so 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
WORK FOR THE MONTH. 
Look well to Your Stock. 
February is a trying month for your animals, there¬ 
fore look to them well. It is altogether easier to keep 
an animal from becoming ‘ spring poor,’ than to raise 
him after he has sunk to that point. Sheep and calves 
are usually the first to exhibit the effects of our hard 
winters ; and should therefore be well looked to. If 
you see any of your sheep declining to eat, lingering 
behind the others when fed, and exhibiting the other well 
known symptoms of decline, the animal should be sepa¬ 
rated at once from the others, and put on better and 
more nourishing food ; if it remains with the others it 
is sure to perish, but with a little care may now be 
saved. Sheep are apt when they cannot come to ground, 
and do not receive plenty of salt and green food, such 
as turneps, potatoes or carrots, occasionally to become 
costive, have the stretches, as it is called from its promi¬ 
nent symptoms, and die. Roots and salt will prevent 
this, but if the disease appears, in its first stages a spoon- 
fall of castor oil will generally effect a cure. A divi¬ 
sion or hospital for weak or diseased sheep is indispen¬ 
sable, and not to be overlooked by the sheep farmer. 
See that your calves, and indeed all your animals have 
salt frequently ,• next to good food and shelter, it is 
one of the surest preventives of disease. 
Settlement of Accounts. 
The winter is a capital time to look over your accounts, 
reckon with your neighbors and your mechanics, and 
make a thorough settlement for the year. The farmer 
should on no account, deviate from the practice of an¬ 
nual settlements with all he has dealings with. If there 
is money due him he needs it ; if he is indebted to others, 
let him pay them, or at least let a settlement be made. 
Many disturbances arise among neighbors from a neg¬ 
lect of this rule. Accounts run for years ; things are 
forgotton or misunderstood, and when at last reckoning 
comes, all is uncertainty and contention. Pay your 
debts, and settle all your accounts annually, and you 
will get through the world much easier than if you 
neglect these points. — 
“Keep the Door Shut!” 
Is an admonition that in these days of frost and 
snow needs to be frequently repeated. There is un¬ 
doubtedly a great pleasure felt by children, and we may 
add by those who are older, in seeing their way clear 
into the house, when compelled to go into the wintry 
air ; but such do not remember, that every such leav¬ 
ing the door open, will require at least one or two sticks 
of wood in the stove, to raise the room to its former 
temperature. A little oil applied to the hinges of a door 
will greatly facilitate its movements, and prevent the 
wailings which some farmer’s doors send forth whenever 
opened or shut. Dante makes the heavy doors of his 
‘ Inferno,’ as they move on their massive hinges, to 
“ grate harsh thunder but such an example we think 
is more honored in the breach than in the observance. 
Examine your Implements. 
It is well in this month to make a careful examina¬ 
tion of your farming implements ; ascertain what are 
wanting, what new repairs, what new ones are to be 
introduced, &c. that all may be ready when required 
for use. It is not good policy when the seed is sown, 
to find you must wait until a harrow can be constructed 
or your neighbor has done using his, before you can 
cover it; or when you are ready to plant or mow, to 
find that you have hoes without handles and broken 
snaths to your sythes. All are more or less dependent, 
but the practice of borrowing agricultural implements 
should be discountenanced as much as possible, since 
they are all so cheap that where they are wanted fre¬ 
quently, the old adage, that it is better to borrow than 
to buy, is fully reversed. 
Destroy Lice on Animals. 
It is very probable that about this time some farmers 
who winter their cattle on straw, and trust for shelter 
to the leeward side of a fence, will find some of their 
cattle falling away, particularly the young ones, and it 
may be well to examine them, to see whether there are 
not lice about them. If any are found, take some mer¬ 
curial ointment, or unguenlum, and parting the hair 
around the neck, apply the ointment to the skin, so as 
to completely encircle it with a strip of the application. 
Some prefer filling a string with the ointment, and tying 
this around the neck closely. In using such mercurial 
preparations, they should never be applied in places 
where cattle can reach them with their own tongues, or 
be liable to be licked off by others. 
Preparation of Hot Beds. 
Those who have hot beds, or are intending to provide 
one for themselves, (and we advise every farmer, or me¬ 
chanic, who has a garden, to construct one,) should 
now see that his sashes are made and his frame for their 
reception provided. Arrangements should also be made 
for a sufficient supply of horse manure for the heating 
process. Farmers who use abundance of litter in their 
stables, frequently find it in too great a proportion to 
the droppings to make good beds, as we have found by 
our own experience ; and it is therefore necessary that 
the quality of the manure intended to be used, should 
now be seen to. We can assure our friends, that the 
successive crops of radishes, lettuces, and cucumbers, 
that may be brought forward in a forcing bed, long be¬ 
fore they can be produced in the open air, will be found 
most acceptable after our long winters. 
