished us by a friend at 
Poughkeepsie, were published at length in the Genesee 
Farmer. The Society is to meet on the first Tuesday of 
this month, to complete its organization by the choice 
of officers, &c., and we trust, from the spirit already 
evinced, that measures will be adopted to enable the 
Society to prosecute its objects in such a manner as to 
give a new impetus to the interests of Agriculture even 
in this highly improved county. 
Are your Apples good ? 
If not, February is the time to make preparations for 
improving them. There is a most surprising negligence 
among farmers on the subject of fruit, which is the more 
inexcusable, now when the value of fruit, apples parti¬ 
cularly, is so much better understood than it formerly 
was. It should never be forgotten that a tree that will 
yield from 50 to 100 bushels of large, fair, and beautiful 
apples, which would be worth in any market from 25 to 50 
cents, occupies no more space than a tree producing per¬ 
haps half the quantity of sour, bitter, inferior apples, that 
even hogs, unless threatened Avith the horrors of starva¬ 
tion, Avill not touch. Grafting is the remedy for such 
fruit, and there is no one who may not noAV sufficiently 
understand the process of grafting, to perform all that 
may be necessary to furnish an assortment of the best 
apples the year round; or if a farmer prefers to employ 
some one to do this business for him, such men can in 
general be readily obtained at the most reasonable rates. 
The farmer himself, however, should procure his own 
grafts, label them properly, and then, when put in, he 
will be certain of the fruit he wishes, which is not al¬ 
ways the case when itinerant grafters are employed, 
that find their own scions. Let the farmer then look 
about him during this month, and procure such apple 
grafts as Avill give him an ample supply of all the most 
desirable kinds, not only for the table, cooking, and the 
whole year, but such as will be the most valuable for 
feeding to swine or cattle, and have his poor worthless 
fruit-trees filled with these scions, and in a very few 
years he will reap an abundant harvest for his pains and 
expense. When an orchard is to be commenced, the 
better way doubtless is, to apply to some nursery-man 
upon whom reliance can be placed, and make such se¬ 
lections as may be wanted, of trees grafted when young. 
This method will ensure goodfruit, as when well planted, 
such trees rarely fail, and the danger of failure, Avhich 
sometimes exists where large trees are grafted, is thus 
avoided. We then again ask the reader, are your apples 
good?—and if not, urge upon him the importance of at¬ 
tending to the matter without delay, as every year’s de¬ 
lay in grafting, renders another year’s use of worthless 
fruit necessary.___ 
DICTIONARY OF TERMS 
USED in 
Agriculture and its Kindred Sciences. 
ANALYSIS. To determine the value of any soil, or 
to be able to correct any fault in the original constitution, 
or any deficiency arising from improper cultivation, it is 
necessary that the nature and proportion of the substan¬ 
ces composing it should be understood. In agriculture 
this examination is termed analysis; and in its simplest, 
yet still effectual method, may be practiced by every far¬ 
mer. The implements required are a pair of scales, 
accurate to the tenth part of a grain ; a crucible; some 
muriatic acid, and a few small vessels of china or glass. 
The earth to be tested by the farmer should be taken 
from a feAV inches below the surface, and be an average 
specimen of the field, or the soil to be examined. The 
quantity to be examined, say 2 or 400 grains, is to be 
slightly pulverized or well mixed together. Put of this, 
200 grains in a crucible, and heat it to 300® of Fahren¬ 
heit, or bake it in an oven, heated for bread, for 15 min¬ 
utes; cool and Aveigh. This will shoAV the absorbent 
poAver of the soil, and as this is depending mainly on 
the animal and vegetable matter, if the loss is consid¬ 
erable it is a decisive proof in this respect of fertility. 
The absorbent power A r aries from 1 to 12 per cent. 
After Aveighing, heat it again in the crucible to a red 
heat, and until the mass shoAvs no bright or sparkling 
particles, stirring it Avith a glass or iron rod ; cool ana 
Aveigh, and the loss Avill be the animal and vegetable 
matter in the soil. 
Take 200 grains of the dried earth, mix it thoroughly 
with a gill of water by stirring it for several minutes. 
Let it stand for three minutes, and turn off the muddy 
Avater into another glass. Dry the sediment in the first ' 
glass at a high heat, Aveigh, and it gives the silica con- 
tained in the soil. Let the water turned off settle clear, 
turn it off, dry at a high heat and weigh; this gives tha 
alumine or clay. 
Put into a suitable glass or flask, one fourth of a gill 
of muriatic acid and water in equal proportions, and 
balance the scales carefully. Put into this mixture, 100 
grains of the earth, let it stand till all effervescence has 
ceased, which will sometimes be an hour or more ; 
carefully note the weight required to again balance the 
scales, and that may be set doAvn as the Aveight of car¬ 
bonic gas expelled, say six grains. Then as 45 is to 55 
so is this weight to that of the base, or the lime. In this 
case the lime would be 7$ per cent. 
To ascertain if earth contains iron, stir the muriatic 
acid and water Avith a strip of oak bark, and if iron is 
present in the liquid the bark will turn dark. To ascer¬ 
tain the quantity, put in prussiate of potash till it no 
longer forms a blue precipitate, let it settle, heat the 
deposit to redness, carefully Aveigh the remainder, which 
is oxide of iron. 
To determine the presence of gypsum, take 400 grains 
of earth, mix one-third the quantity of powdered char¬ 
coal, keep it at a red heat in a crucible for half an hour. 
Then boil the earth in a pint of Avater for 30 minutes, 
filter the liquor and expose it for some days in an open 
vessel. A white deposit Avill be sulphate of lime, and 
the weight will determine the proportion. 
These processes are all simple, and can be performed 
by any one. By them we obtain—1st, the absorbent 
poAver ; 2d, the amount of animal and vegetable matter; 
3d, the silica or sand; 4th, the alumine or clay; 5th, the 
carbonate of lime; 6th, the oxides of iron; and 7lh, the 
gypsum, or plaster of Paris. The salts exercise a great 
influence on vegetation; but as they principally depend 
on the animal and vegetable matter in the soil, and as 
the determining their qualities and kinds are too difficult 
for the analysis of the farmer, the processes are omit¬ 
ted. The above ingredients are all that exert a marked 
influence on the fertility of soils, and on their proper 
proportion its goodness depends. If soils contain too 
much silica or gravel, they are porous; and if too much 
clay, retentive. The last is usually the worst fault, and 
may be known by the water standing upon it after rains, 
remaining unsettled for a long time, owing to the clay 
