Contents of this Number. .pages, 1 to 32 Letter from Prof. J. P. NORTON, Yale College,. 33 PICTORIAL CULTIVATOR,. Fall and Winter Plowing, by W. C. W., Intellectual Improvement of the Farmer, by H. C. W., Agricultural Education, by JOHN DELAFIELD, Doings of the Smithsonian Institution, by F. HOLBROOK, Common Schools, by JonN TUFTS, Horticultural Implements and Fixtures,. Lists of Fruits Selected by the Am. Pomological Congress,. Freezing out the Curculio-Wire Fences-Hardiness of the The Cheviot Breed of Sheep, with Portraits,.. Subsoil Plowing, by P.-Mayweed and Corn Chamomile, by S. 31 35 36 37 40 42 43 44 45 Choice Fowls for Sale. SEVERAL pair of very fine, clean-legged Bantams, from stock imported a few years since from Java. They are about the size of an ordinary pigeon, and of the most perfect form. Their plu. mage varies in different specimens, from clear white to black; some of the cocks being red with black breast, and others handsomely spangled. Also, several pair of large fowls, derived from a cross of the Derking. They are short-legged and full-breasted; grow quickly to a large size, and give excellent flesh. At six months old, some of the stock have weighed five pounds each, dressed. E. E. PLATT. Albany, Jan. 1, 1850. Ayrshire Stock for Sale. NE thorough bred Bull 3 years old. One do. do. Cow 8 years old, with Calf. 46 ONE 47 48 Prize Show of Saxon Sheep-Culture of the Castor Oil Bean, 51 neps, Several half blood yearling Heifers. do. This stock is of the best Ayrshire blood in the country. Norfolk, Conn. To Seedsmen and Dealers. THE subscribers are prepared to import, on very favorable terms, from the most distinguished and reliable seed establishments in London, or on the continent of Europe, seeds in quantities, and of a quality on which the utmost dependance may be placed. The seeds will be forwarded in the original packages, and original invoices 54 furnished. Persons wishing to import may thus avail themselves of the experience of the subscribers, by the payment of a small com56 JAS. M. THORBURN & CO., 15 John-street, New-York. Good and Bad Management-American Pork in England, Red Top, Orchard, Ray and other grasses, White Dutch Indian Corn in Tennessee-Reclaiming Sandy Land-Breeding) 59 Cover, Lucerne, &c. &c., low by the quantity. Horses, Extracts from Agricultural Addresses,.. December 1, 1849-21. New-York State Agricultural Society,. 60 •pages 1 to 32 48 Figs. 126 to 137-Horticultural Implements and Fixtures,.... 43, 44 Figs. 140 to 142-Design for a Suburban Cottage, JUST PUBLISHED, BY DERBY, MILLER AND CO., AUBURN. THE AMERICAN FRUIT CULTURIST, BY J. J. THOMAS, mission. New-York Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Store. THE Implements embrace upwards of ONE HUNDRED different kinds of Plows, a great variety of Harrows, Cultivators Rollers, Seel Sowers, Horse Powers, Grain Cradles, Threshing and Fanning Machines, Mills, Hay Cutters, Corn Shellers, Shovels, Spades, Hoes, 55 Scythes, Rakes, Wagons, Wheels, Carts, Wheelbarrows, Pumps, Rica Threshers and Hullers, Road Scrapers, Axes, Chains, &c. &c. These implements are mostly made up from NEW and HIGHLY-IMPROVED patterns, and are warranted to be of the best materials, and put together in the strongest manner, and of a superior finish. Horticultural Tools-A complete assortment. CONTAINING directions for the Propagation and Culture of Fruit Trees, in the Nursery, Orchard, and Garden, with Descriptions of the principal American and Foreign Varieties cultivated in the United States. With 300 accurate illustrations. One volume of over 400 pages, 12 mo. Price $1. A cheaper, but equally valuable book with Downing's was wanted by the great mass. Just such a work has Mr. Thomas given us. We consider it an invaluable addition to our agricultural libraries. Wool Grower. We predict for it a very rapid sale; it should be in the hands of every fruit grower, and especially every nurseryman. It is a very cheap book for its price.-Ohio Cultivator. It is a most valuable work to all engaged in the culture of fruit trees.-Utica Herald. It is a book of great value.-Genesee Farmer. Among all the writers on fruits, we do not know of one who is The American Poultry Yard, Illustrated by numerous original engravings. Forming the most Practical Manual for those who are desirious of raising poultry, that has been published in this country. Price $1, bound. Published by C. M. SAXTON, 121 Fulton st., New-York, And for sale at this Office. Also, Allen's American Farm Book, $1. Allen's Domestic Animals, 75 cents. Miner's Am. Bee Keeper's Manual, $1. Jan. 1, 1850.-21. Morgan Colt. I HAVE a Stallion Colt, two years old the first of June last,-he was sired by the Morgan horse Gen'l. Gifford, lately sold by Geo. A. Mason, of Jordan, N. Y., and will closely resemble his sire for size, color, form and action. His dam is a low, close-built bay mare, 33 years old, and still living about 6 miles from me. She was sired by the Original Morgan Horse. I should sell the said colt for the low price of $150, if taken between this and the first of February next. C. BLODGETT. Chelsea, Vt., Jan. 1, 1850.