THE CULTIVATOR. 
79 
agricultural statistics; and would serve, in a great de¬ 
gree, to show at least the extent of our desire for infor¬ 
mation on all the different branches of husbandry, if it 
did not also afford a tolerably fair measure of the amount 
of our knowledge, and progress therein, since the publi¬ 
cation of the American Farmer by Mr. J. S. Skinner, of 
Baltimore, in 1820. This, I believe, was the first pa¬ 
per of the kind published in the United States; and our 
subsequent improvement in agriculture has been greater, 
I am very confident, within this period of 22 years, than 
it was during the whole of the previous half century. 
Such has been the happy influence of that, and other 
agricultural papers since established, in stimulating the 
dormant spirit of husbandry in our country. Well, then, 
do these journals deserve the most liberal patronage that 
the whole body of our yeomanry can give them. That 
every farmer who could read, should not talce at least 
one, has always been a matter of surprise to me, espe¬ 
cially when all who do take such papers unite in testi¬ 
fying to their great value. Indeed, I have heard many, 
very many say that a single paper often repaid them am¬ 
ply for the whole of their annual subscription. 
Your second quere, under the head of “ Culture of 
the Grasses,” is—“ Method of Seeding.” This induces 
me to recommend the most simple and cheapest of all 
the contrivances I have ever seen or used for the regu¬ 
lar, equal distribution of any kind of grass seed that will 
readily pass through a small hole. The subjoined sketch 
is a bird’s eye view of it. 
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These lines represent a box about 8 feet long, 4^ 
inches wide, and 4 inches deep, divided into seven com¬ 
partments. Each of these has two holes bored through 
their bottoms in their diagonal corners. These holes 
are three-fourths of an inch in diameter, and have pasted 
over them strong pieces of paper, through each of which 
a hole is perforated large enough for the grass seed to 
pass readily through them. The whole box is made of 
very thin, light plank, say about three-eighths of an inch 
thick. Two straps are nailed to the sides, at a conve 
nient distance from the ends, for the sower to hold by. 
He then passes a strap over one shoulder and under the 
middle of the box, which relieves his arms from the 
weight, and proceeds to sow by swinging the box to the 
right and left as he walks along at a suitable pace for 
the operation. No hand machine, even if fifty times the 
cost, could well sow either faster or with more regular¬ 
ity. — 
Dr. Herman Wendell’s liberal offer to present some 
of the new variety of Irish potatoe, called Kelseyan or 
perfectionists, to any gentleman who might wish to 
make trial of them, contrasts most honorably to himself, 
with the shameful and extortionate demands of all those 
individuals who—after puffing, in the most extravagant 
terms, any new thing which they may happen to possess 
_puffing it, too, until they believe that they have work¬ 
ed up the public credulity to the point of buying some 
of the marvellous and most precious article, at any price, 
rather than miss; then come out with a modest proposal 
to spare a small quantity—a very little of it, at the mode 
rate and very reasonable profit of some 500 or 1000 per 
cent. — 
The article headed “ New Manures,” reminds me of 
the old adage—“Wonders will never cease.” What, 
though it may seem reasonable that the wondering pro¬ 
pensities of mankind should diminish as the world grows 
older and gains more experience, yet the numerous mar¬ 
vels with which almost every day presents us, and the 
avidity with which so many of them are swallowed, 
would seem to contradict the supposition. Witness Mr. 
Bommer’s “ New Method of Making Vegetable Manures by 
Fermentation ,” secured by a patent, as all these won¬ 
drous discoveries are sure to be. I will not undertake 
to condemn it before I know what it is; but will only, 
most respectfully, suggest the following caution. Let 
us never believe that a patent for anything is conclusive 
evidence of its merit; for many almost worthless things 
are imposed on the public under that sanction. Again; 
let our precaution in buying be always proportioned to 
the degree to which the properties attributed to the pa¬ 
tented article contradict our own experience and belief. 
