42

THE PROSPECTS OF THE FARMERS OF THE UNITED STATES.

vines, corn stalks, or vegetables in the yard, with The magazines of grain abroad, which are provifree access to pure water, with a supply of salt, dentially filled through successive years of excess lime, ashes, and sulphur, with a daily ramble in the of production, will have been nearly or quite expasture for a few hours, where easily accessible, or hausted before the next harvest, and the minimum if not, then as often as practicable, would undoubt-of price then will not have been reached, till seveedly most effectually secure the greatest quantity ral good crops have been secured. Add to this,

of rich milk.

THE PROSPECTS OF THE FARMERS OF
THE UNITED STATES.

population in Europe is rapidly multiplying under the favoring influences of universal peace; and it has in many sections already reached that point, when agriculture, in the present state of its science and practice, is barely sufficient to enable production to meet the demands of the citizens now extensively engaged in manufactures, commerce, and the various arts.

WE think we can discern in the causes of the present price of products, a reasonably prosperous condition for the agriculturists of the United States for some years to come. The crops throughout a considerable portion of Europe have been seriously To the inhabitants of the west and southwestern diminished during the past season, and to such an States of the Union, an additional cause of remuneextent as to have created a large demand for vari- ration will be found in the increasing facilities and ous articles of produce from our own country. diminished rates for conveying their products to Owing to a bad season, the wheat and other grain market. New and spacious avenues are opening crops, not only of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in various directions, by which their produce will but also on the continent, have been somewhat de- find a direct and economical transmission to the ficient; while the potato rot has cut short this large eastern markets. Among these are the Wamain article of food from large masses of the popu-bash canal, already navigable some 200 miles, but lation. The north of Europe, from which large soon to be completed from the permanently navigasupplies of grain are annually drawn, has partaken ble waters of that river to Lake Erie, some 300 to no inconsiderable extent in a deficiency of crop, miles; the Maumee canal, connecting Cincinnati while the region of the Black Sea, which annually and Lake Erie, which, with the former, are direct exports largely, has at least not augmented its highways for western Ohio, and nearly all of Inproduction. The millions are to be fed abroad, and diana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and a part of to no other country can they look for a full supply Arkansas and Álabama; the Illinois canal, to be of food but to our own. Added to the unusual de- finished within the present year, and capable of ficiency of the Eastern hemisphere, a rapidly grow-yielding similar facilities to Illinois, Iowa, and ing demand has sprung up in Europe of late years Missouri.

for different items of American production, such as Railroads, too, are starting into life in different salted beef and pork, lard, lard oil, tallow, hides, directions in the west, and opening their iron butter, cheese, wool, &c., which has relieved our thoroughfares for the accommodation of our westhome market of all the surplus produce at remune- ern farmers, who thus have facilities for the transrating prices. This demand is constantly aug-mission of various perishable articles to distant menting, and the active, prosperous condition of markets, where they can arrive uninjured, and find foreign manufactures has rendered their continual a profitable sale, which the hitherto tardy means of importation a matter of absolute certainty. conveyance rendered impossible.

The operation of our late tariff has, on the other Under all the circumstances of the prospect behand, diverted no inconsiderable portion of our fore us, we may confidently say to our farmers, former agricultural classes into manufacturers, who without some material and adverse policy in the have thus shifted sides, and become consumers, in-administration of our own national affairs, your stead of producers. So long as this policy shall prospects are bright for the immediate future. Our be persisted in, a healthy division of the industrial monetary and industrial system is in a most classes of our country will be maintained, and the healthy condition; reason and common sense have ordinary products of our farmers will continue to resumed their reign throughout the country; the lecommand fair prices; while the increasing de-gitimate avenues of agriculture, foreign and domesmand for various articles for their use, hitherto but tic commerce, manufactures, and the various arts, little cultivated among us, will gradually induce are all appropriately filled, and in successful prosetheir production to a large extent, and at profitable cution. It is in the power of the agriculturists of prices. Among these are silk, hemp, flax, in- the country to keep them where they are. The digo, &c. balance of power is with you. If true to your own There is in addition, every probability of some interests, and you rigidly adhere to our present relaxation in the very stringent policy of Great wise system, a long and bright career of prosperity Britain, in regard to the admission of some of our is before you. Your destiny is in your own agricultural staples, such as wheat, flour, and pota- hands; and it is for you to watch carefully the adtoes, and especially in the almost free admission of ministration of public affairs, and see to it that no maize, or Indian corn. Should this anticipation be false theoretical principles of government, no ramrealized, we may confidently rely on a large and pant or unhallowed ambition, whether national or permanent demand for these staples at such prices individual, be permitted to thrust disorder into our as will afford a most satisfactory return to the pro- present beneficent system, and snatch from you the ducer. The exhaustion of the ordinary supply in legitimate fruits of your own skill and industry Europe, from the present deficiency, cannot belay your plans at once for an increased producwholly obviated by another season's full crop. tion in every department of your farming opera

