Title: The Pennsylvania farm journal, v. 5 Place of Publication: Lancaster, Pa. Copyright Date: 1855 Master Negative Storage Number: MNS# PSt SNPaAg087.2 THE ENNSTLVANIA FARM JOURNAL DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE AND Ittral §tmmt *\ 3. L. DARLINGTON, Epiioiu f VOLUME V. PHILADBLPHIA : aAifUEL EMLEN & 00. 1866. Vil 'I J I \ fi GENERAL INDEX FOR 1855. «•» Paob. A ^4.0 4.^ FlAefvAtr "RaH it (( (( « « <( « « « (( tt it tt U u l< u ii it tt u tt it tt tt tt tt tt tt tt tt M ' by Hon. M. P. Wilder, - - - (t « Judge Black, - - - - a " C. P. Holoomb, - - - « S. John, .----- « Governor Bigler, - - - - ^MCUtTUBAL Society, New York State, Officers, - Indiana County Schuylkill County United States Snowdon Township, - Annual Meeting of U. S. Crawford County President of the Penna. Mifflin County . - - Montgomery County Exhibition of New York State " ** Pennsylvania " United States - - - Chester County Delaware County Exhibition of United States Mercer County - '• Officers of Riverside " Tioga County - Bucks County United States - Westmoreland County - Crawford County Annual Meeting of Pa. State Philadelphia - - 54, 66, 181 Meeting of Ex. Com. of Penna. 154 20 20 28 23 231 ir 60 62 61 58 118 117 123 188 188 185 169 182 212 220 201 39 81 81 188 263 257 42 50 tt tt tt ti tt u u u u u « tt u Exhibitions, • tt Awards of Committees at United States at Chester County, - New Jersey State Philadelphia Society, 297,322 by Prof. Coukaa, - - 269 Chemistry, Truths estoblished by 174, 206, 240 tt tt tt tt Botany, « tt tt u tt College in Michigan, - - - Implements, . - - - Enthusiasts, - - - - - Periodicals for Premiums, - Show in England, - - - - Shows, State, for 1855, [6RICULTURE, European - - - - " Lunar Influences on - - - " in France, - - - - - Bid Phosphate of Lime, - - - - - ot for Preservation of Insectivorous Birds and Protec- tion of Fruit and Fruit Trees, - - - Iction of Lime, - - - [daptation of the Lands of New Jersey for Agricultural Purposes, ....... fdemoy, a Good Milking - - - - - (WOAif Herd Book, Triumph in Europe, - - . - »tii Destruction of Ui Apiary, Aphides on Bedding Plants, How to Destroy Apple, Indian ------ Jennetting . - . - - New Seedling - - - - Tree Borer, " " Mode of Repelling Apples, Value of " in Western New York, Ashes and Plaster, Ast^ia, ------* Blackberry, Lawton - - - - - Butter Worker, Dickey's - - - - Barns, .-----"' Butter Stock, ------ Black Hawk, Origin of Blackberry, New Rochelle . - - Barns and Wintering Stock, - - - - Bee Keeping, ------ Blackberry, the White - - - , - Book Notices, ------ Bread, Corn, Rye and Indian Bee Hive, Protective . - - - Barnum's Autobiography, - - - ■ Beans with Indian Corn, - - - - Bees, Feeding . - - - - Beet Root Vinegar, - - - - • Bones, Lasting Effects of - - - Butter Making, Prof. Wayne on Boys, a Word to the Budding, a few Hints on - - - - Breaking Steers, - - - ■? Butter Making, - - - - - Blackberry, the New . - - - Beurre Goubault, . , . - - Breed of Poultry, - . • - Breeding, Uniformity in «■ • - - Blanketing Cows, . - - - Buds, Wood and Fruit - - - - Breeding Cattle for Fattening, 136 Business, How to Commence - - - 270 Behind Time, 102 Baked Beets, " 196 Butter, Machine for Weighing and Branding 283 Botts, Cure for - - - - ■ 256 Beet, Large ------ 4, 36 Birds, Plea for 186 Bones, will Ashes Destroy 176 Breeding, Just Principles of - - * 201 Bates Thomas, the late - - - Boar, Improved Suffolk . - - - 260 Bucks County Exhibition. - - - 319 Broad Making, Lime Water in • • - Basket Willow, Peeling 193 Cochin China, Ac, . - - - - 69 Colza, or Rape Seed, Cultivation of 310 Cattle, to Promote the Health of - - 291 Cows, Free-Martin . . - - 222 Com Sheller and Cleaner, Reading's Patent Paob. U% 107 278 9 9 273 223, 319 200 75 180 316 304 22 62 76 72 108, 160 - 103, 207 133 327 303 298 308 130 177 149 131 155 189 168 179 172 171 172 171 210 223 233 282 259 270 313 292 291 292 305 314 307 316 319 305 74 59 203 64 27 204 185 328 61 74 6 31,47 46 40 57 TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF t GENERAL INDEX. GENERAL INDEX. \ <■ Cattle Show, Smithfield Club Corn Fodder for Cows and Subaoiling, Catting Briars and Bushes, Corn Shbller, Reading's « and Cob Mill, Scott's Little Giant Cold Graperies, - - - - Chinese and Japanese Plants, Corn Planter, Wakefield's Hand Chester County, More Durham Stock for Compost, Cotswold Sheep, Col. Ware's - Currants, .--.-• Cows, Swiss Carrot, the White - - - • Chauncey P. Holoomb, Death of Camphor vs. Pea Bugs, - . - Calves, Raising on Sour Milk, Calf Suckler, Compost Heaps, . - - - Charcoal for Fruit, . . . - County Exhibitions, . . • • Conservatories, . . • • • Chops, Rotation of . . . • '* in Western Pennsylvania^ " in Virginia, . - • • " Coming, - - - • - Currants and Gooseberries, Pruning Culture of Asparagus, - - - Cold Grapery, Profits of - . - Corn Sheller, Eldridge's Patent - " and Cob Meal, • • . - Catawissa Raspberry, . . - Cutting Com Fodder, - . . . Currants, Cuttings of the Zante Chester County Horticultural Socie^, Cattle, External Parts of • • • Cheese Making, . - - . • Colza OU, California Glow Worm — Natural Lantern, Culture of Strawberries, . - - California Pine, - - - • • Cabbage for Cows, - - • . Cooper's Lime Spreader, . • - Colza or Rape Seed, . - • • Crops of 1855, Cold Vinery, Committees at State Fairs, . . . Cnicus Arvensis — Canada Thistle, Cow, North Devon - - - . Can Manure be Removed by the Tenant, Committees at Exhibitions, . . . Cow, Produce of one - - • - Celery, Colts, Breaking to Bits and Harness, • Cranberries, Culture of • - - • Cherry, Devon Cow . . . - Compliment, a Pleasing • . • Clover, Alsike ..... Cheat, Wheat Turning to . . . Celery, Earthing up • - - • Cans and Jars, Arthur's Self-Sealing Calf, Mammoth ..... Cucumbers, Great Yield of - - • Cattle, Improved for the Dairy, Com Raising. — An Interesting Inquiry, Chum, Spain's Patent ... Crimson Clover, ..... 161, 246, Paob. 58 74 85 06 81 127 114 104 •100 98 101 107 97 136 164 192 166 184 260, 289 189 167 180 165 166, 271 191 188 176 192 179 177 198 212 224 212 216 217 220 224 238 245 245 240 260 261 265 273 273 272 280 800 301 302 807 320 810 120 83 181 267 177 224 204 146 134 153 131 Cattle and Sheep, Public Sale of - . . " Imported ------ 245 Cauliflower, Mammoth - - . - . Country, Living in - - • - - U0,| Cattle Show, National - - - - . Curculio, Remedy for - . - - . Children, an Article for - - - - . Deep Plowing and Dry Weatusr, - . - Domestic Recipes, - - • - - 9, 59, M, Durham Oxen, Pure Bred - - - - Distant Subscribers, - . • - - . Deep Cultivation, . . - - - Devons, Pedigree of - - - - - . DiSBASBS of Horses, ..... ** and Insects Afifecting Fruit Trees, Draining Tile and Draining, ... Ditch Digger, Pratt's - - - - Debp Digging, Experiment in - - - " Plowing, , . - - - Devon Bull Massasoit, . - - - - Drilling, ...---• Drainage, Test for the Expediency of - - Durham Cattle, - . . - - " « for Chester County, Draining, --»---- Deep Tillage, -«---- Dwarf Trees, - - Drainage, the Physical Laws upon which it Depends, Daniel's Hay and Fodder Cutter, ... Defects in Stables, ---.-. Decaying Substances, Smells Produced by Drill, Pennock's Improved .... " Stacey's Patent . . . . - Deep Tillage, .--•--. Deepening the Soil, -.---. Drilling Wheat, a Fact in Regard to - - • Durham Stock, --.-.-. Dried Peaches, ---.-•- Droughts, Ultimate Benefit of, and the Modes in which they act to improve Land, . . - • Dbyons, Mr. Curwen's - - - . - " Fine in Pennsylvania, - . - - " Holcomb's DRAiNiNfa, Munn's Practical Land " Benefit of Duke of Athol, Ewes, Leicester ..-.-- Entomology, ..-..-- Elephant, Seeing the . . . - - ii Exhibitions, List of County in Pennsylvania, Exhibition, Industrial at Doyleston, '' Reaping and Mowing Eye, the ---.-.- - Evergreens, Transplanting . . . - Farming, Lime and Fancy . . . - Flower Pots, Glazed - - - - Fruit Trees, Labels of . . . - • '' Production, Preservation and Ripening of Preservation of . . - - - Trees, best Soil for - - - - Catalogue for General Cultivation, - Trees, Grafting and Pruning and Ornamental Trees, . . - - Trees, Report on Diseases Affecting " Wash for - - - - - " to Keep Straight, . - - '* Prolific Character of, in California, a €t u it tt Growing in Philadelphia-Large Plums, , profitt of - " ' ' jouaNAL, Pennsylvania - - for 1856, Horace Greeley's . - - • Bcbool Appropriation, - - - - Pnwtical Work of the ' ^ ' . ' . Fencing, " ' "" Registers and Farm Aeoonnto, ' ' / JJj Implements, Yard Poultry, BBS' Beading Room in Philadelphia, ^ - Creed, High School, - • • • • u " Act of Incorporation of $1000 Subscriptions, Paox. 280 879 83 831 62 156 140 185 190 u tt a 279 62, 229 68 (t u tDnroPig«» Profits of - • " • • PBA-a Renovator of Exhausted Soil, u as a Renovator of the Soil, • ice Posts, Burning Ends of i< and Meal, Preserving . . . - ider, Sowing Com for Inch Drains, Making under in Horses, -•--•• rls, to Fatten - - ening Poultry, ik Quartly, North Devon Bull 8, Keeping Thread, Value of a Pound, . - - • for Country Houses, Lime, More Evidence in Favor of • • • p"» I « Early Northern Muscadine . . • I" Mildew, Cure of - - - - - « Disease, _---•-- ipes in Consumption, . . . - - aperies, Preparation of the Border of Cold ig on Walnut, ------ 88 Seed, -..---•• uses for Lawns, .----- JAKO, ..------ '" Inspection, ------ Deposites, on Potatoes, ------ Plowing in - - * - for Insects, ------ Mode of Using • - - • • Domestic .--••- Trade, ..•••-• Home-made ---•'*- for Spring Crops, - - - - « OYemor Brown, ...--• fted Chesnut Trees, . _ . - . lin Market, the Greatest in the World, - erget, Another Cure for - . - - BldFiah, Neatness of Little Things, - - . - joBTicuLTUEAL SociBTT, Pennsylvania 91, 93, 157, 191, 308 182 84 251 32 140 83 33 60 830 139 129 210 228 241 831 362 201 143 296 268 142^ 812 13 17 85 128 275 11 199 242 188 210 13 25 832 265 35 96 76 102 17 135 139 172 256 233 tt tt H tt a u tt tt Delaware County - Chester County - Pittsburg • - Novelty, - . - - [OETICULTURIST, -...-- Removal to Philadelphia leseian Fly and the Midge, . • - - Horse, to Make Carry his TaH Straight - Shoe, Newly Invented External Parts of - - ^- Hoe, Knox's Patent - - - Horses, - - - - " Ringbone in - - - - Hat Tedding Machine, - . . - " for Cows in Summer, - - - " Press, Vertical - - - • • Hen Manure, - - - - • Hens Profitable, Hbdgbs, How to Cut - - - - Ornamental and Evergreen - Osage Orange - - - Hoeing vs. Watering, - - - - Home Production and Home Coneumptlon, Holcus Saccharatus, - Hoof Bound, . - - - - Hop Culture, ..---- Homespun Gossipings, - • • Hermetically Sealed, . - - Hancock Thomas, Death of - - - Heat upon Meat, Effects of - - Harrow, Exp. and Reversible Hints for the Season, . . - Italiak Rtb Grass, - - - - tt tt tt 2k Word in Defence of Ihsegts, to Destroy " ' ." ' " Report on Diseases Affecting Information Wanted, . . • - Interesting Inquiry, - - - - Inquiry, an - - - - • " Intellectual Improvement in Farmera, Institute, the Boston Veterinary - Importing Vegetables, . - - Imported Stock, - - • - - Ice Houses, Cheap . . - - Interesting Inquiry Continued, Jujube Tree, . - - ■ • Jersey Cattle, . • - - - Japanese Yam, • • - • • Judging Animals, - - - - - Judges, List of at the State Fair, Kirkleavington, Durham Bull Kindlings, Cheap - . - • Lord Barrington, Durha» Bull Lounges on the Sofa, Mr. Smith Lemon Tree, Fine Lime Spreader, - . - - Lucerne, Culture of . - - • Land, on the Impoverishment of " Improving Poor - - - - " Price of Leibig's New Work, . . - - Lime Spreaders, - - - • • Leaves, Mangold Wurtzel Memories, ------ Millet Culture, Mowers, Trial of in 1855, - ti tt t* Massachusetts, Mowing Machines, . - - • " and Reaping Machines, " Machine, Allen's - • • • Manures, - - ' . * ' « Coveney's Economical Classification of . - Poultry . - - • 224 224 217 147 221 316 281 208 9M9 133, 2t§ - 7, IS, 76 282 IM 103, 122 2dS 12f . 70, 18* 17, a 2T 18t l$% S3« 10§ llf 170, 278 271 308 309 185 200 230 181 268 164 19,71 2$ 224 19§ 317 320 382 42 98 212 187 171 298 2d§ • 24 24 248 181 216 222 la 178 10,58 188 184, 189 96 tt ti 218 202 208 219 208 85, 123, 152, 181 - 123, 182, 141 12, 13^ 216 4« 6ft - - U m r' ¥ ) TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF GENERAL INDEX. GENERAL INDEX. >l! Paob. Manures of Donieatio Animals and their Preservation, 239 Mulching, • - " Spreading ^anare, . - - Mildew, a Remedy against - •-«"*- " on Grapes, Mistletoe on the Oak, - - Miloh Cow, best Feed for - - - • Minasi's Incubator, - - . - • Moles, to Destroy Moon, Influences of the on Agriculture, Mange in Cattle, Moonology, - • - 244 229 238 48 238 22 14 19,42 214 13« 122, 134 Mechanic — What he can do on a Farm, Missouri Challenging the World, - , • Mower and Reaper, Danford's • - Meadows, Renovating Old - - - Melon, History of the - - - . Mole or Shrew, What is a Nurserymen, Liability of - - • ' New York, Natural History of. Vol. 6, Nursery, Largest in the World, Onion Fly, how to Destroy - - - Orchard Grass, --.--. Ox and Horse Labor, Comparatire Value of Oiketicus, - Osage Orange Trees, . - - - Oaks, Native '* Large - - - • - Oil Plant, New -----. " Rape Seed - - - . . Olive Tree in the South, - - - - Oak, an Umbrageous .... Orchard, Premium . - - - - Oregon Pea, ------ Out West — National Cattle^ Show, Orchards, Apples, and the Marketer, Ox Yoke, Vose's Patent - - - . Oats, Poland ------ Vem, Why there is no Rain, Pedigrees of Stock — Herd Book Animals, Portraits and Plaster Casts, Pittsburg Horticultural Exhibition, Pruning, -.---.. Plum Weevil, - - - - - - Pear, Styer ----.- Van Assohe Time when should be Gathered Dearborn Seedling - . . Packing Buds and Grafts, . - - • Preserving Fruits, Profitable Culture, - - - . . Pleasures of Planting, - - - . Philip Pusey, Death of - - « - Planting Trees, - - - - - Physio to Colts at Weaning, . - . Potatoes, Frosted .... Large vs. Small - - . Keeping Sweet ... to Preserve - . . . Plums, Save Your - - - . Patent Office, Agricultural Branch of " " Turnip Seed from Plow, Double Michigan .... Plants, Organic Constituents of - . Poultry, Keeping in Large Numbers, Pumpkins and Squashes, ... Pickles, Quinces for - it u it « tt t€ 164 294 328 67 116 106 211 151 293 214 224 267 271 200 - 122,196 131 191 90 245 205 15 15, 60, 76 41 44 57 91 204 211 212 218 218 205 285 284 277 176 242 245 247 256 280 283 282 231 188 825 824 203 . 221,223 201 88 145 138 158, 324 139 Portraits, Animal .... Psalm of Life, -----, Poudrette, What is - - - Premiums at Exhibitions, .... Pruning Currants and Gooseberries, Plum Trees, -_-... Peach " Yellows on ... Pork, Potatoe Oats, Origin of . . . Pure Air, - - - ' - Premiums, Awards of - - . - Poplar for Pump Stocks, .... Premium Corn Crops, .... Plums, Seedling . . - - . Premiums, List of .... Pears, Notes on last Season, ... Plow, Rich's Patent - . - , Pig, Fat Suffolk Premiums, State Fair .... Pastoral, the New - - - . . Pigs, Good Pen for - . . - Plants and Seeds, New .... Peach Trees, Black Gum on . . Ploughboy, Devon Bull - . - . Peach Crop, . - . . - Potatoe, New Substitute for ... Planting Trees, ..... Postponed, - . . . Plate, Presentation of - - . . Practical Hints about Poultry, - - - Progressive Farmer, - - . • Poultry, Management of - > • • Raspberry Culture, - - « • Rape, - - . ... Rtb Grass, ..... Lolium Perenne, . . - Perennial .... RutaBagas, Rootfl of Trees in Pipe Drains, Residences, Suburban .... Raising Root Crops, .... Reaper and Mower, Ketchum's ... Roads, to Improve .... Roots, Varieties of for Field Culture, Runnymede Farm, Rape Seed, Cultivation of - Roses, ....... Removal, ....... Rate, Effectual Method for Destroying . Root Crops, Value of . . - - Ringbone, Cure for .... Rose, Durham Imp. Cow .... Resuscitating Fruit Trees, ... Remington's T. P., Improved Stock, - Rolling Pasture and Mowing Fields, Sewerage of Cities, ..... Stump Puller, ..... Sweet Scented Vernal Grrss, .. . - St. Lawrence, Pedigree of . . - Staggers in Sheep, ..... Steam for Agricultural Purposes, Smut Machines, . . - - . State Fair Committeesr at Powelton, Steam Plow, Performance of in England, • Salting of Meat and Fat of Animals, Short-Horns — their Pedigrees and Milking Powers, Soiling Cattle, an Experiment in • • - 98, (( u IHl 133,: ig Hens, [h Down Sheep, - ling Thick and Thin, Sower, • " IDS and New Plants, of Plants Wanted, Selection of Vitality of Ve, Raising Fruit and Grain from Closing Gate and Door Hinges, Jing Poor Land, - [rt-Hom Cow Lady Millicent, - opshire Sheep, - ' " pleton's Fat Chester County Steer, folk Swine, - iz or Shobt-Hoens, it Col. Sherwood's idard Weight of Grain, .... ck Breeding, - ' • " ^ ' i. Phos. Lime for Com, iwberries and Cherries, Best - - - - Iculator Cured, .-.--- le, New Artificial j5k, Ground Food for - - ' " [rrowgrass Mr., How te went down Stairs, iwberry, Description of Jenny Lind ep, Valuable endid Stick, • • iling Pie Plant, LrPhosphate of Lime— Its effect on Winter Grain, faring Sheep, Machine for - iwn, Jacob . - - . - • iwberry Culture, . . - - - ^ep, New Food for • • - • • " [, to Keep ------- Analysis, ------- eep, Tartar • Page. 220 220 199 209 78 27 141 142 38 77 81 65 73 70 81 80 231 244 6 25 26 26 25 204 238 197 219 149 131 185 182 Ac, 176 230 292 336 46 34 35, 124 49 Stock, an Englishman's Method of Feeding Seedling Apples, Timothy, Tomato Figs, Turpentine, Spirits of for Black Knots, Too much Land, - - - - • Tbbes, - « TrAnanlantinir Lartre and Small Trapping Grub and Cut Worms, Tomatoes, Early Toads, Usefulness of - - - - Timber, Durability of - • • - Thorough Bred and Full Blood, What is Turnips for Feed, Vandalism, .--•"" Veterinary Science, Lectures on - • Vegetable, a New - - Work for the Month, - - - Waring Goo. E., Jr., . - - - Wire Web Fencing, . - . - Wheat vs. Cheat, . - - - Midge, Trade, and Corn, Cost of Raising - Imp. Varieties of from Franee, Growing, Average Yield of in Great Britain, What is the Matter, . - - - Warts on Plum Trees, - - - Worth Knowing, . - - - • Weevil, How to Prevent, - - - Washing Machines, . - - - Wire Worm, Remedy of - - • Wool, What Food will Produce most " Growers Look to your Sheep, - Wintering Young Cattle, - - - Watermelon Molasses, . . - - Wintering Horses, - - . - What Draining Did, . - . - u u tt tt tt tt Page. 96 99 295 - - 307 220 -^ - 26 184 166 202 169 256 127 126 128 222 148 207 25, 45, 68, 121 IS 88 30, 90 115 29 213 356 244 n 123 11 U 204 33, 189 . - X72 234 61 44 362 874 874 CONTENTS OF DECEMBER NUMBER, 1855, picuLTDRAL Exhibitions, . - - - " Botany, Ian of Science Gone, . . - - - fulterated Food in England, - . - - iib Stallion, ._-.--- [ok Notices, -...--- liberry Culture, -.---- inberries on High Land, . - - - - Itawissa Raspberry, - . . - - [nnty Societies, --.---- aberland County Agricultural Society, - fidham Wheat, --..--• edit, -. . . -. [nntry Houses, ..----- "eases of Horses, ring Pumpkins and Making Pies, cussion at the New York State Fair, ^tracts from the Address of Col. A. M. Spangler, fore the Susquehanna Agricultural Society, ^hibition of U. S. Ag. Society at Boston, - ee-Martin Cows, -.---- Treatment of Trees, . - - Brse Shoe without Nails, . . . - Page. 382 853 875 375 375 365 354 864 365 365 365 366 366 373 367 369 377, 378 be- 360 374 354 376 362 Page. 369 382 357 363 365 376 Hoof Bound, - - - , - . Italian Rye Grass, Judge Watt's Address, - . - - • More Work for the Season, . . . - Metereology for the Farmers, . - . - New Pears that promise well, . - - On the Value of Different Kinds of Food for Stock, 372, 373 Petition of Penna. State Agricultural Society, Preparing Poultry for Market, - - - • Potatoes, -.----- Ripening Apples and Pears, > . - Retiring from Business, - - - - Read, .------' Relative Proportions of Food for Man, - The Wyandot Com, -.---" " Loves of the Spider, - - - - - " New Editor, .----- " Late Editor to the Readers of the Farm Journal, " New Jersey State Fair, - - - - To Improve the Breed of Milch Cows, - - ^j||- " Keep Milk Sweet, _ . . - - United States Agricultural Society, - - - WUlow Culture, 383 370 375 356 362 371 380 366, 370 356 371 371 381 364 366 379 262 \ TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF y^;! i V. ,< t Hi* 4 0 n < r If /• a ft rOLUME 5. WEST CHESTER, JANUARY, 1865. NUMBEI^ L H^e Fifth Volume. In presenting to a discerning public the first number I the fifth volume of the Farm Journal, it is proper we bould offer due acknowledgments to the many friends „, have stood by the work from its commencement, nd aided it by contributions from their stock of agri- ultural knowledge, and by forming clubs and collecting abscriptions in their respective localities ; thus cheer- Hg the different publishers on, and dispelling all fear [lat Pennsylvania fanners could not, or would not, sup- ort a first class agricultural publication in their midst. lur acknowledgments are also due to a vast number of liends who have more recently taken us by the hand, [nd by whose aid we have been enabled to send the farm Journal to nearly every post-office in this State, most of those in Delaware, and to many in other Itates. To these, first and last, we tender our most [earty thanks. It is our purpose to render the Farm Journal in every espect equal (and we hope superior,) to any similar publication in this country. We expressed this deter- nination one year ago, and we refer the reader to the aat volume as an evidence of how well it has been thus far halized. We point to that volume with pleasure and ith pride, and may, perhaps, be permitted to add, that le doubt if there be a single subscriber who would be rilling to divest himself of the information derived from for five times the price of subscription. The present volume, we have reason to believe, will be an improvement on the last. We have been enabled secure a larger list of able contributors, who will give jbeir experience in different modes of culture, &c., in Ita pages. We shall continue to present engravings of pe best stock in this and adjoining States, repreeenta- pons of all new agricultural implements of any value, ^hoice fruits, pestiferous insects, &c., &c. We have made ample arrangements for issuing a very irge edition of this volume, and trust that by strict at- pntion and a continuation of the kind exertions of old pends and new, to be enabled to mail Twenty TTiowand copies at least We shall send tkii number to a few first class farmers nd public spirited gentlemen, in the hope that they will Ng it to the notice of their neighbors, and induce the ^nnation of clubs. For terms see last cover page. The "back numbers" of the first and second volumes inng been exhausted, we are preparing a second cdi- N, which will be ready for delivery early in March Fi»«n we will again supply full sets. fiuMirlMm BesideneM. The rapidly increasing taste in all our Itrge eitie^ even among those actively engaged in business, for Country Residmeu, is a new and one of the most promi- nent features of the times. As we consider it, botk physically and morally, a mo«t healthy and commenda- ble feeling, we have a few words to say as to the cauAM which have induced it, and also, by way of cauUon, U prcyent disappointment from expectations often too ar- dently entertained. There is no doubt that the great and rapid incre^i* oC population in the cities, the consequent increased c«!- penscs of living, high rents, luxurious habits, a« well M positive wants of the people, which increased produetloa of the country has hardly kept pace with, havo created a necessity for additional outlet, which has been wpflied as wanted, by the unexampled increase of railroad fadV- itiee and accommodations, extending in every di»«#> tion. Whether the country is resorted to for the summor months, as we believe it is by large numbers, merely b*- cause it is fashionable, or by others for economy, bealih or enjoyment, the fact exists that there now is, and w^ fully believe will continue to be, a regular exodus from the cities, every spring, of a large portion of their pop!> lation, some for a few months and others for a longtr period. By the conmutation system of tickets, cheap fares, and frequent trains, a business man, actively en- gaged in his daily duties, finds he can select a permanent residence five to twenty or thirty miles from town, and still be within an hour of his office ; and that in addition to the greatly increased health of himself and family, be can also have about him, at almost nominal cost, otnr pared with what he would have to pay for them in tire city, a large amount of what are there considered /•««» ries. An abundance of fresh fruit at all seasons, freih vegetables, gardens, lawns, graperies, conservatoriet, carriage and horses, pure air, delightful scenery, &cc, tee know, are attainable with the greatest ease, at a rexf small comparative investment, and it is because aome of our friends have been a little disappointed in Home of these particulars, that we now have a few words tto say and a little advice to give. f In the first place, do not emerge at once from Ihe densely populated city and its attractions intH a sparsely settled, obscure neighborhood, away ftrom schoeli, chorehes, stores, post-office, &c. A bit of romance, or transient enthusiasm towards some sequestered spot, bits sometimes caused this to be done, and the result has i TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF i THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jawut 1855.] THE FARM JOtJRNAL. ^ 1% been ennui and disgust, and speedy return to city life. Let a locality rather be selected adjacent to a quiot and intelligent county town— a city in miniature—where all the above and other advantages of good society, li- braries, &c., already exist in addition to frequent and ipeedy access to the city. Secondly, avoid very extensive and costly buildings. These involve more care than comfort, are not at all ne- cessary for the real enjoyment of country life, and how- ever magnificent and imposing they appear, are never- theless often coupled with trouble and perplexity from Tftrious causes. Thirdly, especially avoid too much land. The mis- take is often made of purchasing a farm, instead of a few acres. In nineteen cases out of twenty, to business men in the cities who move out of town, we would say do not go beyond ten acres, and to a much larger num- ber buy only five. All that you want is a good and con- venient mansion house, with barn and garden on two or three acres of land, reserving the other two for hay and ]>astarage. Don't encumber yourself with farming, or with the care of any but one man, who could well attend to a vegetable garden, fruit orchard, and all other ne- IBessary chores. Farming is a business, as much as «torekeeping or the counting house, and requires knowl- edge and experience only to be rightly learned in a prac- tical school. Its details, the purchase and care of Vnplements, stock, manures, securing of crops, their cultivation, all require to be successfully and profitably attended to — the constant eye and care of the owner of Ibe land. They require more attention than any one can give whose business is elsewhere, and there can be neither pleasure nor profit connected with them where tbere is the least neglect. Fourthly, don't move into the country permanently unless there is some little taste and preference for it, really and truly, over towiji life. To tJbose who can hardly exist even in the city without the excitement of the theatre, balls, parties, lectures and panoramas, the singing of birds and other accompaniments of the coun- try will be the dullest kind of music. For those removing from town to country, retired from business, of ample means, with whom economy is no object, the expenditure of surplus capital in attrac- tive and beautiful, but not gorgeous, buildings, in laying out and embellishment of parks and pleasure grounds with choice trees, shrubbery and flowers, and in the lux- urious and well furnished orchard and garden, is highly •ommendable and useful. We rejoice to see in the Uni- ted States an increasing tendency to that social life, the ehsrm of English society, typified by the retired "Coun- try Gentleman." How much of real ^'otium cum digni- tate" how many delightful associations cluster around the word. The town house and country house ! Rural life in England ! What is there in all her renown for letters, science, statesmanship, oratory and arms, that is not connected and associated with her rural life ? The traveller, who now seeks for vestiges and memorials of , her departed great ones, finds them almost exclusively in the country. The theme is a digestive and copious one, but our limits preclude us from entering on it far- ther. The taste for country life in all classes, we repeat, is one of the most encouraging features of the times. nJ surrounded and hemmed in by water as England, backedl up also by illimitable acres clear to the Pacific, wt eaj well aflford to spare land for parks and pleasure grounds and country seats. No paupers will be made by ^ith. holding it from cultivation and production, becaust ther« IS enougn wiinout i*. -ouu momw *«« wuuvij aim mani made the town," and the former, we trust, will continuJ to have the preference that the natural should always have over the artificial. — «•• — Dry Weather and Deep Plowing. The present season of unexampled drouths in Tarioni parts of the country have at last awakened farmers to the absolute necessity of deep plowing. The cases brough/ to our notice have been too numerous to recite here, ofl full average crops, the result of deep plowing last sprind exactly along side of other crops in contiguous field hardly worth gathering, the result of shallow, superficij plowing. Occular demonstration is the most convincinj and will satisfy, where mere theory, however sensible occasions fears and doubts. We have urged deep plowing so often in the Far Journal that it seems almost superfluous repetition. we want is to induce a fair trial of it one season. Tk question now occurs, which is the best plow for thepv pose. While some think sub-soiling, or stirring only bottom of the furrow, is suflBcient, others advocate tur ing up deep furrows to the surface. This latter haa alj ways been our opinion, but we have foreborne to urge much, knowing that our advice would not be followeAl There is among a large majority of farmers an exceedj ing nervousness at the sight of a little yellow clay brought out from the substratum to the surface. It ii as much dreaded as the nightmare. We say there canl be no good farming without a deep soil, and there csnl be no deep soil (except in places where it exists natHral-" ly, like alluvial bottoms,) without deep plowing. Tlnl more yellow, sterile soil brought to the surface to b«| meliorated and enriched by atmospheric influences, fer-j tilizers, &c., the better, and we have also observed, that! where the first breaking up of the sod for corn is nolT deep, it is very seldom that depth is attained by subse-l quent plowings. It is true the com crop will not in itil early stages grow so fast on this upturned and infen(ir| soil, but a little poudrette, or superphosphate of lime, iij the hill, will easily remedy this, and when once fairT started, the roots will push down rapidly to the fertil« soil beneath in quest of food and moisture, and soot outstrip that on shallow soil, a fact we have observe repeatedly. Our advice is not to break up a field for corn less tba ten or twelve inches deep, and there is probably no ploi which will do this so easily and so well as the Poublj Michigan Plow. This, our readers are aware, is a 1"" of double plow on one beam ; the forward one of sm* site turning over the sward four or five inches, thus lieving the work of the larger plow behind, going sete or eight inches deeper. This is done with the saff team, a decided saving in this particular over the con mon subsoil, and a great economy of draught vn» VF "" »»»/l other patch should be kept for seed, cut when pipe threshed out. Or, if convenient, the seed, and peas for meal, could be hand-picked as they ripened, and the whole field could then be -ised for fodder. Now how is this pea to be c renovator of the soil? Why thus : it will grow on barren land, with Utile or no manure^ where scarcely any thing else will, and furnish two tons or more per acre for green crop for turning un- der or for food, and a yield of grain equal to corn or wheat in feeding value. This will support stock, and make manure, where none otherwise could be made, easily and profitably. What other crop will do this? Some may say com fodder. But the Field Pea will grow where com fodder will not, and the latter yields no grain. Others may point to the bean. But that makes little, if any, hay. Others may Speak of the root crops, the beet, carrot and parsnip. True, these will grow on sandy and barren soils, but, in my experience, they are found to require more manure per acre than even wheat to produce a crop worth keeping clear of weeds. There is no plant, that I know of, which can be so easily and cheaply grown on sandy and worn out soik, and which affords so large a yield of food for stock, or material for manure, as the Field Pea. There is a Je^ sey Pea, which is called the "Crowder" by some people; but I do not think it equal to the best southern seed, at least for fodder. Either of these, however, will answer a good purpose. I think pea vines and com fodder, served as cut food for milch cows, in winter, with a lit- tle com and pea meal, would furnish an admirable and highly economical food ; and if, to these articles, carrota and parsnips should be added freely, it would leave nothing to be desired by the milkman, or the maker of butter or cheese. The only thing I can think of which it might be desirable to purchase occasionally, ▼!»«" butter was the object, would be oil-cake, if it could be obtained cheiq). And if any man, who can keep all the cattle and chickens he desires to, cannot produce good manure enough to renovate his worn out lands, then he ought to quit farming at once, and emigrate to Austri- lia, or some other place where gold grows as a naturo production of the earth, and don't even require digging- Philadelphia, December, 1864. For the Farm Journal. SuTopean Agriculture. — Vo. 11. Agriculturdl Investigation Station of Moeckemr-^Agrievl- tural Schools^ S^e, ^ . Lbipsic, October, 18^- Mr. EDiTOa:--In a former letter I promised to p^ your readers some account of the Agricultural Inveaw- 1 gation Station located at Moeckem, the scientific depsrt- ment of which was formerly under the care of Profeno' Wolff. This is one of the most important agricultural poi»« in Germany, but I have forebome to speak of it thtts m t I might be enabled to do it more justice. And hen 1 inform the reader, that I sincerely believe that it ^ roes nearer to what we want in America, to promote correct agriculture, than any thing else I have ever seen, and without which farming can never be reduced to what it should be (to a practical science), he will, I „ J • A*- «*llinir hia attention to the institu- trust, paruow ut^ •«• o - tion audits operations somewhat in detail, by a few ar- ticles on the subject. My opportunities for observing it have been as good as they could have been desired. Moeckem is located about three miles distant from Leipsic, but much of the road runs through beautifully laid out shady groves on the banks of a small river, and one makes the distance almost unconscious of the extent of ground he has trod. The Professor, Dr. Rithausen, who now has charge of the scientific departments, was carrying out some chem- ical investigations in the Oniversity Library of Leipsic, when I entered it last fall, and thus I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance. On visiting the investiga- tion Station a few weeks ago, during the University va- cation, and remarking to the Doctor that the time ap- peared ''langweiUg,'' because I was excluded from my regular work in the labratory, he kindly offered me a place at his bench to assist him in some plant and soil analyses, &c., that he had on hand. It is from oppor- tunities thus afforded of seeing and learning the opera- tions of the institution that I propose to write. I cnnnot better set before the reader a clear exposi- tion of the aims and objects of the institution, than by giving a condensed abstract of the constitution of the organization by which it was founded, and then some of the results of its operation thus iar, to see to what ex- tent and how it carries out its avowed object. The preamble states that after the Saxony farmers of the Leipsic district had leamed the necessity of cultiva- ting an intimate relationship with exact scientific exper- imental knowledge and investigation, and the Leipsic Economical Society joined with them, &c., &c., they concluded to found in 1851 an Agricultural Experimen- tal Station upon the farm of the Economical Society at Moeckern, in connection with a portion of adjoining land offered for the purpose by Dr. Cursius (a man noted for h s liberal interest in agricultural investigation.) The object of the station was to develop and extend agricultural knowledge by scientific investigation, in in- timate connection with practical experiments upon the farm. To accomplish which object a professor should be appointed to attend to the strictiy scientific depart- ment, and suggest experiments for the practical depart- ment, and a good skillful practical farmer to attend to the latter. Their united experiments and investigations to be directed to the following questions: (a.) The growth of plants and the sources of nutri- ment in the same, to ascertain particularly how far the elements of the atmosphere are instrumental in the same, and what agents (as weeds, &c.,) prevent their growth. (b.) The chemical constitution of plants and their ef- fect upon the animal organism, as produced in fodder- ing, for the purposes of keeping stock, fattening, milk wid butter production, &c. (c.) Metereologica) observations. (d.) Cultivating and testing the qualities of the more seldomly cultivated plants. (e.) Trying the efficacy of agricultural implements. (f.) To collect reliable agricultural knowledge from all sourees, domestic and foreign. To carry out these investigations the institution shall be divided into a practical agricultural department with the farm, and a scientific department with a chemical labratory and apparatus, &c., &c. Here follows a detail of the controlling committee, the sources of their funds, Ac. Every Agricultural Society contributing seventy-five dollars annually can have a vote in the meetings of the controlling committee. In- dividuals subscribing the same can for themselves have the same privilege, or one vote for every seventy-five dollars so subscribed. The professor and farm inspector are admitted to the committee free of charge. The principal funds come from the Economical Society, the Leipsic District Farmers* Association, Dr. Cursius, and the Government of Saxony. The committee or oflicers of the Society laid out a plan for the first year's investigation, of which the fol- lowing is an abstract : Jl. TSSTIMO MAHURBS AND FODDERS. 1. To, try the economical value of various kinds of Saxony manures, as Dresden Artificial Guano, Leipsic Artificial Guano, Bone Dust, ground and dissolved Sul- phuric Acid, Rape Cake Meal (the residue of the vege- table (brassica rapus and b. napus) oil manufacture) and stale manure. The trial to continue three years on a soil receiving no other manures ; the soil to be chemi* cally examined before and after the trial. %. To see to what degree bonedust and guano will pay when used each alone or mixed, one-third guano and two-thirds bonedust, on beets and rape seed ; the effect to be noticed at the end of the second and third year. 3. To ascerti^in the value of rape meal as manure, and to what extent it is modified by mixing with bones uissolved in sulphuric acid and common salt. 4. To learn what manure is the most efficacious in the cultivation of the sugar beet. All those mentioned in 1 to be tried in various specified degrees of mixture and each alone. The produce raised to be chemically exam- ined, and also practically tested in feeding and fodder^ ing stock, &c. 5. Investigation in manuring wheat with Pemvian gu- ano, Chili saltpetre and sulphate of ammonia : (a) sowing it with the grain, plowing it under, and leaving it on top; (b) putting one- half on in the fall and the other half in the spring, (c) and putting it all on in the spring. 7. Manuring clover with lime, plaster of Paris, guane and dissolved (in soiphuric acid) bones. II. CULTIVATION TRIALS. 1. To attend to the cultivation of the different kinds of the more rarely cultivated potatoes, winter barley and peas ; different kinds of rye, corn (zea maize), to- bacco, teasel, dyers' weed, lucerne, and ornithopus sa- tiva. 2. The sugar beet, and the effect produced upon the root by removing its leaves for fodder during its growth. To ascertain the comparative value for food for stock of several different kinds of beet specified. I THE FARM JOURNAL. [JAKuiar |l865.1 THE FARM JOURNAL. f \ 8. All plant, as far as possible, with deep and subsoil plowing. With twice plowing for the same crop, and with turning manures under and leaving them on top. III. YBQKTAtlON TRIALS. Embracing a great number of experiments on a small scale, with chemically prepared soils, to see what sub- stances are required, and to what extent, and in what state, and with what degree of relatire admixture, they are required to produce the greatest possible yield of several crops specified. To see what substances are de- structive to vegetation, and what are neutral with re- spect to it. IV. MBTKRBOLOOIOAL 0BSBEVATI0N8. Embracing the height of the barometer, the amount of moisture in the air (by diflferential thermometer), the rain that falls, the temperature of the air, the soil, the subsoil and the earth at the depth of a few feet, the di- rection of the wind and general state of the weather three times every day. y FODDBRI2IO TRIALS. To find in what relation the nitrogenous and non-ni- trogenous foods should be mixed to produce a maximum effect for keeping, fattening and milkirj stock. • The experiment to be tried (a) with sheep, to be fed with weighed quantities of hay alone, and mixed in va- rious proportions with more concentrated food specified; the sheep to be weighed at regular intervals, and the fodder and their excrements to be chemically examined, (b) With cows to ascertain the changes in the quantity and chemical quality of the milk produced by the vari- ous kinds of food above noted, either alone or mixed in specified and accurately weighed proportions. VI. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS In the chemical labratory, independent of the fore- going, as the analysis of aahea, soils, drain and wash water, fruits, &c. VII. TESTING AGRIODETURAL IMPLEMENTS To try their applicability for various purposes speci- fttd. The reader may see by the foregoing the avowed ob- je«t of the association. It is remarkable for its practi- cal bearing, the extent it embraces, and its complete- ment of detail, much of the latter I have omitted above as it related only to this locality. It is an explicit avow- al to unite science with practical agriculture, according to a definite, systematic and specified plan. I trust be- fore many years there will be similar stations all over the United States, at least in the more enterprising States. Who will lay their hands to the work to found the first such station? What wealthy old man, dying without heirs, or with such as don't deserve his wealth, will immortalize his name by endowing the first such station? Is he ambitious? — he may rest assured of a monument in the next generation. Is he patriotic ? — he eannot better render services to his country. Is he phi- lanthropic?— 'tis hard to conceive a better method of eonferring a blessing upon the heads of the millions that are, in future centuries, to eat the bread of our Ameri- can soil, than by thus contributing to elevate the stan- dard of American agriculture. But, perhaps, says the cool minded reader, you had better see to what extent the station carries out its avowed object, before you are lost in enthusiastic admiration of the avowal of the same? True, and it is from what has* already been done, and what is now under operation, that I found my hopes of its success and desire tx) see sirailai- ones in my native country. This part of my subject shall be my theme for my following letters. In conclusion I would remark that this Station differs irom an yigncuivwi «». KjyjM*w.» ^^~-- -xu.- ^«.,.m \i«M«« recently established in Germany several agrigulturtl schools, as those of Theisbaden, Hoenheim, &c., (these I shall notice particularly in turn,) but the **8tatioM" do not necessarily admit students. Their object is to stand at the outposts of science, and grind out origin^ facts from uninvestigated nature, and shape them into science that they can be brought before the agriculturist and the student of the agricultural school. Such an in- stitution could most advantageously be combined with an agricultural school and model farm, yet its operations should not be burdened with the responsibility of teach- ing to such a degree as to interfere with or prevent their original investigations. The importance of the last re- marks will be more apparent after we consider the nj^ ture of these investigations. Although it has been but three years since the first of these stations was estab- lished, there are already three such in Saxony now (at Moeckern, Chemnity and Dresden). Adieu at present. E. P. For the Farm Journal. Sluuigliaes, Cochin Chinas, ftc. Mr. Editor : — During the last two or three years, I have been laboring under a severe attack of the "SUang- hae fever." Recently, however, my symptoms show signs of some abatement of the disease, and as its viru- lence is being gradually mitigated, (probably from the depletion of my purse,) I am growing more and more of the opinion that I have been very considerably hum bugged in some of my speculations. I have been very careful, and incurred no little ex- pense, to keep my several breeds of fowls apart. That is, I have a separate pen each for my Shanghaes, Cochin Chinas, Brahma Pootras, Chittagongs, &c., &c., and af- ter careful breeding and close observation for two or three years, I am decidedly of the opinion that the four varieties above named are all the same breed of fowhj. They vary in color, it is true, which can be as readily controlled as accounted fbr^ but as to their being a differ- ent kind, I do not believe a word of it. I was gre«n enough to pay high prices for each of these varieties, and I am now beginning to feel as though I had been ''pretty considerably taken in." Are you posted up in the laws of chicken-dom, Mr. Editor ? If so, I would be glad to have your views through the columns of your Journal. - . J- M^^^^' Philadelphia county, Dec. 16, 1854. . We are not very well "posted up in the laws of chick- en-dom," and as the poultry "doctors" have disagreed upon this question, our opinion would carry but Uttw weight with it. The best authority we can quote upon the matter, for the relief of our correspondent, is a work recently published in England, a notice of which we find among the Reports of the Massachusetts Board of Agri- culture. This work is entitled "The Poultry Boob: comprising the Characteristics, Management, Breeding 'T^^f^Jji^^reatment of Poultry, &c., &c., by Rev. W. 'Lgfield, Honorary Secretary of the Cornwall Poultry , jgty and G. W. Johnson, Honorary Secretary of the Ehester Society for the Improvement of Poultry." As such distinguished authority is entitled to due onsideration, we extract the following from a chapter L..A^ "History and Description of the Shanghae i^There is a doubt, which had better be removed ^.*om Ithe very threshold, usually conveyed in the question— l^Are Cochin China and Shanghae fowls the same?" We have always entertained the opinion that they are ; and as we have invariably found that fowls imported from China into this country, whether feather-legged or plain-legged, whether dark-plumoged or light-plumaged, Icame hither, directly or indirectly, either from Shan g- Ihae or its vicinity, we have long since concluded that "Cochin China" is a name altogether misapplied to this L^iety. This conclusion amounts to conviction, since Iwe have received a letter from Mr. Robert Fortune, who (has passed so many years in various parts of China, in Iwhich he says: "The man who first gave these fowls the lame of Cochin China has much to answer for. I firm- ly believe that what are called Cochin Chinas and [shanghaes are one and the same. One thing is certain, -the bueed you have in this country as Cochin China, ire plentiful about Shanghae. They were discovered there after the war, and frequently brought to this coun- ry, and taken to India by captains of trading vessels. Iwas not this the date of their introduction into Eng- lland ? And what grounds has any one for supposing Ithe fowls ever saw Cochin China ? We thought that this Ivariety might have been earlier known, owing to our [long established commerce with Macao and Canton, but iMr. Fortune says that this breed is but little known in IthoBC warmer parts of China, and that, in fact, the jeouthern Chinese were as much struck with the size of [the breed as we were." He add^ : "The Shanghae [breed seems to be more common about Shanghae than [anywhere else in the north, but I have found it over all [the low country of that part of China. The southern [breeds have been long well known to ship captains and English residents ; but there is nothing very marked in I their character." •'We have already rtated that we do not believe there lare any grounds for the belief that this variety ever saw Cochin China ; and we think, with Mr. Fortune, (for his [question is indicative as well as inquisitive,) that they [were introduced into this country soon after the more Inorthern parts of "the Celestial Empire," such as IShanghae, were thrown open to our traders, at the con- clusion of the Chinese war, in 1843. At the poultry show held at the Zoological Gardens, in the May of 1845, [there were prizes especially devoted to "Malays and oth- |cr Asiatic breeds ;" but these brought to the exhibition |no other oriental variety thnu the Malays. In fact, we [never met with any published notice of the Shanghae [fowls until 1816, and we shall be near the truth if we lassign 184.5 as the year they were first imported. It F'»8 in that year that Iler Majesty received specimens of Ithom which she exhibited at the Show of the Royal Publin Agricultural Society, in the April of 184G." 'Having thus traced out the date of the intrpduction and the place whence derived, let us next inquire some- thing of the characteristics and treatment of the birda as they occur at Shanghae itself ; and here Mr. Fortun* again comes to our aid. In the letter already quoted, he says: "The Shanghae breed occurs both with feath* ered and unfeathered legs, but more frequently unfeath- ered. The most admired kinds there are the game [i. e. partridge or pheasant] colored ones. Many of them ar« [colored] much like the pheasant of the country. How- ever, I am safe in saying that the Chinese do not attach so much importance as we do to purity of color ; large size and large eggs are what they most admire and prize." "U being certain that the true Shanghae fowl is met within its ^ative district with plain legs, even more fre- quently than with legs feathered, or booted, as it is tech- nically termed, the point often disputed is now settled, as to whether this is any demonstration of a distinct breed. Henceforth it must be held to be a mere matter of taste. "Mr. Fortune's testimony settles another disputed point. It is very evident that, except as a matter of taste, the light colored should have no preeminence over the darker plumaged ; and those Societies have acted judiciously which have given separate prizes of equal value to aU the subvarieties of color. It is judicious, because it is needlessly placing a judge in a very per- plexing position to call upon him to decide upon speci- mens of equal merit in all important points, but differing in color." The work then speaks of the black, white, gray, (or so-called "Brahma Pootra,") buff, cinnamon, and par- tridge or grouse-colored Shanghaes 'as subvarieties of one breed. In regard to the "Brahma Pootras," speci- mens of which, introduced from this country, arc known to the authors,— their "history" is summed up by aa expression of the opinion, "that it will not prove a dis- tinct breed, but either a variety of the Shanghae fami- ly, or the result of a cross between those birds and the Malay." This is just what they are known to be in thia country. Some of them came from Shanghae, and some are a cross of these and the "ChitUgong," a term which, as used by English authors on poultry, is only a synonym of Malay. Hence they were at first, and still are in many places, merely caUed "Chittagongs." , For tho Farm .lonrnal. Profltable Hens. Mr. Editor:— Below I give you a statement of the number of eggs, and the chickens that I have raised thia year. I had on the Ist of January, 1854, thirty five hens and two Black Spanish cocks; my hens are Black Spanish, Cochin China and Crcelys; from these hens i have had two thousand four hundred and five eggs, vii: in January one hundred and fifty-eight, in February one hundred and ninty-one, in March three hundred and ninty-five, in April two hundred an 3 sixty-four, in May three hundred, in June two hundred and thirty-seven, in July two hundred and twcnty-thrcc, in August one hundred and sixty-four, in September sixty-five, in Oc- tober thirty, in November forty, and to the 6th of Decem- ber eighteen, these with two bundled and sixty that were set make the above number (2405 eggs); from the two lumdrcd and sixty set, I only obtained one hundred and TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF THE FARM JOURNAL. f\ I I « [Ji»waT 1 1865.] TUB FARM JOURNAL. uinety-aeven chickens, (I attribute the I088 of so maDy ^fg» to their being pullete, an I never fiud their eggs to batch 80 well as those obtained from those that have laid «iie season) a^d only succeeded in raising one hundred and fifty-one chickens. Mdst of ike balanco were lost before thev were ten days old. I had twenty chickens batched on the thirteenth day of March, ami raised them aU. My method of sitting my hens I consider good, and think I am well repaid for the little trouble that it re- hires, it is this: place a barrel (with a petition part half way back in it so as the nest will bo in the back of the barrel,) on the ground with a box made of lath in iront so as to confine the hen a^id keep others from troub- ling her, and place her food and water in it. I like this plan better than any other that I have tried. One of my pullets hatched on the thirteenth day of March, com- menced to lay five days before she was five months old. and up to this date at three diff'erent layings has layed ibirty-seven eggs, and is not yet nine months old; she is a rare exception. I find that my pullets that are hatch- ed vei7 early in the season lay at the ago of from six w seven months, those raised later in Jhe season do not Uy sooner than from eight to nine months; one of my heiu on the fifteenth day after hatching out a brood of tea chickens commenced laying, and layed seven eggs before leaving her brood of chickens, which was at the begin. niug of the fifth week. 1 think the number of eggs layed by my hens is verj large, when the chickens raised and the consequent timi I lost by each hen in setting and raising them is conaideh ed; their principal feed was corn and occasionally oatj, with what they could pick from a field of grass contwo. ing three acres. If you consider that the above will be of any interest to the readers of your Journal, I shall be amply satisfied ] for the little trouble it has given jne. I have kept an account from day to day of all that I have mentioned above, and do not make any statement ftom memory, but from my memorandum book. JOSEPH A. WOOPWARIX •••• KISKLEAVIK6T0K 18T (11643). r- Bred by Oeorge Vail, of Troy, N. Y. — light roan ; got iy imported Duke of Wellington (3664), dam (Lady Bir- rington 8d) by Cleveland Lad (3407), g. d. (Lady Bar- rmgton 2d) by Belvidere (1706), g. g. d, (Lady Ban-ing- *on) by a son of Mr. Mason's Herdsman (304), g. g. g 4, (Young Alicia) by Wonderful (700), g. g. g. g. d. (Old AKcia) by Alfred (23), p. g. g. g. g. d. by Young Favor- ite, son of Favorite (252). Kirkleavington's sire and dam were both bred by the late Thomas Bates. He was sold by Mr. Vail to Judge Sheldon, ot Sennett, N. Y., who Intely sold him at the price of $800 to Messrs. Paoli Lathrop, of South Hnd- kpy Falls, J. A. Clark, of Granby, and G. M. Atwatcr, of Springfield Massachusetts. He is kept on Mr. La- throp's farm ; is a large, healthy and Tigorous aalmal- oonsidered equal, and by some superior, to any bull eter bred by Mr. Vail. His dam received the highest prin (in her size) of the New York State Agricultural Socie- ty, and gave, as stated by Mr. Vail, twenty- two qu*r** of milk per day. Mr. Lathrop, as we have before mentioned, has been breeding Short-Horns since 1889, and has produced some ehoice animals. He has always paid considerab attention to the milking qualities of his stock, and h«« given us the following memoranda in regard to the yie of some of his cows: Lucilla, at four years old, averaged 56 lbs. of »"» ger day for a month, and made 14 J lbs. of butter p* _. — ^ :rrr=zz -T'''^i;7year following she gave in one week 337 lbs. T^ilk which produced 15 lbs. 3 01. butter. The Jt yieli of milk in any one day was 59J tbs. f « at eicht years old, averaged for the month of '^^^^^sofr.n^ per day, and made 14 lbs. 2 oz Liter per week. Dorothy, at i^ve years^cld, m^^^^^ 1. ,t^ 1 oz. butter per weeic, on gr»«». ^cuc.ijr, -v s,^ ears old, made 15 lbs. of butter per week on grass. RoBe 2d on hay alone, made 10^ lbs. batter per week. ':. al two years old, made 9 lbs. 2 ox. butter per week Rose 1st, at two years old, gave from 32 to 3o lbs of milk per day for the month of June. Ruby, at four years old, averaged 48 lbs. of milk per day for a month The next year she calved in July, and in Octo- ber following averaged 44i lbs. of milk per day for ten days in succession. Ycllowskin gave 18 quarts of milk per day, beer measure. , We may mention in this connection, that Mr. t. B. Clftrk, who has frequently had cattle of Mr. Lathrop, now owns several superior Short-Horn «ows that are kept at Granby, one of which produced 15 lbs. of butter per week in the month of September, hist year. fruit is always fair, and not covered with lichens or scabs, as many of our winter apples are, but has always sustained its high character. I have a fine crop of them this season. The original tree was found growing in front of the last Indian wigwam in Delaware, hence the DAme. JOiVATHAN C. BALI^WIN. Fruit Hill, 12th mo. 20th, 1864. \ INDiAn APPLE. Tills is a very handsome winter apple. Sixe, raU^cr above medium, but less when the tree is heavily laden; fruit, conical, sometimes roundish ; color, a beautiful tiark mahogany red, covered with small yellow dots or »?pot8 on the surface, often lighter red around the base and cavity, almost inclining to a thin russet; stalk, blender, from one-quarter to half an inch long, set in a rather deep acute cavity ; basin, often narrow and shal- low, the calyx partially closed ; flesh, fine grained and firm, yellow and rich, with an agreeable, moderate, sub- acid flavor; leaves, doubly scrate. This fruit is among the most valuable of our winter apples, keeps till late in the spring, and Jias been kept pi»til the return of another crop. The tree is a moder- ate grower, and when in bearing produces more or less «very year. Every other year the crops are abundant, ^ot like many other sorts bearing two or three fine crops and are then exhausted, such as the Belle-fleur, &c. The Tho Jennetting Apple. We noticed this fruit on page 303 of our last volume,, and copied from the Patent Office Report for 1853 the statement by Micajah Burnett, of the United Society of Shakers, Pleasant Hill, Mercer county, Kentucky, that the tree was "nearly three weeks later in blooming than others, (among which were the Rambo, Fall Pippin, Belle flcur, cStc.,) tlius escaping the late frosts. As nothing was stiid in Mr. Burnett's statement rela- tive to the quality of a fruit, which, if good, would be of great account in this latitude, where late frosts so frequently render the orchards almost fruitless, and noj being certain of its being described in any of tho fruit works, we addressed a note to him requesting further information, which he has kindly given ; from which it will be seen that it is is probably that known by th« name of Raul's Jennet. In his letter he states that the "Jennetting apple is largely cultivated in this section, and has been consider- ed our best winter variety, on account of the certainty of the crop as well as on account of its good qualiti«fl. It is about the medium size— near that of the Rambo — matures late, becomes mellow about Christmas, is juicy, V. ell flavored and good, and for culinary purposes it ia unsurpassed. The tree grows slowly, though vigorous- ly,^ a full and heavy bearer, and the apples, if not earlier taken off, will hang on with great tenacity until late in tho fall or early wiat r. Seasonably and proper- ly gathered, and rightly secured, the apple keeps till Jun6 and latei^." It is scarcely necessary that we should ask the atten- tion of oi-chai-dists and farmers generally to this fruit It is so manifestly one of the varieties that should have a place in every orchard in this latitude, that the mere statement of its good qualities will insure its general cultivation. _ .«0» — Domestic Recipes. llADnit Soup.— Begin this soup six hours before din- ner. Cut up three largo, but young and tender rabbits,* or four small ones, (scoring the backs,) and dredge them with flour. Slice six mild onions, and season them with hfltlf a grated nutmeg; or more, if you like it. Put some fresh butter into a hot frying pan, (you may sub- stitute for the butter some cold roast-veal gravy that has been carefully cleared from the fat,) place it over the fire, and when it boils, put in the rabbits and onions, and fi7 them a light brown. Then transfer the whole to a soup-pot; season it with a very small tea-spoonful of salt, a tea-spoonful of whole pepper, a large tea-spoon- ful of sweet-marjoram leaves stripped from the stalks, and four or five blades of mace, adding three large carr rots in slices. Pour on, slowly, four quarts of hot water from a kettle already boiling hard. Cover the soup-pot, r.nd let it simmer slowly (skimming it well) till the meal ( 4 TIGHT BINDING 10 THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL* H n 4 si n '■ H g ^ m 4 of the rnbbits is reduced to shreds and drops from the bones, which will not be in less than five hours, if boiled as gently as it ought. Wlien quite done, strain the soup into a tureen. Have ready the grated yolks of six hard boiled eggs, and stir them into the soup immediately af- ter it is strained, and while it is very hot. Add, also, some oreau cui into uice or euiaix squuics, a.juv» >«*«.» brown in fresh butter. Or substitute for the fried bread buttered toast, with all the crust removed, and cut into very small bits or mouthfuls. Hare soup may be made in this manner. It is also an excellent way of disposing of old fowls. A similar soup may be made of fresh-killed venison. For hare or venison soup, add (after straining it) about half an hour before you take it up, two glasses of sherry or Madeira, and a lemon sliced thin. Chicken Soup. — Cut up two large fine fowls, as if carving them for the table, and wash the pieces in cold water. Take half a dozen thin slices of cold ham, and lay them in a soup-pot, mixed among the pieces of chick- on. Season them with a very little cayenne, a little nut- meg, and a few blades of mace, but no salt, as the ham will make it salt enough. Add a head of celery, split and cut into long bits, a quarter of a pound of butter, diviJed in two, and rolled in flour. Pour on three quarts of milk. Set the soup-pot over the fire, and let it boil rather slowly, skimming it well. When it has boiled an hour, put in some small round dumplings, made of half a pound of flour mixed with a quarter of a pound of butter ; divide this dough into equal portions, and i*oll them in your hands into little balls about the size of a large hickory nut. The soup must boil till the flesh of the fowls is loose on the bones, but not till it drops off". Stir in, at the last, the beaten yolks of tl^j-ec or four eggs; and let the soup remain about five minutes longer over the fire. Then take it up. Cut off from tlie bones the flesh of the fowls, and divide it into mouth- fuls. Cut up the slices of ham in the same majiner. Mince the livers and gizzards. Put the bits of fowl and ham in the bottom of a large tureen, and pour the soup upon It. This soup will be found excellent, and may be made of large old fowls, that cannot be cooked in any other way. If they are bo old that when the soup is fini.slied they still continue tough, remove them entirely, and do not serve them up in it. Similar soup may be made of a large old turkey. Also of four rabbits. Soup-Meat. — To make the soup ven/ good^ the meat (of which there should be a large proportion, rather more than a pound to a quart of water,) must remain in, till it drops entirely from the bones and is boiled to rags. But none of these fragments and shreds should be found in the tureen when the soup is sent to table. They should all be kept at th« bottom of the pot, pressing down the ladle hard upon them when you are dipping out the soup. If any are seen in the soup after it is taken up, let them be carefully removed with a spoon. To send the poup to table with bits of bone and shreds of meat in it, is a slovenly, disgusting, and vulgar prac- tice, and should be strictly forbidden ; as some indiffer- ent cooks will do so to save themselves the trouble of removing it. A mass of shreds left at the bottom of the tureen, absorbs so much of the liquid as to diminish the quantity of the soup ; and if eaten is very unwholesome all the nourishment being boiled out of it. Mutton, however, need not be boiled to pieces in thi soup, which will have sufficient strength if the meat ii left whole. A piece of loin of mutton, that has been nr^nXrf^A ?»» uf\\\r\ IS fn ninnv nftrsona verv TtAl««twlO« t. is well worth sending to table. Grbasb foe Coarse Boots. — Take a coal made of white pine, of the size of a hen's egg, well burnt, pul. verise it finely, mix it with enough of clean melted tal- low to make it of the consistence of thick paste. Two or three applications will make the leather soft, and will keep the wirter out. A Good Recipe foe Beead, Breakfast and Ti\ Cakc. — "Aunt Ann." in the Ohio Cultivator, communi- cates the following receipt for Bread, Breakfast and Tea Cake, and sajs she has seen nothing in that paper like it. — ''Please try it, and if it answers satisfactorily, give it to the public in thy own name." — It is as follows: •'Take buttermilk, or any other sour or thick milk, let it boil, and then stand till cool enough to prevent scald- ing, have ready some flour and pour the whey over it so aa to make a thick sponge, beat it well and then stir in the yeast, (which should be good,) then cover with a cloth and let it stand till it becomes light, make the bread en- tirely of the sponge, and make it quite soft and pliable, knead it some fifteen minutes, then let it get very, very light before moulding into loaves, but do not let the loaves get too light, and bake it slow. If the sponge should become sour, dissolve a little soda, or saleratas, and stir in. 1 often work sugar and butter into the light dough and make rusk, or a little butter alone to make rolls for dinner or tea; but if I want them for breakfast,' | I take some whey, butter and yeast, and make the dough over night. **I also make a njce cake which suits very well for winter. Take half cup of butter, two of sugar, three of flour, and one of thick sour cream, (instead of eggs,) get it ready for tlio oven in the usu.al way, then sprinkle and stir in a tea-spoonful of soda, bake it slow : both the bread and cake suit farmers' wives better than our city Aunts and Cousins, who sometimes lack cream, &c. But tell the girls to try it, and if thepr miss once, try, try again, for they are all good." 4«« — r Price of Land. The increase of population in Philadelphia, and ex- tended limits of the new consolidated city, have embra- ced much land that has heretofore been occupied for farm- ing purposes. Farmers pursuing the ordinary routine of business to which they hud been accustomed, raising corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, dairying or grazing, som« eight or ten miles as they thought from town, have been startled by the visits of the city tax collector, the superin- tendent of pavement, requiring curbing to be done in non Of some of their pasture fields, or perhaps some operatorj in land companies has enquired the price per foot of this or that field fronting on the highway, with a view of erecting a row of brick house?. Nearly all the land within and around the new cit;! limits has risen very much in value. Railroads h»^' been made, or arc now making, leading out in vario -rr'^^Tliiirfertile agricultural districts before Jess'ibie and the facility of getting produce from I . to market, has become so easy as to place farm- ^ hundred or one hundred and fifty miles from Phil- [ipTia. q^ite oa a par with those within reach of the L "*".'. u «At wish to unsettle improperly any of our farmers, who are laboring on their old paternal J but we cannot help observing many of them within ircle of ten to twenty miles of Philadelphia, occupying L worth from one hundred and fifty to two hundred liars per acre, performing the same amount of labor, getting no more mil profit from their produce than ^se living on better land, value^ in the market at only L or sixty dollars per acre, but farther oflf from the rin respect to distance though almost as near in refer- ee to time farmer some few years ago used to be an hour from city at the distance of six miles, new he is equally croached upon with houses, and has been selling at one thousand dollars per acre. The circle of cultivation must be extended, and we believe inany are enfl'ering from an annual and heavy pecuniary loss by remaining on farms under the circumstances mentioned, and cultivating" the larger and heavier crops, which may be raised with as much profit one thousand miles off. ^ . ■^m*- 01 r at thirty miles off, and can bring his milk, butter try &c., quite as soon, and with more convenience. IV hat we hav6 to suggest, is, that some of our young mers instead of emigrating to the west, or even set- ig down at home under the disadvantages we have al- cd to, should take advantage of the present leisure Grasi Land—OraiB Seed. The following judicious observations from the New England Farmer are not less applicable to Pennsylvania than to New England: It has frequently been remarked by practical men, that, in laying down lands to grass, the bestowment of a few extra pounds of seed, is not to be considered by any means as a useless expenditure of capital, but the re- verse. Farmers often subject themselves to serious in- convenience and loss, by being too parsimonious in this particular; they proceed upon the erroneous principle that all seed. sown will germinate, and that all that germinates will produce plants; whereas the truth of the case is, that under ordinary circumstances, a considerable por- tion of the seed never vegetates, or if it vegetates, doe» allowance is not obtain root, or produce plants. When made for loss and for defect in seed, when there are any sou"nd"vhiH TomeTewTrour' fl'ouriVhing" counties \ indications that it is of a bad quality, we shall hear less hin one hundred and fifty or two hundred miles of | complaint that -grass seed has not taken well. On iladelphia, through which railroad facilities now exist, | light soils, which are deficient in retentive power, and are progressing; examine the quality of the land, its where the requisite degree of compressibility is not easily iductiveness, buildings, healthiness, and real, not appa- attained, nothing is more certain than that a considera- i. distance by time from Philadelphia, and we think they | ble portion of the seed committed to it^unless in a po- culiarly modified season— will fail to sprout. The rapuT descent of such soils, and their extreme permeability to atmospheric influences, causes them to become dry—^ condition in which no seed can be made to dev elope healtnily, or if it should, to produce a vigorous plant The application of an extra allowance of seed, followed by the roller for the purpose of consolidating the surface is indispensable to success in stocking lands of this de- scription. fuld feel inclined to sell their city farms by the foot and by the acre, at one fifth or sixth the cost. Take any of i counties beyond the circle of Lancaster, Berks, Bucks, pntgomery, &c., and prime land maybe obtained, with od improvements from fifty to seventy fiye dollars per re. We were particularly struck with this. fact not long ce, in passing up the valley of the Lehigh from Eastown jAUentown, in Northampton an^i Lehigh counties, a ^st beautiful section of country, witli fertile and highly proved farms, second to few others in the state, but viparatively unknown. The same may be said of Cam- rland, York, Dauphin, some parts of Schuylkill, North- aberland, and many other counties, and we should be |liged if some of our subscribers in those sections would fe the information through the Farm Journal of the llue per acre, of good farms in their vicinity, the price produce, and facilities of access to market. Such in- rmation is much wanted, and we believe would prevent fwy from leaving our good old state for the far west. Nuce is now selling in many if not most of our best icultural sections, at the same rates as at the head of M'ket, and the necessities of the case will soon compel Change of system, by which land adjacent to the city RSt be abandoned for the heavy articles which can be Ised any where, and reserved for those more perisha- 8uch as the smaller fruits, fresh vegetables and jck of all kinds, &c. They must be converted from. Nng farms into truck gardens, and cut up into smaller rsions, and supply the city with all such as will not ►p extensive carriage. The district called the "Neck" Warts on Flam Trees. The following is an extract from some remarks by Prof. T. W. Harris, the distinguished horticulturist Those who are acquainted with the reputation of the author, will receive them with naore thaji ordinary con- fidenoe : "These have been attributed by many persons to the punctures, or to the presence of insects therein. I have not been able to find either the one or the other in the incipient warts, or in their immediate vicinity. It was. only when these excrescences were well grown and wore approaching to maturity, that insects were discovered in them, and not always even in this stage. Some of the twigs, containing incipient warts, were enclosed in a tight vessel in May, and were examined in August, when they were entirely free from the vestiges of insects, al- though the tumors, when cut open, presented the porous and cancellated structure peculiar to them when dry. The inserts to be found in the warts in the course of the __ summer are of sundry kinds ; such as the grubs of the iichfor the last half century has furnished the city plum-weevil, borers similar to those that attack peach '^ the best of vegetables, is now being rapidly en- ( and cherry trees, and the worm-li^e caterpillars of min- , TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF u THE FARM JOURNAL. TUB FARM JOURNAL... IS 1 f 4 ute moths. The last seem to be the most abundant and the most common. Their presence is made known by the castings or grain-like fragments thrown out of their burrows upon the surface of the warts. These tumors also afford nourishment to certain vegetable parasites, the little bla^k grains, half immersed in the surface, to which, when mature, tn6jr ^^» « A^nn V»la/»V ^olnr KIVO *k VIWJ* «^»«.-— -~.-.»r. These little grains ar* fungi, which have been described under the name of Spharia morbosa. But neither to them, nor to the various insects before named, is the origin of the warts to be ascribed. The incipient warts can be detected, before the outer bark is ruptured, by the swollen appearance and spongy feeling of the sur- face. They seem to be the result of diseased action in the inner bark and new wood, while these parts are in a state of rapid formation. Upon examination, the cells of the tissues are found to be surcharged with fluid, and distorted in shape and arrangement. The plum tree has been called a gross feeder. It may imbibe fluids by its roots faster than it can exhale the superfluous moisture from its leaves ; or the function of the latter may be checked by such sudden changes in temperature and in the hygromctric state of the atmosphere as are common in the spring. In either case, there would be likely to ensue an accumulation of fluid in the branches, and par- ticularly in tlie tender issues of the new wood, where warts are most commonly developedk ** From experiments made upon my own trees, I have reason to believe that the growth of these tumors may, in great measure, be prevented by severe root-pruning, stimulating the bark in the spring, or before the buds expand, by washing it with soft soap, and by cutting ofl" the warts as soon as formed, and applying salt or brine to the Wounds." ua^ Hanures. Editor Pennsylvania Farm Journal: — ^I notice that the columns of your Journal, of a late number especially, are largely devoted to the subject of manures i^nd their application and preservation, and a few additional re- marks deduced from experienbe may not be taken amiss. The field where the result of this trial was derived contains about three acres, sloping gently towards the south, the soil consisting of a clay, slate gravel, mixed with loara,-^being in a high state of cultivation, well limed, manured and subsoiled, (by well liming I mean from 130 to 150 bushels to the acre and even upwards, I have applied 200 bushels to the acre with the best re- sults.) This lot in 1853 produced over seven tons of hay at first cutting in the middle of June. The hay consisted of clover mixed with timothy. In the fall it was again mowed for clover seed. It became desirable to have this lot lay over another year for grass, though a thing rarely dolie by farmers of this neighborhood: they rotate their crops every four years, for example : 1st grass, 2d corn, 3d oats and 4th wheat. The manure and lime are now mainly applied on the corn lands. The lot was quite uniform all over in many respects. In the spring when the grass was taking a start, we ap- plied 200 pounds Peruvian Guano broadcast, previously mixed with dry alluvium. Now, honestly ^ the effect was just nothing at all. I directed the attention of soniei my friends to it, and all agreed that they could not any perceptible difference whatever. I have now this same experiment for three successive years on erent lots of ground, and with different parcels of gna with the same result. On corn I have also experime ed with, and even then it is far inferior to the cleasi of the hen-roost. I am fully convinced that its fertilli properties have been much exaggerated, and I preg especially by those who make it a business to deal in article. On lands like there are in this valley, which i natural fertility have been rarely surpassed, and have been extensively limed and plastered, guano avi us nothing. The effects of guano may be, and no doubt are, more perceptible on worn out lands, but it is very to tile in its nature, and I question whether such be the worse for it in a year or two. I am sure in tbij that guano has — probably from its volatizing prope — volatalized ''rocks" in the pockets of my honest far ing neighbors, for which they never got a just eqaJTi lent. If we want guano we can prepare an excellent, if a superior, article at home, and need not send ships I Peru with the hard earned surplus of the fanner, dish ly for the purpose of enriching a set of speculators, as I have already hinted, they are the persons who no small share in lauding the fertilizing properties this article. Farmers, think of this ! Imposition isi tested by us all, and the credulity of the farmer been burrowed upon in no small degree. Why, the fa mer has more means of making fertilizing materia than any other class of men, or at least sufficient to der fruitful any land that is arable. Now, if any possess any extra philanthropy in this particular, wh not endeavor to inforin the farmer how he can avail hii self of all these articles by means of his own exertio But no, this would interfere with some of the reno^ fertilizing wares. Some few of the dandy portion of the farmers won probably consider it rather dirty work to make their oi guano, &c., and would object to it on that grou There is a little something in that. Yet even those Te characters will commit deeds of the filthiest and darks dyes in point of moial principle without hesitatifl Dandyism and moral deformation hold close relotiouM — the fruit thereof is idleness. All alkalies render the elementary constituents of soil more soluble and twice more available for the elil ination of plants. Now guano can do no mort. virtues depend mainly upon its ammoniac.il gas, wh» has an alkaline re-action. Some maintain that p" will just * 'drink up" this gas. This is an absurd idH Plants must digest their aliment as well as flnim* the functions being carried on by a different set of gans ; yet all these functions should bo well studied' fore we can begin to minister to their wants to any' vantage. As regards covered or uncovered manure dsd when manure is scattered carelessly all over a barnj of a quarter of an acre in extent, and thus left exf to the rains and snows, it will certainly lose much o J fertilizing property. However, this state of »r indicates the home of a very careless manager. Housing the manure banks does not answer well in section; the mode of farming pursued affords much I *^njore, in fact, than could bo consumed by ordi- "^"mtering. Farmers here generally dung stables J^ uTPPk The manure is drawn with horse and sled liceftweeR. *" . , , v •!. • this purpose to some convenient place, where it is It f the way, but never before the stable door, and refully piled up in sections, in sizes proportioned to cleanings. These layers are regulariy covered with iw until this surplus is cbnsumed ; the main portion [worked into the lower part of the bank. Straw is Idom sold off the farms. frhe rains are thus left to fall upon it, which seems to led just in a proper degree the necessary moisture for fermentation all manures should undergo previous lapplication, or otherwise much of the fertile proper- will not be rendered available. IcoTcred manure banks dry out too much. We are lliged to consume a large quantity of straw, and I have served where the trial has been made by two of my ighbors, this straw would not get sufficiently moist allow it to ferment ; or as it is generally expressed, manure would not act — it remained nearly all straw. Phis difficulty might in some measure be overcome by inure cellars immediately below the stables, where all excremcntitious matter of the cattle would go to aid I bringing about the necessary moisture for fermenta- But this is not without objectionable features, for ^8 very reason : all tlie affluvia would be more or less ifined to the buiWings, which would prove unwhole- le for man and beast. Say you, *'we can ventilate ch stables.'' True, but such renders stables cold in iter. , There is nothing superior for this climate, to meet all desired ends, than the stables in the old fashioned riss bank-bam. If these be regularly cleaned, and ^11 littered, the cattle will be healthy ; and tlie manure [properly piled up, as wo have already pointed out, II prove of a very superior quality. I have seen these iks twelve feet high after they were fully rotten ; they generally left inclined on one side, so that the top is idered accessible for the sled. When and wherever 5h are applied, or such banks are brought to make Bir distribution, it will matk the arid field with ver- fre. These banks are, after all, the true farmers' bank the husbandman, the sure investment in which affords annual dividend of rich and golden harvests. Ma- jre constitutes in reality the true touch-stone of the ^antom bubble of the alchymists, for it actually con^ the crude soil into beautiful gold— a thing the ^ilosophers of the middle ages have sought for in vain other channels. With the attentive husbandman it is ^en converted into "rocks," (though not into **the rock [*8«8. ) which have built our bams and houses for ay long ages gone by. Truly yours, Ac, . P. G. BERTOLET, M. D. W. Beriw CO., Pa., Dec. Ist, 1864. , <•••- Cure for Grape MUdew. [Mr. John Hay<)8, gives through the English Gardeners ■*^©le the following "cure for the grape mildew;"— t lb of black soft soap, from 3 to 4 ounces of black sulphur, the same quantity of soot and quick lime, and add water suflBcient to enable them to be worked with a paint-brush. As soon as the Vines are pruned, paint the wood well over with this mixture, rubbing it well into the rough parts with the brush. I have not seen the least symptoms of mildew since I have used it, either in the houses or out of doors, although we had plenty of it before the application was tried. This, therefore, may be worth the notice of Vine growers in foreign countries, the ingredients employed being cheap. «•> Profits of Fowls. I have seventeen hens at this time, and have lost along during the season some four or six. They are the old fashion kind of hens, and quite a number of them are from four to seven years old. They have laid from about the middle of February to November 9th, inclu- sive, 2017 eggs, which at fourteen cents — the average price — amounts to $26 85. The cost of keeping during the time has been $10 37, all of which I have bought at this year's high prices. Thus they have netted me $12 66 clear profit. My practice is to keep lime and feed in the hen house all the time, and as a general thing to let them run at large. They have done little or no damage in the garden, to which they have free ao» cess. Corn I find to be altogether the cheapest feed for them. One hen stole her nest and hatched 10 chickens, and the cost of raising the four that were not killed ia included in the al^^o^®- — Berkshire Cultuxist. Worth Knowing. It is said that a small piece of resin dipped in the water which is placed in a vessej on the stove will add a peculiar property to the atmosphere of the room, which will give relief to persons troubled with a cough. The heat of the water is sufficient to throw off the aroma of the resin, and gives the same reli •r increase than was reMized. This was probably owing to .the great drouth whieh shortly afterwards set in, for it is well known that guano requires a moist season to bring out its full effect. The small increase, as compared with Mr. Ives' experiment, is also pmbably owing to the same cause. PeruviaH guano has been used in England, as a manure for potatoes to a considerable extent, for eight or ten years. We may fairly conclude, therefore, that English farmers find its application profitable, otherwise the practice would soon be abandoned. But potatoes generally command a higher price here than in England, and if guano is a profitable ma- nure for potatoes there, why is it not at least equally so here ? Gtiano will give as great increase of wheat here as there; in fact, if we may credit the statements -of Virginia and Marjrtand farmers, it gives a somewhat greater ihcreaoe; but its application here, as a general thing, will not be so profitable as in England, because wheat sells at a much lower price. With potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets, opions, 4te., the reverse holds true, and we believe a judicious ap- plication of good Peruvian guano will be fonnd profitable. Under some circumstances, when hay is high it will also yield a good return on meadow land. If any of our readers have used guano, nitrate of soda, ^'Mapes' improved," or other superphosphate of lime, we should be glad to hear from them. Kinasi's ArtifioUl Incubator. We find the following description of Minasi's hatchdr in Hie London Mechanical Magazine. Cannot some enterpri- jing "fowl fancier"— a breeder of Black Spanish for instance — improve upon it, so as to supply an adjunct to those breeds that "lay constantly but never set:" — "Every one possessed of a knowledge of the circumstances under which the natu- ral hatching of eggs is effected, will be aware that a steady fceat of a suitable temperature, maintained for a certain number of days, and a suflficient quantity of fluid to supply the place of the aqueous exhalations which pass off from the egg during incubation, are necessary to the success of any attempt to produce the chick from the egg in a healthy and natural condition. In order to supply these Mr. Minasi consthicts a water-tight case or tray of zinc, of abont 1 inch, in depth, and fills it with water, which is maintained at «uch a temperature that a layer of fine sand placed on the npper surface of the case is constantly kept by it at about 107°. Upon this layer the eggs to be hatched are placed, and cov- ered with a sheet of glass or other suitable substance. In order to furnish the vapour necessary to compensate for the aqueous evaporation from the e^, which,^if allowed to pro- ceed to a great extent without any counteracting action, would lead to the destruction of the chick in ovo, the inventor arranges in the incubator a number of short tubes, extending I from the under side of it to the upper, and reaching above the layer before mentioned, so that atmospheric or other moist- 0"« may pass up from beneath and distribute itself over the whole of the surfaces of the eggs. The lamp employed is fit- ted! with certain improvements, also effected by Mr. Minasi, by which naphtha is burned, without the use of a wick, so as to keep up a constant temperature for several weeks with- out any attention ; and iii order to economize the heat ob- tained from the lamp, the former is made to traverse a spiral flue, to the sides of which a portion of it is eontinually transferred, a minimum quaatity passing off throD<^i opening into the atmosphere. The heat transferred to fluo, as just described, is communicated to the water- and] the simple expedient of raising one end of the incubi continual circulation of the hoHtad water in kept up thr out it The under aide of the zinc case is corrugated i ' der that the chicks which are reared in a chamber, of why it forms the upper part, m»y luo belter nestle a^aingij We have seen about 150 chicks, hatched and reared by apparatus, from two hours to 10 weeks old, which wer»] an exceedingly good condition." -••►- Hisere of Minutes. The following from the Christian Observer althoojrh "strictly agricultural" is worthy of a place in an agriculli journal, and who among us may not profit by the lesi teaches : " Take care of the pence and the pounds will take m themselves," is the secret of growing rich. And in the t currency, moments are the gold-filings — the precioas ai that, saved or lost, make or unmake a life. No mao afford to lose his minutes. The miracles of success have been wrought in the lives of certain men hare achieved through economy of time, as close as Tboi Elwes's economy of farthings. Elihu Burriti, the k blacksmith, once said thM he acquired some knowl fifty languages during the intervals of his labors at the vU. He Measured his minutes, as his only earthly "fortu Dr. Mason Good, the learned English author, composed translation of a Latin book in the streets of London dnri his extensive walks and rides to visit his numerous patii His practice was to take in his pocket two or throe leavet the original. He read this i>as8age over as he walked until he had engraven it on his retentive memory, he translated the passage in hi? mind, corrected it, andwl he reached home committed the translation to papor. thus finished the work without omitting a single profeni al visit ! Richard Baxter, who wrote more discourges books, and visited more frequently his parishioners than clergyman of that century, (thereby affording a rebuke example to many ministers of our day) was a miser of mi utes. His good example was con txigious among his ft He taught the Kidderminster weavers to fasten religi books on their looms, and study their contents while were throwing the shuttle. He that loses his minutes, loses his life — too often I his soul. For we never have any thing but the present ment. The past is gone the future is not ours. And sea captain who should sit and heave out his cargo bj single p&ckage would come into port at last with about same character for sagacity as the spendthrift of time to the death-bed that ends his life-voyage. It is a loss and no insurance. It would be both curious and sad for us to cast up ft M inventory of our wasted moments in a single day time lost in the morning in debating with ourselves wh we shall get up or not — (instead of following the exi of systematic John Wesley, who, when he was tcnipt«(i loiter in bed, was overheard to'call out, "Well John Wi you may do as you like, but / mean to get up")— the lost in indecision as to the day's work, in making long or long visits when shorter ones would achieve more, in reveries, in trifling awhile between each separate engage — the aggregate of each day's loss from such causes wi be startling. Added together, they might occupy time than it took Milton to write the Paradise Lost, or yan to write the Pilgrim's Progress; longer time tbao was occupied in constructing his steamboat, or Gallilw I kne his telescope, or Newton in toiling oat hiajmteortal grt)and, and they, with the msfin stalk, put ont other brsnch- i«p 'ncipitt-** ®*' until the stalks would make a bunch as large round as a Reader make a close calculation of a single day's losses tobacco hogshead, or near it. It grows more like cotton I d vou will be frightened. And let me hint to you, too, than any thing else I know of, only it is much larger, with will work a great saving in your pastor's precious branches not so horizontal. After leaving the ground a that you time by avoiding needless calls upon him in his study-hours, little, all these branches, with those which put eut at every Lwbich onght to be in the morning,) and by not keeping him joint, bear from four te ten pods in a bunch, with about JW- I ..• K/.r, liA «a\\ft unnn voU. "Be short." is at irood a , teen neaii in a nod. which as an artinlA nf fnod. are smoMnme motto fur the parish as it i^ for the pulpit. •4«» to any thing of the kind I ever ate. The stalks and loaves, which are very large and beautifnl, make perhaps the finest hay in the world — stock preferring it to any other — and yield a greater abundance. The biy Why Don't He Do It! We find the following home queries going the rounds among oar exchanges, without name or credit, although deserving and pea together, are a better and cheaper food than can be of a better fate, and what is more, of the careful reading of raised from any thing else in the United States, for horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and hogs. I believe I can raise mere [every farmer: When the Farmer knows, that a gato is better, and, as a time-and-labor-saving fixture, cheaper, than a sett of bars md posts, and without calling on a carpenter he can himself lake one, Why don't he do itt When he has no other fastenings to his gates and barn ioors than a stone rolled against them, and in a single even- ing, after supper, is able to make a better one, Why don't he io it f Or when he sees the boards dropping from his barns and ind out-buildings, and like heaps of rubbish lying in piles ibout the premises, and need only nailing on again. Why m't he do it t Or if he is afiraid of the expense of nails, and is always crying up the maxim of Dr. Franklin, to "save the pence md the pounds will take care of themselves," and he knows that the same Dr. Franklin also said that "many men are snny wise and pound foolish," and he is not careful to think of the precept contained in the latter, Why don't he do N't/ If it is a saving of nearly half the manure of a farmer's [stock by keeping them shut up in yards, instead of running |at large through most of the winter. Why don't he do it f If he knows that many of liis fields would be greatly im- Iproved by ditching, an d by the removal of large stumps and [stones, Why don't he do it t And when he knows that his pastures would yield nearly [doable the feed, and of a better quality, if the bushes were |all cut and subdued. Why don't he do it t And if he can add fifty per cent to the product of his I clover-fields, and even his pastures, by the use of gypsum, Why don't he do it t If a farmer of fifty acres has (as he should have) use for a good corn-sheller and one of the many improved fanning mills, and he has not already obtained both. Why don't he \doit? And if it is cheaper, actnally cheaper, to burn dry wood [than green, and to use a stove instead of an open fire-place, Vlhy don't he do it f 4t» Tiie Oregon Pea. BT A. ROZEPL, OF LA VBBGHE, TBNHE8SEB. The Oregon pea was brought a few years ago from Oregon I Territory. Whether it was found wild there, or was obtain- ed from the Indians, I am not prepared to say. I obtained from the State of Mississippi, a year ago last spring, about * teaspoonful of seed, from the product of which I raised iMt season thuty bushels of peas. Had it not been for the cut-worm, the ravages of which were very great, I would [have raised one hundred bushel*. The seed of this plant is very small— less in sise than that |of the "lady or sugar pea''—and of a pale green color, with •white "hilum," or eye. It grows on a bush fVom five to fm feet high, with five or six large branohes near the and better feed for my stock, from one acre of land, tbim I can from five of any thing else I know of. It will grow on land so poor that it will produce little or nothing eke ; and tolerably poor land is better for it, and will produce more than rich land. This may appear strange to some,.b«t it is nevertheless trtie. Rich land will produce more stalks, but not BO many peas ; in this respect it is like cotton. As an improver of the soil, I consider it far superior to clover, or any thing known in Tennessee, when fed ofif on the ground and then ploughed in. If seed is the object one has in view in raising this plant, let it be sown in drills 4^ feet apart, one or two seeds in a place, one foot asunder along each drill. In the course of the summer, weed and cultivate with the plough or ho^, after the manner of raising bush-beans or Indian corn. For fodder or hay sow, them broadcast, and lightly harrow them in, like wheat or other grain. In short, taking this plant altogether, it is one of the finest and richest productions I ever saw ; and I am satisfied in my own mind that it is the greatest acquisition to the far- mers, of the valley of the Mississippi, and the States adja- cent, that has been introduced into this country — guano not excepted — for the last thirty years. — Pat. Off. Report 1853. : ^^ A Premium Orchard and Orchard Trees. The Oneida Co. Agricultural Society awarded a premium of $15 to Jona. Taloott of Rome, for his orchard of .385 trees, the largest of which were planted in 1849, and are now sixteen inches in circumference. The following state- ment is from the report of the Society : — The land on which Mr. Talcott's orchard is planted, is mostly a sandy or grav- elly loam with a clay subsoil. Previous to planting, it wae plowed in back furrows, and the holes were dug along the ridges, thirty feet apart, three feet in width, and eighteen inches deep. In each hole was put a large wheelbarrow load of compost, made of stable-manure, lime, asbee and muck, under cover the year before. In planting the trees, surface soil was placed about the roots. The orchard ground has been (Cultivated to hoed crops. Once a year the trees have been pruned, and washed with strong soap-suds, a woolen cloth being used for this purpose. This washing has given the stems a clean, healthy look, and has tended to keep away the insects. At the approach of winter the soil has been heaped up about a foot around the trees. This kept away the mice." _____ <#> Pnre Air. During extreme cold weather, every eflFort is usually made to keep out the cold, and sometimes so successfully as to render the atmosphere in stove rooms and chambers abso- lutely hurtful. Pure air, winter or summer, is necessary to insure health. A cool bed room is better than a debilitated body. ,f TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF u THB PARII JOURNAL. iJ^Mvi §i ■"ij:W^ ;rj^^i o»:■>• V-^- -r jr.'