121 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
STEAM PLOW 
The steam plow is about being introduced into the su¬ 
gar lands ol British Guiana, an d several are building in 
England for that purpose. The engine is placed on 
board a boat or scow, and five or six plows are moved 
backwards and forwards with the greatest rapidity and 
precision. The sugar lands of that country are divided 
by canals, for draining or irrigation, and thus the diffi¬ 
culty of moving the engine, which has hitherto been a 
serious one, is obviated. English plows and plowmen, 
were taken to the West Indies some years since, but 
both horses and men sunk under the burning heat, and 
the experiment was a failure. It is expected that the 
steam engine will supersede a great amount of severe 
peasant or slave labor, and bring large tracts under cul¬ 
tivation that have hitherto for the want of hands, lain 
idle or unproductive. Could not the plantations that 
line the Mississippi, and other southern rivers be work¬ 
ed in the same way, the boats with the engine moored 
in the stream, and moved as required? If practicable, 
the amount of product could doubtless be much in¬ 
creased. 
INQUIRY—BARBERRY BUSH. 
A correspondent at Skaneateles requests our opinion 
on the subject of the injury which the barberry is sup¬ 
posed to produce on wheat, and whether the belief in 
such injury is well founded. 
We are aware that on this subject, the belief is very 
general, that the barberry bush does produce blight in 
wheat, and it is also plain, that this is one of the cases 
in which the sense or opinion of the multitude is direct¬ 
ly at variance with the deductions of philosophy. That 
wheat will rust or blight is certain; that the cause is 
the barberry, we do not believe. There has never yet 
been the least connexion pointed out between the as¬ 
sumed cause, and the effect produced ; until this is done, 
we must be permitted to doubt. Wheat sometimes 
blasts in the vicinity of such bushes, and sometimes it 
does not; that the same results ensue where bushes do 
not exist, is also certain. 
If the barberry bush injures wheat, it must do it by 
shading it, by preventing the circulation of air, by 
giving out some noxious gas, or by throwing off some 
substance which produces disease or blight in the grain. 
In shading, or in preventing the circulation of air, the 
barberry can be no worse than any other shrub; that it 
gives out a noxious gas has never been proved, but it is 
at times infested on its leaves with rust, and this rust or 
fungus, it is contended, is scattered by the winds, and be¬ 
comes the parent of the wheat rust. 
Now if the fungus which infests wheat, and causes 
its blight, were the same as that which appears on the 
barberry, there would be much plausibility in the argu¬ 
ment that the first was caused by the last. It happens, 
however, that they are really distinct in their charac¬ 
ters, as much so as any other two plants ; and it would 
be just as absurd to suppose that a difference in the 
soil would convert an onion into a potato, as to imagine 
that a change from the barberry to the wheat plant 
would convert one of these funguses into the other. In 
the first case, the soil furnishes the place of growth; in 
the last, the plant; and in neither case is more done 
than to furnish the nidus or place of growth. The fun¬ 
gus of the barberry belongs to that plant; that which in¬ 
fests the cereal plants is exclusively theirs; nor is there 
the least similarity between them, except in color, a like¬ 
ness purely accidental, but which in all probability has 
furnished the only ground for the serious charges made 
against the barberry. To show the difference between 
the barberry and wheat fungus, or rust, we have pro¬ 
cured the following cuts, illustrating the form of each, 
an 1 proving conclusively, we think, that the common 
opinion is founded in error. 
Barberry Blight. —[Fig. 70.] 
Barberry blight —JEcidxum Barberidis, (Fig. 70.)— 
The bright orange powder that collects upon the leaves 
and flowers of the common barberry, consist of the spo- 
rules or minute seeds of this species, that are discharg¬ 
ed from thousands of little tubular apertures that spread 
in patches over all the tender parts of the surface. 