tions, not by attempting the cultivation of more Horses are not unfrequently kickers and biters acres than you can profitably attend to, but by en- only with other horses, and for this mares are riching, and rendering more productive by careful more remarkable than horses. A vice of this kind tillage, what you now have under management. can never be cured. Punish for it, and the punishIntroduce the best systems of husbandry into your ment is forgotten in an hour, and the vice again practice, the best seeds and the best implements; indulged. With some horses it becomes a mania. carefully harvest and lay up beyond the risk of They will slip their halters when the stable is injury or waste, your surplus crops, and hold them locked up, and go round to the other horses, and for the best probable market; avoid running in bite and kick them unmercifully. Again, they will debt, and pay such as you have already contracted. kick or bite strange or unfavorite horses, and not With the adoption of such a system rigidly adhered known ones. For all this there is no remedy but to, the expiration of the ensuing five years may separation. The horse that slips or breaks his see you the most prosperous class within the Union, halter to indulge his passion must be kept alone, or if you are not decidedly so at this present moment. put into a close box stall; and those who dislike strangers must be worked and lie only with constant companions. Some horses will only kick Vices. In this No. we shall speak only of those and bite when brought to the shop to be shod, and vices which are exhibited in the stable (the vices of then are furious. They fear a crowd, and have work and of the road will claim a separate num- doubtless learned this from the performance of ber), which are biting and kicking. It is true these some operation, as breaking, castration, or docking are also seen out of the stable, but the danger aris- and pricking, which has required several persons ing from them is usually only in the stable. Many to do it. They recollect the pain inflicted formerly horses will only bite and kick in the stable, al- by a crowd, and fear it again. It will be found though they will threaten to do so out of it. that they cannot be shod in the smithy; yet the smith may go alone to the stable and shoe them in quietness without danger.

To the groom, and the gentlemen who drive their own horses, it is important that the horse should, as to these vices, be safe in himself, or that the person controlling him should have the power to make him harmless. Much, in this respect, depends on the groom, or the gentleman himself. His bad habits and vices, or his good temper and prudence, will have much to do with those of the horse. A horse of great sagacity and high spirit, in the hands of an ill-tempered, violent, and brutal groom, might, and very likely would, become vicious in some respect. Indeed all those horses that are moderately vicious only as biters, are all, or nearly all, made so by violence and bad management. They are generally teased into the habit. It is natural that a horse should retaliate abuse, and when pinched and teased they know it, and as they do not understand a joke, make a serious return for the fun of the groom. Such horses, however, never do harm but to repay abuse. Hence whipping does no good, and only makes them more violent and disposed to evil. Indeed it may be questioned if, for the vices of biting and kicking, a horse ever is improved by punishment. For casual misconduct only, will correction answer a good purpose. Habitual vices can only be overcome by kindness, and if this will not reach them, caution and the avoidance of danger are the only means of obviating the difficulty. With vices of temper, punishment only makes bad worse, and the horse will in the end be apt to become ferocious. STALL FOR A BITER.-FIG. 8. Horses will often put on the show of vice, will Our cut this month illustrates a method of managthreaten to bite and to kick, will lear, and raise the ing a horse that is a vicious biter. For many reahind foot, and pretend to strike with the fore, and sons it is often desirable to keep a biter. Generally champ their teeth, and yet it is all play. Mares they are the best of horses, and have no other are quite apt to do this in gentlemen's or coaching vice. Not uncommonly, under the management of stables. If teased they may bite, but will only a single groom, they are kind and affectionate, but threaten if not teased, and indeed seem to threaten to strangers are savage and dangerous. Of course, sometimes to avoid being teased, and at others to they are never to be trusted. If they cannot be command attention and secure petting. Such horses rendered harmless, they are worse then useless; should never be minded. Let them alone and they indeed vice is the worst kind of worthlessness, for will do no harm. It is an evidence of spirit, and worthlessness has its degrees, as it may be harmthey have generally much energy and bottom. less or dangerous. Our cut shows a method of

44

BACHELDERS CORN PLANTER, ETC.

making a biter harmless in the stable. A cord is All this will answer with horses that fear punfastened to the halter head, and passes through the ishment; but with horses that are bold, and will ring, or staple, or hole into which the halter stale, fight if corrected, nothing but a head-cord to first or strap, is fastened, and passes from thence to an- fasten their heads will make them safe; and the other at the end of the stall division post in the cord must be relied on wholly. A muzzle will rear of the horse. Here it is fastened, that it may hinder the horse from biting, but it will not prenot be drawn through. When the groom is to enter vent him from striking; and tying by the head the stall, he pulls the cord, and draws the horse's alone will answer.