* - '^'"'^^v<^i' -N?j's^Vvrdinary of their kind, and until the grass began to fail September, 1853, had no grain whatever. From tJiat time they received about four quarts per day until the leginning of December, when it was considerably in- jased. Their extraordinary growth, therefore, wse [most entirely due to their breed, and to the rich green •«8S pasture with which the extensive domain of their ir abounds. One of the pair, as will be observed by a glance at engraving, was somewhat disfigured by large masses fat on either side, but the other was as comely an o» we ever saw; and although his back was not so broad his mate's, yet it was verj' broad and level — so broad id level, indeed, that a large man might have found a coffifortjible couch on which to repose without the fear of rolling off. They wore worthy renresenta- liyes of their raee, of the superior herd of their owner^ id of fields once enriched by human gore, the bloody Jld8 of Brandywine. Ffr«i the Above, which we copy from the London Gar- deners' Chronicle, we learn that the grape disease is ox- tending throughout Europe. No remedy has yet been discovered which can be relied on to stay its ravages; and the wine makers and wine bibbers are casting their eyes to South Africa. Australiit anti ari;on/inf ;«inn/«. Unless our countrymen are lacking their reputed shrewd- ness, they will not let this calamity to the vine districta in Europe pass unimproved. Hew York State Agricultural Society. At the annual meeting, held at Albany, in the second week in February, the following named gentlemen wore electoii officers for the ensuing year : ^ Prksident— Wra. Kelly, Rhinebeck, Dutchess county. ViOK Presidents— J. C. Jackson, New York ; A. B. Congler, Rockland ; George Vail, RenseUaer ; Le Roy Mowry, Washington ; J. C. Woodruff, Onondaga ; J» Barber, Cortland; D. H. Abell, Livingston; S. M. Bur- roughs, Orleans. Corresponding Secretary — B. P. Johnson, Albany*, Recording Secret art — E. Coming, Jr., Albany. Treasurer — B. B. Kirlland, RenseUaer. ExfccuTivB Committee — Edgar C. Dibble, Gennesee ; Elon Comstock, Oneida; Charles Morrell, Tompkins; T. B. Arden, Putnam ; Ambrose Stevens, New York. The Society have resolved to hold their next annual fair in the city of New York, Hop Culture. We hate lately received several calls for information, relative to hop culture, but having no personal knowl- edge.Qj^^the sulyect,. or of any of our correspondents be- ing engaged in the business, we have selected the follow- ing irom the pen of Wm. Blanchard, Esq., originally published in the New England Farmer, as the best arti- cle we have met on the subject : "The hop is a native plant It is found growing spontaneously on the banks and intervals of many of our larg» rivers^ There are several distinct species, all bearing a near affinity to each other, (I have noticed Governor Brown. 8unon Brown, editor of the ''JVew England Farmer,'' ^ . , , , _ ju8t been elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachu- j ^v®*) ^^ present they are cultivated together, promis- cuously ; no preference having been given to any partic- Btt« by a large majority. If the farmers of the coun- r, who constitute a vast majority of its voterB, would itrust the offices to such hands, Politics and Politicians rould soon cease to be a by-i^ord. The Grape Disease. "The fate of European Vineyards may be regarded as ^led, for the pre-^cnt. The ruin of the grapes in Por- M, France, Italy, Germany, and the Balearic Islands, ■appears to be so extensive that the price of wine must 1>M considerably, unless its consumption should much ^^m\\. And this becomes the more certain when it is embered that Madeira is in the same predicament, 1 when we add, as we can upon good authority, that ^'J«w has begun to show itself in Sicily, whither it <^ni8 to have travelled from the kingdom of Naples, ^ ere the grapes are in the same state as in France. 0^ far Spain is exempt we are as yet uninformed, but »now that mildew prevailed largely in Grenada last I'^w, and we have reason to believe that the mischief ^ J^ear has been much greater." 2 nlar one of, them by the brewer. \' The soil best calculated for the production of hops is a sandy loam, rather low and moist. I am led to this conclusion from my own observation, and from finding the lands which produce them to be naturally of this kind. Yet, I have seen fine crops raised on very differ-, ent eoils. ^f.l should recommend the following mode of preparing^ the land and managing the crop. In the fall (October) plough the land deep, nine or ten inches. In the spring following, pass a heavy, sharp, iron-toothed harrow over the land, in the same direction it was ploughed ; after, which, spread your manure • evenly over the same, six-, teen cords per acre, and m(»re if the land be much re- duced; then cross-plough the land nearly the same depth, and furrow it as for planting com, the furrows to be at least four feet apart. ''It is customary to plant com or potatoes with the hops, (I should prefer potatoes.) Plant every other hill in every other row with hops, thus placing the hop hilli TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 18 THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. 1 at least eight feet apart. Put four cuttings from the running roots, about eight inches in length, into each hill, and cover them the common depth of potatoes. ^ ** Many yards have been much injured by being plant- ed too closely. It is of great importance to have the hills so far distant from each other as to admit a free current of air to pass through the yard. "All the attention requisite the first season after the hop^ are planted, is to keep them clean from weeds, which is easily done when hoeing the crop planted amongst them. In the fall (October), to prevent their being injured by the hard frosts of winter, carry on and lay out of your cart one shovelful of compost manure on the top of each hill; manure from the hog-sty I should prefer **In each following spring, before the hops are o^en- «d, as it is termed, spread evenly over the yard about eight cords of manure per acre, (coarse, strawy manure I should prefer, as it will have a tendency to keep the land loose,) and plough the field both ways at the first hoeing. They require but three hoeings in a season, unless necessary to subdue the weeds ; the last of which should be performed when the hops are in full blossom, (about the beginning of August.) ** After the first crop, it is necessary to open the hops, every spring, by the middle of May; which is performed • by making four furrows between the rows, turning the furrows from the hills, and running the plough as near to the same as possible without injuring the main roots. Then the earth is removed from the roots vnth a hoe, all tiie nmning roots cut in, with a sharp knife, within two inches of the main roots ; the tops of the main roots must also be cut in, and then the hills covered with earth about two inches deep. "The next thing necessary to be done is to set the poles. This should be done as soon as the hop-vines begin to make their appearance. By so doing, much time and labor will be saved in tying up the vines to the poles, as many of the vines will naturally take to the poles. There should not be to exceed two vines to one pole, nor to exceed two poles to one hill, nor any pole to exceed sixteen feet in height. Many yards have been very much injured by letting a greater number of vines grow on one pole, and almost destroyed by over-poling. "Very much depends on paying due attention, in the spring, to select the most thrifty vines, and training them to the poles, which is done by fastening them to the poles with a piece of yam, sHghtly twisted together with the thumb and finger. "It will be necessary to inspect your hop-yard fre- quently, until the hops begin to blossom, and *tie up the ▼ines,' as it is termed, as they are subject to be blown off the poles by every high wind. "As soon as th« hops are ripe, which is about the be- ginning of September, they must be immediately gath- ered, or the crop is lost. The quality of the hops de- pends considerably on their being picked clean from leatcs and stems. The labor of picking or gathering the hops may be well performed by women and children having one man to a bin to handle the poles and to in- spect die pickets. The bin is a wooden box, about nine feet long, ihtee feet wide, and two and a half feet high made of thm pine boards, that it may be easily moved over the yard, across which the poles are laici, and into which the hops are picked by hand. Care should b« taken, when gathering the hops, to cut the vines two feet from the ground, that the roots may not be injured by bleeding. "The most important part in the mnnaf^ement of hoi- is the curing or drying them. Here I would note, tuj hops always grow first sort, and that all second sort and refuse hops are made so by unfortunate or unskilful management. "Mtioh depends on having a well constructed kiln For the convenience of putting the hops on the kihi the side of a hill is generally chosen for its situation. Care should be taken that it be a dry situation. The kiln should be dug out the same bigness at the bottom as it the top ; the side walls laid up perpendicularly, ami fill- ed in solid with stone, to, give it a tunnel form. Twehe feet square at the top, two feet square at the bottom and at least eight feet deep, is deemed a convenient size, On the top of the walls sills are laid, having joists let into them in like manner as for laying a floor ; on which laths, about one and a half iiMjhes wide, are nailed, leaving open spaces between them three-fourths of an inch, over which a thin linen cloth is spread and nailed at the edges to the sills. A board about twelve inches wide is set up on each side of the kiln, on the inner edge of the sill, to form a bin to receive the hops. The la^ ger the stones made use of in the construction of the kiln, the better; as it will give a more steady and dense heat. The inside of the kiln should be well plastered with mortar to make it completely air-tight. Charcoal [that mode from yellow birch or maple I should prefer] is the only fuel proper to be used in drying hops. The kiln should be well heated before any hops are put on, and carefully attended, to keep a steady and regular heat. fTO BB CONCLUDED IN NEXT NUMBER.] -J—-: 19 -»•• George E. Waring, Jr.— Agricultural Preteniion. "A person called George E. Waring, Junior, has late- ly published ft book on the Elements of Agriculture, de- dicating it to his "friend and tutor. Prof James J. Mapes," whom he calls "the pioneer of agricultural science in America." Of course, "Prof. Mapes" recom- mends the book as "superior to any other elementary work extant." From what we learn of this "pupil," he | bids fair to soon equal his famous instructor. He ad- vertises himself in his book, and elsewhere, as "Consult- ing Agriculturist," and offers to visit farms, recommend j treatment, and give "letters of advice" at $25 each." We copy the above satirical reference to the author of | the "Elements of Agriculture" from the Boston Cultivator. It appears as editorial, and has appended to it an article. from the Ohio Statesman, in which he is farther alluded | to in terms more appropriate to the columns of a ^o% political and reckless newspaper, than one intended for the benefit of the farmer. The opportunity has been cheerfully embraced as usual for a "hit at Mapes." We are beginning to tire at this continued tirade ofl abuse and defamation. Every tub should stand on m own bottom. If the superphosphate of lime is as worth- less as certain of our cotemporaries at the north asscrU there is still no reason, we think, for the rude and mtk'l [^ personalities against J. J. Mapes with which their jolumns continue to teem. He has done the State some tcrvice both as a first rate practical former, euid as the orking editor of one of the best agricultural papers in e country, which has performed its full share, and .w> tban rnnnt ntherfu in AnreiLdiiiflr hrna/inaoi- iKn»%«>/x«rA.^ md scientific suggestions and practices. If the real alue of his superphosphate, the actual bona fide results •rem its use, are made the test, whether he or his defa- lers are in the right, we have in this State, particularly the eastern section of it, any amount of the most lositive, substantial and reliable evidence to prove the xtraordinary and unprecedented benefits from its appli- ation to corn, wheat, oats, potatoes and pasture. What natters it to the farmer if certain wise and knowing nes to the east of us have examined it in their labora- \oriei, and find it good for nothing, when a well filled cm crib or hay mow, proves directly the contrai^y? hich is the most reliable ? We have never analysed Hapes' superphosphate, and haVe had no occasion to do 10. We have, however, tried it on our farm with the lappiest results, have had our oats field dotted over with uiuriant spots, indicating where it had been applied to h hill of com. Whether he is or not a regular Vofessor, whether he is as learned and scientific as his ipponents, whether the superphosphate is a new article r an old one, whether he knows any thing or is a know lothing, is short or tall, good looking or otherwise, are II irrevalent matters to those who judge of things by 'leir results. In respect to Goorge E. Waring, he is entitled to the iredit of having, although a young man, written one of he best, most useful and practical works on the Ele- ents of Agricultural Chemistry yet published in this oantry. For its particular use as a hand-book, simpli- ed and adapted to the use of schools, no less than an '^troduction for the farmer to a most important, though to him often abtruse, department of his business, it is Precisely what was wanted at this time. Many an ex- erienced author has written volumes destined to be far less useful, and make far less impression on the mind of "Je masses than this unpretending Uttle volume. We '« be glad to see it in every district school in the '^na. Let the Boston Cultivatoi^ disprove of its con- l«nt« rather than chime in with the scurrilous lammage ^f the Ohio StatPsmnn n^„;«c* .^... t« * meal, then add strychnine— by these means the fctrych- nine will adhere to the meal, place this at such a place in their roads where they meander along frequently, and cover the top with a stone that it may not be covered up with earth. The smallest quantity will be sufficient to destroy them, aiid also posessmg a peculiar qualification in action that when once in the system in a poisonous dose, death wiU be inevitable and may take place .mo- mentarily. I deem it unnecessary to enter into any detail respecting its action, suffice it to say, that it is supposed to act altogether on the nervous system. This poison will also answer for other vermin such as mice, rats, &c. I need hardly add that the most pro- found precautions are necessary,, in using the same for the reason indicated, being poisonous alike to all animals and should always be placed with a certainty beyond the reach of those T^hich it is not desired to destroy. The article can be obtained at any drug store or country physician. . E. k. BEAVER. Worcester, Montgomery co., Pa., Dec. 7th, 1854. the Ohio Statesman against a young author. If we fannot have decency and charity in all things, let us at m adopt a grade applicable to agriculture and horti- To DMtroy Moles. humb ^' ^* ^^^^^^^^0^— I>«AR Sir:-! find in the last f er of the Farm Journal, an inquiry in relation to ^^^imd moles and the best mode for destroying them. m A '^^^ *^** *^^y ^*^® ^^^"^ injuring his com lore hi'?''" ^^ P'"^'^''* appearance they may be stUl nurttul next season. The best manner of destroy- K ^^em 18 one that is within the reach of eveiy farmer, leld wV u °^^ *'<*°*Pl*i'a of their havoc in the planted tio has not given the remedy below a fair trial. «e one scruple of strychnine, one half pound of com am 7 """f * *** 'P^^'*^^ ^^ ^*^^- Take the lard and to soften, then stir it thoroughly with the The bast Soil for Fruit Tre«s. The editor of the American Agriculturist, good author- ity by the way, says: After almost a half century of experience in raising fruit, we are decidedly of opinion, as a general rule, that the best soil on which to raise fhiit, is that just cleared of a forest. The surface should be rolling or descending, and moderately dry and rich. Such ground needs liHle or no preparation; the roots of the forest trees as they decay keep it loose and mellow, and afford the exact food necessary for a rapid and healthy growth of the fruit ttees; and the soil abounds plentifully in those ele- ments which are requisite to form the most perfect fruit. Another consideration, and a very important one is, that fruit trees grown on recently-cleared forest land, are much less diseased than those grown on old land, and the fruit is not near so liable to be attacked by insects. — -•••^ — Informatioii Wanted. J. Lacey Darlington, Esq.— Dear Sir:— Allow me to inquire if your experience has placed you in possession of any means to prevent stall feeding cattle from licking themselvep. As I have a pair of cattle now feeding whose joint weight yesterday was four thousand one hundred and ninety seven pounds, and who have a desire to the above vice, I wish to prevent them from it as I think they do not fat so well. I have heard that out- ward applications of some kind could be applied to allay the irritation in the skin. If you or any of your corres- pondents know of any thing valuable in this way, I would be greatly obliged if you could communicate it through the pages of the Farm Journal. M. J. P. Schuylkill, Dec. 2th, 1854. com Distant Subscribers. On the eleventh of December we received a letter from Plympton Kelley, dated, Portland, Washington County, Oregon Territory, containing the money for his own sub- scription and that of F. N. Elliott to the fifth volume of the Farm Journal. Mr. Kelly has been a subscriber for the last three years, and all that time has not missed a single copy, although the Journal has to travel over three M TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 20 THE FAKM JOURNAL. t^^Kmrll^M THE FARM JOURNAL. 21 J I i thousancJ miles, bj sea and by land to reach him. We could wish thiit all mail routes were as well managed. -«•• Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, DBLIVERBD AT THE BANQUET AT THE NATIONAL CATTLE SHOW, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, menus of Agricuiwre ana Feuow oiuzeas; — xu uvtutu of the United Statei Agricultural Society, under whose au- spices this exhibition is held^In behalf of the citizens of Springfield, by whose liberality we are here assembled — and in my own behalf, I present you cordial salutations, and bid you welcome to thii our festive board. Come ye from the Pilgrim shores of New England, from the plantations of the sunny South, from the great valley and fertile fields of the West! Come ye from the walks of professional life, from the halls of legislation, from the marts of business, or from the high places of power — from whatever section of our land, from whatever station of so- ciety, toe/cQ»i«— a right hearty welcome— to the joys and pleasures of this occasion. We have suspended oUr ordinary cares, tx)ils and conflicts of business, and come up to this thriving city from our diflf- erent and distant homes, to give expression to a common and important sentiment — the love of Agriculture. We meet here for no sinister motive, no sectional object, no partizan purpose. We stand here upon a platform, broad^ er, deeper and firmer than that of any politician or parti- zaa : a platform upon which these may stand side by side with the noble yeom.anry of our country, honoring them and honored by them. We are here for the promotion of a de- {)artm6nt of that great art, upon which, more than upon any other, depend individual happiness and national wealth, prosperity and power; an art which is the parent of every other industrial pursuit, and to which the special blessing of Heaven is vouchsafed. I congratulate you upon the great interest awakened, in our age and country, in the cause of Agriculture; an interest manifested by the multiplication of societies and perio^cals throughout the land. I congratulate you upon the wonder- ful improvement which science has recently made in the implements of husbandry, and in the arts of cultivation-<— upon the facilities for the transportation of agricultural pro- ducts to the great markets of the world — and especially upon the improvement of our domestic animals, and the laudable enthusiasm which many of our worthy citizens have manifested in the importation of the best breeds of cattle. « It was the latter that suggested the idea of this exhibi- tion, and it was deemed auitable by Uie Executive of the United States Agricultural Society to encourage this praise- worthy enterprise, and to accept the generous invitation of its projectors, approved as it was by the Ohio State Board of Agriculture. This is the first National Exhibition of Cattle ev^r held in America ; and I do but express the common sentiment of this assemblage, when I say that it has more than realized the anticipation of all concerned. It has been eminently successful, aud alike honorable to the citizens of Springfield, to the State of Ohio and to this great Republic. There have been about two hundred entries at this show. Among them we have seen such samples of the Durhams, the Herefords, the Devons, the Ayrshires, the Jerseys, and grade animals, as it has seldom or never been the happiness of man to behold in one show ; and larger premiums have been offered for the encouragement of that department of American husbandry than ever before excited competition. Among so many specimens of rare excellence, nb wonder that the judges have found it difficult to decide upon their respective merits. Our only regret is that premiums cannoti be awarded to each coiupetitor. But there is one honor! which seems sufficient to satisfy the ambition of any on« the honor of adding to the interest of this exhibition, andofl thus promoting a pursuit second to no other in the countrt The report of these proceedings will occupy an important I piav'c lit tuo tiaiioovbtuuS \ji »u>o •^\/%.toKjr , auu will S9 QOWDt/il posterity honorably associated with the history of this place and of American agriculturCi And here permit me to tender our most cordial thanks tol the donors whose liberal contributions have supplied th« funds for this exhibition ; to its Board of Officers and Mana- gers, to whose skill in designing, and whoso energy in exe. cation, we are so much indebted to the order, couveaionM voreign- But Science comes to rescue the powerless king rom bis misery and degradation. Gradually he learns from er the laws of his empire, and the moans by which his re- il subjects may be conquered. From age to ago he acou- ulates the knowledge that clothes him with power, and lis his heart with courage. Step after step he mounts up- .r«mr plantinrhl . !* u ^'"^^^^''^^ *^« proper season himself at the head of a revolted empire. All its Phy«'^"*rowth o h^s cro"nrh' f '^ ^ """"" unfriendly to the forces were in a state of insurrection against bis lawful au.|e, ,ueh ^'X^andT Tf'""^ certain substan- thority. The inferior animals wer/ his enemies, ^bf o„ld inc^e t pnlcr"^ j^, .- ,. ti. jt.1 TTa vasBho '^[""-se Its productiveness; he learned that strrnir storms poured their fury on his nnsheltered head.^ He w«|he ground about the root, of a plant would make it thriv! terrified by the roar of the thunder, and the lightning seareJ his eye balls. He was parched under the hot sun of 8um- mer, and in winter he was pierced by the cold. The »0"f cursed for his sake, produced thorns and thistles. The food that might sustain his life grew beside the poison that wonl destroy it, and he knew not how to disthigaiyh the oco I'loa the other. The earth hid her minerals deep in her bosom, lows. B « rapidly, he even got himself a kind of hoe made, by canning worker in iron. Here was a philosopher, intellectual stature rose high above that of his fel- ounfrv °^u* ^*'*"°^ ^^*^' ^"^ ^^'^^°« ^« ^« S^od for his oqui W 'T^"'^ the thought of persuading them ■Z27n^ """'^ ^^" * Burer living from the earth. At J^quest, they assembled under the spreading oaks, to and guarded them with a rampart of thick-ribbed f^'^'^jB^m ^^ ^ "^' "'"'^ ^^'^ ^«8 the first agricultural meeting- The rivers obstmeted his passage; the mocrntaiiM ^'•'^"^■ecordedJltnf «lf "'.^°/^^^''^/ ^^^ ^ ^® not know that it is their defiance ixpoi> faim; and the forest spread its -Out certainly the eariiestyou ever heard of. Tho cra/t was in danger, and he objected to Agriculture, for the same reason that Demetrius, the silversmith, afterwards op- posed Christianity. He put an end to all discussion, by ut- tering a catchword, with just enough of no meaning in it to make his friends unanimous. He lifted up his big voice, and cried out "Great is Diana the Goddess of the bow, and the Patroness of hunters." The whgje assembly in full chorus echoed the cry— and there was a great uproar. They would have stoned their prophet,- for the sight of his meek countenance and the recollection of his blumelees life exasperated their wrath; but no one proposed it, and he was suffered to escape. The primitive apostle of agricultural science was defeated. He died in the melancholy belief, that his people were des- tined to remain forever in barbarism. But not so. A truth had been spoken; iind truth can never die. It had gone down in the shock of the first encounter with falsehood, but it was not crushed. Agriculture found an efiicient champion where such a thing could least have been expected. At the great meeting under the trees, there was a little giri, whose parents had both died of starvation, and her two brothers had perished in the pestilence, which followed the famine. Hunger and its concomitants had carried away every relative slie ever had. She was gifted by nature with a quick intellect and a kind heart; and her lonely condition luru^ uouttuuu upvu Him; anu ine lureai. nprc-x* .- a mtf^a nnfoUQ^ ],- • ■— j-" ^»"« iiou.ru oi. x no | a quicK intellect and a kind he around him, breathing a browner horror upon the ^^^^mkug by the facVo7 >!!«'!!'' ^ '^'™' ^''''^'"^' "^ ^^ '^'"^' ^''^ '"^^^ ^«^ thoughtful and wise above her year^. Sho that beset his way. If he left the dry land and trusted hin»ij^^^ ^ precarious b '^''° ^^P^^"*'^. The chase, he listened to the words of the sage with beaming eye, and self to the ocean, the waters yawned to engulph him,a"»ould be a sure and stead/T*'r°' ^^'' ""^'^^ agriculture | flushed cheek, and lips parted in breathless interest. When the tempest came howling on his track. He seemed an «*Je himself, with the mode^^ \ !^^^% f^' ^^^ ^^®"^' ^^at she heard a proposal to f\irni8h bread in abundance—bread and an outca«t in the world of which he was made to bi t»^ined in a single «««««« »k / . J* ^"'^ '^*°^^' ^"^^ ^^ *" times— bread which would always stay the ravages of ngie season, what would sustain life longer and i famine, whether game was plenty or icarce-lit routed every \ ! TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF as THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. i fl I i I fwulty of her mind. Sho knew the whole subject by heart, j ect the taste of the inift and butter. So it does if fed t as soon as she heard it explained. Henceforth sho had this can be avoided by boiling.— For each cow boil half' neither eye nor ear for anything else. She gave herself up ' bushel of turnips soft; while hot add five or six quarts shorts, which will swell and you will get the full worth of u entirely to the one great task of spreading agricultural science. Every day addded to her own knowledge, and to the irresistible power with which she impressed it on other minds. She grew up with a lustrous beauty, which seemed j Turnips fed in this way do not taint either the milk more itian mortal. Her elocution, though gentle and persua- sive, had all the vigor whieh springs from enthusiasm; She swayed thoje rude men with an influence they had nev- er felt before. One after the other, her countrymen threw away their bows and spears, and, with hoes In their hands, I pigs, when boiled in the same way as for cows. A mess like this fed to a cow once a day, will produce mo milk of a good quality, than any other feed at the same cos on butter. One thing in favor of turnips as feed for cowi i they can be sown in August, or as late as the first of tember. I sowed some as late as September last year whic were very fine. Turnips are also very profitable feed fJ -«•► The Lawton Blackberry. and description of this popular fruit. As many of our n ders may desire to pl^nt a few stalks, we hare procured froi Mr. Lawton the following directions : "Have your ground ready, and do not unpack them so to expose the roots to the open air for more than a few minj utes; plant them as soon as possible; cover the roots wii came and placed themselves under her tutelage. What sho was unable to teach, they learned from their own experi- ences mutually communicated. Soon all the hill sides were covered with rich crops of waving grain, and the heavy timber began to disappear from the bottom lands. Stately houses took the place of the moan hovels which the hun- ters had occupied. All the beasts of the forest, which could be made useful to man, were domesticated. The wild boar was eupturod and tamed for the sake of his flesh; the sheep submitted to the shearer; the ox bowed his shoulder I light litter the first season so as to keep off the effect of to the yoke; and the mouth of the horse became acquainted hard frost as long as possible — when firmly rooted they with the bridle bit. The wild fruits were transplanted into | so hardj*^ as to require no particular care summer or winterj gardens and orchards, and were totally changed under the ^^^ I made the latter suggestion as a matter of prudenci influence of a careful culture. The sour grape became a ' I seldom lose a plant in autumn or spring planting, a; delicate luxury; the useless crab grew to be an apple; the have used Ho great care in removing them, only the pre ^sloo expaniled into a delicious plum; and a nameless fruit, tion of covering the roots. resembling the bitter almond, swelled out into a peach, with <•• Pttrpassing richness of flavor. New implCTnents of husban- dry were successively Invented. The plough, the hairow, the sickle and the scythe, each had its share in maki-fig the general prosperity greater. Agriculture once established, became the parent of other arts. Navigation, commerce and manufactures added to their wealth. , rj.y-jt for the benefit of the seed, as it tends to the f»rma- . ^f ^oody fibre a«d farina. When the fruit is removed f m the tr«e, at the very commencement of ripening, and 1 ced tn a still atmosphere, the natural process seems to be nnteracted, and sugar and juice are elaborated % instead of fibre and farina. Thus, pears which become mealy and rotten the core when left on the tree to ripen, become juicy, and delicious when ripened in the house." Various fruit houses have been built both in this country and in Europe : and experience shows that their object can be at- tained only by a perfect control of the temperature, moisture and light" Hence, they must be cool, with non-conducting walls or with exterior and interior walls, or a room within a room. Thus the external atmosphere, which either starts melting, Wo gave on page 81 of the last volume, an engraTina the saccharine fermentation or conveys the agents which Cities rose up, filled with a refined population. The nation grew strong and powerful, and spread its domin- ion far and wide. The name of a Greek became synony- jnous with all that was groat among men. Their descen- dants wore painters and sculptors, who furnished the models for every succeeding generation; poets, whose sublime strains have, been feebly imitated evfr since; philosophers and statesmen, whose words of wisdom will be heard with rev- erence to the end of time; warriors, whose deeds made Thermopylae and Marathon the watchworks of the free; and orators, " Who wielded the fierce democratic at will. Shook the arsenal, and fulmined over Qerece." They were not unmindful of the benefactress, who had given the first impulse to their high career. They assigned her a celestial parentage. Temples were erected to honor her. They believed, that though her home had long been fixed among the stars, she still presided over their affairs and pleaded their cause in the Senate of the Gods. They paint- ed her figure, as they imagined it, all radiant with super- natural beauty — her hand bearing the horn of plenty, and her head garlanded with ears of wheat. They worshiped her with all the fervor of idolatrous veneration, and for a long lapse of centuries they knew not, that the labors of the farm were blessed and rewarded by a greater deity than CERES. To this day, we keep her memory alive by calling the most useful of agricultural products after her name— the cereal grains. The Best Feed For Milch Cowb. A correspondent of the Michigan Parmer recommends the white flat turnip as the best for milch cows. He adds : orae perhaps, will object to the turnip, because it will aff- — S The Preservation of Fmit. Now that farmers have become aroused to the profit* fruit culture and planting of orchards, the following remark by M. P. Wilder, at the late meeting of the Pomological So ciety, on the proper maturing and preservation of fruits wil attract attention. It is a subject much misunderstood, and the theory thit by the natural process of ripening on the tree, nature aclj for the benefit of the seed, will commend itself to all, excepi perhaps the authors of the celebrated report of the Mass chusetts Horticultural Society, who think nature should do be interfered with, but left to herself. To them, perhaps, the sight of a rotten pear or appl^ dangling from the limbs may be as "beautiful an ornamenf as Mosses and Lichens on the trunk. He says: There is but one other topic to which I will advert— ' sentiments, that I use his language. "The process of rip Too Much Land. Mr. Darlington: — There are few farmers, I appre- hend, who will agree with me when I say that in nine cases out of ten, they have too much l(ind. A farm of one hundred or one hundred and fifty acres is considered of a moderate size, and so comparatively it is; but there are few tracts of these dimensions, unless in the grazing districts, that arp thoroughly cultivated. By thorough- ly cultivated, I mean, made to produce their mflximum quantity of profitable produce. Thirty years ago, farms were generally on an average double the si^e of these Ln our day; and thirty years ago fifty bushels of corn per acre, was considered a large yield. Now, either the farm or the farming is indifferent ' ' M THE FARM JOURNAL. H' [Jakuabt tti&t will not produce double that amount per acre. Thir- ty years ago there was more rye grown than wheat in this region, because the land would not produce wheat without manuring, and enough manure for all the winter grain could not be got. And even of the comparatively little wheat sown, a comparatively less quantity was raised than at present, for the reason, that the farming was less carefully performed. I know a * 'homestead" in this county comprising some Bixty acres, which is a part of a large tract taken up by one of my ancestors ; the remainder going to diflFerent branches of the family, and sometimes sold to other par- ties. Now from the papers of my father and grandfather, I learn that the entire merchantable produce of the orig- inal tract, later of one third, and still later of on« half of this one third, was far less than the present propri- etor from the sixty acres. In fact strange as it may seem, the marketable produce increased with each divis- ion, and I have no dQubt, that if another division was to take place the thirty acres would nett more than the sixty now do. What is necessary to make small tracts renuraerative, is to enrich them to the fullest extent to make "Each rood of ground maintain a m.an," and to produce those articles for which rich ground is best calculated. I am aware that these observations apply with greater force to land in the neighborhood of large towns than at a distance from a good home market, but their truth will be evident on reflection in places at a greater dis- tance. WILLIAM ZELL. Delaware Co, 11th Mo, 1854, ^ For the Farm Journal. An Interesting Inquiry. Me. Editor. — Will you permit me through theinedi- um of your columns to state a case of particular interest to myself, in the hope it may elicit from yourselves edi- itorially or from some of your scienticuuuui, lui iva utia>u|^ irum good whett 3,750,000 This may probably be made up to four millions from the quarters that do not come under the sections above given; but I cannot, by any possibility, see where we Can increase that quantity, unless "a sudden transition from war to peace" should restore our northern trade to its accustomed channels. However, with this quantity added to the abun- dant crop, we shall be able to reinstate the country in nearly the same condition as to stoek, that it has usually held ; and we need not fear that prices will materially fluctuate through- out the season. — Mark Lane Exprean. Wheat vs. Cheat. Mb. Darlington: — I stated in my last communication upon this wibject, that I did not doubt a word which Mr. Miller had given as fact] nor do I now feel disposed in the least, to charge him with ''being aware" of propagating an erroneous principal. I only ask permission to lay aside his ^'conclusion" until a more thorough investigation shall have been made of a subject of so much importance to agri'»ul- ture; and I think the readers of the Farm Journal will agree with me, that the danger of lulling the minds of many into the belief that it is useless to clean their seed, while Nature is so treacherous as annually to produce vast quantities of '''cheat Ti heat" from the seed of good honest wheat, will jus- in the same way that he accounts for "diversity" in the ha, man countenance, or human form." Does he mean that it is a malformation ? if so, we need only refer him to what has been said about monsters; the same law of nature holds good in both cases. If not, does he bear in mind that wheat taken as a family (honest wheat I mean, without includinc "cheat- wheat") comprises perhaps nearly as much variety of "feature, form and complexion" as the human family, and that with all these varieties (spring wheat excepted) under various climates, in various atmospheres, and on various soils,, cheat wheat grows and flourishes with buttery little variation of "feature, form and complexion." I would ask the Philosopher, does cheat spring from one kind of wheat only? does each kind produce its "stinted, shrivelled' dwarfish" grains and its large flourishing, branching heads of the same shape, form, feature, and complexion ? or have the different varieties annually conspired to produce an outcast so vile, and yet so faithful and able-bodied as to stand by each indi- vidual branch of the family throcbgh good and evil, with so little variation of form, Ac. As for cheat being "sui generis," I never undertook to prove it by botanical rules.* The columns of the Farm Jour, nal, I believe, are not open to discussions on botany. It is "facts from experience" the Editor asks of practical farmers. As this is not the season for pratical investigation in botany, I must bog leave to answer Mr. Miller in the words of Gay's Shepherd : "The Uttle knowledjfe T have gamed Was all from 8liupie nature drained." I have for a number of years been cultivating wheat and cheat side by side for experiment, but have not been able to And any traces of consanguinity, nor, as yet, to induce them to show any aflSnity, whatever, for each other; nor does it appear at all probable that they can be induced to mix without an absolute outrage upon the laws of nature, produ- cing a monster which will not continue. Such soems to have been the case in "wheat and oats," while the forming of wheat and oats upon the same stalk was certainly the work of nature ; the cause thereof seems just as certainly to have been an outrage upon the laws of nature, and whether com- mitted by bee or butterfly, or some other innocent trans- gressor, th,e rareness of the occurrence seems to justify the idea that it was done by violence, and that the penalty at- tached is "Thy seed shall perish and not continue." We have no desire to "substitute conjecture for analogy," nor do we think the public will be willing in all cases to take assertion for proof. "The fact that cheat is seldom found except when growing among wheat," is a mere assertion. If Mr. M. will come to this neighborhood we will show it to him growing in the fields, meadows and woods; thus pro- ducing strong circumstantial evidence that it is indigenodi in our soil, and like other native weeds, continually creeping into cur fields where it is not wanted. If he is a farmer he certainly knows that it grows with rye, with this difference only, that rye producing a larger and stronger plant than wheat is more able both to keep it down and to hide it ; the reason why it does not grow among spring crops i*^^ ob- vious to need any comment 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 81 t.innlar. t.hA pxnediptinv nf tnrnini* fXot*. ova a\/«so 1 ' "ned, while the cheat is in a flourishing condition and pro^ ^es a fine harvest. Those who will can try the above sim- 2 'f f "f *^^> ^"<^ the one we would most seriously recom- «>ena to all is our old favorite, "clean seed upon clean soil." Very respectfully yours, J103S grove, October 26th, 1854. F. SCHREINBR. Mr. M. admiU that I a,ked th« question, "who h« erer ,^„ ^ ZjZ^J^^^ZT T" •''f'^ """"""^ .eon a .i„«lo stalk of wheat to™ to cheaV h»t in rep.; fi^.^.^ZlfZlZT^^l^:'''''''^''' '''" evades a direct answer by saying, •'every person who dm ■ . i/. seen a stalk of cheat wheat has seen thafwhich has turned from wheat." By this prevarication he puts me to the ne- Hie Cultivation of CoI«a, or Bftpe Seed. cessityof asking when this chapge has taken place. If he i — would prove his position by "analogy" by referring us to the I BY p. n. nautt8. time when Father Adam's rib changed into a woman, I have As a good thing, like the Lord's Prayer, cannot be repeat- nothing more to say. But if he means to signify that the ed too often, I ngain venture to urge on the planting interest cheat which I have been carefully cultivating in my garden, of this country, and this section of the United States in par- — j .i/taolv wflirhinir. has within the last seven vears snruno' from good wheat, I must demand stronger proof of an opti- cal illusiou than his theory of analogy has yet produced. I did not state in the June number of the Farm Journal, that I had found oats growing out of a sheaf of wheat. It was out of a head of wheat, and I thought all would under- stand that I related the circumstance on account of the anal- ogy existing between that and the "cheat and wheat," said to have been produced upon the same stjilk by Prof. Mapes. As I did not make ray ideas as plain as I ought to have done, I am obliged to Mr. M. for carrying them a little farther ; but why does he not continue unto "something con- ^ elusive," that as wheat does not turn to oats neither is their much danger "by analogy" of it turning to cheat. "Mr. S. has not yet been called upon to execute a deed for his farm in accordance with his own proposition." The "wager of a farm" was no wager at all. I stated that a neighbor had undertnken to change some wheat which I had growing in my garden into cheat, for which service I promised t.o giv^ him ray farm and stock when the job was completed ; but finding himself too weak in faith in his own doctrine he never attended to it. I did, however, carefully follow his directions, but could not produce a grain of cheat from plants of wheat. That neighbor was 8. P. Bromley, of this town, and can be addressed by mail. My object with Mr. Bromley was to bring a fair experiment before my neigh- bors, many of whom are believers in Mr. Miller's science. As I have failed in that, I would like Mr. M. or any body else to inform me how I may certainly change good wheat into "cheat wheat," alias cheat or chess. All admit that nature is governed by certain laws, (or does Mr. M. contend we are in a world of, chance,) and if there is a law, or an "extraneous cause," for producing this change, somebody ought to be acquainted with it; and if there is a law for changing cheat to wheat, (its present stock, as they contend,) that is, of all laws, the one under which we would most like to pettifog. While waiting for this information permit me to relate, for the benefit of those who choose to read them, a few ex- periments which I have been trying. One says "late sow- ing produces cheat." On the 20th of October, 1853, I planted in my garden, carefully staked, and registered on ^y book, a row of wheat and a row of cheat, side by side, Hnd treated precisely alike. By the first of April every plMt of the wheat had perished, while the cheat flourished wd npened a heavy crop. I planted sido by side, and wat- ered m cold weather, for the purpose to winter kill. The Wheat all perished, but the cheat grew and ripened finely. Mr. M. says "drought or some other cause." On the first of August, 1854, 1 planted wheat and cheat. All vegetated and came up, but from the excessive "drought," or "some other unknown to me, every plant of the wheat has per- cause,' the raising of such crops as will prove not only more profit- able to them individually than the common crops raised now but likewise of vast importance in a national point of view. I moan the raising of such crops that are used in the arts and manufacture.*, and are imported to the amount of several millions per annum, for the north Atlantic States only, and which can be as easily raised here. This will in time become more incumbent and imperative on farmers and planters of the Eastern and South Eastern States to learn and try to raise, as every successive year shows conclusively that these States cannot compete to raise as successfully the cereals or grains with the North Western, Western, and South Western States. I will then repeat, not my prayer, but my admonitions which I begun in 1853-4 pass in review which crops can be cultivated with most success and profit, although a well wisher to his country will not do amiss to offer up his prayers at the same time that my suggestions may be adopt- ed. I will begin, then, by the oleaginous or oil bearing plants, at the head of which stjinds preeminent the BRASSICA OLERAC^A CAMPESTRIS. Rape Seed is not only an object of the greatest importance and value, wherever it is raised, for the sake of the seed, but is likewise extremely valuable as green food for cattle and sheep, in the fall or spring, or cured for hay for winter. The Colza or Rape is a plant which requires by preference a strong soil, although it will come well on good sand or gravelly loams, with careful cultivation. In Belgium, and the northern parts of France, where it is raised in great abundance, it enters into the regular rotation on all good heavy loams, and is thought to be one of the best preparations for wheat, owing to the tillage of the soil, the manure applied for it, and the care taken to keep it clear of weeds; it also comes best after wheat, provided this grain crop has been properly manured, in which case rape seed can be sown without manuring again, and will yield a good crop. The ground should be ploughed in the fall or spring, and again a short time before sowing, and well manured. Then the seed should be sown very thin in drills, and harrowed in in June or July. As the plants come up, they should be weeded and thined out, a foot apart. A superior mode is to sow the seed broadcast, on a good rich seed bed, prepared on purpose. When the stubble of any grain crop has been cleared off" by the harrow, the land well manured and ploughed to a good depth, the plants are brought out, and set out as cabbage plants are. This can be done six or eight weeks after sowing, or the latter end of September, or in October, either by the dibble or by hand, setting them out in every respect like the plants of cabbage, in rows two to two and a half feet wide, and one foot in the row; or to save much time, labor and trouble, they can be put in furrows one foot apart, after the plough, taking care to put them up right in the furrow, and to cover them by the return of the plough, leaving the leaves above ground and after the piece is fin- ished, going over it to dress all plants that might be covered too deep, which can be done by a man walking along the fur- rows and pressing his foot against the plant, or with the hoe. The intervals between the rows should get a hoeing, or the cultivator run in, or a small plow sent through, to give them an earthing up, killing the weeds at the same time, which should be done as late in the fall as the weather will permit. t^.f TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF THE J'ARM JOURNAL. [Januaw H ff !h Id November or December. Thus they will remain all win- ter without injury from the frost. In spring they should have the cultivator run between them again, and weeded, or another slight earthing given them, which will greatly strengthen the plants. The quantity of seed to be sown, should be from five to eStfwl* ^ v^^iv vk^Jo WAS" n«n*»^ ov«/l I^Vit* on^^iil/l %%^ arkixrn vn t-hA OAn {%T in the rows evenly. It is a great advantage, that the cost of the seed is so trifling in proportion to the value of the crop. It is ready to cut and reap when the upper branches turn brown, which will be in June or July. Be sure not to let it be too ripe, for if the pods be too dry at reaping, they will fihed the seed in the field, and cause much loss. It can be reaped in the same manner as wheat, but the hand fulls shotfld be laid singly and light upon the stubble, behind the reapers, and thus it should lie without stirring, until it is ready to thresh out, which will be in a short time, particuhrly as generally at that time, the weather is dry and warm. When it is ready and perfectly dry, prepare a floor in the middle of the field, by levelling the ground, on which should bo spread a large muslin cloth, twenty to thirty feet square; spread the rows round, and thrash round. One man or a boy to spread before the thrasher, and another to turn ', or it can bo thrashed by a thrashing machine, in this case taking caro, if the seed is intended to be thrashed on the barn floor, to remove the plants on a large sheet, spread on the wagon, to prevent loss of seed, by the jolting and shaking of the wagon. The seed can then be stored in a dry and airy granary until it is sent to be sold or crushed. The Rape, in good ground, well treated, does not fail to make strong stems and succulent leaves, so that by the middle or latter end of November, it will be strong enough to bear pasturing ; then turn in the sheep, but tak^ '4uto they do not eat but just the loaves, which they will crop fir^t, not 8u£fering them to touch the stalks, as that would be injurious to the plants. This will form one of the best pastures for your sheep, if you keep any, and will make them fat and in good condition; or the leaves can be gathered for hogs or cattle, but I do not advise by any moans to turn in horned cattle or hogs, for the damage they will do to the stalks. The only safe stock to turn into Rape, in my opinion, being sheep. The produce of an acre of Rape, will be according to the condition ojf the land, management and care, from twenty bushels upwards to fifty, which will command from three and a half to four dollars a bushel, in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, or Baltimore. The yield will be materially affected by the care given to it in thrashing it properly. A very full crop will b^^om fifty to sixty bushels, and upwards of eighty bushenr have been and are raised fre- quently in Flanders. Great advantage may be derived from cultivatiug it in the following manner: Take half an acre of good land, or make it so by ma- nuring, and work it a little better than ordinary land, or as you should your garden. At mid-summer (June or July) sow on this half acre, thirty pounds, or two pecks of Rape seed — this will produce a plentiful crop, as few grains will miss ; let them grow until the middle of September ; take eight or ten acres of wheat or oats, or early corn; plough the stubble, and let it lie a month or six weeks to rot; then plough it again ; if the land has been manured pre- viously well, it will thus be in good condition. Begin at one side, plough a furrow, set the plants in the furrow, at the distance of a foot, leaning against the side of the furrow ; set the plough and make another furrow, at two feet distant from tho first, and in returning it will cover the first furrow planted, and continue so until the whole field ia set [to be concludbd in nkxt number.] fesding Figs. Pigs are very gross feeders, nothing comes amiss to a greedy hog— roots, herbs, fruit, grain, flesh, fish, and even hay, straw and fresh manure. In the fold yard and fallow fields he is a very useful fellow; but in grazing lands he does injury by rooting, by pulling up grass roots, and by hie dung proving nauseous to other stock. lie is very soon affected by change either of food or weather. Frozen swill and putrid flesh are very pernicious. Night air and cold rains are the great cause of every ill suffered by young pigs; sour milk, butter-milk, or bran mixed with water, will make then scour; but steamed roots, mixed with meal, whoy, or even water, given warm and in warm sties, will make them thrive faster than any other animal. Raw Potatoes or other roote are injurious to them, while old pigs will get fat upon such food. Pigs should not be put together for fattening in too great numbers. Few feeders take a physiological view of the subject ; nevertheless, they mostly adopt tho principles. Young pigs require those varieties of food most adapted to promote the healthy development of frame — older pigs those kinds that fatten fastest, hence Pea and Bean meal, Indian meal. Oatmeal, milk, whey, Ac, are best for young pigs; while in addition to these potatoes and other roots, steamed and Barley meal, greave-cakes, bran, pollard, &c., are best adapted to fatten older pigs; greave cakes are highly recom- mended for quick fattening. It is improper in breeding to put two animals together under any groat disparity of kind or circumstance — the produce will assuredly be defective in many points; there should be assimilation in size and frame. It is best that tho female should be of the larger breed in crossing, and in all cases of attempted improvement, a fine well-formed female must be selected. The most symmetri- cal animals in all breeds have been produced from a rather large, good, and well-made female, and a good male of mod- erate size. Pigs will fatten rapidly on grains for a time, af- terward they must have more nutritious food. Fatening on crude or dry grain is not good management; it will sometimes cause death by swelling in the stomach, which, indeed, it sometimes bursts after eating to excess; it should always be soaked if given as grain — much better to grind it If made into malt, all the better. Barley bread or cake, soaked in milk or whey, is said to bo unsurpassed for effica- cy in fattening. Bean-meal fattens rapidly, but makes the bacon hard and 'craunchy.* Indian meal fattens very quickly, and makes solid, firm good becou. Barley-meal is superior to either, and produces excellent quality in tho bacon. Pea meal, mixed with whey or milk, fattens young pigs admira- bly, and produces the finest quality of poyk. Wheat-meal; this is too expensive, and only the coarsest kind is used; it will fatten freely, but the moat is light and flabby. Oat-meal fattens satisfactorily, and produces the most delicate meat as to flavor. Tare-meal— a meal from Tares— is similar to Bean-noeal, but not equal to it in eflBcacy. Linseed meal fat- tens very rapidly in mixtures with other meal, but mftk«" the bacon oily and flabby. Acorns and Beechmast are goort for store pigs, but fatten very slowly, and never well Acorns produce good firm bacon; but the bacon from Beech- mast feeding is coarse and flabby, with unsound oily fo*- Bran, pollard, and seeds of weeds are very slow fateners. Much more might be said, but I wiU merely add feed tbeB carefully from the first — Ex, VOLUME 6. WEST CHESTER, FEBRUARY, 1856. NUMBER 2. Bemoval. After mature consideration, we have determined to re- move our publication ofl&ce to the city of Philadelphia ; and m furtherance of this purpose, we have rented the large room at No. 33 J North Seventh street. The editor will reside, as heretofore, at West Chester, but to avoid confusion, all letters and communications may hereafter be addressed as above, instead of to West Chester as formerly. To those who may desire to learn the reason of this change we will say, that the inconvenience in having our forms stereotyped, the difficulties recently experieiiced in having our press work properly executed, and the almost impossibility of having our folding, stiching and covering done in season, are in themselves sufficient to warrant it. We may add, that at least nineteen-twentieths of all the letters we receive come by way of Philadelphia, and a like proportion of those we mail, as well as a like pro- portion of the Farm Journals, pass through that city on their way to their destinations. The great mass of our letters are a day longer in reaching us, and our replies flnd Journals are a day longer in reaching those for whom they are intended, than if our business office was in the city. Here we are in the centre of a district of unsur- passed fertility and productiveness, there we will be in the centre of trade and travel from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware; — here we occasionally meet our Iriends from different parts of this county, there we may more frequently meet them from all parts of this and ad- joining States;—^, location here is most congenial to our tastes, a situation there best calculated to promote our interests. It ia not, we confess, without feelings of deep regret tiAt we are constrained to leave a pleasant residence in the beautiful borough of West Chester, and remove from ««nong a large circle of valued friends; but our interests ^0 clearly indicate our course, to prevent personal com- forts, associations, and predilections to govern it. Ere this number reaches our patrons we hop© to be My installed at No. 33^ North Seventh street, where ^e shaU be happy to meet them one and all. J. M. MEREDITH & CO. ■ • 4«» The Best Washing Kachine. A subscriber inquires of us "which is the best wash- ing machine," but as we are unacquainted with the re- •Pectiye merits of the different articles, we trust that wme of our readers who are will give ua their opinion «n thia matter. For the Farm Journal. The Field Pea as a Benovator of the Soil.— Ko. 2. BY J. 8. HOUGHTON, M. D. In a recent number of the Farm Journal, I presented a general view of the merits of the Field Pea, or Cow Pea, which is much employed in the South as a meani of improving exhausted soils, particularly those of a sandy character. Since writing that article, I have spent some weeks in Virginia, (where I now write the present one,) and have had some further opportunity o* studying the usefulness of the crop, the methods of cul- tivating, &c. With this increased knowledge on the subject, I am more than ever impressed with its value in respect to its product in grain, as green or dry fodder, or as a manuring crop to be turned under like clover, before corn or wheat. The black-eyed white Field Pea, which is somewhat grown in New Jersey, is much used in Virginia and the more Southern States upon the ta- ble, stewed with pork, or as pea soup, in the winter, and is much relislied by many persons. The brown pea ii used in this way in Georgia upon the tables of the best hotels ; but to my taste, the flavor of it is not very agreeable. These peas are sold in the markets at the South at about $1 25 to $1 50 per bushel. The ave- rage yield of seed per acre, with the careless cultivation of negro labor, is about sixteen to twenty bushels. The vines are also valuable as winter fodder for all kinds of stock. I find the Field Pea planted in a great variety of ways, viz : as a separate crop, in drills or broadcast ; between the hills with corn, at the same time com is planted ; in drills between the rows of corn ; broadcast between the rows of corn, at the last working of the corn ; and after grain, broadcast, to be ploughed under in the fall. AH the methods of planting this pea have their pecu- liar advantages according to the various circumstances under which they are resorted to. To obtain the best crop of seed and vines, no method can surpass ths planting in drills as a separate crop, and cultivating as we do the table pea at the North. The drills are here mads from four to five feet apart, and the peas are dropped from two to three feet distant in the rows, like com, from ten to fifteen peas in a hill. The vines will spread so as to cover the entire surface of the ground with a heavy mass of vegetabre matter, two or three feet deep, of a rich dark green color, throughout the longest and dryest season. This pea, like the clover, (to which class of plants it belongs,) is very deeply rooted, and thus by meaijs of its numerous leaves and long roots, absti-acU 2 Hk TIGHT BINDING If I J9 mi 1 IS THE J'ARM JOURNAL. [Jan t AM in November or December. Thus they will remain all win- ter without injury from the frost. In spring they should have the cultivator run between them again, and weeded, or another slight earthing given them, which will greatly strengthen the plants. The quantity of seed to be sown, should be from five to mimhk nnttntia r\or> oAfO and tKia aK/\i>1<1 Ka MAWn in th** n^O Or in the rows evenly. It is a great advantage, that the cost of the seed is so trifling in proportion to the value of the crop. It is ready to cut and reap when the upper branches turn brown, which will be in June or July. Be sure not to let it be too ripe, for if the pods be too dry at reaping, they will shed the seed in the field, and cause much loss. It can be reaped in the same manner as wheat, but the hand fulls should be laid singly and light upon the stubble, behind the reapers, and thus it should lie without stirring, until it is ready to thresh out, which will be in a short time, particularly as generally at that time, the weather is dry and warm. When it is ready and perfectly dry, prepare a floor in the middle of the field, by levelling the ground, on which should be spread a large muslin cloth, twenty to thirty feet square; spread the rows round, and thrash round. One man or a boy to spread before the thrasher, and another to turn ; or it can bo thrash od by a thrashing machine, in this case taking care, if the Feed is intended to be thrashed on the barn floor, to remove the plants on a large sheet, spread on the wagon, to prevent loss of seed, by the jolting and shaking of the wagon. The seed can then be stored in a dry and airy granary until it is sent to be sold or crushed. The Rape, in good ground, well treated, does not fail to make strong stems and succulent loaves, so that by the middle or latter end of Novenvber, it will be strong enough to bear pasturing ; then turn in the sheep, but tak^ '€»re they do not eat but just the loaves, which they will crop first, not sufi'ering them to touch the stalks, as that would bo injurious to the plants. This will form one of the best pasturos for your sheep, if you keep any, and will make them fat and in good condition; or the leaves can be gathered for hogs or cattle, but I do not advise by any means to turn in horned cattle or hogs, for the damage they will do to the stalks. The only safe stock to turn into Rape, in my opinion, being sheep. The produce of ao acre of Rape, will be according to the condition o/ the land, management and care, from twenty bushels upwards to fifty, wh,ich will command from three and a half to four dollars a bushM, in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, or Baltimore. The yield will be materially aflfected by the care given to it in thrashing it properly. A very full crop will be from fifty to sixty bushels, and upwards of eighty bushels have been and are raised fre- quently in Flanders. Great advantage may be derived from cultivating it in the folio w^ing manner: Take half an acre of good land, or make it so by ma- nuring, and work it a little better than ordinary land, or as you should your garden. At mid-summer (June or July) sow on this half acre, thirty pounds, or two pecks of Rape seed — this will produce a plentiful crop, as few grains will miss ; let them grow until the middle of September ; take eight or ten acres of wheat or oats, or early corn; plough the stubble, and let it lie a month or six weeks to rot; then plough it again ; if the land has been manured pre- viously well, it will thus be in good condition. Begin at one side, plough a furrow, set the plants in the furrow, at the distance of a foot, leaning against the side of tho furrow ; set the plough and make another furrow, at two feet distant from the first, and in returning it will cover the first furrow planted, and continue so until the whole field u set [to be concluded in next number.] reeding rigs. Pigs are very gross feeders, nothing oomes amiss to » greedy hog — roots, herbs, fruit, grain, flesh, fish, and even hay, straw and fresh manure. In the fold yard and fallow fields he is a very useful fellow; but in grazing lands he does injury by rooting, by pulling up grass roots, and by hie dung proving nauseous to other stock. He is very soon affected by change either of food or weather. J'rozen swill and putrid flesh are very pernicious. Night air and cold raina are the great cause of every ill suffered by young pigs; sour milk, butter-milk, or bran mixed with water, will make them scour; but steamed roots, mixed with meal, whoy, or even water, given warm and in warm sties, will make them thme faster than any other animal. Raw Potatoes or other roots are injurious to them, while old pigs will get fat upon such food. Pigs should not be put together for fattening in too great numbers. Few feeders take a physiological view of the subject ; nevertheless, they mostly adopt the principles. Young pigs require those varieties of food most adapted to promote the healthy development of frame — older pigs those kinds that fatten fastest, hence Pea and Bean meal, Indian meal, Oatmeal, milk, whey, Ac, are best for young pigs; while in addition to these potatoes and other roots, steamed and Barley meal, greave-cakes, bran, pollard, &c., are beat adapted to fatten older pigs; greave cakes are highly recom- mended for quick fattening. It is improper in breeding to put two animals together under any great disparity of kind or circumstance — the produce will assuredly be defective in many points; there should be assimilation in size and frame. It is best that tho female should be of the larger breed in crossing, and in all cases of attempted improvement, a fine well-formed female must be selected. The most symmetri- cal animals in all breeds have been produced from a rather large, good, and well-made female, and a good male of mod- erate size. Pigs will fatten rapidly on grains for a time, af- terward they must have more nutritious food. Fatoning on crude or dry grain is not good management; it will sometimes cause death by swelling in the stomach, which, indeed, it sometimes bursts after eating to excess; it should always be soaked if given as grain — much better to grind it If made into malt, all the better. Barley bread or cake, soaked in milk or whey, is said to bo unsurpassed for effica- cy in fattening. Bean-meal fattens rapidly, but makea the bacon hard and 'craunchy.* Indian meal fattens very qoioklyj and makes solid, firm good becon. Barley-meal is saperior to either, and produces excellent quality in the bacon. Pe*- meal, mixed with whey or milk, fattens young pigs admira- bly, and produces the finest quality of pork. Whoat-meal; this is too expensive, and only the coarsest kind is used; it will fatten freely, but the moat is light and flabby. Oat-meal fattens satisfactorily, and produces the most delicate meat as to flavor. Tare-meal-— a meal from Tares — is similar to Bean-moal, but not equal to it in efficacy. Linseed meal fat- tens very rapidly in mixtures with other meal, but makes the bacon oily and flabby. Acorns and Beechmaat are for store pigs, but fatten very slowly, and never Acorns produce good firm bacon; but the bacon from most feeding is coarse and flabby, with unsound oily ft*- Bran, pollard, and seeds of weeds are very slow fatenen. Much more might be said, but I will merely add feed the* carefully from the first— JSIx. weU VOLUME 6. WEST CHESTER, FEBRUARY, 1866. NUMBER 2. Bemoval. After mature consideration, we have determined to re- move our publication ofi&ce to the city of Philadelphia ; and in furtherance of this purpose, we have rented the large room at No. 33^ North Seventh street. The editor will reside, as heretofore, at West Chester, but to avoid confusion, all letters and communications may hereafter be addressed as above, instead of to West Chester as formerly. To those who may desire to learn the reason of this change we will say, that the iiiconveni^ce in having our terms stereotyped, the difficulties recently experienced in liaving our press work properly executed, and tho almost impossibility of having our folding, stiching and covering done in season, are in themselves sufficient to warrant it. We may add, that at least nineteen-twentieths of all the letters we receive come by way of Philadelphia, and a like proportion of those we mail, as well as a like pro- portion of the Farm Journals, pass through that city on their way to their destinations. The great mass of our letters are a day longer in reaching us, and our replies and Journals are a day longer in reaching those for whom they are intended, than if our business office was in the city. Here we are in the centre of a district of unsur- passed fertility and productiveness, there we will be in the centre of trade and travel from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware; — here we occasionally meet our friends from different parts of this counti/y there we may more frequently meet them from all parts of this and ad- joining States;~& location here is most congenial to our tastes, a situation there best calculated to promote our interests. I* is not, we confess, without feelings of deep regret t^ we are constrained to leave a pleasant residence in tte l)eautiful borough of West Chester, and remove from "Bong a large circle of valued friends; but our interests too clearly indicate our course, to prevent personal com- forts, associations, and predilections to govern it. Ere this number reaches our patrons we hope to be fairly installed at No. 38^ North Seventh street, where *e shall be happy to meet them one and all. J. M. MEREDITH & CO. The Best Washing Machine. A subscriber inquires of us "which is the best wash- ing machine," but as we are unacquainted with the re- spective merits of the different articles, we trust that •«*fl. «^ »k«, tinctures, extracts and compounds, furnished by the apothecary, and hence the necessity of uniformity. But should it become necessary to analyse a compound like the Cherry Pectoral of the forger Ayer, (I say/or- ger because he forged the name of Prof. Silliman to help his nostrum,) each chemist will take his own mode in detecting the prussic acid in it. If the analytical chem- ist is to submit to formulas without using his own judg- ment, he becomes a mere apothecary, and his profession sinks to a trade. Whilst I have no doubt of the value of the modes adopted by Dr. Stewart, (and their employment in Dr. Higgins' labratory is good evidence in their favor,) I think I have said enough to justify the course of Prof. Henry. Boussingault has found that carbonic acid is quite abun- dant in the soil, and as it has an important part to per- form, directly and indirectly, in vegetation, besides the composition, the mechanical structure, consistency, and depth of the soil and subsoil must be known, (as well as the amount of carbonic acid and ammonia,) which can- not he well ascertained in specimens not carefully col- lected and preserved. It is probable that a soil will be richest in ammonia in the month of March. A separate analysis of the subsoil is not usually made aa it should be, when it exists in a distinct state within the reach of cultivation. Have we not room to believe that much of the dissa- tisfaction with agricultural practice founded upon soil analysis has arisen from neglecting the agency of car- bonic acid, which is not mentioned in many analyses, al- though, from its great power as a solvent, it must exer- cise much influence upon the other ingredients present. Respectfully yours, December 21, 1854. S. S. HALDEMAN. 4^ Grapes in Consumption. The use of grapes as an article of food is much recom- mended in cases of consumption. They contain a large quantity of grape sugar, the kind which most nearly re sembles milk sugar in its character and composition, which also is very useful for consumptives, it having a great attraction for oxygen, and, therefore, readily af- fording materials for respiration. 4e>- Domestic Guano. If ten millions of dollars are paid out of the United States annually for imported guano, is it not time for farmers to commence the manufacture of domestic gu- ano, if, as is said, every family of four persons may make a ton, by saving what is now thrown away ? 4«» . DuRiNQ the winter, the earlier the better, examine your wagons, carts, tools and implements, repair all that require it, give them a coat of cheap paint, and put all not required for use away under cover. i 1' M u THE FARM JOURNAL. [Pebruaby For the Farm Journal. European Agpicultnre. — 5o. 12. Agricultural Experiments at Moeckern on Sheep — Stall Keeping f Fattening ^ ^c.^ Sfc. Having laid the avowed objects of the Agricultural Investigation Station at Moeckern before the reader in my last, the preoetii article ishall be devoteu iu tuc mafi- ner in which its operators have been carrying them out, and the means they have employed for the same. This 1 shall endeavor to do, by condensing from their annual reports, of which three have already been issued, vary- ing in size from sixty to one hundred and seventy pages. These reports are characterised by the same practical bearing, which was so conspicuous in the plan of opera- tion laid out by the committee for investigation. And what is more they are original — entirely original; an attjibute of which few in these days of copying can boast. But since the circumstances of the places are so different from the agricultural affairs of the United States, the experiments will lose the value for the trans- Atlantic farmer which they have for the German. Yet to suggest plans of operation in our own country they are excellent. The question, what are we ignorant of, and what do we wish to learn, should proceed every ra- tional investigation. In the days of our great-grandfathers, when farmers disdained agricultural reading, and wanted no better evidence that a thing was false than that it was in the newspapers, and boys knew no further use for books /.lan to confer a good threshing upon them for the half committed lessons they contained — in such good old v uviiiXlviUUH, QOt capable of producing flesh and blood) in order that the digestive system of the animal may extract aU the for- mer (the nitrogenous) and manufacture it into flesh, that none may be found in the excrements ? 5. How much of each of the foregoing foods is eqnii- alent to, or can produce, one hundred pounds of flesh and fat. 6. What is the value of the above foods id supply milk, and to sustain strength in working cattle ? We will not multiply the above questions at present, or complicate them by asking the modifications produced by temperature and other controlling agents, but merely require that the answers be given, and the facts upon which they are founded definitely stated. The assertion is safe that there are not known facts in the agricultural world sufficient to found a rational an- swer to these questions on. Many will answer about two bushels of oats are equal to a bushel of corn, and about twenty bushels of com are equal to a ton of &c., &c. And why? Because the prices are about m this ratio. There is *25, 233, 235, 229, 225, and lastly 231. The great loss Al» if Kir *»/> ntAovia ^^IV^..^^ i.'U^l 4-1^—^^ ^^.._J~ «- -«-.« w,.^»,*, .V K>j MX/ UAVcoub XVllKfTID VlLOiV tilXCC puUUUC H of hay are equal to one and a half pounds of bran. If such were the case, by simple calculation, (3 : 1 J : : 7 is to 3 J) we would have three and half pounds of bran the daily food of a sheep, which is absurd ; we have 4 lbs. hay and 3 lbs. hay equal to 4 lbs. hay and IJ lbs. bran, but we can't here take equals (4 lbs.) from equals and have equals, or 3 lbs. hay and 1 J lbs. bran. We can only say that IJ lbs. of bran (mixed with 4 lbs. of hay) are in effect to 3 lbs. of hay (mixed with 4 ft)s. of hay). Then it is altogether dependent upon the relative price of bran, or hay, which we had better use, all hay, or part bran ; and so of the other concentrated -^jfeods. But there is a certain relation that hay can be ^ixed with concentrated foods that will produce the greatest effect with the least quantity. This relation is different for keeping from what it is for fattening, and it can only be learned by direct experiment, and from the relation of the foods thus obtained we can calculate their relative values. The experiments at Moeckern seem to lead pretty satisfactorily to the conclusion that 100 lbs. of hay was equal to 43.99 rye meal, or 54.65 rye bran, or 68.60 rape cake, or 64.38 linseed cake, or 216.05 po- tatoes, or 444.85 of beets, for the purposes of stall keep- ing—at least these are the exact results obtained in the first trial, where 3-7 of the hay was replaced by the food it is compared with here. For fattening, as found in the third trial, the results showed that 100 ft)s. hay was equal to 51.53 lbs. rye, or 59.41 bran, or 58.59 rape cake, or 63.69 linseed cake,* or 64.95 barley, or 60.61 oats. For all the experiments bran gave a surjfrisingly good result. The fodder was analysed, and its starch, gum, sugar, dextrine, pectin, pectic acid, albumin, caseine, fibrine fat, water, mucic acid, nitrogenous substances, ashes, sand, Ac, estimated, and from the results some of the fore- going conclusions are in part derived; but as the raising of sheep is not so important in Pennsylvania as here, probfibly the above sketch is quite as much as will be of interest to the reader. I give it more to show what the station is doing, and what such places can do, than for its practical importance in America, where different fod- ders would require the same kind of experiments re- peated with different articles of food. The labor of carrying out such experiments is im- mense, several thousand weighings of weight from that of a sheep down to less than a tiea being required. But nothing short of these can accomplish the object desired, and when stations spring up over the civilized agricul- tural world, and they exchange reports and compare notes and labor for a few years, the questions proposed to the old farmers at the outset will find a solution. I shall in the succeeding letters notice the experi- ments with crops and with cows, and finally the experi- ments of the coming winter with swine. Adieu, E. P. Vegetable Seeds. Me. Darlington:— Perhaps there are few farmers who have not been very frequently disappointed in their crop of vegetables, both in field and garden, from de- fective seeds, and there is no one department of rural economy where want of care in selection, growth and **^\j rt %.K,\x^Ki ui mC xiauii/s ui cci tuiu Varieties to mix with each other, occasions such a positive and irreparable loss. A farmer at the usual lime for sowing (and un- fortunately there is but one right time for May crops ) sows in his field for part of his winter supplies a crop of carrots, beets, turnips or cabbages. Many kinds of seeds, such as cabbage or turnip, are very similar ; the growth of many varieties of the same species are the same, and he has no way to ascertain till near the time of gathering, and too late for replanting, that his ex- pected crop of large orange or Altringham carrots are the early Horn variety, that his large sized drumheads so noted for a profusion of leaves and immense heads, are a much ijmaller kind, and that his turnips are mixed up of half a dozen sorts and shapes of no market value whatever. The writer of this was once deceived in this way with more than an acre of turnips, which grew finely, but upon gathering yielded only five or six bushels fit for market, the rest being many of them shaped like a car- rot, and there were at least half a dozen kinds. The seed had evidently been grown contiguous to other plants of the same natural family. Now what is the remedy for this great evil ? A man buying a few yards of cloth or calico can easily detect by examination any imperfection, but in the matter of seeds he must depend on the seller, and has no means of detecting a mistake till too late for remedy, and the loss is often very heavy, the mere cost of the seed itself be- ing of no importance. In my own experience, Mr. Editor, I have been more unfortunate in seeds purchased of farmers than from seeds- men, and was long puzzled to account for it, particularly as I often read in your and other agricultural papers advice to farmers to grow their own seeds, in order to be certain of their genuineness. Reflection, observation, and some little experience, have satisfied me that it has resulted often from real ignorance among farmers ; that there is an art in the business, which consists partly in keeping the same family of plants widely enough sepa- rated, in selecting such portions of the seed as are found to be generally most productive, and also in choosing at first pure specimens to grow seed from. Cabbages, tur- nips, parsnips, and indeed nearly all other vegetables, I have also been told, must always be transplanted before being allowed to run up to seed, otherwise it will not be very reliable. This many of us have proved by plant- ing seed from a chance vegetable of any kind, which has happened to grow up in some neglected corner of the garden. . Safety in this, as in other business, depends on a pre per division of labor. The growing of seeds is a dis- tinct business from farfning or growing vegetables, re- quires long practice and experience to understand it properly, and a very nice and discriminating perception. I am informed our most careful seed growers always raise nearly double the quantity of any particular crop Uiey intend for seed, so as to be able to select only the pure varieties from it, and otherwise dispose of the re- mainder. There is a constant tendency in vegetables to deteriorate, or run back to their original wild state. The intelligent and experienced seed grower readily de- tects this tendency at a glance in the peculiar curl of the leaf, habit of growth, and some, to him, striking pe- culiarity, entirely unobserved by others. This is cause of constant watchfulness and anxiety. Next to the drug business, where mistakes from care- lessness or ignorance endanger life, I think the seed business requires the greatest integrity, carefulness and minute attention. The cultivator, whether farmer or gardener, must rely upon the assurances of the seeds- man when he plants his crop, and the latter is responsi- ble to the community to leave no stone unturned, either by growing them himself, or having them grown under bis supervision by others, to ensure correctness and re- liability. Yours, A VICTIM TO BAD SEEDS. Philadelphia co., Jan., 1855. For the Farm Journal. Mercer County Agricultural Society Mr. Editor : — In the November number of the Farm Journal, you desired to have the proceedings of the Mercer County Agricultural Fair. Enclosed I send you a list of the premiums awarded at the third annual exhi- bition of the society held at Mercer on the nineteenth and twentieth days of September. The first day was appropriated to receiving, entering, and arranging articles for exhibition. Second, was devo- ted to the exhibition of articles and animals, which were entered on the secretary's books the first day, and the awarding of premiums, &c. Owing to the severe drouth which visited our county during the greater part of the summer, many persons predicted our fair would be a failure; but when the lime arrived all fears of this kind were cast from our minds. At an early hour horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs, came in droves, and by ten o'clock A. M. our grounds were one moving mass of animals and human beings. The day being beautiful the number of people in attendance was greater than at any previous exhibition. The show of stock was superior in both quantity and quality to «ny previous fair. Over one hundred horses and colts were on exhibition many of them fine and beautiful. A number of fine cat- tle were exhibited mostly of the Durham breed, as they are most generally prefered by our stock growers, '^ any other breeds. The sheep and hog depart- ment was well represented. In the mechanical depart- ment there was a slight falling oflf from last year, and as '» matter of course {(.wing to the drouth) the display of vegetables was not so good. From the number of spec- tators who gathered around the horse ring, and the loud !'eal8 of laughter and shouts of joy told that this part of "ie exhibition attracted a due share of attention. J^ou will learn from our list of premiums, that we award no premiums for lady riding &c. It is the object 0 our society to encourage and promote the interest of J ^ farmers and mechanics, also domestic economy and ndustry &c,. and not like some of our sister counties make a grand equesterian show and pay ten times more for the best lady rider than they do for the best horse or bull or thirty times the amount paid for the best quilt, or any specimen of domestic manufacture. The interest manifested by our farmers in stock shows that they aro determined to keep pace with their brethern elswhere in growing the largest, best and most of it, and from the amount of blooded stock purchased and brought into our county within a few months, and the adaption of our soil to stock growing, we expect soon to be able to compete with older counties that have been engaged in this busi- ness for years. The society met on the thirteenth of October and elec- ted the following officers for the ensuing year. President William Waugh, Recording Secretary J . H. Robison, Cor- responding Secretary Seth Hoagland, Treasurer A. J. Greer, and one Vice President in each township; a com- mittee of five persons was also appointed to erect on the fair grounds a floral and Mechanics Hall. Our grounds contain about five acres enclosed with a tight board fence beautifully shaded by the native oaksj and situated on a beautiful eminence, within one mile and in full view of the borough of Mercer, the society has at great expense brought water from a neighboring spring by means of pipes into the fair ground which will make the supply of this very necessary article inexhaus- table, and with the improvements of the above mentioned buildings we hope to make it the resort of all the enter- prising inhabitants of our county at icast once every year, to compare their products and aave an interchange of sentiments on the great questi ^n of successfully till- ing the soil &c. In all premiums of two dolUrs and upwards our socie- ty has awarded the Pennsylvania Farm Journal, in lieu of one dollar for one year. Yours respectfully, SETH HOAGLAND. Mercer, Pa., Dec. 18th, 1854. ^ - For the Farm Journal. * Please admit a few questions into your, columns, or answer them editorially, and oblige many. Why doej wheat grow and yield better on clover sod plowed three months before sowing than on that plowed but a few days or weeks ? Why do committees award premiums on machinery and implements that are good for nothing and that they know nothing about ? Will sheep sustain any injury from hen lice ? T. W. «•• : Value of Boots. In the winter of 1852-3, we fed seven cows on good- English hay, cut and mixed with one quart of oil-meal and two quarts of cob-meal, per day, for each cow. In the winter of 1853-4, the same cows, coming in about the same time, fed on hay cut upon the same ground aa that of the previous year, and with the addition of four bushels of iuta bagas per day, but not a spoonful of grain of any kind, gave just double the gallons of milk that they did when fed on grain ! The circumstances under which the cows existed, both winters, were alike, with the exception of temperature — the weather being much the coldest when they gave the most milk. The barn, however, in which they were kept is a very wanu one, so that in the coldest weather they were all com- fortable.^— N. E. Farmer. * i^»* 49 THE I'ARM JOURNAL. PPEBRUABT "^ree Martin" Cows. The following communication from our friend Dr. Wm. H. Worthington contains some interesting facts, and will throw additional light upon the mystery that has en- veloped that "very singular anomaly in natural his- tory," ,the sterility of Free-Martin cows. By way of introduction to the Doctor's remarks, we Append the fol- lowing notice of "Free Martins," by Youatt, in his ex- cellent work on cattle : "The opinion has prevailed among breeders from time out of date, that when a cow produces two calves, one of them a bull-calf and the other a heifer calf, the male may become a perfect and useful bull, but the female will be incapable of propagation. The curious name of free-martin has been given to this animal. That accurate inquirer, Mr. John Hunter, spared no pains or expense to ascertain the real foundation of this belief ; and he availed himself of the opportunity of examining three of these free-martins. In all of them there was a greater \t less deviation from the external form and appearance of the cow ; and in the head and the horns some ap- proach to those of the ox ; while neither of them had fhown any ^propensity to breed. The teats were smaller than is usual in the heifer; but the outward appearance of the bearing was the same. "They were slaughtered, and he examined the inter- nal structure of the sexual parts : he foand in all of (hem a greater or less deviation from the form of the female, and the addition of some of the organs peculiar to the male ; and he ascertained that they were in fact hermaphrodites. "It is not then a mere vulgar error that the female twin is barren ; on the other hand, there are several well authenticated instances of these frce-martini having bred. "It would hence appear that the rule is, and a very singular anomaly in natural history it is, that the female twin is barren, because she is an hermaphrodite; but in some cases, there not being this admixture of the organs of different sexes, or those of the female prevailing, she is capable of breeding. If the free-martin have entire- ly the appearance of a cow, she will breed; if she be coarse in the horn, and ox-like, she will be barren." West Chester, Jan. 2, 1865. J. Lacey Darlington, Esq. : — The cause of sterility in Free-Martin cows having engaged the attention of a gentleman of science, who had never seen an article purporting to explain it, through his instrumentality I was placed in possession of the genital organs of a heifer of this description for examination. The result of which being deemed important to your readers as breed- ers of stock, I have concluded to send them to you with a drawing of the parts for publication. Webster describes a Free-Martin cow thus: — "When at twin births the mother has a male and the other ap- parently a female, the latter is most generally (but not iTiv.'vriably) barren, and, on dissection; will be found to Iiave some organs of each sex, but neither perfect." Among most of the farmers a cow of this character is «!eemed invariably sterile, and if the orgatis of all were like the one examined, it would not be surprising that Buch should be the case, but this most probably is not so. To enable us to satisfy ourselves and to settle the question satisfactorily, I would request of those who may have, or know of any one having in their posses- sion, an animal of this kind, that they will, when slaughtered, forward the organs of generation to your care for further examination. The annexed sketch will more clearly demonstrate' the condition of things found as described below : A. Vagina or funnel. B. Cordy condition of peretoneum. C. C. Cornua. D. D. Impervious fallopian tubes. E. E. Ovaries or pink colored bodies. F. F. Continuation of pink colored bodies. G. O. Peretoneum. H. H. External parts with their hairy investment. The organs having been carefully examined external- ly, the dissection was commenced at the external orifice of the vagina, A (or funnel as it is commonly called among farmers,) and opened longitudinally to the extent of seven inches, where it terminates in a cul-de-sac; funnel shaped ; the apex being at the upper intemnl part. The diameter of the external orifice when laid open was three inches. Above the termination of the vaginal canal there was to the extent of five inches no opening, but simply a thickened cordy condition of the peretoneum, B, when there commenced a cavity lined by mucous membrane, and running out at acute angles, two cornua, C. C, three and a half inches long, the right one inch, the left three-quarters of an inch, in width. At the upper external angle of these hollow cornua were found abortive fallopian tubes, D. D., impervious, of one and a quarter inches long, when a pink body, one inch in length, E. E., and one-half an inch in thickness, sup- posed to be imperfect ovaries were found, they tapered down to a line of the same color, and continuing about three inches they were lost in a duplicature of the pere- toneum, F. F.; G. G. shows the peretoneum spread out: H. H. shows the external parts covered with their hairy investment. 