Cult. Vol. IX.— No. 10. 
ALBANY, N. Y. OCTOBER, 1842. 
Cult. & Far. Vol. III.— No. 10. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY. 
GAYLORD &> TUCKER, EDITORS. 
LUTHER TUCKER, PROPRIETOR. 
One Dollar per annum—Six Copies for $5. 
(PAYABLE ALWAYS IN ADVANCE.) 
20 per cent commission on 25 or more subscribers, and 
25 per cent commission on 100 or more. 
Subscriptions to commence with a volume ; and the money 
to be sent free of postage. 
THE BACK VOLUMES OF THE CULTIVATOR, 
Handsomely stitched in printed covers , 
Can be furnished to new subscribers—Vols. I. II. III. IV. at 50 
cents each, and Vols. V. VI. VII. VIII. at $1. each. 
They can also be procured of Dayton & Newman, booksellers, 
199 Broadway; Israel Post, bookseller, 8S Bowery, and at G. 
C. Thorburn’s Seed store, 11 John-st., New-York —of D. Land- 
eeth & Co., Seedsmen, and Judah Dobson, bookseller, Phila¬ 
delphia— of Hovey & Co., Seedsmen, Boston —of A. H. Stilwell, 
bookseller, Providence —of R. Hill, Jr., & Co., Richmond —of F. 
Taylor, Bookseller, and J. F. Callan, Seedsman, Washington 
City. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
“TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND THE MIND.” 
We issue this number earlier than usual, to give us 
time to attend to our duties connected with the State So¬ 
ciety’s Fair. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 
The Editors of the Cultivator tender their grateful 
acknowledgments to the several Societies in this and the 
neighboring states, who have invited them to attend their 
several annual exhibitions. It would afford them great 
pleasure to be present at all these exhibitions, to wit¬ 
ness the evidences which will there be seen, of the ra¬ 
pid progress which is malting in the improvement of the 
several branches of American Husbandry; but this would 
be impossible. It is however their intention to attend 
as many of them as circumstances will admit, and espe¬ 
cially do they hope that one of them will be able to be 
present at Pittsfield and Worcester. 
The Editors return their thanks 
To P. L. Simmonds, Esq. London, for a “List of the 
Members of the Royal Ag. Society,” and for several Lon¬ 
don papers. 
To W. Withers, Esq. Holt, England, for a beautiful 
octavo vol. of over 400 pages, entitled “ The Acacia 
Tree,—its growth, qualities, and uses, with observations 
on Planting, Manuring and Pruning. By W. Withers, 
author of a Memoir on the planting and rearing of Forest 
Trees, &c.” 
To G. C. Tiiorburn, Esq. New-York, for the last No. 
of the “ British Farmer’s Magazine,”—also for the “Lon¬ 
don Morning Chronicle,” containing an obituary notice 
of the late Earl of Leicester. 
To some unknown friend at Hartford, Ct. fora No. of 
the “ Bristol Journal,” containing a Report of Mr. Smith’s 
Lecture on Draining, at the late meeting of the Royal 
Ag. Society. 
To James Herbert, Esq. Herbertsville, N. J., for a 
box of native Grapes, of which he asks the name. They 
are one of the best kinds of Fox grapes; but are by no 
means equal to the Isabella, or several other varieties of 
the native grape. 
To Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger, New-York, for sam¬ 
ples of the several articles advertised by him in this pa¬ 
per, all of which shall have a trial. 
To Mr. Wm. A. Crowell, Lime Rock, Ct., for one 
of his patent Thermometer Churns, a figure of which is 
given in another part of this paper. 
To L. Kennedy, Jr. Hartford, Ct., for one of Collins 
& Stone’s patent Cheese Presses, for a description of which 
seep. 167. 
To Dr. N. B. Cloud, Planter’s Retreat, Alabama, for 
some of the seeds of the “ South American Evergreen 
Pasture Grass,” with a specimen of the plant. W e shall 
divide the seeds with our friend “ Commentator ,” whom 
we expect to see at our State Fair, that they may be tried 
in his state as well as in this. We shall he greatly obliged 
to Dr. C. for his promised article on the culture of Cot¬ 
ton. See his communication, p. 164. 
ToThos. Affleck, late editor of the Western Farmer 
at Cincinnati, but now of Washington, Mississippi, for 
the “ Transactions of the Agricultural, Horticultural and 
Botanical Society of Jefferson College, Miss.,” including 
a very interesting Report on the Horticulture of that vi¬ 
cinity, from the pen of Mr. Affleck. 