head up to the ring to which the halter is fastened, With all horses that bite, caution and kindness and then the cord is tied. His head no longer at are the only means of safety. Kindness may reliberty, the horse is no longer dangerous. This claim the playful or moderate biter; caution alone method is cheap, simple, and easily adopted. A will make harmless the confirmed, savage, and fehole in the stall partition, when of boards, and one rocious one.

in the post of the partition, which anybody may bore with an auger, will answer the purpose to pass the cord through. This method is convenient and cheap. When the horse is taken out without the halter there is no trouble in it, for it costs as much trouble to take off the halter without the safety-cord as with it. If the halter be left on the horse, it is as easy to untie the cord from the halter as to untie the halter; and it may be made for a few pennies (or shillings if made with rings) at most.

BACHELDER'S CORN-PLANTER.

FIG. 9.

Among biters, those which threaten are in general but little dangerous, and are much less THIS is the best machine we have yet seen for so than those which give no warning. The vice planting corn. The seed is put into the hopper seems to have all degrees; and the worst is that above the beam, and as the planter moves along, which shows itself in the horse who gives no indi- the share below opens the furrow; the corn is then cation of his vice. If such a biter be timid he will dropped by arms moved by a crank. These arms wait until the groom is within reach, dart at him, have holes in the end of them, and as they play back bite him severely, and then fly to the other side of and forth from under the hopper, receive from three the stall, and crouch or tremble in every fibre. to five grains in each hole, and drop the corn through Having learned that punishment follows the biting, a perpendicular tube attached to the share, into the he seems only to fear it when he has incurred the drill made by it. A triangular iron follows and penalty. He may be whipped severely, and in an covers the corn, and the roller passes over and hour he will repeat the biting. Here punishment presses it down. The arms are made to drop the will do no good. Let the groom when he enters corn nearer or farther apart by different sized wheels the stall assume a resolute air, and threaten, and fastened on the crank, moving the arms quicker or the timid biter is overawed, and so long as the slower as required. Those usually made here drop groom keeps up his hostile air he is safe. This is from two feet to four feet apart, as wished. The the better course, and punishment should not be re-machine requires a small horse or mule to draw it, sorted to. To threaten it will deter, but to inflict it and with a boy to tend it and drive, will plant two after the biting will not prevent a recurrence. to four acres per day, according to the width of the Where the horse is savage and bold, and will, rows apart. The price is $16. It is kept at our if punished, resist, he is the most dangerous of all warehouse. biters. He of course does not warn, but will dash at one even when he knows he is watched, and PATENT SPRING TONGUE BUCKLE. not only bite, but do it repeatedly, and retain the WE have been shown one of these, and we ask grip of his jaws, and not unfrequently use his feet, attention to it for the purpose of both approval and and trample the object of his violence under his condemnation. In principle it is a modification feet. This is the mode in which ferocious stal-only of the common buckle; in the common one lions kill their grooms, and it has occasionally oc- the draught is on the tongue, and the cross-bar of the curred with geldings. buckle on which the tongue rests at its moving

Nothing will cure the determined biter. Caution end; the trace is curved at the point where the alone will render him safe. He should be managed tongue enters it, and the draught is oblique both on by one person. When the groom goes up to him the tongue and the cross-bar; this arrangement it should be in a decided manner, boldly, and as if spreads the draught over the whole of the trace, and he was to command or overpower the horse. He the tongue and cross-bar both are employed in the should speak sternly to him, and keep his eye on draught. The buckle will sustain greater draught on him. If a bold horse, a whip should be used, and account of the obliquity of the draught. The spring a blow threatened, unless with those in whom it buckle places the tongue at right angles to the would provoke retaliation. If it be necessary to trace, and there is no pressure on the cross-bar from do anything about the horse, it will be necessary to the trace itself, and only from the tongue. In all tie his head, or muzzle him. When the groom this it is inferior to the old buckle, and in use will leaves the stall, he should back the horse to the destroy traces faster far than the common one. length of the halter, and then step back out of the Then for traces or great draught it is worthless. The stall, which he may do safely. tongue is moved by a spring, and enters the strap

GROWTH OF HAY.-BENEFIT OF AGRICULTURAL PERIODICALS.