-11.* Castings, Skeleton Plows, Harrow Teeth, and Iron Work of all kinds done to order in the cheapest and best manner. Steam Engines, Sugar Boilers, Sugar Mills, Saw Mills, Kettles, Cauldrons, &c., for Plantations. Wire Cloth and Sieves-Different kinds and sizes, kept constantly on hand. Seeds for the Field and Garden-Such as Improved Winter and Spring Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Corn, Beans, Peas, Turnip, Cabbage, Beet, Carrot, Parsnip, Clover, and Grass Seeds, improved varieties of Potatoes, &c. &c. These are warranted fresh and superior of their kind. Fertilizers-Peruvian and African Guano, Lime, Plaster of Paris, Bone Dust, &c. &c. Fruit and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs-Orders taken for these, and executed from a choice of the best Nurseries, Gardens, and Conservatories in the United States. Horses, Cattle, Sheep and Swine-Orders received for stock of all kinds, to be executed to the best advantage, and shipped in the most careful manner. Agricultural Books-A general and varied assortment of these for Is published on the first of each month, at Albany, N. Y., by All subscriptions, not renewed by payment for the next year, are discontinued at the end of each volume. The back vols. can be furnished to new subscribers-and may be obtained of the following Agents: NEW-YORK-M. H. NEWMAN & Co., 199 Broadway. BOSTON-J. BRECK & Co., 52 North Market-st., and É. WIGHT, 7 Congress-st. PHILADELPHIA-G. B. ZIEBER. ADVERTISEMENTS-The charge for advertisements is $1, for 12 lines, for each insertion. No variation made from these terms. NEW SERIES. "TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND THE MIND.' ALBANY, FEBRUARY, 1850. Should the Farmer be a Man of Knowledge? EDITORS OF THE CULTIVATOR:-As you well know, a controversy has been going on for many years between the plow-joggers on one side, and the Agricultural Journals and book-farmers' on the other, as to whether the Farmer should be a man of Knowledge? The first named class contend, that to follow the dogmas of tradition, and, under such guidance, toil and sweat away life in mere physical labor; to read and write indifferently, or perhaps make his mark; to study his almanac faithfully, and plow, sow and harvest according to the old or new of the moon; to chalk his 'deal' on the barn-door or his hat; to avoid an agricultural paper, or a book-farmer,' as he would a pestilence; to extract the fertility of the soil, and leave mother earth with her future generations, to shirk for themselves as best they can:that these are the kind of qualifications to make a good farmer. The other class contend, that the farmer should be a man of reading, observation and study; that his calling involves a degree of scientific inquiry equal to that of almost any other; that inasmuch as the advancing spirit of the times is in other callings continually crying out-" Onward!" he should partake of that spirit, advance with others in educa. tion and mental discipline, and claim, and be able to take, equal rank with the highest. Being, on the whole, rather inclined to favor the views of the last-named class, I shall briefly survey a portion of the ground involved in the question, in order to see for myself whether the Farmer should be a man of general as well as particular knowl. edge. If I find the lay of the land' such as I suppose it to be, I shall take a decided stand with my friends, the Journals and 'book-farmers.' In the short and graphic account given us of the Creation, we are informed that after form had been given to matter, and the vegetable and lower animal world had been brought forth to life, man was made, in the image of his Creator, to be lord of his other works, and commanded to subdue and cultivate the ground. Or, in the noble lines of the poet: "There wanted yet the master-work, the end And worship God Supreme, who made him chief Of all his works."* VOL. VII.-No. 2. was that of Agriculture, and thus did his Maker confer superior dignity upon it. He was endued with reason, to distinguish him from, and elevate him above the lower animals, and to enable him, among other things, properly to subdue and culti vate the earth. Reason is by far the most impor. tant of man's intellectual powers. By it he devises means to accomplish ends, distinguishes truth from also progressive from infancy to age. It is on the error, or, in other words, acquires knowledge. It is right use of reason that our success, both in the pursuit of knowledge and happiness depends; and in proportion as we acquire knowledge, so, in turn, is reason enlarged and strengthened, and we are thus enabled to make still higher acquisitions. To accomplish desirable ends, then, the original gift should be improved by the attainment of knowledge. Knowledge expands the mind of the farmer from mere attention to details and brute force, to an extensive comprehension of general principles-those great cardinal principles by which nature is governed in her