THE CULTIVATOR. 
31 
WORK FOR THE MONTH. 
Trees may be pruned this month; and if orchards are 
subjected to this operation, as they should be, the fruit 
will be greatly improved. It is wrong to suffer years to 
elapse without pruning; since when it is then done, the 
cutting out of branches of many years growth, makes 
large wounds, and injures the tree. It will do cattle and 
sheep good to have the privilege of browsing the pru- 
nings as they fall from the trees. A little labor expend¬ 
ed on the orchard every year, will be better than heavy 
and close prunings at once. In pruning, the great object 
is to so thin the branches, that the sun and air can pene¬ 
trate every part. 
February is a good month to secure a supply of wood, 
if this important item of domestic economy has not been 
already attended to. Don’t flatter yourself that it is more 
profitable to burn green wood, or that such wood makes 
a hotter fire than dry. None but those who get their 
wood a “ drag” at a time through the year, and cut it 
only as fast as wanted, will maintain such doctrines. If 
your wood is cut and split, in the woods, a few weeks 
before it is to be drawn, many tons of water will evapo¬ 
rate from it, and so much is saved in transportation. 
But in this case you will lose the most of your chips, 
which, when wood is wholly cut for the fire with the 
ax, will amount to about one-fifth of the whole. Pre¬ 
pared in the woodyard, most of these are saved. Wood 
piled in a woodhouse requires air, or it will be attacked 
with mold and rot. 
Sheep, and particularly ewes, will require careful look¬ 
ing to this month. If fed on dry food only as is usually 
the case, and without access to water, they are very apt 
to be attacked with diseases arising from costiveness, 
such as staggers, stretches, &c. although the staggers 
sometimes arise from worms or grubs penetrating the 
brain. To prevent disease, the sheep should be fed with 
cut potatoes, turneps, carrots, or other green food, at least 
twice a week if once each day, so much the better. 
They should have salt frequently, and if a load of hem¬ 
lock or spruce brush, is occasionally drawn to the yard 
for them they will feed on it with avidity,and with benefit. 
The weak ones must not be neglected, for if they do not 
receive the necessary attention now, they will hardly get 
through the spring months. 
Cattle must be salted frequently; it aids their appetites, 
and is essential to their health. Cattle will do with much 
less food if kept in comfortable stables, than if allowed 
to run at large, and are exposed to the cold and storms. 
Warmth is essential to all domestic animals. Carding or 
rubbing cattle or horses is a decided benefit to them, 
cleaning the skin and hair, and contributing mate¬ 
rially to health. Change of food is useful. Roots, 
hay, corn fodder, may be advantageously alternated or 
mixed, and a good stack of straw for them to amuse 
themselves upon, will do them no harm. If any animal 
in the yard is moping, refuses to cat, and has his hair 
rough and staring, it should receive better treatment, 
more nourishing food, and proper attention, until improve¬ 
ment appears. 
Sometimes the snow disappears in February, and leaves 
the wheat fields and meadows bare. It is not uncommon 
at such times to see on some farms, such fields covered 
with cattle, sheep, or geese, trampling or feeding down 
the young wheat, or poaching the meadows. This is a 
bad practice. It is bad for the animals, and it is worse 
for the wheat, and the roots of grass. Keep your fences 
up, and all your creatures where they should be, until 
the proper time for turning them out arrives. Look to 
the drains in your fields, and see that the water courses 
are clear. Water flowing over, or standing on winter 
wheat, is very sure to kill it. 
If you have young fruit trees, either in a nursery or 
orchard, around which the snow is lying, it is a good 
plan to tread it firmly around them to keep the meadow 
mice from gnawing the bark, and killing the trees. 
If the grass is kept from the trunks of the trees, and this 
precation is used, trees may be considered safe from mice, 
otherwise serious losses may ensue. 
February is a good month to ascertain the condition of 
your farming implements, your wagons, plows, harrows, 
&c. &c. to see what need repairs, and what new ones are 
wanted. Never undertake to be a farmer without tools. 
Without such as are necessary, a farm cannot be worked 
well, or kept in order. If proper care was taken of 
farming implements, if they were kept from exposure to 
the storms of winter, and the rain and sun of summer, they 
would on an average last one-third longer than they 
now do. There is no surer sign of a slovenly farm¬ 
er, than to see his wagons, carts, plows, harrows, &c. 
strung about the streets or fields, and left as they were at 
the approach of winter, for the season. It is from this 
and similar instances of improvidence, that farmers sus¬ 
tain losses, that materially diminish their profits, if they 
do not swallow them wholly. 
Often as we have alluded to the subject of the improve¬ 
ment of fruit, we cannot avoid calling the attention of 
farmers to the matter again in this place. It is so much 
better to have good fruit than poor, and good fruit may 
be had with so little care, that indifference is most sur¬ 
prising. The most certain mode of securing good fruit 
is by grafting; and the latter part of this month is an ex¬ 
cellent time to select and cut cions. Label them, and 
pack in a box in your cellar w r ith moist earth, or bury 
them in a border, where the mice will not find them. 