Collection of Cions for Grafting. 
Grafts or cions may be cut the latter part of this 
month, and preserved until wanted for setting. Where 
circumstances admit, it is better to omit cutting the 
grafts until March, as the later they can remain with¬ 
out the circulation of the sap commencing in them, the 
more likely they will be to succeed when set; still, as 
the winter offers great facilities for transmitting them 
uninjured, from one part of the country to another, it 
should be improved, only using great care to prevent 
the cions from becoming dry before they are wanted. 
There is more attention paid to the propagation of good 
fruit than there used to be ; but much less now, than 
there should be where the difference in the profit as 
well as pleasure, in growing good apples over poor 
ones is taken into consideration. 
Examine your Wheat Fields. 
When the snow is off from your wheat fields during 
the month, it is well to examine their condition, and 
see that the water furrows, which are necessary on al¬ 
most every field, are not choked up, and the water they 
should carry off spread over the wheat. Nothing is 
more destructive to young grain than standing water ; 
and there are many of the grasses, and the chess plant 
in particular, that will survive a submersion fatal 1o 
wheat or barley. See then that no water is allowed to 
accumulate on your wheat fields. 
To do Good and Communicate, Forget not. 
Every farmer should remember that he is under ob¬ 
ligation to add something to the common stock of agri¬ 
cultural knowledge, by communicating the results of 
his experiments, or his experience, for the benefit of 
others. The winter season is the time for this work. 
The farmer, during the summer months, or the months 
for field labor, usually has so much on his hands that he 
can find but little time to use the pen. Now is the time then 
for him to give the results of his practice, or his ex¬ 
periments in husbandry. The hints, brief as they may 
be, can scarcely fail of being useful; “ and he who has 
skill enough to practice experiments, is able to state it 
so that another can comprehend it.” 
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES, &c. 
Preservation of Timber. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —Answers to the fol¬ 
lowing questions are solicited through the Cultivator. 
What is the best method of preserving the sills of build¬ 
ings ? Can salt be beneficially applied for that purpose ? 
How should it be applied, and in what quantity ? What 
kind of timber is most durable, when thus prepared? 
Can any other substance be applied to timber to pre¬ 
serve it? Answers to the above inquiries, and any in¬ 
formation relating to the subject embraced in them, 
would be thankfully received. H. Janes. 
Cornwall, Vt. 
As to the use of salt in the preservation of timber, we 
think some of our friends at Salina or Syracuse might 
give us information that would be satisfactory, as it has 
been somewhat extensively used in that vicinity for that 
purpose ; and we would thank any of them that would 
furnish us with replies on this point, to our correspond¬ 
ent. In ordinary cases, timber kept perfectly dry may 
be said to be indestructible ; and the best method of lay¬ 
ing sills would be the one which should secure this ob¬ 
ject most effectually. Timber perishes soonest where 
it is alternately wet and dry, and no water should ever 
be allowed to touch the timbers of a building if it can be 
avoided. Dry rot is at times very destructive to timber, 
but it is found that impregnating it with corrosive sub¬ 
limate will destroy or prevent this disease of wood. Of 
all American timber used for building, good white oak 
is the best and most durable. 
To prevent Hogs from Rooting. 
George H. Chrisman, of Harrisonburgh, Va., says, 
“ I find my hogs are seriously injuring my farm by root¬ 
ing out the grasses, and rooting the soil where it is wet; 
and I am anxious to learn if there be any effectual meth¬ 
od to check their depredation. I have tried putting 
rings through their noses, but from not knowing perhaps 
the proper mode of ringing them, the rings come out, so 
as to defeat my object. Is there any plan for making 
the rings so that they will remain in the nose ? or will 
cutting the tendons of the rooter answer the purpose 
without injuring the hog ?” 
There can be little question that the pig, when wild, 
or in a state of nature, or when as Abernethy would 
say, he was obliged to live on a dozen ground nuts a 
day and root for them, found, certain implements or ap¬ 
pendages of great value, which, now that he has been 
“ civilized,” are more or less nuisances; and among 
others the half ossified rim of his nose is not the least 
troublesome. There are three methods of counteract¬ 
ing this innate propensity of the pig’s nose to evil: ring- 
ing, paring, and cutting the tendons of the snout. Ring¬ 
ing is generally practiced, and if well performed, is ef¬ 
fectual. Failures arise from making the rings too large, 
and using too small wire. If too large they will catch 
and tear out; if of small wire they will bend or break 
out. Rings of the size of a two shilling piece, or half a 
dollar, are large enough, and if the ends are pronerly 
bent, and the wire of the right kind, they will last as 
long as desired. Fatting hogs will do better for having 
rings, as it sensibly abates their pugnacious propensi¬ 
ties, and ensures comparative quiet in the pen. Some 
catch their pigs, and with a keen knife pare off the rim 
of the nose, which frequently eff ects a remedy ; certain¬ 
ly it will for a while. By examining the nose of a pig, 
it will be found there are two strong muscles running 
down the nose, and terminating in the rim. It is these 
muscles which give the power possessed by the pig’s 
snout, and a separation of these (in the manner the ten¬ 
dons of a horse’s tail are divided in the barbarous and 
unjustifiable practice of nicking) near their insertion in 
the rim, will render the nose harmless. On the whole 
however, we think ringing is preferable to either of the 
other modes. — 
Clearing and Improving New Land. 