These apertures are the open ends of the peridia in a 
State of maturity, and are bordered at first by a ragged 
toothed membrane, which finally falls away. Among 
all the many beautiful objects that are to be met witfi in 
the lower and more imperfect tribes of plants, there are 
few more deserving of attention than this, connected as 
it is, by popular superstition, with one of the most de¬ 
structive diseases of grain. 
a, (Fig. 70,) shows a leaf of the barberry with the red 
fungus or rust upon it, as it appears to the naked eye. 
It is in patches, while that on wheat is linear, b, is a 
highly magnified section of the peridia, showing the cup- 
fike forms from which the seeds or sporules have been 
ejected, the margins showing the ruptured envelope or 
covering, c, exhibits a congeries of the sporules or red 
powder, also highly magnified. 
Wheat Rust or Blight. —[Fig. 71.] 
Wheat rust or blight— Puccinia Graminis. This is 
one of a numerous tribe of parasitical plants that at¬ 
tack and prey upon others, and this has attained a 
greater notoriety than others, from the great loss it oc¬ 
casions the farmer in some seasons, by blighting and 
shrinking wheat. Our object, at present, is not to enter 
upon its origin and mode of propagation, about which 
opinions are conflicting, but to show that it is an entire 
different species of plant from the barberry blight, and 
therefore cannot arise from that source. Loudon says, 
“ The Puccinia Graminis which attacks wheat, forms 
in the interior of the stalk or leaf, and when ripe, bursts 
forth in clusters like bunches of grapes, of a dark brown 
color,” and in a linear form. The sporules of this fun¬ 
gus is red, and hence rusted wheat gives a red color to 
the clothes of the gatherer. 
In Fig. 71, a represents part of a stalk and leaf of 
wheat, with the rust or blight upon it. b, is a highly 
magnified section of the stalk, showing its spongy na¬ 
ture and the manner in which the puccinia originates. 
c, is a cluster of the stems of the fungus, held together 
by the outer parts of the wheat stalk, d, is a single head 
of the fungus, the capsule or seed vessel ruptured, and 
the sporules or red matter of the wheat rust or blight 
escaping. Both these last are much magnified. 
We are aware that many most respectable men, both 
in this country and in Europe, have believed in the pow¬ 
ers of the barberry to injure wheat; and that it may be 
said, perhaps, to be the general opinion of the unin¬ 
formed, both in this country and abroad. Still we can¬ 
not admit this fact as evidence of the accuracy of the 
belief. On the same grounds, astrology and witchcraft 
would have been true ; for the belief in both has been 
more universal, than the belief in the injurious effects 
of the barberry. 
In presenting our opinions, we do not pretend to infal¬ 
libility ; and as the bush, though valuable for its fruit, 
can he dispensed with without any serious loss to the 
community, it would be hardly advisable in any such 
case to hazard the good feelings of a neighborhood, by 
persisting in growing or preserving an obnoxious plant 
or tree. Believingas we do, that the opinion respecting 
the barberry, is one of the popular errors existing 
among farmers and others, we shall be glad to see it 
superseded by a more rational and philosophical con¬ 
clusion ; one more in accordance with the simple, beau¬ 
tiful, and invariable laws of nature 
Hints about Horses, to < The Cultivator.’ 
“The Cultivator,—a consolidation of Buel’sCultivator and 
the Genesee Farmer,”—is the name of a deservedly popular 
monthly production in the city of Albany; devoted to the ag¬ 
ricultural interests generally. ‘ The Cultivator’ was projected, 
and up to the time of his decease, was edited by the late la¬ 
mented Judge Buel; since his death its interests have been 
consolidated with those of the 'Genesee Farmer,’ a periodical 
of the same general character, which for many years was con¬ 
ducted with signal ability by Luther Tucker, Esq. of Roches¬ 
ter. The Cultivator and Farmer, is now published monthly, 
in Albany, at one dollar per annum, and Mr. Tucker is still 
associated with its editorial conduct, in company with Willis 
Gaylord, Esq. An examination of the last half dozen num¬ 
bers, has convinced us, that no publication of its class on either 
side of the Atlantic, is superior to. it—a fact which is pretty 
well demonstrated, by its extensive circulation, now over 
19,000. The useful character of the work, may be gathered 
from the contents of the last number, which may be found in 
our advertising columns. 