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 41 Such is a brief account of the result of the examina- tion made, and contains all the important facts elicited. It will be seen that no womb was found, an imperfect vaeina and ovaria, with impervious fallopian tubes, and no evidence of the fimbriated extremity of these tubes. It will not, therefore, be thought strange that amid all this imperfection ou the parts oi nature to aaapt uer organs to the accomplishment of such a complex process as that of reproduction, that she should be sterile. That all Free-Martins are organized in the same iianner is hardly possible ; there may be other changes from a normal condition of the parts than was found in this case, yet explaining as clearly as this the cause of their sterility, and it is to be hoped that the farmers, who are to be benefitted by the investigation, will inter- est themselves in procuring specimens for a more thor- ough elucidation of this subject. Yours, WM. H. WORTHINGTON. ■ «•» For the Farm Journal. Out West— State Fairs— National Cattle Show, &c. Many departments of the Ohio State Fair were defici- ent in consequence of the extremely dry season. Of live stock throughout there was a very respectable show; the grounds and fixings were good, but the railroad facilities and the small, town accommodations were not equal to the occasion ; yet if we could get a rail to sleep on and a yard of tape for covering for fifty cents, we should not complain. There was much of the game played there that was complained of at aur State Fair — of a whole neighborhood coming in by one ticket or badge. The plan adopted at the National Cattle Show at Springfield, Ohio, was much more eflFective. They sold to persons f)r the three days admission three tickets for one dollar, marked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ; and on en- tering give up one of the tickets each day, and should you wish to go out and return the same day, an officer was at the gate with little exit tickets which he would give you to be given up again on your return. This plan, I believe, had the desired efi'ect, and this or some similar plan will have to be adopted at fairs generally to avoid SQ much fraud. The single tickets at thig show were 37} cents. I was much pleased with the exhibi- tion throughout at the National Cattle Show, but as an wcount of it has already been published, I need only say that we had a fine big dinner on the ground, and some short but very fine speeches upon agricultural sub- jects by Gov. Wright, of Indiana, Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky, Ashew, of Canada, Allen, of New York, Hol- <5omb, of Delaware, &c. The inhabitants of Clark coun- ty, where the cattle show was held, are quite ambitious ipon the improved cattle subject, and have some very fine imported Durhams— one of which I saw, a two-year Jd bull, cost $3500. This is a fine district for stock. The Mad River valley passes through it, and affords fine pasture. This and the adjoining county of Montgomery itfe thickly settled, being about sixty-two persons to the square mile. There is a great deficiency in farm build- ing, there being very few barns or good shelter for stock; no where else could I find such buildings or agricultural "nprovements as are to be found in eastern Pennsylva- nia. In AVayne county, Indiana, I saw some pretty well one up farms, and some fine lots of improved sheep and cattle. Governor Wright has a large room in the capi- tol at Indianapolis wholly occupied as a Farm Library, with thousands of volumes on the subject of agriculture minerals, implements, &c., and seems to take pride in showing these things to persons interested in the sub- ject. He is President of the State Society, and takes quite an interest in promotiiig agrluuiiurai improvement. Corn and pork is the principal staple of this State, and Cincinnati is their chief market, to which they have one railroad finished and one or two more in progress. The dry season has shortened Uieir corn crop, which will ne- cessarily shorten the pork crop. Com will be scarce in Ohio and Illinois also. Railroads in those States are numerous, running in every direction, connecting at al- most every place of any importance, and I should judge from the amount of travel and freight, that they are generally good stock. There are some very extensive farmers in Illinois, who occupy and stock from 600 to 2,600 acres. Many thousands of cattle are fattened, drove to Chicago, slaughtered, and packed for foreign markets; and many thousands drove east and west to furnish beef for the seaboard towns and stock for the new States and Territories. Iowa is settling so rapidly that it takes many thousand cattle annually to supply them with stock. They have rich land there, but a great deficiency of stone and timber for building, &c. The State is chiefly prairie, and too cold and dry through the winter for winter wheat. They sow spring wheat, and while there in October I did not see a green field in the State. The grass, principally prairie, was all dead and dry, and many hundreds of acres of it on fire. They burn oflf the old grass every fall. Land sells from $1 25 to $40 per acre, according to location and improvement. I was somewhat surprised that the farmers of these States (whose principal business is pork growing,) had paid so little attention tp improving their hogs; they might just as well have a breed that would maketfiftj- pounds more pork per hog with the same feed. There are a few exceptions among the Ohio and Indiana far- mers— they have made some valuable improvements, which I think others would do well to follow. Where a farmer kept from 50 to 5(^0 hogs, if he got a breed that only made five or ten pounds more it would be quite an object, and would pay well for a little extra expense in procuring a pair or two from a distance. Agriculture being the business of the United States — five million of farmers now being engaged in it—- and more capital employed in it than in all other pursuits combined, and what have the agriculturists received from Government, which is every year making appropriations to advance almost every other important or unimportant branch of business. They have given us only the Pa- tent Office Reports, good enough as far as they go, but, unless a T^vommidni political farmer, we are not likely to see even that. We want more aid, we ought to ask for more, we ought to, and we will, insist on more. If it is because we have so few farmers in the National Legis- lature to urge our claims we will send more there. We want an Agricultural Bureau established--ta national one — to give its undivided attention to rural affairs. We want an Agriculturrl College, Experimental Farm, &c., with publications to issue, teeming with agricul<4iral knowledge, and so directed that every farmer may re- THE FARM JOURNAL. [FKBRTlARrP^^^'l THE FARM JOURNAL. 43 1^ l<^ ceive benefit therefrom. It would take but a small pit- tance of government funds compared with those ex- pended in unimportant expeditions, &c. Governments generally legislate for and aid the agricultural interest of their constituents, but the United States agriculturists work independent of government aid. They sustain more agricultural papers than ail the rest of the world. These papers are doing a great good, and should receive aid from every farmer. THOMAS WOOD. Penningtonville, 12th mo. 18, 1864. *•* To Bestiroy Moles. To the Editor of the Farm Journal : — I take this op- portunity of answering the enquiry of John Kelsey in the December number of the Farm Journal. In the springs of 1850 and '61, I was annoyed with moles and ground mice beyond endurance. My garden, and even ray potatoes, were subject to their depredations. I first tried trapping, but all to little or no purpose. I next set about discovering a remeny in the shape of poisoned Gorn, which proved a very eflfectual one. I procured some of the roots of the plant known by the name of hellebore ; I then boiled it in a sufficient quantity of water to make a strong liquor, and put the corn to soak in it until perfectly swelled, when it is fit for use ; and to my great satisfaction it entirely enterminated all moles and ground mice. It is also very good to stop Mister crow, black bird, or chicken, from taking up com in the field. It will kill every thing that cats it, and it does not appear to hurt the germination of the corn, providing the corn is not put to soak while the liquor is hot. Yours truly, HWD. WILLIAMSON. Willistown, Dec. 9th, 1854. packed tight with sawdust — all the crevices between the ice in packing should be closely filled up with the same and about eighteen or twenty inclies on the top-^the whole to be capped with a good water proof roof, and it is finished." J. QORSUCH. Cambria co., Pa., Dec, 1854. Imiring gaze of the multitude. Quite a large quantity )f house plants were exhibited, which did great credit the taste of the owners. The display of horsemanship was by far the most exciting and interesting part of the Fair. The ladies' lorsemanship was the grand feature of the day, and was ••»- iinesscu /XK anno X.^ Kf \^ \f -<••- For the Farm Journal. Cheap Ice House. As many farmers have probably neglected the build- ing of a substantial and commodious ice house in the proper season, I propose a cheap and convenient mode The Crawford County Agricultural Fair. In our notices of Agricultural Fairs we omitted that of Crawford county, or rather we had not the data from which to compile a notice — neither letter nor newspaper containing a report reaching us in season. Our friend R. Lyle White, Esq., of the "Banner," recently supplied this deficiency. We append the principal paragraphs of his editorial notice. Mr. White will please accept oar thanks for this and other favors : "The exhibition of stock, especially cattle, cannot be excelled, if equalled, by any county in the State. It did more credit to the enterprise and judgment of our far- mers than any thing else at the Fair. We have attended a good many Fairs, but never saw a better show of cat- tle. In this respect we believe Crawford county is ahead of any other in the State. "The exhibition of swine and sheep was just about so so — nothing extra — if any thing it was inferior to any we have seen heretofore in other places. There is great room for improvement in both those classes of stock. "There was quite a large number of horses on the ground, but not more than one-half of them were worth taking to a Fair. The better portion of them made a very respectable appearance, and their owners deserve credit for the pains they have taken to secure good stock. We are far from believing, however, that the exhibition of horses was a fair show of what our counfri' can do in that line. From the interest manifested iii that department we may look for something rare next year. This part of the exhibition was pronounced by those from a distance to be superior to any of the kind iong and doubtful, but was finally decided in favor of liss Lawrence amid the cheers of the immense crowd." -^•»- of constructing a small ice house for domestic pur- they had witnessed in New York State or Ohio. Tho same remark was also made in regard to the cattle show. "The show of crops, fruits, vegetables, &c., was tole- rable— nothing more — but was as good as could be ex- pected this year. We noticed two or three specimens of corn which were very good — what was of them. The specimens of grtvpes were as good as can be seen anj where in this section of the Union, or perhaps any oth- er. "The poultry was fine. The Shanghaes and other long-legged species predominated, but whether they will be in the end considered the most profitable remains to be proven. The Society offered no premiums on Poland fowls, and none of that kind were exhibited ; but wo venture the opinion that they are the most profitable and handsomest species of poultry in the country. "The ladies' department of the Fair was very goo(', but the chance to see what they exhibited was very poor. We hope the Society will make better arrangements for them hereafter. Their exhibition of manufactured and fancy articles was as far ahead of that of the "sterner poses. The two most important requisites in a family ice house are, exclusion of surrounding atmosphere and rapid drainage. There is some disagreement as to which, on the whole, is the best, an ice house built wholly above, or partly below the surface of the ground. Either plan though, if properly constructed, will preserve ice ac- cording to their capacity, in the warmest seasons. The following is about the cheapest plan of preserving ice, all things considered, in use: "Select a dry site clean off a spot eight feet square — in each corner plant a post. Let the front posts be ten feet high and the back posts seven, which will give three feet of a slant tor the roof— fasten any common boards to the outside of these posts by nailing them or otherwise — extending them to the roof on all sides except the front, which may not be extended higher than seven feet, allowing the remaining three for ventilation and passage way. The hull of your house being finished, you commence in the inside by placing a layer of sawdust in the bot- Hop Culture. [concluded from page 18.] "Fifty pounds of hops, when dried, is the largest uantity that should be dried at one time, on a kiln of his size ; and unless absolutely necessary to put on that quantity, a less would dry better. The green hops ould be spread as evenly and as light as possible over e kiln. The fire at first should be moderate, but it ay be increased as the hops dry and the, ^team is eva- orated. •< Hops should not remain long in the bin or bag after hey are picked, as they will very soon heat and become sipid. The hops should not be stirred on the kiln un- 11 they are completely and fully dried. Then they hould be removed from the kiln into a dry room, and aid in a heap, and there remain, unmoved and unstirr- d, until bagged, which is done with a screw, having a ox made of plank, the size the box is wished, into hich the cloth is laid, and the hops screwed into the ox, which is so constructed that the sides may be re- eved, and the bag sewed together while in the press. "The hops, after laying a few days, will gather a artial moisture, called a sweat. The sweat will proba- ly begin to subside in about eight days, at which time, d before the sweat is off, they ought to be bagged in lear dry weather. As the exact time when the hops ill begin to sweat, and when the sweat will begin to lubside or dry off, [the proper time to bag them,] will ary with the state of the atmosphere, it will be neces- ary to examine the hops from day to day, which is asily done by taking some of them from the centre of e heap with your hand. If on examination you find he hops to be very damp, and their color altering, "hich will be the case if they were not completely dried n the kiln, and not otherwise, you must overhaul them nd dry them m the air. „ v "The most convenient size for a bag of hops, to han- le and transport, is about five feet in length, and to ontain about two hundred and fifty pounds. The best ftgging is coarse, strong tow cloth, of our domestic anufacturing ; next to that, Russian hemp bagging, te East India sugar and gunny bags, so called, ought ever to be used. The sugar bags are of an unreasona- le weight, and both they and the gunny bags are of no alue to the brewer; whereas the other bags are worth shu,t those only which are necessary to keep out the rain. If a ventilator was put in the roof of the building, di- rectly over the centre of the kiln, about six feet square, built like those in breweries and distilleries, they would be found very advantageous. I have seen many lots of hops much injured both in color and flavor by being "Where the houses over the kilns are built large, for the purpose of storing the hops as they are dried, which is a great saving of labor, a close partition should be made between the kilns and the room in whjch the hops are stored, to prevent the damp steam from the kilns coming to them, as it will color them, and injure their flavor and quality very much. "I expect that many of our farmers will object to tho mode of manuring hops which I have recommended, their common practice being to put the manure in th« hills when they plant the hops, and afterwaixis to apply the manure on the hills at the first and second hoeings. I find the hop -roots are very liable to be injured by the worms, and to decay. My opinion is, that the manure in the hill has a tendency to produce the worms, and its fermentation at their roots to cause their decay ; and that the crop is not more, if as abundant, as when ma- nured in the manner I have recommended ; and, farther, that a hop-yard manured in this manner will continue in a healthy state for many years. "I also expect the quantity of manure I have recom- mended will be objected to by many, it being the com- monly received opinion, that hops should have little or no manure. I find it a general complaint amongst the farmers where 4iops have been cultivated many years, that the quantity raised per acre does not exceed the one half raised by their ancestors on the same land; in- ferring that the 'hops are running out,' as it is termed, and cannot now be cultivated to advantage. Hops, in common with all sorts of grain and vegetables, flourish best and produce the finest crops when cultivated on new lands, which require little or no manure ; and such were the lands which their ancestors cultivated. The same complaint, I presume, would be made against all sorts of grain and vegetables, if raised with little or no inanure, on lands that have long been cultivated." 4«» torn, twelve or more inches deep, over which place some loose boards to support the ice— on these boards you j sex"' as it well could bo. Quilts of the most beautiffll place a tower of ice six feet square, which leaves a space style, tidies of the neatest workmanship, and a thousand of one foot between the ice and the wall, which is to be ! ai-ticles of utility and beauty, were spread before the ?nine cost. "It is now common for those who have entered con- pderably into the cultivation of hops, to build houses »Ter their kilns, which, in wet weather, are very conve- "ent; otherwise, a kiln in the open air would be prefer- ^'Jle. It is necessary to have these buildings well venti- lated with doors and windows ; and to have them kept pen night and day, except in wet weather, and then Practical Hints about Poultry. Whether the large sized varieties of fowls which "are all the rage" now amongst fancy breeders and dealers, are really preferable to the old-fashioned barn-yard fowls, is a subject of which there are two opinions among those who have tried both. To say nothing of the enormlous prices which they occasionally command, they weigh heavily in the market scales, or fill a large platter on the dinner table. But on the other hand, they are great gormandizers themselves, and are gen- erally considered difficult to raise. Roosters should be changed as often as once in two years, if not annually ; and pains should be taken, in replacing them, to pro- cure strong, healthy and perfect birds; the hen will lay better, and hatch more chickens. Only a small number of hens should be kept in one house, or together. Wo have known repeated instances in which keepers of poultry have become disgusted at their failure to lay, and have determined to kill them off. They have com- TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 4A THE FARM JOURNAL. [Februart I ?•'' t menccd reducing the number, which was perhaps forty or fifty, and when they got down to half a dozen, were surprised to find every one of the hens laying, and the supplies of eggs for the family better than the whole number furnished. As to profit, we doubt whether, if all their food be bought, the eggs and chickens produced by any breed, and sold at the regular market prices, for the table, will pay the expense of keeping, but it by no means follows from this, that hens are not a source of profit on a farm. They eat much of what would other- wise be entirely lost and wasted ; and a small patch of buckwheat, sown at a trifling cost, and left on the ground where they can stroll over it and feed at their pleasure, will keep them as fat as butter. The main point is, the great value of the manure of poultry. The hen-roost is the place where most farmers should go for their guano. If obtained there, it will invariably prove of good quality. There need be no fear for those who get their guano from this source, that it will turn out to be spurious or inferior. We doubt whether even intelligent farmers would es- timate at more than one-hundredth part of its amount the quantity of excellent manure, which can be made in this way in the course of a year. The hen-roost, duck- roost and turkey-roost should be supplied with several loads of peat, swamp muck, or both, spread evenly over the surface of the floor, and on this there should be scattered a thin layer of sand or gravel. On rainy days, when the work can be done as well as not — and as often as practicable — this should be all shoveled over, and the manures thus mixed with the other ingredients. The compost soon becomes strong, when, it can be re- moved, and fresh supply of suitable material thrown in. The house is kept sweet, clean and healthy for the fowls; and if any farmer will adopt this plan, and pr^ictice it faithfully for five years, and keep an accurate account of the crops raised directly from the compost made with the poultry m^anure, and from the manure made by feed- ing those crops out in their turn, he will be amazed at the amount of each which he will have realized, and at the permanent improvement of his farm. — Londonderry Standard. , 4«l Orchards, Apples, and the Market. * 'David, I am going to quit the nursery business. In twenty-one years fruit will be a drug in New York city. Why, every body is setting out orchards. Just look around this neighborhood! There is deacon Jones has just set out t)00 trees ; Tom Smith 400, and his brother Jim will have 1000 next spring, and so on at that rate all over the country — grafted fruit, too, none of it for cider. Now what do you suppose is to become of all these apples ? I tell you what it is, David, we must wind up the nursery business or we shall break flat. Every body is going crazy about fruit. Every body will grow it, but no body buy it, a few years hence." This prognostication was made more than twenty years ago by a sensible man engaged in propagating choice fruits for sale in Central New York, and no doubt the speaker honestly believed the days of the nursery- man were well nigh numbered. Brother David, howev- er, was of a diff'erent opinion. He did not believe it was so easy to overstock the market with such fruit as no other than American soil and climate can produce He did not believe 'ere twenty years' time would elapse every body would have an orchard, the products of which would be so unsaleable, and the business so un- profitable, the owner could have no desire to plant more or better, or newer varieties of trees ; consequently ie urged that the business should be perseveringly contin ued until the dawning of the evil day was more visible in the horizon. What has been the result ? A sale of 40,000 apple trees and 7,000 of other fruits during the planting sea- son of last year, and the prospect for the next equally good. The very men who had planted 500, have in- creased 1000, and some of them have doubled that ten- fold ; and yet the market is now better than it ever was before for all the choice varieties of the product of or chard, vineyard, or garden. The market is not yet glut- ted, nor can it be while millions of mouths continually water for the luscious fruits which contrast so advan- tageously with the sour crabs, "five to a pint,"' whicii filled the market twenty years ago. The market cannot be glutted with such fruit as the Newtown pippins, Roi- bury russets, Rhode Island greenings, Baldwins, Belle- fleur, Swaar, Domine, and a great variety of other ex- cellent winter keeping apples ; while the luxury-loving mouths of old England are within two weeks (we have done counting distance by miles,) of the fruit bearing hills of New England. Nay, not only New England and New York, but the ever bearing trees of the rich plains of that once far away western wild, known in our boy- hood as New Connecticut. But still the market is not glutted, nor will it be, though all Ohio, Michigan, Indi- ana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, shall pour in their golden treasures of golden pippins from their unbounded plains of the richest fmit bearing land the world ever saw, while that same world full of people possess the taste they now do for choice, delicious fruits. Our advice, therefore, is, as it has always been, to ev- ery man who owns an acre of land — plant trees. Don't be afraid of overstocking the market with any kind of| fruit, except such as your fathers used to grow, and some of you still perpetuate ; because the refined and improved tastes of the world demand, and will have, if it is procurable, the best that can be grown. — Oswego Journal, . ^ «» Wintering Young Cattle. If you wish to raise well sized, full developed anim8l8y| you must give the young creatures plenty of food. When we say plenty ^ we do not mean that you sliould keep them fat like show beeves, for that would be m unhealthy condition ; but we mean that you should keep them in good growing condition — that you should «• feed them as that they shall have wherewithal to build | up their frames. 4«* Cure for Bingbone. r noticed in the Cultivator for May 15th, an inquiTl for the cure of a ringbone in a colt, and answer, tai* high wines of cider brandy, add saltpetre as much a» will dissolve, and wash the ringbone two or three tim«* a day. One of my neighbors cured one of three or (om years' standing, by the application of this a few times.- j Boston Cultivator, \ibb.] THE FARM JOURNAL. i< Work for the Month. Farm.— February is usually the last month of leisure ,reviou8 to commencing active operations on the farm; ut it frequently happens that there are several weeks ,f open weather, which enables those who have not had heir corn ground plowed to do it now. It is necessary, lOWeVer, lO guuru agamon piv^Wjj.15 T»xxwii. v«x^ ^x»«A^v« iij wet. Teams that have stood idle for some time hould be gradually inured to work. We have fre- quently known horses, kept stabled during the wintet, [d when spring opened put to constant work, lose luch of their flesh, and not pick up again before harvest. A little foresight now may prevent the necessity of hurry and over exertion a few months hence, — such as Ihaving a full supply of wood for the entire season cut up, fences repaired, implements put in proper order, atones picked from mowing lands when necessary, drains opened, &c., &c. In a word any thing that can be done to advantage; but which necessarily need not be done for two or three months, however, should not be put off". This is a period of comparative leisure; that of compar- tive labor. Fruit Orchaed. — Take off cuttings of gooseberries and currants, and bury them two thirds of their length in the earth, until wanted for planting out; also quince cuttings, grafts of apple, pear, plum, cherries, and pea- ches, may now be taken and preserved in damp saw-dust, or earth till wanted. The two last must be cut before any swelling of the buds has taken place. Grafting the cherry will not succeed unless performed very early. Uudded peach trees which have missed may be success- folly side grafted if the buds have not swollen. Mulch during this month of comparative leisure, all young fruit trees. Pruning may now be attended to. Head down all apple and other trees of worthless varieties which are for grafting and forming new tops . Leave some of the lower branches for removal another season. If the limbs are too large for grafting, the young shoots which will be thrown out, may be budded the following fall, or reserved for grafting the following spring. Two seasons, !tt least, should be occupied in changing the heads of large trees. A pole pruning-saw, pole-chisel, and pole- pruning-shears, are necessary to perform this operation thoroughly. Cut out all inside shoots and branches, vhich crowd the head, and are useless. Those limbs vrhich have free access to sun and air are the fruit-bear- ing and productive ones. Branches should radiate from the trunk, something after the fashion of an umbrella. When large limbs are removed, coat the surface of the wound with shellac dissolved in alcohol, to about the consistency of paint. Go round every peach tree and shorten in the last year's growth about one-third, with *e pole pruning-shears. This has been very fully proven to result in larger and finer fruit, and may be applied to "ther trees beside the peach. Apply the wash, before J^commended, to the trunk and large limbs. Grape vines should be pruned without delay. Trim gooseber- "es and currants, by cutting out old wood and branches "ew the ground, so as to give somewhat of the tree •hape. Cut off at the ground old raspberry wood of last .gear's bearing, and shorten in the new growth one-third, ^ve only four or five stalks to each plant. Raspber- nos must be well manured to be productive, and moved to a new place at least once in five years; If frost should be out of the ground by the last of the month, strawberry beds may be raked over, and short manure dug in between the rows. A good coat of ashes should be spread over the whole bed. Flower Gaeden. — See directions for previous month. Veqstabli Garden. — Manures should now be com- posted and prepared for frames. Turn over occasionally to allow the hot steam to pass off. From the middle to the last of this month, frames may be set up, and some cabbage, lettuce, radish, tomatoes, egg-plant and pep- per seed sown for early planting. The two last require rather more heat than the others, and should have a separate frame, and never allowed to become chilled. Select a sheltered place for hot beds on the south side of a building or a tight fence. After seed is sown constant attention is required. Cover with straw mats in nights and in cold weather, and give air occasionally on fine days. Should it be necessary to let off steam, cover with something to keep out the cold, and prevent a check to the bed or plants Radish and beet seed, early vaieties, may be sown on a rich warm border in open ground, for early use, as soon as the frost is out of the ground. Cover with straw in severe weather. By the latter part of the month, extra early peas may be plant- ed in rows for early crop, and also potatoes. Rhubarb may bo forced by covering the plants with a barrel and filling up with manure. Continue to give air on fine days to plants of last year's sowing, in cold and forcing frames. By the last of the month, if the weather is open, fork in manure on asparagus beds, give a plentiful dressing of salt. 4«» " Fine Devons in Pennsylvania. We are gratified in being able to announce the arrival in our State of some superior thorough bred Devon stock, recently purchased by George F. Curwen, Esq., of Montgomery county, from the select herd of the Messrs. Wainwright, Dutchess county. New York. They consist of a very superior bull, bred by Mr. George Turner, of England, and three cows. Cherry, Rose and Ida. Cherry is nine years old, from an imported bull and cow, and has milked twenty quarts per day. Her calf last spring was sold for $176. Rose, five years old, out of Cherry, by the celebrated prize bull Major, will calve in next July. Ida, two years old, out of Rose, wa« gotten by Mayboy, the bull imported by the Messrs. Wainwright. We congratulate the farmers of our State upon the introduction of this superior stock. Inhere is very little of pure Devon stock in Pennsylvania, and it is a breed of great value in several particulars. The high price of stock cattle from the west, which our grazers are in the habit of buying from the drovers, in order to give them a coat of fat in Pennsylvania, and prepare them for the butcher, makes it profitable and economical for us to turn our attention to introducing improved breeds, and raising our own. Let any one examine the history and expense of rear- ing and feeding the magnificent oxen of George Brinton, Esq., engraved in the last number of the Farm Journal, and it will be seen that less feed will make more weight, and of a better quality, and commanding from the t' I TIGHT BINDING 'i 46 THE FARM JOURNAL. [February butcher a higher price, at a given age, than the ordi- nary, and often ill shaped, common stock from the dro- ver. The rapid settlement of lands in the west has dimin- ished the supply of stock cattle eastward, and turned it westward. We believe, by using improved breeds, hav- ing suitable protection in the barnyard, devoilug a cer- tain space to root culture, and stimulating growth of calves a little during their first year, when they most re- quire it, many of our Pennsylvania farmers will find it to their interest to raise instead of buying their stock. Mr. Curwen's address, for those who wish to make en- quiry about Devons, is West Hj^verford P. 0., Delaware county, Pa. ~4«» Coveney's "Economical" Manme. This article enjoys a reputation in England similar to some of the patent manures of this country, and like the latter, although advertised as adapted to all soils and all articles of vegetable growth, it not unfrequently entire- ly faila in producing good effect, but even sometimes proves deleterious. From the following report of a trial in the Court of Exchequer, the defendant was released from payment of the cost of the manure on the ground that he received a spurious article, although he obtained it at the manufactory of the patentee. Some of our correspondents who complain of not receiving the re- turns expected from superphosphates, &c., may find in the verdict a possible cause: Court of Exchequer — Wednesday. [Sittings at Nisi Prius at Guildhall, before the Lord Chief Baron and a Common Jury.) Coveney vs. Loviok. — Mr. M. Cham- bers and Mr. James appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. Atherton and Mr. Holl for the defendant. The defen- dant in this action is a farmer, who occupies 600 acres of land in Norfolk, under the Earl of Leicester ; and the plaintiff is the agent of a M. Papillot, a manufacturing chemist, and the inventor of the British Economical Manure, which it is almost unnecessary to state was, in the language of the advertisements, endowed with every fructifying quality that can be conceived, as well as the advantage of drawing to the soil the moisture of the at- mosphere. Attracted by these, Mr. Lovick purchased a considerable quantity for 77Z., applied it to dress his turnip land, and waited anxiously for the result. In <|ue course the turnips came up ; but instead of attain- ing the corpulence of a turnip, they never exceeded that of a good-sized radish, and for the most part were never gathered. The season, moreover, was very dry, and the moisture which oilght, under the influence of the ma- nure, to have been deposited, remained, so far as the de- fendant was concerned, with all its other advantages, in nubibus. Such being the state of things, the defendant refused to pay the price, on the ground that the article furnished was not the genuine British Economical Ma- nure. The fertilizing power's of the real thing might be, and probably were, excellent ; but if that were so, Mr. Lovick had not received wh^t he had ordered, and was not, therefore, bound to pay for it. On the other gide arguments were used to show that the ingredients of the manure had beed misused by the defendant him- self, by being mixed in improper proportions, and that the plaintiff could not be responsible for the defendant's negligence The jury eventually gave a verdict for th« defendant, expressing their belief that he did not get the genuine Economical Manure. -«♦»- Mildew on Gooseberries. My father had some nice gooseberry bushes ; every year they would blow and show a fair prospect of fruit until they would be about half grown, when they would all mildew, and not one be fit to eat. This state of things continued for several years, when we happened to hear that to pour strong soap suds over the bushee once or twice a week, when the fruit was setting, would prevent the mildew. Last summer we tried it, and th« bushes fairly bent with fruit, which would fairly make one's mouth water, instead of their eyes as before. A neighbor of ours had gooseberries which mildewed in the same way. Last spring, while cleanihg out his stove pipe, the idea was suggested of putting the soot upwi the gooseberry bushes. It was accordingly done, and the result was he had gooseberries without mildew. Rockport, Pike co., 111. H. B. S. — Genesee Farmer. -••►- New Food for Sheep. Whilst I was at Geneva, I observed every one collect- ing carefully the fruit of the horse-chestnut, and on in- quiry I learned that the butchers and holders of grazing stock bought it readily at a certain price per bushel. I inquired of my butcher, and he told me it was given to those sheep in particular that were fattening. The horse-chestnuts were well crushed; something in the way, so I understood, that apples are previous to cider being made. They are crushed or cut up in a machin« kept solely in Switzerland for that purpose ; then about two pounds' weight is given to each sheep morning and evening. It must be portioned out to the sheep, as too much would disagree with them, being of a very heating nature. The butcher told me that it gave an excellent rich flavor to the meat. The Geneva mutton is noted for being as highly flavored as any in England or Wales. — 4^gricultural Gazette. ' ^ To Promote the Health of Cattle. Feed all animals regularly. They not only look for their food at the usual time, but the stomach indicate* the want at the stated period. Therefore feed morning, noon and evwiing, as near the same time as possi- ble. Guard against the wide and injurious extremes of sa- tiating with excess and starving with want. Food should be of a suitable quality, and proportioned to the growth, and fattening of animals, to their production in young, and milk, and to their labor or exercise. Ani- mals that labor need far more food, and that which tf far more nutritious, than those that are idle. In dry time, see that the animals have a good siipplT of pure water. When the fountains are low, they drink the drainings of fountains, streams, and passages of water, which are unwholesome. If bams and stables are very tight and warm, venti- late in mild weather, even in winter. — New Mgl^ Farmer. -x W55.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 4f Cultivation of Colza, or Rape Seed. BY F. N. NAUTTS. [concluded from page 32.] If the land, as I suppose it is, is good, i. e. has been nroperly manured for the previous crops, wheat, oata, Ac, there will be no occasion to manure it now, but if not, have ,. >^.n,...n loiH in hpnpsi. anH throwr q. little flt th<* Tf^nt of every plant, a handful will be sufficient , or, which is pre- ferable by throwing a handful of guano, previously well laixed with four times its bulk of earth, or a good handful - «../) Oii/tiimVkprs in MnTk MHI »(r>>/1ona> *» %r n- Baldwin ; and another of one dollar for a brace of Cucum- bers to Wm. Thompson, gardener to John Tucker. The Treasurer submitted his semi-annual report The Library Committee their annual report ; and the Committee for establishing premiums, a schedule for the year 1855. •«•► FAT STTFTOLK PIG. ter, and in Philadelehia, at P. Morris & Go's Agriculto- ral warehouse corner Seventh and Market street, agents for their machinery. My Dear Sib.— I take pleasure in recording here my impressions of the performance of your plow (Rich's Iron-Beam Patent) at Cobham to-day. Its vork wm, far more thorough and complete than that of any plo I ever saw in operation before. The furrow opened by it, was very generally 13 inches deep, and about 20 inch- es wide, in hard and close land, and most effectually and perfectly cleared out, none of the loosened earth falling back into it. The trial of the plow was witnessed by many of my neighbors, among whom I may mention Mr. T. K. ^^ son, Mr. Jas. H. Terrill, Mr. J. H. Lewis, Mr. C. B Hopkins, Mr. Thos. Watson of Lousia, &c., all practical men and most excellent judges of agricultural imF mei^ts, and the re is but one opinion among them as the superior and unexceptionable performance of p They are maufactured in this section of country by Wishing you equal success elsewhere in making Mes^ers Pennock, of Kennet Square, and are for sale, at valug,ble implement known to our agriaultnral bretn their manufactory, at their warehouse Wilmington Del., 1 1 am very truly and faithfully yours. W. C Ri^** at D. W. Entrinken's Agricultural warehouse West Cbes- C,** *«* Mi.v...a.>«vw, vM^pvvo, cfcv., aiiu Hits u^uivuU HUB tne reputation of being unsurpassed by any other, for fine delicate flavor, fully equal to Southdown. The faces of the Tartar sheep are covered with a short, glossy hair. Persons wishing further information, may apply to A. T. Ncwbojd, No. 9 West Penn Square, Philadel- phia. «•*- IMPORTED DURHAM COW ROSE. The above is a very correct portrait of the beautiful Durham cow, Rose, owned by Christopher Fallon, Esq., •>^ Philadelphia, and to be seen at h!s farm in Upper Oarby township, Delaware county, Pa. She was impor- ted by Mr. Fallon in August last, together with three ^tlier superior Durham animals, NeUy 4 years, Lilly n months, and the BuU Turk, 8 months old. The introduction of these fine cattle is a valuable ac- qoisition to this section of the country, and creditable ^ the public spirit and enterprise of their owner. Un- 'ler the efficient management of his able and experien- ced superintendent, George Drayton, we may expect Jneir progeny to fully sustain the reputation of the breed. Rose was four years old in August last, is of dappled roan color, with very small horns, and neat head and neck, indicating purity of blood ; she had a fine heifer calf last November. She was selected expressly for Mr. Fallon, from one of the best dairy districts in England, by an experien- ced judge, and took the first premium of $20, at the late Pennsylvania State exhibition, for the best cow im~ ported within 12 months. She also took the first premium for the best cow at the Delaware County exhibition in 1854. Nelly, imported in the san^e vessel with Rose, had a bull calf, last December, which we understand is for sale. 44 I I i I 50 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Februaby Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Stato Agricultural Society. The Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania State Agricul- tural Society was held on Tuesday, the 16th of January, as required by its constitution, in the Hall of the House of Representatives at Harrisburg. In the absence of the Pres- .ident, Judge Watts, the Hon. John H. Ewing, one of the Vice-Presidents, was called to the chair. The Recordiug Secretary, R. C. Walker, Esq., read the Report of the Ex- ecutive Committee, which was unanimously adopted. It is as follows : To the Members of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural So- ciety : — * The ending of the fourth year in the transactions of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, finds it in a posi- tion both creditable to the State and worthy of the cause intended to be benefitted. A great end has been accom- plished in a short time, and a period has arrived when your Society can step forth untramelled from the pecuniary em- barrassment which has retarded other State Societies, and render material aid in fostering institutions for the benefit of the farmer and promotion of agriculture. Since the memorable convention of farmers, which estab- lished this Society, in 1851, the spirit then infused has con- tinued with unabated fervency, and each succeeding year has outstripped its predecessor in adding to the accumulated benefit, until the year 1855 presents the pleasing spectacle of a Society, although in its infancy, capable of assuming and maintaining a rank with those of longer standing and earlier birth. The Executive Committee, who transact all the business of the Society, have regularly met during the past year, as required by the constitution, and have disposed of all mat- ters that were brought before them for their action. At their meeting of the 14th of March, 1854, the follow- ing Preamble and Resolutions were offered by James Gow- en, Esq., and unanimously adopted : "The death of Elliott Cresson, Esq., which occurred at Philadelphia on the 20th of February, 1854, in the 58th year of his age, has left a void in the ranks of philanthropy, benevolence and private worth, diflScult to be supplied or filled, causing a deep sensation of sorrow and regret that his labors in the broad field of human rights and human progress had not been vouchsafed a longer day, with a slow- er setting sun, for the further development of his noble ef- forts, and to mitigate the grief of his bereaved relatives and friends. But they and the whole community have the con- solation to reflect that however short his probation, he did not live in vain ; and "though dead he yet speaketh" in the memorials he has left for their example and contemplation. In these regrets and in these memorials, this Society is deep- ly a sympathiser and most gratefully a debtor. "Resolved, That this Society, at its first meeting since the decease of the lamented Elliott Cresson, ofiers its tribute of regret for the sudden and unexpected loss it and the com- munity have sustained in the death of an enlightened phi- lanthropist, an upright, benevolent citizen, and a public spirited benefactor. "Resolved, That the generous bequest of five thousand dollars to this Society, by the will of the late Elliott Cres- son, towards the erection and support of an Agrixjultural College demands our grateful and unfeigned thanks, and commands the sympathy and respect of every farmer throughout the land. "Resolved, That the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society will and do hereby accept the bequest made to it by the will of the late Elliott Cresson, Esq., and hereby pledge the Society to the faithful application of the same to the ob- jeot designated by the will of the deceased. "Resolved, That these proceedings be published in the daily and weekly papers of Philadelphia and Harrisburg, g,nd that a copy of the same be presented to his venerable lady mother, as a token of the Pennsylvania State Agricul- tural Society's respect and gratitude to the memory of her noble son, and of deep Bympathy iii her bereavement.'"' In accordance with a resolution instructing the Secretary to procure a medal-die, one had been furnished upon which the medals for the late exhibition have been struck. Through the courtesy of James Ross Snowdon, Esq., of the United States Mint at Philadelphia, the medals were there struck off, and the die then placed in safe keeping for the future use of the Society. The artistic execution of the die i8 pronounced good, and was done by A. C. Morin, No. 8^qq qq lumber sold, 4 593 53 State appropriation, 2 000 00 contribution to State Fair, 2 362 00 miscellaneous, 59 qq $41 782 60 CR. By investments per order of Ex. Committee, $11 065 00 " advertising, printing, Ac, 1 277 49 " ^•P^^"^^^' 400 00 ^^ stamps, postage, Ac, 33 53 " three hundred copies of transactions, 230 00 " engraving and designs, 355 53 JZ\ 200 00 « ?*.'^f '• 252 60 ,, ^^^ * plowing grounds, hay, straw A lumber, 10 976 33 watchmen, police, gate keepers, hydrant fix- tures, . '_ «„,/'. • 7 059 57 " sr ' ««* »» u^, "7 1 350 00 miscellaneous, .« .^ « i.„i . ' *iS VI balance in the treasury, 3 540 48 ^•"ount previously invested, $19 qoO 00 « ;^^«sted as above, ' n 065 00 -W the treasury as above, 3 540 48 \t7"'''*^'^''^^*^--:-- $33 705 48 ^^^^ Committee on Field Crops for the year 1854 made 06 J!^^ "^P"*'*' ^^'""^ ^^' ^^^^ unanimously adopted, as also a resoluaon thanking the author for the and comprehensive manner in which it was drawn : To the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania State Agri- cultural Society : The Committee on Field Crops, organized by the appoint- ment of John P; Rutherford, of Dauphin county, and John H. Ewing, of Washington county, to fill the vacancies oc- casioned by the absence of Thos. B. Bryson, of Cumberlan-I county, and Jonathan Payson, of Chester county, respect- fully report : That owing to the very severe drought of the last sum- mer, which affected injuriously every product of the farm, there has been no competition for the premiums on any ot' the field crops, except corn. George Drayton, farmer U Christopher Fallon, of Delaware county, and William Dripps, of Chester county, being the only applicants for the premi- ums on corn, John Ruthrauff, of Franklin county, the only applicant for the premiums on barley, and there being no applicants for any of the numerous other productions for which premiums were offered. From ihQ certificates and statement furnished by Mr. Drayton, farmer to Mr. Fallon, which are herewith present- ed and made part of this report, it appears that he produced from five acres of ground in one contiguous piece, accurate- ly measured by a surveyor with chain and compass, five hundred and eight and one-fourth bushels of shelled corn, being one hundred and one bushels and twenty-seven quarts per aero, as ascertained by actual measurement of the whole in a sealed half bushel between the 18th and 28th days of December last— all of which is certified to by the surveyor and two disinterested witnesses. The Committee take pleas* ure, therefore, in atvarding George Drayton, farmer to Chris- topher Fallon, the premium of fifty dollars for the best five acres of corn, as taking into view the great drought they consider that product highly commendable to the producer. Mr. Drayton, farmer to Mr. Fallon, also furnished more than half a bushel of shelled corn, besides a quantity in the ear, as a sample of his crop, together with a full statement of th« mode of cultivation, thus complying literally with every re- quisition of the Society. They also award to William Dripps, of Chester county, the premium of twenty dollars for the second best five acres of com— Mr. Dripps having produced on five acres and twenty-one perches of land four hundred and nineteen and one-fourth bushels of shelled com, being eighty-one bushels and twenty-one quarts per acre, as appears by the accom- panying statement and certificates, which are also herewith presented and made part of this report. By the statement and certificates furnished by Mr. Ruth- rauff, which are also herewith presented and made part of this report, he appears to have produced on five and one- fourth acres of ground two hundred and sixty-four and one- fourth bushels of barley, being fifty and one-third bushels per acre, and on two acres and sixty-four perches one hun- dred and thirty-nine and one-half bushels, being fifty-eight and one eighth bushels per acre. The product of the larger as well as the smaller lot, is highly creditable to Mr. Ruth- rauff, and wo therefore award him a premium of twenty-five dollars for the best five acres of barley. Mr. Ruthrauff pre- sented a few quarts, but not the required quantity of the barley as a sample, which prevented the Committee from testing its weight. Your Committee have noticed with pleasure the enlarge- ment of the premiums offered for field crops, as well as the requisition from applicants of Etricter evidence than in for- mer exhibitions of the measurement both of the ground and product. The award of premiums for an amount of produce per acre, which the great majority of the farming communi- clear I ty believe (erroneously, if you please,) could not have beei i « 52 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Fbbruibt I 1865.] THE FARM JOURNAL. (3 I li i! grown, keeps back competition, and tends to bring discredit upon the Society. It is due, therefore, to the interests of the Society, if not more to this incredulity itself, that the evidence upon which premiums for extraordinary produc- tions are awarded should be such as to satisfy, at least, the honest, intelligent, practical agriculturist. Would it be too much, therefore, to require the several certificates of the surveyor, the applicant and his assistants, not only to be full and explicit, but to be verified by afl&davit ? We are not aware of any objection to the substitution of affidavits for the certificates, that would not apply with equal force to the requisition of the affidavit in any case whatever, nor can we believe that the honest applicant for a premium would make any objection to the substitution of the one for the other. Certain it is that if the solemnity of the affidavit induces caution, prevents evasion and gives additional credulity to the statements, it will answer a most beneficial purpose. To insure accuracy and relieve the applicant from unne- cessary embarrassments, your Committee would most respect- fully suggest the propriety of more specific requisitions and instructions in reference to the statement of the nature, depth and quality of the soil, the crop which for years was produced, the kind, quality and quantity of the manure used, the mode of cultivation, the kind of seed and the manner of sowing it, together with the publication of the forms of cer- tificates or affidavits for the surveyor, applicant and assis- tants. All of which is most respectfully submitted. H. N. McAllister, J. p. RUTHERFORD, J. H. EWING. The election of officers for the next year being in order, the chair started that Judge Watts, the able and accomplished president of the Society from its organization in a letter ad- dressed to the Secretary, R. C. Walker, Esq., preemptorily declined a re-election, and desired him to make this deter- mination known at the annual meeting. The following is the letter. Carlisle, Jan. 15th, 1855. Robert C. Walker, Esq. Secretary. — Dear Shi: — I have always said to you that it was my purpose to decline a re-election to the office of President of the State Agricul- tural Society. I desire that you will make this determina- tion formally known at the annual meeting. I must not be understood to mean that I intend to abate, in any degree, the interest I take in the useful purpose which our Society is destined to mark out ; on the contrary, I will always be ready, in any subordinate position, to contribute all my abil- ity to an enterprise, which I estimate, in point of public economy, above all others. It has always been a subject of regret to me that our annual meetings should necessarily be held at a period when professional duty commands my attention elsewhere. It would aflford me great satisfaction to meet farmers from all parts of tlie State, and aid them to devise plans and means to promote their interest ; I should especially be pleased to have an opportunity to urge upon them the assertion of their right to the establishment of a school, where their sons may be taught the science, as well as the practical operations of agriculture at a cost, commensurate with the profits of their business. But this opportunity is denied me, and I can only add the expression of a well matured opinion, that without that appropriate education which is sought and deemed essential to professional success, the progress and profits of agriculture, must be slow — very slow. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient, FREDERICK WATTS. Dr. A. L. Kennedy, A. M. Spangler and David Landreth were appointed a committee to prepare a resolution expres- sive of the sense of the Society, on the declination of Uie Hon. Frederick Watts being a candidate for re-election to the Presidency of the Society, who after a few minutes re- ported the following resolution : Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be and they are hereby tendered to the Hon. Frederick Watts, of Cumberland county, for the able, courteous and efficient manner in which from the organization of the Society to the present, he haa performed the duties of President. The meeting proceeded to an election, which resulted in the choice of the following gentlemen : President — James Gowen. Vice Presidents — Isaac B. Baxter, A. T. Newbold, Wm. C. Rudman, Algernon S. Roberts, Thos P. Knox, Abraham R. M'llvaine, William Stavely, Henry P. Robinson, John Strohm, John P. Rutherford, Amos Kapp, George W. Wood- ward, Augustus Lukenbaugh, William Jessup, H. N. M'AI- lister, Jacob S. Haldeman, William Hiester, John S. Isett, John M'Farland, John H. Ewing, John Murdock, William Martin, St., William Waugh, William Bigler, James Miles. Additional Members op the Executive Committee— Frederick Watts, John S. Evans, A. 0. Hiester, Isaac G. M'Kinley, Simon Cameron. Corresponding Secretary — A. L. Elwyn. CflEMisT AND Geologist — S. S. Haldeman. Librarian — David Mumma. The chair presented to the meeting the following letter, received by the Executive Committee from the Hon. James Miles, which was ordered to be published, and also referred to the corporators of the Farmers' High School : Harrisrurg, Jan 16th, 1855. To the Executive Committee of the Penn. State Agricultu- ral Society. — Gentlemen: — Believing the Agricultural inter- ests of our state may be eminently promoted by the early establishment of the Farmers High School, where a thorough practical and scientific education may be acquired by the youth of our state, who desire to make the tillage of the soil the business of their lives, I beg to make known to you, and through you to the gentlemen, who are, or may be ap- pointed trustees of the Farmers' High School of Pennsylva- nia, that I will give to the Institution, ttvo hundred acres of land, situated in Girard township, Erie county, provided said school be located on s^id land. Yours truly, JAMES MILES. David Mumma offered the following preamble and resolu- tion, which were adopted : Whereas, it is generally believed that a large portion of the several kinds of guano, now sold in our market, are, many of them, of a very inferior quality, and some of them almost worthless, and tho frequent impositions practiced upon our fanners, in consequence of the great difficulty in discriminating between a good and an inferior article, has much lessened, if not entirely destroyed, the confidence in this highly valuable manure. Therefore; Resolved, That we recommend, and respectfully urge, upon the present Legislature the propriety of passing a law providing for the appointment of an Inspector of Guano for this State. On motion of A. M. Spangler, it was Resolved, That there be appointed by the chair, a com- mittee consisting of five members to attend the annui^i meeting of the United States Agricultural Society for 1855. On motion of Isaac G. Mckinley, it was Resolved, That the Pennsylvania State Agricultural So- ciety takes a deep interest in the establishment of an insti- tution for the instruction of the sons of the farmers of Yent- sylvania in the most approved practical and scientific inoa« of cultivating the soil ,• and inasmuch as the "act to incor- porate the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania," passed at the last session of the Legislature was, unfortunately, so defective as to prevent an organization under it, the present Legislature is earnestly invoked to modify said act in such manner as to secure the establishment of this most invalua- ble institution at the earliest practicable period. On motion of Mr. Stavely, it was resolved that when the meeting adjourns it adjourns to meet at half past seven o'clock this evening. Previous to the adjournment, Mr. Ewing, observing the President in the Hall, signified a wish to vacate the Chair, and after a few forcible and eloquent remarks gave place to Mr. Gowen, who upon taking the chair spoke as follows ; Gentlemen: — I return you my sincere thanks fox the honor you have done me in electing me President of this Society for the current year. With the profound sense of the obligation conferred, I must also acknowledge the ap- prehensions I feel that the time I can devote, as well as the ability I possess, will be inadequate to the proper discharge of the duties of the oflSce to which you have elected me. But one thing I can promise, in all confidence, and that is, that whatever I can do to promote the interests of the So- ciety shall be done zealously and faithfully. It becomes me hkewise to say that I consider it an honor to have been chosen to fill the place vacated by my predecessor, tho Hon. Frederick Watts, who so ably presided over the Society since its organization. A resolution of thanks wag tendered to the Hon. John H. Ewing, for the able manner in which he had presided at the meeting. Adjourned till half past seven o'clock. EVENING SESSION. A. L. Kennedy offered the following amendment to the fourth section of the constitution, which was not agreed to. Strike out last clause and insert : "At the time and place of the annual exhibition, there shall be held, under the auspices of this Society, a Conven- tion of Delegates appointed for the purpose by the County Agricultural Societies, which convention shall elect its own officers, and be, in all respects, auxilliary to this Society." On motion of William Stavely, the first section of the oonstitution was amended so as to read : "The Society shall consist of all such persons as shall pay to the Treasurer not less than one dollar, and annually thereafter not less than one dollar ; the names of the mem- bers to be recorded by the Secretary." On motion, it was resolved that the thanks of this Society be tendered to the members of the House of Representatives for the use of their Hall. On motion the Society adjourned. ■ 4«» _ Clasgification of Mannref. BY JOHN P. NORTON. Op Animal Manures.— We will now take up the second class, the animal manures. These comprise the blood, flesh, bair, horns, bones and excrements of animals. Manures of this cla^s are more powerful by far than the vegetable ma- nnres, because they contain so much more nitrogen. I now «imply state this fact; the reason why nitrogen is so effica- cious will be given in a subsequent chapter. Blood and nesh are among the most valuable of all; wherever they can e obtained, they should be secured at once, and either «ned or made into compost. All of the offal from slaugh- w houses is of much value. Though in this country it is «wn entirely wasted. « 18 not uncommon, in many districts, to see horses or cattle that die from disease drawn out to some secluded spot, and there left to decay on the surface. These are known to be some of the most powerful manures that the farmer could obtain ; equal to guano, poudrette, or any other more costly fertilizers. Every animal that dies should be made into compost, or buried in pieces at once. The best plan is to separate the flesh, which decomposes readily and produces an immediate effect, and make use of the bones according to some of the methods to be hereafter described. The hair of animals is an exceedingly rich material ; for this reason woollen rags, and the waste from woollen mills, are both considered valuable in England; they are sold there at from $20 to $40 per ton, and are eagerly sought after at these prices, as not only very fertilizing, but also very lasting in the soil. All of the hair obtained from the furs of animals is there scrupulously saved, and sold at a high price. Twenty or thirty bushels per acre produce an excellent effect. All these parts of the animal leave an ash corresponding with that of plants in the substances which it contains, with the single exception of silica ; this does not seem to enter into the composition of the animal. We are then now able to point out distinctions between the inorganic matter in the soil, in the plant, and in the animal. They all contain the same substances, if we omit silica and alumina. Of Bones. — There is one important part of the animal yet unnoticed, that is, the boneS. Their composition is, when dry, earthy matter about 60 lbs. in 1 00 lbs., and organ- ic matter, that burns away, about 34 lbs. The earthy matter consists for the most part of phosphate of lime, that is, lime in combination with phosphoric acid ; these, as already shown, are two most valuable substances for application to any soil. The organic part is called gelatin, or glue; this is boiled out by the glue-makers ; it is extremely rich in nitrogen, and is therefore an excellent manure. We thus see at onoe how important a source of nourishment for our land is to be found in bones. They unite from the above statement, some of the most efficacious and desirable organic and inorganic manures. Both of these parts are fitted to minister power- fully to the growth of the plant. When the bones are applied whole, the effect is not very marked at first, because they decay slowly in the soil ; it is also necessary to put on a large quantity per acre. The best way is to have them crushed to powder, or to fine frag- ments in mills. Ten bushels of dust will produce a more immediate and abundant result than 80 or 100 bushels of whole bones, although of course the effect will be sooner over. An advantageous way of using them is to put on 8 or 10 bushels of dust per acre, and half the usual quantity of farm-yard manure. Boiled bones that have been used by the glue-makers are still quite valuable ; they have lost the greater part of their gelatine, but the phosphates remain, and the bones are so softened by the long boiling that they have undergone, as to decompose quickly, and afford an immediate supply of food to plants. Another most important form of applying bones is in a state of solution by sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol). This is a cheap substance, costing by the carboy not more than 2i to 3 cents per lb. To every 100 lbs. of bones, about 50 or 60 of acid are taken; if bone dust is used 25 to 45 lbs. of acid are sufficient. The acid must be mixed with two or three times its bulk of water, because if applied strong it would only * burn and blacken the bones without dissolving them. The bones are plaoed in a tub, and a portion of the pre- viously diluted acid pour,ed upon them. After standing .i day, another portion of acid may be poured on; and finally H THE FARM JOURNAL. {Febrdabt I '^^^-^ THE FARM JOURNAL. 65 'II ill ii the last on the third day, if they are not already dissolved. The mass should he often stirred. Another good way is to place the hones in a heap upon any convenient floor, and pour a portion of the acid upon them. After standing half a day, thB heap should be thor- oughly mixed, and a little more acid added ; this to be con- tinued as long as necessary. It is a method which I have known to prove very successful. In either case the bones will ultimately soften and dis- solve to a kind of paste ; this may be mixed with twenty or thirty times its bulk of water, and applied by means of an ordinary water cart ; used in this way, it produces a won- derful eflFect upon nearly all crops. A more convenient method in most cases is to thoroughly mix the pasty mass of dissolved bones with a large quantity of ashes, peat earth, saw-dust, or charcoal dust. It can then be sown by hand, or dropped from a drilling machine. Two or three bushels of these dissolved bones, with half the quantity of yard manure, are sufficient for an acre. This is, therefore, an exceedingly powerful fertilizer. One reason for its remarkable effect is, that the bones are, by dissolving, brought into a state of such minute divisi on that they are at fl«ity to furnish milk has been proven by his ewes, two of which had raised their lambs without any assistance. Mr. Sheridan moved "that the Executive committee be requested to report at next meeting on the expediency of the Society having an exhibition next autumn," which mo- tion was postponed until after the election of oflBcers. On motion that the annual election be now held, which ^as so resolved ; and Messrs. H. IngersoU and W. Harrison were appointed Tellers Dr. Elwyn stated that having served the Society as Pres- ident for two terms, he was according to XIX By-laws, al- tJiough nominated for re-election, no longer eligible ; he niust therefore decline being a candidate. The election being held resulted as follows:— President, D. Landreth; Vice President, A. T. Newbold and Aaron Glement; Corresponding Secretary, S. G. Fisher; Recording ^^ecretary, Alfred L. Kennedy; Assistant Secretarg, P. R. *reas; Executive Committee, Dennis Kelly, A. S. Roberts, A. T. Newbold; Saml. Williams, John Lardner and John •'lcGowa,n. , ^r. Kennedy offered the following Resolution which was ■'nauimously adopted. Resolved, that the thanks of the Soci- 'V be, and they are hereby tended to Dr. A. L. Elwyn for ^^Q courteous and impartial manner in which he has per- ormed the duties of President during the last two years. Dr. Elwyn reminded the Society that they had frequently, during the past ten years, entertained the proposition to es- tablish an.,Agricultural Reading Room, to be opened on Tues- day and Friday evening and through the day. He deemed the present an eligible time to carry out the plan, inasmuch as the Society would ere long be compelled to find new ac- commodations. Mr. Bpangler approved highly of the views expressed by the last speaker. Dr. Eewtn announced that the next session of the State Society would be held at Harrisburg on the 16th inst The Chair deemed the occasion of that meeting a proper one on which to represent to the Legislature the great wrong done to the Society and the cause of Agriculture, in this section of the State, by the withdrawal of our annual appropriation, which had been continued uninterruptedly for so many years. On motion of Mr. Spangler, those of our members who attend the session of the State Society were appointed a committee to present our olaims to the Legis- lature. On motion adjourned. •*•¥ Price of Land. J. L. Darlington, E«!q: — In compliance with a para- graph of an editorial in the last number of your valuable Journal, headed, "Price of Land," I will give you a short sketch of the prices of land and produce, as well as the mar- ket facilities of Schuylkill County. Farms distant from four to ten and twelve miles from the great Coal Region, of this great Coal county, are really more valuable, than is generally supposed, by persons who live out of it, or have not visted the county, except by a hasty flight on the nume- rous Railroads that connect like a network, giving life and bustle wherever they lead, which are mostly located where very little farming is done. Nor oan a person form a cor- rect idea of the extent of the Agricultural portions of the county, unless he leaves the railroad at Orwigsburg, at least, and travel through the valleys, leading from the eastern parts of the county, in a south-west course, beyond Pine- Grove. Farms susceptible of being made profitable, by a judicious course of farming and improvement, in the valleys south of the Sharp Mountain, now but poorly managed, for want of better farmers, can be bought from twenty to fifty dollars per acre; others, under better management, owned or cultivated by the best farmers in the county, will bring from fifty to seventy-five, and some as high as one hundred dollars per acre, much depending on the quality of the soil and location. Th« advantages of a near and good market, in the numerous towns in the Coal Region, for every thing the farmer can produce, are incalculable. A load of hay can be packed in the morning, taken to Pottsville, or any other place in the region, you choose, sold from twenty to twenty-five, and even as high as thirty dollars a ton, when you can return with a load of manure, in time to take sup- per with the family circle. Every thing readily sells at proportionably high prices. We have farmers among us comihg from near Philadelphia, who say that the truck and dairy business pays them better prices at Pottsville, than at Philadelphia, which is evident from the fatet, that thousands of dollars worth of vegetables, and small fruit, are annually bought in Philadelphia, and sent by the Reading Railroad to Pottsville, and in fact to all parts of the densely inhabited Coal Region, to supply the wants of the thousands of opera- tives and other classes The same holds true to all the coarser produce, such as hay, grain, flour, potatoes, &c. Melons, peaches, pears, apples and other fruit suitable to the climate, can be produced here, of as good quality as in any part of Pennsylvania ; which fact I can vouch for, from ray own exporienco. I should be happy to welcome «ome of f 66 THE FARM JOURNAL. [FSBRUABT |l855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 67 I! f 4 the Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Bucks county far- mers among us. Any one wishing to locate himself on a Sehuykill county farm, will find me ready to give him such assistance and directions, as may be in my power. It is the cultivation of harmony and friendship among men, that makes human life worth possessing. J. S. KELLER. Orwigsburg, Jan., I5th, 1856. «•»-- ' Finger and Toe in Boot Crops. BY JAMSS BUCKMAN, F.G.S., F.L.S. The so-called disease of finger and toe in root crops is a subject which has for a long time occupied the atten- tion of those connected with agriculture, but apparently without at all settling the questions as to its nature and origin, as we find that up to the present time one section of practical men hold the opinion that the malformation of the root, which has given rise to the designation, is caused by uneven manuring ; another, that it is due to the presence of stones, or a want of due pulverisation of the soil ; whilst a third attributes the whole matter to attacks of insects. Now, this discrepancy of opinion results from a var riety of causes, the most prominent of which is a want of agreement as to the nature of the matter under in- vestigation, inasmuch as we find that it is not restricted to a designation of that peculiar branching or growing of the roots in a digitate form, from which the term fin- ger and toe is derived ; but the excrescences caused by the bulging out of the root around the larvae of insects, cracking and splitting of the root, and blotting or rot- ting of its parts, are all somehow or another included in the category of finger and toe ; and though it is possible that most of these may be found to operate under some of the circumstances by which the peculiarity of growth it is my present object to describe is produced, yet the following remarks are meant to apply only to an ex- planation of the facts connected with the branching or forked method of growth of some roots, as Parsnips, Carets, and Turnips (see accompanying drawings 1 and 2), as distinguished from the smooth outline and un- branched condition which mark well developed root crops. As my conclusions upon this subject have been ar- rived at in experimenting upon the growth of cultivated roots from wild kinds, I shall, in illustrating the subject, describe— 1st, Some experiments on the growth of wild roots, and the conclusions I have been led to in conse- quence of my observations upon these. 2d, I shall at- tempt to show that the history of root crops confirms the view of "finger and toe," to which such experiments have led. 1st. Experiments with Wild Roots, &c. — In the spring of 1848 I planted two of my eiperimental plots with seeds of the Pastinaca sativa (Parsnip), and Daucus carrota (Carrot), both of which grew spontaneously in the garden precints ; the seeds were gathered in the previous summer from wild plants. On being sown, both species came up well ; but as they advanced, many of the specimens showed a disposition to run to seed the first year ; and as seed from these would have been of no use in my after experiments, which were designed tf) enable me to note the effect of cultivation upon wili specimens, the plants in which the running disposition showed itself were hoed out. An examination of the crop in the autumn showed, in the Parsnip more partic- ularly, some interesting results, the most prominent oi which were, that whilst most of th^ specimens presented the dark green hairy leaves peculiar to the wild plant, there were a few examples in which the foliage had as- sumed the light green and smooth aspect, devoid of hairs, which characterises the cultivated plant ; and amongs* the latter there were a few with larger leaves and broad- er divisions or leaf-lobes than the rest, the leaves, too, all growing symmetrically around one central bud, whilst others showed a disposition to throw up more buds than one. Here, then, it was evident that the examples with the single central bud were best calculated to carry on the experiments, and consequently the remainder were rooted out, when it was observed that the roots were foT the most part more fleshy than those of quite wild ex- amples; and while they were as much forked as wiW roots (see drawing 3), the increased fleshiness extend*" to the forks equally with the larger part. BEADING'S PATENT HORSE POWER CORN SHELLER AND CLEANER. Robert Sinclair, Jr. & Co. of Baltimore, have pur- chased the right to make and sell Reading's celebrated Com Sheller and Cleaner, as represented by the figure which is admirably adapted for large corn planters, and the best Horse Power Machine known. It is estimated 0 shell, cob, and clean, in perfect order, 1,600 to 2,000 bushels of Com per day. The works are remarkably simple, the machine being made without springs, or cog gearing, and in every res- pect a machine particularly desirable for shelling large crops. Price including Fan Attachment, as reprcsc^n- ted by the Figure, - - - $60 00 Same Machine without the Fan, (see Figure in last Number.) - - - 46 00 -«•► VOSFS OX YOKE, PATENTED AUGUST lOTH, 1858. ''Muzzle not the Ox that treadeth out the Com" In all history, the ox is associated with man as his faithful servant. The horse has been rather man's com- panion ; and, therefore, caressed and apostrophised. And when it has been found necessary to take him from the chariot to the wagon, every care has been taken, both in an anatomical and mechanical point of view, to liafe his harness constructed soft and flexile and on the best principles. None, or but little of this care has been taken in connexion with the ox. It is true he has been worshipped as a God, and sacrificed to the gods, bathe has never been caressed — has never, when he has been whipped and cudgelled, had any of those good matured apologies made to him that, after ill treatment, we usually made to a horse. If his harness, by its malformation and rudeness, pained and lacerated his flesh, it made no matter— he was only an ox. And yet "»an»s sober momenta— perhaps we should say in h s '»zy moments, when he had nothing to do but pity— this consideration and treatment of this truly useful an- imal, has been mourned over and condemned. It now must give to all men real pleasure to see what th is pity gives us, as in this last view of the case, we know it has at last mercifully worked itself into form — into real practical alleviation. It is but a few years since a yoke was invented, by which the oxen can walk closer or more apart as the inequalities or other circumstances of the ground, may make it desirable. And now, we have another and more important improvement in this second new yoke, of which the above is a cut. If the first, or sliding yoke, is a convenience to the oxen, this yoke embraces a principle of mercy as well as of me- chanical improvement, as in it the oxen's shouldors cannot possibly be chafed or mangled, as they too fre- quently are in the old or common yoke. In this yoke the neck blocks are separate from the beam, and attached to it by strong bolts passing from an iron thimble or socket in the block up through th« centre of the beam, as represented at the letter B. This iron thimble or socket, is an improvement upon which fIJ 58 THE FAEM JOURNAL. [FEBRUAfeyl ,855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 19 i* I I tv k j.pplication for a patent is now being made by Mr. Ded- erick. This yoke has five decided advantages over all others : First. By the neck block accommodating it- self to whatever movement of the ox, it ia impossible for his shoulders ever to become sore or broken. Second. It does away with the evil arising from one ox stepping in advance of the other : as, by the moving of the blocks, the weight must under all possible circumstances fall equally on both oxen — except, (which is the Third advantage,) when desiring to favor one you may move him one or more holes farther from the centre than his fellow. Fourih. By moving the neck blocks into either of the five holes, (represented by dots in the beam be- low,) it can be changed at pleasure into a yoke of any width required for ploughing, carting, sleighing or haul- ing ; which advantage of itself makes its value equal to two or three of the common yoke. Fifth. Bows in this yoke will last much longer than in any other, because the tugging or jerking of the ox does not fall on the bow, but directly on the centre bolt. The bows are se- cured by keys passing through the bows and neck blocks represented at A. A. — there being in each block two or more holes, so that the bow can be raised or low- ered at pleasure. These yokes are manufactured by Deering & Dickson, of the premium works at Albany ; and we believe are for sale by Paschall Morris & Co., of this city. We believe its price (patent right included,) is seven dollars ; and we feel that we should not conclude this article without flaying, that when the great ease and advantage it gives to the oxen is considered, no intelligent or humane far- mer should allow the two or three dollars difference in price between it and the ordinary yoke, to make him hesitate a moment in its purchase. <•* — *- es, good stock, good orchards, and children enough to gather the fruit. I believe in a clean kitchen, a neat wife in it, a bpIq. ning piano, a clean cupboard, a clean dairy and a clear conscience. I disbelieve in farmers that will not improve their farms, that grow poorer every year, starving cattip fo» mers' boys turned into clerks and merchants, and far- mers' daughters unwilling to work ; and in all farmers that are ashamed of their vocation, or who drink whis- key till all honest men are ashamed of them. I will also add — I believe in supporting our County and State Agricultural Societies. I believe in having a well filled agricultural library. I believe in supporting the agricultural papers of our State, paying for them, reading them, and circulathig them among my neighbors. — Ohio Cultivator. «%^ Smithfield Club Cattle Show. We have full reports of this justly celebrated exhihi- tion of fat cattle, sheep, pigs, &c., but our space this week forbids an extended notice. The Gold Medal for the best steer or ox of any breed or class was awarded to the Duke of Rutland, for a Short-horn, 4 years and 4 months old. He wag "probably never excelled for qual- ity ; very fat but evenly so ; extraordinary thick in the twist and rump, and very fully covered on all the most valuable parts. The Gold Medal for the best heifer or cow of any breed was given to a Short-horn cow, 6 years and 8 months old, belonging to Charles Townley, of Burnley. The Short-Horns have now for three years in succession carried off these prizes. The Gold Medal for the best pen of long wooled sheep of any breed or claw was awarded to three pure bred Leicester wethers, 21 months old, bred and fed by the Marquis of Exeter. Curcnlio Remedy. The appointed several Horticultural Societies, to teat "^^^^f^ ^^^""^ ^"^ ** ^T ^'" "^ *"" ''**" """ 'u^"" the merit of the alleged discovery by Mr. Mathews, of Ohio, of an effectual remedy against the curculio, have reported their success the past season, but wish to give it full trial another season also, before pronouncing a final opinion. No intimation is given of the nature of the remedy, but so far as tried, there is some reason to hope this hitherto insuperable obstacle to the successful cul- ture of a most delightful fruit may be obviated. ^ The trial of another year will be looked for with the greatest interest. ' -*•»- Fanners' Creed. I believe in small farms and thorough cultivation. I believe that the soil loves to eat, as well as its own- er, and ought, therefore, to be manured. I believe in large crops, which leaves the land better than they found it, ijiaking both the farmer and the farm rich at once. I believe in going to the bottom of things, and, there- fore, in deep plowing, and enough of it, all the better if with a subsoil plow. I believe that every farmer should own a good farm. I believe that the best fertilizer of any soil is a spirit o< industry, enterprise and intelligence. Without this, iime and gypsum, bones and green manure, marl and guano, will be of little use I believe in good fences, good bams, good farm hous- i The second prize was awarded to Prince Albert, for» wooled sheep of any breed or class was awarded to three South Down wethers, bred by the Duke of Richmond. TJ'he Gold Medal fv)r the best pen of pigs of any breed or class was awarded to J. V. Williams, Bridgewater, Somerset, for three improved Leicesters 17 weeks old, color blacJs, with very thin hair. The special correspondent of the Mark Lane Express, says "the classes of Short-horns quite bear the palm at this meeting, and as a whole fully equal, if not surpass, the average of past years." The Agricultural GazetU says "the elegant forms of the Devon and the Down, the most beautiful of breeds in cattle and sheep respectively, never appeared either in equal perfection or in such numbers." The first prize Devon ox under throe years old was bred by Prince Albert, and is said to be a re- markably compact, well got up little thing, polished to the very tips of the horns, which, by the way, are hardly of a Devon charactar. The most elegant and beautiful specimen of an animal in the yard, perhaps, was the first priae Devon heifer, by the Earl of Leicester, somewhat lighter in color, beautifully fine in bone, horn and muz- zle." The Hereford class were "hardly up in quality to those of former years." The first prize was awarded to Isaac Niblet, of Bristol, for a "well bred, remarkably evenly fattened, ripe ox, very thick in the flesh all oy^^ especially on the parts most valuable to the butcher' * large compact beast — somewhat coarser than its neigh- ],or but remarkably thickly covered with useful flesh. There was a fine show of South Down sheep, a com- T aratively inferior one of long wools, and a vory good ilisplay of the crosses between them. Samuel Druce, of Kynsham, Oxfordshire, "who deserves great credit for the cross bred Down and long wooled sheep," carried off the prize in the class of cross breeds. The Mark Lune Express says: "In the down classes we think great jirogress is yet making; our taste accords with the pro- duction of a great weight of food of good quality, in a I'iven time, either in growth or feeding. We think the Hampshire Downs shown gave decided advantages on diis point, being very large and heavy. The pure Downs ,ilso gave evidence of improvement. We never saw the Duke of Richmond's Downs show so well; they retain tlieir symmetry under a broader frame of greater sub- stance. The show of pigs appears to have been rather mea- j:^re. The celebrated Coleshill breed, though fairly rep- resented, were not equal to former years, and the fine porkers bred by Fisher Hobbs, and others of the same school, T^ere missing. 4#*^ : — Large Beet Me, Darlingfon; — We have just weighed and measur- ed a fine beet, of the blood root variety, which grew in our garden during the past excessively dry season. Length twenty inches, circumference twenty one inches, weight ten pounds and two ounces. There is deep soil in Crawford county, and plenti/ of it. Thousands of acres to be had yet at $5 per acre and some *'<>rless. F. SCHREINER. Crawford Co., Nov. 1st 1854. «•> Domestic Becipes. To Clean Rings, Brooches, and other Jewelry. — Put a little hartshorn into a saucer ; dip into a clean, soft rag, from an old cambric handkerchief. With the the rag, go carefully over the jewelry, on both sides. Then dry and poUsh, with another bit of soft rag ; and, linally, with a soft piece of old silk. Precious stones, mosaics and cameos may be cleaned in this maimer. To brighten pearls, tear off ft small bit of pin-paper, [such as rows of pins are stuck in,) roll it up, and, with the end of the roll, rub each pearl, separately ; renew- ing the paper frequently. To Remove Acids, and other Stains from Silks, ™vEs, and Woollens.— The application of hartshorn, iiibbed on with the finger, will generally remove the stam-spots that are sometimes found on new silk, and ^n new kid gloves. There are few stains, indeed, that ^ay not be obliterated by hartshorn. If too strong, =^lute It with a little water. Pour out, into your sau- cer, but very Uttle hartshorn, at a time, as it evapo- ' ates almost immediately. Reddish stains, on black silk, or worsted, can, almost jj ways, be removed by hartshorn ; and the original hlack color will immediately re-appear. To Keep Brittania-Metal Briqht.-DIp a clean woollen cloth into the best and cleanest lamp oil, and ^^ It, hard, aU over the outside of your Brittannia- ware. Then wash it well in strong soap-suds, and af- terwards polish with finely powdered whiting and t buckskin. Indian Hasty Pudding.— Put two quarts of milk in- to a clean pot or sauce-pan. Set it over the fire, adding a level tea-spoonful of salt, and, when it comes to a K/v/tx, Dv*» *ja n xutuj^ v/i. Alcou Dutitfr auout luo sizo 01 a goose-egg. Then add (a handful at a time) sufficient Indian meal to make it very thick, stirring it all the while with a mush-stick. Keep it boiling well, and con- tinue to throw in Indian meal till it is so thick that the stick stands upright in it. Then send it to table hot, and eat it with milk, cream, or molasses and butter. Indian Muffins.— A pint and a half of yellow Indi- an meal, sifted. — A handful of wheat flour. — A quarter of a pound of fresh butter. — A quart of milk. — Four 6gg8. — A very small tea-spoonful of salt. Put the milk into a sauce-pan. Cut the butter into it Set it over the fire and warm it until the butter is very soft, but not until it melts. Then take it off, stir it well, till all mixed, and set it away to cool. Beat four eggs very light ; and when the milk is cold, stir them into it, al- ternately with the meal, a Uttle at a time of each. Add the salt. Beat the whole very hard after it is all mixed. Then butter some muffln-rings on the inside. Set them in a hot oven, or on a heated griddle ; pour some of the batter into each ; and bake the mffiuns well. Send them hot to table, continuing to bake while a fresh sup- ply is wanted. Pull them open with your fingers, and eat them wiih butter, to which you may add molasses or honey. 1%¥ A Good Milking Aldemey. To the Editor of the Farm Journal: — I send you for publication a copy of a letter lately received from Wm. C. Wilson, Esq., of Baltimore, to whom I sold an im- ported Aldemey cow. She was purchased by me of Roswell L. Colt, of Patterson, New Jersey, in March 1851, for Mr. Wilson. I noticed her at the Maryland State Fair in October last, when Mr. W. informed me that she had given in the summer of 1853, as high as 36 qts. of clear milk in one day. His farmer, who was present, willingly offer- ed to testify to the fact. She then had a bull calf about four months old, which I was induced to purchase on account of the milking properties of the dam. The Alderneys in general, have not had the character of being great milkers; but in richness and quality their milk exceeds all others. It will be seen by the following letter that some of them are very great milk- ers also. Respectfully yours, Philada., Jan. 9th, 1855. AARON CLEMENT. Baltimore, Dec. 19th, 1864. Dear Sir : — I enclose Mr. Brooks' deposition in re- gard to the Aldemey cow, "Lady," made before Justice Morrison, one of our most respectable magistrates. On my telling Brooks that you wanted this statement, he expressed the greatest readiness to confirm it, and is well aware of the sacred responsibility of an oath. At one time I thought there might be some mistake in the matter, but on procuring a new stamped measure, I found the old measure precisely the same size, and the TIGHT BINDING •f; \ ) I I , $9 THE FARM JOtJRNAL. [PEftfttTiir dairy maid and two men on the farm, confirmed the statement. Brooks' wife expressed her willingness to ♦ swear also to the fact. You will observe that the yield is one quart less than you supposed. Mrs. B., who has been milking cows for 26 years, says that "Lady" is the best cow she ever milked; that her milk is as rich when mi XO AA'COit oo at) ou ~ »«%r] ol»o v*r%-wf vwiiX/A »xi.iAO« axx\A ouv &kwvv& dry. Her first heifer, now three years old, had her first calf in March last, and three or four months after, on good pasture gave 16 qrs. per day. "Lady's" second calf, a heifer, now two years and four months old, a beautiful animal, and has taken three first premiums, our friend Martin Goldsborough offered me a few weeks since $200 for, but I declined. She has since dropped a fine heifer calf, that could not be bought for $100. *'Lady's" third, 15 months old, is also very promising. As you no doubt take an interest in the cattle I pro- cured through you, I may ask you if you recollect a yearling heifer I purchased of you at our Fair in 1851. Mr. Calvert obtained one from you also. Like "Lady," this heifer (Fannie,) was from Mr. Colt's, and descend- ed on or both sides from Biddell 8tock. She gave last summer, 27 or 28 qrs. per day, being then about three years and nine months old, and with her third calf; goes dry about four days. The yield, &c., of these two, would seem to confirm a remark Mr. Colt made in my hearing that "the Biddell stock proved better with him, than his own more recent importation. ' The deposition, you will observe, refers to season of 1 853. She gave about the same quantity, judging from the pail, this season. I had made arrangements to have all accurately measured, and quality tested, at various periods of their milking, but was compelled by an at- tack of rheumatism, to be absent at the Virginia Springs, nearly all the summer. Another season I will carry this out, and send you the result. Yours respectfully, WM. C. WILSON. State of Maryland, City op Baltimore, S S: On this, 19th day of December, 1854, before me the sub- scriber, a Justice of the Peace of the State of Mary- land, and for the city aforesaid, personally appeared William Brooks, and made oath, that in the summer of 1853, the Aldeiney cow "Lady," belonging to Wm. C. Wilson, then in his charge and management, did at the period mentioned, give in one day, thirty-six quarts of milk, and that her daily yield was about the same be- fore and after that period. (Signed) WM. BROOKS. Subscribed and sworn to befbre HUGH J. MORRISON, Justice of the Peace for Baltimore city. «•» Indiana County Agricnltural Society. The farmers of Indiana county, as we learn from the Register, met at the court house for the purpose of forming an Agricultural Society. They adopted a con- stitution well calculated to promote the object in view. A committee was also appointed to publish an address to the citizens of the county. The following are the officers elected for the ensuing year : Pbbsident— Hon. Tbbs. ^hit«. Vice Preridents — Wm. H. Coleman, Jacob Gamble. Samuel S. Marshall, Hugh M. Speedy, Moses T. Work Wm. Evans, Adam Johnston. Corresponding Secretary— Jonathan Row. Recording Secretary — George .Shryock. Librarian — John H. Lichteberger. /%.£%AUAB,o tIauiCB AJ.UVU, wxiix \j . VUlcBaftn, KobBTt H. Armstrong, David Ralston, James Baily, J. T. Van- horn, S. Johnston. JlJ^'^Upon referring to our mail books, we find thnt several of the above have omitted subscribing to tLe Farm Journal. Certainly no good farmer, much less an officer of an Agrici^tural Society, should hesitatt about subscribing to the only Agricultural Journal pub- lished in the State. *•» • — Burning the Ends of Fenee Posts. A correspondent of the Ohio Farmer, gives the follow- ing common sense reasen for not adopting this practice. 'Tis known to be a fact that charcoal will not rot, hence the idea has obtained, that to char the posts will preserve them; but if the timber is scorched it will cer- tainly crack into many small seams — and probably some of them from one to two inches deep — which of eoarjc will admit the damp and water about as freely as if tLe coal was not there; consequently the posts are injurcfl and the durability decreased. Many years ago, I too was under thei impression that to bum posts would make them last longer. I have been a cultivator of the soil for upwards of 65 years, and am now upwards of 77 years old, consequently have some experience in these matters. • t0t The Oregon Pea. J. L. Darlington Esq. — ^One of your correspondents, who signs himself "Horticola," inquires in the January number, of your Journal where he may be able to obtain certain seeds, which he names, and among which is the Oregon Pea. Permit me to inform him, through you. if you are acquainted with the writer, that I can furnif li him with a small quantity of these peas(say one quart — possibly a gallon) in the latter part of the ensuiflg month. I own a small farm in Tennessee, where these peas have been grown two seasons, and from which I can get them through a friend who will visit this city in Feb- ruary. I obtained in the winter of *62 about a half » pint of seed, from which I presume more than a bashel was gathered in the fall of *53. The long continued and severe drought last summer cut the pea, as wellas tie grain crops, short in Tennessee — and as the Oregon Pea, was not planted till May or June, it suffered great ly from the drouth. Your correspondent also desires to know where fie may obtain the * 'Chick Pea." Allow me to say that I was on the Island of Malta in 1852, where I saw the po» growing which he describes, and jwhich is extensively grown and eaten there by man and beast. The natiw (the poorer class) seem to make a very satisfactory meal off a three ct. loaf of wheaten bread and a few pexinye worth of Chiche (as they call the vegetable) which they pick from the pods and eat raw. As there is pretty free communication between this city and Vallette in Maltmr I think your correspondent will have but little difficulty 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 61 in supplying himself from that quarter. I know some parties here through whom any quantity he wishes to procure may be obtained, if he does not succeed in finding them nearer home and more readily. If your correspondent will address me at this place I will do whatever I may be able, to put him in posession Begging you to excuse the liberty I have taken, in ad- dressing these few lines to you instead of *'Horticola", I remain, Very respectfully, ALSTON B. ESTES. New York, Jan. 13th, 1855. <•* United States Agricultural Society. The Third Annual Meeting of the United States Agri- cultural Society will be held at Washington, D. C, on Wednesday, February 28, 1865. Business of importance will come before the meeting. A new election of Officers is to be made, in which it is desireable that every State and Territory should be rep- resented. Lectures and interesting Discussions are expected on -subjects pertaining to objects of the Association, by dis- tinguished scientific and practical Agriculturists. The various Agricultural Societies of the country are requested to send delegates to this meeting; and all gen- tlemen who are interested in the welfare of American Agriculture, who would promote a more cordial spirit of intercourse between the different sections of our land, and who would elevate this most important pursuit to a position of greater usefulness and honor, are also invited to be present on this occasion. MARSHALL P. WILDER, President. W. S. KING, Secretary. Effectual Method for Destroying Bats. A correspondent of the Genesee Farmer gives the fol- owing method for destroying rats. He says : "One day a stranger came to the house to buy some barley, and hearing my father mention the difficulty he had in freeing the house of these disagreeable tenants, he said he could put him in the way of getting rid of them with very Uttle trouble. His directions were sim- ply these : mix a quantity of arsenic with any sort of grease, and plaster it pretty thick around aU their holes. The rats, he said, if they did not eat the poison, would 8oU their coats in passing through the holes, and as, like all furred animals, they are very cleanly, and cannot endure any dirt upon their cokts, to remove the offensive matter they would lick their fur, and thus destroy them- selres. This plan was immediately put in practice, and ^ a month's time not a rat was to be seen about the house or barn." pounds of flour. The lime water is first added to the flour, after which a sufficient quantity of common water is added to work the whole into good common dough— the leaven being mixed with water can be prepared by stir- ring some quick lime in a vessel containing pure cold water, then allowing the sediment to settle. The clear -M „xxy,^ ^yj^M.'u-^ v.