We give place to the following, in the hope that some 
of our many subscribers who are acquainted with the 
subjects alluded to, will furnish some papers of the de¬ 
scription desired by our correspondent. If the settler 
of a new fax-m can be furnished with any useful hints to¬ 
wards the first clearing and cultivating of his land, they 
can scarcely fail of being acceptable to a large class of 
individuals. “ Canborough, U. C. 1840. 
“For myself, I can truly say, I have been delighted 
and instructed in the perusal of your valuable paper, 
and could you occasionally give us an article calculated 
to throw light upon the best methods of clearing land, 
and general subjects suitable to settlers in the bush, it 
would be still more highly popular and useful. 
—• John Kirk.” 
Hedges. 
“ I perceive in the last No. of the Cultivator, a no¬ 
tice of the native Buckthorn hedges becoming quite 
common in the vicinity of Boston and Salem. I was not 
before aware of there having been any successful expe¬ 
riments made in hedging with any of our native thorns. 
I should be pleased to see in the Cultivator (and many 
other subscribers, I presume, would be no less so,) a 
description of the variety of thoi'n used, sufficiently mi¬ 
nute to enable one to understand who is not a botanist, 
and particularly the nurseryman’s process of sprouting 
the haws or seed. Collins, N. Y. 1 mo. E. M.” 
It is rather difficult to describe a plant, not widely 
differing from a numerous class so as to have a person 
unacquainted with the botanical marks, detect them ea¬ 
sily. The principal points in the Buckthorn, are its 
thorns, which are terminal, or growing on the ends of 
the branches or stems ; its leaves which are ovate or 
egg shaped, instead of being lobed and irregular, and 
the edges are notched like a saw, or serrated. It is a 
rare tree in Western New-York, and to procure it, it 
would be necessary to purchase either the seeds or the 
sets from Salem or Boston. We do not find or know 
the mode of sprouting the haws, but presume it to be 
the same as that pursued with the other thorns, and 
with these the following mode has been successful. 
“ Gather the leaves or berries, put them in a vessel 
with some water, and set them out doors, where they 
will freeze and thaw during the winter, and then, if 
planted in the spring, they generally come up. With¬ 
out this management they are two years in sprouting, 
and many of the seeds never come up at all.” Buck¬ 
thorn plants may be obtained at Salem or Boston, at 
$2.50 per hundred, 22 plants being enough for a rod. 
The seed may be had at the same places, and perhaps 
elsewhere at about $1 a lb. At the present time, the 
Buckthorn bids fair to excel all other plants for hedges 
in this country ; growing remai'kably vigorous, and en¬ 
during the climate perfectly. 
Furze for Hedges. 
While on the subject of hedges, we would reply to our 
correspondent who signs himself an “ Iowa Irishman,” 
and who inquires “ if there is any thing in the nature 
of our soils or climate incognate to this valuable plant, 
or which should prevent its use here as in England and 
Ireland for hedges?” that we have never known the 
cultivation of furze attempted in this country, but be¬ 
lieve it is not sufficiently hardy to withstand the severi¬ 
ty of our winters ; another obstacle may be found in 
the greater dryness of our summers, which has hither¬ 
to prevented the growth of the English thorns general¬ 
ly, in the United States. That the west, especially in 
the prairie districts, must rely on hedges for fences, is 
evident, and we think experiments on the various kinds 
to ascertain those most suitable and certain of growth, 
should be instituted at once. Loudon remarks that 
furze hedges are usually grown on mounds or ridges 
thrown up from a ditch, on which the seed is sown. 
Horse Rakes. 
“ Messrs. Editors —Permit me to inquire whether 
the improvements on the common Revolving Horse 
Rake give it any advantage over the original one, on 
uneven grounds, and if so, to describe it through your 
paper sufficiently definite to enable an ordinary yankee 
mechanic to construct one, and oblige a number of your 
subscribers. Redding, Ct. Henry Sanford.” 
We know of no very essential improvements effected 
in the revolving horse rake over those figured in the 
last volume of the Cultivator ; if any of our friends are 
making such as are considered superior in the points 
required by our correspondent, and will give us a de¬ 
scription, we will publish it with great pleasure. 
Mr. Elliott’s inquiry respecting corn planters, drills, 
&c., shall receive attention in the March No. of the 
Cultivator. 