operations, and with which he necessarily comes in contact every day. In the business of cultivation, an infinite diversity of principles and mysteries arise to the thoughtful mind, many of which, if ever under. stood at all, must be wrought out by the utmost efforts of perfected Science, and a cultivated mind. Few of us, indeed, can give a satisfactory reason for many of the simplest operations of nature which are continually before our eyes. We are therefore about as liable to go wrong as right, in some of our commonest methods of tillage. It has been said that "Mind is the great lever of 'Dispel these clouds, the light of heaven restore, Knowledge exalts all the faculties of the mind. However much exalted, they will find ample scope for exercise in the pursuit of Agriculture. It is an The pursuit, then, originally assigned to man, occupation that eminently combines science with • Milton. practice. If the powers of observation, reflection and generalization are quickened and exalted by knowledge, so as thereby to become more nearly adequate to the demands that the business naturally makes upon them, we may produce results, of which a state of arrogant ignorance never dreamed, nor was ever capable. Thus we see, that when we have given the farmer a taste for the acquisition of knowledge, we have made him a better bequest than money; for we have given him the habit of thinking, and that is the principle of all legitimate prosperity. It enables him at once to act and operate, to com. pare, contrive, invent, improve, and perfect,-to accomplish his ends in higher and still higher degrees. Then, too, the business of the farmer largely admits of, nay, in our view, it demands, observation and thought. While engaged in the health-giving labors of the field, breathing the invigorating air, and conversant with the principles and beauties of nature around him, he may pursue habits of thought to an extent, and with an elasticity and vigor of mind, which the student of the closet, struggling with an attenuated frame, trembling nerves, and a throbbing head, often sighs for in vain. We farmers who have not yet felt the importance of cultivating and using the thinking faculty to some valuable purpose, may with propriety receive and ponder the address of a profound thinker: My friend, to have thought far too little, we shall find among the capital faults in the review of life. To have in our nature a noble part that can think, would be a cause for infinite exultation, if it actually did think as much and as well as it can think, and if to have an unthinking mind were not equivalent to having no mind at all. The mind might, and it should be, kept in a state of habitual exertion, that would save us from needing to appeal for proof of its existence to some occasion yesterday when we did think or to-morrow when we shall. If all the short spaces of time in which we have strongly exerted our faculties could be ascertained, and reckoned together into one place, what a small part of life it would fill! The space, how ever, may be deemed the total of real life." These, if he has a taste for reading, he may beguile in an innocent, useful and happy way at home; while others, dependant upon foreign resources, repair to places of public amusement or dissipation, seeking an object that constantly eludes their grasp, or, if momentarily detained, usually turns to emp. tiness or pain. There is no pastime that in variety compares with the pursuit of knowledge. While the objects of inquiry are endless in number, each attainment is attended with new satisfaction and delight. A taste for literature or scientific inquiry once acquired, usually becomes confirmed into a habit for life, and forms an unfailing source of pleasure in old age. The growing infirmities incident to that period of life, bring many days of confinement and weariness, which may be greatly relieved by reading, or, if that be impracticable, by hearing others read. This arises naturally aud necessarily from the very structure of the intellectual element. "A degree of surprise and astonishment which cannot consist with the perfect comprehension of whatever falls under our cognizance, appears to be one ingredient, in the highest degree of felicity of which a rational being is susceptible. There is a principle in the constitution of our nature, which renders us dissatisfied with what we thoroughly understand in all its parts. When there is nothing more to be discovered, from that moment it begins to pall upon us, and we must pass to something which will give scope to the activities of the human mind." There is no amusement so cheap as that arising from the pursuit of knowledge. A trifling sum set apart annually, will purchase the advantages afford. ed by our numerous district, village, and other libraries, and our able agricultural, scientific and li terary periodicals. There are no circumstances so adverse as to preclude our attaining knowledge, if we resolutely strive for it. One is forcibly struck with the truth of this remark, in thinking over