154 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Crops of £8^bl.* 
The season is now so far advanced, and so many of 
the principal crops have been either secured, or are so 
far advanced that a tolerably correct estimate may be 
formed of their amount, that the means of giving a better 
view of the whole than we have yet seen offered, seems 
possible. To do this, we have collected data from all 
parts of the United States, and from the most careful 
comparison we have been able to make, have arrived at 
the following results. 
The wheat crop may be considered the great grain 
crop of this country, as its effect, independent of its 
value as an article of food at home, is more extensively 
felt in the trade and monetary matters of the country, 
than any other. This crop will not equal that of 1840. 
In Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, there is a decided 
increase ; on this point all agree, and the advance is 
variously estimated from one-fourth to one-third. The 
blight which so destroyed the crop of 1840 in a large 
portion of these States, was not felt this year; the 
growth and the berry have proved good, and as a great¬ 
er quantity of land was sown than in the previous year, 
the largest rate of increase may not far exceed the 
truth. Ohio and Kentucky are supposed to have nearly 
held their own, but in almost every other direction there 
has been such a falling off, that the increased crop of 
the North Western States lias been more than neutral¬ 
ized. In Tennessee, in Virginia, in the Carolinas, in 
Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania, and particular¬ 
ly in New-York, the deficiency in the wheat crop is 
great. It is true, the berry is almost uniformily good, 
but this will not compensate the loss which the severe 
winter, the backward spring, the fly and the worm, has 
caused. The difference in the sum total of the wheat 
crop of 1840 and 1841, we do not consider great, but be¬ 
lieve what difference exists, is against 1841. The 
wheat crop of New-England, is nearly or quite an ave¬ 
rage one. but the difference either way, cannot be so 
great as to affect the general result materially. There 
was not a great amount of wheat in the country when 
the wheat harvest commenced. A large portion of that 
which found its way to Buffalo, from the West, did not 
reach the seaboard ; and after allowing for what di¬ 
verged to the Canadas, it is clear much must have been 
stopped and consumed in the transit, a result hardly 
possible had Western New-York contained its usual 
supply of old wheat. The price of wheat will, however, 
always be more or less influenced by the state of the 
other grain crops, and we think an examination of these 
will show that wheat can hardly fail to command fair, 
though not exorbitant rates. 
Rye, out of the New-England States, is not grown 
extensively for bread, but cultivated for the pernicious 
use of distillation, consequently any trifling variation 
(and the difference from the average this year, all ad¬ 
vices would seem to show, is but trifling) cannot mate¬ 
rially affect the result so far as bread crops are con¬ 
cerned. 
Barley will not be a medium crop. New-York raises 
more of this grain than all the rest of the United States, 
and the crop in the best barley counties will be lighter 
than in 1840. This arises in part from two causes. 
One was the unfavorable state of the weather in the 
spring months for such crops, cold and very wet, and 
this followed by extreme dryness, which materially in¬ 
jured the young grain. The other cause is to be found 
in the fact, that farmers in the greatest barley produc¬ 
ing districts, have become convinced that a course of 
spring cropping exclusively, is most injurious, filling 
the soil with all kinds of foul stuff, and that summer 
fallows, with winter wheat, must, as a cleaning crop, 
in connection with hoed ones, be resorted to. The ef¬ 
fect of this increasing belief has been, that less barley 
was sown in 1841 than usual ; and although the quality 
is unusually fine, the quantity will not equal that of 
former years. 
