THE CULTIVATOR 
181 
pulling, we have destroyed very many. These, like all other 
implements, which belong to the farm, should be made in the 
winter, when business is not urgent, so as to be ready when 
they may be wanted. Therefore, I present to you a cut, and the 
dimensions of a pair which I made, and which kind is used ex¬ 
tensively in this vicinity. 
The whole length is two feet and a half, cut out of inch and a 
half plank, with the grain running lengthwise of the crook, in 
order to prevent their splitting off. The length of the jaWs four 
inches, and an inch and a half thick. They are very nearly like 
the blacksmith’s tongs. Half of the thickness of the handles is 
taken off as far as the jaw. Where they cross, they are secured 
by an iron bolt one quarter of an inch in diameter, with a nut to 
fasten it. They should be made of good timber, and of a natu¬ 
ral crook, if it can be found. These forceps will be found to be 
of great use in pulling thistles out of oats and spring wheat, in 
the former part of the season, when the soil is well saturated 
with water; and at any season of the year, they will be found 
to be of greater use, than either the hoe or sythe. Farmers, 
try them; and satisfy yourselves, and wait the result. 
Tompkins Co. N. Y. Sept. 1841. ORSON CARDIN. 
Breeding* Cattle. 
Messrs. Editors —The advice given in the Cultivator for Au- 
gust, to a subscriber in East Windsor, (Ct.) concerning the im¬ 
provement of stock, I fear will not be altogether such as he may 
require, if he calculates to do much at the business. It is this, 
that if the pedigree of the stock which he obtains to begin with 
is good, there is little danger that the stock from such will prove 
inferior. 
The better the pedigree of an animal, the less likely their de¬ 
scendants will be to be inferior, I think every person who has 
paid any attention to the business will readily allow, but that 
the art of breeding consists in selecting such to breed from, I 
think no one, having such experience, will pretend. Breeding 
of cattle is supposed to be an art; but if selecting by pedigree 
was the only thing necessary, then it would not be an art, for any 
person acquainted with doing business could do it without any 
experience at all in the business. It is not very uncommon to 
see people attempt to do it on that principle, but whenever it 
has been done within my observation, only a few generations 
would show that something else was wanting,'even to keep 
up theirgood qualities, and much more to improve them. 
It is believed by many, that the art of breeding cattle has not 
been attained to an eminent degree by but few, and that those 
few have been supposed to take great pains to keep it a secret, 
that they might monopolize the business. I have frequently 
heard the celebrated English breeder Bakewell accused of be¬ 
ing very cautious about divulging the secret, and I believe it yet 
remains a mystery how the celebrated breeder Mr. Colling im¬ 
proved the Durham cattle, so as to bring them to such a won¬ 
derful degree of perfection as he did. It is possible that the 
art of breeding cattle so as to keep them improving cannot be 
communicated any more readily than that of chemistry or as¬ 
tronomy, and that it has not yet been brought much nearer to 
perfection than those sciences have been. It is very evident 
that a person to be a good and skilful cattle breeder, must 
know what form and size, as well as all other requisite quali¬ 
ties, cattle ought to possess, in order to adapt them to the par¬ 
ticular location which they are intended, as I believe no one pre¬ 
tends to think that there is any particular breed or size that are 
well adapted to all climates and situations. A barren, sterile 
country would not be a suitable place to rear the large Durham 
cattle, but it is possible there is no breed of cattle that are bet¬ 
ter adapted to a mild climate, where the land is rich, and eve¬ 
ry thing grows luxuriantly. 
If the breeder understands what qualities he wants his cattle 
to possess, the next thing is to rear them of such a fashion, 
and to do that effectually he ought to be able, by the appearance 
of a very young animal, to judge wffiat it will be when it arrives 
at maturity, and this I believe is the most essential and the 
most difficult part of the art, and the want of which is the most 
common cause of a failure. If that was well understood, no 
breeder would suffer any animal which had not the requisite 
qualities when young to be kept to propagate their race. 
It may be said that the character of some breeds of cattle 
have been of so long standing that it cannot easily be altered 
for the better, which would be on the same principle as the idea 
that they will not grow worse if the pedigree is attended to; 
both I think are founded in error; for we know that the descen¬ 
dants of animals of the best pedigree are not all alike; and if 
so, then by selecting only the best, if we are skilful, we may in 
a few generations make them better in many points than their 
progenitors. 