*x <»u^« n-cpt iii iKiiues lor use. jNo care is required respecting the quantity of lime, to be stirred in the water, as it will only take up a certain quantity of lime, and no more. Those who use saleratus (bicar- bonate of soda) in the raising of bread, are recommended to cease its use, and employ pure baker's yeast and a little lime water. Our bones are composed of the phos- phate of lime, and those who use fine flour require for their health a little more lime than is contained in the food. Cream of tartar and carbonate of soda are infe- rior to common yeast for making healthy bread. — Scim- tific American. *•*■ State Fair Premiums. A number of premiums awarded by the committees at the late State Fair, remain in the hands of the treas- urer of the Society. As the post office address of the persons thus alluded to is unknown to the treasurer, he has requested us to call attention to the subject, and to request all whose premiums are yet unpaid, to inform him how and where they may be sent. Address Geo. H. Bucher, Hogestown, Cumberland county. Pa. -<•»► Lime Water in Making Broad. In bread-making, the vineous fermentation sometimes passes mto the acid, thus rendering the bread sour and ^sagreeable. Leibig has lately performed a series of experiments to improve the preparation of bread, from Jjch he comes to the conclusion, that the only effective J innocuous means of improving the qualities of wheat "^^ rye bread, is lime water. In making dough he advi- ^ one pint of clear lime water to be used for every five Snowden Township Agricultural Society. Our friend Joseph Miller, when sending us a club of twenty subscribers adds. We have formed an Agricultural Society here. We held our first Fair on the sixteenth of November last; it was late in the season, but we had a very good exhibit- ion. It was in some respects better than the Alleghany County Fair. I am more in favor of township societies, than either State or County societies. In township soci- eties you can enlist the whole community, but in the State or County societies you cannot. 4e* For the Farm Journal. Wool Growers Look to Tour Sheep. Mr. Editor: — If wool growers would look more after their sheep and see that proper bucks are kept in their flocks, we would see more handsome and large sheep, carrying fleeces of fine long and compact wool, in place of the many long legged, misshaped sheep, carrying a light, open and coarse fleece of unsaleable wool, which will scarcely pay for producing it. But says one, when have we proper bucks in our flocks? I will tell you when you can be certain of it, and do not rest satisfied until you have your arrangements made for the coming fall; from now until you clip your sheep will be the last good opportunity you will have for arranging them prop- erly for this year. Begin by throwing out all the worst formed sheep, from the flock you wish to breed from, and then when you wash, you can throw out those hav- ing coarse and uneven fleeces, and when you clip, you can tell by the scales which are too light fleeced to retain. Now make such marks on them that you will make no mistakes, and next fall put a perfect buck with your flock i\ TIGHT BINDING !|i I r I 1 I mi^ THE FARM JOURNAL. [Fkbbuary 1856.] THE J?ARM JOURNAL. 63 of ewes, and you will find that the offspring will more than meet your most sanguine expectations. I have fol- lowed this method for a number of years, and the man that will follow the same method, will find that his sheep will be much sought after by woolgrowers. Perhaps the reader will ask what kind of sheep to breed from ? I would answer Merino. For four lbs. of wool at sixty cents will amount to two dollars and forty cents, which is better than two at eighty cents; and fire lbs. at fifty cents, which will amount to two dollars and fifty cents, or six lbs. at forty cents, which will amount to two dol- lars and forty cents, is better than one and a half lbs. at ninety cents; and that ten lbs. at forty cents, is better than four at eighty cents; yet I have exceeded any of the above calculations. Yours respectfully, J. S. G. Tippecanoe Fayette co.. Pa., Jan., 4th 1855. -MN- Ofllcers of the Schuylkill County Agricultural Society. At an election held on the first instant, the following officers were elected. President Hon. J. Hammer; Vice Presidents, Joseph Rock and J. J. Paxson; Re- cording Secretary and Librarian, J. S. Keller; Cor. Secretary, S. H. Madden; Treasurer Jos. Hammer ; Curators Dr. J. F. Freichler and Rubens Peale; for the ensuing year «•• For the Farm Journal. A Remedy. Some time since an inquiry was made through the Farm Journal, how to prevent a horse from carrying out his tongue. I will give the information, as it respects one I have, when driven with a small or common bit she will carry her tongue out, when I use a bit as large in circumference as described in your letter or larger, she does not do it. The bits above spoken of are Snaffles. I perfer a snaffle bit of the size above named for common use. I have used them nearly twenty years, and find them the beet size for ease and comfort to the horse. W. F. MYFRS. -<•»- Presentation of Plate. The Harrisburg correspondent of the North American in a recent letter says: I witnessed yesterday evening a very interesting cere- mony— the presentation to Mj. Robert C. Walker, of Al- leghany county, Secretary, of the State Agricultural So- ciety, of a beautiful silver tea set. The present is from some of Mr. Walker's Philadelphia friends, who wit- nessed with satisfaction, and were disposed thus to ac- knowledge his labor at the late State exhibition in your city. The set is of Philadelphia manufacture and ex- exquisite finish. It consists of six pieces, all ornamen- ted by figures illustrative of the objects for whose pro- motion the Society was established. The presentation speech was made by James Go wen, Esq., of Mt. Airy, who discharged the duty in a very delicate and appro- priate manner. Mr. Walker, fittingly replied, express- ing his ackuowledegments to the kind donors, and to Mr. Gowen, for the handsome terms in which he had offered this beautiful present. Mr. Walker, has been the Secre- tary of the Society from its origin, in the early part of the year 1851, and has devoted all his energies to the dis- charge of the duties of his office. He has labored zeal- ously, intelligently and successfully. The Society ha^ grown from weakness to strength, a strength to which Mr. W. has as materially contributed by his well direct- ed efforts, as any connected with the management. Thi* testimonials refered to was thus justly offered, as it was to a worthy servant of the Society, and an efficient pro- moter of its aims. «•» Horace Greeley's Farm. Our cousin of the Tribune, among the more senaiblo of his ^^ismsj" has a farm in the neighborhood of Gothan which has been leased by George E. Waring, Jr., author of "Elements of Agriculture." His farm consists of some sixty-four acres in all, twenty-four of which are arable — the balance being rough pasture land. The arable portion is a rich alluvial deposite, about half of which contains some five miles of draining tile well laiil down. If our friend Waring can practice, as well as he preaches in his "Elements," we may look for some valuable results from his farming operations. We shall be pleased if he will communicate his experience througli the Farm Journal. ^««* Dickey's Butter Worker. An advertisement of this now almost indispensable fixture in every well managed dairy will be found upon the cover of the Journal. In confirmation of the ac- companying testimonials of those who have tried tbo butter worker, we may add, that we had one of them used in our own dairy during the past year, and speak knowingly when we award it the credit of having al- ready saved in labor alone its first cost, — to say nothing of the superior quality of the butter over that workeJ by hand. We have no hesitation in recommending this butter worker to dairymen, as being well worthy their attention, and preferable to any thing of the kind that has come under our notice. <•»- ty with marketing, once, twice or three times a week. Although warmly advocated at that time by many of our juntry friends, the project fell through. Latterly it has leen revived, and the suggestion made, that if the Farm ournal now about being removed to the city, instead of Lting a room merely for its own accomodation, wore to irocure one large enough for the above purpose in addition, d place on the table of the reading room its agricultural ixchanges from all parts of the United States, for the use if the farmer who might visit it ; it would be a great addi- lonal attraction, and prove highly useful and convenient t has been proposed, that the increased annual expense, us incurred, should be defrayed by a small contribution, ay $25. from each of the county societies around Philadel- ihia, whose members would more frequently avail them- elves of the opportunity. Since the subject has been evived, we have made inquiry, and have ascertained that rith such aid, a suitable large room can be obtained in a entral location within a square of Market St We do not ;now how far the Philadelphia Society would be disposed to id in thifl project, but we think it would be equally, if not lore advantageous to its members, than any others. Here fould be a room, warm and lighted, and open at all times oth day and evening to farmers and visitors. An arrange- lent might also be made for the Philadelphia Society to old its monthly meetings there, and perhaps locate its libra- By making these in this way more accessible than at resent, its sphere of usefulness will be much extended. A Farmer's Reading Room in Philadelphia of the kind oposed whether with or without connection with the office the Farm Journal, strikes us as being a most capital idea, id beneficial to the Farming community in various respects! 6 have no doubt, it would in time be made use of as Ifind oi Faf]ner'g Exchange, in addition. Instead of euding their evenings at the taverns, as market farmers •ff are obliged to do, they would frequent the reading om, not only to make usa of the agricultural papers, but »o, as a kind of common central point, where they would sure of meeUng their friends from various sections, in e same occupation. Interchange of opinions, transaction hmnm, and a general community of interest and feel- would result, the good effects of which we think would |on be felt The Reading room, would soon be found to a place where the best information could be obtained re (which was not more than half the labor than when plowed the usual depth] and drilled in the wheat It came up un- commonly well and soon covered the ground. As to the average yield per acre, I cannot say, not having threshed all yet But I am confident that on the manured part theft was at least 35 bushels per acre. To the remaining part of the field, I applied 300 lbs. of Jourdan's Phosnhate of Lins« per acre, which did not benefit the wheat much but had an astonishing effect on the young timothy, forcing ^t to such a growth as to materialy imjure the wheat The grain on this part was perfect and weighed heavier than the other, but the wheat did not shell out— hence less the yield. In the spring of 54, I used the same plow for corn plowing the same depth. I plowed about six acres with it, leaving one acre in the middle of the field, for this I used a common plow, prepared the ground and planted the corn. It came up equally well all over the field, and no difference could bo seen for two or three weeks, when there was a marked diff. erence to be seen in the coloring of the corn. That on the subsoiled part was a pale yellow and looked rather sickly, while the other was a dark green and looked much more like making a crop. This had a tendency to doubt on my part as to its answering for corn. But as the season advan- ced so did the corn, particularly that which grow on the subsoiled part of the field, and in a few weeks there was also a marked difference decidedly in favor of that which was subsoiled ; and the yield was one third more bushels per acre and of a superior quality. I have also used it for vege- tables and find the same beneficial results. In conclusion I will say that I have full faith in subsoiling, and believe the Michigan Double Plow to be preferable to any other that has come under my notice, and as such would recommend it to others. Respectfully submitted, CHARLES BARNARD. Newlin, 1st mo., 6th, 1855. <•» Food for the Million. — Progressive Farmer. A new and cheap agricultural paper has lately been started in Philadelphia under the above title by our en- ' ' r ' J r^^ cf i ^ i \ A «X4i, If — """*° '"" "*"''' miormatiou could be obtained re- terprismg friend Col. Spangler, formerly connected witi |etu.g the state of the markets, the prospect of crops, the the Farm Journal. It is offered at the low rate ofltroducUon of new implements, improved breed of cattle twenty-five cents per year, and consists of eight page» |d where they could be purchased, the price of land in in the quarto form. The first number, just issued, is Perent sections, and all other matters interesting to the illustrated with engravings and filled with excellent ■'mer. - ^ FARMER original communications, as well as editorial and select- ■ ® can mform a farmer that we have removed to Phila- ed matter, and also numerous advertisements. As ^^^lA"*' ^^ occupy an office sufficiently large to answer the is the first attempt in this country to bring so cheap ^M^^ Proposes, but we question if the sum he indicates paper before t|ie fanners, we hope they will respond by | ^^^^ ^^ additional expense.— En. sending in subscriptions by the ten thousand to the en- 1 ^^ Cultivation terprising Colonel, who has shown considerable "^^"'^f'.^^CEr Darlington, Editor op the Farm Journal-— courage in so bold an undertaking. Five copies will befTing directed my attention somewhat to a deeper culti sent for one dollar. His ofl5ce is at the northeast comer Pion of the soil and the payable advantages arising theroi of Seventh and Market streets, Philadelphia. ""'/^ *^e fall of 54 I purchased of P. Morris A Co. a Farmer's Reading R^lom in Philadelphia. ^^Mfimhalun^^^ '* for plowing my olts Mr. DARLiNaTON:-Th:plan of establishing a Farmer'* ^of the field )and^loi?•fT^^''f ^"* * .adinirRoomin some central location in Philadelphia ^ore. C^ll^^t^lr'!^'^ "? '^' ^'^^^ Reading Room in some central location in Philadelphia ^'"""g to mat denth tl originated with Dr. Elwyn some few years since, and we t of the top soil onn «««„««♦! •* , « believe was then introduced by him to the notice of some of|earan.. ,/„_?> consequently it gave the field a different lounty societies, to be opened both day and evening, *t' our c< farmers visiting the city from all sections of the State, pecially those who are in the regular habit of coming to the Covering to that depth the manure and'a grValer )p soil, consequently it gave that field?- However I prepared the ground. For the Farm Journal. Management of Poultry. Mr. Editor:~I have no doubt that many farmers would find it greatly to their advantage if they would construct comfortable and convenient quarters for their domestic fowls. As I have tried a very good arrangement for some years and find it to be fully successful in breediag and raising poul- try and procuring a large quantity of eggs, at all seasons of the year, therefore, by your permission I will describe my fixtures, and give an account of the management of the fowls, Ac. My yard contains upwards of a quarter of an acre, and is enclosed with a picket fence four feet high, and is divided nearly equally into four yards by a lath fence. Each of these yards contains a house,— the first is situated in the southeast of the main yard, which is at the entrance, and is two stories in height, two rooms one above the other, the first room is seven by seven feet, and eight feet in height, plastered, with cement floor, two glass windows two by three feet facing the east and west, wooden door in the south ga- ble end, has three inch strips laid on two by three's ranging from the floor to the ceiling two feet apart, a few nests on one side; this room is intended more particularly for a sleep- ing and living department; the upper room has the same di- mensions except the height which is but five feet, overshoot roof with ornamental work around; doubla glass door cover- ing nearly the whole south gable. This room is intended for a setting room and contains thirty nests for that purpose. The next house is situated in the north part of the main yard, and is similar to the first mentioned, except its having doi ble glass doors covering nearly the whole south gable. This house is intended for a living room, though they both answer admirably, for the hens to lay in. The other two TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF I iti H THE FARM JOURNAL. [Pebruibt houses are situated in the noi-th weBterii and south western corners of the yard and face the east, glass fronts and laying room attached. The hens pass out of these houses through it^mall hole with a slide door, ^eposit their eggs cftiietly, Sfve their nest, take a range around about their enclosure, partake of a variety of food which is prepared and set before them at all tisies. The fn«d rnnsists of com. oats, buck- wheat, mush, boiled potatoes, occasionly pounded oyster ehells, old plaster, and some meat which is absolutely neces- sary. In the early part of the fall the fowls are selected and placed in the last named houses for fall and winter laying, provided as above. In the course of a very few weeks, they all commence laying and continue for a long time. Should they have a tendency to set, they are removed to the first named houses and yards and are kept there until cured, which is in two weeks or ten days; they are then returned to where taken from and soon resume laying again. In this routine they are kept until the middle of February and fore part of spring, which time we select our eggs for hatching. The hens become very much inclined to set after laying so very long, and stick closely to their laying rooms. At night we remove them to their sleeping room, place them on nests containing eggs, provide them with feed and water constant- ly, never leaving them out until the eggs are hatched. Un- •ler this treatment we invariably get a large number of fine large, plump, healthy chickens, seldom losing more than one out of twenty-five until maturity. When the chicks are hatched the hen and chicks are put into a packing box with lath nailed on the one side, wide enough for the chicks to pass through. Occasionally the old bird is allowed to range with them. The chicks are led on Indian meal moistened with a little water, and fresh water which is absolutely ne- cessary, as water does not cause sickness as some persons sup- pose; and in fact, we find that it is bad management ttiat principally creates sickness. The houses and fences are white-washed three or four times a year and kept cleanly. As to profit we find them to be pretty nearly all clear gain on a farm. I will simply add that the fowls, which my yard is stocked with, were bred from a cock and two hens which came in the ill fated steamer City of Glasgow, March twen- ty-second, 1853, and are Chochin China, cinamon and buff variety; they had a rough voyage, causing one of the hens to become very sick, consequently I lost all of her eggs the first season. The other hen and coek were in fine health; she produced me some fifty fine strong well formed fowls of a uniform color the first spring. I tried others which I pur- chased from several gentleman in this country, but they would not give general satisfaction; consequently I abandon- ed them. I find my own importation give full satisfacton, particularly abroad, as I have sent a considerable number to gentlemen in difierent States. I am aware there is a prejudice with many persons against this breed of fowls, but if they should once procure the true breed I think it would be speedily removed, as they posess highly superior qualities being neither large consumers, ill formed, ungainly or coarsed fleshed, but precisely the reverse, being in a high degree richly flavored, juicy, fine grained, medium bone for so large a fowl, and easily fattened. It would be advisable, however that farmers be careful whom they purchase fowls fVom to stock their farms with, as there are fowls offered for sale as pure shanghais, which have actually bred fowls with crests upon their heads. I sfhould observe that it is not ne- cessary for so large an arrangement need be constructed, as one fouHh of my place would be ample to breed some two hundred "head. Respectfully, G. E* Ever Green Cottage, Dec, 24th, 1854. "* — *♦• Want of space compels us lo postpona till our next seve- ral articles intended for this number. Will Ashes IHssdlve Bones? Owing to the indisposition of farmers generally to use sol. phuric acid in reducing bones to pulp or powder, many persons knowing the value of the bones cast away from the kitchen, of every farm house as worthless, have racked their brains to discover some laeans of turning them into account Some have had them broken and ground like plaster, which when mixed with the soil becomes a valuable and lasting manure, but not very speedy in its operation. It has been known to many that bones heaped together and covered with some moist substance would heat and soften, and could thus be prepared for the field; but th» best account we have seen is the following, given in a recent number of the Countr)- Gentleman. If the question be asked, will ashes dissolve bones? the answer is, no, not in the proper sense of that term, not a? water dissolve sugar or salt. But if it be asked whether ashes will reduce bones to a condition in which they will be speedily available* to plants, the answer is, yes. The Hon. Philip Pusey, ascertained several years ago, and, after carefully experimenting tipon the discovery three or four years, published in the Journal of tho Royal Agricultural Society, that bones, if placed in a pile and covered over with wood ashes, of fossil coal, leached ashes, common soil, o sand even, will heat and crumble to powder. He showed, »f the result of careful experiments, several times repeated, th8t| bones treated in this way become a valuable manure; an«l upon the strength of his own experience, he recommended this course to English farmers. A friend of ours, in whom we have entire confidence, in- forms us that seven years ago ho fell into the practice of re ducing bones by means of ashes, by a sort of a fortunat blunder. Being at the head of a very large family, in whielj fresh meat was largely consumed, he found that his Irish cooi was in the habit of throwing all the bones out of the bad window. This drew snch a bevy of dogs, with voices, basf tenor and treble, about the house, that it was impossible sleep quietly. In order to withdraw temptation from (hi dogs, and to preserve the bones for the use of his land, to prepared in some way then unknown, he ordered the bone?! to be carried and put into an old sugar hogshead, plac in a grove at a little distance froitf the house, and the ash from the kitchen to be thrown on them, the hogshead to uncovered that the rain might fall into it. Whenever an of| fensive smell arose from the bones, which was only in dr weather he found that a little water thrown on prevented il As soon as the first hogshead was full, another was placed bi VOLUME PHILADELPHIA, MARCH, 1866. NUMBER 8. *Vjt the Parm Journal. Shading Poor Land. BY J. 8. HOITGHTON, M. D. I am not one of those who believe that mere shade is in Itself, equivalent to manure, or that shade really cre- ates any materials of value in the soU so shaded. But I believe that it is highly important to keep all land, and especially that which is light and porous, and compara- tiyely poor, well shaded during the hot season, in order to prevent the too free evaporation of the gaseous ele- ments of plants from the soil. Under good management, and especially where land is , well manured, no fields should be permitted to lie idle, ' broken mo ndges, and uncovered by the foliage of growing plants, making some kind of crop. The loss caused by neglect of this n.le, both by want of shad and by the exhaustmg influence of weeds, is greate; I am induced to write this article for the purpose of t« me to be worthy of extended imitation eveiywhei^ J are m the habit of supposing that the farer" Virginia are behind the age, in improvements and meth gases. One of the best farmers in Virginia, from whom I obtained this hint, is celebrated for his success in improving poor soils, and he attributes much of hi« success to top dressing clover with plaster, or plaster and salt, coarse manure, &c., as above described, imme^ diately after mowing in hot weather. I think the sug- gestion a very valuable one, and strongly advise the trial of it by farmers generally, when the soil is not well cov- ered with clover. m _„ ._ . ,*'"'7''f»°'-/w'ne"areinPennsyWania; but in the it and filled, and thenanether. His intention was to use th «'' oi renovating exhausted soils, I am of the * ' ashes and bones on Indian corn, supposing that by the dm ^^^ there is as mnnb otm «^u:u.-!_ j , . pmion spring the bones would bo somewhat softened, soninchs that they might be pounded to pieces with a sledge hamme on a flat stone. The hammer and the stone were actnall procured for the purpose. But no bones were found, excep near the top of the hogshead last filled. Instead of tb bones, were found soft saponaceous masses, retaining tff form and size of the original bones, but none of their hard ness. They were easily cut with a shovel and mixed wiu the ashes; and when so mixed and applied to corn at therstj of a half pint to tho hill, they proved an excellent manure ft com. i« vS'TsThf ^f '"."'"*'"«<' "y* few punters States ' " " "" ""y P"' of the United it SltS^^ '"'' --'' ^ ~' "'>- 'h '!ai"day iTtfr"^ "^'^ immediately after momn,, ^^vZi^Zii^ n«t morning, with a view to sh Je oure is I'^f ; r ; ^"^^^"^ *••'« <"'J««t long ma- »' mSZl ""' ""•"'''' ^^"^ P-t' -»'"'. 'oa-». -«•»- Another method of shading the soil much practiced .„ Virginia is the sowing of the field pea immediately after wheat, or any other crop, is removed, when the land is not to be used directly for any other seed or vegetable crop. A fair growth of vines may no doubt be obtained even as far north as Pennsylvania, before cold weather, to be turned under as a fertilizer; and as the pea grows very quickly, it will soon shade the ground, especially if sown broadcast. The merits of the field pea for this purpose, and as food for stock, I have discussed at length m other articles in the Farm Journal. If it is found that the pea will not make sufficient growth to pay for the expense of sowing it, after wheat or oats, (which I do not anticipate,) then the farmer may tiycom fodder,(com sowed thickly in drills or broadcast,) or corn and buck- wheat, or buckwheat alone, U> be used as a green manu- rmg crop. The seed of either of these plants would cost but little, and the benefits to be derived from the shade aflforded by the peas, corn and buckwheat, with the additions which they would make to the soil, and the absence of weeds would aflford a good profit on the ex- pense and labor. In some of the Northern States, it is the custom among the best farmers to top dress timothy fields with manure immediately after mowing, and the result is that a second growth of grass is obtained, half the weight of the first, on land which, without such treatment would scarcely afford decent grazing. As all farmers may not have manure to spare for grass ands to be used in this way, I do not expect the prac- tice of summer manuring to be very generally adopted ; but surely all farmers might find some kind of top dres- sing such as muck or leaf mould, to be used chiefly for «€re Mr. Cnrwen's Devons. We have on hand, but too late for present number, tlLoo^j^g^j^^^^^^^ ~ ooxx^g xa on iignt soils, of pedigrees in full of the superior Devon Bull, and thrj ^^^ ^^j^ .^ ^^.^ » "v^T^ *^* ^^^^^* ^°** ^^ plaster cows lately purchased by Mr. Curwen for his fanD| ked plante, to — ^ !^.'^. beneficial, shading the Montgomeiy County, Pa. We shall publish them in our next. Pl«ter of P»ri. "l *''! ^"™' *''"' * "8'" drilling of "1 raris and salt is emnln^A^ «„ . °' ""^ -""v^a. ui leai mouia, lo De used chieflv fnr • The heavier the dressing is on ligS si of ^"-^-^'''' y'^'"'' ^"' '^''' ^'^ '^'^^ ^^^^^ ^^a- been stripped of their crops (as on truck farms,) early in the season, and cannot be worked with any crop requiring - *-««, w some extent, and keepinir th« l^l^'Z "T I ? \. ^^l^^ation, there is no plant equal to the field pea * TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF I 66 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Marcb I r II I '\ Reported for the Farm Journal. Meeting of the PhiladelpMa Society for Promoting Agrioultnre» Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, stated meeting at room, Masonic Hall, South Third street, Wednesday morning, February 7, 1866. Mr. Landreth. President, in the chair. Minutes of preceding meeting read and approved. Messrs. Paschall Morris and Andrew M. Spangler were elected life mem- bers. One proposition for life membership and two for resident contributing membership were received. The Secretary reported having distributed copies of the published minutes of the Society from 1786 to 1810 to a number of kindred Societies. Letters from Mr. H. Meigs, Secretary of New York Farmers' Club, and from Mr. J. W. Degreau, Secretary of the Brooklyn Horticul- tural Society, were read, returning thanks for copies. A pamphlet containing the address of Mr. Degreau be- fore his Society was received. Dr. Kennedy, in behalf of the Committee on Agricul- tural Statistics of Pennsylvania, reported that the Com- mittee had learned since their appointment that the State Society was engaged in a similar object, and in furtherance of it had already sent printed questions to nearly all the county societies in the State. To some of these, replies had been received and been printed in the volume of the proceedings of the State Society, publish- ed by authority of the last Legislature. It was true that no such questions had ever reached this Society, nor was any account of the Philadelphia Society con- tained in the volume aforesaid ; nevertheless the general subject of State statistics more properly belonged to the State Society. That body had already commenced the good work of collecting definite information, and as ac- tion on our part might be regarded as interfering with theirs, he (Dr. K.) moved that the Conmiittee be dis- charged, which was so ordered. Dr. A. L. Elwyn feared that the State Society would not succeed this year in obtaining the publication of its proceedings by Legislative enactment. H. IngersoU proposed to amend 19th By-Laws, so as to render the President eligible for more than two terms. Dr. Kennedy moved that the Executive Committee be requested to report at next meeting on the expediency of the Society's holding an exhibition next autumn. Voted, on motion of Dr. Kennedy, that delegates be now elected to represent this Society at the next session of the United States Agricultural Society, to be held in Washington on 28th inst. Voted, on motion of A. S. Roberts, that the delega- tion be appointed by the chair, and that they have pow- er to fill vacancies ; whereupon the following gentlemen were appointed : A. L. Kennedy, A. T. Newbold, A. S. Roberts, H. IngersoU, J. McGowan, C. W. Sharpless, A. Clement, S. Williams, J. S. Haines, S. C. Willits, G. Blight, C. W. Harrison, Gen. R. Patterson, J. Pearson, and S. C. Ford. Dr. Elwyn laid before the Society samples of dust fr-rm the flues at the foundry of Mr. Chas. S. Smith. This dust collected in large quantities both from the bituminous , and anthracite coal fires. It has been spread on land, and was believed to produce about ono-half the fertili- sing effect of guano. Further experiments were neces- sary before the exact value could be determined. These he hoped members of the Society would make. For such a purpose they would cheerfully be furnished with a supply on applying at Mr. Smith's iron works. The researches of cJawmsts and the introduction of guano had done much toirards directing the attention of far- mers and others to concentrated manures, and the em- ployment of waste products. The Bampleu before the Society were evidences in point. Further investigation would reveal many substances now mere refuse, which either alone or in mixture would prove rich boons to the agriculturist. Dr. E. had learned that during last sea- son, guano had not proved equally beneficial to the land of Chester county on which it had been used; when mixed with lime the effect had been much more mani- fest. Mr. A. M. Spangler had had occasion to observe the comparative yield of land manured with guano and with superphosphate of lime, and in nearly all cases had the latter proved more advantageous, and this not only on wheat but on grass. Moreover grass and hay from land thus manured were much better relished by cattle. This fact was beginning to be well understood by far- mers. He had recently been offered a lot of hay from Delaware county at the full market price, and one of the recommendations urged by the vendor was that it had been cut from "boned" land. Such hay had been said to support cattle better. He would ask for Mr. Cle- ment's opinion on this point. Mr. A. Clement had observed no proof that such hay was more nutritious. He knew that cattle were fond of it, and would select it in preference to all other. Mr. S. C. Willits preferred guano, but having been unable a few years since to find any in this market, he had purchased some superphosphate of lime, and at the same time a quantity of a material called "Fertilizer." He had spread 47 J bushels of each on equal parts of the same field, leaving a portion unmanured, and from that day to this he had been unable to discover any appre- ciable difference in the crops. He, of course, knew nothing of the purity of the articles which he had pur- chased, nor could any farmer know until there was a State Chemist appointed, whose duty it should be to in- form us of the nature of our soils, and guard against fraud in concentrated manures. Guano had been placed on a field adjoining the above, and its effects three years after wheat, were markedly favorable, yielding about l\ tons timothy to the acre. A portion of his farm of 136 acres had formerly belonged to Mr. Walker, once a well known "book farmer" of this county, who before the days of bone dust had heavily "boned" the land, pnt- ting on the bones, for the want of suitable mills, in large pieces, many of which now remained undecom* posed. Dr. Elwyn inquired what redress the farmer had in case advertised manure failed to come up to the assu- rances of the vendor ? Were such manures like quack medicines, sold for cash, the buyer losing both time and money ? He had recently seen a decision of an English court on the subject, which seemed to him peculiarly just, and one which he hoped would be sustained in thw country. A farmer had bought on credit a quantity of concentrated manure, warranted to produce a certain 1855.J THE FARM JOURNAL. at result. The crop not equalling the gain guaranteed, the purchaser declined payment. The vendor brought suit, but failed to recover ; the court holding that hb had not complied with his terms of the contract. Mr. Roberts had sown guano on his lawn. The first year the grass was beautiful, the second inferior, the third worse than before the manuring. He should bu^ something else. H. IngersoU, Esq., stated that his experience agreed perfectly with that of Mr. Roberts. He deemed guano • too stimulating, acting, so to speak, as a bUster, and when the stimulus was over, say in three years, leaving the soil poorer than before. Mr. Isaac Newton had a large estate in Virginia. Four years ago he had sown six hundred acres of worn out lands near the Potomac with guano. The yield of wheat was wonderful, and the clover which had been plentifuUy sown at the rate of ten quarts of seed to the acre, was most luxuriant. The year following he had it spread with plaster, turned the clover under and guano- ed again. The crops since had been very fine. Last year was not favorable to guano on account of the drought. That manure needed moisture. In Virginia the practice had been under slavery to sow no grass seed with their wheat. Give him guano, free labor, grass seed, and a little plaster, and he would undertake to re- new, in a short time, all the worn out lands in the Old Dondnion. Adjourned. these questions: Ist. Whether old meadows should be invariably plow- 2d. Will not lime, top dressings of compost and ma- nnie, together with drainings, revive old meadows ? 8d. What is the best way of renewing grass seed in Old meadows, and the best kind to sow ? 4th What kind of drains are the best, and the man- nor of constructing them ? 6th. Cannot the farming of old meadows be obviated oy proper management ? tht^Z-'V. *"" '''^^^'* ^"^ y^^ *^® ^«^«fi* arising from ^e pubhshmg (in your numbers) of Leibig's Agricultu- ra Chemistry, the reading of which would diffuse a pmt of investigation and close observation among the mtelhgent portion of your readers. oblige '^'"'""'^^ '^ *^*^ ^^^^« ^ yo^ '^e^t would much T An Earnest Inquirer. and r^!* '"r"" '">"«»P<"'de°t. we answer that the Jirst meadrL' '^'°?"' preUminary to getting an old *S w-1 ^"^ P™''"''*'"'' <"""»'*'«" i^ thorough aod manure are very nearly thrown away. thusT'^r*"'! ?" ''™°*"^' "'"^ '«« unhealthy condition • Ihese will, ,„ rtm«, take root, and crowd out the Benovating Old Meadows. Me. J. L. Daelinotok:— Would you oblige a subscri- ber by inserting in your next number a piece, informing i.«.<.c.= uy. „nen ine piowlne was finished nn. h™ decidedly to be recommended. If our friend's meadow IS of great extent, part might be plowed each season. We once had a piece of over two acres of land on our farm wet, marshy, and overgrown with tussocks. A small part higher than the rest contained some good grass, which, when mowed, had to be carried off by hsn., a hor«e and cart sinking down so deep on any other part as to be unable to get out without the grea^ est difficulty. By the following process we brought this meadow to be the most productive and valuable two acres on the farm. We first cut a wide open diteh on the lowest side, into which we run what are called French or covered drains, intersecting the meadow in various directions, so as to catch the heads of all tlie springs, which were made to run into the one open out- let. The surface soon showed indications of becoming dry, and the rushes and coarse grass, which only can thrive m a wet, spongy soil, soon began to dwindle. The following spring we had a large, stout, steel hoe in the shape of a V made by a country blacksmith, with which we cut off aU the tussocks, piled them in heaps, and burnt them as soon as they became dry. When these were off, the surface of the meadow looked tolerably level and respectable. The next thing was to obtain the large iron township plow and four stout yoke of oxen, and the way they turned up the black vegetable mould,' about ten inches deep, was a caution to all shaUow plow- men. Occasionally the poiot of the plow would stiek into a half decayed tussock root, and hoist the plowman several feet off the ground, when the team had to be backed and begin again, to the great amusement of the passers by. When the plowing was finished, one hun- crop of buckwheat sown. The next spring (the third) oats was sown, and a heavier crop of oats and straw ob- tained than had ever been known in that part of the country. After this it was put down with rye and graa^ seeds, and is now perfectly smooth, and as dry and weU set with grass, and more productive, than any part of the farm, paying about fifty per cent for all ex- penses. The covered drains aUuded to above are very simple and economical, skill of course being required where to dig them, so as to head the springs. A thin wall of rough stone, to be gathered off of most farms, is made on each side, and covered over with one long enough to rest on the side waUs, the openings being fiUed up with smaller stones, so as to prevent dirt from falling through. Inverted sods are then placed on top, and the whole covered up with dirt, offering no obstacle to cultivation, and no unsightly and expensive open ditches. We used merely the rough stones from the fields, wherever they could be gathered, and considered it quite an economy to get rid of them. In case of the bottom of the drain being soft and in- clining to quick sand, old boards should be laid in the bottom along that portion for the water to run over. These being always under water will last a long time. If something of this kind is not used in such places, the side walls would be apt to tumble down. ■i '»nk and coarse hB,h.»^' .'""''' "•" <"^ow<» »« the side walls would be apt to tumble down. difficulties to plowZ TwhTcll^thor ■"^7^'"''"' ""^ '"'^* *""" """'"'"^ "'' "" O""'"" «' "^ 'O™- "« the speediest wa^tT'^It t mto^!!^ ""''. t"*'* ''°""' P""*^'"'' '"" ^"^ ^'<"" *''»* *<> time to attend to th. way to get it mto good condition, and is I latter part of his request 68 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Masos 1865.] THB FARM JOURNAL. i^' 111 i Work for the Month. Farm. — Clover seed should now be sofm before the ground becomes hard. Five or six quarts is about the proper quantity for an acre. Timothy, green grass, &c., if not sown in the fall, should no longer be delayed. It 19 scarcely necessary we should add, use none but clean teed. la many parts of this country farmers will do well to manure their com ground with barnyard manure in the spring, and use guano and superphosphate of lime in the fall for their wheat, thus making more corn and more wheat. Com ground should be plowed in this month, and where the soil is not very light deeply sub- soiled. The oats ground should also be prepared and gown as soon as the weather will permit, sowing from two to three bushels per acre. After harrowing the ground should be rolled, as should mowing and pasture Ituid. When mowing fields are stony, the stones should be carefully picked before rolling, and while the ground i.s comparatively bare of grass. Plaster should be sown early this month, so as to have the full benefit of the spring rains. When guano is used as a top dressing, it ghould be in connection with plaster, or some other sub- stance that will fix the ammonia. Top dress winter grain which was not manured last fall. Plant potatoes for early crop, as soon as the ground will admit. Give particular attention to cows which have calved, and ewes lambed. Succulent food, such as turnips, carrots, beets, &c., increases the flow of milk, and should always be given in addition to grain and hay. Feed the mothers well, is the true plan to make good calves and lambs. Ilave a piece of early pasture ground to turn them on. Give extra feeding to working cattle. At leisure times, clean out thoroughly and whitewash poultry houses in- side. Open the mouths of drains. Fruit Orchard. — Attend to directions of last month, snd perform what was omitted. Planting trees in this section can be done during this month. Select the best varieties of fruit trees, and plant apple trees from 35 to 40 feet apart; peach, pear, plum and cherry trees 20 feet apart; dwarf pears from 10 to 12 feet apart, (drafting may be done this month. Prepare grafting wax by mixing three parts of bees- wax, three parts of rosin, and two of tallow. Plant out gooseberry and cur- rant cuttings, first removing all the lower eyes. Trench and prepare the ground thoroughly with short manure. Orape vine cuttings should be planted with two eyes out fff the ground, and in a soil rather sandy and moist. IVim grape vines at once, if not already done, and dig i»i around the roots well rotted manure. Strip off" of all trees cocoons and larvae of insects, and apply wash be- f'/re recommended. Apply salt to quince trees. Manure tmd clear tip strawberry and raspberry beds, and make new plantations of each. Uncover such of the latter as were laid down last fall for protection. • Veobtablb Garden. — The operations of the garden f« »r this month must depend on the weather, and the con- dltlon of the ground. Seeds not easily injured by frosts should be sown, such as peas, beets, parsnips, lettuce, radish seed, onion seed and sets, early carrots, aspara- gus seeds for new beds ; and plant out two year old roots, cabbage seed, &c. If the weather is suitable, cabbage, lettuce and cauliflowers may be planted out from frames. Uncover spinach, parsley, lettuce, &c. Trench ground for horse-radish, and set out pieces of old roots in rich soil. Dress up rhubarb, and manure thoroughly if not already done. Give close atttnlion to frames, &o., and cover on cold nights. Give air on fine days. Tomato, pepper and egg plants, which have grown thickly, should be pricked out into other frames. Start Lima beans in sods inverted, within doors, so as to be ready for plant- ing out for early crops, as soon as the weather is settled. Set out beds of sage, sweet marjoram, winter savory, pennyroyal, and other perennial herbs, by dividing the roots of old plants. Plant sweet potatoes in hot beds for sprouting, and cucumbers in frames for forcing. As a general rule in gardening, make deep soil, manure heavily, and use plenty of seed. Better to thin out than have to re-sow. Flower Garden. — This is a busy month in the Flow- er Garden. Remove the covering from the roses, and all half hardy things. Loosen the fastenings of junipers, Irish yews, &c., by which they had been secured against winter storms. Prune roses and flowering shrubs. To prune roses, observe in the running varieties to cut as much old wood as possible, leaving only shoots of the previous summer's growth ; shorten them one-third, and secure them firmly to the trellis or stake. Daily roses treat as above, only shorten their shoots two-thirds. The hybrid perpetuals and hardy garden roses should be pruned back to three or four eyes of the old wood. Roses will give more satisfaction by being closely pruned than otherwise. In pruning shrubs, cut out any dead wood ; thin out the branches where they crowd each oth- er ; shorten any straggling branches ; by this means they will assume a good shape. Secure honeysuckles, clematises and other running vines firmly to their trelli- ses. Manure liberally roses and flowering shrubs. This is a good time to plant all kinds of shrubbery and ever- greens, and all kinds of hardy biennials and perennials. All such as have grown too large should be taken up, separated and re-planted immediately. Remove the covering of leaves or litter from the tulip beds, or other articles which had been protected by them during the winter. Tulips, hyacinths, and all other hardy bulbs, may be planted early this month. Trim and re-plant box-edging. Manure and dig flower beds. Sweep clean and roll well lawns and grass plats. Laying sod should be attended to this month. Clean and roll gravel walks and add more gravel where required. Now is the time to raise annuals from seed for early planting. Plants in windows, which have done blooming, should be removed to a cooler place, and their shoots shortened considerably. Plants in cellars should have air admit- ted to them freely in mild weather, and be watered more liberally than during winter. Answers to Questions. In our last number, page 39, a correspondent en- quires "why wheat grows and yields better on a clover sod plowed three months before sowing than on that plowed only a few days before." Without knowing any of the particular circumstances of the case, such as the amount of green crops plowed down, &c., we should attribute such a result to the fact of the fermentation and decomposition having been in great part completed, and the surrounding soil having become enriched by the fertilizing gases which had pen- , and perhaps to thiT^ure his good crops were attribu etrated every portion of it, thus making it fit for the re- table." ^ attnbu- ception, growth and nutriment of the seed. It should be recollected that in the excessive fermentation and de- composition of a heavy green crop immediately plowed down, a very considerable expansion of the soil is pro- duced, as well as fertilizinsr orases liberated. T^i«» w***^ •«1 __1 4l_ •!. ... -__ the germination of the wheat, and the immediate stimu- |is from the enriching gases thus liberated produce a too rapid and unnatural growth of vegetation. The effect might be similar to that from a heavy dressing of unfermented manure, which we think should never im- mediately precede the sowing of a wheat crop. An over rapid growth of any crop is not always a healthy one ; a regular, continued, natural progress to maturity of a crop unchecked and not stunted by sudden changes is more likely to result in a heavier yield than with an unnatural stimulus created at one of its stages, and which cannot be sustained throughout. Another cause of the difi'erence alluded to no doubt is that with clover immediately plowed down before seed- mg, the wheat cannot either be drilled or harrowed in with evenness and regularity. As to the second query of our correspondent, "why committees award premiums on implements that are good for nothing, and that they know nothing about." The reason is that at our exhibitions the duties of com- mittees are too laborious, and they have not time to make the necessary examination. The committees are too few, and the implements to be examined are too many. Instead of having the very large number and great variety of implements, as at present, under the Bupervision of two, three, or even four committees, they should be more subdivided. There should be a separate committee on plows, one on corn shellers, another on cultivators, one on straw cutters, another on lime spreaders, a separate one on reapers and mowers, an- other on churns, &c. In this way the examination would be thorough, the decisions more satisfactory, and justice better rendered to contributors. As generally managed it is physically impossible for committees to do What IS required and expected of them. Third query. -Will sheep sustain any injury from hen hce ?" Of course they will, and no decent farmer Who had any regard for his sheep would subject them to fio foul an influence. Hen lice will hurt sheep just as ^uch as people, and we should as little think of placing oiir sheep among the hens as to quarter ourselves among co2;h'7T'' '^' ^^"^ ^^^^« *^ ^« ««• Cleanliness contributes to the health of animals as well as people. ^•^ Mr. Bradbury, of Newton, said that in the wheatr growing counties of Pennsylvania and Maryland, great quantities of Hme were used, and it was considered in- dispensable. They formerly raised large crops of wheat „..^ — „^j *^»uurtj; Dui ineir lands gave out, and ge- possibly render the soil too open at the critical period of ologists advised the fLrmers to annlv Hm^^ Thl T^ ^^ the germination of the wheat, and the immediate stimu- and the result was that th^v .JLLTJ JT^ ^""^ and the result was that they obtained as good crops as ever. Lime was generally abundant, but its good effect was so obvious, that the farmers in the non-limestone counties transported limestone from the others to ma- nure their lands. In some parts of these States the roads are macadamized with limestone, which, becoming finely pulverized, is blown by the wind upon the adjoin- ing fields, and has a sensible fertilizmg effect upon them It is the practice among farmers in Cumberiand, Dauphin and FrankUn counties in Pennsylvania, and in Mary- land, to apply 80 bushels of unslacked lime per acre once in about seven years, plowing it in after it becomes pulverized by the action of the sun and rain. They do not expect much from it the first or second year, but during the third and fourth they reap the benefit." ' *'Hon. Seth Sprague asked, what was the action of lime ? It had been said that it exhausts land. Is it so? He had seen little benefit from lime on sandy land. Mr. Jenkins said two of his neighbors used several wagon loads of Ume on various crops. The effect was rather injurious." We fancy we see a smile, perhaps of derision, playing upon the faces of the farmers of Adams, Berks, Bucks Chester, Cumberiand, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin,' Lancaster, Washington, and many other counties in thii State, where lime is used in large quantities, on learn- ing that lime is applied at the rate of eighty bushels per acre before being slacked. Lime and Fancy Farmers. JZ T""'^ *^' ^'""^^^« "^^*^k« ^r^°^ tt« reported lml''^':l '^' Massachusetts Legislative Agricultu- a Club, not for the information it contains, but to show len un7? J'^* '' ^^^"^^ ^^ ^- -use, by intelligent Which th"^ to enlighten the worid on a subject of ^nich they appear to be profoundly and ludicrously ig- ^^lli^ffi^^^^ ^'' ^^^^' ^f Concord, who the extTn, ATr '' ^^'"'' ^"^ °^^^^ ^«^ of lime to extent of 15 bushels to the acre, sown broadcast, Rolling Pasture and Mowing Fields, ftc. We would especially encourage at this season, the use of the field roller, not only on grass fields but also on the wheat. The advantages of it are not fully estimated or its use in the spring of the year would be more common Independent of the benefit of reducing down inequaUties of surface, and making a field more level for the opera- tion of the reaper or mowing machine, or even scythe, it presses the earth around the roots, which had been heav- ed up by the frost, and which by exposure to the sun and air, would otherwise be destroyed. We have seen roots of clover, as has every farmer, on fields recently seeded down, raised entirely out of the ground by the alternate freezing and thawing in the spring. The roUer closes up these open fissures, compresses the soil around them, and thus prevents their being entirely kiUed off. Many of the bare places to be seen in fields, are attrib- utable to this cause, more than any other. We are often astonished, and indeed somewhat disheartened to see intelligent farmers, who take the greatest pains to have their fields well set with grass, buy only the best quality and extra quantity of seed, considering the loss of the grass field in their usual rotation greater than even the loss of a grain crop, and after having done every thing ehe to attain the desired object, yet en- tirely neglect the use of the roller in the spring, particu- THB FARM JOURNAL. [MABOt 1895.] THE FARM JOURNAL. n \ !l ■" J m%i IK^ I ill larly on such fields as have been recently seeded. It seems a blindness to their own interests entirely inexpli- cable, and inexcuseable to us as the theory of rolling and operation are both so simple. These remarks will also apply with equal force to the wheat field. In seeding oats, its use is more common, although the effects are no more beneficial. It breaks the clods and presses earth to the seed, much of which would other- wise be uncovered and lost. The proper season for rolling is also important, as if done too early, and before the severe freezing spells are past, the ground will become poached by the animals' f^et and much injured. If left too late till the ground becom- es hard, but little comparative benefit will result. Every farmer can judge for himself of the right time. The best wooden rollers are made of two sections, with an iron bar passing through each, and should be at least three and a half feet in diameter. A box may be con- structed on the frame over the roller, to contain the stones collected on the field. We do not know the cost of these, but iron ones we believe may be obtained at a cost of about $50, six feet long and thirty inches in diameter, consisting of six sections, with box and tongue complete. They are of course more durable and greatly to be pre- ferred. «•> Shropshire Sheep. A new and distinct breed of sheep are now exciting some attention in England under the name of Shrop- shire. They are described as of a large and robust character, and the breeders in the county of Salop, ad- jolng Worcester and Warwick, where they may now be found, appear to have originated their present distinct type by following the example of EUman with respect to the Southdowns. Commencing with the very excellent breed, which has existed in that section for many centuries, they have now obtained a much larger size and greater aptitude to fatten ; and the only question would seem to be, has fixity of type been obtained, so that their present char- acteristics may be perpetuated ? Several sales have been made the past season, when shearling rams have brought as high as $100 to $150, and ewes $20 to $30 per head. One ram sold for $250. There is no evidence at present to show in what re- spect, if any, Shropshire sheep are superior to South- downs, and we shall continue to prize the latter till we see the plainest kind of testimony to prove that they are not deserving of their present high position, as the best breed of sheep for the carcass, which we opine will not be very soon. -♦► A New Plant — Holcus Saccharatns. Our foreign exchanges advise us of a new plant under the above name being introduced into France from the north of China, which promises to be of considerable Talue. A pamphlet has been published on the subject by M. Louis Vilmorin, of Paris, who is considered high authority, from which it appears that the juice of the Holcus furnishes three important products, sugar, alco- hol and a fermented liquor analogous to cider ; and that it may be profitably cultivated for sugar in any region between where the sugar cane ceases to thrive and the forty-fourth degree of latitude, and that elsewhere it wiU be profitably cultivated for its alcoholic products. He obtained from stems, from which the peel had been stripped, at the rate of fifty-five to sixty per cent, of juice. The upper joints and spikes were only cut off, but by cutting ofT more and subjecting the stems to a better process of crushing, he thinks that seventy per cent, of juice could be obtained. The quantity of stems employed, large and small together, was 553 lbs., givii^ twenty-three gallons of juice of the density of 1.052. The quantity of sugar from the Holcus is estimated higher than from the beet root, but involves more labor and expense to extract, and the quantity of spirit ex- ceeds that from beet root by about sixty gallons per acre. The amount of juice yielded from an acre is about 1207 gallons. The refuse also consists of excellent fibre, easily ex- tracted and easily bleached, and worth at least $50 per ton to the paper makers, and probably much more. A more detailed account of the process of cultivation in France is about being published. «•» Fruit Catalogue for General Cultivation. We have lately received a copy of the report of the American Pomological Society, at its last convention in Boston. It contains very much of interest and impor- tance to the fruit grower, and we have made in the pres- ent number of Farm Journal copious extracts, which we shall occasionally continue. As the season is now at hand for planting fruit trees, we give below the last re- vised list of fruits recommended by the society for gen- eral cultivation. It contains several alterations and ad- ditions from the first one published, and is eminently worthy of attention, combining as it does the long ex- perience of our most distinguished Pomologists from all parts of the United States. Many fruits of local interest and value are of course omitted, but the list, as far as it goes, is entirely reliable. The biennial meetings of the American Pomological Society have developed a vast amount of information, and have been of immense ad- vantage to the cause of Pomology. We give on another page, from the appendix to the re- port, the valuable communication from Dr. Harris, on the diseases and insects afi'ecting fruit trees and vines, which we especially commend to all our readers. Feuit List of American Pomological Society fob General Cultivation. APPLES. American Summer Pearmain, Melon, Baldwin, Minister, Bullock's Pippin, Porter, Danver's Winter Sweet, Red Astrachan, Early Harvest, • Rhode Island Greening, Early Strawberry, Roxbury Russet, Fall Pippin, Summer Rose, Fameuse, Swaar, Graven stein, Vandervere, Hubbardston Nonesuch, White Seek-no-further, Lady Apple, William's Favorite (except Ladies* Sweet, for light soils,) Large Yellow Bough, Wine Apple, or Hays, Winesap. PEARS. Ananas d'Ete, Lawrence, Andrews, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Belle Lucrative, or Fondante, Madeline, d'Automne, Beurre d'Anjou, BeuiTe d'Aremberg, Beurre Diel, Beurre Bosc, Bloodgood, Buffum, Dearborn's Seedling, Doyenne d'Ete, Flemish Beauty, Fulton, Golden Beurre of Bilboa, Manning's Elizabeth, Paradise d'Automne, Rostiezer, Seckel, Tyson, Urbaniste, Uvedale's St Germain (for baking,) Vicar of Winkfield, William's Bon Chretien or Bartlett, Winter Nelis. FOR CULTIVATION ON QUINCE STOCKS. PEARS. Franconia, Boston Pine, Black Naples. May's Victoria, Crown Bob, Early Sulphur, Green Gage, Green Walnut, Houghton's Seedling, Belle Lucrative, Beurre d'Amalis, Beurre d'Anjou, Beurre d' Aremberg, Beurre Diel, Catillac, Duchess d'Angouleme, E^ter Beurre, Figue d' Alencon, Glout Morceau, Long Green of Cox, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Bleecker's Gage, Coe's Goiden Drop, Frost Gage, Green Gage^ JeiBTerson, Lawrence's Favorite, Belle Magnifique, Black Eagle, Black Tartarian, Downer's Late, Downton, Breda, Napoleon, Nouveau Poiteau, Rostiezer, Beurre Langlier, Soldat Laboreur, St. Michael Archange, Triomphe de Jodoigne. Urbaniste, Uvedales St Germain or Belle Angevine, for baking, Vicar of Winkfield, White Doyenne. PLUMS. McLaughlin, Purple Gage, Purple Favorite, . Reii)« Claude de Bavay, Smith's Orleans, Washington. CHERRIES. Elton, Early Richmond for cooking Graffion, or Bigarreau, Knight's Early Black, May Duke. APRICOTS. Red Antwerp, Yellow Antwerp. STRAWBERRIES. Hovey's Seedling, Large Early Scarlet CURRANTS. Red jL>utch, White Dutch, White Grape. GOOSEBERRIES. Iron-Monger, Laurel, Red Champagne, Warrington, Woodward's White Smitl. BLACKBERRIES. Lawton's New Rochelle. -•••► Downton, Large Early, Moorpark. NECTARINES. Early Violet, Elruge. PEACHES Bergen's Fellow, Early York, large, Cooledge's Favorite, George IV., Crawford's Late, Grosse Mignonne, i-arly York, serratea, Morris White, Old Mixon Free. UNDER GLASS. GRAPES. ack Hamburg, Chasselas de Fontainebleau, « ack Frontignan, Grizzley Frontignan, Black Prince, White Frontignan, White Muscat of Alexandria. OPEN CULTURE. I>iana, IsabeUa. RASPBERRIES. Knevet's Giant, Catawba, Palstolf, The Black Onm on Peach Trees. A correspondent of the Country Gentleman, throws out the following hints as to the cause of this disease: Last year I noticed a disease which had shown itself among the peach trees in this vicinity, and which was noticed in the March number of the Cultivator. The fruit last year, wherever the trees were much affected, was entirely destroyed, while others bore but two or three here and there. At the present time the bark of some of the trees looks as if scathed by fire, and last year the trunk, (from the many exudations of the sap) presented during the warm wet days of spring, an ulce- rated character. In some respect** the disease resembles the black knots, which often cover the damson plum tree, and there are grounds for believeing it to be anal- ogous, but whether caused by thp same insect remains to be shown. Some years ago, the Morello cherry became in all this region of country affected by the black knots, and, wherever it.,wM not watched, covered the trees and soon left them leafless, «Bd disgusting objects , If the disease can diffuse itself from the plum to the cherry tree, why may it not also to the peach? As a general rule, it is true, that each species of trees have insects that feed on them, peculiar to the species; but there are excep- tions to the general rules, and we find the common caterpillar feeding on the leaves of the apple, pear, and cherry. It is yet a disputed question, whether the knots on the damson plum are caused by an insect; for although the curculio eggs have been found in the knots, it is under such circumstances as would not lead us to infer, that the excresences are its work. The aspect of the interior of the knots looks as if made by insects, ail*d. these may be so minute as to escape detection by the ;ia^ed eye or a common microscope. In all these fruit, irees the foli- age of the sap appears to be arrested'by the compres- sion of the fibres of the wood. '*^' ' I have noticed that a number of gardens west of mine have a great many plum and Morello cherry trees com- pletely covered with the black knots; and the prevailing wind is a north wester. The peach trees east and south of these gardens, as far as I have observed, with a few exceptions, exhibit the disease of the black gum ; while those north and west are sound, and bore last year good k V =11 il m i 12 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Maboi crops. Hence I would argue, that the insects are borne on the wind from tree to tree. In my own garden, I mentioned last year that some trees were diseased more than others, which I attributed to their bearing early or late fruit; but which I now think, is owing to their loca- tion with respect to the wind. I should mention the fact that 1 nave green auu ycuuw x4»A*»«r* j,^— the same garden, which exhibit no appearance of the knots ; and an individual told me this day, that he had ^•^ plum trees covered with the knots in his garden inter- mixed with peach trees, and yet his peach trees were sound. I do not at present see how to reconcile these facts, but further experience may show whether or not, the disease mentioned is the same with that of the pur- ple plum. I have tried ashes, lime, and washing the trunks with sulphate of iron with some apparent benefit, but with- out any radical cure. 1866.] THE FARM JOURNAL. n LEICESTER EWE. The above is a portrait of a very beautiful Leicester ewe, which, with three other ewes and two bucks of the fame breed, were imported in August last by Christo- pher Fallon, Esq., of Philadelphia, and are now at his farm in DelawarjB county, a few miles from the city. The ewe, above engraved by Clarkson, is a very beau- tiful specimen of the breed, large size, round barrel form, heavy in most profitable points, and with very small offal. She took the first premium at the late Pennsyl- vania State Fair, and also at the exhibition in Delaware county, as did also a buck lamb from her, now a year old, as the best of his age and class. This buck lamb is for sale, and those who wish to pro- cure stock of this valuable breed, we would recommend to visit Mr. Fallon's farm, or address his manager George Drayton, Upper Darby Post office, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. We do not at this time know of any other pure Leicester stock in this section of the 8tate. Mr. Fallon deserves great credit for his liberality and public spirit in importing improved stock. -«•» Batter Stock. Alexander Neave, Springdale, Ohio, states in the Coun- try Gentleman, that in 1851 he made from sixteen cows, 3,137 lbs. of butter, or 196 lbs. per cow. It sold for $881,90, or $55,12, per cow. In 1852 from seventeen cows was made 3,312 lbs. butter or 195 lbs. per cow, and the butter sold for $876,57 or $51,56 per cow. This statement includes all the butter, but makes no allow- ance for cream and fresh milk used in a family of four- teen persons. He also states that E. R. Glen received the premium, three succesive years, of the Hamilton County Ag. Society, for the greatest quantity of butter made from one cow. She made sixteen pounds per week at each trial, and in five weeks, at one trial, eighty-one pounds. They are caJled of " rjitive" breed, but were selected. Short Homed Cow Lady Millicent. The annexed is a portrait of a Short Homed cow, im- ported last summer by Jonathan Thorne, Esq., Thorn- dale Washington Hollow, Dutchess Co., N. Y. She is a fine growthy and remarkably well developed animal and is considered one of the most valuable of Mr. Thome's various importations. She is in calf by Lord of Braw- ish (10.466) and is expected to calve soon. Annexed is her pedigree. Roan, calved May 26th, 1847. Bred by F. H. Fawkes, Famley Hall, England, the property of Samuel Thorne, Esq., of Thomedale, Washington Hol- low, Dutchess CO., N. Y. Got by Laudable, (9282.) Dam MiUicent by Grouchy (6051), g. dam Fair Frances, by Sir Thomas Fairfax, ?• g. dam Feldon by Young Colling (1843), g. g. g. dam Lilly by Red Bull (2838), g. g. g. g. dam Lilly by son of Hollings (2131), g. g. g. g. g- dam Lilly by Partner (2409), g. g. g. g. g. g. dam Lilly by R. Alcock's buU(19.) I H THE FARM JOURNAL. [Maboi 1885.] THl FARM JOURNAL. n f I 1 '■( II I I MiUicent is from the dam of Mr. Ambler's celebrated heifer (Miss Frances), the winner of a great many prizes in England. We are informed by Mr. Jonathan Thome, that he has disposed of his entire interest in his valuable stock of Short Horned cattle. South Down sheep, and Suffolk and « V 1 • :^^ *« v,:c. o/>n sUiiniiel Thorne. EsQ.. who may at all times be found at Thorndale, Washington Hol- low, Dutchess CO., N. Y., where he will be happy to see all lovers of fine stock who may favor him with a visit. «•» Pedigrees of Devona Recently Purchased and now Owned by George Curwen, Esq., Montgomery County, Pa. Bull. Massassoit (247) calved October 3d, 1853, bred by C. 8. Wainright, of the Meadows, Duchess county. New York, sired in England by a son of the Earl of Exeter (38), which won the first prize at the Bath and West of England Agricultural Socieiy Show in 1854. Dam Qin- erva (747)by Earl of Exeter (38), grandam ''Pretty Maid by Proctor"(109), great grandam Beauty by Nelson (81). Massassoit won the first prize in class of imported year- lings at the New York State show in 1854. Cows. ' Cherry (581) calved in 1846, bred by Mr. R. C. Gap- per, of Toronto, Canada West, sire "Billy" bred by Mr. James Davy of North Molton, Eng., dam Beauty. Billy and Beauty were imported by Mr. G^pper. Cherry won a priw in the class of foreign stock at the New York State show in 1851. Rose (1020) calved in October 1849, bred by Mr. R. C. Gapper, of Toronto, Canada West, sire Major (237,) grandsire imported Billy, dam Cherry (681) by Billy, grandam imported Beauty. Ida (786) calved October 12th, 1862, bred by C. S. Wainright, sire May Boy (71), grandsire Duke of York (87), dam Rose (1020) by Major (267») grandam Cherry (581), by imported Pilly, great grandam imported "Beau- ty.** May Boy was imported in the year 1861, from tie herd of Mr. George Turner, of Baton, near Exeter, England. We should like to obtain portraits of the above. !» — r; — «»> Com Foddtr for Cows and Snbsoiling. I .Our friend George Walker, of Susquehanna county, one of the best farmers of northeni Pennsylvania, writes us as follows respecting the advantages of feeding cut corn fodder to his cows. It agrees with other experiments tried elsewhere, and where the profitable results are so obvious, and within the reach of all, it is only surprising that so many farmers should continue in the wasteful habit of feeding their fodder in sheaves, and in the open yard, where not less than one half is actually lost. Stock will not masticate much but the leaves and tops, unless it is cut and crushed; that the stalks contain valuable nutri- ment has been fully settled, and the practice of letting them be trodden under foot for manure, is no more ra- tional than to throw out hay for manure, without first yielding its nutriment in passing through the body of the animal. The letter says: "Last winter I kept our cows and oxen on com fod- der, which we cut with a com stalk cutter I procured of Wheeler, Mellich & Co., Albany, whereby we saved at least twenty tons of hay, in consequence of which we are enabled to keep this winter fifty-six head of homed cattle and five horses, being twice the number we were able to keep under the old and wasteful mode of feeding corn stalks without first being cut with a good machine. The subsoil plow I purchased of P. Morris & Co., in Philadelphia, last spring, answers a better purpose than I had anticipated. The use of it in our land for soil will prove invaluable, draining off the surplus water in a wet season, and a dry one, enabling the roots an oppor" tunity to penetrate into the moist pulverized earth. On two acres subsoiled and sowed with corn broadcast, at the rate of three bushels to the acre we raised five tons to the acre of very superior fodder, although last season w^is the dryest ever known in this section of country. Judging by comparison, without the subsoil plow, we would not have raised more than three tons to the acre, if so much." -«•• Peeling the Basket Willow. A correspondent of the New England Farmer says: I recently witnessed the trial of a machine invented by George J. Colby, of Jonesvillc, Vt., for peeling the basket ivUlqw, which is destined to become of great im- portance m this country. It does the work in the most perfect manner, is operated by one horse-power, and with two men, will peel one ton per day. It has been fully proved, within a few years, that the European Osier will thrive as well in this as in the old country, and those cultivated here are sought after by the manufacturer in preference to the imported. There are annually imported to the United States over five million dollars worth, besides the manufactured arti-^ cle» which amount is very large, all of which might be cultivated in this country to great advantage. The only objection to the cultivation of the willow in this country, is the scarcity of labor required to peel it for market, as it must be done in the spring, during the short period that the bark will strip, and in many local- ities the required labor cannot be had. The estimated cost for peeling by hand is about $40 per ton. That ob- jection is now removed by the invention of a machine for the purpose. I doubt if there is any business that will yield the husbandman as large a profit as the cultivation of the willow, by those who have suitable soils. It will thrive well on most of our soils, or any that are rich and moist, or what is termed good grass land ; but that is best adapted which is natural to our native willow, ana will yield an average of two tons per acre. The present price for the willow is 6 cents per pound, with an in- creasing demand, and much larger than the supply. The best willow for cultivation of which I am acquain- ted is the Salix viminalis ; it grows in this locality from eight to ten feet high, is very smooth, free from knots, and never branches. There are other varieties that ar valuable for hedges, or live fences, which will yield aa annual profit for Osiers. 4%t. Cure for Bots in Horses. J. S. GoFF, of Bellefontaine, 0., writes, *'I herewith send you a recipe for the cure of Bots in horses. It is * very simple remedy, and I have never known it to fail* if applied in time. With me it has never failed. Take one pint of new milk or more if you choose ; add to it enough sugar or molasses to make it quite sweet — add to this from two to three table-spoonsfuU of hair, taken either from the tail or mane of the horse, cut as fine as you can clip it with scissors or shears; stir the cut hair into the sweetened milk and drench the beast. Give him a strong physic an hour afterwards, and I will insure a cure— if bots is the disease — in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred." The proof of the pudding is in eating it.— Ed. 0. Farmer. ■ <•» The Value of Apples. In some of the Eastern States, apples are extensively used for feeding and fattening stock in winter ; and while we are setting out orchards in the west, it is worthy of consideration whether we may not devote a portion of our farms to this express purpose, independent of any idea of selling or eating the fruit ourselves. And this question acquires a greater importance since we have been deprived of potatoes, and are unable to find any crop, which will supply the deficiency. What every farmer needs during winter is some root or fruit, con- taining a large amount of water or juice, with positive nutritive qualties, afforded at a low price. Apples, when once planted, cost nothing but the gathering and the in- terest. They keep well, with slight trouble, during win- ter; properly planted, they are a very certain crop ; the only thing to be decided, therefore, is, are they sufl&- ciently nutritive to render them worth growing for the fattening of stock? Dr. Salisbury, of Albany, N. Y., has studied them with this very point in view ; and we ab- stract the following from his report which we recom- mend to the careful study of every farmer: Per centage of water and dry matter in the Swaar. Tolman Roxbury Rhode Island Sweeting. Russet. Greening. Water, 84.75 81.52 81.35 82.86 Dry matter, 15.25 18.48 18.65 17.15 Ash, 0.26 Mean inorganic analysis of the composition of five varieties of apples (without carbonic acid). Silica, (sand) 1.6.37 Phosphate of iron, .....1.593 Phosphoric acid, 13.267 Lime, (bones) 4.199 Jfagnesia, 1.669 .37.510 Potash, „,.„^„ Soda, (common salt) 24.799 J'^lorine, do 2.169 Sulphuric acid, 7.229 Organic matter, 61828 Thus the salts of the apple are, chiefly, potash, soda, hones and plaster — using the common names. Mean analysis of the organic (or feeding matter) of the ap- ple, compared with the same in the potato ; and of 1000 P(irt8 of the "Tolman Sweeting." 1000 parts. 100 lbs. 100 lbs. fresh sweeting, fresh apple, fresh potato. CeUul Glut liar Fibre, 33.90 Jiuimous matter, ) fattening 3.52 jat and wax, ] substances l^extrine Sugar and extract ic acid, ft it flesh-forming matter, 28.96 99.05 2.50 8.97 0.89 815.20 none 'Albumen, Casein, ^ater, 5^rch, (fattening) By comparing the composition of the apple with that ^f the potatoe it will be noticed. 1. That the former 3. 2 0. 1 3. 1 8. 3 0. 3 1.'4 0.16 82.66 none 5. 8 0. 2 0. 8 0. 8 2.64 i 0.45 79. 7 9. 9 contains 3 per cent, more of water than the latter. 2. That the dextrine and sugar in the apple take the place of the starch, dextrine and sugar in the potato. The above principles are the main bodies in the apple and potato which go to form fat. In the aggregate amount of fat-producing products, the apple and potato do not materially differ. It would be natural, however, to in- fer that 60 lbs. of dextrine and sugar would, if taken into the system, be more likely to make a greater quan- tity of fat in a given time, or at least to make the same amount in a shorter period, than an equal weight of starch, for this reason, that the two former bodies, al- though nearly the same in composition with the latter, yet are physically further advanced in organization, and hence, probably, approximate nearer tJie constitution of fat. If this view be taken, then the apple may be re- garded equally, if not more rich in fat-producing pro- ducts than the potato. 3. The apple is richer in nitroge- nous compounds than the potato. In albumen the apple is richer than the potato, while in casein the reverse is the case. The aggregate amount of albumen, casein and gluten, in good varieties of the apple, is more than double that of the same bodies in the potato ; hence the apple may be regarded as richest in those substances which form muscle, brain, nerve, &c., and the body. The difference between sweet and sour apples appears to be, that in the first the fat-producing, and in the other muscle-forming compounds abound. A sweet apple is superior for a fattening or milking animal; the sour apple for one that is working. But, practically, the difference is greater than the analysis would show; the sweet apple not only contains a larger amount of unformed fat, but the acid of the sour apple tends to destroy or prevent the deposit of fat in an animal ; and as is well known, sour apples will dry up a milch cow, while sweet ones add to the milk. The money value of apples, compared with potatoes, may be stated somewhat as follows: for fatten- ing, 1000 lbs. of sweet apples are worth about 1060 lbs. of potatoes; for feeding to growing or working stock, 1000 lbs. of good sour apples are equivalent to 2000 lbs. of potatoes, and in practice should produce the same effect. So that, in the first case, a farmer would only be justified in paying 26 cents a bushel for apples; in the latter, he might pay 60 cents without losing. (By the word "sour" we mean any that are not positively *«sweet.") According to Dr. Salisbury's analysis no two varieties are exactly alike in composition or water, the proportions constantly differing. Thus, in six kinds, he foimd the water to li»^ li 78 THE FARM JOURNAL. [MiBCI and flowers? The honor of being the originator of a new plant is worth something, aside from its value to the human race. Then go to work at once, you who have the convenience, the leisure, and the energy, U> prosecute experiments of this kind to a successful conclusion. J. B. GARBER. MountviU, Pa., February, Ist, 1855. . «•» Seeds and New Plants. Mr. Darlington:— Your correspondent "Agricola" in Jan. No. says 'Oxe has been trying to procure seeds," of some plants he names, '^ut without success." Now had he given his real name and address, I should have been pleased to have corresponded with him direct, but as he prefers to remain incog.— "asking for light, yet preferring darkness," I will, with your permission, notice some of the plants he names through the "Journal." The Oregon Pea, I had on trial last year,- it is by far too late for our climate, barely coming into flower when the frost cuts them off. The Japan Pea, however, suits our cli- mate, ripens early, and is far superior to the Oregon, in size productiveness, and vigor of growth j of this I have seeds for further trial, and could spare a few. Oxalis Crenata, I had some years since, but lost it; it succeeded admirably in pot culture, producing its small tu- bers in profusion, yet as soon as planted out in the open ground, it would barely live through the season, without increasing to any extent. If it would succeed in out-door culture, it would be a valuable addition to our list of culi- nary vegetables; the tubers are far more delicious than the potatoe. The others I am unacquainted with, unless what I cultivate as the cherry bean should prove the same as the chick-pea the description answers for both. But why rec- ommend the Pea for poultry ? I doubt if Shanghai, would relish it, unless ground or cooked; at least, other grain would have to be kept out of the way for some length of time. The Douri corn is an excellent feed for poultry, and succeeds well; even the Chocolate corn, and Broom corn are greatly superior to peas in productiveness, and a good feed for small and large chickens. In this connection, I may add a few remarks on another vegetable, which was highly recommended at the time, as a substitute for the potatoe, I allude to the Aracacha, of South America ; this, like the Oxalis crenata, seemed to do pretty well in pot cultivation, but as soon as planted in the open ground, would barely live,making no growth in consequence , From failing to grow to perfection any new plant or veg- etable on a first trial, we ought not to be discouraged, as I well remember the Mediterranean wheat that I had on trial, some five or six years before it was brought into general notice. It was then a large, rough, dark, yet shrivelled and imperfect berry, nothing but "skin and bone," as a miller remarked at the time. I discharged it from my premises. It is now more generally distributed, and a more certain crop in all localities, than any other variety extant, — thus improving greatly in quality since its first introduction. A new esculent root, recently introduced into France, and which is highly spoken of as a substitute for the Potatoe ; the Geaneria Eseulcnta ; this also does well in pot cultivation, increasing fast; I have not yet tried it in open culture, but fear it will not succeed. Very respectfully, Mountville, Pa., Feb. Ist, 1855. J. B. GARBER. *%• — Grafting and Pmning Fruit Trees. Mr. J. L. Darlington: — I take this opportunity of giving my experience in the art of grafting fruit trees of different kinds, together with a few rules, to the readers of the Farm Journal, which, if strictly adhered to, will enable them to be their own nurserymen, so far as raising fruit trees is concerned. 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 79 Inoculating is the operation of transplanting any partic- ular variety of tree, to the stock of an inferior, or wild one. It is generally performed on small trees, and only during the time when the sap flows most freely, which is aboot July, August and September. Select for the buds the ripest and strongest young twigs of the year, which should be taken from the top of the tree, because they have all the advan- tage of the sun, and free circulation of air, and are more likely to be thrifty, than those from lower limbs and middle of the trees. Cut off the leaves, leaving the foot-stalkg entire ; having selected a smooth place in the stock, make a perpendicular slit downwards, quite through the bark, an inch or more in length ; make a cross cut at the top of this slit, a little slanting downwards ; next proceed to raise the bark, being careful not to injure the sap-wood in the least; then, with expedition, take off a bud, which is effected by entering the knife half an inch above or below the bud or eye, and slicing it off with the bark, always leaving a thin slip of wood, of about one third the length, immediately under the bud ; the bud is to be immediately inserted in the stock, to the bottom of the slit, and between the bark and wood, and the top squared even with the cross cut; then it is to be bound above and below the bud, with either cotton, woolen yarn, or bass matting. The string is to be taken off in a few days, or whenever appearances indicate that it may girdle the trees. The following spring, as soon as the buds begin to swell, cut off the portion of stock above them, of all that have taken well, and saw the top off, and graft those missed. Scollop budding is done, by cutting from a small stock a thin narrow scollop of wood, about an inch in length, and takjing from a twig, a thin scollop of wood of the same length, containing a bud; this is applied instantly, and fitted at top and bottom, with at least one of its sides, and bound down as before directed. This can be done in the spring) and if it fails, another chance will be afforded in July or August Next in order is grs^fting,- this is performed in spring. I always have found it a good rule to do it just before thi buds began to swell. Whip or Splice Grafting.— This mode is practised gener- ally on small stocks, and is most successful when the stock and scion are of equal size ; then the adjustment can be made perfectly. The scion which consists of the young wood of last year's growth, is cut to the length of about four in- ches, this and the stock are each to be cut sloping, an inch or more, and tongued. Tonguing consists in cutting a sht in the middle of the stock downwards, and a corresponding one, in the scion upwards ; both are now to be nicely joined so that one of the sides at least, if not both, shall perfectly meet, and to be securely bound, as before, and covered with grafting wax; as soon as the stock and scion are completely united, the string is to be removed. Cleft Grafting is performed on stocks from one to two inches in diameter. The head of the stock is sawed off, at a part free from knots, and the top pared smooth with a sha^ knife; slit down the stock, through the centre, to the depth of about one and a half or two inches, and insert a wedge to keep it open for the reception of the scion, which is to prepared in the shape of a wedge, with an eye if possible m the upper part thus formed; and always turn the eye m* next to the heart of the stock; success is thus more certwn The scion is now to be inserted, so that the sap-wood o the two will exactly meet. In cleft grafting, it is best to put in two scions, and »«» they heal both ways, and cover the stock much sooner. When they entirely heal over, cut off the weakest, and le»v« the others to make the tree. Scollop Grafting. — Prepare the stock in the form of a wedge bv two sloping cuts, one on each side. The scion is pre- pared by splitting it upwards, and paring out the middle part to a point, both sides. When the stock and scion are of equal size, the adjustment may be made perfectly; but if unequal, one side must exactly meet; tlve whole is secured by a string, and covered with grafting wax. I grafted two vr __Tv.jjj^g cherries, in this manner, six years ago laat March and now they will measure three inches in diameter at the place they were grafted; when at the time of grafting they were about one quarter of an inch in diameter. Boot Grafting. — This operation is intended for the grape vine, just below the surface of the ground. It is performed the same as cleft grafting, except it is waxed up and the dirt replaced. It can also be performed on pieces of roots, wkere suitable stocks are scarce. Side Grafting. — This mode may be practised on parts of a tree, where a limb is wanting. It may be done in two ways, first, the scion is prepared in the same manner as for splice grafting; the bark and wood, on the side of the stock is cut sloping, and the scion being adjusted as carefully as possible, it is bound and covered with wax. Second, the scion being cut sloping, as in whip grafting, a cross cut is made in the side of the tree, on the top of a perpendicular slit, the bark of the tree above the cross cut, is pared down slanting to the wood ; the bark is now raised as in inocula- ting, and the scion inserted, bound fast, and covered with wax. Inarching or Grafting by Approach. — This mode will ap- ply to all such trees and shrubs, which succeed with difficulty by other modes. The tree to be grafted must be growing very near the tree that is to furnish the grafts. The limbs of each tree, to be thus united, must be pared, with a long sloping cut of several inches, nearly to their centre, and. the parts thus prepared are to be brought together, and firmly secured, so that the sap-wood shall exactly meet, on at least one side, and then covered with grafting wax. When a com- plete union has taken place, the trees are separated with a knife, by cutting off the scion below the junction, and cut- ting off the stock above Grafting Clay is made of one third part of fresh horse manure, free from litter, one third of cow manure, and one third of good clay, with a small mixture of hair well beaten and incorporated several days before using. Grafting wax is made, three parts rosin, three parts bees wax, and one part of tallow, melted together; when well mixed, it is poured into cold water, and worked up like shoe- makers wax, by hand. This wax may be melted, and spread with a brush on strong brown paper, and cut into strips of » suitable size, when it may be quickly applied. In cool weather it may be warmed by the breath, so as to become adhesive. ' ' ' ■ ' Grafting WrappeH can be made by cutting thin gum- elastic into strips of a suitable size, which are easily applied^ and answer a very good purpose; they keep out wet and air, and can be taken off and used again. Pruning. — If the branches of a young tree, issuing at, and above the requisite height, be made by pruning to strike out from the main stem in every direction, above the horizontal, and the interior of these be carefully kept from interfering with each other, for a few years, little or no pru- fiing will ever afterwards be needed. I have reference to orchards of the apple, peach, pear, plum and cherry. It is not necessary to lay open, and expose all parts of the trees ^ the direct rays of the sun, the atmosphere being sufficient of Itself to ripen tlie fruit. Heavy pruning should be ■voided as much as possible, but when in the case of grafting or heading down for a new growth, it becomes necessary, it «hould always be performed between the time the frost is coming out of the ground in the spring, and the opening of the leaf. The most suitable time for moderate pruning, which is needed every year, is about the 21st of June; wounds, of all kinds, heal over then much quicker and bet- ter, the wood remaining soud4 and bright. I have even debarked a young apple tree at this time, that renewed its bark in three or four days. Th*» fthnvft gr« th«* Drinoinal mlaa ♦l»«it T l^airo nAnr\kt^ti \n the grafting and propagating of friiit trees, for the last seven or eight years, and I have found, that they were attended with good success; and so will any, and all your readers, if they will pick up the resolution to try. If he fails once, let him try again, let him kill all the natural firuit trees on his place in the attempt, rather than not have them grafted with some desirable varieties. * Before I close this communication, I must drop a hint about transplanting. When trees are removed, for the pur- pose of being finally transplanted, their roots should be pre- served, fresh and entire. If this has not been done, their tops must be shortened in proportion to the loss their roots have sustained. October, November, and immediately after the first hard frosts have arrested vegetation, is the best time in the whole year for transplanting trees. (I am well aware, that this theory is^ontrary, to the general opinion, but my observation is, that a tree planted in the spring, vritl stand until the first of May or June, before it comes into leaf, and then grow but feebly the rest of the season.) But when trees arc transplanted in the fall, the earth be- comes consolidated at their roots, and they are ready to vegetate with the first opening of spring. I have seen men plant, or more properly speaking, cram trees into a hole the size of a half peck measure, wind up the roots into a lump, tramp the dirt on them, and then wonder that they would not grow. The holes for receiving the trees should be dug from four to six feet in diameter, according to the size of the tree, and eighteen inches deep ; the subsoil should be thrown out, and replaced with rich soil, with a mixture of manure; the tree should be set no deeper than it stood before, otherwise the roots will be farther from the surface than nature designed them, and consequently will be injured by it. The fibres should be spread in a lateral direction, and the soil inti- mately and compactly placed about them. Manure may be placed beneath, above and on all sides, but ought never to be allowed to come in contact with the roots, as it is liable to corrupt and injure them; finish by treading the ground hard. When evergreen trees are planted, it is generally a good rule to pour a few gallons of water around the tree, previous to treading hard the earth ; finish earthing, and tread hard, in about an hour afterwards. This is an excel- lent and safe mode with regard to any tree. HOWARD WILLIAMSON. Willistown, Chester Co., Pa., Feb. 2nd 1855. 1— «#• 'frt • / Information Wanted. J. L. Darlington:— Dear Sir:— Allow me to inquire if you have been placed in possesion of any means to prevent cows from calving prematurely, as I have lost 6fteen calves within the last twelve months in that way. I noticed, the last two years, that my calves were very feeble, when they were dropped. I have the water forced into my barnyard through leaden pipes, whether that is the cause, or some other disease, I can not account for; if you or any of your correspondents, know any thing that would prevent them, in this way, I would be greatly obliged if you could com- municate it through the Farm Journal. J. B. Our correspondent will find the information desired in the Farm Journal, volume 2d, page 273. — Ed. TIGHT BINDING M THE FARM JOURNAL. [Hasob 1855J THE FARM JOURNAL. 81 9 I I a part of which were exhibited with her at the Penn- sylvania State Fair, and also carried off the highest pre- miums in their grade. * The above were bred by L. G. Morris, Esq., of Mount Fordham, New York; from his imported boar Radner. Yours truly ADRIAN CORNELL. Nn«. VowMvm SiinVa nn Pa. . 4«» Riverside Agnionltural Society. An election for officers of this Society was held on Thursday week, at Col. Kerr's Hotel, in Columbia, Lan- caster county, Pa., when the following named persons were unanimously elected : pEESiDENT — Col. SamucI Shoch. VicB Presidents — John Griffin, Jacob B. Garber, John Nissley, Joseph Detwiler, Sr. CoBRESPONDiNO SECRETARY — Prof. S. S. Haldcman. Recording Secretary — P. F. Fry. Treasurer — Wm. Mathiot. Librarian — Samuel Evans. Managers — Dr. Amos K. Rohrer, Jacob Hinkle, Abraham Shoch, Cyrus H. Jacobs, Jacob B. Shuman, J. flouston Mifflin, John P. Stehman, John H. Hersey, Dr. Edwin Haldman. $44, $65 and $66. The first will grind with one horse eight to ten bushels of com and cob meal per hour; the second or medium size, ten to fifteen bushels ; and the largest size requiring two horses from fifteen to twenty bushels per hour. Estimating the usual toll for grind- ing of one-eighth, the time lost in going to mill at a sea- Ron xrhpn flip rAarIa avvv n-nrtn-m^Mw. iw. 4.v«.:^ _.«__4. ^.