Still, our scepticism should never be suffered so far to 
influence us in regard to new discoveries, however ex¬ 
traordinary they may seem, as to prevent us from at¬ 
tempting as thorough an examination of them as we are 
capable of making. 
Under the head of “Work for the Month,” you say 
__“ the most certain way of securing good fruit is by 
grafting; and the latter part of this month, (February,) 
is an excellent time to select and cut cions.” The most 
experienced orchardists say—and my own experience 
confirms it—that grafting is best for seed fruit, such as 
apples, pears, quinces, &c.; but that inocculating is pre¬ 
ferable for stone fruit, such as cherries, peaches, apri¬ 
cots, &c. As for the best time for cutting cions to graft 
with, the latter part of February is rather too late for 
latitude 38, and farther south. 
Your remarks on the Agricultural Society of the Unit¬ 
ed States are very judicious; and I sincerely hope that 
the Board of Control will ponder them well. Although 
I agree with you perfectly in wishing them to be “ work¬ 
ers rather than talkers ,” I should wish them to do, at 
least a little at talking also; for in our country, where the 
government itself is acknowledged* on all hands, to be a 
logocracy, there is no getting along with any public in¬ 
stitution, even of a voluntary kind, unless the agents are 
allowed to speechify it, not only a little, but on all ima¬ 
ginable subjects whatever. With us, if in any nation 
under the sun, “words are things.” 
I have read Mr. Alexander Bickett’s letter with much 
attention, and confess that his comments upon Mr. A. B. 
Allen’s assertion—that “we can make Ayrshires by the 
thousand here, by crossing our Durham bulls on our best na¬ 
tive stock,” appear to me to be perfectly just; although 
some perhaps may deem them rather more bitter than 
they need to have been. But be it remembered that this 
gentleman went to England, as it was generally under¬ 
stood, for the express purpose of improving our breeds 
of cattle in general, and not solely to improve any par¬ 
ticular breed; in other words, to select the best he could 
find, be the breed what it might. Of course, all our cat¬ 
tle breeders, among whom he ranked as an excellent 
judge, were led to suppose that they might safely con¬ 
fide in his opinions as one who had no prejudices in 
favor of any particular breed to blind his judgment in 
thers. The assertion, 
however, quoted by Mr. Bickett, in regard to the Ayr¬ 
shire cattle, which the English and Scotch books de¬ 
scribe as being a distinct breed, and quite as much so as 
any other, indicates in Mr. Allen—not only precipitancy 
in forming his opinion, but so great a prejudice against 
the Ayrshires, as to disqualify him for acting the part of 
a dispassionate, fair judge. It indicates, I think, some¬ 
thing more; and that is, a strong partiality for the Dur¬ 
ham Short Horns, of whose merits it is not my present 
purpose to say anything. This partiality, if I remember 
right, is not a feeling of very recent origin; that is, if 
Mr. A. B. Allen be the same gentleman who formerly 
spoke with so much asperity of an opinion which the 
Rev. Mr. Henry Colman happened to express in favor 
of some of the native cows of Massachusetts compared 
with Mr. A.’s favorite Durham breed.* 
Let none conclude, from any of the foregoing remarks, 
that I am at all opposed to improving our native cattle 
by importing foreign stock. Far from it. But I must 
contend, however unpopular it may be, that the very 
large investments therein, which many of our farmers 
have been making, and at such enormous prices, cannot 
be justified by- any calculations of profit and loss which 
prudent men are accustomed to make. It is true, that 
while the fashion lasts, the few will profit most marvel¬ 
lously, but the many must inevitably lose; as was the 
case during the prevalence of the merino fever, and the 
multicaulis mania. These moral epidemics inculcated 
lessons of such signal severity, as most persons would 
think might have sufficed for at least one generation to 
come. But it really seems as if we, the good people of 
these United States, can no more live without hobbies 
and humbugs of some kind or other, than we can breathe 
without vital air. — 
The facts which you have stated in regard to the agri¬ 
culture of Vermont ought to satisfy all farmers who own 
worn out soils, or such as are naturally poor, that they 
should never despair of rendering them very productive 
by industry, economy, and labor judiciously exerted in 
manuring and cultivating them; since the soil and cli¬ 
mate of that state are as little favorable, generally speak¬ 
ing, to agriculture as those of any state in the Union. 
