Our farmers have from 50 to 500 acres under and directions of those who have studied the what they call cultivation. Still they are in debt, chemical formation of soils, and the effect differand in many cases the more they possess the ent manures have on different soils. Much time worse they are off. Their land is scattered far is lost, and land injured, by the farmer not knowand near. Two acres here, and ten there, instead ing the relative value of his manure, and the theory of being compact together. In this manner, more of rotation of crops, which might be saved by the time is often lost in going from one lot to another, expenditure of a little time and money in proeurin building the fences of other people, and keeping and reading agricultural papers and books. ing out their cattle, than the whole income of the land amounts to. I have myself lost more time in this way in a single year, than it would take to keep ten acres in the finest condition.

There is too much of the saving a cent, and los-
ing a dollar economy in this age. When the time
shall have arrived that men will be willing to
study the theory and practice of farming in all its
details, then shall we see agricultural pursuits el-
evated to a proper standing and yielding a profit
that shall rejoice the hearts of all.
C. CASSE

Orange County, N. Y.

THE COW-PEA AND PEACH.

What is the remedy? Sell half of your land and spend the proceeds of it on the remainder, and thus make what you have yield a liberal income. This may appear to those who have always "followed in the footsteps of their forefathers." of adding field to field to their farms, as the height of folly, but I am confident it will be their salvation. There is a good old adage, one that should be remembered by farmers as well as others, "Never attempt too OUR friend, Mr. Affleck, on page 181 of current much." Depend upon it, there is no course so volume of the Agriculturist, in making some resuicidal as that of owning and attempting to cul- marks on the cow-pea, says, in speaking of cul tivate 200 acres, when you can hardly do justice to ture, &c., "It has already been discussed in all 100. Suppose, for instance, a man has 50 acres of its bearings, but has been but little tried." Also, naturally good land, and he has but a certain for fodder it is "difficult to save." As I differ from amount of manure, time, &c., to use in its cultiva-him on both points, and as the difference involves tion, which is not enough to keep it in heart, or others, judging from the italics, and as it might pay that attention to rotation of crops, which it re-deter farmers not conversant with the article from quires, is it not evident that the land, the owner, cultivating it for hay, I beg to give my notions on or whoever is connected with it, must suffer? the subject. would not all intelligent persons condemn such a The cultivation of the pea, has been known to course? yet how many such instances are to be seen me practically for the last twenty-five years, and all around us! I believe it would be for the in- although no experiment similar to the one Mr. Afterest of many farmers, even to give away a por-fleck proposes has ever been tried within my tion of their land, rather than have so much in knowledge, yet so many have been, that the retheir care. Self interest tells us, it is the true pol-sult of such trials seem plain. I can not call to icy of such a man to sell what he can not properly mind where, but I think in the Southern Agriculuse, for he would gain time to devote to the re- turist for 1832, or about that time, you will find a mainder, money to purchase all that it required, detail of experiments with the pea. You will also his crops would yield in double ratio, his land in- find in Vol. XIII. of the American Farmer, page crease in value as it increased in fertility, and thus 212, an experiment made by the Hon. William he would be in every way benefited. Lowndes, as detailed by W. G. Read of Baltimore. At all events I feel certain, that though "it has already been discussed in all its bearings," yet that it was discussed from the deduction of tried experiments.

I have seen acres of the best land, overrun with daisies, burdocks, thistles, mulleins, and other noxious plants, that root out the grass, and eat up the life of the soil, without affording nourishment to man or beast, which might by a little attention yield a rich harvest. But the farmer has no time to attend to it, and the land becomes worse than useless; for it is self-evident that land must either increase in fertility, or decrease in value--there is no middle way—it must afford a profit or be an expense.