the long list of worthies who, under every disadvantage, and in addition to carrying forward some practical calling, have raised themselves to eminence in the empire of knowledge. In them, we find realized that most desirable, but quite too rare union, of studious hab its with a practical business. Their example is most valuable too, as illustrating the fact that a taste for knowledge will, of itself, do a great deal towards its acquisition; and that where this taste exists, it usually surmounts all difficulties and bursts all barriers. Be it further remembered for our encouragement, that the kind of knowledge which gives strength does not so much depend upon the reading of many books, as upon the judicious selection and careful reading of a few, accompanied by the strenuous exertions of our own powers of reflection. In this way, all our powers become sti mulated, and products begin to grow from within. Knowledge refines the taste, thus enabling us to perceive and enjoy the beauties and sublimities of nature. A state of ignorance cannot be favorable to the emotions of taste. Neither do we look for its exercise in the mere getter or hoarder of money, the man of loose morals, or dissolute habits. Refined taste is intimately allied to morals, for it naturally elevates the mind and ennobles the character of its possessor; and thus it is that knowledge, by refining the taste, indirectly favors virtue. Who, if not the farmer, should possess and enjoy a refined taste? The great Author of all has adorned his works with beauties and sublimities, that may excite the highest and purest emotions of which the human mind is susceptible. They solicit the senses of the farmer at every turn. The endless variety and beauty of flower, plant and shrub; the various stages of vegetation, from the germination to the full maturity of his crops; the majestic forest; the landscape of mountain and valley, of lake and river; the circling seasons; the wondrous workings of nature beneath his feet, as well as the sublimehan-norant. dy work' above him:-these all invite the husbandman to observation, and gently persuade, or more powerfully urge him to contemplate, through them, the great Author and Ruler of all. Knowledge, both in acquisition and possession, contributes to happiness. The farmer has many leisure hours, during the stormy days of a season when he cannot work, and the long evenings of winter. *Correspondence of John Foster. Knowledge is useful and important to man as a religious being. It is true that Christianity invites us all to partake of its blessings, upon compli ance with its terms, whether we be learned or ig But it addresses the understanding as well as the heart; its evidences challenge investigation; its hopes are addressed to the immortal element; its sublime faith calls forth the whole intellectual power; and the doctrine of immortality invests the mind of man with a dignity and grandeur, allied to a purer and nobler state of intelligence. In whatever other respects, then, we might conclude to dispense with the advantages of education and know. Robert Hall. ledge, when we consider man as a religious and im. mortal being, we wish to see his mind expanded, his faculties exalted, and his taste refined, that he may the better understand his duties and his destiny. Knowledge, with virtue, is the foundation on which our whole system of government rests. The practical operation of this system creates a demand for every species of intellectual effort. As citizens under it, we are called upon to discharge the duties of elective franchise, to take part in the administration of justice, and to fill the various official trusts of State. The laws contemplate our fitness to discharge these various duties and trusts, under the guidance of opinions intelligently and independently formed, along with that sense of individual accountability which seeks not to hide itself in the crowd, or to be led by other dictation than its own. The correctness and eminent propriety of our theo. ry in this regard, cannot be doubted. The nearer we approach it in practice the safer is our condition. When we reflect, that as our country increases in population and in extent of settled territory, various new and conflicting interests and questions will arise to increase and inflame partizan zeal-that a high state of faction tends to corruption-that there are precipices on either side of us whose outer borders | would seem to forbid exploration further along-and that the huge swells of faction may rock us back and forth until we sway over into the chaos below; -we become more and more impressed with the importance of educating our rural population in know. ledge and virtue, of combining in our farmers strong heads with honest hearts, that we may keep balance on ground, central from the broken extremes, and known and safe, where all sorts of good fruit grow in abundance, where prosperity has ever dwelt, and where it may ever dwell. Our vast territory embraces every variety of climate and soil. It is capable of growing