THE CULTIVATOR 
49 
T.IC VANS AH DC- 
wall. sc 
-(Fig-. 
Y., 
24.) 
IMPROVED SHORT HORNED COW “STELLA”- 
OWNED BY J. M. SHERWOOD, ESQ., AUBURN, N. 
Which obtained the first Premium at the Fair of the New-York State Agricultural Society, at Syracuse, Sept. 29, 1841. 
“Stella” was bred by F. Rotch, Esq., Butternuts—is mostly white, with red ears, and a few red spots on her 
neck and legs. She was calved July 20, 1836. Sired by “North Star,” Herd Book, 2382. 
963 
Harriet by Young Denton,.... 198 
Henrietta by Comet,. 155 
Hannah by Henry,. 301 
——r-- by (Danby,). 190 
- by grandson of Favorite. 
Sherwood 
Dam, Stately, by Young Denton, II. B. 
G. 
G. G. 
G. G. G. 
G. G. G. G. 
G. G. G. G. G. “ ■--» 
In a note accompanying her pedigree, Mr 
N. Star, sired by Young Denton, H. B. 963 
Dam, Tuberose by North Star,. 460 
G. “ Tuberose by Cripple,. 173 
G. G. “ Tulip by Comet,. 155 
G. G. G. “ - by (Landrom,) ... 353 
G. G. G. G. “ - by (Danby,). 190 
says of Stella:—“She calved on the 31st of July last. 
when our feed in this county was all destroyed by the drouth, yet she milked far better than I expected, both 
in quantity and quality—in quality she is very superior. For aptness to take on flesh, she has few if any equals, 
thereby combining the two valuable properties which are so much required in this country, milk and flesh. 
For coat and handling, I am vain enough to think that she would stand a comparison with the celebrated Eng¬ 
lish herd.” 
Correction- —The two last lines of the pedigree of Archer’s dam, p. 34, should have read as follows: 
G. G. G. G. G. Dam, --Punch,.531 I In the pedigree of Rolla, for “Old Red Nose,” read 
G. G. G. G. G. G. “ -Hubback,_391 “ Old Red Rose.” 
ON THE CULTURE OF COTTON. 
Messrs. Gaylord and Tucker —Should you not re¬ 
ceive a better article on the cultivation af cotton, than I 
am capable of writing out for you, this shall be at your 
service. I cannot affirm my mode to be best, as many 
in this state and elsewhere out-crop me; whether better 
crop masters, better land, more suitable to the article, or 
work harder, I cannot say. Nor can I give you a de¬ 
tailed mode as plain, or even as satisfactory to myself, 
as many others I could name; but in pursuance of your 
request, “ I’ll try,” as an officer once said. 
Not paving the opportunity to plow in fall and winter 
as your farmers do, we are compelled to do the best we 
can. We seldom get our crop into market even by the 
1st of January, and frequently occupied in picking cot¬ 
ton till 1st of February, and some pick until plows start 
in the spring; thus, our plows seldom get to work Until 
necessary to “ push along,” to “ keep moving.” 
When our land has been the preceding year in cotton, 
we either pull up the stalks, throw several rows into one 
heap row, roll them into heaps, and burn; or thresh 
them down with cudgels, to- be plowed in. The latter 
plan I pursue. Having cut, heaped, and burnt up what logs 
may be lying on the ground, we commence our plowing 
operations by running a furrow (straight on level land; 
with the hill on rolling or hilly land,) in the old water 
furrow with a shovel plow; to this, we throw two fur¬ 
rows with a turning plow, and leave it so until time to 
plant. Should the land have been in corn, many cut 
down corn stalks, pile and burn, (I plow all in,) and 
proceed as above; if in oats, I invariably flush deep with 
a two horse plow, and run off rows as before, 4 feet 
apart in thin land, and 5 in rich land; on our strongest 
land, rows are even as much as 8 to 10 feet apart. The 
plowing so far done, cannot, in my opinion, be done too 
early. From the 1st to the 5th of April, some seasons 
earlier, we commence to plant cotton; having completed 
planting all corn that the land will admit planting, and 
now break out the entire row well, and as deep as we can, 
about 4 inches the deepest, being particular to bre&k out 
just in advance of the hands planting. The ridge would 
be the better for being harrowed with an iron tooth har¬ 
row, leaving it in fine condition. Then open out the 
furrow for seed with some implement about three-fourths 
of an inch deep. I use the following: take a piece of 
timber 3 feet long, 3 inches square, round the lower 
side; fasten by a mortice and tenon to the bottom of 
chip (6) of shovel plow, about midway of this piece; 
near the front end, let in a piece 2^ by 1 inch (c) long 
enough to pass up through the beam, and have holes in 
it and one in beam, so as to raise or drop the lower 
piece; the front end of the lower piece (a) has a shovel 
of some size, but to project below about half an inch. 