To Mr. J. M. Lawrence, Hudson, for a dozen of his 
seedling plum, called the “ Columbia Gage,” a fine large 
fruit, well worthy of general introduction. 
Communications have been received, since our last, 
from Will. C. Carr, A Friend to Agriculture, G. E. H., 
J. Park, (forwarded to Mr. Geo. Page, Baltimore,) Wm. 
A. Crowell, Henry Palmer, Wm. Partridge, H. Mooers, 
L. B. Armstrong, U. C., T. Hudson, An Inquirer, P. L. 
Simmonds, M. Battel, H. A. P., J. K. L., N. N. D., J. 
Herbert, S., Dr. N. B. Cloud, E. M., J. N. Keeler, J. J. 
Thomas, Dr. R. T. Underhill, John J. Crocheron, A. E. 
Ernest, Friend Hasty. 
EXTRACTS OF LETTERS. 
Mississippi. —Extract of a letter from W. B. Wil- 
borne. Esq. dated Oakachikama, Yallabusha county, Ju¬ 
ly 9, 1842:—“ The spirit of agricultural improvements is 
just beginning to attract the attention of the people here, 
and we may hope the time is not distant, when this state, 
and in fact, the whole southwest, will he waked up to 
the importance of the subject. We had a meeting at 
Grenada, in this county, on the 4th inst., and formed our 
first agricultural soeiety—adopted a constitution, elected 
officers, &c., by which an impulse has been given to the 
cause, and we hope, from this time forward, the march 
af agricultural improvement will be onward, and still on¬ 
ward, until we shall not be behind any one of our sister 
states. We have been favored in this region by plenty 
of rain, and the crops of corn, cotton, and every thing 
cultivated, were never (in the memory of the white po¬ 
pulation,) more forward, or more full of the promise of 
an abundant yield. The early corn was in the roasting 
ear by the middle of June. Cotton is fully a month in 
advance of the last year, and in full bloom, and with ma¬ 
ny full grown balls.” 
Illinois. —Extract of a letter from E. W. Brewster, 
Esq. P. M., Little Woods, Kane co. Illinois, dated July 
28:—“We are now in the midst of our wheat harvest, 
which is generally very good. Some late sown fields in¬ 
jured by the rust; as a whole however, the quality of our 
wheat will be good, and the quantity greatly increased. 
Corn is very backward. Barley, oats, potatoes, abun¬ 
dant. Grass is nothing thought of with us; immense 
tracts of the finest pasturage and hay, capable of sustain¬ 
ing millions of sheep, summer and winter, are annually 
given to the flames. Keen sighted self-interest will how¬ 
ever soon correct this error. Sheep are rapidly accumu¬ 
lating on our prairies, and wool must soon be an impor¬ 
tant item in the exports of Northern Illinois.” 
Missouri. —Extract of a letter from a subscriber at St. 
Louis, dated Aug. 20:—“ I regret to say that agriculture 
has been much neglected heretofore, not only in this coun¬ 
ty, but throughout the state; but a better spirit appears 
awakening on this important subject, and we hope for the 
most beneficial results. The two great staples, Tobacco 
and Hemp, are annually increasing in amount and impor¬ 
tance, and our soil is admirably adapted to their culture. 
Blooded stock is beginning to receive that consideration, 
which should have been bestowed upon so important a 
subject long since.” 
Iowa. —Extract of a letter from J. King, Esq. Du¬ 
buque :—“ Crops of wheat, rye, oats, and potatoes, are 
good in Iowa. Corn is not so promising as usual, owing 
to the coolness of the spring. It is very healthy this 
season. Peace and plenty abound. There is no real 
cause for “ hard times.” If Congress would let “ Presi¬ 
dent making” alone, and legislate for the whole repub¬ 
lic—the people eat and drink moderately—dress com¬ 
fortably— all go to work, our country would ere long re¬ 
gain its accustomed prosperity.” 
ANOTHER HUMBUG EXPLODED. 
From the English agricultural journals we perceive 
that much attention has been excited in the agricultural 
community of that country, by the introduction of a new 
clover called the Bokhara clover, famous for its rapid 
growth, and the great amount of green food a small 
quantity of land sown with the seeds would produce. 
Quite a handsome speculation was going on in the seeds, 
when some specimens fell under the notice of the natu¬ 
ralist, Dr. Smith, who pronounced the plant to be the 
Melilot alba, or white Siberian melilot, commonly known 
as Buffalo or sweet clover, but in reality no clover at all. 