almost every known valuable production. The race of men inhabiting it is endowed with wonderful native sagacity and energy of purpose. Let this mass of mind be expanded and strengthened by knowledge, and a power is conferred for the development of our vast agricultural capabilities, not elsewhere to be found. It has been well said that "it is the glorious prerogative of the empire of knowledge, that what it gains it never loses; on the contrary, it increases by the multiple of its own power; all its ends become means; and all its attainments help to new conquests." In this view of the subject, how directly does it become power to the farmers! Through them collectively, how eminently does it become power to the nation! Great advantages are yet to arise from the establishment of Agricultural Schools, and professorships of Agriculture in our Colleges. Organised on judicious principles, they would teach our young farmers the science and best mode of practice of Agriculture. In doing that, they would necessarily teach the elementary principles certainly, of six or eight sciences; and this would be likely to create a taste for the further investigation of those sciences, for reading and the acquisition of knowledge in general. In short, by these influences, imparted at a forming period, the boy comes to be a man of cultivation, of intellectual power. Expanded and well disciplined intellect always takes high rank among men. Thus we may conclude, that the farmers would oftener be heard to some purpose in the Coun. cils of the nation, and the interests of Agriculture would receive more of that attention from Govern. ment, which they justly merit. I have thus endeavored to survey a part of the ground covered by the question propounded at the outset. To my mind it is clear, that the Journals and book farmers' have a good and substantial argument in their favor; and I am forced to conclude that the farmer should be a man of knowledge, and I do not see that it could hurt him to have a good deal of it too. F. HOLBROOK. Brattleboro,' Vt., Dec. 15, 1849. Live Fences. The particular advantage of any kind of fence, depends on circumstances. Where suitable stones can be readily obtained, perhaps there is no fence to be preferred to a well-built and permanent wall. If the stones, in the outset, occupy the land so as to interfere with cultivation, the inducement for ma king wall is increased. In some places, the abundance and cheapness of suitable timber for fences, render it most economical to construct them of that material. The comparative advantages of live and dead fences, in general terms, may be thus stated: Hedges can be reared where the materials for dead fences cannot be had, and, excepting the best of walls, are greatly superior in durability; dead fences commonly occupy less room, shade the ground less, and nei ther exhaust its moisture or richness, as is done by hedges. The best plants for hedges in this country are un. doubtedly the Buckthorn and the Osage Orange. We think the various trials which have been made with different plants, support this conclusion. The Honey Locust, which was considerably tried a few In this connection, we may appreciate the import- years since, fails to grow thick enough at the botant influences imparted by our Agricultural Jour- tom, and is generally straggling and open. The nals. They quietly visit he farmer at his dwelling, English Hawthorn does not stand our hot and dry informing him of the known principles of Agricul- summers, and is liable to a blight similar to the ture, and the march of Science towards further dis- "leaf-blight," and "fire-blight" in pear trees. coveries. They give him the results of the experi- The Newcastle, or American Cock-spur Thorn, and ence and practice of intelligent cultivators every the Washington Thorn, have formerly been used exwhere. Mind thus rubs against and polishes mind, tensively in some of the middle States, particularly and enterprise, and an ambition to improve, is exci- in Delaware, where they succeeded well, but withted. They stimulate him in turn to communicate in a few years, the fine hedges of that section have his own ideas and modes of practice. When he has all been destroyed by the borer, and this insect has been induced to arrange his thoughts upon paper, also attacked the Hawthorn with equal fatality in an important step has been taken towards intellec- many instances. It is true there are some neightual improvement. He is now in the way of think-borhoods where the Hawthorn has mostly escaped ing with greater precision and correctness on all subjects, and he awakens with a consciousness of power within himself that might not otherwise have been known. * Hon. D. Webster. the casualties here mentioned, as in some parts of Seneca and Ontario counties, in this state; but its failure has been so general in most parts of the country, that it cannot be depended on as a hedge plant. For the northern states and the Canadas, we should prefer the Buckthorn. Our reasons for the green after the snows had