If the above supposition is rect, then it is evident that no¬ 
thing short of experience, with close attention, will enable any 
person to become a competent breeder. 
A Friend to Good Stock. 
Canandaigua, August 11 , 1841. 
White Daisies Again. 
Messrs. Editors —In answer to the inquiry of “ Commenta¬ 
tor,” I would state that I presume the white daisy of his place, 
which he calls cammomile daisy, is the same which makes good 
hay and pasture here, and that it will do the same there, if he 
and his neighbors can divest themselves of their prejudice 
against it, and treat it as a friend and not an enemy. 
No man can have a worse opinion of daisies than I had from 
my childhood, till I was more than forty years old; but for more 
than fifteen years they have grown in my pastures and meadows 
unmolested, (except when greedily eaten by my cows, horses 
and sheep,) and now I would as soon part with any grass I have 
as with them. 
I have lately conversed with several of our best farmers on 
the subject, and they are all of my opinion. Lest it should be 
thought by those where I am not known, that I keep my cattle 
very poor, and starve them to eat daises, I can assure them it 
is not so ; but I mean to keep my milch cows so that they are 
at all times fit for the butchers ; and as evidence that I do, they 
killed one for me last week, that had nothing but what she got 
in the summer pastures with the other milch cows, and was 
milked twice a day till six weeks ago, and better and fatter 
grass fed beef I never saw; and the daisies, although plenty in 
June, have been eaten by the cows closer than the other grass. 
These daisies have a round blossom, from the size of a half 
dollar to a dollar, the leaves of the blow white and single ; that 
part containing the seed, yellow—one blossom on the end of an 
erect stalk, from two to three feet high; sometimes, however, 
branching out for more blows, each on the end of a stem, and 
single. The flower stem has a few scattering narrow leaves on 
it. The other part of the daisy grows round the stem, and does 
not rise but a few inches from the ground—in blossom here the 
latter part of June. 
If this is the same “pest” which Commentator complains of, 
and spreads with such “ rapiditv,” he and his neighbors can 
easily make a trial of it, and if they do it in faith, and tho¬ 
roughly, I have no doubt that they will not find it a noli me tan- 
gere, or “touch me not,” as they have been used toconsiderit. 
On this subject, it is not theory but experience with me,and I can 
have no possible motive to deceive. I said it was good hay for 
cattle and sheep, and I think equally good for horses; for my 
daisy-hay, being the handiest in the barn, I have fed my horse on 
it since haying, and never had a horse eat hay cleaner or do 
better than he has. CALVIN BUTLER. 
Plymouth) Conn. Sept. 16. 1841. 
Transmutation. 
Messrs. Editors— I beg leave to trouble you once more re¬ 
specting wheat turning to chess. Your communication from 
Garret Bergen of Brooklyn, says that wheat sown near the bam 
where it is pastured off, will turn to chess. Now if Mr. Bergen 
will plow up a piece of land this fall, fallow it next season 
thoroughly, say plow and harrow as often as any thing grows 
green upon it, and I will send him a barrel of seed wheat in 
time to sow it, and he may give the fowls the usual range over 
it, and should it produce chess, he shall have the seed for noth¬ 
ing, (only the freight,) and should he not get chess, he is to pay 
me double price. It is to be by such experiments, that the point 
is to be settled. A controversy in the old Genesee Farmer, was 
entirely the cause of my finding out that wheat would not turn 
to chess. I picked five bushels of seed by hand, sowed it on a 
patch that had been in potatoes two years in succession, and 
made no doubt but that I should get some chess, but I could ndt 
even find one stalk. Then and not till then, did I believe that 
wheat could be raised without chess. I have some fields near 
my barns that have been fallow and wheat alternately for many 
years ; one for twenty years, with the exception of one year on¬ 
ly. And near the barns, the wheat is eat both fall and spring 
by fowls. My wife had six daughters, and has five now; and she 
generally has about ten geese to every daughter ; and the way 
they eat off the wheat when they get in, aint slow. Mr. Bergen’s 
long experience cannot make me believe that wheat will turn 
to chess. I thought ten years ago that I had all the experience 
in raising wheat that could be needed, but 1 find I can still learn. 
