THE CULTIVATOR. 
29 
(the 4th,) of this valuable work commences with the 
new year. It is sufficient commendation to say that it 
bears the impress of the strong; good sense and vigorous 
action which characterises all the efforts of Gov. Hill. 
Concord, N. H.—75 cents per ann.—3 copies for $2. 
The Magazine of Horticulture, is published at 
Boston, by Hovey & Co. 40 pages octavo, monthly at $3 
a year. It is highly creditable to our country that a work 
of this high character has received sufficient support to 
be continued for seven years. It should be in the hands 
of every amateur horticulturist, and now is a proper 
time to order it, as the first number of the 8th volume 
has just been issued. 
The Agriculturist, Nashville, Tenn. and The 
Southern Agriculturist, Charleston, S. C., both well 
known and valuable works, commence new volumes 
with the present year. 
The British American Cultivator, is the title of 
a new journal, at Toronto, U. C. edited by Eastwood 
and Ed munson, at $1 a year. 
The New-York State Mechanic, is the title of a 
very handsomely executed weekly, at $1.50 a year, re¬ 
cently established in this city, by J. Munsel & Co. un¬ 
der the direction of the New-York State Mechanic As¬ 
sociation. It is ably conducted, and if properly supported 
by the subscriptions and contributions of the mechanics 
of this state, cannot fail to be a valuable acquisition to 
our list of useful periodicals. 
The American Mechanic, New-York, edited by R. 
Porter, weekly at $1.50 a year—and The Elevator, 
recently commenced at Cincinnati, by Lovejoy & Ro¬ 
bertson, weekly at $1.50 a year, are both valuable 
works, and worthy the support of the mechanic interest. 
CULTURE OF THE GRASSES. 
The report on grasses, by the committee of Cuyahoga 
(Ohio) Ag. Soeiety, is principally under four heads; and 
as the subject is one of importance, and the remarks ap¬ 
pear to us very just, we extract the principal part of these 
divisions. 
1st. What quantity of seed should be sown? 
Your committee think that eight quarts on new land and 
ten quarts on old land per acre, is a proper quantity for 
red clover, and nearly the same amount of timothy, if 
sown alone. These seeds are frequently mixed before 
sowing for meadow land, with advantage. Say on dry 
land two-thirds clover and one-third timothy; and on 
moist land one-third clover, and two-thirds timothy. 
We recommend liberal seeding, as it not only checks the 
growth of weeds, but the hay grows finer and stands bet¬ 
ter, particularly clover. 
2d. Method of seeding? 
Where grain is to be sown we recommend wetting it, 
then mix grass seed; plaster or ashes may also be added 
before sowing. The seed is thus sown more evenly, and 
much labor saved; plowed land should be harrowed be¬ 
fore seeding in this manner, 
3d. Best season for seeding? 
Sowing on snow on wheat ground, and with grain 
sowed in the spring, is the most common method. This 
mode of late, and in dry seasons, has frequently failed. 
The seed vegetates but dies for want of moisture. Some 
farmers have tried fall seeding with winter grain, and 
your committee are informed with uniform success, and 
without injury to the wheat crop. 
4th. What grasses are best adapted to our soil and cli¬ 
mate ? 
Timothy and red clover require nothing said in their 
favor. The former for moist land, and the latter for dry 
land are unrivaled. White clover comes in without 
seeding and is valuable. Lucerne, from the experiments 
made, does not seem well adapted to our climate. The 
experiments with rye grass are flattering. Orchard grass 
is recommended as growing better in the shade of trees, 
than any other, and also doing less damage to fruit trees 
than most other grasses. The seed of this grass is much 
wanted. The committee announce their intention to test 
by experiment, the value and adaptation of the other 
grasses, highly recommended in other countries, and oth¬ 
er sections of our own. 
COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
Albany. —At the annual meeting of the Albany Coun¬ 
ty Agricultural Society, held at the City Hall, Albany, 
Jan. 12, 1842, the following officers were elected for the 
present yearTeunis Van Vechten, president; J. McD. 
McIntyre, Oscar Tyler, Caleb N. Bement, Amos Crary, 
P. S. Vanderburgh, John Haswell, Abraham Verplank, 
William Murphy, Robert S. Lay, and David Conkling, 
vice presidents; Luther Tucker, cor. sec’y; A. E. Brown, 
treasurer; Thomas Hillhouse, recording secretary; Sam¬ 
uel Cheever, E. P. Prentice, L. G. Ten Eyck, John S. 
Walsh, and James Wilson, additional members of the 
Board of Managers. A meeting of the Board of 
Managers, consisting of all the above officers, will be 
held at the office of the Cultivator, in Albany, on Wed¬ 
nesday, February 9, 1842, at 11 o’clock, P. M. 
Niagara. —Officers for 1842:—William A. Town¬ 
send, president; Davis Hurd and John Gould, jr., vice 
presidents; William Parsons, secretary; Wm. O. Brown, 
treasurer. 
Tompkins —Officers for 1842:—Nicol Halsey, Ulysses, 
president; Nathan Benson, William Carman, Luther 
Gere, Joshua North, H. Nurse, Henry R. Morrell, Geo. 
Jones, Warren Phelps, and Robert C. Ellis, vice presi¬ 
dents; Lewis A. Morrell, Lake Ridge, corresponding 
secietary; Nathan T. Williams, treasurer; George P. 
Frost, Ithaca, recording secretary. 
SECOND BLOSSOMING of FRUIT TREES—GREAT 
CROP OF CORN—STONE WALLS. 
The last season in western New-York, was remarka¬ 
ble for the frequent appearance of that rare phenomenon 
at the north, the second blossoming of fruit trees. This 
may be attributed, perhaps, to the severe and protracted 
drouth, which so reduced the circulation of sap, as to 
produce a species of hybernation or rest of plants, not 
unlike that effected by the cold of winter. The case of 
the orchard near Rochester, however, where the trees, 
stripped of their foliage by a violent hail storm, late in 
the season, put forth a full growth of new leaves and 
blossoms, may be in part attributed to such defoliation. 
The following extracts from the letter of a gentleman at 
Sodus,Wayne co., will describe some instances of second 
blossoming at that place, &c. 
“ The trees which blossomed twice on my own pre¬ 
mises, were pear and apple trees, and among those be¬ 
longing to others, were several plum trees. My own 
had been transplanted in the spring, and I believe the 
others which I saw in full blossom, were also set out last 
spring. I have occasionally seen blossoms, a fexo in 
number, on trees in other seasons, but the trees to which 
I now refer, were full and white with blossoms, in their 
highest perfection. I saw several in the deep, gravelly 
soil of the Ridge, and others in a clay soil in another 
part of the town. The severe drouth of the summer had 
nearly deprived them of every vestige of foliage, and 
but few indications of life were remaining. When the 
early rains commenced, they appeared to renew their 
vitality, exhibiting all the appearances of vernal resus¬ 
citation. Succeeding the blossoms, was a fine bright 
green foliage, distinguishable at once from that of the 
surrounding trees, and which retained its fine hue 
longer than the leaves which had matured early in the 
season.” 
“One of the best yields of corn recorded in this State, 
was grown at the old Shaker settlement, on the west 
side of Sodus bay, in 1840. The ground cultivated by 
Mr. Clowe, the grower of the crop, was part of the old 
Shaker garden, in the highest state of cultivation, and 
the soil adapted to obtaining a corn crop in the highest 
perfection. The corn was White corn, and was planted 
in drills. The crop was 406 bushels from 4 measured 
acres. He planted the same ground in 1841, but the 
severe drouth reduced his crop to 60 bushels per acre.” 