— j; tion, the inconvenience to the horses, and the fact that trips have to be made frequently, as a large quantity of com and cob meal together will soon heat and spoil, we think the Little Giant Corn Grinder is well worthy of a trial. It can be graduated to grind either fine or coarse, as may be required. ^9* SELF GLDSnrG GATE AND DOOR HIKOES. ••»- Officers of the Tioga Agricnltaral Society for 1855. President — W. B. Clymer. Vice Presidents— D. L. Sherwood, B. C. Wickham, George McLeod, Ira Buckley, J. S. Kingsburry. Corresponding Secretary — P. E. Smith, Tioga. Rbcordinq Secretary — G. D. Smith. Treasurer — John T. Donaldson. Executive Committee— Hon. R. G. White, Nelson Whitney, A. E. Niles, D. S. Shove, H. M. Gerrald, C. H. House, L. Copeley, M. S. Baldwin, H. W. Calkins, F. J. Soper, L. D. Seely, D. Ellis, John W. Guemsey, E. T. Bently, W. B. Metcalf, Jos. Ribberrle, Henry Sherwood, Chester Robinson, John Dickenson, Robert Campbell, R. Joles, H. V. Elliott, John V. Swan, James lieonard. Messrs. Editors: — As an answer to numerous inqui- ries in relation to Sufi*olk swine, as to their form, ten- dency to fatten, weight, &c., T send you a cut of a pair of Suffolks, three years old, taken from life by E. Clark- son, of Philadelphia, that were awarded the first premium by the Bucks County Agricultural Society in 1852. in *63, and '64. also the first premium often dollars each at the Pennsylvania State Fair, held at Philadelphia, in September last. The barrow is represented as being SIJFFOLK SWIKE. moderately fattened, having been fed between seven an J eight weeks, and at the expiration of the eight wee fj was slaughtered and his weight was as follows : Live weight, ... - I Dressed weight including loose fat, &c., *^^ Loss, . . - - or less than ten pounds to the hundred. The BOW is represented in breeding condition, ha^ raised the past season twenty-one pigs at two hi ScoU's Little Giant Com and Cob Uill. We had an opportunity within a few days past of witnessing the operation of this mill, of which we are mformed over two thousand were sold during the past season. It crashed and ground com and cobs with more rapidity than any other portable mill we have seen, and quite fine enough too for feeding purposes. We are in- duced to believe it a valuable acquisition to the farmer. The economy of grinding up cobs with the com is hardly now an open question. Full experiments have been made, and the results frequently published. It is not pretended that cobs are rich in the elements of nutrition, wmpared with the grain, but they have been found to Jield spirit on distillation— a proof that they are far from valueless,--and also answer admirably the purpose procuring the necessary distension of the stomach, and promoting digestion. H. Ellsworth asserted some years ago he had fattened hogs on cob meal alone, and pnost of our best feeders have now adopted the practice !if^^^°^ °^"^ *^^ ^^^^ together for fattening cattle. [ 'The Little Giant" is of three sixes, costing respectively 6 The above engraving represents a new article of hinges for gates and doors, which will cause them when open to close gently of their own accord, and without the gate or door being thrown out of a perpendicular position. These hinges, we can assure our readers, are no humbug. They are made by Messrs. Woolman & Coflftn, No. 62 North Fourth Street. Samples have been left at this office, where they can be inspected by farmers. For further information apply to the manu- facturers as above. Fastenings of new and simple con- struction, not liable to get out of order, may be had with or without the hinges. «•• Stapleton'8 Fat Chester County Steer. This fine animal was slaughtered in Philadelphia about two weeks ago, and proved to be the heaviest ever killed in the city, except one, the Berks county steer, some few years ago, which weighed over 2300. The present steer was fed by Mr. Stapleton, of Willis- town, Chester county, and purchased of him by Messrs. A. R. Paul & John Jones, two of our most respectable and enterprising victuallers. We understand they gave for him, and a three year old steer, the sum of one thou- sand dollars. The large one weighed nett 2054 pounds, and had in him 265 pounds rough fat. He is said to be the fattest steer ever killed in Pennsylvania. We regret not having yet obtained his measurement, girth, length, width over the hips, &c., but hope to have it for our next number. The dimensions of so fine an animal should be preserved for future reference. The small steer, three years old, purchased with the TIGHT BINDING 81 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mabcb I 1S5$.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 83 r ■II ii other, proved only fmall hy comparison, as he reached the extraordinary weight for his age of 1220 pounds. His history is no less extraordinary than his weight, and speaks a whole volume of instruction to feeders as to the importance of good, vigorous keep from the start. He was what might be called a foundling. A drover pass- ing along with a drove of cows had one that droppea a calf ; as it was unable to travel he threw it over the fence, where it was picked up by Mr. Stapleton's son, put to another cow, and otherwise well cared for. This attention and care was no doubt continued throughout. We have often observed, when boys have had animals given to them to bring up, and no restriction about ac- cess to a good meal chest, they somehow or other have grown larger and done better than the rest of the stock. It was so with this steer, and it suggests a good practi- cal hint to farmers generally. Mr. Paul adverted to another very important fact il- lustrated by these fine cattle, in the heavy loss sustained by feeders in undertaking to fatten too many head, in- stead of concentrating their efforts on a smaller num- ber; in other words, obtain a given amount of weight, with/ew?er mouths to feed. If a farmer can make four steers weigh 4000 pounds, he will be greatly the gainer rather than getting the 4000 pounds from six steers. His additional profit will be just the difference in cost between raising four and raising six, the latter also be- ing at an increase of risk. The principle also applies to a small and a large quantity of land— the true rule be- ing, keep a few cattle, and keep them well, rather than many cattle, and only moderate keep— small farms well tilled and manured rather than many acres half cultiva- ted. Napoleon owed his success to concentrating his efforts on a given point, and every farmer, as well as other business man, must succeed on the same princi- ple. In addition to the splendid display of beef from these two steers, which graced a couple of stalls in our Phila- delphia market, alwayia celebrated in this respect, John Jones also exposed for sale at the same time beef from the large steer which took the first premium at our late State Fair. He purchased him from Mr. Palmer, of Delaware county, by whom he was fed and exhibited. His nett weight was 1520 pounds. It is a matter of re- gret he was not kept for another year, as he had the frame for filling up a much greater weight, and was evi- dently not mature. *%*■ Lolium Perenne — Perennial Bye Grass. The accounts we hear from different sections of coun- try as to the merits of this grass induce us again to call attention to it, and we believe, both from what we have seen and heard, it is going to form a valuable addition to our pasture and mowing fields. We would greatly prefer it ourselves for seeding with clover to timothy. It has several very important recommendations. It is a rapid grower, is perennial, is well furnished with radi- cal leaves, stock are particularly fond of it either for hay or pasture, it will bear easily two good cuttings, and keeps green to a later period in the fall than most other species. We have known cattle to leave all other kinds of pas- ture when they had access to the rye grass, and one of our friends, who has several acres of it in a most luxu- riant condition, informs us that in some parts of Eng- land, he ha^ known the hay from it to be reserved espe- cially for choice feed to the carriage horses. The most extensive cultivators of it, that we know of, are the Messrs. Reybold, of Delaware. In the second volume of " f • ^«. i-"«^«i v>or»o srifi nno of th«»T« in anawftr ♦« tne i?airm uuu.ru€iixj p<*i^^ »*w»-, »— - -- -« — — — .. — . ^ an enquiry says: "it will afford more feed than any oth- er kind of grass, and its fattening qualities are equal to the best natural green grass." "One peck is sufficient to the acre if sown with clover, or two pecks if sown alone." "Cattle, sheep and horses prefer it either for pasture or hay to timothy." A late number of the American Agriculturist says that "ray and rye grass are entirely different grasses, and should not be confounded with each other." We consider them synonymous terms, applicable to one kmd of grass, and they are thus generally used; the latter, however, being the more proper term. It further says, "rye grass is not equal to American orchard grass." Our experience in the latter is, that it is more worthless than any other grass for either hay or pasture, and un- fortunately like many other evil things, it is also hard to get rid of. The rye grass on the contrary is eaten with avidity, and is highly nutritious. Where our neighbor received his impressions we do not know, for Donaldson, one of the best English authorities and latest writers on grasses, says, "Rye grass is regarded in England as not far removed from being the first in point of general utility, and forms the plant of all others best suited for general purposes. For a crop of hay along with clovers, no other grass will afford an equal quan- tity and quality of produce on all the different variety of soils on which they are sown. It yields very readily, and with much less comparative trouble, an abundance of sound healthy seed, and of certain growth ; it rises early in the spring, and is much relished by all kinds of stock ; the hay is good and fetches a high price, and it j is used with much advantage when sown in autumn along with other plants as spring feed for sheep." Donaldson also says, "It produces stems during the whole season, while some grasses produce only one." We have sometimes, but very rarely, heard a similar opinion about rye grass to that of the American Agri- culturist, but it is far overbalanced by other favorable testimony from those who have tried it. It probably succeeds best on strong land, developing most in such circumstances its peculiar and valuable tendency to throw up stems and radical leaves in profusion. Loudon says, "After all the experiments that have been made on the other grasses, none have been found to equal the perennial rye grass for a course of moWing and pasturing for two, three or seven years. It is sown in Italy, and especially in Lombardy, and also in France and Germany, along with clover, for the same purposes as in England." Von Thaer remarks, "Though some have tried other species, both in these countries and in England, they have in the end returned to rye grass. Such highly favorable testimony from abroad is fully corroborated by the experience of our best farmers here, and we only wonder that it is not more generally knoim. Seed can be obtained at nearly all the seed stores in onr principal cities. The Lolium Perenne has a fibrous root with culm, normally about twenty inches high, spikelets beardless, and longer than the gluipes. There are at least seven distinct varieties of rye grass, which have received botanical designations, but their peculiar characters possess more interest for the botanist than farmer, such as L. P. tenue found in dry impoverished land, L. P. humile only six or seven inches high, L. P. ramosum or branchy, L. P. paniculatum, multiflorum, monstrosum, viviparum, &c. There are also several kinds named af- ter the persons who discovered and brought them into notice, varying somewhat in their characters and advan- tages for particular localities, among these are Whit- worth's rye grass, introduced in 1823. He had sixty varieties growing for experiment. Also Pacy's rye grass, which Sinclair regarded as the best of all, having numerous and large root-leaves, long cauline leaves, with shorter spikelets and fewer seeds than most others, and weU adapted for pleasure grounds and permanent pas- tures. Then there is also Russell's rye grass, Stick- nay's, and several others. The Italian rye grass, Lolium Italicum, is regarded by some as a wide variety, and by others as a separate spe- cies of the common rye grass. It always has an awn or beard on its lower paleaa. English authorities say, "It has eminent adaptation to the production of only one year of grass, yet when cut down before flowering is of- ten of several years duration. It is better being grown alone than in mixture with clover, lucerne or other herbage plants, growing so rapidly as to be liable to choke them." Our own impression is, the grass we have been speak- ing of, as generally grown in the United States under the name of rye grass, is the Lolium Perenne, or English perennial rye grass, which grows wild in the grass lands of Great Britain, and not the Italian rye grass, Lolium Italicum, which it is often called. The latter having the striking peculiarity of being always awned, would give a ready means of identification. Any additional information about rye grass from eith- er our scientific or practical friends, will be received with pleasure. <<•► The Pennsylvania Farm JonmaL **We have been in the habit of speaking of this paper |W one of the best in the country, but for some time past It seems to have become the special champion of certain w^?^°^^^ in whom we certainly have little confidence. We half suspect that the JbwrnaZ has connected itself with some agricultural warehouse, and that this is the cause 01 Its change of tone and character. We shall be glad to have these suspicions removed." We clip the above from the "Country Gentleman" of January 18th, and should have noticed it last month 'lad not the paper failed to reach us in regular course of mail. We are not aware of having "recently become the spe- cial champion of certain gentlemen" or even the champion of any gentlemen whatever; and as for becoming connec- ^ with some agricultural warehouse, we can inform our ^end Tucker that the very reverse is the case. Mr. arlington, the editor, and one of the two proprietors of ^e Farm Journal, was formely a member of the firm of Paschall Morris & Co., who, as is weU known, had a large agricultural warehouse in this city, and another in West Chester. The former is still owned by the firm of Paschall Morris & Co., the latter by D. W. Entriken — Mr. Darlington having no interest in either. We can assure our friend of the Country Gentleman, that neither mercenary expectations or personal spleen will be permitted to control the course of the Farm Jour- nal. Our desire is to impart reliable information on subjects of practical interest to the farmers of this and adjoining States, regardless alike of the effect such in- formation may have upon the interest of any manufac- turer or vendor of any article in the market- *9» A Pleasing Compliment. In our last number we copied from the Harrisburg correspondence of the North American, a brief notice of the presentation of plate to Robert C. Walker, Esq., Secretary of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural So- ciety. Since then a friend and correspondent has kindly furnished us with the following abstract of the proceed- ings: Our correspondent says: "The presentation took place at Harrisburg on the evening of the 15th ult., in the large drawing room of Mrs. Espy's boarding house. The company present on the occasion was highly re- spectable, and embraced the names of several distin- guished characters, among whom were the Rev. H. H. Bean, Rector of the Episcopal Church, Hon. Wm. M. Hiester, Speaker of the Senate, Senators Eli K. Price and N. B. Browne from Philadelphia, Senators Darsie from Allegheny, and Flenniken from Green, and some members of the House of Representative, with citizens of Harrisburg, including a few members of the press, and last not least, a goodly array of ladies, whose pres- ence and sparkling eyes gave additional brilliancy to the highly polished silver tea set ; for what "tea things," however artistically burnished, but would appear dull and leaden without they reflected the genial light of the presiding deities of the tea table. After the presenta- tion the company partook of a cold collation, a blessing being first invoked by the Rev. Mr. Bean. The refresh- ments were prepared on short notice by Mrs. Espy, and were both choice and appropriate, and in good taste, like every thing that Mrs. Espy does. The evening passed ofF delightfully, indeed profitably, and will be long re- membered by every one who like myself had the pleasure of sharing in its rational enjoyments." Remarks op Mr. James Goweit. — Mr. Walker: — Since my arrival in Harrisburg, I havo received a letter from a gentleman in Philadelphia, who, at the instance of several of your agricultural friends in that city, requests me to present to you a. Silver Tea Set, the same now before me, which it appears has been sent hither for that purpose. I could wish, sir, that the contributors to this beautiful testimonial, had deputed some one more competent than myself, to represent them on the occasion. Yet, notwith- standing the suddenness of the call made upon me, and un- prepared as I am to acquit myself as I could desire, the pleasure I feel in being the medium between you and thorn in a matter so interesting to me, renders the task a pleasing duty — because I am so sensible of the merits of the recipi- ent, and the pure and disinterested motives of the donors. This testimonial was not elicited through political parti- zanship, nor is it oflFered by those, who to-day would applaud TIGHT. BINDING S4 THE FARM JOURNAL. [March 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. W 18 J' i- m '. i you to the echo, and to-morrow, however faithful to the dic- tates of conscience, might attempt to bury you in the depths of obscurity. Nor was it snatched from the unholy fires of fanaticism or faction, whose false glare might for a time emblazon, but in the end would be sure to consume and vic- timize you. Nor was it won on the tented field, a bloody trophy, to deck your tic tor wrow. No, sir, none of these. This testimonial was earned by you, in the peaceful, unpretending field of agriculture ; it is a sheaf most worthily reaped from a harvest, the seed of which you most faithfully sowed. It is a tribute from the friends of agriculture in Philadelphia, who witnessed your unsurpassed exertions in conducting the late exhibition at Powelton— an exhibition that did credit, I might say honor, to the State, and enriched the treasury of the State Agri- cultural Society. Without further preface I shall refer to the inscription on these beautiful articles, illustrated by devices emblematic of Agrioalture, Horticulture, and Industry, richly chased and of exquisite finish, reflecting credit upon the taste and skill of the artificer. It roads : "Presented to Robert C. Walker, Esq., Secretary of the State Agricultural Society, by the friends of Agriculture in Philadelphia, as a token of their high appreciation of his devotedness and zeal in pro- moting the interests of Agriculture, and of his gentlemanly deportment, during their intercourse with him, pending the great Agricultural exhibition at Powelton, September, 1854." This, sir, with the emblems, is sufficiently indicative of the merits and motives of you and your agricultural friends. Receive, then, this splendid Silver Tea Set, and long may you live, in peace and prosperity, to enjoy them in your family circle ; and at length, when your days shall be closed, may the name I am sure you will transmit to your children be cherished and preserved unsullied by them ; and may these memorials, under the guidance of Divine Providence, tend to inspire them to follow in the footsteps of their honored father. Mr. Walker's Reply :— Sir :— In preforming the duty imposed upon you by citizens of Philadelphia, to make a formal presentation of this flattering token of their esteem and friendship, you have kindled emotions of thankfulness nnd gratitude not easily expressed. I am sure, however, that I fully appreciate this valuable testimonial, coming as it does, from the friends of Agriculture as a reward for my attention to the cause they wish to promote. It is, indeed, more highly prized than if it were a memento to record some political party ascendancy, or some heroic deed upon the battle-field. In accepting, gratefully as I do, this beautiful gift you have offered on behalf of the friends of Agriculture in Phil- adelphia, I would ask you to tender them my sincere thanks for their disinterested kindness, and assure them, I cherish the hope, that this testimonial may never be dismembered from the family circle, which it will grace by its usefulness and beauty, and that there it will ever be consecrated to the memory of the donors. In according my deep indebtedness to those whom you represent, I must not forget my obliga- tion to you, sir, for the kind manner in which you have dis- charged your duty. And when I reflect that you are a dis- tinguished farmer of the practical school, and that Mount Airy, your residence, has become celebrated by your im- proved husbandry, the compliment is the more to be appre- ciated and the favor the more highly esteemed. *t If you want to ascertain whether a soil or substance contains lime, you may pour upon it a small quantity of Tinegar, or dilute muriatic acid. If lime is present, the mixture will froth up or effervesce. — Dr. Kent Act of Incorporation of the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the au- thority of the same, that there be, and is hereby erected, and established at the place which shall be designated by the authority, and as hereinafter provided, an institution fbr the education of youth in the various branches of science, learning and practical agriculture, as they are connected with each other, by the name, style and title of the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania. Section 2. That the said institution shall be under the management and government of a board of trustees, of whom there shall be thirteen, and seven of whom shall be a quo- rum, competont to perfom the duties hereafter authorited and required. Section 3. That the Governor, Secretary of the Common, wealth, the President of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, and the principal of the Institution, shall each be ex-officio a member of the board of trustees, and they with Doctor Alfred L. Elwyn and Algeron S. Roberts of the city of Philadelphia, H. N. M'AUister of the county of Centre, R. C. Walker of the county of Allegheny, James Miles of the county of Brie, John Strohm of the county of Lancaster, A. 0. Hiester of the county of Dauphin, William Jessap of the county of Susquehanna, and Frederick Watts of the county of Cumberland, shall constitute the first board of trustees, which said trustees and their Buooessors in office, are hereby erected and declared to be a body politic and corporate in law with perpetual succession, by the name, style and tiUe, of the Farmers' High School of Pennsylva- nia, by which name and title, the said trustees and their successors shall be able and capable in law, to take by gift, grant, sale or conveyance, by bequest, devise or otherwise, any estate in any lands, tenements and hereditaments, goods, chattels or effects, and at pleasure to alien or other- wise, dispose of the same to, and for the uses and purposes of the said institution; provided, however, that the annual in- come of the said estates so held shall at no time exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ; and the said corporation shall, by the same name, have power to sue and be sued, and] generally to do and transact all and every business touching or concerning the premises, or which shall be necessarily incidental thereto, and to hold, enjoy, and exercise all such powers, authorities and jurisdiction as are customary in the colleges within this Commonwealth. Section 4. That the same trustees shall cause to be mwe a seal, with such devices as they may think proper, and by . and with, which all the deeds, diplomas, certificates and acts of the institution shall be authenticated, and they may at | their pleasure alter the same. Section 5. That at the first meeting of the board of trns- tees the nine named who are not ex-officio members, shall by themselves and by lot, be divided into three classes of three, each numbered, one, two and three; the appointment hereby made of class number one, shall terminate on the first Monday of October, one thousand eight hundred an fifty-six, number two on the first Monday of October, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, and number three on the first Monday of October, one thousand eight hundre and fifty-eight J and upon the termination of the office© such directors, to wit, on the first Monday of October m every year, an election shall be held at the institution t supply their place, and such election shall be ^e*®"°^°® JJ the votes of the members of the executive committee of ^ I Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, and the v^*®^ three representatives duly chosen by each county agncu -I ral society in this Commonwealth, which shall have been organized at least three months preceding the time of elec- tion* and it shall be the duty of the said board of trustees, to appoint two of their number as judges, to hold the said election, to receive and count the votes, and return the same to the board of trustees, with their certificate of the number of votes cast, and for whom; whereupon the said board shall s.i...m;nA Tchn hnvA rftflflivfld the hiffheat number of votAn and who are thereby elected. Section 6. That on the second Thursday of June, after the passage of this act, the board of trustees who are hereby appointed, shall meet at Harrisburg, and proceed to the or- ganization of the institution and selection of the most eligi- ble site within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for its location, where they shall purchase or obtain by will, grant or otherwise, a tract of land containing at least two hundred and not exceeding two thousand acres, upon which they shall procure such improvements and alterations to be made, as will make it an institution properly adapted to the in- struction of youth in the art of farming, according to the meaning and design of this act; they shall select and choose a principal for the said institution, who, with such scientific attainments and capacity to teach as the board shall deem necessary, shall be a good practical farmer; he, with such other persons as shall from time to time be employed as teachers, shall compose the faculty, under whose control the immediate management of the institution and the instruction of all the youth committed to its care shall be; subject, how- ever, to the revision and all orders of the board of trustees ; there shall be a quarterly meeting of the board of trustees at the institution, and as much oft^ner as shall be necessary, and they shall determine; the board shall have power to pass all such by-laws, ordinances and rules, as the good government of the institution shall require, and therein to prescribe what shall be taught to, and what labor performed by the pupils, and generally to do and perform all such ad- ministrative acts as are usually performed by and within the appropiate duty of a board of trustees, and shall, by a secretary of their appointment, keep a minute of the pro- ceedings and action of the board. Section 7. That it shall be the duty of the board of trus- tees, as soon and as often as the exigencies of the institution shall require, in addition to the principal, to employ such other professors, teachers or tutors, as shall be qualified to impart to pupils under their charge, a knowledge of the English language, grammar, geography, history, mathemat- ics, chemistry, and such other branches of the natural and exact sciences as will conduce to the proper education of a farmer; the pupils shall themselves, at such proper times and seasons as shall be prescribed by the board of trustees, perform all the labor necessary in the cultivation of the farm, and shall thus be instructed and taught all things necessary to be known by a farmer, it being the design and intention of this law to establish an institution in which youth may be so educated as to fit them for the occupation of a farmer. Section 8. That the board of trustees shall annually elect a treasurer, who shall receive and disburse the funds of the institution and perform such other duties as shall be required of him, and from whom they shall take such security for the faithful performance of his duty as necessity shall require ; land it shall be the duty of the said board of trustees annu- % on, or before the first of December, to make out a full ^ and detailed account of the operations of the institution for the preceding year, and an account of all its receipts and disbursements, and report the same to the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, who shall embody said report in the annual report, which, by existing laws, the said society is bound to make and transmit to the Legislature on, or before the first Monday of January of each and every year. Section 9. That it shall be lawful for the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society to appropriate out of its funds to the object of this act, any sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars, whenever the same shall be required, and to make such further appropriation annually out of their funds as the duty and privilege of the said society, at such times ae they shall deem expedient, by their committees, officers or otherwise, to visit the said institution and examine into the details of its management. Section 10. That the act to incorporate the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, approved the thirteenth day of April, Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred and fifty four, be, and the same is hereby repealed. 4#»^ Cutting Briars and Bushes. Mr. Darlington : — Enclosed I send you one dollar — an- other year's subscription for the Farm Journal. I will alsif take this opportunity of requesting you to enquire through your Journal, whether any of your subscribers have experi- mented on the cutting of briars and buaheg in the dark of the August moon and sign of the lion. I believe it was suggested by a correspondent a couple of years ago, when the subject was spiritedly discussed by both male and fe- male writers, through your Journal, and it was proposed to settle the matter by actual experiment. I have been waiting patiently to hear the result, but nothing has ap- peared yet, that I have seen. I think time enough has elapsed to show something. It is true that each one might experiment for himself, but the affirmative of these ques- tions has been held by many old and experienced persons, as has also the negative, and I hope they have not ended in loud talk and nothing more. A number, certainly, have been making trials, and if we wish to have those questions de- cided in a true philosophic manner, as they should be, let us have the results of any experiments made on them.^ I felt quite interested in the contest when it was going on, and I should like much to learn the results. If the affirmative is true, practicing accordingly would be of very great advantage to the community ; if not true, then we could go on with owr work without any doubts that we might be doing it in wrong season. At the time recommended I cut several patches of blackberry, sumac and other bushes. I have observed that some did not grow at all, and that those that did have not made much progress, but appear to be rather sickly — wheth- er the cause is the time of cutting, or the very dry summers that we have had, or both, I do not know. Will you please endeavor to keep us posted up as to the advantages of the system of subsoiling? If it is of any ad- vantage, I should suppose that it would speak a plain tale this last summer; if of no marked benefit, those of us who are not yet into it had better of course remain where we are. Yours, HUGH HAMILTON. Carter Hill P. 0., Erie county. Pa. The above was intended for our February number, but was crowded out at a late hour. "We confess we have no belief in the signs of the moon, but have great faith in the efficacy of the season — the hottest and dryest period of summer for preventing bushes, Ac, sprouting after cutting. —Ed. For the Farm Journal. Mowing Machines and Lime Spreaders. Mr. J. L. Darlington, Esq. : — As we are often invited to write for our paper, and give our experience in various branches of farm business, particularly experiments with m J 7 TIGHT BINDING 86 THE FARM JOURNAL. [March 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. «r IS V , I newly invented agricultural implements, although a little out of season, I wish to say something about Allen's mow- ing machine. This I am induced to do on account of your correspondent from Honeybrook,(P. Dampman) giving such a glowing description of the performance of Allen's mower, made by Lee, Peirce A Thompson. He says in October No. ^ the Journal, that he used one last harvest, which cut bet- ter than can be done with the scythe -, that he cut from eight to ten acres per day, and if it was pushed a little it would go fifteen ; that it had no side-draft, and is about as hard for the team as plowing stubble ground ; and the hundreds who came to see it were all pleased, and found no fault with its performance, Ac, Ac* Now, had I not already owned one of Allen's mowers made by the firm above spoken of, I should have been in- duced (by his description) to have gone at once and ordered a machine, for fear in the rush I might be too late to get one ready before another harvest would be over. We commenced mowing with the machine around a five •acre lot, with two ordinary horses, a young man to manage the machine and team, and a boy to throw away the out grass when it is so heavy as to be in the way of the machine passing over. We were a good part of four days getting it cut, and had to go to the blacksmith's nine times to get the knives mended; a man part of the time occupied in cutting out the fence corners and around the corners of the field where it was difficult to operate with a machine. The field had been plowed twice for wheat, harrowed as usual and drilled, and stone picked for mowing with the scythe; it was the first season in grass. Our next trial was in a larger field that had been mowed the year before ; this worked rather better, but the knives frequently broke loose and caused much hinderance. The machine runs quite hard for two horses, as is well known, and of the dozen, not hundreds, that came to see it all had some fault to find with it : — it run too hard, broke too easily, would not cut clean at the cor- ners without too much trouble, would not back, and had the draft too much to one side, the screw burs would get loose too easily, &o., &c. Our Honeybrook friend must have very hard kind of stub- ble ground, if it plows as hard for two horses as mowing with Allen's mower, as some in these parts put three horses to the mower, but can readily plow stubble with two, and I think the machine would not only have to be pushed a little^ but pulled pretty hard and fast also, to cut 15 acres in a day. While I have my hand in, I will say a word about the Lime Spreaders that are puflFed and blowed about as supe- rior labor-saving machines, and awarded premiums by com- mittees who never saw them perform. I was induced by such influence to buy one, with which I tried to spread lime last spring, but failed to do any good with it. I concluded it was too wet for that kind of a machine and took the old fashioned shovel. After harvest one of my neighbors who had 1000 bushels of limo in heaps, got my machine to spread it with, thinking surely it would not be too wet at the end of a dry summer, although there had been a shower lately. I sent a hand along who had been instructed (as we thought) in the mysteries of lime-spreading; two or three hands work- ed, trying to spread for a half a day, when the machine was sent home, and one of another patent (celebrated for spreading wet lime) procured, and my neighbor, after loos- ing another half day with his hands, sent that machine home also and spread his lime with a shovel. As we too often see exaggerated accounts of the wonder- ful performance of machinery of different kinds, in our ag- ricultural and other papers, I think to keep the unsuspecting farmer from being imposed upon, it would be well to publish also, some of the unsuccessful experiments and failures. Penningtonville, 1st mo., 1856. THOMAS WOOD. Our friend has certainly been unfortunate in his purcha- ses. His mower appears to have been imperfectly made— indeed, the demand was so great that we have frequently wondered there were not more complaints. Any machine to work well, must work with precision; and we trust the manufacturers having more time to perfect their machines, will profit by the past. Address. Mr. Editor : — The following address was read before tie Farmer's Club of York Township, Northampton county.' The subject, — "Will the Improvement of the Farmer's mind tend to the improvement of his soil," — is very ably handled, and worthy to be preserved in your pages for future reading. By a proper improvement of the mind, we mean, in this case, the acquirement of such knowledge as will better en- able the farmer to understand, and prosecute the business of his profession, — knowledge, which shall bear the same rela- tion to his vocation, as that which is possessed by the Law. yers, the Physicians, the Ministers, the Merchants, and the Mechanics, bears to their pursuits. The idea, we trust, is not now very extensively held, that little or no intelligence is necessary to direct rightly the operations of agriculture ; though we fear the supposition is too frequently indulged, that the circumstances in which farmers are placed are unfavorable to mental energy and the culture of the mind. It is admitted that severe bodily labor is prejudicial to the energies of the mental faculties; but we are confident that the organs of both mind and body, are developed and strengthened by a due degree of muscular exercise. Hence the circumstances best calculated to im- prove the condition of the farmer, are those which call into proper action the intellectual and physical powers with which he is naturally endowed- But there are now, fortunately, many farmers in our coun- try whose labors are not so constant as to interfere with the improvement of their minds ; many, indeed, are thinking and reading men; and we are forced to conclude, that it is more from lack of inclination, than the existence of real obstacles, that the class is not more numerous. The long winter evenings and stormy days afford many hours of lei- sure, during which a great amount of useful information might be gathered. We have spoken of that kind of knowledge, which is to assist the farmer in his business ; and the question naturally arises, how can this knowledge be most readily obtained? We answer, by observation, by conversation, and by the read- ing of agricultural papers from the different parts of our country. But while we would urge the importance of inquiring, we would by no means advise a credulous assent to every story which may be heard or read. The mind of the farmer should be so enlightened, that he may be capable of judging for himself. It is only by observation, by reading, study, comparison, and reflection, that this important faculty of discrimination can be acquired. ^ [ It is often said of farming, "yes, it is a very fine thing to write about, and talk about, but when it comes to the la- bor of it, it is a great deal of hard work for a very littl« money." No doubt, as farming is generally conducted, this is a truth— but are there not disadvantages connected with the pursuit of agriculture, as it has been followed in times past, and at the present day, which would operate as strong y| against the profits of any other occupation, as it has done against agriculture. , ^i The improvement, which has been made in farming, witn- 1 in the last few years, or rather this improvement, so far asp the more intelligent portion of farmers is concerned, is graphically and truly «le8cribed; the contrast of our best ag- ricultural districts, with what they were in past years, is worthy of contemplation. Relying on the earth, which ever yields measurably to the rudest cultivation, the farmer joggs on in the track of his fathers, trusting Providence for seed-time and harvest. T?^^..^ AthAr n^^oiination. followed with as little disposition to improve, would bankrupt all who relied upon it for sub- sistence ; the impression has been with all, and quite as much with farmers as others, that it required little or no brains to be a farmer ; law, divinity, medicine, trade — any vocation, other than agriculture, required mind and thought, enlarged and cultivated. The farmers have been eontent to hew the wood, and draw the water for the community at large, to feed idl, and pay most of the taxes, to obey the laws of the country, made by others, and disregarded by their authors. The farmer thought himself wonderfully well paid if, on political occa- sions, and at political gatherings, politicians and dema- gogues classed him with the dear, dear people ; with the independent yeomanry of the land, and the bulwark of the nation. Politicians flatter his pride, feed his predjudices, seek the farmer's vote, and get it. As farmers, we have carried the burdens of the community, while others have thanked God for creating so patient a class as the farmers for their convenience. This is what the farmer has been, and what he has done, and, I regret to say, it is what the farmer is yet in too many instances all over the United States. This is not a flattering picture, and yet such has been the position of far too many of our American farmers. The time has arrived, when far- mers as a class should understand their true position, and should arise in their might to vindicate the dignity of their profession. We often hear farmers complaining that their class is not fairly represented in the national councils ; and these com- plaints are often well founded, and who are to blame but themselves, for it is through their ignorance that they are made the tools and dupes of politicians. Gentlemen — I remember to have seen it asserted, some- thing to this effect, by John Q. Adams, "that if there was one business, profession, or any other calling, that was more independent than another — one that could be strictly called more noble, it was Agriculture." And it was doubtless true. Agriculture is the great centre around which all the other occupations of society revolve. Trade, Commerce, Manu- facturers, even the learned professions, owe their welfare to Agriculture. Look at it from any point of view we may, the farmer, simple homespun name, as that has become, wields a tremenduous influence over society. Little does that man who is quietly cultivating his potatoe -patch, or hoeing his cornfield, think of the importance of his calling. He is part of a great whole, that, to do without, would be to bring dearth and famine upon the land. If such is agriculture, then let us hope that the dark night IS passmg away, and that a bright day is dawning upon us, and upon our children, and let us prepare for them, at least, if it be too late for us, a wider range of education, finer tastes and deeper sensibilities. The good work has begun — there seems to be a general stir upon the subject of educating the farmer — the text ought to be in every man's mouth, and ways and means ought to be devised for educating the mass of farmers, and let it no longer be necessary for lawyers, doctors, ministers, — any body else but farmers, to deliver addresses, or make speeches upon the subject of Agriculture. Let them understand their own business, both theoretically and practically, and let them be able to tell what they do know when it is required of them. The farmers, from their number, hold the balance of power in their hands in this country, and must continue to do so for years and years to come ; educate them, and our republic will stand, the model and glory of the world j let them remain ignorant and uneducated, and who shall dare to solve the enigma of the future. A great many people are opposed to the hard work on farms, for my part I like it ; in our days, when men are turn- ing and twisting, and using every subterfuge to escape from labor, and live by their wits, I welcome that calling which brings man to acknowledge the great law of God and of nature — that of labor. Excessive labor, whether physical or menial, is injurious, but rational labor is a blessing. That some men do not labor enough, and others too much, is the fault of a corrupt state of society, not of their occupation. There is one thing, against which I would caution my fellow-farmers, and especially the experimental farmer, and that is, never to suffer their minds to run wild, while they are bestowing so much care on their farms. Depend upon it. Science and Agriculture must go hand in hand ; science will aid you much, and save you from much of that unre- mitting, physical exertion, of which you sometimes complain. I shall now mention Book-Farming as a very necessary thing for the successful pursuit of agriculture. Yes, book- farming, that terrible bug-bear to the so-called practical farmer — for notwithstanding all the attempts which have been made to define book-farming, and to show that it is in the main, but the gathering up of practical experience, still the practical farmer, as he calls himself, flies from it as the wild horse would from before the locomotive. I am sometimes ready to ask, were there ever men in the world, savage or civilized, so blind to their true interest as many of our farmers are ? Books have been written upon almost all subjects — trade, commerce, manufactures, the sciences, the mechanic arts, and navigation, have all come in for their share; but does the merchant, the manufac- turer, the mechanic, find fault with them ? Does the navi- gator, as he sails over the wide expanse of ocean, throw aside the chart that was to guide Mm on his way, and when he nears some perilous shore, some rocky coast, does he ex- claim, "Charts are of no use to mo, I heed them not — if there are hidden rocks here, I will strike them, and by this means, will discover them for myself." Suppose for a moment, that something too theoretical has been advanced, something that practice will not bear out, — is it the right way to correct the error to turn one's back upon every thing that has ever been written, to pronounce it all bad and dangerous, and to brand it with infamy? Have not wild theories been advan- ced, at different times, in Philosophy, and the Sciences? How have they been corrected ? Why, simply by men rea- ding them, reflecting upon them, and by the aid of their intellects, working out truth from amid the mass of rubbish beneath which it was buried. And so too, must the truths of agriculture be worked out from the mass of rubbish beneath which they are buried. Farmers, we are here in an age of improvement ; inven- tions and discoveries are crowning every art and science. Shall we remain torpid, while every thing around us is teeming with the impress of intellect ? Depend upon it, we are but in the infancy of our occupation, so far as mind is concerned. Can any man of ordinary intelligence look upon the present system of agriculture, without discovering in it some of the grossest errors ? Men wonder that agri- culture is not more profitable but are too indifferent to seek for remedies. Let us awake from this indifference — let us seek and examine^ let us bring hidden things to the broad • 1 I^ijf •s THE FARM JOURNAL* [Misd I ^^^'3 THE FARM JOURNAL. M f >f ^ \ti 4 daylight,— summon chemistry, geology, philosophy, mathe- matics, to our aid, and press onward to develop new resour- ees and principles. Free yourselves from those predjudices against book-far- ming, which many of you have read, and ponder well what you read, and it will not be long before your calling, which has been too long neglected from your own indifference will rise to its true height T. T. K. -••»- DOUBLE MIGHIOAN PLOW. In our January number, we wrote an article on deep plowing, and recommending the double Michigan plow. Above we give an engraving which has recently been taken, and gives a very good idea of it to those not acquainted with its peculiar construction. Since we wrote the former article, we have heard additional and very satisfactory accounts of its use, and there has been also some communications respecting it in the Farm Journal from our correspondents. The mould board is much the shape of the old Prouty centre draught mould board, now so widely known for its economy in draft, considering the amount of work done. The Michigan plow is strongly built. The price is $15 50. *^ Wire Web Fencing. We learn that John Nesmith, Esq , a well known manufacturer of Lowell, Mass., has recently invented and patented a machine for manufacturing Wire Web Fencing^ and that considerable quantities of it have been successfully tried for enclosing highways, railroads, canals, fields, gardens, cemeteries, heneries, for grape and rose trellises, for ornamental garden work, etc. It is varnished (black) with asphaltum varnish, or coated with coal tar, painted, japanned, or galvanized, to beautify and preserve it. It is rolled up in portable rolls, from twenty to forty rods in length, and any ordi- nary farmer can set it up for himself. No rails are used ; but the netting is fastened to parts of wood, iron, or stone, set from ten to fifteen feet apart, with hooks, wire, nails, or staples. The only skill required in set- ting it up is to keep it straight, and moderately tight. This is done by hand. We have obstrved that many of the agricultural pa- pers speak highly of this fence. The Plough, Loom ^ Anml hails it as *'a blessing to all the farmers of the country." The New England Farmer says : « w iiiueuFavc Sev- eral kinds of this fence. Figure 1 represents the best field fence of the Lowell Vire Fence Company — cheap, strong, close, light, ele- gant and durable ; 4 feet high ; lateral (or straight) wires of No. 10 wire; body of No. 12 wire; price $1.10, (or if the body be of No. 15 wire, 75 cents,) per lineal rod. PIOUUE 1 ables it to undergo without the slightest injury, that al- FIGURE 2. ^ Figure 2 represents a still cheaper mode of wire fence or fields, &c.; being of the same height, with wire and ^esh of the same size, but without the wire rails in the |ody of the fence. Price 95 cents per rod— some of ^J^s kmd, of No. 15 body wire, is only 60 cents per Figure 3 represents the wire, sheep, poultry, garden cemetery fence, with mesh of 3 inches— somel 6 in- F es, some 3 feet, and some 4 feet high ; outside wires L •' i^ ^'""^ ' '""^'^^ ^'^®^ ^^ ^°' ^^ ^^^«- That 4 nl '' r*^^ P^^ ^^^ ' *^a* 3, is $1.12J ; and that 16 m, 6o cents. These modes of fence may be made pter or heavier, as purchasers desire. Won. Marshall P. Wilder, President of the United FIGURE 3. States Agricultural Society, who has used some of this fence, in a letter to Charles Crowley, Esq., says : *'I have recently examined some of the netting of the Lowell Wire Fence Company for fences, trellises, etc. From my own experience, and that of others, I cannot doubt that it is perfectly practicable as a fence for fields and gardens, or that it is well adapted to all uses where a strong, close, elegant, economical and durable fence is required. Where stone is not abundant, or where lum- ber is expensive, as in many of our States, I should deem it the most practicable fence that could be pro- cured. If our railroads are hereafter to be enclosed, as safety and economy demand — they can scarcely be fenced cheaper or better than by this mode of fence. The stouter kinds of this netting are of such strength, that cattle could not easily penetrate or pass it ; while the closeness of the lighter kinds renders them admira- bly available for garden uses, heneries, and poultry fences. Fencing like this has for some years been ex- tensively used in Great Britain ; and, since it can now be made at a much less cost by machinery, it would seem to be equally adaptative to the United States. I know of no fencing so good as this, that can be procured .4 FIGURE 4. for $1.50 per rod, the highest price asked for the most costly kinds of this netting ; and this is, probably, the only fencing of equal merit that can be bought for $1.50 per rod TIGHT BINDING r >i n ^ 00 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mar CH "As a material for rose-trellises, grape-trellises, and ornamental work in gardens, I think it unequalled in cheapness, durability and beauty, by any thing yet de- vised. It will, without doubt, eventually be received into general use, when its merits are appreciated by the public." i?;r>>,i»>o d y»r\rt>>su>'r%ta an ftlAflrant. trftllifl-work for roses, grapes, etc., varying in width from 16 inches to 4 feet ; in mesh from 1 to 6 inches ; in wire from No. 10 to No. 18. The price varies according to the size of the wire and mesh, and the width of the netting itself. -*•*- tt u If"! f Rape Seed OiL—Extracts from Report of Light HoTue Board. In 1841-'42 the price of Sperm oil was $0,55 per gallon. In 1847-'48 do do $1.07.18 In 1851-'52 do do $1.19.37 In 18j3-'54 do do $1.38.75 and the last purchase made by public contract for the light- house establishment was at $1.58 for full-strained sperm oil. The most respectable merchants and ship-owners, engaged in the sperm whale fishery, are of opinion that there will be a considerable advance upon the present price ($1.60 per gallon) for winter oil during the present year, and that it will probably be as high as $2.00 per gallon, at no distant day. The rapid advance in the price of this essential article for light-house purposes is said to be attributable to the limited and annually diminishing supply, and to the increased de- mand for it, for lubricating and manufacturing purposes in this country and in Great Britian. « » • • • • Numerous experiments have been made to test the practi- cability of using lard oil, cotton seed oil, and some of the va- rious patent oils, both animal and vegetable, in light-housesj but it is believed, that with the exception of the Colza or Tape seed oil, none of them are suited to purposes of light- house illumination. The light-houses and light vessels on the continent of Eu- rope and in Great Britian, with few exceptions, are now illuminated by the colza or rape seed oil. It has been found after careful test, and by trial, to be superior in many re- spects to the beet sperM oil, while its cost, is only about one half the present price of sperm oil. This valuable agricultural product occupies an important place in the economy of the farmers of France, Belgium, Hol- land and many parts of Germany. It is in fact the great agricultural staple of many distriotfi^And from which the far- mers derive their entire living income. In England this vegetable is cultivated, not so much for the production of oil which it yields^ as for grazing and fer- tilizing purposes. In this country it is cultivated to some extent for grazing and as a fertilizer of the soil. Among the German population of Texas, the Colza is cul- tivated, and the oil expressed from its seed in sufficient quan- tities to supply the domestic wants of the cultivators. In Mexico it has been introduced, and it is understood that many villages, towns and cities, including the city of Mexico, are dependant upon it for oil to light their streets and houses. There is no doubt that this valuable vegetable could be very successfully cultivated in nearly every portion of the United States ; and even at the present European price for the oil, it would prove quite as remunerative as tobacco, wheat, and Indian corn. The annual diminution in the supply of sperm oil, and the increasing demand for it for mechanical purposes, would seem to render it indispensable, that an article of good qual- ity, and adapted to purposes of illumination, should be found as a substitute for it. With these facts and results, it is believed, that it is only necessary for the agriculturists of the country to give their attention to the subject, to insure the production of an oil, that will be superior to that from the sperm whale for par, pesos of illumination, and which will be highly remuneratire to the producer, at one half the present price of sperm oil The cultivation of this vegetable on a large scale would prove a sreui uoou to tu6 country, as wc** as a source of profit to the producers. It would also be the means of ren- dering us altogether independant of European markets, and of their fluctuations, for oil for illuminating our light-housei in case of a failure of the supply from the sperm whale fish- ing grounds, and also in the event of the interruption of the fisheries, and of commerce by war with a powerful maritime State. « « • 4( « « Should the agriculturists of this country not commence the cultivation of this valuable and remunerative product, and should the supply of sperm oil continue to diminish in the same ratio it has done for some years past, this goyern- ment will be reduced to the necessity of importing rape-seed oil from Europe for the light-house service. It is believed that this course could be advantageously adopted now. *(%»- 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. »I For the Farm Journal. Wheat vs. Cheat.— A Challenge. Turbo TViLLE, Pa., Oct. 26th, 1854 Francis Schriner: — Dear Sir: — Having noticed your state- ment in the June No. of the Farm Journal, that you had sown a patch of wheat in your garden that a ^'neiglhn had undertaken to turn to cAcaf," and feeling some desire to know the result of the effort, I will be thankful if you willl inform me whether he was successful. If his method failed, I may be able to suggest several otherl diflFerent methods, that I presume has been more successfuLl I would not desire so liberal an offer as that of a fartn with atock, but if you desire to see the matter fully tested,! and will make a pledge not exceeding two hundred dollars,! to be available, provided it ia mcceaa/ul, I will make the ex- periment on a square rod of good wheat, beginning th« latter part of next April, and demonstrate that the thing i« practicable. In order to satisfy you that there will be no deception, and that you shall be at no other expense onl account of it, I will be willing to perform the experunent foil you in your own neighborhood ; and when it is satisfactonlj| accomplished, and you pay the two hundred dollars, the samej shall be appropiated to the cause of Agricultural Science. I have the pleasure to be yours, Very respectfully, H. MILLER. THE CHALLENGE ACCEPTJED. Mr. Henry Miller :— Dear Sir :— Yours of the 26th Octl is received, and after deliberation, I would say, I am not ml the habit of betting, but upon such a subject as the Science! of Agriculture, I can see no harm in a mutual agreemenj for one or the other of us to forfeit a certain sum for the benefit of the Science. I will therefore accept your chalj lenge, with a little alteration in the modus operandi. An experiment made "upon a square rod of good wheat, whatever I might think of it, would not be satisfactory t(| an incredulous public. They might not be willing to awar to you the merit of having accomplished the proposed chang^j upon the ground that they could not knoio what plants mig J be growing on, or what seed lurking in, "a square ro ground," so our experiment might end just where it bogin| proving only, that cheat grows where wheat has been K j out, which we well know. I would therefore suggest thaU be permitted to select a number of plants (say ten) which will be certain have sprung from good wheat, and upon these I invite you to operate at any time, or at all times, be- tween this and next harvest, by "freezing, drought, choking" or hanging, or any other, penal or fancy process, so as to cause them to produce cheat, without bringing the influence of any other grain, except clean wheat to hear upon them. For which services I am ready to enter into obligations, secured by hundred dollars when the job is completed, or twenty dol- lars for every plant so changed. It is as easy "for an entire field of wheat to turn to cheat as a single stalk,"and vice versa. You will of course be expected to enter into similar obli- gations, to pay the same sum for the same purpose, in case of failure. This I hope will bring a fair experiment before our neighbors. There must be a committee appointed to watch the ten plants, and not permit any other than wheat to grow near them. With much respect, Yours, F. SCHREINER. Moss Grove, Dec. 30th, 1854. Although aware that our friends are becoming tired of the discussion of wheat and cheat, we insert the above corres- pondence in the hope that it will bring the matter to a point. Should Mr. Miller succeed, we will cheerfully chronicle the fact, although it be contrary to the united voice of science and of observation. — Ed. «•» Poland Oats. B. P. Foster, in the Michigan Farmer, says: I have raised the Poland oats for three years past. The weather has been very dry here in that time, and from my own experience, I think this kind of oats well adapted to the climate of Michigan. I have tried several kinds, and these have done the best of any that I have sown. I obtained a sample of Mr. Tucker's oats, and on compar- ing them with mine, find them to be the same, and both are, to all appearance, and according to the descriptions I have Been, the true Poland oats. I will now state in what respect I consider them superior to any other kinds, for this country, so far as I have tried them. I simply give the facts : Ist They require less seed to the acre, as they tiller, or stool, out a great deal, from five to ten stalks springing from one kernel. One bushel to one and a half is enough to the acre. (This year I sowed mine very thick — two bushels to the acre.) 2d. The straw is longer and stiffer, and not so liable to lodge. 3d. They yield more, and are heavier, and better to feed. 4th. They will produce more on poor land than any other kind I ever tried. 5th. They will stand the drouth remarkably well. ■iney need not be sown early. Mine were ripe when my wheat was. They were sown the first of May. Average Yield of Wheat in Great Britain. In reply to an enquiry, the Mark Lane Express says :— 'The average of the three Scotch counties last year per aore stands thus : Roxburgshire, 22 bushels. Haddmgton, 26 " Sutherland, 32 " giving a general average of abour 26 bushels ; but this is under ordinary years. Upon the whole our averages are ri- sing—that is, they now exceed what tliey were a few years ack; and probably 28 bushels per acre may not be far from "le average of England. With regard to the average of this I year, opmion is so much divided that, as yet, it is hardly [ a e to give a definite estimate, some setting it at one-fourth ove that of ordinary years, others at a great deal less." Penniylvania Horticultnral Society. At the request of a gentleman connected with the Penn- sylvania Horticultural Society, we publish the annexed offi- cial report of meetings which has not heretofore appeared in the Journal. We hope to be able hereafter to obtain the reports monthly. September 19th, 1854. The Stated Meeting of the Society was held in Sansom Street Hall this evening. Dr. W. D. Brincklg, Vice President, in the chair. On motion. Resolved, That no member of either Standing Committees on awarding premiums shall be considered qual- ified to act from whose collections objects for competition are presented at either the Annual or Monthly exhibitions of the Society. Resolved, That the Secretary is hereby directed to append to the name of every private gardener that of his employer also, in all cases where the former shall appear on the rec- ords of the proceedings of the Society. Member elected. — John Churchman. Objects Shown. — By William Johns. — Fine Grapes. By John P. Aertson. — A basket of figs. October Itth, 1854. The Stated Meeting was held in Sansom Street Hall this eveninj?. Dr. W. D. Brinckle, Vice President, in the chair, ^ Report of the Committee for awarding premiums on Fruit. Pears — Collection of fifty specimens of ten varieties — for the best, to Isaac B. Baxter. Applea. — Collection of fifty, ten varieties — for the best, to E. A. Vickroy, of Johnstown, Pa. A special premium of one dollar to Jerome Graff", gar- dener to Caleb Cope, for a dish of fine Reine Claude de Bavay Plums. The Special Committee appointed to assist in conducting the Horticultural department at the State Agricultural Fair, held at Powelton, submitted a Report, in which they assign reasons for the "sad condition" of the articles returned to those persons who so kindly and generously contributed of their choicest productions, and express their dissappointment and dissatisfaction of an omission on the part of the Mana- gers of the Agricultural Society to provide the facilities in- dispensable to a more successful display of horticultural objects. Honorary and Corresponding Members Elected.— Dr. Pierre Bretonneau and Dr. Frederick Le Clerc, of Tours, France, and Alexander Bivort, of Belgium. Objects Exhihited. Plants. — By Thomas Robertson, gardener to B. A. Fahne- stock. — Colons Blumei, Ixora blanda, Clerodendron panicu- latum, Veronica Andersonii, Pentas carnea, Angelonia Gard- neriana, Torenia Asiatica, Passiflora amabile, Achimenes coccinea, Gloxinia alba-sanguinea, Fuschia Mazeppa and Cuphca platy centra. By William Thompson, gardener to John Tucker. — A specimen of Dipladenia crassinoides in full bloom. Cut Dahlias. — By Robert Buist, of choice varieties — and Gerhard Schmitz, a large collection of his fine seedlings. Bouquets. — By James Kent, gardener to J. F. Knorr.— A pyramid suitable for the hand. Fruit. — By Isaac B. BaxLer. — Pears. — Doyenne,Napoleon, Vicar of Winkfield, St. Germain, Easter Beurre, B. Banco, D'Aremberg, Chaumontel, Seckel, Broom Park, Duchesse d' Angouleme, Passe Colmar. • Grapes, grown in the open air — 4 bunches. White Portugal, Catawba and Isabella. Dr. E. A. Vickroy, of Johnstown, Pa. — Apples. — Ewalt, Sweet Michler, Huber's Pippin, Holland Pippin, Yellow Pip- pin, Rambo, Russet, Pound, Pride of Richland, Belle-fleur and Gilliflower. TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF THE FARM JOURNAL. [Maboi V By Jerome Graff, gardener to Caleb Cope. — PIumb, — Reine Claude de Bevay. By Alexander Parker. — Peara. November 2Ut, 1854* The Stated Meeting of the Society was held in the Saloon of the Assembly Buildings, comer of Tenth and Chesnut Streets. The President in the chair. Premiums wore awarded as follows : — By the Committee on Plants and Ylovfers.— Chrysanthemums, 12 plants, large varieties, for the best; 12 plants, dwarf varieties, for the best. C/irysanthemum, American seedling, for the best j specimen plant, large variety, for the best ; dwarf variety, for the best, all to Robert Buist. And a special premium of three dollars to Alexander Parker for a display of Chrysanthe- mums. For a collection of plants in pots, a special premium of three dollars to Thomas Robertson, gardener to B. A. Fahnestock. Specimen plant, for the best, to William Thompson, gardener to John Tucker, for a fine specimen of Luculia gratusima, in bloom ] for the second best, to Thomas Robertson, gardener to B. A. Fahnestock, for Coleus Blumei. Basket of cut flowers— for the best, to Jerome Graff, garden- er to Caleb Cope. And a premium of five dollars to Jerome Graff, gardener to Caleb Cope, for a fine specimen of Cissus discolor, shown in bloom for the first time, and in all its splendor. The special attention of the Society was called to this plant ,• it was trained in an oval form, measuring six feet in height, and twelve feet in circumference ,• also to the display of Chrysanthemums, many of which measured ten feet in circumference. The Luculia was by far the best ever exhibited before the Society. By the Committee on Fruits. — Pears — ten varieties, for the best, to Isaac B. Baxter. Apples — ten varieties, for the best, to E. A. Vickroy, of Johnstown, Pa. The Committee noticed a mammoth Pear, by Charles Kessler, of Reading, the Belle Angevine. By the Committee on Vegetables. — For the best display by a market gardener, to A. L. Felton. Celery — for the best six heads, the White, and for the second best, the Red, to James Jones, gardener at the Girard College. Broccoli — for the best ; Brussels Sprouts, for the best, to A. L. Felton. The Committee notice a fine display of Cucumbers by Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin. The Special Committee appointed to secure a Room for holding the monthly meetings in, reported in favor of secu- ring the Concert Hall, which was offered for thirty dollars per night, on the third Tuesday of each month, embracing the use of a small room adjoining, for the Library, which was accepted, and the Committee discharged ; and the ar- rangement for carrying the same into effect referred to a Committee, consisting of the President, Treasurer and Sec- retary. The Delegates appointed to attend the session of the American Pomological Society, held in Boston, 15th Septem- ber, submitted a Report which they were requested to am- plify and report at the next meeting. A copy of the Minutes, in printed form, of the Philadel- phia Society for Promoting Agriculture, from its institution, February, 1785 to 1810, was presented to the Society by Dr. Kennedy, and a vote of thanks ordered therefor. On motion. Ordered that a Committee of five be appointed to confer with the City Councils on the subject of the con- version of the estate known as Lemon Hill into a public park ; and that said Committee be and they are hereby in- structed to urge upon the city authorities the importance of 80 arranging the grounds as to provide for the establishment of a Botanic garden thereon. Objects Exhibited. Plants. — By Thomas Robertson, gardener to B, A. Pahne. stock. — Cypripedium insigne, Begonia incarnata, Pentas carnea. Camellia j. Eclipse, Ceropegia elegans, Angelonia Gardner!, Epacris impressa rosea, Geissomeria longiflora, Mimosa sensitiva arborea. Daphne Indica arborea. Chrysan- themum V. Asmode, Torenia asiatica — Specimen— Coleag Elum8i% By Robert Buist — 12 large and 12 Pompone varieties of Chrysanthemums ; a specimen of large, of Pompone, and of an American seedling Chrysanthemum, a golden yellow. By Jerome Graff, gardener to Caleb Cope. — Cissus discolor a fine specimen the first time shown in bloom ; it was trained in an oblong oval form, measuring six feet in height and twelve feet in circumference. By Alexander Parker. — A large collection of Chrysanthe- mums. Bouquets, d;c.— By Jerome Graff, gardener to Caleb Cope.— A Basket of Cut Flowers. By James Kent, gardener to J. F. Knorr.— Four hand Bouquets, not in competition. Fruit. — By Isaac B. Baxter. — Pears. — Passe Colmar, Niles, St. Germain, Chaumontel, Broom Park, Duchesae d'Angouleme, D'Aremberg, Le Cure, B. Rans, E. Beurre. By E. A. Vickroy, Johnstown, Pa. — Apples.— Eviit, Belle-fleur, Sweet Michler, Golden Pippin, Huber's Pippin, Pound, Russet, Fall Pippin, Blue Pearmain, and a seedling. By Jonathan Baldwin, Chester county. — Apples.— Indm, Carthouse and Lady. Vegetables.— Bj A. L. Felton. — A large table of fine va- rieties. By James Jones, gardener at Girard College.— Red and White Celery. 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. December 19, 1854. The Stated Meeting of the Society was held in the Saloon of the Assembly Buildings this evening. The President in the chair. The following premiums were awarded : By the Committee on Plants and Flowers.— Basket of Cut Flowers, for the best, to Jerome Graff, gardener to C. Cope; for the second best pair of hand Bouquets, to the same; and a premium of throe dollars to the same for a plant of Angra- cum bilobum, shown in bloom for the first time. They no- ticed a leaf and flower of Nymphcea ccerulea, shown for the first time. Pears.— 'For the best, to Isaac B. Baxter. Apples.— Yar the best, to E. A. Vickroy, of Johnstown, Pa.; and a special premium of one dollar to W. V. Pettitt, for fine specimens of the Niles Pear. Vegetables.— Yor the best display by a market gardener, to A. L. Felton ; and a special premium of two dollars to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin, for a fine display of Lettuce, Radishes, and Cucumbers; and another of one dollar to Wm. Thompson, gardener to John Tucker, for two fine Cucumbers. The Treasurer submitted his semi-annual statement of ac- counts, which was read and referred. The Library Committee presented their annual Report, in which they stated that twenty-eight volumes had been bought since the last report, and that six had been present- ed; and that five dollars had been paid by members for fines. They also alluded to the fire which occurred on the evening of the 5th of July last, and destroyed the Philadelphia Mu- seum building, in which the Library was kept ; but they were pleased to congratulate the Society in its preservation; that some eighteen books were lost in the removal, but the underwriters had paid for the same. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The stated meeting of the Society occurred on the 20th ult., in Concert Hall, and gave general satisfaction. For the fu- ture all the monthly meetings will be held in this Saloon. The President in the chair. The display was very good — collections from four green houses were shown. In Mr. Buist's there were several new and interesting plants — the Dendrobium Wallichianum, Azeleas Iveryana and Geranium Snow Ball, a beautiful Bogiera Thirsi/lora, and an exquisite seedling Camellia, a white tinted with rose. In Mr. Fahne- Btock'fl were a very graceful Acacia Probescens, Camellias, and other choice plants. In Mr. Tucker's, several species of beautifully trained Kennedyas, Azalea Pallida, {new,) and a dozen handsome Cinerarias. Mr. Raabe bought a seedling white Azalea and vases of Hyacinths. Mr. Mac- kenzie exhibited Camellias, a new seedling of a rosy-pink color, bis Ellen and Beine desjleurs. Cut Camellias of the finest varieties were exhibited by Mr. Buist's, Mr. Cope's, and Mr. Lambert's gardeners. D. R. King's gardener pre- sented a Moss Vase, bearing a fine pyramid of flowers. Six beautiful baskets of cut flowers were shown by the garden- ers of Mr. . Baldwin, Mr. Cope, Mr. Tucker and Mr. Lam- bert A brace of Cucumbers from Mr. Tucker's, and a dish of Asparagus from Mr. Cope's houses, were on the tables. The following premiums were awarded by the Committee on Plants and Flowers — twelve cut Camellias — for the best, to Robert Buist ; for the second best to Jerome Graff, gardener to C. Cope. Collection of twelve plants — for the best, to Thomas Robertson, gardener to.B. A. Fahnestock; for the second best, to Robert Buist. Collection of six plants — for the best, to Wm. Thompson, gardener to J. Tucker. Speci- men plant — for the best, to Thomas Robertson, gardener to B. A. Fahnestock ; for the second best, to Robert Buist. Xew plants— a. premium of three dollars to Robert Buist, for Dendrobium Wallichianum, Azalea Iveryana and Gera- nium Snow Ball. Table design — for the best, to Cornelius O'Brien, gardener to D. Rodney King. Basket — for the best, to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin ; for the second best, to Jerome Graff, gardener to C. Cope. Bouquets —for the best pair, to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to John Lambert ; for the second best, to Jerome Graff, gardener to C. Cope. For a splendid seedling Camellia, the silver medal, to Robert Buist. Special premiums of one dollar each, for fine Baskets, were awarded to Wm. Thompson, gardener to J. Tucker ; to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin, and to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to John Lambert. The Com- mittee noticed a fine seedling Camellia by P. Mackenzie ; a dozen beautiful seedling Cinerarias by John Tucker's gar- dener, and a fine seedling Azalea and Hyacinths by Peter Raabe. By the Committee on Vegetables — Special premiums of one dollar each, to Wm. Thompson, gardener to John Tuck- er, for a brace of cucumbers, and to Jerome Graff, gardener to Caleb Cope, for a dish of asparagus. The Committee of Finance reported upon the Treasurer's statement of accounts. A bill for printing transactions was ordered to be paid. An interesting letter was read from Dr. Joseph Wilson, Jr., Surgeon, of the U. S. Navy, from U. S. ship Supply, on Chinese horticulture. I>r. Brinckle resigned his ofllce of Corresponding Secre- tary. On motion, ordered that the Special Committee to confer »Uh City Councils on the subject of so arranging Lemon HiU grounds so as to provide for the establishment of a Bo- ^Dio Garden, be instructed to embrace also Hunting Park as *n arboretum, and the general improvement of any other Publio squares. Seed Com—Birds— Worms. For the past ten years I have succeeded in preserring my com from the depredations of birds and worms, by a very simple and easy process. I throw about half a bushel of seed at a time into an iron kettle, and then add about three half gills of tar, stirring the mass briskly in the meanwhile; then continue stirring until every grain looks as if it had received a coat of varnish. To know when the pro- cess is completed, throw the corn into a heap against one side of the kettle, and if right it will creep slowly back again, and in time regain something approaching a hard sur- face. This part of the operation, which need not at any time occupy ten minutes, is facilitated by doing it under a hot sun. Next sift about a quart of dry slacked lime over the com, and then stir until every grain is coated with lime and ren- dered perfectly dry. Three minutes will suflBce to do this. In the absence of lime, wood ashes will answer very well. Birds cannot or will not eat corn so treated. They may pull up a stalk or two, but when they find how matters stand, they leave for some other field. It was to guard against the depredations of birds, that I adopted this device ; but I found by experience, that it not only preserved com against them, but that worms would not cut stalks springing from tarred seed. Doubtless some slight traces of the tar is taken up by the young plant, and being as is well known, highly offensive to all animals of that kind, the plant escapes from the attacks of this enemy also. The seed germinates as quickly, and the plants come up as uniformly and vigorously, as if planted bare. Indeed, ever since I adopted this method, I have had neither loss, trouble nor anxiety from birds or worm^ ; and if I could have my way, no one should kill a crow or blackbird on my premises, or in my neighborhood. JOSIAH COPLEY. Armstrong Co., Pa., Feb., 41855. «•» An Interesting Inquiry. — Continued. Mr. Darlington: — In the January number of the Farm Journal,under the heading of "An Interesting Inquiry," by C. W. B. of Camden, N. J., on the subject of raising corn, or rather, why it is that he cannot raise as much as he could twenty years back, even when his land has been limed and manured "liberally." Though our soil differs materially from that described by C. W. B., being limestone gravel, mixed with sandy loam, naturally good for producing corn, but of late years we have experienced something of the same results ; I say we, for a number of my neighbors that I have spoken with have experienced the same. Com will come up and look as well as usual, until the third or fourth leaf puts out, when it be- gins to assume a stunted appearance, and if a favorable sea- son it may attain to the height of two and a half to three and a half feet high, with striped leaves, seldom having an ear on it. I hare been careful to examine if it might not be affected by some worm or insect, but have hitherto discover- ed nothing, except the first or principal root is dead. We will perhaps not find more than two or three hills in a place, in another place we will find half a dozen, or more, and I think I may say it is only thus affected on land that has been limed some time ; here we have been almost forced to the conclusion that too much lime is the cause. As the com crop is an important one to the farmer, and becoming yearly more so, I would like through your useful "Journal" to have the opinion of others more experienced, and the anti- dote, if there is one. R. H. L. Union Co., Pa. u THE FARM JOURNAL. [March 1 18/>5.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 95 f I'j if The New American Pastoral. By the politeness of the Publishers, Parry & M'Millan, corner of Fourth and Chesnut streets, Philadelphia, we are in receipt of a copy just published of "The New Pastoral," by Thomas Buchanan Read, a native of Chester county. Following the example of Cowper and Thompson, the design of the author appears to have been, to describe the rural life of America, its associations, pleasures and familiar phases, to open out to public view, both in the new and old world, the very heart and pulse of our people, aa illustrated in their daily, familiar history. With how much minuteness and accuracy he has succeeded, may be observed in the following extract. No American can read this book without recognizing its truthfulness, graphic descriptions, and truly poetical and happy illustra- tions of every day life in America. It is so exceedingly natural, that one educated in the country is at a loss to know "how he could have written any thing else." The "New Pastoral" pursues a new and hitherto untrodden path by any of our American Poets, supplying a vacuum, long wanting. It is truly national in its spirit and tone, giving utterance occasionally to lofty and patriotic senti- ments, which must find a response in every heart. It will be welcomed as the Jirst truly American Poem, and we hope to see the ground thus broken, speedily occupied by future efforts in the same direction. We predict for the "new Pastoral" an immense circulation. It must become one of the indispensables for the centre table in America, both in the palace and the cottage. Day dawns, And with it swells the sounds, afar and near, Of lowing cattle, and the crowing cocks. From farm to farm the wakening signals run, And the blue smoke ascends. The sheep, released. Leap the low bars and, following their bell. Go bleating to the pasture. And, anon, The ploughman drives his team into the field, And treads the furrow till the horn recalls. Meanwhile the kine their generous udders yield. And fill the sounding pail, till it o'erruns, And drips the path with foam. Then, at the spring. The snowy liquid poured in careful rows, And on the watery slabs arranged to cool, Gleams like a series of full moons. Afar The giant forge, at labour *midst the hills. Throbs sullen thunder from its iron heart. And 'neath yon poplar, bursting into bloom. The lesser anvil rings. While from the cot Which on the breezy upland greets the east, The windows blazing with the morning red. The loom makes answer with its busy beat. Look in to-day upon the murmuring school. There sits the old man at his wonted desk. Round which the scholars stand in crescent rows. Class after class, the oldest coming first ; Then, gradually descending, till the child In russet slip comes tottering to his feet. And finds a place upon the kn«e of age, Where dimpled fingers point the letters wrong, Or stray unchided to the master's watch-seals. How like a hive, the busy school house hums! Till comes the hour of recess, when in streams. With laughter loud, they pour into the air. And join in various games. * * ♦ ♦ Now bloom the orchards, and the noisy bees Sing like a wind among the snowy limbs. The occupants of neighbouring garden hives Are there, in full communities, to mine The odorous Eldorado ; and the wasp Dropping his long legs, like a flying crane. Lights on the flower, and, with his ready sting. Threats the intruder. There the humble-bee Comes booming, and departs with laden thighs. The yellow-jacket, small and full of spite, Bedecked in livery of golden lace. Comes with the fretful arrogance of one Who plays the master, though himself a slave; And over all, the tyrant of the hour, The kingbird, hovers, darting on his preyj And takes the ventured argosy of sweets. Then boasts his conquest on the adjacent branch, Where, like a pirate hauled against the wind. He waits another sail. From limb to limb. The birds which here delight to build their nests— The blue-bird, and the robin, and the small Gray wood-pecker — now flit among the flowers, Until the air is full of life and song. As it is full of perfume. Now begins The housewife's happiest season of the year. The ground already broken by the spade — The beds, made level by the passing rake — The almanac consulted, and the signs Conspiring favour — forth with apron full Of choicest seeds, the best which last year gave, She sallies to the garden where, all day. Breathing the pleasant odour of the mould. She bends and plants, while, to her eye of hope. Here springs the early pea, and there the bean. The lettuce and the radish, and what else Her culinary providence requires. 4«» The Fennsylvaiiia Farm School. It will be recollected that the Legislature, last wmter, passed an act incorporating an institution with the above title ; but owing to certain defects, it was found imprac- ticable to eflfect an organization, and the friends of the measure were induced to ask the present General As- sembly to pass another bill, which has been done. This bill will be found on another page. At the time of send- ing our forms to the stereotyper's it had not received the signature of the Governor, but we learn there is no doubt he will sign it in due time. The bill, although not perfect, is, in our humble judg- ment, a great improvement on the act of last winter. The most serious defect which we observe, is the ab- sence of any appropriation to aid in establishing the school. We had hoped from the number of enlightened and liberal minded gentlemen in the Legislature, that an appropriation of at least ten thousand dollars would be made to aid the institution, which, if wisely managed, as we have no doubt it will be, must add greatly to the products, income and property of the State at large. But in this we have been disappointed To any one who will reflect for a moment on the ad- vantages which must necessarily arise from an institu- tion of this kind, the sum of ten thousand, or twenty thousand dollars, appropriated towards establishing it, shrinks into utter insignificance, comparable only to the penny-wise and pound-foolish policy of the niggardly throughout the world. It should be remembered, and we trust our law-makew will not lose sight of the fact, that this is not a mere private enterprise or speculation, intended to benefit corporators or stockholders. Nor is it intended to be a local concern with circumscribed limits of usefulness. On the contrary, it is designed to be a State Institute drawing its students from, and spreading its light over, every part of the Commonwealth. Those who are moT-| ing in the matter are doing it from the most disinter- ested motives, desiring only the diflfusion of agricultural | science among their fellow citizens, and the utmost im* provement in their husbandry. They have no prospect of gain, which is not common to every citizen of the | State. If the members of the Legislature, nine-tenths of whom are the representatives of farming constituents, 1 will but give this subject the attention it merits, we are Bure they will insert in the general appropriation bill, an item of ten thousand dollars to the Farmers' High School, and complete the work they have begun. This sum with a like amount to be given by the State Agri- cultural Society, together with what will be added from other sources, will place the institution on a solid foun- dation, and go far towards insuring its success. . «•» Mangold Wurzel Leaves From an article in the English Agricultural Gazette, it appears to not have been an uncommon practice in Eng- land, to strip off successive crops of leaves of mangold wurzel or sugar beet, for feeding to the cows, under an impression that the roots were not materially injured. We do not know that it has been done here to much ex- tent, but careful experiments have now been made, which prove conclusively that it is injurious in every re- spect, not only to the yield per acre, but the intrinsic qualities of the roots also. The leaves it is also found have deteriorated the qual- ity of the milk by careful analysis, and promoted diar- rhsBa in the cows. The conclusions arrived at are, that leaves cannot be systematically t«,ken from the growing plant, without lessening the quantity of roots. 2. The decreased quan- tity ofTOots does not yield so large a per centage of nu- tritive matter, as are contained in those that are uninju- red, and 3. That the injury to the roots is by no means counterbalanced in quantity or quality, by any value we might attach to the leaves. ■*•*- Fruit and Ornamental Trees. Before another number of the Journal reaches our readers, the season for planting will fully have arrived, and we hope every owner of an acre of land, for his own pecuniary benefit, (which in some cases is the most im- portant consideration,) for the benefit of those who are to come after him, and for the health, comfort and enjoy- ment of himself and family, which will be almost an immediate result, will not forget to plant. Plant, Plant, Plant, should be the one idea ever present for the next six weeks. Let every fence comer, every open space, every good exposure, be watched for and hunted out, where a tree of some kind can be not merely stuck in, but plant- ed as it should be, and with the object of making it not merely live but grow, thrive and hear fruit, or foliage for ornament or use. In former numbers of the Farm Jour- nal, we have treated copiously of the mode of planting, land the varieties of trees best adapted for fruit and ornament, &c , and as our space is too limited now to go over the subject at length, we will recommend two books better adapted than any two we know of, for conveying N^ necessary information in a cheap simple form— Bar- ry's fruit book, and Meehan's hand book of ornamental [trees. The two can be obtained for a couple of dollars, and we will furnish them, or send them to any of our friends who will enclose us that amount. Many, very Imany other excellent works can be obtained, but none j«qiial to those Awo for condensed, practical, useful infor- |mation on the subjects of which they treat. ^ our present number will be found the list recom- Imended by the American Pomological Society, which is entirely reliable, as regards fruit. In respect to orna- mental trees and shrubbery, there is a wide selection. Of evergreen trees, first and foremost we recommend the Norway Spruce, Abies excelsa, as being unsurpassed, and perhaps unequalled as a tree for all localities. To this we would add for every lawn, some White Pines, (Pinus Strobus,) Hemlock (Abies Canadensis,) European Silver Fir (Picea Pectinata,) a magnificent tree, with dark rich foliage, and not half so much known as it should be, and also our Balm of Gilead or Balsam (Picea Balsamea,) with a specimen at least of Scotch and Aus- trian Pines, both quite distinct in habit from either of the others. These are all of large growth and size. For smaller trees, which will admit of planting nearer the house, purchase Abies Alba, or European Double White Spruce, a beautiful tree of very compact habit, and pe- culiar tint, the unrivalled Deodar Cedar, Cryptomeria Japonica from Japan, proved to be entirely hardy here. There is nothing jQi known we think to equal these two last. For evergreen shrubbery, to fill judicious- ly the smaller spaces, ask at the nurseries for English and Irish Yew, American Arbor Vitoe, Euonymus, Amer- ican, Irish and Swedish Junipers, Thuja Plicata, a very beautiful species of Arbor Vitae, also Mahonia, Tree Box, of which there are several species, all beautiful, and American Holly. The latter is somewhat difficult to plant, but is so beautiful in its green leaves and scarlet berries, hanging on all winter, as to pay well for extra pains and expense. For deciduous trees, where a shade is wanted very quick- ly, nothing is so well adapted as Silver Maple, Silver Poplar and Pawlonia. These are very rapid growers, the Poplar however being somewhat objectionable from liability to sucker. This will not interfere with it for street planting. To those, however, who can afford to be somewhat patient and wait a little longer for more desirable trees, but slower growth, who will be satisfied with acquiring beautiful shade, at a pace of thirty miles an hour instead of sixty, we recommend, by all means, three species of Maple as not being sur- passed by any other shade trees, Acer Saccharinum, (Sugar Maple,) Acer Platanoides, (Norway Maple,) Acer Psesudo Platanus, European Sycamore or English Maple. These are all of the very first class. Add to them, English Horse Chesnut, which, however, loses its leaves too soon and suflfers rather much from hot weath- er, and Tulip Poplar, not half so much planted as it deserves, also the many beautiful species of ash. Magno- lia Acuminata, Tripetala, and Macrophylla, the different species of oak much undervalued and very ornamental, also Tilia Americana, American Linden, Willows and Deciduous Cypress, European White Birch and Lai-ches. For second size of Deciduous trees and shrubs obtain Khamnus Carolinianus, a very showy tree, also Halesia or Silver Bell, Laburnum, Purple Beech, Judas trees, Rhus Cotinns or Mist Bush, Chionanthus or White Fringe, Dogwood, Double Flowering Apple and Cherry, Virgilia Lutea, Cydonia Japonica, Deutzia Scabra and Gracilis, Wiegelia Rosea, Ribes Sanguineum, hardy at Philadelphia, Lilacs, Spireas assorted a beautiful family of shrubs, a continuation of bloom being kept up all summer with the different species, Hydrangia Quercifolia, one of our most magnificent flowering shrubs, Euonymus Amer- II 96 THE FARM JOURNAL. [March r lit' I <' ifi II icana, Calycanthus, and a large number of others. We consider no l&Yfn perfect without all these we have named. Their grouping and arrangement with proper taste will of course increase the proper effect. We wish our farmers would not stint so much the space around their houses for ornamental purposes. A ov>n/tir«iio lovrn oiifj crfaaa Txlnt vn ■frnnt. of ih(» ^\ff(^]]\nff well supplied with the above list of trees, we believe would often be worth $5,000 to the real bone fide selling value of the property. We have known more than once such a lawn, well set with grass and tastefully planted, to be the means of selling many a farm and country seat. We would rec- ommend it however not as a means of selling, but as an inducement for keeping a comfortable homestead, and fas- tening in the hearts of inmates both young and old, those endearing attractions, which should ever cluster around one's home and make it more beautiful than all other places. A healthful moral influence is often thus exerted, particularly on the minds of children of no slight impor- ance. Again we say, Planty Plants Plant 4«> Beading's Com Sheller. In our last number we gave an illustration of this val- uable machine, manufactured by Mr. Sinclair, of Balti- more. We have since learned that Mr. David Landreth, Sixth Street near Market in this city, has the sole own- ership of the patent right for Pennsylvania, with the ex- ception of four counties . Grass Fields. It is often a serious loss when fields in wheat the pre- vious season, and seeded down with the view to remain in grass for several years, prove on examination, that the grass seed either from dry weather or other causes has very imperfectly taken. The usual rotation, which requires each field to be plowed in its turn, or as it may be required, is serious- ly interfered with by such a mishap. In these cases, we would advise a few quarts of grass seed to be sown to the acre on the surface, while the frosts of spring have left it comparatively open, and when the ground becomes dry enough pass over the rol- ler. This will cover the seed, and very often cause it to grow and vegetate beautifully, avoiding the necessity of plowing up the field. 4«* An Englishman's Method of Feeding Stock. The following from an English Journal may furnish a hint to American farmers: Mr. John Hutton, of Sowber Hill, near Northallerton, England, has been taking into hand,for some years,poor, wild, worn-out farms, as his tenants dropped, until he has about fi fteen hundred acres or more, and has fol- lowed out the system of steam-boiling linseed and meal, combining this with chaff, and so feeding a large number of cattle. He has thus renovated the worn-out soils, and reduced the whole to a state of garden cultivation, com- bined with the successful feeding of prime Short Horn steers. A party of some 29 agriculturists lately inspec- ted his farming operations, and the clean, healthy, and happy condition of 50 well fed Short Horn steers, ready for market, the sleek and almost fat condition of the straw fold or store cattle in his yards — many worse are sold for fat — the healthy condition of his draught horses are evidencesof the value of linseed compound on whicii they are fed — the fat cattle to the utmost limit, and the store stock and horses once a day. To suit the expenses of the times the following is the formula of his feed, and an will bft seen, the cost of feedinsr is at this dear spasai. not more than 6«. per week : — Cost of Kbepinq a Fat Beast for One Week. April 18, 1854. # 26 lbs of meal at \d per lb. - - 2 2 j 18 lbs. of Linseed at IJrf per lb. - 1 7J Turnips, (from 70 lbs. to 80 lbs per day) 1 6 Coals 0 IJ Labor on each beast - - - q 7 The food given to the draught horse is 1 lb. of lin- seed and 3 lbs. of meal, at noon, at the cost of ^d per day. The small quantity of roots per day — taking the minimum of 70 lbs. — would, in 20 weeks, amount to some 4J tons only, thus finding all the roots necessary for feeding four cattle on 1 acre of a 20 ton per acre crop. — Journal of the Chemical Society. «•» • The Ouano Trade. The very extensive increase in the use of guano, as a fertilizer of the earth, has caused the trade in it to be- come exceedingly important. The number of vessels that anived at the port of Baltimore, the past year, loaded with guano was one hundred and thirty-five, mostly ships of the largest class. Assuming the freight paid to those from Peru, to be an average of ti/^enty-eight dollars per ton, the freight money alone amounts to $1,- 625,000. The whole value of guano imported from Peru, at fifty dollars per ton, is $3,150,000, and that from other ports, at twenty-five dollars per ton, is over $256,- 000, making the value of the guano imported into Bal- timore the past year, nearly three and a half millions of dollars. It is to be remarked that the largest import of guano has been into Baltimore, and without correct data, it is assumed thftt the quantity imported equals that of all other cities of the Union. At the close of the year, the supply is very large, being computed to be about forty thousand tons, or about half the whole import of the year. The market in the spring will therefore open with a stock sufficient to meet almost any demand, but in the meantime supplies are not expected to continue as freely as heretofore, as it is understood that but fe^ vessels have been chartered to proceed to the is) within the past three months. We subjoin the import for the past year, and for several years previous : Imports of Ouano for 1854.— Peruvian, 58,927; Mexi can, 6,613; African, 627; Total, 66,168 tons. Imports of Peruvian Ouano into Baltimore for six years- —1849 2,700 tons; 1850, 6,800; 1851,25,000; 1852, 61 600; 1853, 32,152; 1854, 68,727. 