I have heard it said, and by good farmers, that the reason there 
is always chess in that which is stubbledin, (that is, wheat sown 
after a wheat crop,) is, that the heads left on the ground, pro¬ 
duce the chess; that is said here by excellent farmers. Now 
this season I planted heads of wheat when entire, in four differ¬ 
ent fields which are sown with wheat, and stuck in stakes so that 
the places will be known at harvest. Should they produce 
chess, I will let you know. If Mr. Bergen will prepare his land 
and write me by mail, the seed wheat will be sent him, if I live. 
Yours respectfully, JOHN JOHNSTON. 
Foot Hot in Sheep. 
I see in your Oct. No. J. H. M. of Delaware County, asks for 
information to cure foot rot in sheep. Your answers may an¬ 
swer for England, where sheep are worth probably 5 times what 
they are here, and labor one-half cheaper, and the cure not pro¬ 
bably any better than the following:—Take 1 lb. of blue vitriol, 
1 ounce of alum, pulverize them as fine as flour, mix with one 
table spoonful of honey and hog’s lard enough to make a salve ; 
then pare the feet thoroughly, leaving on no loose hoof, and rub 
the salve on the sore. I frequently put in a little tar in place 
of the honey, as the only use of the honey is to make the salve 
adhere to the sore. The whole flock ought to be examined every 
week or fortnight; and all that are affected put in a field by them¬ 
selves, after dressing; but if the flock is large, and many lame, 
it will be impossible to keep them cured on the same land, as 
the ground becomes dirty, and they catch again from that; one 
dressing will generally effect a cure, but others will be getting 
lame. If many are lame when the cure is first attempted, the 
only way is to pare the feet.of every sheep thin and put some 
of the salve betwixt the hoofs of every one; because if one is 
overlooked, with the smallest particle of infection, there will 
be many more lame in a week. When there is any infection, 
there is generally a moisture between the hoofs, with an en¬ 
largement of the heels, and more heat than common. Yet I 
think the surest way to detect those that are diseased, is by the 
offensive smell. If this can be of any service to J. H. M., he is 
very welcome to it; but he must attend to them very faithfully 
if he ever gets them sound, (I mean keep them sound,) on the 
same land. Giving them a run on fallow land, is of great bene¬ 
fit, and will almost effect a cure, if not very bad. 
Near Geneva, Ontario County. JOHN JOHNSTON. 
manufacture of Urate. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In an article on the manufac¬ 
ture of manure, in your Cultivator for October, the question is 
asked, “ does the lime used in making alkaline vegetable pow¬ 
der from urine prevent the escape of the ammonia ?” 
I presume caustic lime, or fresh burnt, is used ; in which case, 
instead of preventing the escape of the ammonia, it facilitates 
its escape. Ammonia, as found in urine, is in the state of a 
subcarbonate, and when mixed with caustic lime, the lime com¬ 
bines with its carbonic gas, and the ammonia immediately be¬ 
comes volatile and will readily escape. 
If caustic lime be a necessary ingredient in making vegetative 
powder, its use can only be necessary to liberate pure volatile 
ammonia from the salts with which it is combined when in the 
state of urine. Plaster of paris is a sulphate of lime, having 
little affinity for carbonates or subcarbonates of ammonia; but 
when caustic ammonia is presented to it. a portion of the sul¬ 
phuric acid of the sulphate of lime will combine with the am¬ 
monia, and leave the lime, forming a sulphate of ammonia and 
a subcarbonate of lime. Hence the use of lime in the composi¬ 
tion of vegetative powder. 
I have never been practically engaged in making urates; but 
it appears probable that more ammonia than is furnished by 
twenty gallons of urine might be made to combine with 600 
pounds of plaster, by using more eaustic lime. This, however, 
can only be proved by direct experiment; as it is a well known 
law in chemical action, that when a combination of an acid and 
an alkali has to be decomposed by another alkali, having a 
greater affinity for the acid than that already in combination, a 
given portion will readily combine with the new alkali offered, 
but that double the power will be required to decompose a se¬ 
cond portion 
Your correspondent may easily try if by using more caustic 
lime he can produce more sulphate of ammonia; but as all the 
articles are cheap, and all beneficial to most soils, it will be of 
little intrinsic value should he succeed. 