Indian corn is the most important grain for bread, 
next to wheat, of this country, and there is none, per¬ 
haps, of more extensive domestic use and utility. What¬ 
ever affects this crop, therefore, may be considered as 
more immediately affecting prices, and influencing the 
prosperity of the country, than causes operating on any 
other crop, wheat excepted. Up to the middle of July 
the corn crop of the United States never looked finer, 
and there was nothing particularly unfavorable until 
August. Corn, a native of a warm climate, and throw¬ 
ing out vigorous roots and to a great depth, is less in¬ 
jured by heat, and bears a drouth better than almost 
any other cultivated plant; consequently, although 
some complaints were heard of extreme dryness, and 
partial failures might have been anticipated, still it was 
not until about the middle of August that serious ap¬ 
prehensions of extensive failures were justified. Severe 
drouth operates on corn by preventing the setting of 
* The above notices of the crops of 1S41, were prepared for the 
September No. of the Cultivator, but crowded out by the press 
of matter relating to the State Agricultural Seciety. An ex¬ 
amination of the opinions advanced, and the reasons on which 
they are founded, in consequence of this delay, has caused no 
change in the opinions advanced respecting the several crops, 
(unless a slight modification in favor of the potato crop may be 
such, owing to the reviving influence of showers the fore part 
of September,) while on the contrary, all additional intelligence 
goes to prove their correctness. The comparatively small 
quantities of flour that have reached the seaboard since the 
harvest, is proof that the old wheat was nearly exhausted. 
£'he new comes down slowly, but now that the labors of sowing 
are over, the wheat will be thrashed and forwarded rapidly. 
The quality of the wheat crop of 1841 has never been exceeded, 
and that will materially compensate for any trifling deficiency 
in the quantity 
ears on many of the stalks, by drying the silks prema¬ 
turely, and thus preventing the formation of grain on 
ears already set, and it is evident, that corn has already, 
throughout large districts of our country, suffered se¬ 
verely in both these ways. From Virginia to Canada, 
the most distressing accounts of the severity of the 
drouth reach us , and the Western States are by no means 
exempt. In many places the corn is irrecoverably lost, 
and the farmers, for want of pasture, are cutting it up 
and feeding it to their animals. Corn, therefore, not¬ 
withstanding the beautiful and flattering appearance of 
the crop at the close of July, must now be considered 
in a state which renders it certain an average crop can¬ 
not be produced, and in all calculations respecting grain 
and its prices, this fact must be kept steadily in view. 
Late planted corn has suffered the most, as the roots 
had not sufficiently penetrated the earth, and the great 
heat demanded a more plentiful supply of moisture for 
the plants, than under such circumstances could be af¬ 
forded. 
There is but one of the cultivated roots which re¬ 
quires notice in any discussion relating to the food of 
man, and that is the ready made bread of so large a part 
of mankind, the potato. The quantity used as human 
food in the States is enormous, and as they are plenty 
or otherwise, so will their influence be felt in the grain 
market. We think, from all we have been able to 
learn, that of all the crops that have suffered from the 
drouth, the potato has felt it the most severely. So 
disastrous has been the effect on this crop, that per¬ 
haps we should not be wrong if we state the falling off 
from the crop of last year in this State at one-third, and 
some consider it equal to one-half. But few roots have 
set, and those must, of necessity, be small, for though 
in ordinary seasons, these roots grow much during Sep¬ 
tember, yet rains now would be of little avail, the tops 
and tubers both being so parched and dried. 
We have come, then, to these conslusions, that the 
wheat crop of the United States is not an average one ; 
that rye is about the average yield; that barley is a 
short crop ; that corn must be below the average ; and 
that potatoes approach nearer to what may be called a 
total failure than has ever been known in the country. 
The reasons for these opinions we have assignedthose 
interested will judge of their correctness, and draw their 
inferences accordingly. Of want there can be no fear, 
for extravagant prices no pretence, but a fair remune¬ 
rating price for his products, an advance on those of 
the last year, may be confidently anticipated by the 
farmer. 
Proper Improvement of Xiand. 