Much praise, therefore, is due to the Vermontese for the 
lead which they have taken in husbandry. It ought 
greatly to check, if anything can, the desertion of the 
Atlantic states for the “ Far West.” The emigration 
from foreign countries will fill up the new states fast 
enough, without depopulating the old ones for that pur¬ 
pose. — 
The interesting letter of Mr. Solon Robinson—that 
true and intelligent friend of American husbandry—con¬ 
tains a statement in regard to peach trees from which I 
beg leave to dissent. In speaking of Dr. Thompson’s 
orchard in Delaware, he says—“ While viewing his 
peach orchard, I learned a fact well worth the attention 
of all peach growers. Let the trees branch as much as 
possible from the ground, and never cut off a limb that 
is broken down by an overgrowth of fruit. If it hangs 
on by wood enough to keep it alive, let it lay, and it 
will sprout up next year most luxuriantly, and then pro¬ 
duce the finest kind of peaches.” Such treatment in 
that climate may answer very well, for ought I can say 
to the contrary. But long observation and experience 
justify me in asserting, that in all parts of the United 
States with which I am acquainted, the best peaches will 
always be produced by trees that are judiciously pruned, 
and their limbs kept from breaking by forks placed un¬ 
der them, if loaded with fruit. That such broken limbs 
as Mr. R. speaks of will throw out sprouts which will 
produce fruit, and that unpruned trees will do the same, 
is certain. But it is equally certain that the fruit will 
neither be so large nor so highly flavored as that pro¬ 
duced by pruned trees, in any situation wherein I have 
had an opportunity of comparing them. Another objec¬ 
tion to unpruned trees is, that they cannot be cultivated 
near their bodies, on account of the numerous limbs 
which grow next the ground, although this culture is 
necessary—at least until the trees are in full bearing. 
Where peaches become a staple cropland quantity rather 
than quality is the chief object in view, then perhaps it 
might be found most profitable to neglect pruning alto¬ 
gether ; but I should doubt it even then. 
Mr. C. N. Bement’s account of the sale of Col. Jac¬ 
ques “Cream Pot Cattle,” suggests the following que- 
* It was Mr. L. F. Allen who replied to Mr. Colman.— Eds. 
ries: Does not Mr. B’.s letter savor a little of exultation 
at the failure? Is he not a breeder of Short Horn Dur- 
hams for sale? Are not all importers and breeders of 
foreign cattle for sale, deeply interested in discrediting 
domestic breeds? If they are, will they not, even un¬ 
consciously to themselves, endeavor to do so whenever 
an opportunity occurs? As old Stapleton in Jacob Faith¬ 
ful would say—“ this is human natur .” 
Commentator. 
LETTER TO SAMUEL A. MILLER. 
Book knowledge useful in agriculture—Early experiment 
with plaster—Curing pork without salt—Fixed attention 
necessary in farming — Anecdote. 
Oakland Farm, Southfield, ) 
Staten-Island, (N. Y.,) March 12, 1842. $ 
Mr. Samuel A. Miller, Shawcingunk, Ulster Co. 
Dear Sir —I rejoice to hear that you are earnestly 
engaged in agricultural pursuits, which I hope will pro¬ 
mote your health and happiness as much as they have 
mine. Having been sometime on a farm with your un¬ 
cle, you will not be so great a novice as I was when 
leaving professional pursuits to cultivate the soil. Ap¬ 
prehensive that my want of information would be detri¬ 
mental, I endeavored to supply my deficiencies by read¬ 
ing, combined with practice, and I am satisfied that 
much useful information has been obtained from the 
writings of Kirwan on Manures, Chaptal, Davy, Loudon, 
and a recent German author of the name of Liebig, as 
well as others. 