fallen; it is never injured by our most intense cold, and its vitality is so great that it may be kept out of the preference are its hardiness, its comparative exempground a long time, or transported any distance without injury. It tion from disease, and from the attacks of insects, never sends up any suckers, nor is disfigured by any dead wood; it its rapid growth, and the general facility with which can be clipped into any shape which the caprice or ingenuity of the gardener may devise; and being pliable, it may be tramed into an it may be made to answer the purpose of an effi- arch, or over a passage way as easily as a vine; it needs no plashing cient fence. or interlacing, the natural growth of the plant being sufficiently in terwoven. It is never cankered by unskillful clipping; but will bear the knife to any degree. In our last number, we mentioned the Buckthorn hedges of E. HERSEY DERBY, Esq., of Salem, Mass. We think we have never seen more perfect hedges than these, and it may be interesting to the reader to learn something of Mr. D.'s mode of managing them. In the Transactions of the Essex (Mass.) Agrieultural Society for 1842, there is a paper on the ultivation of live-fences by Mr. DERBY, for which ست Mr. D.'s mode of cultivation is as follows: My method of forming a hedge is to set the young plants in a single row, about nine inches apart, either in the spring or autumn; if the latter, I should clip it the following spring to within six inches of the ground; this will cause the hedge to be thick at the bottom, which I regard as a great point of excellence; after this, all that remains to be done is to keep it clean from weeds, and clip it once a year. I consider June the best time to trim, as it soonest recovers its beauty at that season. The clipping may be done with the garden shears, a hedge-knife, or even with a common scythe. Buckthorn plants, of proper size for transplanting into hedge-rows, may be had in abundance at most of our nurseries. The price for two-year-old plants is usually about $5 per thousand. They may be easily raised from seed, which may be had of the various seed-dealers at $1.25 per quart. It is usu ally planted in the fall, and most of the plants will make their appearance the next season, though some of the seed may lie in the ground till the second season before it vegetates. They may be planted on good land in the same manner as peas are planted, and the plants kept free from weeds until they are of sufficient size to put in the hedge-row, which size they will reach in one year, on rich land, and in two years on ordinary soil. The preparation of the soil for the hedge plants, may be similar to that required for a crop of Indian corn, and as above remarked, all that is necessary is to keep the weeds and grass from growing near them. If the ground is wet, it has been found beneficial to dig trenches, two feet deep, and half fill them with small stones or coarse gravel, the natural soil being laid on the top, forming a slight ridge. Fig. 1-Buckthorn-Rhamnus catharticus the society awarded him the first prize offered on hat subject. Mr. D. stated that it was then more nan forty (now fifty) years since he commenced the trial of live-fences. His first trials were with the English Hawthorn, the Honey Locust, and the Crab Apple, all of which failed. In 1809 he made his first trial of the Buckthorn, in a hedge about twenty rods long, which has remained till the present time, not a single plant having failed from it, nor has it ever been known to be attacked by any insect. He has at various periods set out more Buckthorns, till he has now nearly 200 rods of them, forming a perfect fence. He says I do not hesitate to pronounce the Buckthorn the most suitable plant for hedges that I have ever met with. It vegetates early in the spring, and retains its verdure late in autumn; I have often seen it This has been practiced with success on the level and somewhat wet lands of parts of Seneca county, in this state, as noticed in our volume for 1847, page 257. The accompanying cut (fig. 2,) represents the manner of planting hedges. The details of planting are well described by Mr. DowNING, in the first volume of the Horticulturist. He thinks the spring is the best time for planting, in the northern states, the autumn in southern. The soil having been pro. perly prepared, by pulverization, &c., he says The plants are now to be made ready. This is done in the first of small size. Lay aside the smaller ones for the richest part of your place, by assorting them into two parcels-those of large and those ground and plant the larger ones on the poorest of the soil. This will prevent that inequality which there would be in the hedge if strong and weak plants were mixed together, and it will equalize the growth of the whole plantation by dividing the advantages. The plants should then be trimmed. This is speedily done by cutting down the top or stem, to within about an inch of what was the ground line) so that it will, when planted again, have but an inch of |