It always gives us great pleasure to record any facts 
which go to show the great advantage to be derived 
from properly cultivating land. There is no truth in 
American agriculture, we think, more certain, than that 
as a whole we cultivate too much land for either the 
improvement of our soils, or the prosperity of our 
pockets. On this point there is a marked difference be¬ 
tween the best farmers abroad, and those of our own 
country. Here the money made from the farm, if not 
wanted at once for the payment of debts,goes to purchase 
more land —there the annual profits are far the greater 
part of them immediately applied to the improvement 
of the soil; and this fact accounts in a great measure 
for the acknowledged average superiority of their crops 
over ours. The United Stales have the finest soils in the 
world ; by good husbandry they can be made the most 
productive ; but this will not be until the farmer ceases 
to desire the possession of all the land that adjoins 
him. There has been an article going the rounds of 
the papers, written by a Connecticut farmer, stating 
the productions and expenses of two farms of 25, and 
100 acres, the first well cultivated, and the last in the 
ordinary manner ; and the result is what any one might 
anticipate, viz. a decided advantage in the summing up, 
in favor of the farm of 25 acres. Every well cultiva- 
ted farmer’s garden, is an annual proof that he would 
derive greater profit from a smaller farm fully improved, 
than from a large one gone over in the common mode. 
The immense product that may be drawn from a small 
quantity of thoroughly tilled land is as yet scarcely 
known in this country ; instances, however, are occa¬ 
sionally given that show what might be done, were 
more correct opinions and a better practice, on this sub¬ 
ject, to prevail. As a case in point we abridge from 
the Ithaca Journal an account of the varieties of arti¬ 
cles cultivated in a garden of that place. 
The piece of ground was 100 by 200 feet, but a large 
part of it, (or 5,000 feet of the 20,000,) is occupied by 
buildings, yards, &c.; on the remainder is grown, straw¬ 
berry, many varieties, and in abundance; raspberries, 
4 kinds ; gooseberries 12 or 14 kinds ; currnels, 3 varie¬ 
ties ; filberts, 4 kinds; 2 early apple trees ; 8 pear 
trees, 4 kinds ; 8 cherry trees, 4 kinds ; 2 apricots ; 5 
plum trees, best kinds ; 10 peach trees ; 4 quince trees; 
14 grape vines ; 2 asparagus beds, with rhubarb, sea 
kale, and a variety of sweet and medicinal plants. Most 
of these fruits produce abundantly, and some of them 
much more than is required by the family. In the de¬ 
partment of flowering shrubs and bulbous roots, are a 
dozen varieties of roses, lilacs, altheas, snowballs, al¬ 
monds, dogwood, honey suckles, peonies, tulips, crocus, 
crown imperial, narcissus, and of annual flowers more 
than 50 varieties. The ground appropriated to trees, 
shrubs and flowers is not crowded, but there is room 
for many more. In the vegetable department was grown 
lettuces, radishes, cress, parsneps, carrots, vegetable 
oysters, beets, onions, summer squashes, cucumbers, 
musk and water melons, egg plant, okre, cabbage, 
broccoli, cauliflower, celery, See. Sec. 
This is what we call occupying the whole ground, and 
in this case there was doubtless much pleasure as well 
profit derived from this small piece of land. There is 
no surer way to keep up kind feelings among neighbors 
than an exchange of the thousand civilities such gar¬ 
dens enable the proprietor to bestow ; and of this one 
may be certain, the children who are accustomed to the 
enjoyment of fruit and flowers at home, to their culti¬ 
vation and protection, are never a pest in the gardens of 
their neighbors ; never stealing or plundering the choi¬ 
cest fruits,'never destroying or mutilating the most valu¬ 
able flowers. 
In every point of view then, the thorough cultivator 
is a gainer ,• in his comforts, in his pleasures, and in 
his profits. Let-those who covet large farms, think of 
these things ; let them examine facts, and decide ac¬ 
cordingly. The capabilities of our lands can never be 
fully understood, or the amount of products we might 
offer for sale known, until a more perfect system of 
farming shall be made common. 
Annual Meeting of the Hoyal Ag. Society. 