45

right angles. Here is its merit. In harness where though the instance mentioned is the only one we straps sustain no draught, or a very slight one, this have noticed as being reserved for hay. We do buckle is to be commended; to move the strap it not conceive there will be any effect on the next is only necessary to move the tongue, and the strap year's crop, whether the present one were cut earlier is free. In the common buckle it is often difficult to or later; the aggregate taken off in the course of the move the strap to free the tongue, and in that respect season, alone affecting the quality of soil and its the spring buckle is a decided improvement; and capability for subsequent production. We should this applies more strikingly to traces than any other prefer that some of the dead grass were left as a part of the harness; but even in this respect the slight protection to the roots against frost; but the spring buckle is not equal to Lawrence's lever buckle, latter seldom does serious injury to the roots of any for the trace may be more readily moved in it than of the grasses, unless accompanied by standing wain the former. We fear that the spring tongue buckle ter, when it is said to winter kill. cannot be made small enough (on account of its The remaining part of the article our correspondcomplexity) to be used on harnesses at other points ent has pretty much answered himself. We doubt than the traces. If so, it is valueless for all pur- the full dimensions of improvements communicated poses about harnesses. If it can be made small to the late Commissioner of Patents, and would enough to answer for the purpose of fastening much sooner credit a series of well authenticated straps where there is no draught, or but a slight one, facts in support of it, than an isolated instance, or and a small buckle is required, it is a valuable im- any conjectures as to its possibility. provement. The same objection which applies to bonaceous matter is added to a soil, which is kept the common buckle does to this, viz.: when the in grass, does not admit of doubt. The leaves abtrace or strap is moved, it must be moved from sorb carbonic acid from the atmosphere in large hole to hole, and these cannot be near each other, for quantities, and carry no inconsiderable portion of then the trace or strap would be too much weak- it into the roots, where it accumulates in the soil, ened. Here Lawrence's buckle is eminently supe- and nitrogen may possibly be added in sufficient rior, as no holes are necessary, and the trace or quantity to maintain or even increase the standard strap is held by pressure, produced by the leverage fertility, by absorbing ammonia or nitric acid from of its curvature, and can be moved as much or little the air and rains. But if the crop of grass be anas may be wished. nually carried off, it is as certain as light, that there is a diminution of the salts; and the mineral or inorganic portions of the soil are gradually becoming exhausted, and if not replaced, they will sooner or later be so used up as to admit of no profitable returns.

Where there is no draught the spring buckle is superior to the common buckle; where there is draught no buckle equals Lawrence's tongueless one.

GROWTH OF HAY.

That car

The reason of improvement going forward more OUR correspondent A. R. D. (see last No., page rapidly when the seed is first allowed to mature, is 30), stated the fact, in his article, of a meadow in simply, that in harvesting, much of it is scattered on New Jersey, which was so much affected by the ground, where it replaces the old stock, and fills drought, that it gave no grass at the usual time of up every vacant space, by which more agents are at mowing; but by keeping out the cattle, the grass work in drawing carbonic acid from the air, and took a start after the late rains commenced, and storing it up in the roots, where it constitutes a peryielded two tons of hay per acre, which was cut and secured in November.

manent addition to the fertility of the soil.

The fact noticed is the same as is annually reBENEFIT OF AGRICULTURAL PUBLICATIONS.-We peated among the best farmers in Kentucky and have paid out to farmers, principally of this State, Tennessee, and has been incorporated as a regular over six thousand dollars in money the past year, practice or system with them. The first crop of the for improved stock and seeds, most of which has fine blue-grass pastures, the glory of Kentucky, gone South. Now, if it were not for our periodimatures, and is fed off by cattle in the early part of cal, through the pages of which a knowledge of the season, after which the pastures are carefully these things is made known, we could not thus closed against all intruders. The late summer and benefit the farmer. Our business in these matters early fall rains again start the grass and give it a has merely commenced. What advantages, then, luxuriant growth. This second growth, owing to may not the farmer expect to derive from a continuthe difference of climate, is allowed to remain on ance of it? We probably do not make one-tenth the ground for winter fodder, and is then fed off by part of the purchases which our paper influencesthe cattle, while, at the north, it would have been perhaps not even one-twentieth; and this amount necessary to cut and house it. Irrigation, or copious is only one small item of the benefits conferred rains, with abundant manure, and a prolonged upon farmers by agricultural publications. Think autumn, would at all times secure this result in New of the improved implements which they help to Jersey. Owing to the excessive drought of the form; of the improved system of cultivation; of the early part of the season, the grass did not grow; the introduction of new plants, seeds, and fruits: new soil was not exhausted by its accustomed crop, and fertilizers, and a superior method of applying its hoarded strength was fully equivalent to a large them; and above all, the great amount of instruccoating of manure. The soil was thoroughly and tion to be found in their pages, and the constant deeply warmed by the long continued dry and hot endeavor to enlighten the minds and elevate the weather, and the frequent and abundant warm condition of the producing class-the pride, the showers that continued from the latter part of glory, and the bulwark of the country. It is a August till November, should have produced, as standing wonder that every farm-house has not its they everywhere did, abundant crops of grass, agricultural periodical.