“ The stone fence to which reference has been made, 
is in what is called the Granger settlement, in the south 
part of this town, and is on the farm of Mr. Flavel 
Kingsley. He has seventy or eighty rods running across 
his farm, and next to the highway. It is made by laying 
the wall in lime mortar, much in the manner of cobble 
stone building, with a coping of boards to protect the 
top. Mr. Kingsley’s wall has a considerable part of it 
stood six or seven years, without apparently receiving 
the least injury from warping or cracking, except at 
places left for bars, where the end of the wall, being 
built up perpendicularly, has cracked a little from one 
to two feet from the square end of the wall. This it 
is presumed might be remedied by digging down, and 
laying the bottom below the frost, just at the end. All 
other parts of the wall have sufficient firmness to resist 
any injury from frost or otherwise, by laying the bot¬ 
tom of the wall on the top of the ground. The dura¬ 
bility and firmness of the wall, depend very much on 
the right tempering of the mortar. Mr. K. has several 
pieces of wall, in some of which too much sand was 
mixed with the mortar, and these have washed by the 
rain; and although not at present essentially injured,will 
doubtless dilapidate or need repairing much sooner than 
the wall first built. The wall is laid two feet in width 
at the bottom, and regularly approximating to about 
eight inches on the top. A piece of timber or joist 
for the purpose of nailing the cap or coping of the 
wall or fence to, in this yv form, is inserted three 
or four inches into the top of the wall, and a board, 
projecting slightly over the wall, to defend it from the 
rain and weather, nailed on each side of these blocks of 
joist. 
Mr. Kingsley estimates the cost of the fence at $3 per 
rod. He has paid per rod $1 25 for laying the wall; 
the materials and other expense, $1 75. He has some 
beautiful fence around his yard; bottom two feet two 
inches, top eleven inches, height five and a half feet; 
(the farm fence is four and a half feet high.) On the 
top is laid a stick of timber, flattened by hewing two 
sides, and this forms the back and basis for sheds. These 
are made by setting posts in the ground, and laying a i 
pole on the top in front, which, covered with a board 
roof, makes a comfortable and cheap shelter for cattle. 
Such fences as Mr. Kingsley’s are not only a great orna¬ 
ment to a farm, but can scarce get out of repair—and 
can never make unruly cattle.” 
PRODUCTIVE POTATOE. 
At the late meeting of the New-York State Agricul¬ 
tural Society, Dr. Herman Wendell of this city, exhi¬ 
bited six pecks (numbering 494) of a new variety of 
potatoe, said to have originated near New Haven, called 
the Kelseyan or Perfectionists, the produce of two tu¬ 
bers. The tubers are studded with eyes: these eyes 
were cut out singly, and three planted to a hill. The 
edible qualities of the potatoe are very superior, fully 
equal to the Mercer. 
Dr. Wendell will be happy to present sufficient seed 
for trial to any gentleman who wishes to do so, and who 
will share the products with his brother agriculturists, 
as he considers them a great acquisition to the country, 
they being at least as productive as the Rohan, and a su¬ 
perior edible root. 
SMITHFIELD SHOW OF FAT CATTLE. 
The annual show of the Smithfield Club, was held in 
London, during the second week of December. This 
show is exclusively for animals fitted for the butcher. In 
the four first classes, consisting of oxen and steers of dif¬ 
ferent ages, the Herefords received the four first prizes in 
each class, and the second prizes in two of the classes. 
The second prizes in the other two classes, were award¬ 
ed to the Durhams. We suppose this may be in part 
accounted for, by the fact, that comparatively few Im¬ 
proved Durhams are sent to the butchers, the demand 
for bulls of this breed forbidding their use as steers or 
oxen. In the classes of cows and heifers, the four prizes 
were awarded to Improved Durhams. Four of the five 
prizes for South Downs were awarded to the Messrs. 
Webb of Babraham. 
SHORT HORNS. 