This plant had long been cultivated in gardens, and to 
some extent had been introduced into field culture on the 
continent; but the benefits expected from its use have 
not been realized. In a memoir read before the French 
Ag. Society, in 1788, by M. Thouin, it was strongly re¬ 
commended, but on a large scale was not found to equal 
representations made from garden culture. It was found 
in France to bear four cuttings in a year; but if not cut 
while young, the stems became woody and of little value. 
This Bokhara clover, or melilot, was introduced into 
Pennsylvania, some two years since, and the fortunate 
possessors of the plant were driving a lucrative business 
in selling the seeds at the rate of one dollar a hundred, 
when its identity with sweet clover was detected by a lady, 
and the bubble of course has hurst in this country as well 
as in Europe. A letter from Mr. Hepburn, in the Au¬ 
gust Agriculturist, details the process of identification. 
We have frequently cautioned our farmers against in¬ 
dulging in extravagant or costly speculations in new things, 
or things that are called so The caution to “prove all 
things and hold fast that which is good,” is as applicable 
in agriculture, as in theology. The melilot is a valuable 
plant for some purposes, hut it will not equal the repre¬ 
sentations made of it as a forage plant. It is not a clo¬ 
ver, and the plant is not a new one; and if any, with a 
knowledge of these facts, have disposed of the seeds as 
such, they have practiced a gross deception or imposi¬ 
tion. Melilot is the plant used to give the peculiar fla¬ 
vor and appearance to the celebrated Schabzieger cheese 
of Switzerland, and the Guyere cheese of France. The 
green plant is ground in a mill and mixed with the curd 
into a kind of paste, which is put into conical molds to 
be dried and cured. Some farmers in Europe, are in the 
habit of mixing it in small quantities with their hay. Its 
powerful aromatic smell imparts to the hay an agreeable 
flavor, which is evidently agreeable to animals. But as 
most of our readers have cultivated it in their gardens as 
sweet clover, there is no necessity of enlarging on its 
properties. 
TRUE STANDARD OF VALUE. 
The importance of agriculture to any country cannot 
be more strongly or correctly stated than in the follow¬ 
ing extract from Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, pre¬ 
mising merely that all English writers, by the word 
“ corn,” mean wheat alone: 
“ Corn regulates the money price of all the other parts 
of the rude produce of the land, which in every period 
of improvement must bear a certain proportion to that 
of corn. Woolen or linen cloths are not the regulating 
commodities, by which the real value of all other com¬ 
modities must be finally measured and determined; corn 
is. The money price of labor, and of everything that is 
the produce of land, or of labor, must necessarily rise or 
fall in proportion to the money price of corn.” 
The commercial and financial history of England, and 
of the world generally for the last five years, has furnish¬ 
ed evidence more conclusive than any with which Adam 
Smith could have been acquainted, that in all civilized 
countries wheat alone, and not gold and silver, consti¬ 
tutes the true standard of value. Gold is the representa¬ 
tive of the value, which wheat possesses in itself. Food 
is the great central point round which all minor consi¬ 
derations revolve; and of all the various substances used, 
bread, or wheat from which it is made, is vastly the most 
important. If there was not an ounce of gold or silver 
on the globe, wheat would be worth for bread as much 
as it now is; the little value there is in gold without 
bread, was demonstrated by the rapidity with which gold 
left England in 1837-38 to procure wheat. That coun¬ 
try, therefore, in which agriculture is in the most ad¬ 
vanced state; that in which the greatest quantity of 
wheat or bread corn can be grown, is actually the rich¬ 
est. No country can retain its gold and silver that does 
not grow its own bread; and the precious metals, in 
spite of every precaution, of every vexatious regulation 
of the most watchful government, will flow from the 
country that lacks bread, to the one that is able to sup¬ 
ply it. The United States can alone hope to retain the 
precious metals they now have, or make additions to the 
quantity, except by the extensive production of wheat. 
The experience of the world shows that the balance of 
trade is always in favor of that eountry that produces 
the greatest .quantity of wheat; a conclusive proof that 
wheat is _ strictly speaking the real standard of value, 
and that however we may confound or misapply the 
terms, the precious metals are only the representatives 
of value. The country then that would be rich and 
prosperous must abound in bread; and a wheat growing 
country, under equitable laws and a good government, 
must always be a rich one. 
“ Let no man be ashamed of a hard fist.” 