As the editors have the assurance of our regard and good 
wishes, they will pardon the liberty we take in making the 
suggestion, "that they devote a little more space—only a trifle— 
to the interests of breeders of horses. Those of this state, and 
indeed of New-Jersey and New-England, have a high repu¬ 
tation to sustain; and while the interests of those engaged in 
improving the breed of cattle, sheep and hogs, are not by any 
means neglected, we should like to see the nobler animal ca¬ 
red for, and those who are so honorably engaged in bringing 
a better stock into use. Mr. Youatt’s monthly Journal of 
Veterinary Science, published in London, and so favorably 
known as the ‘Veterinarian,’ contains a vast amount of valu¬ 
able information, which might be transferred with great advan¬ 
tage to the columns of the Cultivator, and to those of our agri¬ 
cultural publications generally. To breeders of cattle and 
sheep, as well as of horses, selections from the Veterinarian, 
would be eminently useful and interesting. We have to add 
that the addition now diffidently suggested, will place ‘ The 
Cultivator’ quite at the head of its class. Its conductors 
should bear in mind, that fifteen years ago, thousands of dol¬ 
lars would have been wagered, that no horse in the world 
could Utffi a mile within three minutes; as many would be 
laid now, that it could be done in two minutes, twenty-eight 
seconds. Ten years ago, to drive a horse seventy miles be¬ 
tween sun and sun, would have been deemed a great perform¬ 
ance; but since strains of the blood of old Messenger have been 
introduced into our road stock, at the north, hundreds of hor¬ 
ses can be found that can travel from eighty to ninety miles 
without distress. In our paper of this day is a report of the 
performance of a horse in Boston that, without being trained, 
was driven one hundred and three miles between sunrise and 
sunset, oyer a hilly road, before a carriage, which, with the 
rider, weighed 470 lbs. 
The acknowledged superiority of northern carriage and 
draught stock is ow ing almost entirely to the fact, that tho¬ 
rough bred horses have found their way north and east from 
Long Island and N. Jersey, where great numbers are annually 
disposed of, that are unsuited to the course. The use of tho¬ 
rough, and half-bred horses, for domestic purposes, is becom¬ 
ing so common in England, that in a few years, no other will 
be used for the road. The half-bred horse is not only much 
handsomer, but his speed and powers of endurance are infi¬ 
nitely greater. His head and neck are light and graceful, his 
limbs fine, his coat glossy and soft as satin, while his action is 
spirited, and his courage and stamina sufficient to carry him 
through a long journey without his falling off in condition, or 
to undergo an extraordinary trial of speed and game, without 
distress. The ordinary cocktail, is in most instances, a mere 
brute, that in traveling, sinks daily in strength, losing his ap¬ 
petite, and of course, his flesh and action, so that at the ter¬ 
mination of a ten day’s journey, he is nearly knocked up; he 
can travel but about forty miles per day, and requires the 
whole day to perform this distance. An eminent southern 
turfman, well known the country over, recovers his horses on 
a journey; they are all from the north, and have a dash of 
blood in their veins; after driving them hard about his planta¬ 
tion in the spring, until they begin to look thin and rough, he 
starts on his annual journey, and by the time he reaches the 
Virginia Springs, his horses are literally as fine as silk, with 
fine coats, great spirit and in good condition for fast work. In 
traveling, he starts early and drives at the rate of eight or nine 
miles the hour, until 10 o’clock, when his horses are taken out, 
rubbed dry, watered and fed In the cool of the day, they are 
again harnessed, as fresh as if they had not traveled a mile. 