This row should be as straight, or as regular in its 
curves as possible, to permit after work being done to 
the best advantage. In this furrow on the ridge we 
sow seed, having had them hauled and dropped in par¬ 
cels at suitable distances in the field, from 2 to 4 bushels 
to the acre—not being particular, only in having enough; 
then cover with a wooden tooth harrow, or a board 
about 6 inches wide, 18 inches long, concave on the 
lower edge, and pinned with the heel pin of shovel 
plow on the chip. Now, the reasons of all this: we 
throw three furrows together some time before plowing, 
to allow the bed to settle, as earth with some firmness is 
better adapted to the young tap roots at its first striking; 
the subsequent furrows leave the row clean and light, 
thereby giving the cotton a fair start; as the planting 
cleans off all the original bed exposed; the opener leaves 
the earth behind the shovel somewhat compressed, and 
not the little variations; the harrow or board levels the 
bed, covers and takes off clods, &c. We do not desire 
to cover cotton over half an inch; and indeed the cover¬ 
ing is not necessary, unless in dry weather; for a light 
shower will so beat the seed in the soil and compress 
the wool left on seed so as to germinate immediately. 
Having planted about half the crop, we pursue other 
business for a few days, so that an entire scraping comes 
on not at same time. One hand and horse can open 10 
to 15 acres feet apart, one hand Can sow seed, and one 
hand and team cover. But I look on it as very hard work 
to drop 15 acres; though I have done it myself, I could 
not have repeated. I al ways begin to scrape as soon as 
I have a stand up, grass or no grass, anti no regular time 
for this. On referring to “ Farm Book,” I find in ’40 
—“ planting on the 27th of March; coming up on the 6th 
of April; began to scrape on the 16th.” In ’41—“ plant¬ 
ing 2d of April; began to scrape on the 17th.” I have 
usually begun to scrape by running the bar of a turning 
plow next to row; throw from the plant to water fur¬ 
row about 1^ to 2 inches deep; but believing with others 
it is best not to take earth from the bed, I now use a 
scraper, attached to chip of shovel plow, that will barely 
sweep off the surface as near the plant as possible, throw¬ 
ing the surface towards middle of row. When this is 
well done, one good hand can clean the remainder as 
easily as is usually done with two ordinary hands—by 
passing the hoe through the row, cutting out all, to one 
or two stalks the breadth of the hoe apart, say about 10 
inches apart, leaving the row perfectly clean and scraped. 
This is, as Dr. Dewees used to say, a “sine qua non,” 
absolutely necessary; for should there be young grass or 
weeds, they will soon outstrip the plant, it being very 
slow in growth while young. About a week or 10 
days, we commence molding the plant with a hill 
tongue or scooter plow, or with a new implement, on a 
40 year old plan—the double shovel, both molds throw¬ 
ing the earth same way, and square at the bottom; or some 
use the shovel, others the turning plow. We make it a 
point to get the plows in at this work as soon after 
scraping as we can, and get back with hoes to clean 
once more, either by scraping again, or dirting; and 
if pleasant weather, cut out at this time every other 
stalk. (In poor land I have the stand as at first—single 
stalks, about 10 to 12 inches apart); reducing to a stand 
one stalk, in good land, about 2 feet apart; in rich land, 
even 3 feet at times. If this has been done well and in 
due season, unless a wet spring, the push is over, as we 
now cultivate with double shovel, (I prefer it. to any¬ 
thing I have tried,) cultivator, and harrow, just as the 
growth of grass and appearance of earth indicate—go¬ 
verned by—keep clean and stir well. I throw a little 
earth to the plant the two or three last workings, but 
never make a hill unless on hill sides; then merely to 
prevent washes. I think any implement seldom neces¬ 
sary in cultivating a crop, except the above, unless “ the 
crop is rightly smartly in the grass;” then we must use 
the turning plow—the greater good to be considered. 