As a food it assuredly stands high, and is dif ficult to save if attempted as in curing other hay. There are two plans that will obviate the difficulty, viz: after cutting put them up into rail-pens having a floor of rails in the bottom some 6 to 12 inches above the ground, on which place the vine to some 2 feet thickness, and sprinkle it with salt, then a floor of rails, on which put more vine and so on; the other is, to pack away in your shed or narrow house, pea-vines and oat or rye-straw, layer and layer about, using salt on the pea-vine. I have housed the pea-vine the day cut. The vine is not cut by cradling, nor would any one require to be told it were impossible, if he ever saw them grow; nor would I suppose any one ever recommended it, unless writing of one thing and thinking of another. But they can be cut with hoe, knife, scythe, or sickle, either of which I should This leads me to inquire how are our lands rightly greatly prefer to the two-horse harrow, or any such to be cultivated? I reply by using the experience | mode; for this reason, that the horses would waste

Look again at the swamp and meadow lands, with which our country abounds that are now worthless, and causing sickness and death in their vicinity. All these might be reclaimed and made the most productive land, by a small outlay of time and capital; the owners have neither, because they have too much land already calling for their attention. The muck contained in these places, can be made to pay better interest than bank stock. Yea, if properly used, it may be the farmer's mine of wealth.

MULBERRY-PAPER.-BUTTER-MAKING.

subject have already appeared in both our last and
present volumes.
Mr. McW., we see, differs
slightly in his process of making butter from those
before described, by adding cold water to the milk
when poured into the churn, and commencing
churning it at a lower temperature than usual.
This must certainly increase the labor of bringing
the butter, and we should like to know of him,
whether it is compensated by superior quality, or
an additional quantity. The richer milk is, the
sooner butter comes, and we have often thought in
butter-dairy districts, more attention should be paid
to the quality of the milk than the quantity; for
it is something of a consideration to the dairyman
to have his butter come with as little labor as pos-
sible, and if as good a quality and as much in
quantity can be had in fifteen minutes' churning as
in two hours, it will amount in the aggregate to a
great saving of labor. We wish, sincerely, that a
series of experiments might be made between the
better and poorer qualities of milk; for certain it
is, if a cow which gives 10 to 12 quarts per day
makes as many pounds of butter as another that
gives 16 to 18 quarts, both consuming the same
quantity of food, inasmuch as the milk of the for-
mer would churn to butter sooner than that of the
latter, she should be preferred as a butter-cow, un-
less the extra quantity of butter-milk from the lat-
ter made up the difference in value of the labor in
churning and milking.

after which the water is thrown off. The butter
now undergoes the process of salting, it is then
placed in a cool situation where it stands about an
hour, and worked carefully over. This finished it
is placed in the same situation as before, where it
stands three or four hours, and is again worked
over; again replaced for five or six hours, when
it is worked over for the third time. It is now re-
placed, where it stands till the next morning and
worked over for the fourth time. A small quan-
tity of nitre is then put in the butter. Thus fin-
ished it is placed in firkins holding about 85 lbs.
Previous to packing, the firkin is scalded with hot
water, rinsed and cooled with cold water, then
rubbed all around with fine salt; this prevents the
butter from adhering to the sides of the firkin.
When the firkin is full, a linen cloth is placed
over the top of the butter; on this cloth a cover-
ing of salt is put one inch deep, and cold water
enough added to it to form a brine. It then stands
till it is to be sent to market when the cloth and
salt are removed, the firkin turned down, the top
of the butter in the keg washed with cold water
and the pickle drained off. The firkin is now
neatly headed up and sent to market.
GEORGE S. McWILLIAMS.

McCORMICK'S REAPING-MACHINE.

Scotchtown, Jan. 3d, 1844. WE have never seen this Reaper in operation, Dear Sir: Having received your note of October but understand that it is highly approved of and 20th, wishing me to give a minute description of the quite in demand in Virginia where it was inventprocess of my way of making butter, I cheerfully ed. We have been shown certificates from sevcomply with your request. Willing to give what eral eminent practical farmers there, expressing little information I am in the possession of, and their satisfaction of its performance on their planhoping to get more information from the state-tations. Mr. McCormick is now on a tour in this ments of several of our best butter-makers which you propose publishing. My farm consists of 103 acres of land, 85 of which is under cultivation. In my dairy I keep from eighteen to twenty cows. The farm is elevated land suitable for grazing; the north end is the principal meadow. The buildings are placed near the centre of the farm, and from these the land gradually descends to the south. The southern part is watered with springs, the middle with wells and springs. The north with springs and a never-failing stream of water.

state, for the purpose of introducing it into our large wheat-growing counties, and will proceed west as far as Michigan and Illinois on the same errand, and we trust the farmers in that quarter will give it a fair trial. So long as crops come in so abundantly, we must expect the prices of produce to rule low; it behooves the agriculturist, therefore, to avail himself of all possible improvements in culture and harvesting; he will thus be enabled to successfully compete with the foreigner, and supply distant nations cheaper than any other country can do. If prices fall we must endeavor to grow our products at less cost.