4«> Good Pen of Pigs. Mr. John Stepleton, of Willistown, Chester countyj slaughtered nine hogs about two weeks sfhce, the weigDf of which were asfoUows:— 439, 497, 431, 489, 435, 399J 434, 423. There have been few lots of pigs slaugtei the present season that can beat the above. VOLUME PHILADELPHIA, APRIL, 1866. NUMBER 4. Farm Journal Stock Register. Since our removal to Philadelphia, we have had nume- rous calls from persons desirous of purchasing various kinds of stock, as to when and where they could be sup- plied. We have given all the information we possessed — often but limited. In order to meet these calls more sat- isfactorily, we have opened a Stock Register in our office in which we propose to keep a memorandum of all stock of whatever kind for sale, of which we may be informed ; and also of all wants by persons desirous of purchasing. Breeders and others will benefit themselves, and facilitate sales, by leaving with us for entry, descriptions of ani- mals they may have for sale, with price, &c., &c. No charges will be made for the entry. -t**- For the Farm Journal. Swiss Cows. Of improved cattle the English races only are gener- ally known in the United States. We hear only of Dur- hams, Devons, Alderneys, &c., as if England only, raised the best cattle in the world. With very expensive out- lays, pure races are imported from Great Britain, and by crossing with them and great care in keeping, the native cattle axe greatly improved. It passes, however, reflec- tion and recollection that the English cattle have not only beer, gradually improved by great care, but that former- ly England imported good cattle from the continent of Europe to improve their native breeds, as is now the case here with regard to English cattle. Holland, Hol- stem, Switzerland, Tyrol and Styria produced for a long time races of cattle that were far superior to the En- glish. And why should such cattle not be imported di- rectly now with us ? When we reflect that from those countries, from Switzerland, better cattle, at one-fourth or the price of English cattle, can be imported, why is thp attention of breeders not called to that fact ? Some years ago a trial was made in Maryland by im- porting cattle from Holstein, and we learn that at the ^outh they are about to import cattle direct from Berne, Switzerland. Mr. Robert Nelson, a Dane, of Macon, in Georgia, is about leaving for Switzerland to purchase ajout twenty head of cattle for planters in Georgia and ^abama, and will execute more orders for them. He contemplates leaving in June, and later commissions I an be sent him through the American Consuls in Basle for *Tka' ^^' ^^^^^^ ^^^ purchase the best cattle there *160, and land and sea transportation will cost about !♦ w more. A gentleman from Maryland, well acquaint- ed with Mr. Nelson, thus speaks of him: <'With regard to Mr. Nelson's adaptation for the undertaking, I have not the least doubt. I made his acquaintance last year during a tour in Georgia. I found him a thoroughly practical man, who possesses the fullest confidence of the most estimable and enterprising planters in this State." The editor of the Cotton Planter visited Mr. Nelson lately at his nursery in Georgia, and expresses himself as follows about the Berne race of cattle as it was im- parted to him by Mr. Laman, of Macon, entirely in ac^ cordance with Mr. Nelson's description. Mr. Laman says: "I am just returned from Europe, and in Switzeriand I saw the Berne cattle, and found them far preferable to any of the English races with which I am acquainted. The Berne cows are undoubtedly the finest in the world." He says further: '«0n board the Asia, in which I re- turned from Liverpool, there was a fine Durham cow to be delivered at New York for £200 steriing, or $960, and I have seen many a Berne cow near Berne, which I would not give for two such Durham cows." Mr. La- man is a gentleman well known in Georgia. The following is Mr. Nelson's account about this race: "I must remark that my father has carried on hus- bandry and cattle raising for fifty years with the great- est care, if not more extensively than any body else on the continent of Europe ; further, that I have been reg- ulariy trained to that business, and had assisted him many years, until political affairs compelled me to emi- grate to the United States. "For many years we tried all the highly extolled En- glish races, such as Durham, North Devon, Ayrshire, Aldemey, and others ; the result was we discarded them all and tried the Swiss race. When in 1825 I travelled through Europe to see and learn as much as possible of all that belongs to husbandry and cattle raising, I brought home to Denmark several kinds of Swiss cattle, such as Switz, Fribourg and Berne. The last showed itself the most preferable with regard to milk as well as meat. They are large, extraordinary milkers, and very gentle. As certain characters wanted to show their con- ceited knowledge by finding fault with all new underta- kings, many prophecies were made about their inaptness for our climate, but they all proved false, for when these cattle were kept on the same pastures and in the same stables with our own, and had the same feed, the result was entirely in their favor; and as it is generally known that individual cows, or individual races, give much bet- er milk than others, the milk of the Berne cows was by TIGHT BINDING II i ,'■1 ^it: ff 98 THE FARM JOURNAL. [ApRit far the richest. The farm on which they irere kept had a yery dry, sandy and gravelly sgil, such as that of the Pine woods in Georgia. It might be remarked that the climate of Georgia is warmer than that of Switzerland. I must say, theretipon, that the dairies in tombardy and Italy are always stocked with cows from Berne, which thrive as well in those southern latltudeB asia the sa^'^ c.i- mate of Denmark. The finest cattle are found in Emmen- thal, Haslithal and Oberimthal. For more than five cen- turies the Swiss have given to the raising of cattle their full and whole attention, as the only source of their exis- tence; and while it can be justly said that some English races arc artificially good, it can be said with a certainty of the Berne race that it is good from its nature, and also of its continuance, which is very important for a cattle raiser or dairyman. ♦'For fifteen years I have examined from 200 to 300 Bernese cows, and am, therefore, so condnced of their preference to all other races for Georgia, that t will be glad if any body will send me more information from certain sources, as it will show I have not said too much in their favor ; and although I am well acquainted with all the other races of the continent of Europe, still I would not recommend them for Georgia, as they are not suitable for us." Thus far what is said of the Swiss race is true with regard to their milk giving, and the good quality of their meat ; but the males or oxen of the same race are unfit for beasts of labor, being too slow and indolent in theii* nature, which is derived from their nervous constitution as well as their conformation. Their height is about four feet ten inches to five feet in the two sexes ; the males and females do not differ in the size of their bodies ; they weigh not less than 1000 to 1200 lbs. each ; the skin is mottled with black, white and red, the latter usually predominating on all parts of the body, except the head, which is generally white ; this part is short and large ; the cleft is thick and large; the dewlap is loose and hangs low; the body is massive; the belly very large ; the head of the tail very high ; the extremeties and the hoofs particularly do not show a conformation and strength to support easily such a heavy mass, which imparts to them a slow motion, badly fitting them for work. The cows have enormous udders, out of which commonly flow from twenty-four to thirty quarts of milk per day. This race, however, are great "* consumers ; habituated to the luxuriant Swiss vallies, they cannot be maintained but on rich pastures, or sta- bled with abundant fodder. F. A. N. Third month, 1855. _ «#» For the Farm Journal. Compost. A few years ago I had a quantity of rough straw ma- nure in my barn-yard, and having no ground upon which I cared to put such stuff, I thought I would try an ex- periment with it. The first thing I did was to plow a few shallow furrows in a good sod on the side of a road in a lane. I then had a load of this barn-yard litter brought and thrown down on the sod where it had not been plowed, and spread to an extent of about ten by twenty feet. We next brought a load of lime, and spread it all over the manure ; and while the wagon went for another load of manure, we covered the lime with a layer of sods, perhapa to the amount of a wagon load. Thus we went on with as many covers of manure, lime and sods, as we could heap on, and finished by cov- ering all over with loose soil. We then made another similar h^ap, which Used up all our materials. Thia w«8 done in May or June. The following: April we opened omr compost heaps. The whole mass was like bone ashes, and in Uie cavities, the nitre evolved in the process of decomposition was deposited or precipi- tated in great abundance, and had the appearance o(* heavy white frost. We spread it at about the rate of two hundred bushels to the acre on a piece of ground that had been severely cropped for thirty or forty years without manure, plowed it in, and planted corn. It yielded fully one hundred bushels of ears to the acre, and subsequent crops have abundantly attested the value of that manure. The decomposition appeared to be perfect, aiid at the same time the volatile salts (the most valuable part) were absorbed or condensed by the earthy matters, with which the animal and vegetable ingredi- ents of the mass were incorporated. Muck or swamp mud would be better than sods where it can be obtained. In the compost of which I have spoken, the lime did not form more than one-fourth of the weight of the masses— in bulk much less. It was fresh, and for several days the heaps were warm and sent off a little steam. J. C. Armstrong county, March, 1855. «•> Rape. J. Lacet Darling tor :— In the last two numbers of the Farm Journal, I observe a commimication concern-^ ing *'Rape," signed F. N. i^auts, which holds out strong^ inducements for farmers to engage in its cultivation- According to his statements, seventy dollars an acre can be realized even from a minimum crop. That will do very well, even at the present time, when com and wheat command such high prices ; and if the crop of rape should be a good one, the proceeds would be double that amount. A communication from the same correspondent ap- peared in the July number of 1853 of a similar charac- ter, and I have been looking for some account of the ex- perience of those who were induced to go into the busi- ness of raising rape ; but as none has appeared, I offer the following relation of a very small experiment made by myself. In the spring of 1853, I receited a package of seeds from the Patent Office, and in it was a paper of rape seed. The seed Was planted carefully some time id June, and not long afterwards the communication above referred to appeared, which induced me to bestow extra care on my rape patch. It came up and grew Iw^" riantly, and in the fall a piece of ground was prepared, and a large portion of the plants were transplanted ac- cording to directii ns, and some were left standing whe« the seed was sown. Although the weather Was dry, the moved plants took root and grew, and as every thing i" the experiment thus far appeared so favorable, 1 began to indulge in rather extravagant dreams about the money should make in raising rape ; in fact quite an air caati was erected. The winter passed ; and in the spring I went to low 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 1 99 after my rape, when lo ! not a single plant had survived the winter I Thus my fair proportioned castle vanished into nothing. However, I observed that poultry were very fond of the plants, and probably a patch might be sown with profit for turkey pasture, and as the plants late in the season are profusely covered with lice, this mixture of vegetable and animal food might cause Shanghais to lay, and eggs are mostly high in price at that season. But I do not consider the result of my experiment with rape seed as conclusive against the possibility of raising it. Something may have been wrong either in the seed or in some other way, and I would be willing to try a small quantity again, but not * More Durham Stock for Chester County. We lately had the pleasure of examining at the stables of our friend A. Clement, in South street below Ninth Philadelphia, a very superior Durham Bull calf some three months old ; purchased by him of L. Spencer, Neir York, for Paschall Worth, near West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania, and then on his way to the farmo the latter. If we know any thing about stock, we should pronounce this calf, giving promise of perfection, as he does, in nearly every valuable point, to be one of the bes animals ever brought into Pennsylvania, and should no- thing happen to him, he will add greatly to the reputa- tion of Chester county, as containing the best stock m this state, and be of vast advantage to her breeders. We have obtained his pedigree and insert it beloir. It traces from the very best blood in England. His pres- ent owner has concluded to caU him Duke Athol 3d. I Duke of Athol 3d., was bred by L. Spencer, New Yort color red, with very little white. Dam Faraway (i^j ported,) by 3d duke of Oxford (9,047), g. dam FeUcia, 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 101 4th duke of Northumberland (3649), gr. g. dam Fanny by Short Tail (2621), gr. gr. g. dam Flecker 2d by Bel- videre (1706), gr. gr. gr. g. d. by a son of young Wyn- yard (2859), by S. Brown's Red Bull (97),- sire of the calf. Duke of Athol 2d was calved September 20th. 1849, and bred by the Executors of the late TknmAQ Ba^<*° Eno^lft^nd. and nnw thi» i>rmmrfTr t\f T. spencer, West Chester Co, New York, got by second Duke of Oxford (9046), dam (Duchess 54), by second Cleave- land Lad (3408), g. d. Duchess (49), by Short Tail (2621) gr. g. d. Duchess 30th by second Hubback (1423), gr. gr d. (Duchess 20th), by the 2nd Earl (1611), gr. gr. gr. g. d. Duchess 8th, by Marske (418), gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. Duchess 2d by Kelton 1st (709), gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d Duchess 1st by Comet (165), by Favorite (262), by Dairy Bull (186), by Favorite (262), by Hubback (319), by Mr J. Brown's Red Bull (97). to the fleece than any other breed. I send you samples of wool— the longest is from a fleece of 18^ lb.— the next 17J— the next 16— the next 14, the growth being from the shearing of 1863 to that of 1864. All is not so long. I have had it longer. I always wash my sheep before shearing, but admit that the flock from raising *J»^^1 — .^-.^* ^ ^ »« nooi, average oniy o ids. washed -<•► CoL Ware's Cotswold Sheep. Having heard much of the celebrated flock of improved Cotswold Sheep of Col. Waee, of Clarke county, (Va.,) we asked him for some account of them. In connection with his answer which we publish below, he sent us some beautiful specimens of wool, and a printed circu- lar, from which we learn he has added to his flock for six or eight years past, by annual importations of the best to be procured in England, obtaining in several in- stances, animals which had received the first prizes at the exhibition of the Royal Agricultural Society : Luther Tucker, Esq« : — In compliance with your re- quest, I send you this notice of my sheep . I had a flock of good sheep, but found, besides the fleece, each sheep at 4 years old on grass, would not command more than $2.50— the best, fed on grain in the winter, would bring over $4.00. To supply a butcher each year a lot of fat sheep of a farmer's own raising, would require him to keep 4 lots on hand to sell one, the fleece but little more than paying for the keep. To rely upon a fleece alone for profit was too insignificant a matter. At the highest price per lb. given in the U. S., it would require too many sheep to make a small sum of money. Not being satisfied with this state of things, I determined to purchase some of the large mutton sheep of England, the improved Cotswold, and try what could be done with them ; and as independent of the pride, I believe it the true policy to have the best as it soonest returns the outlay, I imported, and I do import each year winners of the high prizes of the Royal Ag. Society of England. If they beat England, I must surely have the purest breed and best. I soon found, after putting 3 crosses of my imported bucks on my ordinary flock, that the fleece greatly in- creased in weight, and sold for as much per lb. as the fleece of the ordinary sheep, and I sold the mutton from jthese crosses (not thorough bred) without difficulty, the Ijall after one year old, for $10 each on the farm, so that sell out clean every year, keeping none over the win- I «r but the breeding ewes and the lambs of the same ipring. ^ou will see from my circular sent you by remarks of |«»ers about my sheep, that I have sold some mutton for >35 and $25 each, and you will see from the no. of lbs. washed wool to the fleece, that we make more money We never sell under 30 cents per lb. and sometimes get 40, and you will see we still make as much money or more to the fleece than any other breed. Selling out clean every year enables us to keep all our sheep of the most profitable size— ewes that bring us lambs every year (andr being prolific mostly bring twins and wool too). We are never overstocked. The butcher is al- ways ready for the overplus. I consider the improved Cotswold the most profitable sheep for general farming purposes (wool and mutton), for while I formerly sold one mutton 4 years old for $2.60 on grass, and $4 on grain in the winter, in the same time, besides getting more money for fleece, I sell 4 of this breed for $40 ; and that profit is in that pro- portion, allowing that each bring the same no. of lambs,* for I never sell one of them the fall after one year old for less than $10 each, part bred at that — butchers have offered $6 and $8 cash for some lambs and been refused. The thorough bred are too much in demand, and too costly to alter. Seeing these results, naturally the farmers in this sec- tion have occasionally procured of me rams, and im- proved their flock, until this little county of Clarke that I live in, has now a reputation probably unequalled by any State in the Union. Is it not the true policy of the farmer to keep that breed which will produce the great- est amount of money from the smallest number ? It is not unusual in this county, for a flock of from 40 to 60 ewes, part bred, to yield in mutton and wool each year from $600 to $660. I know it is a theory with some that these large sheep require more food to sustain them than the small breed. Some say double. My experience is the reverse. I cannot, nor can any person else, form any correct idea of the fact on grass, but nearly correct conclusions can be arrived at when you feed them on grain for the but<;her. In this way I have tested it. I have, begin- ning at the same time, fed a lot of ordinary sheep 4 years old, the pick of 700 good ones, and a lot of year- ling Cotswolds, the same number in adjoining fields, the most indifferent field to the Cotswold — the same amount fed at the same time to each lot. The former always eat up clean, and wanted more ; the latter always left some, and were sold January 1st, rolling fat, for $10 each ; the former not until some time in March ; then with difficulty and grumbling by the butcher for $4 each, having the advantage of the others also in age. I have come to the conclusion that at least 2 (I believe 8) Cotswolds, even yearlings, can be fattened well for the butcher on the grain it takes to fatten one of the others of any age. The Cotswolds have great propensity to take on fat, are always mutton. Indeed you cannot lay the fat on any other, as you can on them. It is their nature. All others travel a great deal, and ramble off their food. The Cotswolds are heavy, sluggish sheep, fill themselves and lay down and ruminate like cattle, TIGHT BINDING 102 THE FARM JOURNAL. [ApRii I ig55.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 103 and thu8 convert their food into fat, instead of rambling it off, and it is to this sluggish quality, I ascribe the fact that I have never lost a thorough bred by dogs ; they do not jump up and run when any thing comes into the field, thus tempting dogs to the chase. They are large sheep ; have been brought in England, by full treatment at '6 years oia, inorougn. ureu, to uen- lur tuK> wi*u..*cx over 300 lbs. Can any other breed of sheep give from $2 to $6 in fleece in the spring he is one year old, and in the fall of the same year without fail $10 as a mut- ton, and draw butchers hundreds of miles to get them at that, as they do here every year? can cattle do so? and they have no fleece. Can they give $10 even the fall after one year old ? and they consume infinitely more per head. Then what animal can be so profitable to the farmer as the Cotswold sheep for general farming purpo- ses, returning its outlay with such certainty, so speedily and so unceasingly ? Jo si ah Wm. Ware. Near Berry ville, Clarke co., Virginia.— Cown^ry Gen- tleman. * " 11 ewes bronght 28 living lambs-5 of the 11 brought 16 lambs- one of the 6 brougnt 4— the other 4 brought 3 lambs each. *•* Agricultural Enthusiasts. Every profession has its enthusiasts; and agriculture in all its departments has them in abundance. Of those who are especially interested in cultivation we have teachers of deep and of shallow culture — of tilth without manure — and of manure applied in the liquid form, or as top-dressings in the solid form. In other divisions of the subject we have devotees of plant improvement and animal improvement. Poultry has absorbed the whole regard of many; and there is many an ill cultiva- ted farm occupied by men celebrated as breeders of stock, to prove that it also too exclusively engages all the energy of the tenant. Agricultural improvement owes a great deal to enthusiasts. It makes progress piecemeal in the hands of those who are thus interested in but pieces of its whole extent. If it had not been for Bakewell, and for Collings, the one giving a lifetime to the improvement of the sheep, the other to the improve- ment of the Teeswater breed of cattle, not only would sheep and cattle not have been what they are, but British agriculture generally would not have attained its present powers as food supply of more than 20 millions. Ama- teurs as well as farmers may therefore all feel well dis- posed towards agricultural enthusiasts. — London Agri- cultural Gazette, «•► Diseases of Horses. Sleepy Stagqees. — This disease is named sleepy from the fact that its most characteristic sympton is that of coma or sorrmolency. The subject may be surrounded by all the noise and confusion of a city stable, yet, in the midst of this, and at any time, day or night, will fall fast asleep with his mouth full of fodder. On arousing him, he evinces some alarm ; yet almost immediately, and while standing by his side, he is off into what ap- pears to be a sound nap. There are other features in the case that enable the observer to make out a diagnosis, such as stertorous breathing ; slowness of respiration ; slow, soft pulse ; amaurotic eyes (generally closed); the head either droop- ing or pressed forward into the crib. In most cases the excrement is hard and knobby ; the urine scanty. The disease probably originates in derangement of the stomach and its associate digestive organ. It is very apt to terminate fatally, either from effusion or extrava- sation. Treatment. — Here we are at fault, not having been -ir«»T.v «iir»rpissf«l in brinirinflf such cases to a favorable termination. We remember one case, however, that was considered hopeless ; and by way of experiment we administered the unwarrantable dose of half a pound of lobelia, expecting at the same time that it would cause his death ; but, contrary to our expectations, he recoT- ered. The remedy was followed up by stimulating in- jections and cold water bandages around the head. The lobelia seemed to have no other effect than to produce profuse perspiration, and this suggested the idea of placing such patients in a vapor bath— an idea that we have not yet been able to carry out. There is no doubt, however, that nauseating medicine, in con- junction with the warm bath, will do as much to relieve congestion in the horse as they have accomplished in human medicine. If we had nothing but simple congestion to contend with in the treatment of this malady, our success would be more certain; but cases now and then occur when some morbid change takes place in the structure of the brain, so that our treatment avails nothing. The treat- ment most likely to succeed in a curable case consists in the administration of nauseating medicines. One drachm of lobelia, with half the quantity of bloodroot, may be given in warm water every hour. A dose of cathartic medicine should be administered in the early stage of the disease, followed by injections of salt and water. Counter irritation may also be of service when applied to the extremities. Cathartics and nauseants must be our sheet anchor, and should be repeated until a free evacuation has taken place ; for they have a tendency to lessen the force of the circulation, and consequently relieve the brain. The author is well aware of the difficulty encountered in ad- ministering medicine to horses laboring under disease of the brain and its investing membranes ; the danger too, both as regards the person of the physician and the life of the patient, must be taken into consideration; for there are times when the patient is unable to swallow, and if we should then insist on forcing down a drench, a portion of it might enter the air passages and choke him. The attendant is at times in danger of personal injury from the animal's suddenly falling ; but these suggestions apply more to those forms of disease knofD as inflammation of the brain. — Dr. Dadd. 4#> Ghiano for Spring Crops. As to the profit of the use of guano, several prelimi- naries are to be taken into consideration. Its cost coinj pared with other manures, the character of the soi which it is to be applied, and the prices commanded J| the article to be produced, will decide this question When good barn-yard manure is readily available, ai amount expended in its application will probably give return more profitable than the same sum in any o fertilizing substance. As to soils, the effects of g«aj are most marked and profitable on those badly worn " exhausted. This is so because the materials it supplies most abundantly are there most deficient. Very poor land brought at once to fertility shows a change so great as readily to be noticed, while a fair medium soil, com- ing up to the same point, will attract little attention. As to kind of soil, those of a sandy and loamy natui-e, ««/| wAll-Hrflin^^ clavR. show the effects <\f criiano. as ^Qvi n »— ' V ' - .- Q —Tars j, SK^ well as those of all other manures, longer and more vis- ibly than those of a contrary character. As to prices of products — guano can be used profitably on the wheat crop while that grain sells for $2 per bushel, but not when it brings but $1, Corn at $1, and potatoes above 60 cents, will warrant its use in their production. That is, the increase in the crop at these prices caused direct- ly by this manure, will pay all the expense of its appli- cation, and leave a profit besides. Quantity and manner of application are the subjects of the second query. From 160 to 300 lbs. per acre may be used, according to the quality of the soil. In applying it broadcast, it was formerly the practice to mix with it about one-quarter its weight of plaster, and, pulverizing the whole finely, to sow it evenly and then harrow, cultivate or plow it in, as soon as possible. This should be done immediately before sowing. At present it is generally recommended to pulverize and sow without any mixture of plaster. The great fertili- zing principles of guano are the phosphate of lime and immonia, the latter very volatile in its nature. Hence ..>^... « w....«, Auavi. \3\. uuc cuQipubt was uumpeu on and e^evil:^ spread over the whole. The dead limbs were next cut out, and the top reduced to one-half its former size. The cavities caused by the falling off of old and decayed limbs, two cases extended nearly to the centre of the trunk, were filled with "Forsyth's Cement," and all the limbs which could be reached, or safely got at in any way, were scraped and washed with suds. This work was performed in the spring of 1850. The next year the tree blossomed, and produced a few apples, which matured. The next season, the bearing was abundant, and since then, it has not ceased to pi-oduce a good crop. " -4«» •«► Sesuseitatiiig Fmit Trees. A correspondent in the Germantown Telegraph gives the following statement of an experiment in resuscitating an old apple tree : "On my farm there is an apple tree of very large size, standing by the side of the road, but some two rods withm the line of the fence, and in lands that have been cultivated regularly, either in roots, grass, or grains, U ^ithin a period of twelve years, when a change in 7 field operations, induced me to turn it out to pasture. ^ome twenty years since— and about six years before I «)ecame acquainted with it— this tree rather abruptly ceas^ bearing. Its age at the time was unknown. ^mnkmg that it might be resuscitated, I commenced the ndertakmg by digging around the trunk to the distance the longest Umbs, and to depth of one foot, inverting ' ITew Bochelle Blackberry. In an age of humbugs, when '*Sai-saparilla Palaces,** "Barnum Biographies," and numerous other nostrums, bear abundant evidence to the gullibility of our people, it is really refreshing to see some new thing that is not a humbug. Such is the New Rochelle or Lawton Black- berry, the origin of which is related at page 217 of our third volume. It is really a mammoth blackberry, of delicious flavor, entirely distinct variety, and worthy of general cultivation. The high price, $6 per dozen plants, at which they are at present offered, being en- tirely beyond the reach of editors, we can only recom- mend our friends to purchase, believing fully there is no deception this time. We have never yet had the oppor- tunity of tasting them, but look forward to the time with no little interest when they shall be as plenty as other "blackberries," when there will be a chance even for editors. Why do not our farmers devote some attention to blackberry cultivation? We believe it would be very profitable. There is hardly a more useful and whole- some fruit than blackberries for both summer and win- ter. We have never yet known the market overstocked with them. Let any farmer select an acre of good, clean, mellow ground, mark it out in rows four feet apart, and plant it with good strong plants from his thicket, and we believe it would pay him better than any acre under ordinary farm culture, if he was within reach of market. The canes should be trimmed like raspber- ries, and the rows kept clean by the constant passage of the cultivator. The blackberries would be found to im- prove greatly in size, and also in abundant bearing. We hope some of our readers will try it, and send us the re- sults. ^ . Hedges.— Osage Orange. Public opinion throughout the country seems to have i settled down upon the Osage Orange, as the hedge plant for the United States, at least south of New York. It is hardy, grows fast, with proper management becomes thick and impenetrable to stock of every kind, does not sucker, is highly ornamental, and, as we have frequent- ly before urged upon our readers, possesses every requi- TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 104 THE FARM JOURNAL. [APRII site for tiproteciive hedge. In our present ijumber will be found some practical remarks on the Osage Orange by Dr. Warder, before the Philadelphia Society for Pro- moting Agriculture. The experience in the region of country around Cincinnati and west of it, where hun- dreds of miles have been planted successfully, entitle his remarks to gt eat attention. We do not see why every hundred acre farm should not have an Osage Oi-ange hedge on all its outside boundaries, especially along roads. The first cost and subsequent contingent expen- ses of ordinary fencing have been so long considered among the necessary expenditures of the farm, that we lose sight of the enormous outlay they require. Esti- mating a hundred acre farm to be divided into ten fields, each enclosure would require about one hundred and seventy-five panels, which, at eighty cents per panel (a moderate estimate), amounts to one hundred and forty dollars, on which the yearly interest is eight dollars and forty cents, or about eighty-four dollars on the farm. On an average of from twenty to thirty years this fence would require renewal, at a cost of one thousand four hundred dollars. This is money posi- tively sunk, to the owner of the land and the country, to say nothing of the time and expense of repairs. Nicholas Biddle once remarked that the cost of fencing in Pennsylvania was snfl&cient to pay the State debt— forty millions. in ine tivii muu u.u\x uiCcp 0^**3 «» vait ff€5», \/Bii>ge Orange hedge will grow large enough for protection in three to four years ; here more time will be required, but depending much on the manner of planting and management. Plants one and two years old can be bought at the nurseries at from $6 to $10 per thousand, and the seed at about $1.60 per tt). — a pound will con- tain some thousands of seeds. In the third volume of the Farm Journal, page 216, our readers will find minute information about the man- agement, planting, &c., of Osage Orange, with an en- graving representing the proper mode of trimming, &c., and we recommend the subject to their earnest atten- tion. In our advertising pages will be found proposals for planting and setting the hedge. WAKEFIELD'S HAKD This implement is designed for planting com, broom com seeds, beans and similar seeds. It is carried and used (as represented in the above engraving) as a cane or walking-stick ; requiring no delay and no additional motion or effort. Is adapted for planting in rocky and ^ uneven ground, and in all kinds of soil, is easily ad- 1 justed to plant at any desired depth, and to drop any re- • ' quired number of seeds in a hill. We have not had an opportunity of witnessing the operation of this machine in the field, but judging from a somewhat minute examination of its parts, we can see no reason why it should not do all that is claimed by the CORN PLANTER. patentees in the following extract from their circular: "The method or mode by which the seed is planted with this planter is new, and it is believed possesses ad- vantages over every other, not only in facility of use but in hastening germination. The seed is forced by pres- sure obliquely from the surface of the ground to the required depth, thus ensuring the immediate absorption of moisture, by bringing it into perfect and hard contact with the soil under and around it, while the earth fan* ing loosely over, cannot obstruct the coming up ana growth of the blade. **The planter is simple in construction — ^not liable to 1865.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 1«A eet out of repair. Weighs about seven pounds. Costs the farmer only five dollars, which price he can afford to pay, if ^sed only for planting in a common garden. With this implement one acre of corn can be planted in the most perfect manner in one hour." Orders for sin- gle machines may be sent to Wakefield & Vining, Plain- field, Mass. Further information relative to rights, &C., may be had by addressing the same persons. -«•»- EXPANDING AND REVERSIBLE HARROW. Many of our readers are doubtless familiar with the harrow represented in the above engraving, but as others may never have seen it, we thought best to introduce it at this season, when such implements are most in re- quest. As will be seen at a glance, this harrow is so con- structed as to be widened or narrowed at pleasure, so as to do coarser or finer work, by shortening or lengthen- ing the chain on the top. 40^ • — BENEFIT tF DRAINING. The above engravings represent the three varieties of draining tile in most request. In order to show what has been done by these tile, &c., we copy the following letter from a printed pamphlet, which has lately been handed us, on the benefits of land-drainage, by John S. Hilles. He has commenced the manufacture of draining tile, at Wilmington, Delaware, and will shortly be able to supply all the different varieties of Sole, Pipe, and Horse -ooe Tile, as stated in his advertisement on our cover. The pamphlet states that samples of his manufacture ^ay be seen at P. Morris & Go's Agricultural Warehouse, Seventh and Market streets, Philadelphia, who are agents for the sale. He has issued a large number of the pam- phlets for distribution, containing the most satisfactory leferences, as to the use of the tile, and also numerous cases similar to the letter below, of the satisfatory results of draining. The subject is one of great importance. It will be observed that C. P. Williams' land was not springy y but the clayey substratum prevented the surface water from passing off, and retained it to the great inju- ry about the roots of plants. How much of this kind of land there is in this State, which would be equally benefited in addition to others decidedly wet from springs. We anticipate a large demand for the tile in this section of Pennsylvania, as it has heretofore been impossible to obtain it, except at expensive carriage from a distance. Albany, Dec. 25, 1862. A. S. Babcock, Esq. — Dear Sir: — In May, 1861, I came in posession of a lot of ground of two acres in the suburbs of the city. The soil is a clayey loam ; the sub- soil stiff clay and quite retentive of water. The neigh- bors who were acquainted with the ground, told me it was a cold piece of ground, could not be made to produce anything but grass; and that a market gardener who had attempted to work the ground adjoining, precisely like this, had been almost broken down by it, and was obliged to quit. I was desirous to put the ground in good order for a fruit garden, and nursery purposes, and concluded that draining was what it needed as the first step towards improvement. A practiced English drainer was engaged and the whole piece thoroughly drained with your tile, drains laid twenty-one feet apart and two and one-half to three feet deep at an expense of some $50 per acre. I then had the ground plowed three times, at intervals of three or four weeks; and at each time well subsoiled with the subsoil plow, thus breaking up the subsoil pretty thoroughly to the depth of eighteen or twenty inches. At the last plowing, the land was dressed with about twenty loads to the acre of stable manure. Last spring, (1852,) the whole ground was planted with seedling trees for propagating, in rows three and one-half feet apart. After planting the trees, I had on- ions sowed — a single row between the rows of trees on about one-third of the ground; beets in the came manner on about another third; and carrots on about one-fiftli, and on the remainder nothing but the trees. The ordi- nary mishaps followed — perhaps rather more than ordi- nary. The wire-worm took a large part of the onions cleauy soon after they came up, and left but now and 106 THE FARM JOURNAL. [APMi then one of the remainder. The beet- seed was bad, so that only a small portion of it vegetated. The carrots came up well, and when of a suitable size, were thinned to about four inches apart. The whole received fair ordi- nary cultivation during the summer, with the trees. The produce was as follows : 5bbls. Onions, worth $1,60. ...$7,50 100 bush. Blood Beet, " ,30 30,00 150 '' Mangel Wurtzel " ,20 30,00 9 extra-sized two-horse wagon-loads carrots, 40 bushels to the load, is 360 bushels, ,25 90,00 $157,50 The ground sown to carrots measured but little over one-third of an acre, and that in single rows three and one-half feet apart. I am satisfied that the produce is equal to full 1500 bushels per acre, if planted exclusive- ly to carrota in the usual way, in rows 18 inches apart. The onions occupied nearly double the area of ground that the carrots did, and it will be seen were almost a total failure, hardly paying for the seed. What few plants the worms left, however, did well. The beets, what vegetated of them, did well ; some of the largest blood beets weighing sixteen pounds, and mangel wurt- zel, eighteen pounds by actual weight. But the carrots almost exceed belief. As it is, with the onions almost a total, and the beets a partial failure, the produce of the whole pays the total expense of cultivation, of trees and aU. I would state that the crop upon this ground did not appear to suffer at all from the unprecedented drouth of last summer, while on ground of almost exactly the same character, not drained with me, the crop was greatly in- jured by drouth. The philosophy of this, after a little observation and reflection, is plain. The clayey soil, and still stiflfer clay subsoil, retain the water of the win- ter and melting snows until a late period in the spring ; so much so that such land is not fit to work until two or three weeks later than more porous soil. It is thus for a long period over-charged with water. Then, if a drouth follows, it bakes and cracks, and is about as per- meable to the roots of plants, and capable of affording about as much nourishment as a sun-dried brick when ready for the kiln. On the contrary, if well drained, this water passes off freely, so that the soil retains no more than its capillaries hold. It is in working condi- tion in good season in the spring, and if well broken up to a good depth, it keeps in an open, friable condition from early spring till winter. This is my experience with soil of this nature, and doubtless that of others. In my opinion, the expense of draining stiff clay soil is repaid by the fitting it for early working in the spring alone. I should remark that on the two acres spoken of, there was nothing like springy ground. The difl&culty with it had been simply the retention of water falling on the surface. Some of my friends inquire if it is not over-doing the thing ? If for our hot and dry summers, such thorough draining will not rather injure the land by taking from it its moisture, &c., and the difference between our cli- mate and that of England, where draining is held in so high estimation, is ciied cautious-wise, that injury may be done, rather than benefit. My reply to this is, that no land can be injured by taking; from it all the water that will run off. This I think will be admitted by most without proof; but if proof is wanting, such cases as the one I detailed would seem conclusive. I feel 80 much confidence in the improvement of the soil by means of draining, that I have the last season lain from four to five miles of drain on a little place two miles from the city. On one swampy piece of half to three-quarters of an acre, which probably had never be- fore been free from water since creation, drained last fall (1851) produced this year a good crop of corn ; the drains running water the whole summer, though no wat- er passed from it previously, three or four months of summer and early fall. I have used the tubular or sole tile, and think them decidedly preferable to the horse-shoe tiles, or those open at the bottom ; as the water running in them keeps them clean. I have laid them mostly of the smaller size, say 2 to 2J inches diameter, and 2J to 3 feet in depth by 21 to 25 feet apart, in parallel lines according to the character of the subsoil. The expense varies with me from $40 to $50 per acre when the whole ground is drained. Very truly yours, &c., C. P. WILLIAMS. «#• Pratt's Ditch Digger. Mr. R. C. Pratt, of Canandaigua, N. Y., patented in July, 1853, a machine for digging ditches, which proved one of the best things exhibited at the late State Fair. By its aid one man and two horses have frequently dug 150 rods of ditch three feet deep in one day; and from 50 to 150 (according to the nature of the soil) is consid- ered a day's work. The machine consists substantially of a scoop and revolving wheel — the scoop scraping and the wheel carrying up the dirt until at a sufficient height it is tumbled out upon the sides, at a little distance from the ditch. Several repetitions of the operation is re- quired before the ditch is sunk to a sufficient depth. The specimen exhibited at the late Fair was all wrought iron, and weighed between 700 and 800 pounds. The diameter of the main wheel was five feet, and the breadth of the diggers or lifters fixed thereon, and that of the scoop or curved channel in which they rise, is about nine inches. Although the lifting apparatus is thus narrow, it is practicable and indeed desirable, to make the small plows or cutters which pare the side cuts somewhat wider, so that a ditch of any width, from nine to fifteen inches, may be excavated by the same machine. The weight of the dirt which is being lifted, the curved channel, and in fact the whole machine, rests on the dig- gers, which, like the floats of a paddle-wheel, project from the perlpliery of the main wheel. As the machine is drawn forward by the horses, the diggers are succes- sively forced into the earth, and compel the wheel to ro- tate— thus carrying up and discharging from the top all earth caught by the scoop, which is in immediate contact behind. On the extreme rear of the whole are adjusted cutters or small plows, which pare the sides and tear the earth to a suitable distance below, ready for the next pas- sage of the machine, so that after the first passage the diggers are always pressed down in to the ground already H 1865.] THE FARM JOURNAL. lor loosened, from the depth of from two to ten inches, which loosening may be supposed to regulate the depth to which they will be likely to sink. The wheel and its accompaniments being of considerable weight, great mus- cular exertion would be required of the attendant to prevent its falling on one side, but for a simple and very effectual provision fof its support. The stout iron shaft on which the main wheel revolves, is prolonged some two or three feet on each side and provided with a light car- rying wheel mounted loose, as in a common carriage axle, to run upon the ground. These wheels are to maintain the upright position of the machine; but the weight must, at all times, when in operation, be allowed to rest upon the diggers. In short, the main wheel and the whole machine must be allowed to sink down into a ditch or rise to the surface, while the carrying wheels simply run lightly on the surface at the sides. This end is ac- complished by bending the axle into the form of a large crank at each side and releasing it from all connection with the machine, except that of passing loosely through the centre. A catch is provided by which the atten- dant (who is supposed to be grasping a pair of handles m the rear) may make the connection a fixed one at pleasure, and when desiring to leave the field and travel the road the weight may by this means be thrown entire- ly upon the carrying wheels. — iV. Y. Tribune. Currants. The fruit of the currant is universally admired. Its pleasant sub-acid flavor renders it peculiarly excellent in tarts and pies, and makes, with a small addition of sugar, a very desirable substitute for apple sauce. From the ripe fruit an excellent and cheap wine may be manufactured, either wifh or without alcoholic proper- ties. No fruit is susceptible of more easy cultivation. It will readily adapt itself, in some degree, to every de- scription of soil, and may, without much trouble, be made to produce, even prodigiously, on those which are constitutionally moist and wet. In cultivating it, how- ever, it is better to adapt the soil to the plant, rather than endeavor, by forced efforts, to adapt the plant to the soil. Acclimatory changes are generally slow, and have a decided tendency to destroy the strength and hardihood, as well as the prolific power of all plants. Yet circumstances, as well as the capriciousness of taste, often demand this.— iV. E. Farmer. The Apiary. Its Location. — In the location of the apiary, one im- portant consideration is that it is convenient to watch in the swarming season; that the bees may be seen at any time from the door or window, when a swarm rises, with- out the trouble of taking many steps to accomplish it; because if much trouble is to be taken, it is too often neglected. Also, if possible, the hives should stand where the wind will have but little effect, especially from the northwest. If no hills or building ofi*er a protection, a close, high board fence should be put up for the pur- pose. It is economy to do it — bees enough may be saved to pay the expense. During the first spring months, the stocks contain fewer bees than at any other season. It is then that a numerous family is important, for the purpose of creating animal heat to rear the brood, if for nothing else. One bee is of more consequence now than a half dozen in midsummer. When the hive stands in a bleak place, the bees returning with heavy loads, in a high wind, are frequently unable to strike the hive, and are blown to the ground, become chilled and die. A chilly south wind is equally fatal, but not so frequent. When protected from winds, the hives may front any point you choose; east or south is generally preferred. A location near ponds, lakes, large rivers, &c., will be attended with some loss. Hard winds will fatigue the bees when on the wing, often causing them to fall in the water; where it is impossible to rise again until waf- ted ashore, and then, unless in very warm weather, they are so chilled as to be past the effort. I do not mention this to discourage any one from keeping them, when so situated, because some few must keep them thus or not at all. I am so situated myself. There is a pond of four acres, some twelve rods off. In spring, during high winds, a great many may be found drowned, and driven on shore. Although we cannot miss so few from a stock, it is nevertheless a loss as far as it goes. Decide Early. — Whatever location is chosen, it should be decided upon as early as possible; because, when the chilling winds of winter have ceased for a day, and the sun, unobstructed, is sending his first warm rays to a frozen earth, the bees that have been inactive for months feel the cheering influence, and come forth to enjoy the balmy air. As they come from their door, they pause a moment to rub their eyes, which have long been obscured in darkness. Bees Mark their Location on Leaving the Hive. — They rise on the wing, but do not leave in a direct line, but immediately turn their heads towards the entrance of their tenement, describing a circle of only a few inch- es at first, but enlarge as they recede, until an area of several rods have been viewed and marked. Changing Stand Attended with Loss. — After a few excursions, when surrounding objects have become fa- miliar, this precaution is not taken, and they leave in a direct line for their destination, and return by their way- marks without difficulty. Man with his reason is guided on the same principles. There are a great many people who suppose the bee knows its hive by a kind of in- stinct, or is attracted towards it, like the steel to the magnet. At least, they act as if they did ; as they move their bees a few rods, or feet, after the location is thus marked, and what is the consequence? The stocks are materially injured by the loss of bees, and sometimes en- tirely ruined. Let us trace the cause. As I remarked, the bees have marked the location. They leave the hive without any precaution, as surrounding objects are fa- miliar. They return to their old stand and find no home. If there is more than one stock, and the removal has been from four to twenty feet, some of the bees may find a hive, but just as liable to enter the wrong one as the right. Probably they would not go over twenty feet, and very likely not that, unless the new situation was very conspicuous. If a person had but one stock, very likely the loss would be less, as every bee finding a hive, would be Buxe to be home, and none killed, as is gene- rally the case when a few enter a strange hive. — M. Quinby. ]08 THE FARM JOURNAL. [April Origin of Black Hawk. [The following article from the Boston Cultivator, is of considerable length, but it is so conclusive, and the subject 80 interesting to a large class of our readers, that we are in- duced to copy it entire.] In vari(jv»s species, animals are now and then produced po- ssessing some striking superioritv, which they impress in a marked degree on their offspring. It is well to preserve all facts in regard to the origin of such animals, as they may serve to form rules of guidance in the art of breeding. The writer of this article has for several years interested himself in procuring materials relating to the history of what is pop- ularly known as the Morgan family of horses, including the famous Black Hawk. The latter animal has justly ob- tained a reputation as the sire of valuable roadsters and fast trotters, which is believed never to have been equalled by any other horse in this country. The main facts in regard to the origin of Black Hawk have long been before the public. His owners have always represented him as a colt of the well-known "Sherman Morgan," and although this statement has been well sub- stantiated, and has received general assent, there have been persons, who, from what motive we will not say, have circu- lated a story that he was begotten by a horse called "Pad- dy." So long as this story was propagated without any re- sponsible authority it could hardly be deemed of sufficient consequence to require formal notice; but as it has lately assumed a more tangible from through a correspondent of an agricultural periodical, we have concluded to put the pub- lic in possession of such information as will demonstrate its utter groundlessness, and consign it to perpetual oblivion. The authorities to which we deem it proper to refer, will be presented in the order, as to time, in which they occur. The first is an extract from a letter of Benjamin Thurston, of Lowell, who was for several years the owner of Black Hawk, under whose training he was brought on the trotting course, and by whom he was sold to Mr. Hill in 1844. Un- der date of Oct. 7th, 1847, he says : ''It gives me much pleasure to answer your letter, as I feel a great interest in any thing which relates to Black Hawk. I will answer your questions in the order in which they are asked ; "1st. Black Hawk was raised by Mr. Twombly, of Green- land [formerly of Durham], N. H. 2d. He was begotten by Sherman Morgan, owned by Mr. Bellows at that time. 3d. His dam was represented to be a half blood English mare, raised in New Brunswick. She was finely proportion- ed, and of great speed. Although never trained, I think she could trot a mile in less than three minutes." This letter, it will be noticed, was written nearly eight years ago. To show the estimation in which Black Hawk and his progeny were then held by Mr. Thurston, it will not be out of place to introduce another extract from the same letter, as follows : "I bought Black Hawk when he was four years old; for six years used him as my family horse, and think him, with- out exception, the finest horse I ever knew. I have owned a number of horses for the last twenty-five years, — varying from ten to thirty-flve at a time, — and have also been in the habit of purchasing the finest I could find for sale; but if the choicest qualities of the best horses I ever owned were combined, I do not think they would produce an animal to surpass Black Hawk. In the first place, he is the best road- ster I ever drew rein over. I have frequently driven him fifty miles in hall a day, and once drove him sixty-three miles in seven hours and fifteen minutes. He did it with perfect ease, and indeed I never saw him appear fatigued. At the time I owned him, I believe he could have trotted one hundred miles in ten hours, or sixteen miles in one hour or one mile in two minutes and forty seconds. In the sec- ond place, he has the best disposition of any horse I ever knew, and is perfectly safe for a lady to ride or drive. Thirdly, he will draw as kindly as any team-horse. His stock is unequalled. There is in this part of the country some ten or twelve of his get, five or six years old. These can trot a mile in from two minutes fifty-five seconds to two minutes thirty-five seconds, and they sell at prices ranging from $500 to $1,000. They are finely proportioned, good sized, nice gaited, hardy, compact animals." We next introduce an extract from a letter written by John Bellows, of Lancaster, N. II., (owner of the horse Sherman Morgan,) to David Hill, of Bridport, Vt. It com- prises an interesting description of the sire of Black Hawk. Its date is March 24, 1848 : "In answer to inquiries relative to the origin of your fa- mous horse Black Hawk, I state that he was foaled at Dur- ham, N. H., the property of Wingate [Ezekiel] Twombly, now of Greenland, N. H. She was a good sized, fast trot- ting, black mare, resembling, in appearance, the Messenger stock of norses. His sire, old Sherman Morgan, was truly a prodigy among horses. He was fourteen and a half hands high; his greatest weight while owned by me, 925 lbs.; of chestnut color; well strung in cord, muscular ; in action ex- hibiting wonderful strength and agility ; though apparently mettlesome, yot easy of control ; sagacious and patient in trouble, and of matchless endurance. He had a lively coun- tenance, with an amiableness of expression, captivating, in eflFect, bej'ond any horse I have ever seen. He was foaled at Lyndon, Vt, in 1811, the property of James Sherman, Esq., and died at my stable in January, 1835. But for this animal, Morgan horses would never have had the celebrity they enjoy. His dam was bought by Mr. Sherman of Dr. Fiske, of Providence, R. I., and was said to have been im- ported. She was of good size, and fine appearance ; of a chestnut color ; elegant in action, and a speedy trotter. His [Sherman Morgan's] sire was the Goss [or Justin] Morgan, brought to Randolph, Vt., by Col. Morgan." The mistake of Mr. Bellows in regard to the christian name of Mr. Twombly, was corrected by him in other let- ters, as will be seen. It was, however, inadvertently copied in one or two printed notices of Black Hawk. The above extract might be regarded as amply sufficient, so far as the testimony of Mr. Bellows is required, but to show that hia statements have been entirely consistent on this point,— whatever may have been intimated to the contrary, — we give in full a letter of his to another person, written more than two years after the above : Lancaster, N. H., Aug. 14, 1850. "Dear Sir : — Being absent on the arrival of your letter, I now reply to your inquiry relative to the justly celebrated horse 'Black Hawk,' formerly owned by Benjamin Thurston, of Lowell, Mass., and raised by E. Twombly, late of Green- land, N. H. Said horse is, without doubt, a son of 'Old Sherman Morgan,' — whatever may be said to the contrary by persons prejudiced against the horse or his owner, or from enviable hostility to the inestimable breed of Morgans. I state, and can prove, that the horse called and known as Old Sherman Morgan, covered the mare which produced Black Hawk about eleven months previous to his being foaled, and I do not believe any other horse covered her the season he was begotten ; and when Black Hawk was nine days old, 'Morgan Cock-of-the-Rock' covered the dam, and she produced a foal the next year by said horse. I received $15 for service of Old Sherman, for service rendered in 1832, and $10 for service of 'Rock' in 1833, as appears by my books of those years. "Distinguished animals, like distinguished men, have their calumniators, and the story to which you allude is false, and originated from malignant hostility, rather than good will to the breeders of horses. Very respectfully, "JOHN BELLOWS." The Rt-ory which Mr= Bellows thus pronounces "false, was that which represents "Paddy" as the sire of Black Hawk. Mr. Thurston, in connection with another person, bought Black Hawk of A. R. Mathes. This gave rise to the erro- neous idea which found its way into print, that Mr. Mathes, (or Matthews as the name was printed) was the breeder of the horse. We learned in a personal interview with Mr. Mathes (now of this city), that he purchased Black Hawk of 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 109 a nephew of Ezekiel Twombly — the latter having died shortly previous. He states that he bought him as a "Sher- man Morgan colt," and heard nothing to the contrary till long afterwards. He stated, also, that Benjamin Kelly, of Durham, N. H., owned the dam of Black Hawk at the time he was begotten, and that Mr. Kelly sold her to Mr. Twom- bly after she was got in foal by Sherman Morgan — Mr. K. being obligated to pay for the Dervice of the uorse. At our solicitation Mr. Mathes wrote to Mr. Kelly on the subject, and received a reply, dated December 21, 1854, from which we take the following: "In the spring of 1832, Mr. Bellows came to my house with the old Sherman Morgan, and stopped there one day and night in each week, from May 8th to July 31st. While at my stable, the old Morgan was put to the black mare, the mother of Black Hawk. A few weeks before she foaled, I sold the mare to Ezekiel Twombly, of Durham. The colt you bought, and sold to Brown & Thurston. Mr. Bellows called on me fbr the pay for the service of the horse. In 1833, July 26th, I paid him $15, and took his receipt for the use of said horse ; the same I charged to Twombly, for when I let him have the mare, he agreed to pay for the use of the horse. I am certain that no other horse was put to the mare while I had her." The foregoing documents need no explanation, or comment Their explicitness leaves not a loop on which to hang a doubt respecting the sire Of Black Hawk. The general spread of his progeny over the country, and the high estimation in which it is everywhere held, is a sufficient excuse, in con- nection with the circumstances before spoken of, for devo- ting the space we have to this subject. We saw Black Hawk a few weeks since, at the stable of his owner, David Hill, Esq., Bridport, Vt. The old horse is in good health, and scarcely touched by the frost of age. The charge for his service is fixed at $100 a mare for the season, and Mr. Hill informed us that about thirty mares were al- ready on his book for 1855. «9>^ Reported for the Farm Journal. Meeting of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. Philadelphia Society for promoting Agriculture. Stated meeting at Hall, S. Third st, Wednesday morning, 7th inst. Mr. Landreth, President in the chair. After the reading of the minutes the following gentlemen previously proposed were elected members, viz., Messrs. Wm. Hacker, and J . T. Balderston of Philadelphia, and Mr. A. Ter Hoven of Prankford. Three propositions for resident members were received. The Secretary reported having sent to additional kindred Societies, copies of the published minutes of the Society. Letters acknowledging the receipts of copies were read from Mr. John Jay, President of Bedford Farmers' Club, West Chester Co. N. Y., and from General J. T. Worthington, Pres. of Ohio State Board of Agriculture, Chillicothe, Ohio. Copies of the proceedings of the Ohio State Board and of the Penn. State Agricultural Society received in exchange, were presented. The Executive Committee recommended that action on the question of holding an exhibition next autumn be post- poned until next meeting. Mr. A. J. Roberts in behalf of the Committee on annual appropriation, reported that the old county appropriation wuuid De continued this year by the present city government. ^r. A. L. Kennedy from the delegation of the U. States Agricultural Society, reported the proceedings of that body at Its late session in Washington ; neither the time nor Place of holding the annual exhibition of that Society had «)een determined ; the question has been left with the Pres- ident and Executive Cemmittee. Mr. Isaac Newton offered a Resolution appointing a com- mittee to confer with the President of the United States Society on the propriety of their next Exhibition being held in Philadelphia,—- which, after discussion by Messrs. Rob- erts, Elwyn, Biddle, Spangler, Newton, Willittsand Ingersoll was amended by Mr. Roberts and passed finally in the fol- owing form. Resolved, by the Philadelphia Society for promoting **6» **"**»'*•» ^^ «."«*«. lAx cuvii upiiiiuu an cjauiuiiiuu by tue C. S. Agri. Society might be advantageously held at Philadel- phia; and that a committee of three be appointed to confer with the President of the U. S. Agri. Society, and the Ex- ecutive Committee of the State Society, on the subject. On motion that the President be Chairman of the Com- mittee and that he appoint his colleagues, which was so ordered. The committee consists of Messrs. Landreth, Bid die and Newton. H. Ingersoll Esq. called up his resolution proposed at preceding meeting to strike out nineteenth By-Law, which now renders the President ineligible for more than two years, which resolution after much discussion was lost. S. H. Austin Esq., called attention to a tract of two hun- dred acres above Germantown, which has been purchased by a number of gentlemen with the intention of building a large Hotel thereon. He believed that this Society would find it advantageous to hold their annual Exhibitions there in future, and doubted not that highly favorable terms might be made with the proprietors. — whereupon Dr. J. A. M' Crea moved that a Committee of three be appointed to examine the above ground, the terms on which it can be used Ac, and report at next meeting, which was carried, and Messrs. M'Crea, Blight and Sheridan were ap- pointed the Committee. The Chair introduced to the meeting Dr. John A. War- der of Cincinnati, who delivered a brief and interesting address on the subject of hedges. He confined himself to the Madura or Osage Orange, a plant which he deemed es- pecially adapted to the purposes of hedging in this country. The subject was one of immense importance, especially to the West, where timber is scarce and land cheap, and where thousands of miles of these hedges were being set. For land worth more than a hundred dollars per acre, and in fields of less than twenty acres, hedges were not to be recommen- ded. Hedge planting in America has been a series of fail- ures; not, he contended on account of the climate, for the Madura was indigenous to this country, but from injurious planting and treatment ; planting too close, too near to a dead fence, want of cultivation and of sufficiently severe pruning. These were the causes of failures, and his method was designed to avoid them. He subsoiled and planted one foot apart. The following spring he cut off all the vertical branches three inches from the ground, barely trimming the lateral ones at their ends; the next year he repeated the cutting at the same height ; the following year he cut again but at the height of six inches. By this method ho obtained a perfect mat of branches near the ground, where they were needed, five feet across and about twenty inches high, which formed a complete protection in itself. Less trimming would be required during the succeeding years, but bold cutting as above must be resorted to, if an impenetrable thicket close to tho ground would be secured. Frequently hedges were found as it were upside down, thick and bushy above, but wide gaps below through which a hog might creep, the branches having disappeared. The Madura was of easy propagation and rapid growth. It did not sucker and could be plowed as near as you could coax your horses. The ver- tical shoots would run up the first year to a height of from four to ten feet. The plan of wattling or interweaving the branches in order to produce an impenetrable wall and save 110 THE FARM JOURNAL. [ApRtt I 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. Ill J ground has been tried. This had been attempted four years ago at the Cincinnati Cemetery, and had not succeed- ed. He could now get his leg through and the hedge was growing worse. The Madura hedge treated as he proposed is a grand thing for Rail Roads, and could be set and kept trimmed for three years at about seventy-five cents a rod j the R. R.company paying for the plowing. The Chair stated that an Osage Orange tree planted in. the vicinity of the city by his father thirty years ago was Btill growing luxuriantly. He doubted if the plants were trimmed as proposed that they would live that long. Dr Kennedy called attention to some beautiful and exact engravings of insects injurious to vegetation, made by Mr. R. D. Glover, now of Washington city. Dr. Elwyn requested members to examine some faithful oil paintings of Horses and Cattle from life by Mr. Clarkson, an excellent artist in that line in this city. These pain- tings have been sent to the room for inspection. Adjourned. 1^ Living in the Country. "We have had an invitation to a party," said Mrs Spar- rowgrass, "on Friday next, and I think a party is a very pleasant thing in the country. There is more sociability, more hospitality, warmer welcomes, less dress, and less style than there is in the city." Here Mrs. Sparrowgrass handed me an engraved card of rather formidable dimensions, which I must confess looked any thing but rural. I took the mis- sive with some misgivings, for I have a natural horror of parties. '*! wonder," said I, in the most playful kind of bitter irony, "whether we will meet out here that young lady that never sings herself, but is always so passionately fond of music ?" Mrs. Sparrowgrass said she thought not ; she said she heard she was married. "And that gentleman," I continued, "who was a stranger tome, that always wanted to be presented to some young lady that I didn't know ?" Mrs. Sparrowgrass said she believed he had gone to Cal- ifornia. "And that lady who prized confectionery above good breeding, and went home with her pockets well stuffed with mottoes, in defiance of the eighth commandment, and the laws of propriety?" Mrs. Sparrowgrass said she knew the lady to whom I al- luded, but she assured me she was yet in New York, and had not been seen about our village. "Then ," said I, "Mrs. Sparrowgrass, we will go to the party. Put my best shirt, and the white waistcoat in Mon- day's wash. Never mind expense. Got me a crumb of bread, and bring me my old white gloves. I am going to be gay," "I think," said Mrs. Sparrowgrass, "that a party in town is nothing but an embarrassment." "True" said I. "Don't you remember," said she, "what a fuss I used to make about getting my hair fixed, and how put out I was that night when you forgot the Japonica?" "Certainly." "And then, when we were all dressed and ready, how we used to wait for fear of getting there too early, and after we did reach the house, how we always got in a corner, and made happy wall-flowers of ourselves, and some old friend.** "Of course I do.'* "Where nobody took any notice of us.** "Exactly." '*Then what difference did it make how I was dressed whether I wore Honiton lace or cotton edging ?'* "I am afraid," said I, Mrs. Sparrowgrass, if you had made a point of wearing cotton lace, you would not have been invited.'* At this palpable double entendre I felt that secret satisfaction which every man must feel when he has said a good thing. It was lost upon Mrs. Sparrowgrass. "Here,** she continued, "we expect a simple, old-fashioned entertain- ment. Then I chimed in — "No gas-lights to make your eyes ache — no patent-leather to make your feet ache — no fash, ionable follies to make your heart ache — and no overheated ill ventilated rooms, boned-turkies, game, ice-cream, Char- lotte Busse, pates, champaigne, and chicken-salad, to make your head ache next morning.*' "There will be oysters and ice-cream," said Mrs. Sparrowgrass, dubiously. "I wish," said I, "there was a prospect of apples and uiu«r instead. The moment I get inside the doors, and breathe the mingled odors of oysters and geraniums, it will carry me back to town, and for one evening, at ^east, I shall forget that we are living in the country. * ' I could be content To see no other verdure than Its own ; To feel no other breezes than are blown Through its tall woods ;' but we must succumb ; we will go like plain, sensible peo- ple, won't we?" "If you were me, what would you wear ?" said Mrs. Sparrowgrass. "Something very plain, my dear." "Then," said Mrs. Sparrowgrass, "I have nothing very plain, suitable for a party, and to-morrow I must go to town and do a little shopping.** "I am afraid," said I, (after the second day's hard shop- ping in town) "your dress is going to be too plain, my dear. Every hour brings a fresh boy, with a fresh bundle, and bill to my oflBce.** Mrs. Sparrowgrass said, "that if I thought so, perhaps she had better get something expensive when she went to buy the trimming,*' I told her I thought her dress would do without trimming. She said, "it would be ridiculous without gimp or galloon ; but perhaps I would prefer velvet ribbon, on account of the flounces !" I told her she had better get the velvet ribbon, and omit the gimp and galloon. Mrs. Sparrowgrass said "very well," and the next day another boy brought another bundle, and another bill, which convinced me that extras form an important item in rural architecture. Then we had a dressmaker for several days, and the stitching went on by sun-light and lamp-light, and on the last day Mrs. S. discovered she had nothing for her head, and the new bonnet was taken to pieces to get at the feathers for a coiffure. Then when the night fell, there was too a soaking rain ; and I had forgotten the carriage, so I was obliged to go a mile in the mud to order one from the village livery stable. Then I had to walk back, as the man said "it was out^" but he promised to send it for us right straight off. Then I had to dress over again. Then Mrs. S. could not find her best handkerchief, and I dropped five spermaceti blotches on the new silk dress looking for it Then she found the handkerchief. Then our girl said that the new dog had run off with one of my boots. Then I had to go out in the mud in my slippers after the dog. Then I got the boot and put it on so as to make that sure. Then we waited for the carriage. We were all dressed and ready, but no carriage. We exercised all the patience we could muster, on account of the carriage, and listened at the win- dows to see if we could hear it. Two months have elapsed, and it hasn't come yet. Next day we heard that the party had been an elegant affair. That everybody was there, so that we concluded the carriage had not been able to come on account of business. I have bought me another dog. I bought him on accent of fine long ears, and beautiful silky tail. He is a pup, and much caressed by the young ones. One day he went off to the butcher*s, and came back with no more tail than a toad. The whole bunch of young Sparrowgrasses, when he reached the cottage, began to bawl on account of his tail. I did not know him when I came home, and he could not recognize me — he had lost his organ of recognition. H* T reminded me of a dog I once heard of, that looked as if he had been where they wanted a tail merely, and had taken his and thrown the dog away. Of course I took my stick, and went to see the butcher. Butcher said "he supposed I was something of a dog fancier, and would like to see my dog look stylish." I said on the contrary, I had bought him on account of his handsome silky tail, and that I would give ten dollars co have it replaced. Then the idea of having it replaced seemed so ludicrous that I could not restrain a smile, and then the butcher caught the joke, and said there was no way to do it except with fresh putty. I do love a man that can enjoy a joke, so I took a fancy to that butcher. When I got home and saw the dog, I thought less of the butcher, but put a piece of black court- plaster on the dog, and it improved his appearance at once. So I forgave .the butcher, and went to bed at peace with all mankind. Our neighbor has been making an improvement in his house. He has had a drain made in the kitchen, with a long earthen pipe ending in a cess-pool at the end of his garden. The object of it is to carry off the superfluous water from the house. It was a great convenience, he said, "on wash days.** One objection might be urged, and that was after every heavy rain he found a gully in his garden path, and several cart-loads of gravel in his cess-pool. Be- sides, the pipe was of an equal width, and one obstruction led to another ; sometimes it was a silver spoon or a child's frock ; sometimes it was a scrubbing-brush, a piece of soap, and a handkerchief. I said that if he had made a square wooden trough, gradually widening from end to end, it would have cleared itself, and then I thought it would bo a good thing for me to have such a one myself. Then I had a cess-pool built at the bottom of the wall, under the bank, which is about one hundred and fifty feet from the kitchen, and told my carpenter to make a trough of that length. Carpenter asked me "how big I wanted it?" I told him about eight inches in diameter at the end nearest to the house, and then gradually widening all the way for the whole length. As I said this, my carpenter smiled, and said he never heard of such a thing. I told him no, that the idea was an original one of my own. He asked me how much I would like to have it widened. I replied, "about half an inch to a foot.** He said very well, and the next week he came with two horses and an edifice in his cart that looked like a truncated shot tower. I asked him what that was? He said it was the big end of my pipe. When he laid it on its side, I walked through it, and could not touch the upper side with my hand. I asked the carpenter what he meant by it, he said it was made according to directions. I said not at all, that I told him to increase the diameter at the rate of half an inch to the foot, and ho had made it about a foot to the foot, as near as I could judge. "Sparrow- grass," said he, a little nettled, "jest take your pencil and put down eight inches." "Well that is the diameter of the small end, I believe?'* I told the carpenter he was right so far. Now for every foot there is an increase of half an inch ^ the width; that's according to directions, too, aint it ? Yes. "Well, then, put down one hundred and fifty half in- ches, how much does that make, altogether, in feet?** Six feet eleven inches." Now," said he, "jest you take my f«Ie, and measure the big end of that ere pipe.** "Carpen- ter," said I, "I see it all, but the next time I build an aque- duct I will be a little more careful in the figures." "Sparrow- ^ass," said he, pointing to the pipe, "did not you tell me that was an original idea of your own?" I answered that 1 believed I did make a remark of that kind. "Well," said he, with a sort of muffled laugh, "that is the first time that did eeo an original idea come out at the big end." Beport on lome of the Diseases and Insects AiTeoting Fruit Trees and Vines. By Thaddeus William Harris, ProFESSOR op Eutymolo- GY OF THE Mass. Horticultural Society. Swollen Branches of the Apple Tree.— On the Slst of May, the Hon. M. P. Wilder, sent to me some pieces of the limbs of an apple tree, which were singularly enlarged in diameter to the extent of several inches. He found the disease to prevail on the north side of the tree, while the south side was almost entirely free from it. The specimens were carefully examined by Prof. Asa Gray and myself, without insects, their punctures, or their tracks being found therein. One of the branches, measuring two and a half inches in circumference immediately below the swollen part, was enlarged above this spot to four inches in circumfer- ence, and the enlarged portion was eleven inches in length. The outer bark seemed perfectly healthy. When sawn trans- versely, the pith was not found in the centre of the piece, but nearer to one side than the other, where the layers of wood were thicker, and looser in texture. It was also evi- dent that the thicker layers followed a spiral direction a- round the limb. When the bark was raised, the wood pre- sented a singularly irregular surface, caused by numerous depressions and furrows, which were filled by corresponding elevations of the inner bark. The disease was evidently a diseased formation and irregular deposit of woody matter. It belongs to the province of the vegetable physiologist to explain the cause of this preternatural and diseased forma- tion. Warts or Excrescences on Plum Trees.— These have been attributed by many persons to the punctures or to the presence of insects therein. I have not been able to find either the one or the other in the incipien . warts or in their immediate vicinity. It was only when these excrescences were well grown and were approaching to maturity, that insects were discovered in them, and not always even in this stage. Some of the twigs, containing incipient warts, were enclosed in a tight vessel in May, and were examined in August, when they were entirely free from the vestiges of insects, although the tumors when cut open, presented the porous and cancellated structure peculiar to them when dry. The insects to be found in the warts in the course of the summer are of sundry kinds ; such as the grubs of the plum-weevil, borers similar to those that attack peach and cherry trees, and the worm-like caterpillars of minute moths. The last seem to be the most abundant and the most common. Their presence is made known by the castings or grain-like frag- ments thrown out of their burrows upon thti surface of the warts. These tumors also aff'ord nourishment to certain vegetable parasites, the little black grains, half immersed in the surface, to which, when mature, they give a deep black color. These little grains are fungi, which have been described under the name of Sphwria tnorbosa. But neither to them, nor to various insects before named, is the origin of the warts to be ascribed. The incipient warts can be detected, before the outer bark is ruptured, by the swollen appearance aud spongy feeling of the surface. They seem to be the result of diseased action in the inner bark and new wood, while these parts are in a state of rapid formation. Upon examination, the cells of the tissues are found to be surcharged with fluid, and distorted in shape and arrange- ment. The plum tree has been called a gross feeder. It may imbibe fluids by its roots faster than it can exhale the superfluous moisture from its leaves; or the function of the latter may be checked by such sudden changes in tempera- ture and in the hygrometric state of the atmosphere as are common in the spring. In either case, there would be likely to ensue an accumulation of fluid in the branches, and par- V m ]' 112 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Aputt 1865.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 113 I ticularly in the tender issues of the new wood, where warls are most commonly developed. From experiments made upon my own trees, I have rea- son to believe that the growth of these tumors may, in great measure, be prevented by severe root-pruning, stimulating the bark in the spring, or before the buds expand, by wash- ing it with soft soap, and by cutting oflF the warts as soon as formed, and applying salt or brine to the wounds. Curl of the Leaves op the Peach Tree. — This affec- tion, to which the tree is sulyect during the month of May, and by which it often loses all its first leaves, has been com- monly attributed to the punctures of insects, such as aphides and the thripe. It is, however, very doubtful whether these insects are the real cause of that diseased change in the texture and form of the leaf which is called the curl, be- cause the insects in question are rarely seen on the affected leaves, and never in such numbers as sufficiently to account for the extensive injury sustained. The surface of these leaves is swollen into irregular and crisp tumors, often of a reddish color, and of a spongy texture, formed of thick- ened and succulent cellular tissue. These tumefactions present some analogy to the warts of the plum tree, and may have a similar origin. The affection has often been observed to follow a cold storm in May, whether connected therewith or not If sudden cold and moisture have a ten- dency to check evaporation from the leaves, fluids will accu- mulate therein, and may thus bring about the changes by which they become blasted. It is confidently stated that soaping the limbs of the trees early in spring, or washing them with a solution of sulphur and potash, will prevent them from suffering from the curl. Peach trees on plum stocks seem to be nearly exempt from this affection, perhaps because the supply of this nourishment from the roots and the exhalation from the leaves are more nearly balanced in them; for the plum stock makes fewer or smaller roots than the peach on its own stock. The Yellows. — For the first time in eleven years the symptoms of this disease have appeared in my garden. It is confined to two branches on the north side of one peach tree, the fruit on which is becoming red some three or four weeks too soon, while a few wiry shoots, clothed with dimin- utive and pale leaves, have sprouted upon th^se branches. Neither borers nor the Tomicus Uminaria have been discov- ered in the tree ; and the cause of the disease remains as much a mystery to me as to other cultivators. I propose cut- ting off the diseased branches, and dressing the soil around the tree with ashes and urine, as an experiment towards cheeking the further developement of the disease. In for- mer years peach trees have rarely suffered from the yellows in this neighborhood, where now many trees are affected with it. Has the severe drought of the present season had any influence in producing the disease ? Insects op the Apple Tree. — My remarks will necessa- rily be confined to a very few of the numerous insects infes- ting fruit trees and vines,* there being nothing new or par- ticularly interesting to be stated concerning the greater part of them. Canker-worms. — There are some parts of the country in which these insects have never appeared; in other parts their visitations occur several years in succession, are then suspended for an uncertain term of years, after which they recur again as before. Thus, in the vicinity of Boston, these insects prevailed from 1831 to 1840, increasing yearly in numbers till the last date, after which they disappeared al- most entirely till 1847, when they began again to attract attention, and have become more numerous every year till the present time. Their ravages during the past summer, in Cambridge and some of the adjacent towns, have been very serious, but have not yet reached the height they at* tained in 1839 and 1840. Canker-worms are generally found upon the buds and leaves of the trees before or about th« middle of May, and disappear before or about the middle of June, their depredations lasting nearly or quite four weeks. The parent insects, consisting of winged males and wingless females, ascend from their burrows in the ground in the lat- *«- wya^¥ nf Art*/>V>»p q.»»d rinrinor th** Tnnnt.h nf ,jrnva»»»k«" t/^A \JObi. tl V/& X^ \/trx» l^%rA, «%&«%& ■»*«^*. ***q *— — i-« -s .>*■£..«« -w m^a. MM9A , and again in the spring from the middle of March to about the tenth of April. Their spring rising is sometimes retarded and prolonged a week or more by the backwardness of the season. In mild winters a few of the insects may ascend at various times between the periods for the ordinary au- tumnal and spring risings. It is during these same periods thqt our trees require to be protected against the ascent of the females. Soft tar, seasonably applied around the trunks of the trees, and frequently renewed, is the rem- edy which has been longest and most relied upon for this purpose. Various other expedients have been tried to prevent the insects from ascending the trees and deposi- ting their eggs upon the branches. Those most worthy of confidence are circular and leaden troughs, containing cheap oil or gas-tar, secured in a horizontal position around the trunks of the trees, and the glass rings, late- ly invented by Mr. George Everett, of Roxbury, the effi. cacy of which, however, has not yet been sufficiently tested. Canker-worms are very injurious to cherry and plum trees, and to elms and maples, all of which will have to be sec ured from their anticipated depredations in the same way as apple trees. Palmer-worms. — In the second edition of Dr. Deane's "New England Farmer and Georgical Dictionary," published in 1797, there will be found the following account, under the article Insect : "The Palmer-worm, a wanderer, as its name signifies, is a small worm, about half an inch in length, with many leg?, and extremely nimble. It appears at different times in difif- erent parts of the country. I have seen them only on apple trees and oak trees, in great abundance. They give the trees the same appearance that the canker-worm does. They ap- peared in the county of Cumberland [Maine] in the year 1791, about the middle of June, eating off the covering of the leaves on both sides, and leaving the membranous part entire. The following year there were none to be seen, and I have not known them in any place two years in suc- cession. The seeds of them may be constant, wanting only a particular state of the weather to produce them. The spring which preceded their appearance had been remarka- bly dry, both in April and May. The history of this insect is so little known, that I will not undertake to say how they may be successfully opposed. I made smoke under the fruit trees, without any apparent effect. As they let themselves down by threads, they may be thinned by shaking the trees and striking off the threads. Their ravages had not any lasting effects, for the orchards, that had been visited by them, bore plentifully the following year." During the month of June, 1853, a small worm, or naked caterpillar, whose history accords, in every particular, with the foregoing account, was observed in great numbers on apple, cherry and plum trees, and on oaks, throughout the greater part of New England and the valley of the Hudson in New York. In some places, orchards suffered from these insects as much as from the ravages of canker-worms; and not only the leaves, but also the fruit was injured or destroyed by them. By many persons they were mistaken for canker-worms. The latter disappeared here about the tenth of June, at which time the palmer-worms were just beginning their depredations. These worms differed from the former in having sixteen legs, in being much more ac- tive in their motions, and in creeping without looping or arching up their backs at every step. They were also small- er and differently colored. Towards the end of June, they came to their growth and left the trees, their disappearance, In many places, coinciding with the heavy showers which fflU at that date. Some of the insects which were secured,. covered themselves with little transparent silken webs or cocoons, in which they took the chrysalis form immediately, ind came forth as moths between the 8th and 25th of July. About the same time they were seen in the moth state in orchards, and in great numbers among the grass under fruit and forest trees. They soon entirely disappeared, nor have they been observed under any form since that time. In an article printed in the "Cambridge Chronicle," for July 23d, 1853, 1 gave to this insect the scientific name of Rhinosia pometella, the little Rhinosia or snout-moth of the orchard, with a scientific description of it in all its stages. That ar- ticle, and another in the "Journal of the New York State Agricultural Society," for October, 1853, and also Dr. Fitch's account in the same Journal for September, 1 853, may be consulted for further particulars. The New York Weevil. — In some of the Western States, apple trees, and occasionally pear, plum and cherry trees, have been injured by a large weevil, specimens of which, taken from these trees in Michigan and Wisconsin, have been sent to me. This is the biggest weevil known in the United States, measuring half an im;h or more in length. It is of a grey color, striped with white, and dotted with black spots on the back. The celebrated naturalist and voyager, John Reinhold Forster, first described it in 1771, under the name of Curculio Novehoracensis, the New 'York weevil. It belongs to the modern genus Ithycerus, and has also been described by Mr. Kirby under the name of Pa- chyrhynchua Schonherri. According to Mr. A. H. Hanford of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Mr. T. E. Wetmore, of North Cannon, Michigan, this weevil attacks the buds and young shoots of the trees, gnawing them to the very pith, so that they break off, or wither and die. Mr. Wetmore informs Ime that their numbers are greater this year than heretofore, and apprehends great injury from them should they continue |to increase. They are found on the trees in May and June; ppoar to be active during the night, and drop off by day ?hen the trees are suddenly jarred. I have taken them in une and July on oaks and maples, but never met with them n fruit trees. Though not a very abundant species in Mass- achusetts, it is by no means rare, and has a wide range hrough the country, being found in most of the New Eng- and, Middle and Western States, in Canada, and in New- oundland. There is an account and figure of it in the Horticulturist," for August, 1853, page 386. The "Journal t he New York State Agricultural Society," for September, »w, may also be consulted for notices of it by Dr. Fitch m myself. ^pate Bicaudatus.-ThiB is the scientific name given by ^' bay to a little beetle, whose injurious habits have lately een observed in Michigan and Wisconsin. Professor S. • i^athrop,of Wisconsin University, and Mr. T. E. Wet- re have sent specimens to me, with accounts of the dep- _ uons of the insects, which are found burrowing in the iprin; Zl^T^ ^'^'^^' «f the apple tree, during the these K« .1 ^'^°'^'« ^^«^e tl^e seat of the attack soon die. if an ,-n t , """^ ^'"""^ one-quarter to more than three-tenths ,^^ inch long, cylindrical, dark chesnut brown, roughened pines nn-r''\'*'' ^""'^ part of the thorax, with short n incur. ^^ ^^'^^'^'^'^ '^^^ "'°^^^' ^° *^° ^^1««> with Ide, thT '^'"'' °'*' *^" *^P ^^ «^^^ wing-cover. Be- those sent to me from Michigan and Wisconsin, I have specimens from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina; but have not met with any in New England. The Oak-pruner {Stenocoms putator) occasionally attacks the small branches of the apple tree; and the blight beetle, Scolytiut, or Tomicus Pyri, whose perforations blast and kill the branches of the pear tree, has also been found equally iniurinus to thnse nf iha arwAo. fc^o Dr. William Le Baron, of Geneva, Illinois, has contribu- ted some interesting observaUons on the Bark-Lice, or scale insects of the apple tree, to the "Prairie Farmer," for June, 1854. He finds that there is only one annual brood of these insects, that they are hatched in May, and that the females often produce from seventy to one hundred eggs. He thinks that remedies for the destruction of the insects should be applied soon after the hatching season. [To be concluded.] -«•* 8 An Article for Children. "what's the use." "Where's Sam?" said Joe Dennet, coming into Mr. Powers' yard, and seeing Mr. Powers at the door. "Up in his study," answered Sam's mother. "And where's that?" asked Joe ; "I did not know that Sam had a study." Sam's mother smiled, and told him to go into the garden, and may- be he would find it. He did so, and shouted "Sam, where are you ?" "Hallo !" said a voice from above. Joe looked up, and saw his friend perched in the crotch of an apple- tree, with slate and book in hand. *'* "Come," said Joe, "the boys are going a-boating, and want you to go." "Can't," answered Sam; "I am trying to master this algebra; we all missed to-day." * Book Notices. Schenck's Gardeners' Text Book. — We have re- ceived from the publishers, John P. Jewett & Co., Bos- ton, a copy of the above work, treating very fully of every thing appertaining to a well regulated kitchen garden, from the first selection of the site to the pre paration of the soil, manuring, mode of planting the seed, tending and gathering the crop ; also the methods of cooking and preparing for the table every variety of vegetables. It describes all the different varieties o1 vegetable seeds, often so puzzling to the gardener which to select from the extensive list of names and synonj- mes, and recommends such as are most desirable. We copy in another column an extract on the "Selec- tion of Seeds," also on their vitality or length of time they will continue fit to plant, which will be useful for reference hereafter. The present edition is the <'fourtii, thousand." It contains over three hundred pages, is in»| very portable form, and we think a very valuable treatise. 4 do. Pink roses, 4 do. Lan fas or flower, 4 do. Blue Mag- nolia, 4 do. Qui Fas, 4 do. China grafted black roses, 4 do. Koco or small Magnolia flower, 4 do. China yellow aram 4 do. Hymonnicalus, 4 do. Lo^n, 4 do. Guavas, fruit 4 do. Loquat, fruit, 4 do. Custard apple, fruit, 4 do. Sweet Whampee, fruit, 4 do. Sweet Carambola, or China gooseberry, 4 do. Acid Carambola, or China gooseberry, 4 do. Acid Whampee, 4 do. Pambalos, fruit 4 do. Man- gres fruit, 4 do. Large Mandarin oranges, lace skins, 4 do. Small Mandarin oranges, lace skins, 4 do. China Mandarin oranges, hard skins, 4 do. Cumquats, fruits, 4 do. Large yellow persimmon, 4 do. Large round rose apples, 4 do. Large round red persimmon, 4 do. Small round red persimmon, 4 do. Small myrtle, 4 do. Large rose apple, 4 do. Small long rose apple, 4 do. Lyches, fruit and flower, 4 do. Papayas, fruit, 4 do. Very fine lace skin Mandarin orange, 15 do. Black tea, two varie- 4 do. Nondescript, blue lily, 4 do. Red double from Rome, the country seat of the Pope, where this fruit has long been cultivated. This variety is stated to have' been brought hither from that part of Armenia which borders on Persia, where it grows in the greatest perfection and abundance. The flesh of this melon when fully matured, is delicious, and may be eaten with safety without injury to the dyspeptic or those of the weakest stomachs. The form of cantaleups is generally roundish with a rough, warty, or netted outer rind, or skin. The size of the plant is rather small, and the flesh, for the most part of a yellowish color, though with some it is green. — Patent Office Report. -»•*■ -•••- New Chinese and Japanese Plants. The following is a list of seventeen cases of plants col| lected in China and shipped on board the Lexington consigned to the Government of the United States: 4 plants of yellow or tea roses, 4 do. Light red rofi ties head star lily, 4 do. China red lily, many heads, 4 do. Chma yellow lily, many heads, 4 do. China single head white lily, 4 do. Cymbidium. The following plants are inclosed in boxes: 12 plants Nondescript^ white small flower, 20 do. Lem- on grass, 12 do. Peruvian crynam, 20 do. Small hymon- nicalus, 20 do. Yellow day lily, 20 do. Benjamin flower, 3 do. Blue magnolia, 1 do. Round rose apple, large, 2 do. China dates. One case containing a variety of plants collected in Japan and in the island of the Great Loo Choo; also one large Loo Choo plant not in case, and four tubs of water lily. Two cases, one of sugar cane from Java, and the other of exotic plants from St. Helena, collected by Dr. James Morrow, agriculturist to the Japan expedition. The plants were gathered under the direction of Com- modore Perry. They are in pretty good condition. A few of them withered and died on their passage home. Captain Glasson also brought home with him a real lire Chinese from Hong Kong. He is a florist and gar- dener, and goes to Washington, to attend to the plants. He is about twenty years of age, and named Oqui. He speaks EngUsh a little, which he learned on the voyage, and says he is now an American. He was born at Can- ton, and is tolerably good looking. 