They must not be kept too wet, or too warm, but they 
ought not to remain dry for any length of time between 
cutting and using. 
€ut up a few potatoes or turneps for your sheep, and 
sprinkle on them some salt; it will keep them in good 
heart and condition. Give your horses once a week a 
handful of clean ashes with their oats, and they will 
rarely be troubled with the belly ache, or bots. It is 
much easier to keep animals in good condition than to 
restore them after they once become poor; and it is much 
better to prevent animals becoming diseased, than to have 
the trouble of curing them when sick. 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY of the U. STATES. 
In our last, we noticed the formation of this National 
Association for the advancement of Agriculture, and we 
here present the Constitution, which was adopted at that 
time, for the government of the Society. It presents 
several points which are of much consequence, and on 
which, in our opinion, much of the benefit and efficiency 
of the Society must be depending. One of these is the 
establishment of the Board of Control; and the other, 
the duty of this Board to obtain information of, and in¬ 
troduce for the benefit of our agriculture, such seeds, 
plants, implements, and domestic animals as may be 
found abroad, and deemed likely to be useful here. 
This Board of Control must be prudent, practical men, 
workers rather than talkers, understanding their duty, 
and willing to perform it. This body must as far as 
possible be central, that their consultations may be fre¬ 
quent and free. 
That such an association as the one under notice can be 
made of the greatest advantage to the country, no one can 
doubt, if supported and managed in the efficient manner 
which should characterize a national institution, and 
which, from the spirit and energy of the men engaged in 
the undertaking, we have a right to expect. When we 
look at the societies of England and Scotland, their na¬ 
tional character, the prompt and liberal support they 
receive, the immense influence they exert, and the incal¬ 
culable benefits they are conferring, we are unwilling to 
admit that a similar association cannot be supported, and 
be made useful here. Unless we are much mistaken, it 
will be the means of collecting and diffusing much valu¬ 
able information from the first; and as its means are de¬ 
veloped and its ability for usefulness increased, we trust 
we shall see the Society taking the high rank to which 
its position and designation justly entitle it. 
CONSTITUTION. 
The style of this Society shall be “ The Agricultural 
Society of the United States .” Its objects shall be to im¬ 
prove the condition of American husbandry, and, from 
its central position, to serve as a medium of communi¬ 
cation and of action with other agricultural societies 
throughout the Union. 
Article 1. This Society shall consist of such mem¬ 
bers as shall, at the formation of the same, sign the 
Constitution, and pay to the treasurer two dollars, and 
one dollar annually thereafter, as long as they shall con¬ 
tinue members. 
Art. 2. Any citizen of the United States may become 
a member of this Society, by paying the fees required 
for membership. 
Art. 3. Any agricultural society in the United States 
shall become an auxiliary society, upon paying to the 
treasurer the sum of ten dollars, upon application, and 
five dollars annually thereafter; and each auxiliary so¬ 
ciety shall receive no less than five printed copies of the 
annual proceedings of this Society, and shall also be 
represented by such delegate or delegates as they may 
appoint to the annual meetings of this Society, and on 
all questions to be decided by the Society, such delega¬ 
tion shall be entitled to ten votes. 
Art. 4. Any person paying to the treasurer ten dol¬ 
lars, shall receive a diploma of membership for life. 
Art. 5. The officers of this Society shall consist of 
one President, one Vice President from each State and 
Territory, and one from the District of Columbia, a 
Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary and 
Treasurer, and a Board of Control, consisting of five 
members, three of whom shall constitute a quorum. 
Art. 6. The president, and in his absence, one of the 
vice presidents, shall preside at all meetings of the Soci¬ 
ety. By the concurrence of the Board of Control, be 
may call special meetings of the Society, giving public 
notice thereof, by advertisement, at least three weeks 
before said meeting. He shall draw all drafts on the trea¬ 
surer for moneys paid out, which drafts shall be coun¬ 
tersigned by the recording secretary; and the treasurer 
shall at the next annual meeting make a full statement of 
all receipts and expenditures, setting forth as well the 
items as the amount thereof. 
Art. 7. The vice presidents of the States of Virginia, 
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, and of the Dis¬ 
trict of Columbia, shall be, ex-officio, members of the 
Board of Control, provided no act shall be done by said 
Board without the presence of a quorum of the original 
Board. 
Art. 8. The recording secretary shall keep a full 
record of all the proceedings of the Society, and super¬ 
vise the publication of them, as may be directed. 
Art. 9. The corresponding secretary may be one of 
the five members constituting the Board of Control, and 
in addition to conducting all the correspondence of the 
Society, shall keep a record of all expenditures ordered 
by said Board, and, in short, perform for said Board all 
the purposes of a secretary, and shall receive such com¬ 
pensation therefor as said Board, with the consent of the 
president, may allow. 