New York, July 5th, 1844. I herewith transmit cuts of my Reaping-Machine, together with a description of the same.

Our practice is not to churn the inilk until it becomes thick or loppered, the milk and cream is then churned together. The temperature of the milk is about 50 degrees. In warm weather about a quart of cold water is put in each pan before the milk is strained, so as to keep it sweet as long Description.--B, the tongue; s, tongue-post, fig. as possible. The cellar-floor is brick. This in 2.-c, yoke, fig. 1.-Y, front brace; F, D, hounds, warm weather is daily cleansed with cold water. fig. 1.-R, Q, G, wheel-post, fig. 2.—s, wheel-brace, A drain from the cellar carries off the water thus fig. 2.-3, short reel-post, fig. 2.-A, platform, fig. applied. The churn is filled about half full with 2.-A, out-joint piece, fig. 2.—K, small wheel-piece, milk, with the addition of two pails of cold water fig. 1.-E, E, cloth-posts, fig. 1.-v, T, teeth; L, before starting the churn. In cold weather the false-divider, fig, 2.-, long reel-post; K, platformsame quantity of warm water is applied. When brace; z, side-board, fig. 2.-x, wheel-cap, fig. 1. the churning is finished, which usually occupies-H, bough, fig. 1.-B, divider, fig. 1.-H, dividingabout two hours of time, there are then two more pails of cold water applied to raise the butter and cool it. The butter is then taken out of the churn and put in a large tray, this is immediately filled with cold water and the butter carefully washed;

iron, fig. 2-M, main ground-wheel, fig. 1.—H, small ground-wheel; N, master cog-wheel; F, pinion, fig. 2.-q, beviled-wheel; R, fly-wheel; w, reel-shaft, fig. 1.-U, reel-pully; w, w. &c., reel ribs.

The divider to be placed with the screw left about the middle of its mortice, and on a trial to be set out or in as may be shown best by the operation. As much grain should be collected by it as can be well cut. The bough to be put further out or in, to suit grain more or less tangled, by the distance which the hind end is made to pass through the frame of the platform. Dividing-iron by its moveable groove to be raised or lowered to suit the height of the reel.

The Reel.-Its height is regulated altogether by the grain to be cut, being placed only so low usually as to operate well upon the short grain that may be in the piece to be cut--observing to have the two ends of equal height, or the band would not run fairly upon the pulleys, which, in the first place, must be so placed upon the shaft that the band will work properly upon the iron pulley below. By means of the reel-screw the band is kept tight, and by the buckle it is taken up as it stretches-tail of the band behind.

The Lever puts the blade out of gear when the machine runs without cutting. Long end of the Yoke next to the grain, and hole in it turned up or down to suit high or low horses-ends fastened to the horses with leather straps-off horse to be borne off by a stick. To prevent accident put nails in points of keys, and at corners of screw-taps--a tack in the point of the driverkey when the followers are tightened-point of the key to be cut off when driven up-Connecting-pin, followers, &c., to be renewed of hard wood when necessary-though not often-put pins in oil-holes to keep out sand-grind the blade on smooth side when necessary.

Operation-At the commencement of harvest, | ward, and close to the machine, and throwing his when the wheat is often somewhat green and hea- rake entirely across the platform with a limber vy, and the hands unskilled in the use of the rake, action, must take a strong hold upon the heads of it must be expected that raking the wheat from the the wheat, and at a quick draw bring it off withmachine will be laborious, which, however, will out halting, rather against and behind his left, become less and less so, as wheat ripens and hands never before him. The heads must be drawn acquire the art. The raker must walk well for- round, so that the buts will be left pretty much

FIG. 49.