The meeting of this society, as we stated last month, 
was held this year at Liverpool, in July, and occupied 
an entire week. It showed in every respect a vast im¬ 
provement on any previous one, in the numbers and in¬ 
terest of the members and spectators, the number of 
animals and implements exhibited, the amount of pre¬ 
miums awarded, and the enthusiasm and good feeling 
that prevailed. Perhaps few instances can be given 
better illustrating the efficiency of associated effort, 
than that of the English Royal Agricultural Society. 
The number of it members is about 5,000, embracing 
men of all ranks and professions, but principally com¬ 
posed of the substantial farmers of the Kingdom. 
The show of cattle, of all the varieties of English 
cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, &c. was splendid, and the 
implements on the ground were almost innumerable, 
and adapted to all the numerous purposes of agricul¬ 
ture. 
In the speeches made at the dinner of the society, 
reported for the Magazine, we find the following state¬ 
ment by the President of the Society respecting some 
of the most prominent scientific men in England, who 
are actively engaged in the promotion of agriculture : 
—Dr. Daubeny, Professor of Agriculture at Oxford ; 
Dr. Buckland of the same University ; Prof. Henslow 
of Cambridge ; Prof. Johnson of Durham University ; 
and Prof- Playfair of Edinburgh, “ who had trans¬ 
lated the work of the first chemist of the age, (Dr. 
Liebig,) for the use of the English agriculturist.” 
Among the “ prizes for essays for the year 1840,” 
we find the following one, which will appear somewhat 
singular to the American laborer, who is little accus¬ 
tomed to consult any thing but taste in his selection of 
food : 
‘‘ 1 Food fop. Laborers. —Ten sovereigns, or a piece of plate 
of that value, for the best directions to enable laborers to pre¬ 
pare wholesome, nutritious, and palatable food, in the most eco¬ 
nomical and easy manner,—to Mrs. Gardiner of Mitchlane.” 
An able report was made by Prof. Sewell on the re¬ 
cent epidemic which has made such destruction in cat¬ 
tle throughout the country. The report was formed on 
about 600 hundred communications from different parts 
of the country. As we can hardly expect to escape the 
epidemic in this country, the Professor’s report, which 
will appear in the Journal of the Society, will be look¬ 
ed for with some interest by our cattle growers. Like 
the cholera, the cattle epidemic has been several years 
in traversing Europe from east to west, and the past 
season has proved fatal to thousands of cattle in Eng¬ 
land ; and at the present time is commiting fearful 
ravages among the cattle of Ireland. 
As an instance of the number and variety of imple¬ 
ments presented for exhibition, we may mention that 
one firm alone (J. & R. Ransome, of Ipswich,) had on 
the ground 36 kinds of plows, adapted to the various 
soils and purposes of agriculture ; and of other agri¬ 
cultural implements the number and variety did not fall 
behind that of plows. Such shows are one of the best 
schools for the agricultural mechanic, and as such are 
prized and frequented by the implement maker of 
England. 
Census of Agriculture. 
We have been waiting with some impatience for the 
complete returns of the late Agricultural Census of the 
United States, for the purpose of laying them before 
our readers. Such returns have not yet been made, and 
partial or incorrect reports can be of little value. We 
find in many of our exchange papers what purports to 
be a full table of the returns, with the exception of 
some four or five states or territories, and we had some 
thoughts of transferring it to the Cultivator, but on 
looking it over, so many errors were perceptible, that 
we have concluded it would be better to wait the final 
and authentic returns, than to encumber our pages with 
erroneous statictics. To mention one or two items in 
the table alluded to. The number of sheep in New 
York, is stated at 5,381,225, and the pounds of wool 
produced at 4,012,144. In Ohio the number of sheep 
is put at 3,396,431, and the pounds of wool grown at 3,- 
076, 783. There are other errors, but these are suffi- 
cient to show that such returns need correction before 
they can be depended upon. 