Other salts beneficial to vegetation will be liberated by using 
quick lime in making the vegetable powder. Urine contains 
sulphate of potash, sulphate of soda, phosphate of soda, muriate 
of soda, &c. amounting in the aggregate to fifteen per cent; and 
nearly all these valuable products will be made available by 
caustic lime. WM. PARTRIDGE. 
New-York, Oct. IS th, 1841. 
The Crops in Virginia. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —Our wheat crop in this region is 
very inferior. Many fields were not cut; and much of the bal¬ 
ance so sorry as to render it a debateable question whether it 
were worth cutting; the product averaging not more than one- 
fourth of what was expected at sowing time, and much of that 
not merchantable. The crops of 1840 and 41, with us, were the 
most decided failures that have occurred during the present 
century; owing, in part, to the Hessian fly and chinch bug, 
but mainly to the rust. Rye, almost a total failure; very lit¬ 
tle of it cut. This grain, though never grown evenly, was for¬ 
merly the most certain crop we raised ; but for years has been 
getting more uncertain; nobody knows why. The oats are not 
more than half a crop; and the grass, to which we pay too lit¬ 
tle attention, being mostly on the branch flats, was greatly in¬ 
jured by a heavy rain in June; and in consequence, hay and 
sheaf oats have sold at a dollar a hundred since July ; a higher 
price than before known at the same season of the year. The 
corn crop, though good in some places, is rather below an ave¬ 
rage. The quantity of tobacco is large, but being generally 
late, is not expected to be fine. Altogether, the prospects of 
our agriculturists are not flattering. 
Lynchburg, Oct. 23, 1841. MICAJAH DAVIS, Jr. 
Ayrshire Cattle. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker— I send you per first packet for 
Albany, three portraits of mv thorough bred, full blooded Ayr¬ 
shire cow, Swmley, imported by me from Scotland in 1839. She 
was six years old, in May last. She gave me a calf on the 31st 
of March last, was milked three days regularly, previous to 
dropping her calf, and had drawn from her in that time from 45 
to 50 quarts. Commenced setting her milk for butter, on the 1st 
day of April. The calf was not allowed to touch a teat, but was 
fed on the mother’s new milk for 9 days; after that on skimmed 
milk. Quantity of butter made from Swinley in April, was 43 
and 6-16 lbs. In May, 42 and 4-16 lbs. (In this month there was 
a falling off in her milk.) In June, the quantity of butter was 
44 and 7-16 lbs. In July and August, her milk was not kept se¬ 
parate from other cows. On the 7th of April, her milk for that 
day, weighed 43 and 9-16 lbs. On the 2 d inst. commenced 
weighing her milk and making butter from it; in four days it 
averaged 25 8-16 lbs., and made just 5 lbs. of butter. 
My pasture has been very poor and short during the season, 
owing to dry weather, and too much stock for the quantity of 
pasture. From the time Swinley was turned out to grass, up to 
this date, she has had, by measure, two quarts of Indian meal 
regularly every day. 
She will be exhibited at the annual show at Bridgewater, on 
the 29th inst., together with other blood, half blood and native 
stock. Respectfully yours, GEO. RANDALL. 
New Bedford, Sept. 9, 1841. 
Sun Dials. 