4«» The History of the Melon. The history of the watermelon^ so much esteemed for its delicious, and cooling juice, as well as that of the muikmelon or cantaleup, which is equally prized for its nch aromatic pulp, may be traced back to remote anti- Wy. The former, which is generally considered as the melon of the Jews, mentioned in various places in the Kible, 18 believed to have originated in Egypt, or South- «ni India, where it has been cultivated from time immem- «. It would appear that it was unknown to the Mcient Greeks and Romans, as no definite information specting It can be gleaned from their authors. The uskmelon, which is represented to have been a native Asia, was known to the Greek and Roman physicians, a Its properties and uses described by them at length. te«r- ""^ muskmelon most esteemed among ama- ^^rs m various parts of Europe, and described, is the -v^antaleup," so called from a place about fourteen miles Wheat Midge. The following account of this fly is abridged from the second edition of Dr. Harris* treatise on insects : It is a very small, orange-colored gnat, with long, slender, pale-yellow legs, and two transparent wings, re- flecting the tints of the rainbow, and fringed with deli- cate hairs. Its eyes are black and prominent. Its face and feelers are yellow. Its antennae are long and black- ish. These insects vary much in size. The largest fe- males do not exceed one-tenth of an inch in length ; and many are found, towards the end of the season, less than half this length. The males are usually rather smaller than the females, and somewhat paler in colcflU' The time of their appearance in the winged form, va- ries according to the season and the situation, from the beginning of June to the end of August. In most parts of New England, where wheat is cultivated, immense swarms of these oronge-colored gnats infest fields of grain towards the last of June. While the sun shines, they conceal themselves among the leaves and weeds near the ground. They take wing during the morning and evening twilight, and also in cloudy weather, when they lay their eggs in the opening flowers of the grain. New swarms continue to come forth in succession, till the end of July; but the principal deposit of eggs is made in the first half of July, when late sown winter wheat and early sown spring wheat are in the blossom or milk. The flies are not confined to wheat alone, but deposit in barley, rye, and oats, when these plants are in flower at the time of their appearance. I have found the maggots within the seed-scales of grass, growing near to wheat fields. The eggs hatch in about eight days after they are laid, when the little yellow maggots or grain-worms may be found within the chafly scales of the grain. Being hatched at various times during a period of four or five weeks, they do not all arrive at maturity together. Mrs. Gage informs me that they appear to come to their growth in twelve or fourteen days. They do not ex- ceed one-eighth of an inch in length, and many, even, when fully grown, are much smaller. From two to fif- teen or twenty have been found within the husk of a single grain, and sometimes in every husk in the ear. In warm and sheltered situations, and in parts of fields protected from the wind by fences, buildings, trees or bushes, the insects are said to be much more numerous than in fields upon high ground or other exposed places, where the grain is kept in constant motion by the wind. Grain is commonly more infested by them during the second than the first year, when grown on the same \l TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 116 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Apwi 1856. THE FARM JOURNAL. 117 I It l|: ground two years in succession ; and it suffers more in the immediate vicinity of old fields, than in places more remote. These insects prey on the wheat in the milky state and their ravages cease when the grain becomes hard. They do not burrow within the kernels, but live on the pollen and on the soft matter of the grain, which they probably extract from the base of the germs, it ap- pears, from various statements, that very early and very late wheat escape with comparatively little injury. The amount of which, in other cases, depends upon the condition of the grain at the time when the maggots are hatched. When the maggots begin their depredations soon after the blossoming of the grain, they do the greatest injury; for the kernels never fill out at all. Pinched or partly filled kernels are the consequence of their attacks when the grain is more advanced. The hulls of the impoverished kernels will always be found split open on the convex side, so as to expose the em- bryo. This is caused by the drying and shrinking of the hull, after a portion of the contents thereof has been sucked out by the maggots. Towards the end of July, the full-grown maggots leave oflf eating, and become sluggish and torpid, pre- paratory to moulting their skins. The torpid state lasts only a few days, after which the insect casts off its skin, Waving the latter entire, except a little rent in one end of it. Sometimes the maggots descend from the plants, and moult on the surface of the ground, where they leave their cast skins. Late broods are sometimes har- vested with the grain, and carried into the barn without having moulted. [The seasons in New England are about three weeks later than in this latitude. — Ed.] After shedding its skin, the maggot recovers its activ- ity, and writhes about as at first, but takes no food. It is shorter, somewhat flattened, and more obtuse than before, and is of a deeper yellow color, with an oblong greenish spot in the middle of the body. Within two or three days after moulting, the maggots either descend of their own accord, or are shaken out of the ears by the wind, and fall to the ground. They do not let them- selves down by threads, for they are not able to spin. Nearly all of them disappear before the middle of Au- gust ; and they are very rarely found in the grain at the time of harvest. [New England, not Pennsylvania. Ed.] Having reached the ground, the maggots soon burrow under the surface, sometimes to the depth of about an inch, those of them that have not already moulted cast- ing their skins before entering the earth. Here they remain, without further change, through the following winter. During the month of May, I have seen speci- mens still in the larva form in the earth wherein they had been kept during the winter. It is not usually till June that they are transformed to pupse. This change is effected Tfithout another moulting of the skin; not the slightest vestige of the larva skin being found in the earth in which some of these insects had undergone their transformations. Moreover, the pupa is entirely naked, not being enclosed either in a cocoon or in the puparium formed of this outer skin of the larva, and it has its limbs and wings free or unconfined. The pupa state lasts but a short time, a week or two at most, and probably, in many cases, only a few days. Under the most favorable circumstances, the pupa works its way to the surface, before liberating the included fly ; and when the insect has taken wing, its empty pupa skin will be seen sticking out of the ground. In other cases, the fly issues from its pupa skin in the earth, and comes to the surface with flabby wings, which soon expand and dry on exposure to the air. This last change occurs mo8% duriug the months of JuDo and July, wheu great nuiQ> bers of the flies have been seen, apparently coming from the ground, in fields where grain was raised the year before. The Remedies, or means of preventing the ravages of this insect, are very similar to those recommended for the Hessian fly, — there is no hope that a specific will be found for either. Smoking them out of a field, by means of smouldering fires kept burning on the windward side, has been re- commended, but we have never heard of its being tried, and never expect to, more than once ; the same may be said of fumigating the crop with sulphur ^ and dusting it with lime, — the last has been tried, and found of no avail whatever. Catching the flies, with a long net or seine, made of ropes and fine gauze, was gravely recommended by Dr. Fitch, as the plan he proposed to employ on the next visitation of the insects in his vicinity ; and, said he, "I shall be much disappointed, if countless millions are not gathered into the net." This was written ten years ago, and we have not yet seen any report of the Doctor's success at wholesale fly catching. We presume that if "countless millions" were caught in his net, there were as many billions that escaped ! Parasites are said to destroy a considerable portion of the yellow worms or maggots, but we think that the pro- p'ortion killed in this way is much less than of the Hes- sian fly. Birds, we have no doubt, consume a much larger number, as these little friends of the farmer may be seen busily at work all day long, picking the larva out of the wheat heads, where the crop is most affected. Starving the insects, by omitting to sow wheat in a given district for one or two seasons, has been recom- mended as a certain remedy ; but it is difficult of prac- tice, as it would be necessary for the farmers of quite a large district to combine for this purpose, and consent to purchase their wheat or flour for a year or two, which many will not willingly do. Early sowing and good culture, so as to secure the maturity of the grain before the worms have hatched, or become old enough to injure it, is the surest of all methods, we believe, and the most easily practiced. Wet and cold clayey lands are especially favorable to the ravages of this insect ; hence we have a new argu- ment in favor of thorough draining and deep plowing. In some of the more northern States, very late sowing and the use of spring wheat has been found advanta- geous, as the crop is thereby prevented from blossoming until after the time for the insect to deposit its eggs has passed. 4#» The Peach Crop. The Pomologists of the east, as is well known, assertj that a temperature of from fifteen to twenty degrees be-I low zero destroys the vitality of the fruit bud in thel peach and other trees, and it is feared the recent ex- tremely cold weather has done much damage to the approaching peach crop in the middle and northern counties in this State, as in many localities the mer- cury was lower than above indicated. We observe that L. B. Langworthy, of Greece, New York, states, in the Rural New Yorker, that he has ex- amined branches of ten different kinds of peach trees from the earliest varieties to the latest clings, and in over one hundred buds found the germ black and dry and not one alive, — from which fact he is persuaded that the peach crop in that region is lost for this year at any rate. «•» Planting Trees. There are several requisites, to successful planting of trees and shrubs, if the object is to make them, thrive, grow, and bear fine fruit or foliage. We have frequently adverted to these in the pages of the Farm Journal, and only now remind our readers, that if there is one error more fatal than the rest, or more frequent it is planting too deep. After the earth settles the tree should be no deeper than before. The way to prevent it from being blown about and disturbed by the winds is to secure it by a stake, not by burying in the ground, where the air cannot penetrate. A certain Professor Comstock, has been going the rounds in New York State, and we believe petitioning the legislature for one hundred thousand dollars, as an inducement to reveal what he calls a great secret of vegetable life, of his own discovery. The good people there seem to have been willingly paying two dollars, as a kind of initiation fee, to his lectures, when the great secret turns out to be nothing more than the aforesaid fact, avoid deep planting, known before the Professor was born, and we dare say recited by Virgil in his Georgics. The small space or neck of the tree just above where the roots diverge, the Professor calls the "seat of life," and which he thinks should not be choked off under ground. A great discovery truly ! ^9*- Draining Tile and Draining. There are very few farms, on which more or less acres are not lying unprofitably and unproductive for the want of proper drainage. The constant eye sore of a wet field or meadow, on which nothing grows but the rankest and coarsest herbage, is allowed to remain year after year, when a very small comparative outlay, would convert it into the most productive part of the farm. Stagnant water at the roots of growing crops, is as detrimental to them, as to animals. The temperature of the soil, where water cannot pass off is so reduced, that vegetable de- composition is retarded, and plants and crops are actu- ally starved off, and dwindle away in the midst of abun- aance, because the food is not in such a condition as to be assimilated and taken up by the absorbent vessels. «ive such places a vent for the surplus water, allow the warm sun to penetrate the soil and act upon the mass of vegetable food, which has long lain dormant, and the enects will be surprising. We have known many a farm 1^0 d at a low price, on account of the supposed great rawback of a wet meadow. An estimate is made of the ^umber of acres of woodland, acres of arable land, and ^te land, the latter never having been drained or made productive, is supposed not to be capable of being so, and when a very trifle, would convert it into the most pro- ductive part of the farm. In many places, where stone is scarce there has been an obstacle to under ground and surface draining, which is now remedied by the manu- facture of draining tile. This we have ascertained, can now be purchased at the agricultural warehouses very cheaply, the best sole tile, four and a half by five inches, costing not over forty dollars per thousand feet, and smaller sizes much less. Two or three manufacturers have lately started in the vicinity of Philadelphia. These covered drains offer no obstacle to culture, per- form their work under ground silently and effectually and in one case we have lately heard, where they were laid down last season on a large scale, have added at least fifty per cent to the value of land. Before our young farmers think of moving to the far west, and before they ought to complain of farming not making money fast enough, we think they are bound to turn to the best account, the means of production with- in their reach. It is possible to hold a sixpence so close to the eye, as not to see the dollar beyond, which we think is the case with neglected draining. Productive industry should be the watchword, that industry, which can turn every thing to best account, convert the stub- born and useless glebe, into a fertile and remunerating channel, which will make two blades grow instead of one, and usCf not abuse, or neglect the means of wealth, and support, which nature throws so liberally before the far- mer. -«•»- Crawford County Agrioultural Society. We are indebted to A. Lyle White, Esq., editor of the American Republican Banner, for the following: — At the annual election of the Crawford County ^Agricultural Society, held in ConneautvUle, on Monday, January 1st, 1855, the following persons were elected officers for the ensuing year:— President, J. E. Patton, Vice President, Jas. L. Beatty, John F. McDowell, Wm. T. Horsmer, Recording Secretary, A. J. Foster, Corresponding Sec- retary, J. W. Patton, Treasurer, Wm. Power, Executive Committee, A. J. Whipple, T. J. Lowry, Asa Sturtevant, John Thompson, and James Sterling, Auditors, Frank Mantor, Daniel Hammon and Alva Beeman. ■ ^^t- Hints for the Season. Plow deep, vrnd pulverize thoroughly before seeding by repeated harrowings. The seed will grow and vegetate much better, be brought into contact, and extract nutri- ment from more particles of soil, which will also be more open to the fertilizing influence of the atmosphere. Use plenty of seed, the first cost is trifling compared with the increased aggregate yield, at harvest time. Prepare ground speedily for at least an acre of root crops. Sugar Beet, Carrots, and Ruta Baga. These will all be wanted next winter. Deep plowing, heavy ma- nuring, and fine pulverization are essentials in root cul- ture. Roll pasture and mowing grounds. J'eed liberally horses and working cattle, with grain while on duty. Spread plaster early so as to take advantage of spring rains. ; !■ li TIGHT BINDING 118 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Ami I IW*'^ THE FARM JOURNAL. IIV United States Agricultural Society. The third annual session of this society commenced Feburary 21, 1855, in the "East Room" of the Smith- fionian Institution. Twenty-six States were represented by credited delegates from State and county societies, and there was also a large number of individual members of the society. The Hon. M. P. Wilder, of Mass., President of the society, on taking the chair, delivered a pertinent ad- dress, in which he recapitulated the operations of the so- ciety during the past year, including the cattle show at Springfield, Ohio. The address was received with ap- plause, and has been printed for distribution in pamph- let form. On motion of Mr. King, of New York, a committee of one from each State represented, was chosen by the President, to nominate a board of officers for the ensuing year. A letter was read from Col. Selden, resigning his office as treasurer, and, accompanied by securities for the funds of the society deposited in the bank, was referred to Messrs. Wager, of New York, Calvert, of Maryland,and Worthington, of Ohio. They subsquently reported, complimenting Col. Selden, for his integrity, and expres- sing confidence that the funds are secure. Resolutions were offered by Messrs. Holcomb, of Dela- ware, and Kemmel, of Maryland, which were sustained by Messrs. Calvert, Peck, and Kennedy, of Maryland, King of New York, Jones, of Delaware, and then laid on the table for future discussion. Messrs. Wager, of New York, Kennedy, of Pennsylva- nia, Proctor, of Massachusetts, Steadman, of Ohio, and Jones of Delaware, were appointed a committee to receive and report on amendments to the constitution. Mr. Calvert, of Maryland, oflfered a resolution recom- mending political action on the part of agriculturists, and supported it by able remarks. He was followed by Messrs. French, of New Hamp- shire, Dyer of Connecticut, and Kennedy, of Pennsylva- nia, and the resolutions were laid on the table for further discussion. Mr. Jones, of Delaware, presented a memorial, show- ing the effect of legislation on agriculture, and embracing a mass of historical facts. After having been read, it was, on motion of Mr. King, of New York, placed on the files of the society. Mr. Clenson, of Maryland, introduced a resolution recommending agricultural education. An informal discussion of the potato rot, deep plowing, and other matters of great agricultural interest, followed in which a large number of gentlemen participated. Many facts of importance were elicited, as gentlemen from various sections related their "experience " and the debate was continued until 4 o'olock. In the evening the society were favored by a lecture from their vice president from Virginia, the venerable George Washington Parke Custis. His eloquent narra- tive of the illustrous "Farmer of Mount Vernon" was listened to with marked attention by a large audience and was warmly applauded. After the lecture, a large number of ladies and gentle- men were introduced by the President to the orator. After the lecture, the officers and committees were un- expectedly entertained at the National Hotel, by Colonel C. B. Calvert, the proprietor of "Riversdale." A sum^ tuous repast graced the festive board, and the festivitiei were prolonged to a late hour. Second Day. This morning the society met 10 o'clock, and af*/». the report of Mr. King, of New York, chairman of the nominating committee, elected the following officers for 1855. President, Marshall P. Wilder, of Massachusetts. Vice Presidents, John D. Lang, Maine, H. F. French ' N. H., Fred. Holbrook, Vt., B. L. Erench, Mass., Job. J Cooke, Rhode Island, John T. Andrew, Conn., Henry Wager, New York, Isaac Cornell, New Jersey, Isaac Newton, Pa., C. P. Holcomb, Delaware, H. G. S. Key, Md., G. W. P. Custis, Va., Henry K. Burgwyn, N. C, James Hopkinson, S. C, D. A. Reese, Ga., A. P. Hatch, Ala., A. G. Brown, Miss., I. D. B. DeBow, La., Gen. Whitfield, Kansas, J. T. Worthington, Ohio, B. Grati, Ky., M. P. Gentry, Tenn., Jos. Orr, Ind., J. A. Kinni- cutt. 111., Thos. Allen, Mo., T. B. Flourney, Ark., J. C. Holmes, Mich., Jackson Morton, Fla., T. G. Rusk, Tex- as, J. W. Grimes, Iowa, B. C. Eastham, Wis., J. M. Homer, Cal., Jos. H. Bardley, D. C, S. M. Baird, New Mexico, H. H. Sibley, Minn., Joseph Lane, Oregon, J. L Hayes, Utah, Mr. Giddings, Nebraska. Executive Committee, John A. King, New York, C B. Calvert, Md., A. L. Elwyn, Penn., J. Wentworth, Dl., B. Perley Poor, Mass., A. Watts, Ohio, John Jones, Del. Secretary, William S. King, Boston, Massachusetts Treasurer, B. B. French, Washington, D. C. On a report of the executive committee, Dr. Elwyn, of Penn., Henry Wager, of New York, Dr. W. T. G. Morton, of Mass., Col. Anthony Kimrael, of Md., and Chas. L Flint, of Mass., were appointed delegates to attend the coming Industrial Exhibition at Paris. After the election, the disscussion upon the resolution offered by Mr. C. P. Holcomb, of Delaware, on the "Re- ciprocity Treaty" as injurious to the agricultural inter- ests of the Republic, took place. Messrs. Holcomb, Peck, King and Jones, participated in the disscussion. This evening, the Hon. G. P. Marsh lectured on "Notices of the Rural Economy of Continental Europe." Third Day. After the elections yesterday, the Society discussed a resolution offered thje day previous by Mr. C. P. Holcomb. of Delaware, denouncing the "Reciprocity Treaty" as in- jurious to the agricultural interests of the republic, took place, Messrs. Holcomb, Peck, King, Waters, Elwyn, Kennedy, Steadman, Cowley, and other gentlemen parti- cipating. The resolution, as finally amended and passed, reads: Resolved, That we object to the doctrine of free trade for agriculture and protection for other interests. Col. Calvert, of Maryland, offered the following pre- amble and resolutions, which he supported in an able and earnest manner, depreciating all applications to Congress, and urging political action on the part of ag- riculturists, as calculated to command success. The resolutions, after having been discussed by Messrs. Kennedy of Pennsylvania, Jones of Delaware, and King of New York, were carried: Whereas y The prosperity of a country is in proportion to the improvement of its agriculture, therefore Ruolvedj That agriculture should be the first interest considered in legislating for the general welfare, and that such legislation should be had as will foster and protect this interest, which is paramount to all others. Resolved^ That the time has arrived for the agricultur- alists of the whole country to meet in convention, and determine for themselves what legislation is necessary for their protection. Resolved, That such a convention, to be composed of delegates from each State of the Union, be earnestly rec- ommended by this Society, in order that an agricultural platform may be established, which will meet the views of, and be sustained by, the whole body of agricultural- ists as a profession. Mr. Wager, of New York, submitted a report on the proposed amendments to the constitution, which was dis- cussed by Messrs. Fay and Waters, of Massachusetts, Cook of Rhode Island, King of New York, Hamilton of New Jersey, Calvert of Maryland, and Worthington of Ohio. The constitution was so amended as to have the pay- ment of ten dollars constitute life membership. Various reports were read, among them one on the Chess in Wheat, from the Smithsonian Institution; on Ag- ricultural History, by B. P. Poore; on Mr. Glover's Collec- tion, by Mr. Peck; and on Western Fruits, by Dr. Warder. Mr. Peck, of Maryland, reported that the committee appointed to urge upon Congress the purchase of Mr. Glover's collection of modelled fruits, had had an inter- view with the proper committee of Congress, and receiv- ed assurances that the matter would receive their atten- tion. A communication from Professor Henry was read, de- tailing experiments on the culture of the "Oregon Pea," made under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution, at the request of the Society. The reimlts at Savannah proved it worthless for that region. A paper on "Aldemey Cattle," by Dr. W. J. G. Mor- ton, was read and referred. Also, a paper on "Potato Oat," from New York. Dr. Warder, of Cincinnati, exhibited over thirty different varieties of western apples, which he descanted upon with his wonted accuracy. An invitation was received and accepted inviting the Society to visit the Metropolitan Mechanics' Institute to day at 11 o'clock. Invitations to visit the oflSce of the Coast Survey and the agricultural room at the Patent Office were also accepted. After some remarks by Mr. Custis, giving his experi- ence in growing wheat in Virginia, the Society adjourned QDtil 7 o'clock, when the Hon. G. P. Marsh had been mvited to address them on the Rural Economy of Conti- fiental Europe. The lecture was listened to with great interest, em- ^ody'mg, as it did, a great amount of original information, and its publication will constitute a valuable addition to agricultural literature. Dr. Warder followed, with an eloquent lecture on 'sedges, replete with practical information. Friday Morning, March 2. The Society met at 10 o'clock, and passed an hour in familiar conversation on agricultural subjects. After a discussion on the appointment of Commission- ers to the Industrial Exhibition at Paris, the matter wa» referred to the Executive Committee. On motion of Mr. Poore, of Massachussetts, it was unanimously Resolved, That the thanks of the United States Agri- cultural Society, be presented to the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, for the facilities afforded for holding this session. The utility of this Institution, in thus serving as a nucleus, around which all useful asso- ciations can rally, at the capital of our Republic, shows the wisdom of the course pursued by the present Regents. Col. Kimmel, of Maryland, read a curious extract from the Maryland Gazette, of September 8, 1747, showing that "cattle shows" were established at Baltimore in that year. On motion of Mr. Waters, of Massachussetts, it was unanimously Resolved, That the thanks of this Society be proffered to the Hon. Geo. P. Marsh, for the beautifully written and exceedingly interesting lecture he was so good as to present to us last evening, and that Professor Henry be requested to wait on him and request a copy for publi- cation. On motion of Col. Calvert of Maryland, it was unani- mously Resolved, That the thanks of this Society be presented to Dr. Warder, for his interesting lecture on the culti^ vation of hedges, and that he be requestedT to present a copy of the same for publication in the transactions of the Society. At eleven o'clock, in accordance with their acceptance of the invitation, the Society adjourned to visit the exhi- bition of the "Metropolitan Mechanic's Institute." After visiting the Exhibition yesterday the society re- turned to the "East Room," and on motion of Mr. King, of New York, it was Resolved, That the thanks of the society be presented to the oflScers of the Metropolitian Mechanics' Inscitute, for their polite invitation to attend their exhibition;, which they have visited and examined with great pleasure. After sone debate, in which a strong desire for concer- ted action on the part of American Agriculturists wa« manifested, it was on motion of Col. Calvert, of Mary- land, Resolved, That the first Friday after the next annual meeting be fixed for the assembling of the Agricultural Convention, and that the press be requested to urge the importance of the subject. Resolutions were passed complimenting the agricultu- ral press, and urging its conductors to consider political economy, and urge united action on such matters con- nected with it as their judgement may suggest. On motion of JMr. Taylor, it was Resolved, That the thanks of the National Agricultural Society, be tendered to the Hon. Mr. Morton, of the United States Senate, for his able report upon the sub- ject of an Agricultural Department. Resolutions were passed complimentary to President Wilder; of the Smithsonian Institution; to Lieut. Maury, (for an invitation to visit the Observatory;) to Mr. King, the Secretary of the society; and to Mr. Poore, of the executive conmiittee. Ii 120 THE FARM JOURNAL. [ApbilI 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. in DEVON BULL "PLOUGHBOY/' C. p. Holoomb'fl Devons. The opposite engravings by Clarkson, represent por- traits of a superior Devon Bull and heifer, from a late importation, owned by C. P. Holcomb, near New Castle, Delaware. While his reputation as a skilful and suc- cessful farmer, is coextensive with the country, his large and beautiful herd of l>evons, to which breed in the commencement of his career as a farmer his attention ^as first drawn, have attracted visitors and purchasers from every section of the Union. Those of our readers who have been in the habit of attending agricultural exhibitions in this, and the ad- joining states of Delaware and Maryland, are familiar with Mr. Holcomb's Devons. We believe they have never missed taking premiums- Each breed of cattle, Durham, Devon, Alderney, &«., have their particular excellencies for different locations, and purposes, as well as their warm advocates. While neither does, nor can, combine every advantage that may be wished for, they each have peculiar merits. and which differ so much that no comparison can fairly be made. The Devons are proverbial for hardiness, and as oxen, are entirely unrivalled. Good working oxen are very much in demand, and are selling at high prices the pres- ent season. We have known within a few days, a pair to sell for $200, and $150 to $175 has not been uncom- mon. This is probably one reason why Devons are now attracting so much inquiry and attention. They are a beautiful and valuable breed. We should be pleased to hear from our friend Holcomb as to the milking quali- ties of his cows. The following is the pedigree of Plowboy and Cherry. Ploughboy, was calved June, 1860; sire Springfield; grand sire, imported Eclipse, (191) ; dam Edith, (679.) Ploughboy took the first prize at the Maryland Show, 1854. Cherry, calved May, 1849 ; sire, Springfield, bred by George Patterson, Esq. ; grand sire. Eclipse ; dam Beauty by Granby— took the first prize at the Maryland Show 1853. Work for the Month. Farm. — Owing to the backwardness of the spring, much of the labor usually performed in March has been necessarily postponed to April. Oats should be sown as soon as the ground will permit. Ground intended for corn not already done, should be plowed and sub- soiled as soon as possible, before it becomes dry and hard. As fine pulverization is of great account, those plows should be used which tend to this end. The Michigan Double Plow is the best we have seen for this purpose. Early Potatoes should be planted in a warm situation. If a few rows be planted every week or two, a portion of the crop is almost certain to *'hit the season," and DEVON COW CHERRY. yield well. Prepare the ground for root crops and for Bowing corn for fodder. Stock should now have particular attention instead of bemg neglected as is too often the case. Ewes and lambs should have a small quantity of grain and roots «aily, and should be allowed to run on high and dry pasture land. Horses that have been standing idle all winter, are liable to fall off in flesh at this season when put to constant work, unless very well cared for. Have salt in the reach of all animals, to lick at pleasure. Fbuit Orchaed :— Trees may still be planted this month and in doing so, cut off all bruised and broken roots ; make the cut from the lower part, so that the cut surface may be down. Head in, by cutting off the ends of branches of large trees. See that the worm is not at work at Peach trees. If the earth was removed from the body of the trees last fall, put a shov- el full or two of wood ashes around each tree, and re- turn the earth that was taken away. Quince trees should be dug around and well manured ; salt scatter- ed under them answers an excellent purpose in produ- cing fair fruit. Gooseberries, currants and grape vines two years old, from cuttings, should now be transplant- ed in places ; in digging the holes, make them large and deep, filling in what was before occupied with sub- soil with surface loam, leaving the subsoil on the top to become improved by the contact of sun and air. These should be heavily manured, as the gooseberry and cur- rant are rank feeders. All transplanted trees should be mulched by putting around the roots manure hay or straw. Grafting apple and pear trees may still be con- tinued till the leaves begin to expand, if the grafts were cut in season and properly taken care of. Cherries, plums and peaches should have been don^ last month. Remove all insects from trees, and apply a wash of equal parts soft soap and lye, and remember that trees need cultivation. Vegetable Gaeden. — Finish planting out esculents for seed, and at a distance from others of the same ge- nus. All kinds of seeds may usually be planted this month, reserving such as are tender of frost till the last. Make plantations of asparagus. Plant out rhu- barb, horse radish and onion setts. Sow peas, radishes, and lettuce, every few days for a succession. Plant out cabbages, cauliflower and lettuce from cold frames. Plant Lima beans, cucumbers and melons in pots, under frames or in inverted sods,* to set out when the weather is settled. Transplant medicinal herbs, and sow seeds for more. Keep the ground hoed and stirred and free from weeds. Flower Garden. — All such work as pruning roses, and flowering shrubs, honeysuckles and creepers of all kinds, laying sod, planting box edging, transplanting herbaceous plants, manuring and digging the flower beds, should be concluded this month. Continue to plant evergi-eens, and all kinds of shrubbery. Wiegilia Rosea, Forsythia Viridissima, Spirea Reevesii, and Pru- nifolia, bloom before the earliest rose. If the weather is suitable, flower seeds may be sown on a warm border the latter part of the month. A good method to plant them is to break the soil very fine, (if the soil is of & clay nature, mix a little sand to loosen it, otherwise the seeds will not be able to germinate,) then take a six inch flower pot inverted, and press the soil, sow the seed in the ring made by the flower pot. If the seed is very fine, merely pressing it with the flower pot will bo found sufficient ; other kinds should have a little soil strewed lightly over them. A good lesson is to be learn- ed on this subject if we observe the successful germi- nation of seeds dropped from the parent plant. Tulips, i. li 122 THE FARM JOURNAL. Um hyacinths, Narciseus, &c , may be planted the early part of this month. Plants that have been wintered in cellars i^lionld be brought out the latter part of the month ; hut previous to that they should have fresh air admitted to them as freely as possible. 1856.] THB FARM JOURNAL. 13S 1 The Moon Theory Exploded. In August 1862, to test the theory of Lydia Jane Pier- son, that briars, bushes, &c., were more certainly des- troyed by being cut in the old of the moon in August where its place is in Leo, than at other times, I made the trial on a field too stony to be plowed, on which were some bunches of briars, the bunches that were on one-half the field were cut in the afternoon of the 14th of August, being the old of the moon, the change taking place next day and being the first day of the sign being in Leo— the other half were cut on the 23d, about the first quarter. The result was, that the cutting was very effective in weakening the briars, for they were not en- tirely killed, but on closer examination there was no perceptible difference in the effect from cutting at the different times. I believe August is a proper time to cut up briars for the purpose of destroying them, and that the moon's place in the ecliptic need not be attended to At the same time I provided many blocks of wood about three inches square and an inch thick, placinj one each morning on a tough grass sod where the graas made little growth at that season, for the purpose of showing the moon's power or want of power to depress the blocks when the moon points down according to the almanac makers, or to raise them when the moon points up. I had purposed to continue putting down a block each morning for several months, but it was only con- tinued till the 20th of September when I left home and was away for a considerable time and on my return found that those that I had put down, had been dis- placed, and I did not again commence. I would recom- mend this last experiment to the attention of the curious and scientific enquirer, not that I expect that the moon would be implicated- in the derangement, but that the causes that have produced effects which she has been charged with may be discovered. A. W. C Montgomery county. ••»- ■«• 'i # View of Ogage Orange Hedges. The above cut was intended to be placed in connection with an article on Osage Orange Hedges, on page 103 of our present number, but was not received in time It presents a view of a property upon which these hedges are growing. Our friends in reach of Philadel- phia, desirous of witnessing them growing in perfec- tion, have only to call on James Gowen, Esq., Presi- dent of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, at his beautiful farm at Mount Airy, near— or rather in— this city, who we doubt not will take pleasure in show- ing them, as weU as some other things of interest to the ngriculturist to be seen there. — «•* — . Our Native Oaks. Among the large variety of trees planted out annually for shade or ornament, it is much to be regretted our native oaks are so lightly esteemed, and we can think of no reason for it, but a general impression which pre- vails that they are of so slow growth. From our own observation, when planted as trees always should be they are in this particular but very little, if any, behind many others more often enquired for. We have frequently noticed with great pleasure, tfaf oaks in the extensive ornamental grounds— over thirty acres- attached to Friends' Haverford School in Dela- ware county, a few miles from Philadelphia, as well ae the profusion of other native trees— ash, beach, poplar, elm, maple, pines, firs, &c. These grounds were plantr ed about twenty years ago, and we have never seen elee- where a more complete exemplification of the results of ffood planting. Many of them now, in respect to size, come up to the idea usually understood by forest tree?. The circle may still be distinctly seen, indicating the size the holes were dug, from six to eight feet in diameter The trees when planted, we understand, were about the ordinary size, and, in addition to the large holes, pro- perly prepared soil was also plentifully used, and the result of the skilful management of the gardener, who was an Englishman, has been a rapid and symmetrical growth that we have not seen equalled elsewhere. The oaks are now nearly as large as many of the other trees, although several of the species are those of slowest growth, such as Quercus, Bicolor obtusiloba. Alba and Nigra. Of Q. macrocarpa there are several specimens of great beauty about thirty feet high, with fine symmetrical heads, not surpassed in this respect by any others in the large collection. They bear fruit abundantly every season. Oaks we all look upon as the pride of our American forests, and they are so spoken of by foreigners. There :<, o maif^stv and flrrandeur about a venerable oak, which has had space to extend its massive branches, not equalled by any other of our native trees, and which may well be regarded with some national pride. They are a fair rival to the old English elms, so prominent a feature of their park scenery, about which they boast so much and value like their patents of nobility. Oaks are well adapted for shade and ornament in the landscape by their broad leaves, various hues, variety of habit and mode of growth, and, so far as we know, are yet free from insect ravages. Their hardiness is pro- verbial, and we hope soon to see them more generally planted. Among the different species, we would recom- mend the macrocarpa, or mossy cup, desirable both for its foliage and beautiful fruit, Coccinnea oscalet oak very attractive for its deep crimson leaves in the fall, Tirctoria or black oak, Falcata or Spanish oak. Nigra or black Jack, and Alba or white oak. Q. nigra is of rath- er slower growth than the others, but has very hand- some, large and thick, glossy leaves, five to eight inches long, obscurely lobed. Quercus Phellos, or willow oak, BO named from the peculiar conformation of the leaves, is also a beautiful species ; and Quercus Palustris, gen- erally found in wet places, but also grows finely on dry soil. It has long and often pendulous branches. Will some of our readers sends us the measurement of any unusually large oak trees in their respective neighbor- hoods, in order to make a record of them in the Farm Journal? There is a white oak at Bartram's garden, near Philadelphia, eighty feet high by thirteen feet in cu-cumlerence. What part of Pennsylvania can beat this? : 1^ What is the Matter? Mr. Batehan of the Ohio Cultivator, seems to have but little love for the United States ^Agricultural Socie- tp, if we may judge from the tone of an article in his last number. Can it be that he has not yet forgiven the Society for holding its exhibition at Springfield, and overshadowing the Ohio Agricultural Society last season? -«••- nnm- gubject, Mowing Machines and Lime Spreaders Again.— A Reply. Mr. J. L. Darlington : — I observe in the March ber of the Farm Journal, an article on the above from your correspondent near Penningtonville, Pa. He appears to have had very bad luck in procuring ma- chines, or implements as he terms them ; and seems to cen- sure the printers for publishing such "exaggerating ac- coants of the wonderful performances of machines." As I know but little about his mowing machine, I will not venture to say anything about it; but have some know- ledge of the Lime Spreaders "that are puffed and blowed about as superior labor saving machines, and awarded pre- nimms by committees who never saw them perform." This assertion, I beg leave with candor and respect to say, is ^»th but a single exception, not correct As far as I am concerned, in every instance save the one alluded to, I have een at the expapie of furnishing lime to try my ma- chines in the pre?l6ce of committees. As to our neighbor being induced to purchase one of those machines from seeing such "puffs and blows," pub- lished in agricultural papers let us enquire : his place is not over four miles from the shops where those machines are built, and he was a frequent visitor at the shop where he purchased the machine, making every inquiry relative to their performance, and was referred to his numerous neighbors who had machines, and tried them successfully^ and gave certificates of satisfaction to the maker and inven- tor, last spring. The correspondent got his machine in an unusually wet season, and lime was generally like mortar. But suppose the weather had been dry and the lime in fine order, would it have been any better in that case? I doubt not, some men never can be suited, or if they are, they either don't know it, or will not acknowledge it I think this is the case with our neighbor. I think he never had anything done right, or made to please him, even to a wheelbarrow. I was cautioned before selling him a machine, that H would do me more harm than good, and told thai neither I nor anybody else could please him. I confess I never sold a machine with as much reluctance in my life, believing I had been properly cautioned. I can at any time produoe certificates from at least fifty of your correspond%t's neigh- bors, that will testify their satisfaction in the onlfations of the same Lime Spreaders that he complains of fiBeside, I can produce numerous letters froih gentlemen at a^stance whom I never saw, giving, in glowing colors, their satis- faction of the operation of my machines. Perhaps the following will be sufficient for the present, and although not written with the view of being published, I will take, however, the responsibility of satisfying the writer, if anything should be unpleasant to him in seeing his letter and name in print LEWIS COOPER. Christiana, Lan. Co,, March 10th, 1855. Petersville, Md., Feb. 28th, 1855. Dear Sir : — The only apology I have to make to you for not writing sooner, is, that I have been up ' to my eyes in lime for the last 12 months. The people in this neighbor- hood say I have the lime mania. I am only sorry your in- ventive genius had not been at work 20 years ago, and I had taken the lime mania at that time. In that case, my estate at this time would have been worth four times as much as it is now. I have hauled four miles, 4250 bushels of quick lime within the last 12 months, and expect to haul and put on 5000 bushels this year. I am in my 59th year ; most of the lime I spread myself. I shall never stop until I lime the last foot of land I own. I put from 25 to 30 bushels to the acre. If I live, I 6hall build a monu- ment to perpetuate the memory of Lewis Cooper, for inven- ing a machine to spread lime, and Thomas I. Marlow, for having the industry to use it, and I shall only lay the foun- dation 9 inches deep, so that those that come after us, will see what useful men we were. I can spread with » yoke of oxen about five acres a day, and with horses, 7 acres. The guano spreader does very well. I spread last fall, six tons of guano and four and a half tons of plaster, at the rate of eight acres a day. It diffuses very well indeed, I would not be without it I purpose sowing all my plaster with it I think the advantage of properly diffusing the quantity I use yearly, will pay for a machine in one season. Yours with respect, THOMAS I. MARLON. 40*. Allen's Mower. We have on file a communication from Peter Dampman, vindicating Allen's mower as made by Lee Pierce A Thomp- son, against ihc charges of Mr Wood, but owing to the late period to was received we are compelled to postpone iu H If I 1 I 124 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Ann, 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 131 u Boil Analyiii. To THB Editor of the Farm Journal: — In the last number of your Journal, I noticed the publication of a letter to Mr. Holcomb, with reference to the annexed com- munication that appeared recently in the Delaware Gazette. I fear that this Yersion of my letter will give oJBfence to V«M Alv*. ^^vMAMj taxAVft wvajLVA m%/**%>XVlix\}Uf UU1K70D tUO rf U\HX3 VA my letter is published; and as it is strictly agricultural in its character, I hope you will not refuse it a place in your col- umns. And allow me to add that both Delaware and Vir- ginia are embraced in the Maryland Agricultural Society; therefore, being advised that the agricultural departments of colleges in both Maryland and Virginia would offer formulae, I hoped that some of the alumni or faculty of the college of my native state would aid in restoring soil analysis to the Farmer — believing as I do, that the farmer should have every encouragement to self dependence in this respect, as he has in every other, and (if you will allow a play upon words,) as pharmacy was the mother of general chemistry, 80 farmers may prove the parents of agricultural chemistry. We talk about the acience of Agricultural Chemistry, but where is the sage who can, like the veteran apothecary, Bouillon La Grange, point his pupils to the example of Glauber, Knnkel. Charas, Lemerie, Rouolle, Macquer, Cadet, Baume, Lavoisier, Priestley, Borthollet, Guyton, Fouroroy, Chaptal,^elletier, Vauquelin, Proust and a host of others. It is gravely asserted in a late number of the Highland (Scottish) Journal of Agri., that one year is required to per- form the perfect analysis of twelve samples of soil; therefore soil analysis must be pronounced forever beyond the reach of the farnjer for all practical purposes, as the expense is beyond iy tneans : — I may make the same remark with re- gard to a perfect diagnosis of any disease, however simple, and say that it would require one month of my time to use all the modern means of determining what the disease is and that it is better to make a perfect examination where life is concerned, or to avoid medicine altogether. Prof. Henry acted wisely, at the time re/erred to. He was more fully aware, than I, of the discredit into which all the old systems of soil analysis had fallen ; but, anticipating the discredit of all quantitative soil analysis, I requested my formula to be deposited in the Smithsonian Institute, for a few years. Mr. Booth's unanswerable denunciation of ul- timate, or perfect soil analysis may have introduced the ap- proximative, or qualitative mode by normal solutions into Dr. Higgin's laboratory, but it was before that time repudi- ated by his assistant, and the attempt at quantitative anal- ysis preferred: as may be seen by referring to his reports of 18S3, as contrasted with 1854. Since that time, the use of normal solutions, instead of weights, has become popular in Europe, and now we may expect that it will be viewed with favor by some learned men in the |fcited States— particularly, as the merest tyro in ohemiitry can now detect the presence of 25 pounds of Phosphoric acid in an acre of soO, in a few hours— and one fact, with regard to one hundred soils, is of infinitely more value, than one thousand facts with regard to one soil. After many years experience in teaching alumni from most of the colleges and universities in the United States I may be allowed to express the opinion that, although far- mers may spend three days of each week in attending in- structions on Geology and general Chemistry, yet, without abridging these, either in point of time or importance, a few hours of each week should be awarded to the most successful student, in another department, applied Chem- istry, to which, there should be no other door but merit, and in which, there should be no claim for instruction, but suc- cess. David Stewart, M. D., Baltimore, Feb. 22d, 1855. The following is the letter published in the Delawaw Gazette, referred to in the above. — Ed. To C. P. Johnson : — My attention has been called to the publication of a letter of mine in your issue of Friday 17th ultimo, and I must beg you to allow me the privilege of ex- plaining what I mean by certain opinions therein briefly vs^ivSSou, Wivij nuivu lujr {juuu irieiiu, Air. Kennedy, is bet. ter acquainted than those of your readers with whom J haya not had the pleasure of personal intercourse. First— With regard to the general application of chemis- try to agriculture, I have long since formed the opinion that the matter was still in embryo; and that the attempts to teach agricultural chemistry were generally attended with more harm than benefit. On several occasions I have been applied to by colleges and associations of intelligent agricul- turists, in different parts of the United States, to name a reliable teacher in this department; and, when I have ex- pressed the diflSculty, as above, it has generally occasioned surprise that one who has spent nearly a quarter of a cen- tury in the application of Chemistry — and especially to analysis— should be so sceptical in relation to its applicatiori to Agriculture. I could state many reasons for these opin- ions, and must acknowledge that they appear to conflict with my letter, above referred to, in the encouragement of ioil analysis. . -' The late Geologist of Delaware, Mr. Booth, has adopted these sentiments and expressed them publicly; but he had gone too far, by deferring the matter until a moreconfenient season, which can never arrive. Believing, as I &, that what is certainly known on this subject is of immense value to the farmers, and that this ^Hbudding science" is destined to blossom and bear fruit, I have been for years attemptmg to cultivate it, and prepare the ground for its reception; but, as I remarked in my letter, the next generation of Delaware farmers may be the soil on which it will unfold its treasures. What we most want is reliable statistics, carefully made up in all parts of our extensive country. In order to facilitate this— in one of the departments referred to— in the year 1850, 1 corresponded with Prof. Henry, of the Smimsonian Institute, and endeavored to induce that Institute to offer a premium for the best formula for soil analysis. At the same time, I placed in the Smithsonian Institute my formula, re- fusing under any ciMumstances, to receive any compensation or premium, shou|(S one be offered, especially as it was my suggestion. I endeavored to show the importance of statis- tics in soil analysis, and that the first step to uniformity should be a national formulV-revised every year, perhaps, but still having a tendency to promote uniformity of prac- tice, upon the same principle that we have a national Phar- macopoeia and formula, that are quoted over the whole world as the United States' Formula. No one will for a moment admit that there ever was, or could be, a deviation in the combining proportions of Chlorine and Mercury, in the for- mation of Calomel; yet every one will acknowledge that Howard's Calomel is stronger than that made by the U. S. formula; and, by the way, it was the decennial revision of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, in Washington, that suggested the above idea to m«, being Chairman of the Maryland delega- tion in tl: -^ National Convention, and appointed on the com- mittee of revision. Now the very best evidence of the truth of my opinions about the aciejice of agricultural chemistry, is the answer of Prof. Henry, that it would be impossible to get any three chemists to unite in preferring any formula for soil analysis. My formula was deposited in the Smithsonian Institute in 1850; in the constant use of it during tl^nsuing two years, I made several improvements; and in^e winter of 1852, I demonstrated it to a number of intelligent gentlemen in my office among others, to the principal of the collegiate depart- ment'of the University of Maryland. In the spring of 1853, Dr Higgins, the agricultural Chemist of Maryland, requested to write it out for his report to the Legislature of that year and it was published in that report, verbatim with the manuscript copy now in my possession, with the remark that it was the best formula for qualitative (the quantitative la not mine) analysis, with which he was acquainted. Since its publication, I have made the most important improve- ments that have ever occurred to me in regard to this for- mula* and now, that a premium of $100 is offered for the best essay and formula, in this relation, by the Maryland Btate Agricultural Society, and I am appointed Chairman of the Committee with Dr. Higgins, I am anxious to see some improvements made on these formula by others, especially by the agricultural department of Delaware College ; in my relation to the matter, I cannot participate in the contest The premium is to be awarded in May next. If there is a state in the Union where agriculture is of paramount importance, and rural economy should be the distinguishing characteristic — that State is Delaware; and truth, in this relation, should be the hidden treasure for which her sons should search. DAVID STEWART, M. D., Chemist of Maryland State Agricultural Soc'y* BaltivorE) Nov., 1854. «•> President of the Feimsylvania State Agricultural Society. The American Farmer thus notices the election of Mr. GowEN to the Presidency of the Pennsylvania State Agri- cultural Society: — "Judge Watts having declined a re-elec- tion to the Presidency, James Gowen, Esq., the distinguish- ed farmer of Mount Airy, was chosen in his place ; and we congratulate the Society on the honor done itself, in confer- ring the Presidency upon this veteran in the cause of agri- cultural improvement. Few men now living have labored more assiduously and effectually than Mr. G., in arousing that spirit which is so rife throughout the land, for the de- velopement of the agricultural resources of our country. As far back as wo can remember, since our connexion with this press, now for more than twenty years, has his name been familiar to us, in this connexion — and our pages, as well as those of many other agricultural journals of the United States, bear witness to his indefatigable efforts for the exaltation of the character of the farmer, and the im- provement of his condition." 4«» T. P. Bemington's Improved Stock. We recently paid a visit to the farm of Thomas P. Rem- ington of Philadelphia, situated on the Lancaster Turnpike, about six miles from Market St., and were agreably surprised to find so large a number of high bred animals, consisting of Durhams and Alderneys, together about fifty-three head. Owing to their owner having made no effort to make his herd extensively known, the public generally are not aware that this large collection comprises some of the best blood now in the country, no pains or expense having been spared to obtain them from the very best sources, both here ^nd in England. The splendid Bull 1st Lord Barrington, which took the first premium at the late Pa. State Fair, now owned by Dennis Kelly, was bred by T. P. Remington; he sUU owns his dam. Lady Barrington 4th ; who, although thin in flesh, attracted our attention, by her fine proportions, and evident marks of high breeding; she is a good milker, and has given thirty quarts of milk per day. We noticed particu- larly among the Short-horns, for their fine tapering muzzles, delicate head and horns, and other indications of high blood, Pocaliontaa, roan; Scphia, red; Milk-Maid, who gives twenty-six quarts per day; Adriana white, a very fine cow, and Donna Maria, now in calf the second time, which gave twenty quarts per day with her first calf; Perfection, red, has the frame for a very large animal, is very broad behind, and over the hips and back, and in other respects is a true Durham. Imported Rowena, roan, is the mother of young bull, Richard Booth, now about fifteen months old ; he is certainly a very superior young bull, of very fine qual- ity. In his head, neck, eye, muzzle and horns, he reminded us of C. J. Wolbert's celebrated Bull, Colostra, that wa« never surpassed, so far as we know, in these points. Rowena was bred by Hon. H. N. Hill of Barrington, and got by Sir Walter 2nd, E. H. B., 10834. Young Richard Booth was sired by Mr. Richard Booth's celebrated "Monk." T. P. Remington has at present three Durham bulls in his herd, viz., 2nd Lord Barrington, two and a half years old, that took a special premium at the late Pa. State Fair, Richard Booth, and a younger one, "Yorkeshireman," about a year old ; also two Alderney bulls, one of them, Patrick 3rd, %& stylish an Alderney bull as we have ever seen. The Alderney cows are, several of them, very fine. At our special request, and in answer to enquiries from us, T. P. Remington addressed us the following letter, giving the pedigreo of his Bulls, and has also kindly added the other remarks about his herd. His opinions as to the great merits of the Alderneys for milking, are confirmed by nearly all who have tried them. To the Editor of the Farm Journal : — I owe you an apol- ogy for not having sooner replied to your solicitations for pedigrees of my cattle. As regards the 1st Lord Barring- ton, bred by me, referred to by your note of yejkcrday, and now the property of Dennis Kelly, Esq., he^l^s calved January 18th, 1852. Color red and white; dam, Lady Barrington 4th, by Bates' Bull "Meteor." Sire, Fortune, by Bates' Bull "Symmetry" ; gr. dam Lady Barrington 3rd, by Dutchess Bull Cleveland Lad, No. 3407, E, H. B. ; gr. g. dam. Lady Barrington 2nd., by Dutchess Bull Belvidere, 1706, E. H. B. ; gr. gr. g. dam. Lady Barrington 2nd., by a son of Mr. Mason's Herdsman, 304, E. H. B. ; gr. gr. gr. g. dam, Young Alicia, by Wonderful, 700, E. H. B. ; gr. gr. gr. gr. g. dam. Old Alicia, by Alfred ; gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. dam, by Young Favorite, son of Favorite, E. H. B., Ac. "Meteor" was by imported Duke of Wellington, bred by the late Thomas Bates, Esq., of Kirkleavington, England, got by Dutchess Bull, Shorttail, 2621, E. H. B. ; dam, Ox- ford, having obtained the first prize, for tho best short horn- ed cow, open to all England, in July, 1839, Royal Agricul- tural Society's Exhibition. The dam of "Meteor," was im- ported Dutchess, also bred by the late Thomas Bates, Esq. "Ruby," the dam of Fortune, was awarded the first prize in 1850, by the New York State Agricultural Society, in class of Milk Cows, being a thorough bred improved short horn. She gave in eighty days on grass feed only, over two tons of milk, and made from June 10th to the 20th, and from August 10th to the 20th, over forty pounds of butter. The dam of Ruby was Willy 2nd, see American H. B. 104. My young Bull, 2nd Lord Barrington, was bred by Lew- is G. Morris, and Noel J. Becar, Esqs. ; was calved October 24th, 1852 ; color, red and white ; got by imported Bull Billy Pitt, E. H. B. 9967 ; dam. Lady Barrington the 12th, by Earl Ducie's Dutchess Bull, 4th Duke of York, E. H. B. 10167 ; gr. dam. Lady Barrington 8th, by 2nd Duke of Ox- ford, E. H. B. 9046 ; gr. g. dam. Lady Barrington 5th, by 4th Duke of Northumberland, E. H. B. 3649 ; gr. gr. g. dam. Lady Barrington 3rd, as above, E. H. B. 3407. Lady Barrington 8th, grand dam of 2nd Lord Barrington, K IH THE FARM JOURNAL. [Apiii was sold at public auction in fall of 1853, for two hundred guineas, and the 4th Duke of York, for five hundred guin- eas, at the great sale of the late Earl Ducie's stock. "Billy Pitt" was got bj the celebrated Bates' Bull, 2nd Duke of Oxford, 9046, B. H. B. ; also sire of Dutchess Bull, 4th Duke of York ; dam. Blossom, by Dutchess Bull Bel- ▼idere, 1706, E. H. B. The 2nd Duke of Oxford was got hy the famous Duiohesa Bull, "Duke of Northumberland," £. H. B. 1940 ; perhaps the finest Bull ever bred in Eng- land. My young Bull Richard Booth, got by Mr. Richard Booth's celebrated "Monk," now about one year old ; dam, imported Rowena, bred by Hon. H. N. Hill, of Barrington, got by Sir Walter 2nd, E. H. B. 10834, has been pronoun- ced by good judges, a very superior animal. I have twenty-nine head of female short horns, generally deep in the Bates' blood. My stock of Alderneys at this time, consists of nineteen females and two male animals, mostly reserved from a large number, bred by myself, and embodying strains of blood, derived from selections made by Colonel Le Couteur, Prei^ ident of the Royal Agricultural Society at Jersey, impor- tations of Roswell L. Colt, Esq., of Patterson, N. J., and from herds of the late Nicholas Biddle and Philip Physic, Esqg. I may remark, that after five or six years experience, I am extremely partial to the pure bred Alderney cattle, for dairy purposes. I have found them to be extremely hardy, never having had a single case of sickness among them ; they thrive well upon a limited quantity of coarse food, but with the same amount and quality of it as is usually given to short horns, are easily bred to large size. PhiladMpTiia, 1855. THOMAS P. REMINGTON. We hope at another time, to be able to give some account of this splendid farm, buildings, and extensive lawn of, we should suppose, nearly 100 acres, planted with the choicest assortment of ornamental trees and shrubbery. The proprietor was absent at our visit, but we were told the farm comprises over 450 acres, extending nearly a mile along the turnpike, on which we observed an osage orange hedge, some four years planted, and within the enclosure, a double row of elms, twenty-five feet apart, extending the whole distance. The land appeared to us of good quality, and in fine or- der, and the style, completeness and expense of the differ- ent buildings, dwelling houses, stone spring house of hewn •tone, paved, ceiled and plastered, carriage house, barn, •tabling, farm house, certainly not exceeded by any thing we have yet seen in this country. The arrangement of the farm house, with its milk cellar, ice house and seed room, all under one roof with piazza extending all around it, •truck us as highly convenient and complete, and we should be pleased to have the plan to throw before our readers, be new and rare evergreens, capable of standing our climate We doubt if there are in this country, many private collec* tions of rare trees and shrubs in open culture, to equal thii one. The above hasty notes we made without the knowledn or consent of the proprietor, but we hope he will excuse the liberty wo have taken, as we consider the matter of publio interest and for the public benefit. No one who goes to the expense he has done, to perfect and complete as far as pos. sible, not only all the general, but even most minute detaili of high practical farming, but also every ornamental ad- dition which can make country life beautiful and attractive can expect it to escape unnoticed. Our friends in New York and New England know how to show off what they have done in these respects. In the neighborhood of PhiladeK phia, we have farms and country seats not the least inferi- or, and we hope in future numbers of the Journal, to fol- low with other notices of some of them. *•» lieving it would be extensively imitated. A separate stair- way for the farm hands to their lodging rooms, is so arrang- ed as to be outside of, and unconnected with any of the other rooms. We saw a steaming apparatus in full operation at the barn, used for steaming hay, straw, and roots for the stock. The ornamental trees already planted out and in rows What is "Thorough-Bred" and c Hew Jersey State Agrionltoral Exhibition. ' We understand the Executiye Committee of this So- ciety have fixed upon Camden, opposite Philadelphia, for their State Fair next fall. Whatever the Jersey farmers take in hand they are apt to do most thorough- ly, and we may accordingly look for an outpouring, not only of improved stock of different kinds, especially horses, of which some of the best specimens in the country are in New Jersey, but also those fine vegetable productions for which she is deservedly famous, melons, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and other products of the gar- den; apples, peaches, pears and plums from the orchard; and a display of field crops, for which her farmers are so particular in procuring choice specimens of seed, corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, &c. It is also not generally known that one of, if not the greatest Pomologist in the world resides at Plainfield, New Jersey, a Belgian gen- tleman, L. E. Benchmans, from whom contributions of his immense collection may no doubt be expected at a New Jersey State Exhibition. We understand he has at this time growing twelve hundred varieties of pears, twelve hundred apples, and twenty thousand seedling pears. The location at Camden we should suppose to be the best that could be selected on various accounts, and we have no doubt of its complete success. «•» Death of Thomas Hancock. Soon after our pages had gone to the foundry for ste- reotyping last month, we received information of the de- cease of Thomas Hancock, of Burlington, New Jersey. Although rather late for a notice, we may remark that agriculture and horticulture have lost in him a firm and zealous friend, whose persevering efforts for a number of years have contributed very much to advance these two great interests, and attract to them public attention. In the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, he was one of the most active members, and will be greatly missed, being a liberal contributor himself to its exhibitions, es- pecially in the department of fruits, to which branch he had long devoted close attention in obtaining and pro- pagating such new varieties as were valuable and adapt- ed to our climate. His large experience in this partic- ular made his counsel much sought for as a member of its fruit committees. Thomas Hancock was remarkable for his energy, en- torprise and public spirit, filling many positions in his own vicinity of profit, trust and honor. He was one of the active originators of the Burlington County Agricul- tural Society, and latterly devoted considerable time and means to the improvement of stock. He was pro- bably most extensively known as the proprietor of the Ashton Nurseries, near Burlington, established over thirty years ago, and containing one of the best collec- tions of fruit and ornamental trees and shrubbery in the countiT". Budded and Standard Roses. There seems to be a very general dislike to budded rosesy and many of our finest varieties, which by the way hap- pen to be the most difficult of propagation by cuUingB^ are rejected because difficult to obtain on their own roots. The objection to budded roses is not without some reason, but we think the force of it depends very much on the kind of stock used. The common sweet briar and maiden's blush are objectionable from their great liability to sucker. We have known a fine sucker to be cultiva- ted and trained with the greatest care, to the irreparable injury and loss of the budded plant of more feeble growth, and the mistake not discovered till the bloom appeared. Where the stock and scion, too, do not form a perfect union, the latter is also very liable to be broken off. Nearly all the objections, however, to budded roses fail when the mannetti stock is used, and if care is taken to obtain them on this variety which is now generally used for the purpose, there need be no difficulty. The man- netti first brought into notice by T. Rivers, has several very great merits. It is a very strong grower, and plants budded on it often grow much faster than on their own roots. It is extremely hardy, and never suckers. Standard roses worked high on a single stem, have not usually done well in our climate, owing to the exposure of the naked stem to our hot scorching suns. The man- netti does not seem to mind either intense cold or great heat, and its bark becomes almost as tough and rough as a tree. We have seen such fine perpetuals as Geant des Bataille, Souvenir de Malmaison, William Jesse and Mrs. Bosanquet, worked at about four feet high, on a single stem and in bloom at the same time, making a most elegant tree of roses, with perfect branches. When the climbers are thus managed they droop over and make a weeping rose tree, of any desired height, four, five or six feet, and are a most attractive object for the lawn. -«•»- To Improve our Roads. A correspondent, who has been suffering considerably the past winter from bad roads, and thinks the present system of road mending in Chester county entirely in- efficient, and the road taxes not judiciously expended, proposes a remedy as follows, which he wishes circulated through the Farm Journal : "I propose contracts being made with young men to supply stone as it may be required ; that it be broken up small at the expense of the farmers, and the roads covered to the thickness of six inches with these small stones, thereby filling up all the hollow places and ruts; (the road to be higher in the middle than the sides) the road to be then covered with a layer of dirt, six inches, to make the road firmer and better to travel upon. "You can easily see that in a few years (three or four) what a beautiful road there oan be mftde, which will then be dry, being impervious to water, and gradually "by these alternate layers of stone and dirt" become metamorphised into a turnpike, which, although the first outlay will be greater, can be kept in order at a much less cost than our roads of the present day, on which nothing is returned though much is expended. A SurrEKER from Bad Roads." Trifolinm Incarnatnm, or Crimson Clover. A recent number of the "Transactions of the High- land Agricultural Society of Scotland," contains a prize essay (for which a gold medal was awarded) by James Fulton, respecting this new clover. From his several trials with it during three or four years, it seems to pos- — ft, of^rnck oY^roArflinnrv T>ro?>Arf.i*>a -arhJ/*]! will tnalro if exceedingly valuable. His series of experiments com- menced in 1852, and were nine in number, extending down to quite a recent period. From them he estab- lishes the fact that the crimson clover flowers over a long period of its growth ; that its rapid and luxuriant vegetation is hardly equalled by any other plant, coming forward to the scythe in ten or twelve weeks after being sown ; that its product to the acre is very large, and it answers capitally to precede a crop of wheat, both by its mechanical effect on the soil, and from its alleged power of collecting nitrogen. In one of the experiments the wheat after the crimson clover, was one-third heavier than after turnips, other circumstances being similar ; and it is thought it will be quite possible to grow it in England as an intermediate or stolen crop between a wheat and turnip crop, provided it can be got into the ground by the middle or before the end of August. In the first experiment, the seed was sown on the 12th of May, and on the 17th the blade began to appear above ground, and on the 23d the leaves were fully developed. On the 21st of August (same season) one square was cut from three separate parts of the field, the average weight of which (green from the scythe) gave eighteen and a half tons to the imperial acre ; some of the plants meas- uring four feet three and a half inches in height. The flowering commenced by the end of June, when the height of the plants was eleven to thirteen inches, and it matured seeds by the 1st of September. When in full bloom the field was an object of striking beauty, pre- senting to the eye one unbroken sheet of scarlet. It appeared to be an especial favorite with bees ; on look- ing at it on a fine day in July, it was difficult to fix on a single plant that had not many of them upon it. In the third experiment, the crimson clover was sown on the 17th of July after a crop (rf potatoes had been taken off. It came up on the third day, and grew so rapidly as to cover the ground in an incredibly short time. The weight of the crop was taken on the 17th of October, three months after the date of sowing, and was found to weigh twenty-one and a half tons to the impe- rial acre. Among other phenomena in the third experiment, was noticed its extraordinary power of resisting frost, free radiation, and a remarkably succulent condition, which may account for the surprising weight of the crop. Its radiating powers, to which its immunity from the effects ot frost were probably due, were very conspicuous in dewy and frosty mornings. In the former the clover ■«^as bent down by the deposit of dew, which was much heavier than on other plants, and in the latter it was so densely covered with hoar as to appear like a faU of snow. The above are extraordinary statements. We have made arrangements to procure some seed for trial in the United States. It is said to be an ItaUan species. Alsike Clover. Aj3 there have been numerous enquiries the present season for alsike clover, by many of our enterprising far- mers, who wish to give a trial at least to every new arti- cle, that promises to be of any value, we have made some examination into its history, and find that it has u66n cuAKivai,evA lor mauy years in Sweden in the district of Alsike, whence its name, and that it is generally consid- ered a hybrid, between the white and red clovers, there- fore called "Trifolium Hybridum. It is said to throw out a great number of stems from one root, even as many as thirty. It is a perennial plant, grows very rapidly after cutting, and is said to be remarkable for standing well the hardest frosts. Dr. Emerson, in his Farmer's Encyclopedia, which by the way treats on every thing relating to agriculture, arranged in alphabetical order, says: "Alsike Clover possesses the strength and vigor of the red, with the permanency of the white clover." We hope many of our friends will give it a trial the present season and forward us the results. It can be obtained, we understand, at the seed stores in this city at $1 per ft). Large Oaks. Dr. Elwyn informs us in reference to the article in last Farm Journal on large oaks, that there are two in East Bradford, Chester county, one on his own farm, and the other On the adjoining farm of Jonathan Paxson, both exceeding in size that referred to in Bartram's garden, one being over twenty-one feet, and the other over nine- teen feet in circumference. «» The White Blackberry. The White Blackberry is a most vigorous grower, often attaining a height of ten feet. It is a much more prolific bearer than the common variety, or field blackberry, the buds being set on the stalks in the immediate vicinity of each other — there being generally not more than the distance of two inches between them, and each bud hav- ing two spurs instead of one, as in the case with the lat- ter. The berries are of large size, amber colored, and possessing a flavor remarkably rich and sweet. There is no difficulty whatever attending its cultivation ; all that is essentially requisite being a rich, light, and mod- erately warm soil, and a copious and sustained supply of forest leaves and scrapings. A compost formed of these, with a small quantity of gypsum, and frequent hoeings to lighten the soil and prevent the radiation and growth of weeds, will almost invariably secure success in the cultivation of this valuable fruit. The original cultivator of this fruit in this country, is Mr. J. S. Needham, of Dan vers, Mass., and "Needham's White Blackberry," of which a very good engraving was pub- lished some time since in the New England Farmery is probably the most prolific and valuable variety of the fruit to be found. The White Blackberry and Black Raspberry are both valuable fruits, and should have a place in every fruit and kitehen garden in the laud. — N. E. Farmer. Valuable Sheep. J. S. Patterson has recently sold, in Wisconsin, a number of French merino ewes, at $200 each, and a year old buck for $1,000. i/ \ ■I'l M'\ 132 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 183 Allen's Mowing Machine. To THE Editoe of THE Farm Jouenal ! — In the Farm Journal for March, a communication appeared over the signature of Thomas Wood, from which, as it appears to me, Yerj prejudicial and unjust inferences might be drawn in reference to Allen's mower. The iudcrment of a person as to the resnective merits of a plow, scythe or cradle, who is entirely unaccus- tomed to their use, would not be considered very safe or reliable. Much more so is it the case with farm ma- chinery, which is more or less complicated, requiring a degree of experience and practical knowledge rarely possessed by the majority of those who purchase. I purchased an Allen mower last season, made by the firm of Lee & Co., which certainly was not finished as it should have been for the price paid for it, or for the re- putation of the inventor and manufacturer. Yet, with its defects, which were confined principally to th^ screw bolts and shank of the knives, which I remedied in part, I would not take five hundred dollars for the machine, with the understanding that I was to return back to the scythe and snead. My grass last season was badly lodged, and upon in- troducing the machine into the field as it came from the shops, like our friend's it did not perform well. It was set too low, raising the stones out from the surface of the soil into the knives, choked badly, and as a matter of course worked hard for the team. I set it higher by inserting a piece of wood in between the upper side of the tongue and the lower side of the staple, which steadies the tongue ; ground the half knife at the ex- treme end of the bar ; sharpened the rest with a com- mon hand saw file ; tightened the burrs, and was then enabled to cut wet or dry, lodged or standing, with no more draft, except in spots, than I experienced in ordi- nary sod plowing, and no perceptible side draft, as in operating I had to guide the horses about as much to- wards the grass as from it. Imposition is practiced to a great extent in the use of rolled iron for bolts just as it comes from the mill. No manufacturer who has a true regard for his reputation as a mechanic, and as a just and honorable man to those who confide in his integrity to furnish machinery not liable to get easily out of order, should use screw bolts which require unscrewing at time, without square shanks, an inch or two in length from the head, proportionate to the depth of wood in which they are imbedded, and to the strain necessary to secure the burr in its proper po- sition. They should also be double burred where the strain is severe, with a spring key inserted below the burrs to keep them in their proper place. The prices paid for machines at present appear to me to be very generous, taking the value of the material of which they are composed into consideration; yet I should regard it as quite a speculation to pay an extra price for such as are thoroughly finished, having all parts made proportionate to the strain brought to bear upon them as then they would be likely to be in order for business at all times, especially when time is most valuable, un- less injured through carelessness or accidents. I think that I obtained over three tons of hay by the use of the mower more than I should have had by using the scythe last season, besides being satisfied as to the amount of strength I could rely upon. Indeed so effec- tive was it in its operation, although not well put to- gether, that I had not one full swath mowed with the scythe across my fields. THOS. HOPKINS. Montgomery co., 3d mo. 22d, 1866. «♦» Manures. Mr. Darlington : — We are pleased to see that the at- tention of farmers is so frequently called to the subject of manures through the columns of the "Farm Journal." The matter that has appeared in its pages on this sub- ject from time to time has been important help to us Iq the management of our manure heaps. There is not a farmer who subscribes for your Jour- nal, and practices but half of what he will find on this subject alone, but who is paid ten times over the amount of his subscription. The manure heap is really the "farmer's bank," as it is often termed ; and in propor- tion to the issues the farmer is able to make from it yearly in quality and quantity, in about like proportion will be his yearly income. It is also very evident that as at present managed by farmers generally, there is no one way in which they are so wasteful and sustain such regular and heavy losses. It would be no difficult matter in a day's travel through some sections of this State, to point out more than a score of barnyards where manure is wasting an- nually, the value of which is more than equal to all the taxes the farmers are subject to. If farmers would take the care of their manures they might do at a trifling cost, their taxes could be paid and not feel them to be such a burden as we often do. The old adage, "penny wise and pound foolish,'* can be said of farmers often with too much truth. One will meet*' continually with those who are industrious, and practice the most rigid economy in most that concerns them, yet they do not seem to dream that the rains are carrying away from their manure heap annually what is worth to them from fifty to a hundred dollars, which could be all saved at but little cost. There have been numerous plans suggested to the far- mers for improving the quality of manure, and to pre- vent it from wasting from the yard. 'One is the erection of a shed over the entire mass. This may be proper in some cases, but to it there are, we think, some very grave objections ; and besides it is an expense that far- mers generally will not be willing to incur. That sun- shine and showers materially diminish the quality and quantity too of the manure heap in a badly constructed yard, or when little or no care is taken of the heap it- self, is a fact that every farmer ought to be aware of ; and this he may prevent in a good measure at much less expense than erecting sheds. Instead of the manure yard being level or oval, as is often the case, it should be of a basin form, considerably hollowed out, so as to retain the juices, and be a recep- ' tacle also for whatever material may be thrown in to.j make manure. This can be done to most yards in a short time by plowing it up, and with a horse scraper running the loose ground out around the edge of the yard. But this will be of little use in preventing the manure from being leached and wasted by the rains^ if the water is suffered to run from the roof of the baru into the yard, for it would take a pit-fall deeper than any farmer would like to have before his bam to hold oil the water that comes off such a roof in the course of a year. What falls from the clouds directly on the heap is sufficient to promote decomposition, and prevent too high fermentation; and in most cases this amount of moisture is necessary. But let the water from the roof be, by all means, con- veyed off. The advantage will more than cover the ex- pense of good tin spouting in one year. As well might our wives expect to succeed in making a kettle of good soap from ashes that have been exposed to the weather, and leached by the water from the roof of some build- ing, as for us to look for a prbper return from our fields where we have spread manure that has been drenched by the water from the roof of the bam. And yet there will be no small amount of manure wasted if the yard is not properly fenced. Every yard should be enclosed with a good post and rail fence, with gates large and small for passing in and out with the team, or otherwise. This will confine the cattle and other beasts of the farm 80 that their excrements will not be scattered all about the premises, which, while it is wasted, is also a nuis- ance. We do not hesitate to say that the farmer who will but take the pains, and incur the cost of fixing his yard as suggested in these remarks, will be amply paid in one year by the extra quantity and improved quality of ma- nure he will be able to apply to his land. When the manure is left in the yard until the fall of the year, as is usually the case, it often becomes so rot- ten that the yard is not a fit place for beasts to lie or even to stand. To prevent this the farmers should have the whole heap well littered over with straw, or leaves from the woods, once every few weeks. This, while it gives a comfortable place for the cattle to rest, also protects the manure, which is now sufficiently decomposed to apply to the land, from the evaporating effects of sunshine and ^i°^- J. H. ALEXANDER. Near Lewistown, Pa. You will permit me to say, sir, in this connection, that P., from Muncy, Pa., in the March No. of the Journal, in the application of "Poultry Manure," as he says, ''upon hills or beds containing the seeds," will if followed cause many to lose a considerable part of the benefit, which they otherwise might desire from its application, if judiciously applied. In his communication, if I do not misunderstand him, he states an important fact as a benefit, which is most certainly a damage, the loss of a part of the fertilizing portions of the manure, 'Ht having decomposed by losing much of its ammonia.'^ By all means cover up, or work into the soil all manures which will part with any quan- tity of ammonia which they contain, by being exposed to the action of the atmosphere. RICHARD BEDFORD. Campbelsville, Sullivan co.. Pa., March 19th, 1856. -*%^ -*•*- Hen Manor*. Mr. Darlington :— If it be in season, in reply to the inquiry of Wm. Hartley, of Bedford Co., Pa., I would say, I have had some experience for several years past, in the saving and application of hen manure to various crops of the field and garden. I have used a mixture of hen manure, plaster and ashes, with marked success in parts of my corn field, for some time past. The hen manure should be gathered monthly—weekly is better, and packed away in barrels or boxes, well mixed with some plaster or charcoal to retain the ammonia. When it is to be used, not before, mix it with some ashes, putting in each hill of com a good handful or more, being careful to cover it with one or two inches of the soil, and I have never known it to "have an injurious effect on vegetation," but on the con- trary, it gives it an early start, and if the ground is strong enough to perfect the plant in the latter part of tho season, no person thus applying it need fear but that he will be well remunerated for his labor, with an abundant harvest. For the Farm Journal. Bams and Wint9ring Stock. Mr. Editor:— J. S. K., in the March number of the Journal, speaking of the bams of Pennsylvania, thinks that they are not quite the "thing," as the feed for cat- tle is stored over the stables in which they are stalled. The bams of northern Pennsylvania and western New York are constmcted differently, and the hay is kept at the extreme end of the barn from the cattle, and often lower than the cattle, still I have frequently seen them refuse to eat as he describes, and nearly starve them- selves, when the hay could not have possibly come in contact with the volatile matter arising from their ex- crements and breath. I consider that it is the course of feeding, instead of the feed, that is the cause. Cattle are kept wholly upon hay without a change until it be- comes unpalatable, therefore they dislike it, and will not eat but enough to sustain them. Should cattle have their feed changed as often as every other day, giving them a feed of cornstalks, straw, or some other coarse feed, it will make the hay relish well, and they will of course eat greedily. Cattle should also have salt once or twice a week in winter as well as in summer, and it wiU tend to give them an appetite. If there is any tendency to scours by frequent salting, mix pulverized alum with your salt, and all works well. Our lumbermen practice mixing alum with their salt for working cattle, and salt them every day, and they do well and eat well. A. H. C. Farmers' Valley, McKean co.. Pa., March 13, '66, [W e have never known cattle scour with eating salt if they have it always ready of access, which they should have. A lump of rock salt should always be in the yard or in their troughs. — Ed.] «•» Bye Grass. J. L. Darlington, Esq. : — At the conclusion of an article on rye ^rass, in the March number of your val- uable and interesting Journal, you ask for further infor- mation about the varieties of that herb. In England they have one variety known as "Dwarf," which appears from the botanical description you give of several varieties to be the same as the one called "L. P. humile, only six or seven inches long." It is always considered the best for grazing purposes, and I^think it r il )' 134 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 135 ■0 preferable also for making into haj from this fact, that although much shorter than most others, it throws out a great number of shoots from the root, which makes a thicker and finer quality of hay. I have generally found tall, single-stemmed grasses coarse, therefore less nutritious. As Sinclair says, Pacy's is the one best suited for lawns, &c., but the dwarf is best for general agricul- ture, as you can either graze or mow it, which is a choice all farmers ought to have, as a change of season from wet to dry, or "vice versa," may alter their origi- nal intention with regard to the use they may make of it.» The quality of most of the rye grasses I have seen in this country is coarse and long, which I consider a great objection. I look upon the best variety of rye grass as next in value to clover, and no pasture, whether for temporary or permanent use, is what it ought to be when it is ex- cluded. « It is so generally used in England that you seldom see any new pasture without it. I consider it as superior to timothy as timothy to straw. It yields more food per acre, and of a better quality ; the soil is also improved by it, while it is dete- riorated by timothy. Yours truly, JNO. WM. GIBBONS. 631 Walnut St., Phila., March 26, 1855. [Will our correspondent give us his experience or knowledge, if any, with the Italian rye grass, and its comparative value with the English? — Ed.] «♦> For the Farm Journal. Bape. N. L., of West Fallowfield, in last month's Farm Journal, gives his experience with some rape seed which he received from the Patent Ofl&ce in the spring of 1853, according to which it got winter killed. This may be owing probably to two causes. The first is, that proba- bly he got from the Patent OflBce a paper of spring col- za, which, according to his statement, he planted in June, a period too late to sow spring colza or rape, as in most cases it will be winter killed, particularly if the season is severe ; and secondly, unless even winter rape is sown on perfectly drained land, that also will get winter killed, and Irom the texture of some knds in Chester county, Penna., they retain the moisture in a much greater degree than sandy loams, which suit this crop much better than clays or clayey loams ; the latter are, however, well adapted to it, provided they are well drained if too wet. In proof of which, friend N. L. has only to pay a visit to where I have the winter rape fully growing, after having passed through this last Bevere and fickle winter season ; although it has been sown under great disadvantages, on unmanured but new land, amongst stumps of trees and bushes, which I had not time to remove, and where the harrow hardly could work. The plants are likewise ;Ve« from insects, (proba- bly the Jersey breezes drive them into the Atlantic!) The proof of all this is, that they are there ! alive and shoot- ing forth, and that I anticipate a crop of seed to a cer- tainty. At one time it was doubted whether cotton could be grown in the Carolinas and Georgia, or sugar made in Louisiana. It's true this was many years ago, never- theless the first growers of cotton and sugar cane were derided and ridiculed by their would-be further-seeint and wiser neighbors ; notwithstanding which they not only did grow them and disappointed the croakers, but now they form two of the most important staples of thii continent. With regard to the Englishman in Salem county abandoning it, he had probably his own reasons for it, death or other causes ; however, this has nothing to do with it. I will merely add, that even for fodder it is sown with profit. Jt is sown for fodder, and par- ticularly in England, Geimany, &c., — however, in L.'s opinion, it might be derogatory to follow the example of our cousins over the water, but why not do it in this case as it has been done with almost every other thing in husbandry. True, the climate and localities of differ- ent countries modify and alter in some measure as ex- perience and knowledge dictate ; however, let N. L. per- severe with the rape, doing every thing with care, on proper soil, with suitable seed and in suitable seasons, and no doubt he will be pleased eventually with the re- sults. F. A N. Fourth month, 1855. «•» Bailing Corn.-~An Interesting Inquiry. Mr. Darlington: — In the March No. of your excel- lent periodical, I find **an inquiry continued" in relation to the subject of raising com, or why many of the stalks of corn in some fields will begin to assume a stunted ap- pearance about the time it puts out the fourth leaf, and why it continues to appear sickly throughout the whole season, attaining only the height of two or three feet, with striped leaves, and failing to produce any ear. I am not an agriculturist myself, but if any informa- tion that I possess will prove beneficial to this large and worthy class of our commupity, I shall be highly grati- fied. My father is a farmer and I was raised on a farm, and I well remember how our prospects were often blighted by the same disease or enemy referred to in the above inquiry. It always occurred with us when com had been planted on a clover sod, and by frequent examina- tion we discovered that the main or tap root of the com had been injured by an insect somewhat resembling the muck worm, only of smaller size. The remedy that proved partially successful was winter ploughing, but the safest plan is to follow clover with wheat and plant com on a wheat stubble. For further information your inquirers are referred to Near Lewes, Del. JOEL PRETTYMAN, Esq. -— «#► Moon-ology ! Mr. Darlington : — At the risk of being sneered and laughed at by those who consider themselves above «« learning from the illiterate ;" and who believe knowl- edge to be acquired nowhere out of the schools, — I will reply to the apparently sincere enquiry of Mr. Hugh Hamilton, in the March number of your "Journal," in relation to testing the question of lunar influence, M proposed by C, of Montgomery county, in the August number of 1852 : that an extended trial be made in that year of cutting briars on the last day of the last quarter of the moon, and in the sign of the Heart or Leo. As I made a partial, though not comparative, trial as then recommended at the time indicated, I will give the result, which, if you, Mr. Editor, consider worthy a place in the Journal, you are welcome to publish. I had a "patch" of the blackberry briar, that had ta- ken full possession of three contiguous worm row fence comers; frequently before I had them grubbed out, and that too in the "hottest and driest weather of August," but so far from eradicating the patch — the more the digging the more vigorous the growth in subsequent years. So on this nest of "squatters" I concluded to try if the moon would lend me its aid in destroying them. I went to work with mattock in hand at the pre- cise time as stated by "C," and with considerable labor and some "scratches" dug out every sprout, and as many of the roots as I conveniently could, yet many roots were left in the ground. The next year (1853) only a few sprouts made their appearance — these did not grow over two feet in height, had a sickly appearance, and died out without further attention in 1854. Such are the simple facts, each one may draw his own conclusions, and try the experiment for his own satis- faction. It is only a single experiment, and of course require* confirmation by repeated and more extended experiments. A single grain of sand does not make a sea shore, and if others will give publicity to their ex- periments, and continue them, we may in time arrive at some definite conclusions. J. B. GARBER. Mountville, April 3d, 1855. 