Scientific works on agriculture are generally too ab¬ 
struse for farmers, and so technical as to be obscure to 
common readers. A friend of mine, residing on this 
island, procured a copy of Liebig’s organic chemistry 
of agriculture, and derived no benefit from it, because, 
as he said, it was all Greek to him. And yet that pub¬ 
lication contains the elements and science of practical 
agriculture; but it is a profound work, and requires 
study. There is, however, a valuable periodical pub¬ 
lished at Albany, in this state, containing practical in¬ 
formation which all can understand, combined with as 
much explanatory science as to make it useful and agree¬ 
able to all who attend to “ seed time and harvest.” This 
work is entitled the “Cultivator;” and I advise you, 
by all means, to take and read it. I procured all the 
back volumes and perused them with attention and pro¬ 
fit. Like a dictionary, they are constant sources of re¬ 
ference. Be not deterred by the title of “ book farmer,” 
which may be applied to you by some of your neigh¬ 
bors, who never look into a periodical or other book to 
add to the knowledge they possess of the art or employ¬ 
ment they follow. Whence was it, but from books and 
scientific men, that a knowledge of the fertilizing effects 
of plaster of Paris was obtained? 
Your grandfather was among the first to introduce it 
into Ulster county, and the first experiment was made 
on the farm whereon you reside. When the powdered 
plaster was shown to him, he found neither smell nor 
taste in it, and expressed his doubts as to its utility; ob¬ 
serving that it would do no more good as a manure than 
so much dry saw dust. In the course of the ensuing 
summer, however, his attention was repeatedly attracted 
to a spot on the easterly side of the long and beautiful 
meadow in front of the old stone house where you now 
reside. This spot was uncommonly luxuriant, and the 
grass of a much better color, than in the other parts of 
the field. The old man could not account for it, and he 
pointed it out to all his visiters. When the proper- 
time had arrived to explain the mystery, (which was an 
experiment made unknown to him,) your father and un¬ 
cle invited your grandfather and several of his visiters 
to go into the field and examine the spot more particu¬ 
larly; when behold! they could trace the name of Ana¬ 
nias Miller, in large letters, and the date of the ex¬ 
periment, made by a growth of grass much more luxu¬ 
riant than the surrounding vegetation!! This, said your 
uncle, is the effect of plaster. Early in March last, I 
traced my father’s name on the sod with that article, and 
the result is before you. This experiment convinced 
your grandfather of the efficacy of gypsum or plaster of 
Paris, and he thence employed it as a fertilizer, and 
continued its use as long as he lived. As he was an in¬ 
dustrious, prudent and thriving agriculturist, his neigh¬ 
bors gradually followed his example; and now, even 
those who are not “ book farmers,” in your part of the 
country, cannot do without it. 
When your grandfather removed from Suffolk county 
on Long-Island to the valley of the Wallkill, some of 
the neighboring farmers could not cure their pork to 
keep through the summer, and were astonished at Mr. 
Miller’s success in effecting so desirable an object. 
Some attributed their inability to preserve their meat to 
bad salt, and some to witchcraft. They were accord¬ 
ingly led to inquire into his process, and ascertained that 
there was no difficulty, no secret, no witchcraft; and 
provided they put enough salt on their meat it would 
keep. But one, and another, objected to wasting so 
much salt, and several years elapsed before, some of 
them would adopt your grandfather's plan—still prefer¬ 
ring to lose their provisions, rather than to waste so much 
salt. In the “Cultivator,” you will find practical as 
well as theoretical information on curing beef and pork, 
as well as on almost every other subject connected with 
agriculture. But there is no recipe for curing provisions 
without salt. 
I will mention another incident connected with the 
house and farm you occupy. Your Aunt Tempe has 
been noted, as long as I recollect, for making the best 
butter in that part of the country; and the first dairy sent 