Art. 10. The Board of Control shall consist of five 
members, living in or at a convenient distance from this 
city, who shall perform all the executive duties neces¬ 
sary to the purposes of the Society, not specifically as¬ 
signed to other officers. They shall avail themselves of 
all the means in their power to become acquainted with 
the agriculture of foreign countries, and through such 
aid as they may be able to receive from our diplomatic 
agents abroad, as well as our consuls, shall, if consistent 
with the pecuniary means of the Society, introduce from 
abroad whatever they may think materially calculated to 
improve the agriculture of this country, whether it con¬ 
sists of information as to new and improved modes of 
culture, seeds, plants, additional articles of cultivation, 
agricultural implements, or domestic animals, the dis- 
positio.n of which shall be made at the first annual meet¬ 
ing of the Society. 
Art. 11. The Board of Control shall also use the 
necessary means of having a large exhibition, at each 
annual meeting, of improved agricultural implements 
and machinery, with a full and public trial of the same; 
of improved stocks of all kinds, and particularly of in¬ 
viting the exhibition of such animals as have taken pre¬ 
miums at other agricultural shows, with the view of 
testing the superiority of prize animals themselves; 
also, of the different breeds of animals, for the purpose 
of comparing the advantages of each. They shall affix 
to such exhibitions such premiums as they shall adjudge 
suitable, appointing such judges as they may select, to 
award the same, which judges shall not only assign 
their preferences, but shall draw up a detailed report of 
their several examinations, setting forth fully a descrip¬ 
tion of the articles or animals adjudged, and the grounds 
upon which their preferences are awarded. 
Art. 12. It shall further be the duty of the Board of 
Control, when they think it expedient, to procure a 
model of such implements and machinery as may have 
received a premium, to be kept in some suitable and 
convenient place, selected' as an agricultural repertory, 
for the inspection of the public, and particularly of 
members of the Society. 
Art. 13. The said Board may also award premiums 
for prize essays, to be read before the Society, for well 
conducted and well reported experiments in agriculture, 
having reference in the same to the prevailing agri¬ 
cultural productions of the different sections of the Union. 
Art. 14. The said Board shall give due notice, by 
advertisement, of the time and place of such exhibitions, 
the premiums to be awarded, and the committee by 
whom they are to be awarded, and for the expense at¬ 
tending the discharge of the duties herein imposed, they 
shall draw requisitions on the president, setting forth, 
severally, the items of expense, which requisitions shall 
be recorded by the recording secretary; and the presi¬ 
dent, if he approves the same, shall thereupon issue his 
draft on the treasurer for the amount. 
Art. 15. The said Board shall also be instructed to 
make efforts to obtain funds for the establishment of an 
agricultural school in the District of Columbia, and ap¬ 
purtenant thereto, a course of public lectures on agricul¬ 
ture, chemistry, botany, mineralogy, geology, and ento¬ 
mology, as appropriate sciences to the great business of 
agriculture, which, with the buildings and improvements 
thereon, shall, in the language of Smithson, be set apart 
forever, “as an establishment for the increase and diffu¬ 
sion of knowledge among men.” 
Art. 16. The Board of Control shall procure an ap¬ 
propriate seal for the Society, to be attached to diplomas 
or other documents or instruments which may be issued 
to honorary members or other persons, under the direc¬ 
tion of the Society. They shall fill all vacancies that 
may occur by death, resignation or otherwise, either in 
their own body or the list of the officers, to continue 
until the next general meeting. 
Art. 17. In further aid of the purpose of this Society, 
the said Board shall invite some suitable person to es¬ 
tablish an agricultural publication in this city, and shall 
also petition Congress for the incorporation of this So¬ 
ciety. 
Art. 18. The first general meeting of this Society 
shall be in the city of Washington, on the first Wednes¬ 
day in May next, and thereafter at such times as the So¬ 
ciety may direct. 
Art. 19. All moneys paid to the treasurer, either for 
subscriptions or as donations to the Society, shall be de¬ 
posited to the Society’s credit, in such bank or institution 
as the Board of Control may direct, and can only be 
withdrawn upon the requisition of the president or act¬ 
ing president, countersigned by the secretary and trea¬ 
surer. 
Art. 20. This Constitution shall be amended only by 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members present at an 
annual meeting of the Society; but the Board of Control 
may, by the aid of the president, establish any needful 
by-laws for the better order of the Society, not incom¬ 
patible with this Constitution—which by-laws may at 
any time be amended by a majority of the Society pre¬ 
sent. 
Art. 21. Elections for all officers of the Society shall 
be held by ballot at every general meeting thereof; but, 
until an election at the general meeting in May next, the 
following persons shall be a committee to appoint the 
officers herein before mentioned, and to make publication 
of the same in ten days from this time. 
GOOD PIGS. 
L. M. Wells, Esq., Pike county, Mo., informs us that 
he has two pigs, a cross of the Devonshire, Bedford, and 
Irish breeds, which weighed, at 61 days old, one of 
them, 70 lbs., the other 60 lbs. 