Purslain, and weeds, and crab grass grow here amazingly 
fast. I work our crop with hoes generally three times, 
and with plows four times. 
The way scraping is generally done, is to bar off, 
throw earth in water furrow; a hand chops through the 
row and cleans the side next him, returns on the other 
side, cleans that, and cuts up the surplus cotton, leaving 
one or two stalks breadth of hoe apart; or two hands 
clean the row along—one on each side. I make it a 
point to plow with a two horse plow as long as I can 
have time in breaking up, and to plow as deep as I can. 
This season I am breaking up near on to 6 inches; I 
think probably average it. One great oversight in ma¬ 
ny farmers and planters, they do not commence scraping 
early enough, leave the cotton standing in a mass, I may 
say, until it becomes tenderer than it is by nature; and 
when thinned out it becomes yellow, and checked in 
growth for several days. Whereas, if thinned earlier, 
it commences to grow off earlier, and sends off branches 
nearer to the earth; and as the lower bowls are larger 
and better than the top, and more certain to remain on, 
it is highly advantageous to encourage early growth, and 
lower limbs. 
We usually “lay bye” crop about middle of July to 
1st of August latterly. Some 8 or 10 years since, seldom 
worked as late as 10th of July. Our land then was not 
infested with purslain and crab grass. 
Lag Hall, Miss., Jan. 9, 1842. M. W. Philips. 
CULTURE OF MUSTARD. 
Messrs. Gaylord and Tucker —Permit me to call 
the attention of farmers to the cultivation of mustard 
seed. I believe it is not generally known how large a 
quantity of this seed is annually consumed. It is im¬ 
ported from Holland and the more southern parts of Eu¬ 
rope, and sold in our atlantic markets at from three to 
four dollars per bushel. It is also raised in England and 
manufactured for the table, in which state it is exported 
to this country in large quantities. I believe that farm¬ 
ers who have soils suited to the growth of this seed will 
find it much more profitable than any other crop. It 
requires a rich, clean, moist soil; should be sowed about 
the time of other spring grains. Four quarts of brown 
seed will stock an acre sown broad-cast. It is sometimes 
sown in drills and hand hoed. It usually ripens quite 
uneven, and should be cut when it is sufficiently green 
to prevent waste by shelling, and stacked upon canvass, 
the top being thatched with straw to protect it from the 
weather. It should remain in this situation till it is 
thoroughly cured. By this treatment, the unripe seeds 
will be sufficiently nourished by the stalk to render them 
plump and sound. It should be threshed upon canvass, 
as there would be considerable waste by removing it to 
a threshing floor. Particular pains should be taken in 
cleaning the seed. It will ordinarily yield from ten to 
twenty bushels per acre. Several individuals in the 
town of Denmark, Lewis county, N. Y., raised small 
patches last season which yielded at the rate of twenty 
bushels per acre. Messrs. French & Davis, mustard 
manufacturers of this city, offer to contract with farmers 
for what they can raise at $3.50 per bushel for brown 
seed. The yellow seed is less valuable for manufactur¬ 
ing purposes. For this description of the culture of 
mustard seed I am principally indebted to interviews 
with English farmers and mustard manufacturers. 
Albany, Jan. 1842. N. R. French. 
Editors Cultivator —I observe in the excellent 
agricultural address published in your 12th number last 
year, page 199, a material error, touching the dividing 
meridian of the equal portions of the eastern and west¬ 
ern population of this State. Twenty years ago and 
backwards, the north and south line, equally dividing 
our State population, was traveling fast westwardly, but 
since the rage for emigration became so great, it became 
stationary, and is now traveling east, as will be seen by 
comparing the position of that meridian by the census 
of 1830, to that of 1840; and in looking on the map of 
the State, and seeing where that line now is, that is, east 
of Utica, it will seem a good while yet to come before 
it gets to Auburn, 80 miles west, as is there intimated. 
It is also stated that the revolving rake was invented by a 
colored man. The common horse rake was, not the re¬ 
volving Yours, &c. W. 