In this way, he accomplishes a long journey, traveling be¬ 
tween fifty and sixty miles a day, without fatigue to himself, 
or injury to his horses. The slow-going, no-giving sort of 
style in which horses are jogged along at a snail’s pace all 
day, under a hot sun, knocks them up in a short time; they 
would neither tire nor lose flesh in double the time, if driven 
sharply a few hours in the morning and evening, allowing 
them to rest in the middle of the day. It is the all day wort 
that knocks up horses, not the pace; and w'e make no doubt, 
that in the course of twenty years, there will be very few who 
will refuse to acknowledge the truth of Fanny Kemble’s re¬ 
mark, that ‘ nothing but the thorough-bred does it quite well.' 
Our friends of “ The Cultivator” mav not be aware of the 
vast amount invested in thorough-bred horses at this moment 
in the United States, or of the prices some of fashionable blood 
command. We can point them to two 5 year old horses for 
which $20,000 each, has been refused—to brood mares that 
will command $5,000 each at auction—to a colt six months old, 
for which $4,000 has been refused. Among the popular stal¬ 
lions we have advertised this season, three stand at $150 each, 
fourteen at $100, twelve at $75, eleven at $60, and twenty- 
three at $50. Probably not less than six thousand thorough¬ 
bred mares , and as many more that are full or three quarters 
bred, wall be stinted this season to horses that are standing at 
from $35 to $150. As not above 2000 out of the whole num¬ 
ber foaled next season, will probably come upon the turf, it is 
clearly to be seen that a vast number of ‘ terribly high bred cat¬ 
tle,’ must be used for ordinary purposes. Of "these, the colts 
of good form, that have plenty of bone and substance, will of 
course, oust the common tackles and cider-suckers that infest 
country taverns, while the others will be used for the saddle 
and the road. The result will be, that in a few years, the 
stock now in use will be supplanted by horses of superior ac¬ 
tion, wind, and courage, whose greater beauty will not be 
more apparent than their better style of going, and their une¬ 
qualed powers of endurance. Under these circumstances, if 
our friends of ‘The Cultivator’ will give their 19,000 subscri¬ 
bers, a hint now and then, with regard to the selection of 
stock, the best methods of rearing foals, and the treatment of 
mares and colts, we are confident they will add an interesting 
feature of great practical utility to a publication, which already 
commends itself to the behoof and good wishes of the commu¬ 
nity at large.— [New- York Spirit of the Times. 
Our readers will doubtless pardon us the insertion of 
the few remarks of a somewhat flattering character, 
contained in the foregoing article from the Times, in 
consideration of the valuable information embraced in 
the same. We may here say, that we have not over¬ 
looked the horse, in our endeavors to convey useful in¬ 
formation to our readers respecting the breeding and 
improving of animals, and standing as it does, at the 
head of domesticated animals, we hail with pleasure 
any improvement which promises a better race of hor¬ 
ses than those which, too generally in our country, are 
a mere caricature of the noble beast. Our duty and 
our inclination, however, prompt us to pay more atten¬ 
tion to those breeds and varieties adapted to agriculture 
and the road, than to those calculated for the turf alone. 
That for both these purposes, horses of a better kind 
may be introduced by crosses of the fine limbed, hardy 
constitutioned and beautiful thorough-bred, with these 
possessing the bone and substance necessary to give the 
weight and firmness required in the draft horse, whe¬ 
ther the labor is to he performed on the road or the 
farm, we do not doubt. For the farm, the thorough 
bred horse would he comparatively worthless; he lacks 
weight and substance to give value and power for draft; 
for road work, the same objections will apply, though 
not perhaps to the same extent. The best English road 
horse is a cross of the thorough bred and the Cleveland, 
and a cross of the same horse with the thick, heavy 
Suffolk, has given a most valuable farm horse. It is 
not to be expected, that the proper degrees of blood, 
activity, power of endurance, weight and docility, so es¬ 
sential to the horse of the farmer, or for the road, can 