The following remarks from the pen of Mr. Bates, of 
Kirkleavington, the celebrated breeder of Short Horns, 
we find in the London Journal of November 15: 
“With regard to stock; the English breeders know 
nothing about the value of Short Horns, and if foreign¬ 
ers persevere they will take out the best of them. I told 
the breeders in Tyneside, above thirty-five years ago, that 
in less than thirty years not one of them would have an 
animal fit to look at, and before twenty years this was 
actually the case. And now those animals, (being de¬ 
spised, as being mine,) prove themselves, and they 
might then have had access to the same bull that did me so 
much good, Ketton First, and also Second Hubback; no 
one could or would see his value, while living. But un¬ 
less they now get his blood, they can neither have coat or 
handling, and what are cattle without these requisites.” 
In commenting on Mr. Bates’ letter, the editor of the 
Journal adds: “We could have wished, with Mr. Bates, 
that that invaluable breed of cattle, the Short Horns, had 
received greater attention from graziers and others than it 
appears to have had, from their well known merits, 
while we certainly conceive that our transatlantic breth¬ 
ren have procured from us such blood as will in. a few 
years hence, bring them nearly on a level with our¬ 
selves.” The editor then quotes from a paper by a cor¬ 
respondent in the Cultivator, a passage relating to the 
propriety, now we have the means, of rendering our¬ 
selves independent of England so far as regards'stock 
by the improvement of those now in the United States 5 
and then adds:—“ Jonathan has here read us a very useful 
lesson, as it proves to demonstration that however much 
he may admire English gold, he does not «calculate” 
that foreigners have any just claim to his.” 
LONDON FARMER’S MAGAZINE ON THE GRAIN 
TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES. 
We make the following extract from the Monthly Re¬ 
view of the corn trade in the Farmer’s Magazine, for 
December; we give it because it contains some truth, 
and as a specimen of English feeling on this subject: 
“From the United States of North America, the in¬ 
formation received respecting the corn trade is to the 
middle of last month, but it is not important. Flour con¬ 
tinued to be forwarded to Europe in considerable quanti¬ 
ties; and could our transatlantic brethren only prevail on 
Englishmen, to take their food in exchange for labor, 
I the Americans promised to themselves great and import¬ 
ant advantages, from an alteration in the legitimate prin¬ 
ciples of trade of this description. They are ready to 
undertake the pleasing and healthful labors of cultivating 
the fields, while John Bull is to labor in the factories or 
the mines like a Peruvian slave, or to hammer hot iron 
before a furnace, in exchange for his food, entirely for 
the benefit of his liberal employers. A gentleman from 
the banks of the Ohio, is now lecturing in the manufac¬ 
turing districts; he knows what is good for the inhabi¬ 
tants of the British empire, far better than they know 
themselves, and assures them so long as their health per¬ 
mits them to labor like horses, like that useful animal 
they will be supplied with provisions in proportion to 
the amount of work they may be able to perform in this 
—the great workshop of the world. American flour, and 
American salted beef, will certainly be a treat to John 
Bull; for it will be a change from the monotony of be¬ 
ing continually obliged to eat fresh beef, as he now does 
under the present system of protection, which his wares 
and his food receive from the admirable principles of the 
corn laws. * * * To give and take is the real foun¬ 
dation of all descriptions of commerce; and this princi ¬ 
ple is now carried out, and alivays must be, to its fullest 
extent. America continues, and will continue, to take 
from us that quantity of our manufactured goods, which 
her inhabitants can conveniently consume, and we will 
continue to take as much American tobacco, cotton, wool 
and grain as our actual wants require; but most certainly 
we can never consent to put our agricultural laborers out 
of employment for the purpose of employing those of 
foreign nations, even though apparently they should pro¬ 
duce grain cheaper than can be done in the British King¬ 
dom.” _ ° 
There is no soil, be it ever so bad, but may by proper 
care and judicious manuring be brought to a beneficial 
state of cultivation. 