That the use of the sun dial should become common, with 
enlightened farmers and intelligent gentlemen of other profes¬ 
sions, is not surprising; it is but an exhibition of that improv¬ 
ed taste and refinement which is about to characterize the cul¬ 
tivators of American soil. Long since, while engaged at the 
study of astronomy, when at school, I became particularly in¬ 
terested in dialling, (the principles of which are founded whol¬ 
ly on astronomy.) and studied Emerson’s Treatise on that 
branch of science! I have since accustomed myself to the use 
of them, and would be as willing to dispense with either watch 
or clock. Although there are a variety of kinds more complica¬ 
ted, yet those best adapted, are the Vertical, the Horizontal, 
and the Equatorial dial. The quarter, half, and hour arcs of 
the two former are most correctly calculated or ascertained by 
spherical trigonometry, while the latter, which I prefer to any 
other dial, requires no calculation; for the Equatorial dial, the 
hour circles are laid off fifteen degrees each, and the halves and 
quarters in proportion. The dial plate to form with the plane 
of the pedestal, an angle equal to the compliment of the latti- 
tude of the place, i. e. here in latitude 40" the angle is 50°. The 
Equatorial dial has two faces—for the six months ending on the 
21 st March, the sun shines on the under face, then during the 
equinoxes, or while the sun crosses the equator, there is no 
shadow on either face, when in a few days its shadow will be 
distinct on the upper face, to continue six months, or until the 
autumnal equinox. I do not agree, that “the way of setting a 
sun dial,” as stated by your manufacturer, Mr. Moore, of Ken¬ 
sington, Connecticut, “ is the most convenient and best.” For 
its simplicity and novelty I recommend the Equatorial dial, 
which any carpenter or cabinet maker, with the above instruc¬ 
tions, can make, or Mr. Moore either; the face may be painted 
white and the hour arcs or lines black ; the style or gnomen to 
be covered with silver leaf, and a circle between the style and 
the lines or arcs, to be covered with gold leaf, to resist the ef¬ 
fects of the atmosphere; to be made simply out of good pine 
plank or may be engraven on brass: thus made, they are very 
durable, cheap, and handsome. When the dial is prepared, a 
pedestal of convenient height, and neatly turned out of yellow 
pine, nine or ten inches square, may be permanently erected in 
a conspicuous place, in the garden or court-yard, to be put up 
perpendicular and well secured, the bottom to be set in lime to 
prevent decay. This done, you next want a correct meridian, 
without which your dial will be untrue and valueless. On the 
top of the pedestal, completely level, take a center, then with a 
compass, describe several concentric circles, then place a thick 
short wire perpendicularly in the center, and observe in the 
forenoon, wffien the extremity of the shadow' reaches the cir¬ 
cumference of each circle, and mark each point; then in the 
afternoon, make the same observations and mark the points; 
this done, bissect the arcs of each circle; then with a rule, 
draw a line from the center, through the points, in the dissect¬ 
ed arcs and you have a meridian sufficiently correct for any 
purpose ; it is already a twelve o’clock dial; the sun dial may 
then be nailed, or screwed down, upon the meridian, and you 
have a correct time-keeper ; on which you may always rely for 
apparent time. The best time to draw the meridian, is at the 
period of the equinoxes, when the days and nights are equal, 
there being then least change in the declination of the sun. 
W. PENN KINZER. 
Spring Lawn Farm, Pequea, Oct. 11, 1841. 
Large Fig. 
Messrs. Editors— In perusing your July number, I noticed an 
account of the weight of Woburn and Berkshire pigs, with the 
request for similar communications. Hoxie & Kissam, foundry 
men in this village, own a sow, said to be Chinese with a cross 
of the Liecestershire—her shape and appearance show a pre¬ 
ponderance in favor of the Chinese. She is of middling size. 
One of her pigs (by a Berkshire boar,) weighs as follows : 
At the age of 3 months (precisely). 105 lbs. 
At the age of 4 “ “ . 150 “ 
Allegan, Mich. Sept. 27, 1841. J. G. KELLOGG. 
Correspondence. 
Rev. Eliphalet Nott, D. D. 
Dear Sir— The undersigned were, by a unanimous vote of the 
state agricultural society, appointed a committee to wait upon 
and tender you the thanks of the society for the very able and 
eloquent address delivered by you last evening before said soci¬ 
ety, and to request a copy for publication. 
This most agreeable duty w*e intended to have discharged in 
person, but were prevented by your early return home. 
We have the honor to be, with great respect, your friends and 
obedient servants, H. BALDWIN, 
M. STIRLING, 
Syracuse, Sept. 30th, 1841. ISRAEL SMITfl. 
Gentlemen —I w r as absent wffien your favor came to hand 
wffiich must be my apology for not answering it sooner. The 
address in question was not prepared for the occasion; and in¬ 
deed, to a considerable extent, wrns not prepared at all. If it 
were worthy of publishing it would be difficult to furnish a 
copy of it, and quite impossible at present, as I am unavoida¬ 
bly otherwise occupied. 
Thankful that what was said has in any degree met your ap¬ 
probation; regretting that it was not more worthy of that ap¬ 
probation, and wishing you every success in the noble enter¬ 
prise in which you are engaged, 
I am, gentlemen, very respectfully yours, 
Union College, Schenectady, Oct. 10th, 1841. E. NOTT 