4%¥ Holcus Saccharatus. To THE Editor op the Florist :— Sir :— In the last number of the Florist, is an article from the Gardeners* Chronicle, which I am not sure that I exactly under- stand. It is conceming "A new Sugar Cane." We are told, "a novelty has this year appeared, in the form of a tall, reedy grass, called jffokiis saccharatus, of whose economical value we find that great expectations are en- tertained." It is then stated that this "Chinese Sugar Cane" (as it is also called) yields Sugar copiously,— much more than the Beet, &c. Now, what I want to know, is the real character of this "nor^%." If it is the ffolcus saccharatus, of Linnsens— the Sorghum sac- charatum, of Persoon, I do not understand why it is re- garded as a "novelty." Every body, in this country, is familiar with the plant, under the name of "Broom Cora;" and it has long been cultivated (in some parts very extensively) for the purpose of making brooms, whisks, and clothes bmshes. The books tell us, it has long been cultivated, in Italy, as a substitute for the Sugar Cane. But I strongly suspect it is inferior in value, for that object, to the Indian Com, of our coun- try. Yet, whatever its value may be, it has no claim to be styled a " novelty." If it is not the Holcus sacchara- ^H of Linnaeus, it has nc righ; to that old established name; but must be called something else. The question then recurs, what is it f The answer must be left to you, and the Gardeners* Chronicle ; and, for me, I shall be glad to learn its true character. Those writers who eat us to such novelties as new "Wheat," made from ^dtlops, and new "Sugar Cane," from IIolcus, are very remiss, in my humble opinion, in not following up their discoveries, by conclusive demonstrations of the real | facts of the cases stated, and the true character of the plants indicated. Naturalists, now-a-days, like to have some reliable evidence of what they are asked to believe; and clear, definite statements, concerning all alleged novelties. yf^ j)^ February 14, 1855. In connection with the Florist, and most of the Amer- ican agricultural journals, we published the extract from the London Gardeners' Chronicle — usually good authority in such matters. The above article by W. D. will doubtless soon clear up the mystery, whether in the name or the substance. — ^Ed. Farm Journal. -••►• Grafted Chestnut Treei. The Cincinnati Gazette publishes an interesting letter from Mr. Sheldon I. Kellogg, to the Wine Growers' As- sociation, dated Bordeaux, France, on the cultivation of the chestnut. He says : " I have been much surprised in seeing the great de- pendence the poorer classes make upon the large chest- nut for their daily food. It is cultivated in this neigh- borhood in great abundance for this purpose. All classes use them more or less; the rich having them daily brought upon their tables as dessert, either boiled or roasted. It is often made into a soup, which is high- ly esteemed. They are cooked in a multitude of ways, and I know of nothing of a farinaceous nature which is so very delicate and nourishing. "The marron, or large chestnut, is the produce of the wild chestnut after being engrafted. The wild tree, at three or four years of age, is cut square oflf, say four or five feet from the ground. The stump is then split twice. These splits intersect at right angles at the cen- tre of the stump. There is then inserted one good-sized branch of the same tree in every section of the splits, making four branches in each stump. Care is always taken to make the bark of the branches and the bark of the stump join each other as closely as possible. The graft is then surrounded with clay and moss, to prevent the overilow of the sap, and it scarcely ever fails of suc- cess. The period selected in this climate for this opera- tion is the month of February. The produce of this graft is usually a fine, large, beautifully colored marron, about the size of our buckeyes. They are much more delicate in texture and flavor than our own wild chest- nut. They are never eaten without being cooked. The tree is very beautiful." f» Rye Grass. " Twenty Tons op Hay per Acre. — It was stated by Mr. Cird, at an agricultural dinner given by Mr. Mechi, in England, recently, that twenty tons of hay had been raised off^ a single acre, in Scotland, the last season. It was Italian rye grass, which grows to a great height in the huiuid climate of Scotland, and he cut from seven to ten times from March to December. In the instance named, it was cut ten times, but after each cutting, an abundant application of liquid manure was made." The above from an English paper, when cut down one half, which is probably nearer the truth, will still serve to give an idea of the estimate put upon Rye Grass in England, and its extraordinary productiveness. Perhaps Mr. C. meant twenty tons of grass — "uncured hay." ■■ 136 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mai 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. i The WMte Carrot Col. Db Coutbur, in some able remarks upon the pro- dactiyeness of this vegetable, says that the acreable pro- duct is about thirty-eight tons. When we take into the estimate the superior excellence and value of the Belgian or White carrot for stock feeding, this will appear a very good crop, although far less than is often afforded by turnips or even beets. The carrot, in all its varieties, is a crop requiring a good soil and thorough cultivation, but probably one of the best crops the farmer can pro- duce. Lord DucE estimates the expense of cultivating the white carrot **at little more than half the cost of growing any other root crop known to him." The pro- duct also of the * 'whites" exceeds that of the "reds" from eight nine to tons per statute acre on the same soil. We have cultivated the white carrot only in small quan- tities, and cannot say with any degree of confidence what their comparative merits are. But the opinions of others may perhaps lead us to a higher estimate of some crope not now usually cultivated among us. — N, £. f^r- mer. -«•► Man^e in Cattle. The disorder termed the mange arises from the excite- ment of the skin, probably brought on by disarrangement of the organs of digestion in consequence of poverty, engendered by hunger and want of shelter. After these are supplied, a wash made of gunpowder and water- charcoal, nitre and sulphur — ^will be found a valuable application. Mange is an infectious disorder; remoTe therefore the sick beast from the rest of the herd.— Cot- ton Cultivator, ^••o ^x Tv^iV^*>- -^Xi ^ DEVON BULL "MASSASOIT/' The Property of Geo. F. Curwen, of Walnut Hill, Montgomery Co., Pa. Address West Haverford P. 0., Del Co. " Massasoit " (247*). Calved October 3, 1853. Bred by C. S. Wainwright, of "The Meadows," Dutchess co., N. Y. Sired in England by a son of the Earl of Exeter (38), which won the first prize at the Bath and West of England Agricultural Society's Show in 1854. Dam, «'Ginerva" (747), by Earl of Exeter (38) ; gr. d. *' Bet- ty Maid" by Proctor (109); gr. g. d. ''Beauty" by Nelson (81). ** Massasoit" won the first prize in class of imported yearlings at the New York State Show in 1864. • Numbers from Davy's Devon Herd Book. Agricultural College of the St^te of Michigan. A bill has been passed by the Legislature of Michignn establishing an Agricnitural School and ExperimentAl Farm, to be located within ten miles of the Capitol- Lansing. The purchase of land is not to be less than 500, nor more than 1000 acres in one body, and to cost not more than fifteen dollars per acre. Tuition to he forever free to pupils of the State of Michigan and to be under the direction and supervision of the State Board of Education. — UoriiculiuTut. \> ^ 138 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat ■ 1856.] THE FARM JOURNAL. Itt I! Entomology. Horse-Flies. — The flies that abound in stables in August and September, and sometimes enter houses on the approach of rain, might be mistaken for house-flies, were it not for the severity of their bites, which are of- ten felt through our clothing, and are generally follow- ed by blood. Upon examii»tion they wiii be found to difi'er essentially from house-flies in their proboscis, which is very long and slender, and projects horizontally beyond the head. Cattle suffer sorely from the piercing bites of these flies, and horses are sometimes so much toi-mented and enraged by them as to become entirely nngovernable in harness. The name of this kind of fly ifl Stomoxis calciirans ; the first word signifying sharp- mouthed, and the second kicking, given to the fly from the eff"ect it produces on horses. It lays its eggs in dung, where its young are hatched, and pass through their transformations. The larvaB a,nd pupae do not diff'er much in appearance from those of common house- flies. Meat-Fly.— The large, buzzing meat-fly, named Mua- ca {Calliphora) vomitoria, is of a blue-black color, with a broad, dark blue, and hairy hind body. It is found all Bummer about slaughter-houses, butchers* stalls, and pantries, which it frequents for the purpose of laying its eggs on meat. The eggs are commonly called fly- blows ; they hatch in two or three hours after they are laid, and the maggots produced from them come to their growth in three or four days, after which they oreep away into some dark crevice, or burrow in the ground, if they can get at it, turn to egg-shaped pupae, and come out as flies, in a few days more ; or they remain un- changed through the winter, if they have been hatched late in the summer. A smaller fly, of a brilliant blue- green color, with black legs, also lays its eggs on meat, but more often on dead animals in the fields. Cheese-Fly. — The well-known cheese-maggots (skip- pers) are the young of a fly {Piophila casei), not more than three- twentieths of an inch long, of a shining black color, with the middle and hinder legs mostly yellowish, and the wings transparent like glass. Housb-Fly. — The house-fly of this country has been supposed to be the same as European Musca domestica ; but I cannot satisfy myself on this point for the want of specimens from Europe. It is possible that our sharp- biting stable-flies, the meat-flies, and the house-fly, may really be distinct species from those which are found in Europe.^ Our house-fly is the Musca Harpia, or Hnrpy- fly, of my "Catalogue." It begins to appear in houses in July, becomes exceedingly abundant in September, and does not disappear till killed by cold weather. It is probable that, like the domestic fly of Europe, it lays Ita eggs in dung, in which its larvae live, and pass through their changes of form. — Dr. Harris, «•» Keeping Poultry in Large Kumbers. Luther Tucker, Esq.: — In the Country Gentleman of 26th inst., J>. H. R., of Hartford, Conn., wants to know Aom; to build a chicken house for "about 1,000 fowls." If my poor opinion is worth any thing, he will not build it at all. Fowls, in any large number, will not thrive unless they have a wide range. They are, par- tially, a grazing animal. When the ground is bare of snow, in winter, they pick the grass if they can get it, and are fond of green vegetables of any kind. In sma. mer they pick and eat grass every day. They are great scavengers after slugs, insects, and all kinds of flesh. They are better, also, for having some flesh food in win- ter ; and abundant air^ fresh and pure^ they must have » «iAi. I. T 1.-^. >«..~ Si. A^»<4 T ~.-. 1 (XVways. Aituuu^^u x iiavc dcvu &(> macu, a uoTcr iLuew & large collection of several hundred fowls succeed t» a confined place. A few years ago some enterprising man from the coun- try came near town, and enclosed an acre or two of ground with a high pictet fence, and put up a building, at an expense of near or quite a thousand dollars, intending to supply eggs for the Buffalo market. He had his barn well done off with any quantity of roosts, nesting places, and other conveniences. He started his concern with seven or eight hundred chickens, and for a few weeks, crowing, cock-fighting, laying and cackling went on to his heart's content. He had food of all kinds for them and great anticipations were indulged of fortune-making in his chicken enterprise. But three or four winter months told the story. The fowls got diseased— the hens first eat the feathers off the roosters — or what were left of them after they had fought themselves almost bare, and then the hens unfleeced, in the same way, each other. They stopped laying, were tormented with lice, got the **roup," went moping about the place, and died off like a pestilence ; and by spring, but a few misera- * ' ble, sickly things were left, with scarce life enough in them to crow up the morning I The difl&culty was not in want of food nor care. But, from the necessity of the case, they were crowded in their roosts ; they were disturbed by each other in their nests, and had not room enough any where, even with the outside range of an acre of land. The truth is, that to flourish, hens must have their liberty, when kept in large numbers. They want to range the fields by day and not be crowded at night. They want a »* riety of food and to help themselves to it. They need «- ercisCj pure air, and enough of both. I knew one man, or rather the man's wife, in the Sciota Valley in Ohio, who kept five or six hundred fowls — that is, she told me she had that many— and I don't doubt it, for the whole territory, for acres about the farm, was speckled with them by day, and the trees and the corn-cribs and thfi bams and the sheds were filled with them at night They had a great big farm of a thousand acres, or more, and full com cribs for many rods in length, where the hens went at pleasure, and they made nests under the trees, and among the bushes, and all about the builor ings, and in the. back kitchen, and just where they had a mind to : and they sat on their eggs and hatched on* their chickens at will— a self-sustaining poultry estab- lishment, in fact. This plan worked ; but as to the profit of it, I doubt whether the old lady could give any intelligible account in the matter. No ; I believe the only way to make poultry profitable is to keep them in the **old way." Proportion the num- ber to the ground and buildings you have. Give them liberty to run at large for a portion of each day in warm weather, with comfortable quarters in winter, and pure air, always. I have known sundry other ente^ prises, like the Buffalo one I mention, tried; but I never Imew one permanently successful. They were all in turn abandoned. Yours truly, L. F. A. Black Rock, Jan. 2, 1866. ^Country Gentleman, <» The Greatest Grain Market in the World. ^ i1 - t^.. ^ ,M»^*vk«iM r^V y>.»». ^•.^•m^ w.yf\t^ rvT +l>/\ \)|/ 4%oi^ yw/%«^ ^%«*.^ l1«* in tilO UIUKIOOO v»* w»*x vxvj aiu.\« v>i fcuiv ft vOb |gV>UVX aiijr , facts of the most astounding character not unfrequently come upon us unawares, and before we are prepared for them. If any one had asked us, two days ago, which of the great grain depots of the world (depots at which grain is collected directly from the producer,) was the largest, we probably would have named half a dozen be- fore hitting the right one. If the same question were put to each of our readers, we doubt if any one of the whole number could answer it correctly, nor do we be- lieve that any one of the whole number would credit the correct answer to the query, unless it was sustained by an array of figures, the truth of which could not be questioned. Our attention was called to this subject yesterday by a gentleman engaged in the grain business in this city, and with his assistance, we have given it a thorough investigation, the result of which, greatly to our surprise and gratification, establishes the supremacy of Chicago as a grain port over all other ports of the world I That there may be no ground for incredulity, we proceed to lay before our readers the statistics, gleaned from authentic sources, which confirm this statement. In the table which follows, we have in all cases reduced flour to its equivalent in wheat, estima- ting five bushels of the latter to one of the former. The exports from the European ports are an average for a Series of years — those of St. Louis for the year 1853, those for Chicago and Milwaukie for the current year, and those for New York are for the past eleven months of the same year. With these explanations we invite attention to the following table : Wheat Ind. Com. Oats, Rye, Total. bush. bush. Odessa, 5,600,000 Galatz & Ibrelia, 2,400,000 5,600,000 Dantzig, St. Petersburg, Archangel, Riga, St. Louis, Milwaukie, New York. Chicago, Barley. bush. 1,440,000 7,040,000 320,000 8,320,000 3,080,000 1,328,000 4,408,000 all kinds. 7,200,000 2,528,009 4,000,000 3,082,000 918,384 1,081,078 5,081,468 2,723,574 181,937 841,650 3,747,161 5,802,452 3,627,888 9,430,335 2,946,922 6,745,588 5,034,216 13,726,728 By comparing the exports of the different places mentioned in the above table, it will be seen that the grain exports of Chicago exceed those of New York, by 2,496,393 bushels, those of St. Louis by more than two hundred and fifty per cent., and those of Milwaukie nearly four hundred per cent. Turning to the great granaries of Europe, Chicago nearly doubles St. Peters- burg, the largest, and exceeds Galatz and Ibrelia com- bined, 6,406,727 bushels. Twenty years ago Chicago, as well as most of the country from whence she now draws her immense sup- plies of breadstuffs, imported both flour and meat for home consumption— now she is the largest primary grain depot in the world, and she leads all other ports of the world, also, m the quantity and quality of her beef ex- ports ! ! We say the largest ;>n77iary grain depot in the world, because it cannot be denied that New York, Liv- erpool, and some other great commercial centres, receive more breadstuffs than Chicago does in the course of a year, but none of them will compare with her, as we have shown above, in the amount collected from the hands of the producers. What a practical illustration the above facts afford as to the wonderful, the scarcely credible, progress of the West — what an index it furnishes to the fertility of her soil, and to the industrious and enterprising character of her people — what a prophecy of the destiny that awaits her, when every foot of her long stretches of prairie and her rich vallies shall be reduced to a thoroughly scien- tific tillage I How long, at this rate, will it be before the centre of population and of wealth will have arrived at the meridian line of our city, and Chicago will havio vindicated her right to be recognized as the great com- mercial metropolis of the United States ? We verily believe such is the destiny that awaits her. — Free Press, Preserving Floor and Meal. The patented plan of Thomas Pearsall, of Hooper's Valley, N. Y., for preserving flour, meal and grain, from heating and souring, by having an open pipe running through the centre of a barrel of flour and meal, or a number of such tubes in bins of grain, we have tested and found to be an excellent invention. A barrel of In- dian corn meal put up in May last, with one of his re- frigerating tubes, is now as sweet as it was on the day it was packed. This improvement must lead to a great saving to our country, as it is calculated that no less than $5,000,000 is lost annually by the souring of flour and the heating of grain in piles, — much, if not all, of which may be saved by the application of this invention, which is neither complex nor expensive, but simple and cheap. A barrel of corn meal, packed in one of Pear- sail's patent tubular barrels, arrived in this city on the 7th of this month from Louisville. It was put up in July, and shipped to New Orleans, was kept several weeks in the hold of a steamboat, and afterwards housed in a warehouse until about the 1st of December, and yet is now perfectly sweet. — Scientific American. *•• Quinces for Pickles. I noticed in one of the late numbers of the Farmery that you say that quinces are used only as a preserve It is perhaps unknown to your readers that they maks a very agreeable pickle, if boiled in vinegar, with brown sugar, to which are added cloves, cinnamon, &c. Even when they have been unluckily hard frozen, they will answer for this purpose — only less sugar will be then re- quired. They are quartered and pared and the cores cut out. Ten founds of fruit are boiled to which add five pounds of sugar and from three to five pints of vinegar, one ounce of whole cinnamon and half an ounce of whole cloves, and boil down, place in a jar and pour the hot syrup upon it. With many, the quince, baked like an apple, is a favorite, adding syrup or molasses and water to the dish in which they are baked. Those fond of a tart baked apple, will probably be pleased with the baked quince, and much prefer it. LEWIS S. HOPKINS. — N. E. Farmer. f> . I t 'f it ^\ TIGHT BINDING p 140 THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. 14 1 I For the Farm Joaniai. Practical Work of the Farm. Mr. Darlington : — Although my former communication ixnder this head has not been responded to, I will continue to give my experience, hoping it will yet bring some of more value from the working farmers who patronize the Farm Journal. I was one of the celebrated committee No. 18, that were expected in a few hours to carefully examine aud select of each, the best of its kind, out of, I should think, two acres of agricultural implements, divided into half and quarter crae lots, by rows of poultry and marching columns, of the washed and unwashed million. And this too, in a cloud of dust that seemed to obscure every thing but the sun, who, in spite of it, kept the thermometer at blood heat. But not- withstanding our supposed supernatural powers of body and mind, I understand we received censure for not awarding the first premium for horse power corn-ahellers to Reading's Patent. If any blame is deserved, I take it all to myself, amd entirely exonerate the other members of the committee. Through the kindness of the proprietor of the Agricultural Warehouse at West Chester, I was permitted to take one of Reading's Shellers to my barn, and give it a trial before pur- The Vitality of Seeds, The vitality of seeds, under favorable circumstances, can be depended upon for the following periods : — Parsnip, — Rhubarb, — and other thin scaly seeds, — for one year. Balm, — Basil, — Beans, — Cardoon, — Carrot, — Cress, — In- dian Cress, — Lavender, — Leek, — Okra, — Onion, — Peas, — Pepper, — Rampion, — Sage, — Salsify, — Savory, — Scorzone- ra, — Thyme, — Tomato, — Wormwood, — and small herbs gen- erally,— for tico years. Artichoke, — Asparagus, — Corn Salad, — Egg-Plan t, — En- dive,— Indian Corn, — Lettuce, — Marigold, — Marjoram, — Mustard, — Parsley, — Rosemary, — Rue, — Skirret, — Spinach and Tansy, — for three years. Borage, — Borecole, — Broccoli, — Brussels Sprouts, — Cab- bage,— Cauliflower, — Radish, — Sea Kale, — Tarragon, — and Turnip, — for four years. Beet,*— Burnet, — Celery, — Chervil, — Cucumber, — Dill, — Fennel, — Hyssop, — Melon, — Pumpkin, — Sorrel, — , '/*ak li/vrtf Vkn4- if {■ 1aiN..j fruit the ensuing season, so that by the third season after planting, the lower part of the house or rafters is furnished with a crop of fruit proceeding from wood of the preceding year. At next autumn pruning, the longest of these main shoots is shortened about eighteen inches from the top of the rafter, and the next in strength to about the middle of the rafter, and all the spurs which had borne fruit are removed. Each vine is now furnished with two shoots of bearing wood, a part of old barren wood which has already produced fruit, and a spur near the bottom for producing a young shoot for the following year. In the fourth summer a full crop is produced, both in the upper and lower part of the house, the longer or oldest shoot producing fruit on the upper part of its length, and the shorter on its whole length; from this last, a leading shoot is laid in, and another to succeed it is produced from the spur near the bottom. At the next autumn pruning, the oldest or longest shoot, which has now reached the top of the house, is entirely cut oat and removed, and replaced by that which was next in suc- cession to it, and this in its turn is also cut out and replaced by that immediately behind it, a succession of a yearly shoot being obtained from the lower part of the old stem. I3fclnt08h.] This is decidedly the most successful mode for a vinery without heat, producing abundant and fair crops of fruit Hoare, who is one of the most experienced and ingenious writers on the Grape, strongly recommends it, and suggests that "the old wood of a vine, or that which has previously produced fruit, is not only of no further use, hut is a positive injury to the fertility of the plant. The tnith of this remark depends on the fact that every branch of a vine which produces little or no foliage, appropriates for its own support a portion of the juices of the plant that is generated by those branches that do produce foliage." Routine of Culture : — In a vinery without heat this is comparatively simple. As soon as the vines commence swelling their buds in the spring, they should be carefully washed with nvild soap suds, to free them from any insects, soften the wood, and assist the buds to swell regularly. At least three or four times every week, they should be well syringed with water, which, when the weather is cool, should always be done in the morning. And every day the vine border should be daily supplied with water. During the time when the vines are in blossom, and while the fnut is setting, all sprinkling or syringing over the leaves must be suspended, and the house should be kept a little more closed and warm, than usual, and should any indications of mildew appear on any of the branches it may at once be checked by dusting them with flower of sulphur. Air must be given liberally every day when the temperature rises m the house, beginning by sliding down the top sashes a littl« in the morning, more at mid-day, and then gradually closmg them in the same manner. To guard against the sudden changes of temperature out of doors, and at the same time to keep up as moist and warm a state of the atmosphere within the vinery as is consistent with pretty free admission of the air during sunshine, is the great object of culture m a vinery of this kind. ^ . Thinning the fruit is a very necessary practice in «i vineries — and on it depends greatly the flavor, as we the fine appearance and size of the berries and bunches. The first thinning usually consists in taking off all super- fluous blossom buds, leaving only one bunch in the large sorts or two in the small ones to each bearing shoot. The next thinning takes place when the berries are set and well formed, and is performed with a pair of scissors, taking care not to touch the berries that are left to grow. All this time, one-third of the berries should be taken off with the point lot the soissors, cspecisiiy buose in tu6 centre of the cluster. This allows the remainder to swell to double the size, and al^o to form larger bunches than would otherwise be produ- ced. Where the bunches are large, the shoulders should be suspended from the trellis by threads, in order to take off part of the weight from the stem of the vine. The last thinning, which is done chiefly to regulate the form of the bunch, is done by many gardeners, just before the fruit begins to color — but it is scarcely needed if the previous thinning of the berries has been thoroughly done. — Downing. On the Impoverishment of Land. We are all too apt to blame nature, entirely too much, for our own bad management For instance, we say. Nature has formed certain crops, or plants, which are calculated to impoverish and waste the soil. Such is not the case; but man's waste and mal-practice exhausts the soil. But, you twill inquire, ''Does not oats and buckwheat exhaust the I land?" My reply is, no; both oats and buckwheat are plants of quick growth, and shallow and fibrous roots, consequently having but a short time to take much from the atmosphere, I and being shallow rooted, are limited in their supplies, and have to take what food they can get from the surface of the land, (and hence is the reason that they are good for eradi- cating weeds, briers and other rubbish,) while the greatest waste and exhausting of the land lies in the mode in which it is cultivated. For instance, in the crops above mentioned, the ground is broken up or plowed at just such a time when the rays of the sun have the greatest power for drying up jland, and drawing up, or evaporating, ammonia and all other IgMses which are absolutely necessary to vegetable life ; and each shower of rain that falls, makes these gasses more so- luble and more easily to be evaporated; so that the land, being exposed, looses more by evaporation than is necessary to support the plant But the ground is not merely exposed for one season, but nearly Invariably, for two or more, as I your oat field of this season was your corn field of the year before, consequently, it was so plowed and so cultivated as to afford the sun's rays the greatest facility to penetrate the earth and evaporate the gasses, and then left bare all win- tor for the frost to do ita work of destruction, and again re-plowed in the spring, and again left bare until the oats have attained a sufficient growth to shade it, and just at the time that it> requires the shade the most, the oats are cut, and It is again left exposed and the plow once more started, jto prepare the ground for wheat Now, I do not say that that exposure of the ground can be entirely avoided, but jstiU It might to a great extent, if the practice of sowing ^(over, whenever possible, was more generally adopted. For instance, when a corn field was worked for the last tkne, c over might be sown thick amongst the corn, and by the ime the com would be cut off, the clover would have at- ^amed a sufficient growth to cover the ground and not only ep It warm in winter and prevent evaporation, but would ice a very nice coating to plough in the following spring. e Ides, clover is the best live mulching, (for you can caU it ing else,) it having the property of living more from atmosphere than from the soil, and by i(« long tap-root P netrating deep into the soil, conveys the ammonia and klov!"'' '!^ * ^®** ^'P*^- (^^°^^ i«'^t« ^^^^on that y y^T ma piaster, or clover and charcoal, improve the ground; for as the clover draws the ammonia from the atmos- phere to, or in the soil, the plaster or charcoal absorbs it, and in return throws it out into the soil.) But to return. We all know (if we will but give ourselves time to think,) that Nature does not exhaust the soil. For instance, whore a forest is cleared off, that has stood for centuries, and thousands of tons have stood and grown on an acre, that, in place of the soil being worn out it is the very richest of soils. And again, let a fence be run acrow a poor barren field, and in the course of a few years, tha« fence row will be the richest part in the field. Simply thai from two or three feet each side of the fence is never plowed and seldom or never cleared or mowed of its spontaneous growth of grass, weeds, briers, Ac, which act as mulching in two ways.— First, that while in the growing state they shade the ground from the scorching sun, consequently keeping the ground moist and preventing evaporation ; and in winter, most of the tops of which die, and are by the rain and snow borne down and flattened to the ground, and therein preserve evaporation and form a second mulching. Still to prove more explicitly the great benefit of mulching, lay a board on the ground and allow it to lay over nigh* when the Thermometer is, say about 20°, and the next morn- ing, by turning it over, you will find the under side white with frost The query would arise, what is this frost? and where did it come from ? The answer is, it is the evapora- tion from the ground of the essential gasses caught by the board and there frozen, and when thawed, descends again to the ground; whereas, if the board had not been there, it would have been lost in the atmosphere, thus, plainly show- ing the constant evaporation that is going on from ground that is left bare and exposed. Consequently, the too often custom of ploughing the next season's corn ground in winter, must be, and is, most ruinous to the ground, for more es- capes by evaporation between the time it is ploughed and the time it is planted, of its fertility, than would be required to raise the crop of corn. Many more proofs could be advanced to show clearly the great waste of the fertility of land by exposure, and vioe versa, viz., that by covering up or hiding the land from the light, and consequently from the sun's rays, not only im- proves it, but, in course of time, it will become immensely rich. As an example, who ever knew an old building (one that had no cellar under it,) removed, and did not find tb« ground under it rich in the extreme, and if ploughed up produce the finest crop of any part of the field. And again, look at the prairies, fertile in the extreme, after producing * and bearing, year after year, from time immemorial, tons of vegetation. That of itself would prove most clearly, two points, first, the great benefit of mulching, and secondly, that nature does not waste or impoverish the soil. If man would only study to follow and assist nature, instead of going, as he does, directly against her, it would be much better for him in every respect—^. B. Garden's Note Book. 4«( Wash for Fruit Trees. I have found the following a certain antidote for insects, or fungus, on vines and fruit trees : — 1 lb. sulphur, 2 lbs. soft soap, 1 gallon tobacco water, and 2 gallons lime water ; mix. To paint over all the wood.— ir. CollinSf M. B. C, S., Brewsteignton, <» Value of a Pound of the Finest Flax Thread. A single pound of flaxen thread, intended for the finest specimens of French lace, is valued at six hundred dollars, and the length of the thread is about two hundred and twenty-six miles. One pound of this thread is more valuable than two pounds of gold. TIGHT BINDING 144 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. ii Mnnn's' Practical Land Draining^. We have not met for a long time, with a more seasonable, and so far as we have examined, a more valuable agricultural work than the above, just issued by Saxton, of New York. Farmers are now being so thoroughly awakened to the im- portance of draining their land, that it will be sought for with unusual interest The author, B. Munn, has some oeiebrity ae a laudsuapo gafdeuef, aiid appears to uQ 6nwirc*y at home in treating his present subject. We give on this page, the introduction, with explanatory cuts, as preliminary to the practical portions, in two parts. Part 1, of the "prin- ciples and system of drainage," under its different heads of "examination of land requiring drainage," the "various •ystems of drainage," "deep drainage," thorough and surface drainage, Ac. Part 2, of "levelling," "description of diff- erent kinds of drains," "materials," mode of cutting drains," "building the ducts," "filling up," cost, Ac, with Ubles for measuring their solid contents. It is illustrated with nume- rous cuts of draining implements, tiles, levelling instruments M3d outlines to indicate the course of springs. Price only fifty cents, for sale by Parry A M'Millan, Fourth and Ches- nut streets, and at the agricultural warehouses in Philadel- phia. We have no doubt of a very extensive demand for it THE PHYSICAL LAWS ON WHICH THE DRAINAGE OP LAND DEPENDS. The object sought by the drainage of land, being to re- move water from it it will be well to consider, 1st — The aources from which the water which we wish to drain away is derived; and 2nd. — The natural laws to which water when •till, and when in motion is subject. The operation of heat upon the waters of the ocean and of the land is continuously producing evaporation, by moans of which large quantities of water are carried, in the shape of vapor, into the elevated parts of the atmosphere, and are there retained in an invisible form by the agency of elec- tricity. When a change takes place in the electric equilib- rium, clouds are formed from the water so raised, which, becoming subject to the laws of physical attraction, are thereby brought in contact with the mountains, and more elevated parts of the earth's surface. Giving out part of their heat these clouds descend again upon the earth in the form of rain, fog, or snow, according to the temperature, and other meteorological conditions of the atmosphere. Once acrain upon the surface of the earth, the water becomes subject to its natural laws, and it sinks into the earth, runs 'down the hill-side, or lays upon the surface, as it may hap- pen from the physical condition of the particular place on which it chances to fall. The water which sinks downward through the soil, and that which is carried through the inter- stices of rocks and mineral strata, obedient to the laws of gravity and capillary attraction, is distributed beneath the ground to a greater or less depth, until it meets with strata that it cannot penetrate; then it flows along such strata, or accumulates in large bodies, either in hollow basins or diffused through extensive tracts of the subsoil, until it finds vent upon the surface in the shape of springs ; or, in other cases, by spreading over a large mass of soil it is held in suspension by it in the same manner as by a sponge. The land so saturated becomes unfit for the purposes of the husbandman. ^ The natural laws by which water is governed are embraced by the two branches of science, called hydrostatics, which treats of water in a state of rest, and hydraulics, which treats of water when in motion. It is only requisite for the present purpose to state shortly Some of the laws of these sciences, without presenting, except so far as necessary for explana- tion, the proofs by which the laws themselves are evidenced: First. — Water and all fluids, both liquid and gaseoag when at rest press equally in all directions. This result! from the extreme minuteness of the particles. Second. — The pressure of a column of water upon lu base depends upon its height and the area of the base; and not upon the thickness or width of the column. Suppose a and b, Fig. 1, to represent two vessels of equal be much less than that on the bottom of 6. The pressure on Figure 1. 145 b a 0 a, at the bottom, will be equal to a column of water repre- sented by the dotted lines, but the pressure on b at the bow torn will be equal to a column of water of the size of the whole base of 6. The pressure of water in proportion to its height upon a level base is exemplified at c. Fig. 1. If a vessel of water be supposed to be divided into four, or any number of equal parts vertically, the pressure upon any part is represented by the sum of the aggregate addition of the parts above. Thus, if the divisions are one foot apart, the pressure at the first diviwion will be equal to a column of water one foot high, at the second division to a column two feet high, and so on. Third. — Water at rest, and exposed on all parts of its surface to an equal atmospheric pressure, always stands at a uniform level, whatever be its shape or magnitude. In Fig. 2, the size of the two parts of the vessel are very different; but if water is poured into either end, and the surface of the water is left exposed to the atmosphere, it will rise in both sides to the same level. It is this law (in connection with the law of gravity) that causes rivers to flow, and water to percolate through the earth. From this property of water arises one of the chief cauces of springs. It will be an evident consequence of the first two laws above stated, that if water be accumulated in Figure 2. mass within a mountain or hill-side, beneath the enrfm and it finds egress by a narrow confined passage at a lower elevation, that the force with which it will issue from its lower orifice will be in proportion to the distance it hM de- scended; in other words, in proportion to the pressure of t « superincumbent vertical column of water above it; thence arises the cause of the fountain jet When, therefore. in draining, a spring is dug into, and the water spo«^ "^ with violence, the source of it must be sought for in mg e^ ground, either near or distant For, in some geologic formations the water may travel far beneath the surface. FoxjRTU.— Capillary Attraction, This may be ^^^^^\ law of the science under consideration, although it « ^_^ I quently regardefl in connection with the general P^'^P*'^^ I of Matter. And it merits attention from the two-fold re of its apparent contradiction of the last-mentioned law, and also from its being a very constant agent in the produc- tioij of the evils that it is the object of drainage to coun- teract Capillary attraction is that property of matter which enables water in small tubes or spaces to rise above its coramon level. The most simple example is the ascent of water in a sponge. Place a sponge on a glass of water with one end of it just touching the water, and the water will ascend. Take two plates of glass, place their flat sides near each other on the one side, and touching each other on the other [Fig. 3], and then put their ends in water. The water will ascend between the plates and stand with a curved sur- face; the highest part being where the plates touch, as in the shaded line of the figure. Figure 3. In the same wny, as through a sponge, will water ascend, and be held in suspension by the soil, as is familiarly exem- plified by the ascent of water in a flower-pot from the saucer beneath it It will equally ascend into the pot whether the latter contains a plant or earth only. Capillary attraction, when drainage, whether natural or artificial, is efficient becomes valuable in its operation upon the growth of vegetation. But it produces results so vastly extensive and so continuous in their effect, that its imJ)or- tance as a cause of surplus water must not be lost sight of by the drainer when he is investigating the condition of the land. Having stated the chief natural laws applicable to the •ubject, let us briefly refer to their mode of operaUon. [To be continued.] «•». Of the Inorganic Constituents of Plants. Carbonic acid, water, and ammonia, are necessary for the existence of plants, because they contain the elements from which the organs are formed; but other substances are like- wise requisite for the formation of certain organs destined for special functions peculiar to each family of plants. Plants obtain these substances from inorganic nature. In the ashes left after the incineration of plants, the same substances are fomm, although in a changed condition. Many of these inorganic constituents vary according to ine soil m which the plants grow, but a certain number of wiem are indispensable to their developement All substances in solution in a soil are absorbed by the ^0^ of plants, exactly a^ a sponge imbibes a liquid, and all wat It contains, without selection. The substances thus conveyed to plants are retained in greater or less quantity, '>r are erftirely separated when not suited for assimilation. rnosphate of magnesia in combination with ammonia is an invariable constituent of the seeds of all kinds of grasses. InLhTTT ^° '^' '''''' ^^^°^ ^"«^' ^^ i« introduced nto bread along with the flour, and also into beer. The bran which L^°' *^' ^'""^''^ ^^^°*^*y ^^ it- I* i« tl»i« «^lt to Z^T T ^^^y«^"i^« concretions, often amounting J^g 0 millers; and when ammonia is mixed with beer, the "ame salt separates as a white precipitate. of ve'rv !Jff ^' ^"'^^P' ^^ ^^ ^^''^' ««°**^" «'g^nJo acids ana inai ry different composition and properties, all of which I different 10 are in combination with bases, such as potash, soda, lime ot magnesia. These bases evidently regulate the formation of the acids, for the diminution of the one is followed by a decrease of the other: thus, in the grape, for example, the quantity of potash contained in its juice is less, when it is ripe, than when unripe; and the acids under the same circumstances, are found to varv in a iiimilai* mQ«««.. c-v. *:* *- exist in small quantity in those parts of a plant in which the process of assimilation is most active, as in the mass of woody fibre, and their quantity is greater in those organs, whose office it is to prepare substances conveyed to them for assimilation by other parts. The leaves contain more inorganic matters than the branches, and the branches more than the stem. The potato plant contains more potash be- fore blossoming than after it The acids found in the different families of plants are of various kinds ; it cannot be supposed that their presence or peculiarities are the result of accident The fumaric and oxalic acids in the liverwort the kinovic acid in the China nova, the rocejlio acid in the lioeella timtoria, the tartaric acid in grapes, and the numerous other organic acids, must serve some end in vegetable life. But if these acids con- stantly exist in vegetables, and are necessary to their life, which is incontestable, it is equally certain that some alka- line base is also indispensable in order to enter into combi- nation with the acids which are always found in the state of salts. All plants yield by incineration, ashes containing carbonic acid; all therefore must contain salts of an organic acid. Now, as we know the capacity of saturation of organic acids to be unchanging, it follows that the quantity of the bases united with them cannot vary, and for this reason the latter substances ought to be considered with the strictest attention both by the agriculturist and physiologist We have no reason to believe, that a plant in a condition of free and unimpeded growth produces more of its peculiar acids than it requires for its own existence ; hence, a plant on whatever soil it grows, must contain an invariable quan- tity of alkaline bases. Culture alone will be able to cause a deviation. In order to understand this subject clearly, it will be necessary to bear in mind, that any one of the alkaline bases may be substituted for another, the action of all being the same. Our conclusion is, therefore, by no means endan- gered by the existence of a particular alkalio in one plant which may be absent in others of the same species. If this inference be correct the absent alkali or earth must be sup- plied by one similar in its mode of action, or in other words, by an equivalent of another base. The number of equiva- lents of these various bases, which may be combined with a certain portion of acid, must necessarily be the same, and, therefore, the amount of oxygen contained in them must remain unchanged under all circumstances, and on what- ever soil they grow. Of course, this argument refers only to those alkaline bases, which in the form of organic salts form constituents of the plants. Now, these salts are preserved in the ashes of plants, as carbonates, the quantity of which can be easily ascertained. It has been distinctly shown by the analyses of De Saus- sure and Berthier, that the nature of a soil exercises a decided influence on the quantity of the different metallic oxides contained in the plants, which grow on it; that mag- , nesia, for example, was contained in the ashes of a pine tree grown at Mont Breven, whilst it Was absent from the ashes of a tree of the same species from Mont La Salle, and that even the proportion of lime and potash was veiy 'f ti TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 140 THE FARM JOURNAL. [May THE FARM JOURNAL. 147 Iff I sat ' 1 Hence it has been concluded (erroneously, I believe), that the presence of bases exercises no particular influence upon the growth of plants; but even were this view correct, it must be considered as a most remarkable accident, that these same analyses furnish proof for the very opposite opinion. For although the composition of the ashes of these pine trees was so very diflFerent, they contained, according to the analysis of Be ISaussure, an equal number of equivaienia of metallic oxides; or, what is the same thing, the quantity of oxygen contained in all the bases was in both cases the same. 100 parts of the ashes of the pine tree from Mont Breven contained : Carbonate of Potash •* Lime ** Magnesia 3 60 Quantity of Oxygen In the Potash 0.41 46.34 " '^ " Lime 7.33 6.77 ♦' »» »* Magnesia 1.27 Bum of the carbonates 66.71 Sum of the oxygen in the bases 9.01 100 parts of the ashes of the pine from Mont La Salle contained : Carbonate of Potash " Lime ** Magnesia 7.36 Quantity of Oxygen In the Potash 0.85 61.19 00.00 Lime 8.10 Sum of the carbonates 68.66 Sum of the oxygen in the bases 8.96 The numbers 9.01 and 8,95 resemble each other as nearly as could be expected even in analysis made for the purpose of ascertaining the fact above demonstrated, which the analyst in this case had not in view. Let us compare Berthier's analysis of the ashes of two fir trees, one of which grew in Norway, the other in Allevard (department de I'lsere). One contained fifty, the other twenty-five per cent, of soluble salts. A greater difference in the proportion of the alkaline bases could scarcely exist between two totally different plants, and yet even here, the quantity of oxygen in the bases of both was the same. 100 parts of the ashes of firwood from Allevard contained according to Berthier, (Ann. de Ghim. et de Phys. t. xxxii. p. 248,) Potash and Soda 16.8 Lime 29 5 ^iaguesia 8.2 in which 342 parts must be oxygen. 8.20 " w 1.20 *k 49.5 12.82 Only part of the potash and soda in these ashes was in combination with organic acids, the remainder was in the form of sulphates, phosphates, and chlorides. One hundred parts of these contained 3.1 sulphuric acid, 4.2 l)hosphoric acid, and 0.3 hydrochloric acid, which, together, neutralize a quantity of base containing 1.20 oxygen. This number, therefore, must be substracted from 12.82. The remainder 11.62 indicates the quantity of oxygen in the alkaline bases, combined with organic acids, in the firwood of Allevard. The firwood of Norway contained in 100 parts : Potash So. la Lime Magnesia 14.10 of which 2.40 parts would be oxygen- 20.70 " 5..^0 " " 12 30 " 3.45 " »» 4.36 " 1.69 " ♦♦ 6146 12.84 And if tho quantity of oxygen in the bases in combination with sulphuric and phosphoric acid, viz. 1.37, be again sub- tracted from 12.84, 11.47 parts remain as the amount of ox- ygen contained in the bases which were in combination with organic acids. These remarkable approximations cannot be accidental ; and if further examinations confirm them in other kinds of plants, no other explanation than that already given can be adopted. — Liehig, 4%^ * Improved Cattle for the Dairy. We gave last week a letter from Mr. Fish, of New York, on the subject of improved cattle for dairy stock. We now give some interesting statements condensed from a commu- nication of Geo. Vail, Esq., of Troy, N. Y., a gentleman well known as one of the earliest importers, and most careful breeders in this country. Mr. Vail for a number of yearj imported and bred Shorthorns exclusively, but as his farm was not well adapted to grazing, and after fully proving what might be done with that class of cattle, he sold big herd in 1862, at prices ranging from $300 to $670, except some inferior and younger ones which sold for less. Being partial to improved stock, he has, since his sale, LWtMi gobl/UlIC Uj impvi biaifivu, aiu\A oviovutvu tu vuie vuuuirv, ft small and excellent herd of Devons. He says: — "This breed of cattle is my choice next to Durhams. So far as I bare tried them, I am of the opinion, that when placed in locali- ties where pasture is abundant, they may prove profitable to the breeder. The sprightly action, uniform color, and fine symmetry of the Devons, added to their intrinsic value, will render them popular when they become known." (Mr. Vail's communication is in reply to one from Dr. Sprague, our State Secretary, and may be found at length, in the Ohio Agricultural Report for 1854, which will be issued in a few days.) Mr. Vail continues : — "You ask if for the small farmer either of the improved breeds of cattle will meet the public expectation, when we breed for milk and fattening qualities in the same animal, or whether a cross with the Holdemess, or other bieeds, would improve their qualities for all uses ? '*In answering this question, I will premise by saying, I am aware that many Durhams have been bred with special reference to their aptitude to take on flesh, without much regard to their milking qualities, consequently many of these are unfitted for the dairy. "There are, however, families, or tribes of Durhams. pos- sessing superior dairy qualities, and when no longer useful as milkers, on account of age, or other causes, may be turned off, and will then take on flesh about as rapidly as those which are bred exclusively for the butcher. "If I am correct in this opinion, then I am prepared to hazard the assertion, that no useful result can be arrived at by crossing the Shorthorn cow with any other breed, with the prospect of improving upon the dairy qualities of the best milking families or tribes of Shorthorns which may be procured in this country. "That there are tribes of such Shorthorns, that are not inferior to the best native dairy stock in the country, I think there cannot be a doubt. If so, then it is obvious that it would bo a waste of time to attempt to rear a new breed of cattle for dairy purposes, as such experiments would occupy many years to test their utility, it is believed that no prac- tical breeder would attempt it. "I now proceed to show, that there are specimens among Shorthorns of this country, which are superior to most if not all of the breeds of this country, for dairy purposes. "In 1844, the New York State Agricultural Society offered a premium for the largest quantity of butter, to be the pro- duct of six cows, of any breed, in thirty consecutive days, the cows to be kept upon grass pasture, or green fodder, and not to be allowed slops or other feed for thirty days previous to, and during the trial. In order to test the dairy qualities of the Shorthorns, compared with other breeds, ftud thus give the great dairy interests of the country an opportunity to form a judgement of the relative merits of the different breeds of cattle for dairy purposes, I put six Shorthorns on trial, and kept them on grass alone, and the result was, they produced in thirty days, 262 lbs. and 9 oz. of butter, it being an average of 43 lbs. 12 oz., to each cow. To ascertain the quantity of milk the six cows gave, I carefully weighed and measured the milk drawa from them in one day, ^^ the result was a weight of 265 lbs. 10 oz., and measured 13* quarts, wine measure, averaging 22J quarts per day. "It is proper to state that I had twelve cows, from which I took the six for trial. This statement may be found re- corded in full, in the Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society, 1844, page 215. <«I had one cow, "Young Willey/* that produced in seven days, 13i lbs. of butter. I sold a two year old heifer, called "Ruby," daughter of the above, to S. P. Chapman, of Mad- ison county, N. Y. He put this heifer on trial, when five or six ^eari old to compete for a premium offered by the society above named, for the largest quantity of butter made from one cow in ten days in June, and ten days in August 1850, to be fed on grass pasture only. She produced a fraction over forty pounds of butter in these twenty days, and was awarded the first premium. "Another cow I called 'Eunice 1st.' I had her milk, the produce of one day measured, and the result was thirty-two quarts wine measure. Eunice 2d produced in one day, thirty-four and a half quarts of milk, and there had previ- ously been made from her milk, nineteen and a half pounds of butter in seven days. Beside the tribes of which the above were members, I had others of superior milking qual- ities, which I could refer to, and I doubt not there could be selected from the numerous herd of Shorthorns in this country, equally good milkers with those referred to. "I do not desire to mislead any one in this matter, and therefore it is proper to say, that although it is a generally received maxim in cattle breeding that *like begets like,' yet there may, and probably will be individual exceptions to this rule, relative to the milking qualities of the progeny of every animal bred from such cows. My experience is, that it is rare that a failure will occur, when uniform good milkers are bred to a male descended from an equally good milking stock. Hence it will be seen that the selection of the male is all important, when milking qualities are sought. "I entertain the opinion, that cows, heifers or steers, reared from cows, possessing fine milking qualities, will, when needed for the shambles, put on flesh as fast, and with as little expense, as those not in possession of good capacities for milk. "The milking and fattening qualities of the Shorthorns, (and those two qualities constitute the value of this, or any other breed,) are to be found in great perfection in most of the herds of the country in separate animals. By com- mingling these, there could be presented to the country a breed of animals of great value. "In conclusion I remark, that it seems to me that there IS another good reason for not attempting to improve by crossing, as the Shorthorns are a well established breed, perfected by a long course of scientific breeding, with pedi- grees, for many generations recorded in the herd book, which will always prove a great convenience to such as may keep and breed the Shorthorn for dairy purposes,"— OAio Farmer. -••►- Knoz'8 Patent Horse Hoe This Hoe justly ranks amongst the most important recent agricultural inventions. Its shape may be understood by con- ceiving of the handles and beam of an ordinary plow, having two pieces of wood running backward from its sides, letter A fashion, at a point near the place whore the horse is to be attached to the beam. At the point of the main beam, in which these two sides meet, is a cimetar cutter or colter, the office of which is merely to enter the ground and steady the machine during its action. At each of the other extremities of the two arms formed by the letter A is a miniature plow, n the rear of the main beam, and directly under the handles 18 placed a V shaped share, point forward. Upon the rear Of the wings of this share are teeth, each tooth being about three inchea long, and projecting backward. A wheel and regulating clevis are placed upon the front of the beam to which the horse or mule may be attached. The action of this implement may readily be understood. The cimetar cutter, as already stated, steadies it; the minia- ture plows throw the soil to the centre, and the comb again distributes it. Let it be borne in mind that in the planting of corn the rows should be straight, and the Horse Hoe used -, — w.^ 6»v." wv idigcj LuiB 18 aiso une oi oiner crops. In hoeing corn it should be passed down the side of one row, and then above that of the next in order, through the length of the field, and afterwards crosswise in the same manner. It is generally used with the mould boards side in, for other crops as well as corn, unless it be desired to throw the soil against the plants, flat cultivation being now more generally adopted. The amount of labor necessary for its cultivation when the conunon plow and hand hoes only are used, deters many from giving this important crop the care it so justly deserves. This implement of Mr. Knox, which is now being manu- factured by Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse, Mason A Co., of Wor- cester, Mass., may truly be called a labor-saving machine, for by its use with the assistance of a single horse or mule a farmer may hoe as much com in a single day, and do it as well, provided the rows are straight, as could be accomplished by twenty men by means of ordinary hand hoes. It is known that in seasons of drought the frequent use of the hand hoe not only keeps down weeds but prevents crops from suffering as much as they would otherwise do during hot summer weather. The cause of this may be readily un- derstood. During the most parching days of summer there is watery vapor in the atmosphere; air, in its passage through a well disintegrated soil not only is more freely admitted, but deposits a larger amount of moisture than if the soil was compact for want of cultivation, and this deposition take« place whenever the soil is at a lower temperature than the supernatant atmosphere. That th ' moisture spoken of is present, can readily be proved by a simple experiment Let an uncorked empty bottle be exposed in open air during one of the hottest days of summer, and after the bottle shall have become thoroughly dried, and even considerably heated by the sun's rays, if it be then hermetically sealed and car- ried to an ice-house, before it shall have been there a single moment, globules of water will be seen to trickle down its inside in consequence of being surrounded by air of a low temperature, showing beyond the possibility of a doubt, the existence of watery vapor in the atmosphere during those seasons of the year when vegetation seems most to need refreshing and general showers. This phenomenon may also be observed when a cold pitcher is brought into a hot room; • for in this case too, watery vapor may be seen deposited over its immediate surface. The question then that naturally presents itself to the mind of the agriculturist, is:— -How can this watery vapor be made available to growing crops. The answer is, disintegrate the soil to a sufficient depth and no crop will suffer from drouth. Many years have elapsed since there was so favorable an opportunity of witnessing this fact practically tested on so grand.a scale as during the past season; for through the length and breadth of the land there seemed to be poured forth with one accord an anxious desire for even as much rain as would moisten the parched earth. Never, therefore, was there so ample an opportunity for testing practically some important truths in scientific agriculture; for no crops suffered from drouth grown on soils, properly under-drained, where such was needed, as well as deeply surface, and sub-soiled plowed, and the imme- diate surface frequently disintegrated by Knox's Patent Horse Hoe, or other cultivator, in its libsonce. In corrobo- tion of this I would state that during the past season I ■P ill ■J 148 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat 1855.] .{•^ have Men grown on soils so treated, and with no extraor- dinary amount of fertilizers applied, ninety and one hundred bushels of shelled com to the acre, as well as other crops in proportion. — J. Payne Lowb. — Cayuga Sachem, An Experiment in Deep Digging. Last spring we took a corner of an old garden spot, which, though it had always been liberally manured and plowed as well as such a piece of ground could be, and to put it in a condition for fruit trees, we gave a good dressing of manure, and a thorough spading to the full depth of an unworn spade, the longest we could find in the market. In this spading operation, we often came in contact with a subsoil so stiff that it offered a strong resistance to the spade ; still the spade was put in at the cost of much physical exertion. The old soil and manure were laid in the bottom of the trench, and the heterogenous and apparently sterile material on which it had reposed, were placed upon the surface. This new earth, upon much of which the sun had never shone, and the dew had never fertilized, was, in due time, planted with garden vegetables — not, however, in expectation of much crop, for the very surface gave almost positive as- surance that such things would never grow there. They were sown and planted to furnish a motive for a contin- ued tillage through the season, and in addition, the ground was planted out with dwarf Pear trees. The season in our region, as in many other sections of the country was one of distressing drouth — but very little rain from May to October — and, in consequence, the ground on this patch was probably oftener and more thoroughly hoed than it would have been, had the dews and rains fulfilled their labors as usual. We now speak of the result. Our Pear trees (some twenty) on this patch, not only lived but made a desire- able growth ; and as for the vegetables — Melons, Cucum- bers, Tomatoes, &c., &c., to the end of the catalogue — they gave us a crop superior to any we had raised for years. From this operation we infer, in the first place, that deep and thorough tillage, and frequent stirring of the earth, are good preventives of the effect of drouth. The deeper and better pulverised the soil, the greater its power of absorption ; consequently whenever ther§ is much moisture in the atmosphere, such lands are certain to attract their full share of it. It is so, also, with the fregetable-nourishing gasses which the air from time to •time contains. Such lands also suffer less in rainy sea- sons from excessive moisture, for the same qualities which .enable them to absorb when there is a scarcity, enable ,4hem to throw off when there is a superabundance. In the second place, deep and thorough tillage proves, •to us, conclusively that the productive powers of earth :Are not always as nearly exhausted as many strive to imagine, i>ut that the vile skinning, skimming system the plowing three, four and five inches deep — is what in- diW5«B the sterility which so many lament. Any clayev soUt— und they are among the best for many purposes may be made .as barren as the desert of Sahara by such t^ system. Pl9,w shallow and the earth under the furrow will lose the ii^ence of the two essentials of fertility, sunshine and «ir, end will, of course, become cold, com- pact, and barren. Koots will avoid such earth ; or, if they make an effort to penetrate it, it will be like at- tempting to extend themselves into a rock to meet the in- vigorating influence of an iceberg. In tree-culture — especially in growing fruit trees— even a tolerable degree of success cannot be realized un- less shallow stirring of the earth is given up and the earth stirred deep. Trees may, as we have seen, sometimes live in such shallow soils, but they will be stinted, sickly, and produce but ordinary fruit ; but it is more often the case they die in the effort to live, and then comes the bitter denunciations on the nurseryman who reared them, the adverse climate, and sometimes the locality, and even ^ the soil which, under favorable culture, would be just the thing for them, is blamed for the lack of those qual- ities which man in his indolence, or grasping after pres- ent gain, has taken from it. — William Bacon. — Har' ticulturist. iti.: Lectures on Veterinary Science. Extract from a lecture delivered by Dr. Dadd: After alluding to the cause, nature and treatment of colic, the doctor stated that the bots originated from the larva of the gad fly, which being deposited on tl^ sides and fore extremities of the horse in the form of m<», are licked off by the tongue of the horse, and thus pass into the stomach, and finally assume the form of a full grown botj and that when capable of exercising an inde- pendent life, they leave the stomach, their natural habit- ation, by the alimentary passage and rectum, burrow into the earth and there undergo a sort of metamorphosis, acquire wings, and in their turn deposit nits, and thua perpetuate the species. He proved, beyond a doubt, that they seldom do any harm, and quoted from authorities to their general in- nocuousness. That while in the stomach they cannot produce pain as is generally supposed, because they aie located on the cuticular division, a portion of the stom- ach as insensible as the lining of the membrane of the fowl's gizzard, and that if ever found to have burrowed through the walls of the stomach into the abdominal cavity, they were there from the force of circumstances, occurring in the death of the horse, from peculiar causes, or from drenching the animal with strong medicine or poison. If a horse happens to have a sudden attack of colic, or any other acute disease, and should turn his head towards the side, expressive of the pains and agony experienced, many people jump at the conclusion, that the horse is afflicted with bots, and all the ''Know Somethings" seem to favor the opinion, and will scarcely believe otherwise; but this results from that backward mode of reasoning, that compels us to look upon the error, rather than em- brace the light of science. The horse may be destroyed by powerful medicines, but the hot being the monarch of his own domicil, the stomach, can refuse the dose you offer him. The best way to rid the horse of the bots, is to turn him into a pasture in the spring, at which time the b(» comes to maturity, and will then vacate his stronghold. '• Bots cannot be killed by poisons, for they will live and grow fat on turpentine, and even on some of the mineral acids, so that it is folly to attempt their expulsion. It was proved that all animals as well as man, are more or less pestered with various kinds of parasites, an^ THE FARM JOURNAL. 149 they seldom do harm. That the pig was oft^n infested with animalculae, so that its body was surcharged with Uie same, and this gave to pork that peculiar appearance known as measles. The lecture was concluded with some very interesting remarks on animal physiology. After which, at the re- quest of persons present, the anatomy and physiology of the foot, and the various methods of shoeing were dis- cussed. At the conclusion a vote of thanks was passed in favor of Dr. Dadd, for his instructive and interesting course of lectures. It was remarked by Dr. Tewksbury, that a farmer might gain more practical information in one of these lec- tures, than he could in any other way, consequently it was to the interest of the farmer to encourage this sort of public teaching. The color is of a rich crimson. The surface of the fruit 18 smooth and glossy. Seed-considerably indented. Flavor-superior; good judges who have tested it think It IS not surpassed. It has ripened the eighth day of June for the last two years. This strawberry will commend itself bv it- earl-css and hardiness, by its beauty and high flavor, by its being an extraordinary and prolific bearer, and on account of the size and evenness of its berries. -Joseph Bbeck. in Horticulturist. A DeBcription of the Jenny Lind Seedling Strawberry. There are so many new things constantly brought up before the horticultural world, and so much humbug about a great majority of them, that it is with diffidence I present to the public a description of the Jenny Lind Seedling Strawberry. It has been exhibited for three suc- cessive seasons in the Massachusetts Horticultural Soci- ety" rooms, and the writer, a member of the Fruit Com- mittee, has had frequent opportunities to test and compare it with other varieties. It is entirely distinct from any other sort in cultivation here. It possesses many excel- lences, and in my humble opinion, is worthy of general cultivation. One of our first confectioners, who 'deals largely in ice creams, and who has used these as well as other varieties to flavor them with, says it is the best sort grown for that purpose. This speaks well for its flavor. The Fruit Committee have repeatedly recom- mended it; and gentlemen who have seen it speak in high terms of its appearance, and would gladly have paid a high price to be in possesion of it ; but as yet the originator, Mr. Isaac Fay, of Cambridgeport, has kept it in his own hands. It will, however, be for sale this spring. The seed from which it was obtained, was from a cross Of Mr. Fay's old seedling and the Early Virginia. Fay 8 old seedling was a large strawberry but little known, and not considered equal to some other seedlings, and did not receive much attention, but possessed some good qualities, particulariy the size. The Jenny Lind ooes not come up in size to this seedling, but is larger . the Early Virginia, and a most abundant bearer, ripening full as early, and equal to it in sweetness, if not superior. Out of more than two thousand plants ob- wmed from seed, sown five years since, this one alone produced fruit the following summer; and it has contin- ea to bear and increase in its good qualities ever since, nounshmg equally in the shade as in the sun-some of Qe best fruit and plants having been under the thick fobage of fruit trees. The plant is very hardy, with luxuriant foliage send- g out strong, stout runners. The leaves are quite ge on tall stems, and more serrated than common va- andT' I blossoms are staminate ; neariy all set fruit, and form well developed berries. The fruit averages well ^ to size, quite large, solid, of a fine conical shape. Bee Keeping. Putting on and Taking off Boxes :-Putting on boxes may be considered a duty intermediate between spring and summer management. I cannot recommend putting them on as early as the last of April, or first of May, in ordinary circumstances. It is possible to find a case that it would be best. But before the hive is fuU of bees it is generally useless, and very likely a disadvantage, by allowing a portion of animal heat to escape, that is needed in the hive to mature the brood. Also, moisture may accumulate until the inside moulds, &c. Some ex- perience and judgment is necessary to know about what time boxes are needed. That boxes are needed at the proper season, I think I shall not need an argument to convince any one in the present day. Bee-keepers have generally discarded the babarous practice of killing ♦he bees to obtain the honey. Many of them have learned that a good swarm will store sufficient honey for winter, besides several dollars worth as profit in boxes. Advantage of the Patent Vender:— Here is where the patent vender has taken the advantage of our igno- rance, by pretending that no other hive but his ever ob- tained such quantities, or so pure in quality. Time of Putting on— Rule:— It is probable a great many readers will need the necessary observation to teU precisely when the hive is full of honey; it may be fuU of bees and not of honey. And yet the only rule that I can give to be generally applied, is, when the bees begin to be crowded out, but a day or two before would be just the right time, that is, when they are obtaining honey— (for it should be remembered that they do not always get honey when beginning to cluster out). This guide will do in place of a better one, which close observation and experience only can give. By observing a glass hive at- tentively, in those cells that touch the glass on the edge of the combs, whenever honey is being deposited here abundantly, it is quite evident that the flowers are yield- ing it just then, and other stocks are obtaining it also. Now is the time, if any cluster out, to put on the boxes.' When boxes are made as I have recommended, that is the size containing 360 solid inches, it is advisable to put on only one at first; when this is full either of bees op honey, and yet bees are crowded outside, the other can be added. This is before swarming; too much room might retard the swarming a few days, but if crowded outside, it indicates want of room and the boxes can make but little diff-erence. It is better to have one box well filled than two half full, which might be the case if bees were not numerous. The object of putting on boxes before swarming, is to employ a portion of the bees that otherwise would remain idly clustering outside two or three weeks, as they often do, while preparing the young m THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 151 ii i-J^ ^f ^\,,n. vM*i«oa4' K/\npv ^lia^ mav Ka had- iust aS well as to have a portion of the bees idle. I always en- deavor to ascertain in what direction the sheets of comb are made, and then mark off the row of holes on the top at right angles with them. Advantage of Proper Arrangement: — Two inches being nearly the right distance, each one will be so made that a bee arriving at the top of the hive between any two sheets will be able to find a passage into the box, without the task of a long search for it ; which I can im- agine to be the case when only one hole for a passage is made, or when the row of holes is parallel with the combs. A hive might contain eight or ten sheets of comb, and a bee desirous of entering the box might go up between any two, many times, before it found the passage. It has been urged that every bee soon learns all pass- ages and places about the hive, and consequently will know the direct road to the box. This may be true but when we recollect that all within the hive is perfect dark- ness— that this path must be found by the sense of feel- ing alone — that this sense must be its guide in all its fu- ture travels — that perhaps a thousand or two young workers are added every week, and these have to learn by the same means — it would seem, if we studied our own interest, we would give them all the facility possible for entering the boxes. What way so easy for them as to have a passage, when they get to the top, between each comb? That bees do not know all roads about the hive, can be partially proved by opening the door of a glass hive. Most of the bees about leaving, instead of going to the bottom for their exit, where they have departed many times, seem to know nothing of the way, but vainly try to get out through the glass whenever light is admit- ted. I am so well convinced of this that I take some pains to accommodate them with"" a passage between each comb; they will then at least lobe no time by mistakes between the wrong combs, crowding and elbowing their way back through a dense mass of bees which impede every step, until again at the top, perhaps between the same combs, perhaps right, perhaps farther off than at first; when I suppose they try it again, as boxes are filled sometimes under just such circumstances. To assist them as much as possible, when new hives are used for swarms, I wait till the hive is nearly filled before making the holes to ascertain the direction of the combs. We all know it is uncertain which way the combs will be built, when the swarm is put in, unless guide-combs are used. When holes are made before the bees are put in, guide-combs as directed for boxes should be put in; (of course they should cross at right angles the row of holes.) — M. Quinby. *^ . Test for the Expediency of Drainage. John Johnson, of Seneca county, New York, gives in the American Agriculturist the following plan to ascertain whether land needs draining: — **Dig holes about two and a half feet deep in different parts of the field ; put a cover over the holes so that the rainwater cannot get into them, and if they fill with water until within a foot or so of the surface, in ten or twelve hours, then his land re- quires, and will pay well for draining. I think I hear P. I. B., and many others say, that these holes will fill up on any land, if the ground is wet at the time. But I tell them it is not the case. You may dig as many drains as you please on dry lands, and they will never run water un- less the snow is melting on the surface. If F. I. B. had stood over the making of between forty and fifty miles of drains, as I have done, he would be a better judge of what was wet and what was dry land. To the unprac- tised eye, land that looks dry, is gorged with water six inches below the surface." Report on Some of the Diseases and Insects Affeetiiig Fruit Trees and Vines. By Thaddeus William Harris, Professor of Enttmol- OOY OF THE Mass. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [To be Concluded next month.} Pear Tree Insects. — Those most injurious to this tree are the Sluff-wormSf which destroy the leaves, the Scolytus or Tomicus^ referred to in a preceding paragraph, and borerSf which make their attacks on the stocks of dwarf trees that are grafted upon the quince. Pear trees likewise suffer occasonally from bark-liee. Within a few years, a new and probably introduced insect has made its appearance in great numbers on pear trees in the western parts of Connecticut and of Massachussets, particularly in the valley of the Housatonic, and in the adjacent counties of Duchess and Columbia in New York. This is The PsyllOy or jumping louse, which is probably iden- tical with the same species that infests the pear tree in Europe. Some account has been given of it in the sec- ond edition of my ^'Treatise;" but the history is confess- edly incomplete, and further particulars have been hoped for from Mr. T. Glover, of Fishkill Landing, whose op- portunities for observing the habits of the insect are greater than mine have been. In some of its forms it is found on pear trees from May to October, and probaWy two or more broods are produced every year. These little insects live by suction, and obtain their food by puncturing the bark of young shoots, mostly in the vicin- ity of the buds. They defile the shoots with the fluid which they discharge in large quantities, and which soon forms a blackish crust on the bark. The best remedy that occurs to me is a wash of strong soap suds and sul- phur, applied with a brush to the branches in the spring, before the buds expand. A solution of whale oil soap, thrown upon the trees, will kill the insects, but will have to be repeated at intervals through the summer. Plum Tree Insects.— ^Ac Plum Weevil, Cureulio, or Conotrachelus Nenuphaty continues to baffle all attempts to exterminate it. Chei^-es, apples, pears, peaches, an** even the succulent warts of the plum tree provide for it abundant resources, in default of plums, its more appro- priate food. We may save a crop of plums by covering the trees with fine netting or perhaps by coating the fruit with whitewash; but the other fruits above named will suffer all the more for our pains, and will furmsh a numerous brood of depredators for the following year- Nothing short of killing the insects, in some of their forms, will ever prove an effectual remedy. The Slug -worm, Tenthredo, or Selandria (Blennocampa) Cerasi, which destroys the leaves of the cherry and of the pear, is also injurious to those of the plum. It is easily killed by dusting ashes or lime upon it, or by throw- ing upon the leaves a solution of whale-oil soap. Cherry Tree Insects. — Those which attack the leaves are chiefly canker-worms and slug-worms, already referred to, and rose-bugs, which in some seasons are very injurious to them. The latter, as well as the May- bugs or Melolonthce, may be gathered by hand on small trees, or may be beaten off with poles and caught in sheets spread beneath the trees The best time for doing this is in the evening or very early in the morning, when the insects are sluggish, and readily fall if disturbed. A large proportion of the fruit is spoiled every year by the grubs of t\LQ plum-weevil. The incautious eater doubtless does something towards checking the increase of the in- sects; but a remedy less repugnant to good taste remains to be discovered. Peach Tree Insects. — The Tomicus liminaris, which lives under the bark of diseased peach trees, and has been supposed by Miss Morris, to be the cause of the yellows, has not appeared in my own trees, nor do I hear of its being found in others in this vicinity. Miss Mor- ris's communication upon it may be seen in Downings's Horticulturist, Vol. IV., page 602. T^e Peach tree borer, {j^geria ezitiosoe,) an entirely dif- ferent insect from the apple tree borer, and operating in a different manner, namely, between the bark and the wood is more injurious to this tree than any other insect. Great care is necessary to prevent the tree from being fatally girdled at the roots by these pernicious borers. Frequent application of urine and ashes, and of hot soap suds, around the trunk, seem to have a good effect, bemg not only offensive to the fly when about to deposit her eggs, but also destructive to the young borers. After any lurking borers and the earth adjacent to the trunk have been carefully removed, a covering of strong paper around the base of the tree, tied above with a string, and secured at the bottom with a bed of mortar, has proved an effectual preventive against the attacks of the insects. I believe that the peach trees on plum stocks are never injured by these borers. *%^ Hatnral Htstory of Rew York, Vol. V. * 'Natural History of New York ; Agriculture of New Tork, comprising an account of the classification, com- position, and distribution, of th^ soils and rocks, and of the climate and agricultural productions of the State, together with descriptions of the more common and in- jurious insects, by C. Emmons, M. D., Vol. V., Albany, 1854. The Legislature of New York State has been very liberal in appropriating money for the purpose of pub- lishing an illustrated report of its Natural History, &c., which has appeared in five quarto volumes. The former ▼Glumes we understand have been conducted with great ability, but the fifth by Dr. Emmons, the only one we have had an opportunity of examining, we are constrain- to say has fallen into most incompetent hands, and this ion to those that have preceded it. This is the more lamentable from the fact that the evil of this misappro- priation of money cannot be so easily repaired, and an opportunity has been suffered to pass without having been improved, for there cannot be a doubt that a work on the local entomology of any State or District of our country, with faithful descriptions and accurate illustra- tions would be both useful and interesting to the farm- ers. Horticulturists and others of the whole country. When the second edition of Dr. Harris' very excellent and very able ''Treatise on Insects injurious to Vegeta- tion" was published, there was only one regret amongst Agriculturalists, Horticulturalists, and amateur or work- ing Entomologists, and that was the absence of illustra- tive figures. But the author was not supported by a State appropriation, and good engravings are expensive appendages. The volume under consideration might have furnished the country with what is wanting in Dr. Harris' book, but it has not done this, nor anything else worthy of the Empire State. Instead of being a faithful report on American Entomology, it appears to be merely a compi- lation of scientific descriptions of a few of such insects as are injurious to vegetation, mainly drawn from an- tiquated British sources, and even in this, there is not the proper discrimination made between insects that are injurious and those that are not. The figuring and description of European Insects, and publishing them as American species, can be of no ad- vantage to the the student of American entomology, as is the case in many instances in the volume we are con- sidering—particularly such as Clerus apiarius, PI. 2, fig. 8, Chrysomela tremula, PI. 14, fig. 5, and Cicindela campestris, PI. 17, fig. 6, and also others which are com- mon foreign species, long ago and often described and figured, and found in nearly every cabinet collection in this country as well as those abroad. It is evident that the compiler did not possess the knowledge, that the work he had undertaken required, or he never would have queried and left unnamed the very common and destructive species of Longicornia, on PI. 8, (Clytus col- onus and Clytus erythrocephalus.) PI. 10. fig. 6, is our very common and very extensive- ly known black "Wood-beetle," Passalus cornutus Fabr., but in the reference it is named Scarites. — It is with much reluctance that we part with this familiar subject of our early entomological associations. About the first too, from its large size, abundance, difficult locomotion, and black glossy coat of mail, that the juvenile ento- mologist becomes acquainted with and is enabled to cap- ture. Still we congratulate him on his elevation to the "higher position," in which the new scale of insect graduation has placed him.* But we are thinking with such an uncongenial associate as Scarites and in the el- ement in which he loves to delve, Passalus will be like a "fish out of water." Passalus is by occupation a car- penter, and both in the larvae and perfect state lives upon and is found only in dead or decaying wood, particular- ly Black oak, whereas Scarites is a digger and lives and matures under ground, hence Subteraneus, the trivial *In acknowledged system of classification Fiusaltis Is placed amongst the LameJicomia, whereas Scarites occupies a position near the head of part of the work must fhAi>Afni.o Ka o *»;o«>»«ki» «^«.««« ^^^ Carabidae— but it would be tedious to both writer and reader to i-uc wurji musi inereiore De a miserable compan- | note all blunders of this kind that the book contains. I 16S THE FARM JOURNAL. [May 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 1* II name of our most common species. The former when they occur in large numbers are capable of destroying much oak timber, and therefore may be classed with injurious insects, whereas the latter being predaceous in their habits, may rather be regarded as useful, and therefore insect friends. It is therefore important that their own acknowledged proper names should be associated with each, and their identity preserved intact. We claim to be only an amateur in the iiatural scien- ces, but not the less ardent in our love on that account and especially for entomology. We therefore freely con- fess that our predilection for improved scientific arrange- ment has been not a little offended by the new Generic series of succession as adopted by Dr. Emmons in his system of classification. The figures themselves as a general thing are very in- different, some of which are scarcely recognizable, and others little else than the merest caricatures. But one of the worst features, and one that must be humilia- ting to a generous mind, is the fact, that whilst it is ao knowledged that the anatomical figures have been mostlj copied from the Naturalist's Library, yet on some if not on all of the plates, they are credited to E. Emmons, Jr. The copying of foreign plates to illustrate our local en- tomology is sufficiently discreditable, but for the copyist to afi&x his own name to them, is a climax in cupidity that sets every consideration of modesty at defiance. The volume is devoted to all the orders, but the fore- going remarks refer to Only a very few of the many er- rors in the coleopterous series. They will all howeyer receive a passing notice in due time from competent sources. Thus in a practical as well as a theoretical sense, the blunders in this work become conspicuously apparent, its general usefulness impaired if not entirely negatived, and the duty of exposition imperative— and therefore for one we enter our solemn protest against its being a reflex of the present condition of entomology n the United States. S. S. R. COMBINED MOWING AND REAPING MACHINE. We are indebted to C. B. Rogers, 29 Market Street, for the above cut representing a combined Mower and Reaper, manufactured by him. We have not seen it in operation, but Mr. Rogers as- sures us it has been tested for two seasons with entire Batisfdction, and has taken the following premiums. First premium for Mower, Salem county Fair, 1853, do. Burlington county, 1863, do. Camden and Gloucester, 1853. Special do. Mower and Reaper, Camden and do. 1864, First do. Burlington county, 1854. First premium for Mower, Berks county, 1854, do New Castle county, Del., 1854, Silver Medal for Mower, Penn- sylvania State Fair, 1854, do. and Reaper, Pa. do., 1854. 4«* Ornamental Evergreen Hedges. Judging from its being so rarely seen it would appear not to be generally known, that the common Hemlock, Abies Canadensis, answers admirably for hedging p^^ poses, bears trimming well, and is we think altogether un- rivalled among evergreens for this purpose. It may be planted either in double or single rows, about ten or twelve inches apart, the latter being preferable, more easily cultivated, and kept clean in its early growth. The habit of the hemlock is rather drooping, which tendency ifl displayed to great advantage when in the hedge row, and the peculiar lively green tint of the young foliage, gi^W it a most picturesque and graceful appearance unlike any thing else. The American Arbor Vitse, in contrast with the hemlock, is quite stiff and formal, and does not so well retain its green color through the winter. It may, however, answer better where a dense screen is wanted; the Norway Spruce is preferable, though, for this. The handsomest specimen of Hemlock Hedging probably m this country is at the country seat of Moses Broini, School House Lane, six miles from Philadelphia. He has several hundred yards of it growing in great luxuri- ance, and the admiration of all who see it. It is about four and a half feet high. Trimming is performed twice IAS ft year. ■*•>• XETCHTJM'S REAPER AND MOWER. The above engraving gives a representation of Ketch- urn's mowing machine with the reaper attachment. The change from a mower to a reaper is effected by simply enlarging the main wheel by the addition of an outer rim of sufficient thickness, which is easily attached by bolts m sections. These are circular fitted and bolted with one bolt. The advantages claimed for this arrangement are :— Ist. Raising the cutters sufficiently high for cutting [grain. 2d. Lessening the motion of the knives without any change of gearing, which is desirable in cutting grain, as much less motion is required than for grass. 3d. Raising the cogs of the driving wheel, thereby preventing them from being filled with dirt. 4th. Reducing the draft of the machine at least one- I third. 6th. Attaining the above objects without complicating the machinery, not a screw or bolt having to be changed. Ketchum's combined reaper and mower is all made of pon, the frame and finger bar being of wrought iron. Pnce m Philadelphia, $135. I We are not aware of Ketchum's combined machine paving yet been tried in Pennsylvania, but it is said to pave been well tested in New York, and worke.1 to entire fiatisfaction, cutting from ten to fifteen acres of grain ■per day. ^ Patents on mowing and reaping machines are accu- mulating rapidly. We have no interest in them, farther pan to keep our readers advised of improvements, and IJrl '^T^'^'' arrangement of each, leaving to them Utirely the decision of which is the best. The question wmch 18 the best mower, and which the best reaper, lliTr.""'" '^ '^' ^'^^ ^"««*i^^« 0^ tl^e day, at Ldl?„ f "^^"^ community. Even with all the dis- Utt 'I ^^^"^acture in many cases, there are nmU Z' \ """^ farmers, who have tried them, who ^ZZiliT'''' '' '' '^^' *° ^^ ^^^ -^^^« -^ ii*r ,"'"'''"' ""^''^ ^*^« ^««^ ^osi generally used section and most esteemed, are Ketchum's and Allen's. Several hundred of them were sold in Penn- sylvania last season, and where they were well made, gave, we believe, general satisfaction. The reputation of Allen's machine has no doubt suffered by the very imperfect manner in which many of them were mann- factured-attributable in part to the very unexpected demand, causinor th** rvtaf<>..:.is *- u- ,. , - -o — -^swixoxs wj u« gotien logetner too hastily. These defects, we understand, are being fully remedied the present season. The proprietor of Ketchum's patent having wisely re- tamed the right to manufacture in one or two hands, they have proved more uniformly of good, durable con- struction. All that have as yet been brought to thie market have been made at Buffalo. Any manufacturers of reaping or mowing machines not heretofore described in the Farm Journal, can cheer- fully have the benefit of a description and insertion of a cut in our pages, which will be a benefit all around. — <•»■ — SPAIN'S PATENT CHTON. We wish to be cautious of giving the sanction of the Farm Journal to new and untried implements, or those of doubtful character, and prefer that inventors or paten- tees, in introducing their articles to the public, and making use of our columns, which we cheerfully accord in every case of probable merit or usefulness, should do it in their own language, and on their own responsibili- ty. We vouch for nothing we have not known and tried. Spain's patent atmospheric cAwrw, of which the above en- graving gives a pretty good representation, is one of the articles we can recommend with entire confidence, from our own knowledge, and from the experience of several years trial in Philadelphia and adjoining counties. It took the first premium at the last Pa. State Fair, has been awarded, at different times, a silver medal from the Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania, and has never yet been exhibited in competition with others without receiv- ing the first premium. The dashers are the patent- able part of its construction, being so made as to give a kind of transverse motion to the cream, keeping it con- stantly agitated, and bringing every portion into succes- sive contact with fresh particles of the atmosphere through the open tube in the lid. They also can be lift- ed out entire by unscrewing the handle, making the cleansing much easier and more thorough. Persons have frequently remarked to us of how mucji better quaUty their butter was from this churn than others, and asked for a reason. We presume the reason to be that while in other churns, the fetid gas always generated by the TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF I I) ' M il 164 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Mat churning process, is retained within and among the cream and butter, of course aflFecting its flavor and quality, is with Spain's churn allowed constant escape through the open tube in the lid, while the atmosphere, at the same time has as free ingress. The patentee does not contend that butter will come quite so quickly in his churn, as in some others, which have now and then been for a short time before the public, but that better butter will be made in a shorter time. It is known there is a possibility of butter coming too quickly, so quickly as to be soft and oily without consistence. To make good and firm butter, requires a reasonable time, and a good article cannot be made short of it. Spain's churn, in addition to its peculiar construction also has the reputation of being generally well and strongly made. It comes in sizes, from three dollars and twenty-five cents, to seven dollars and larger ones for horse power are made to order. Chaunoey P. Holcomb. Since our last issue, we have to record the decease of another prominent friend of agricultural improvement and successful practical farmer, Chauncey P. Holcomb, formerly a member of the Philadelphia bar, and represen- tative of this city in the State legislature. He had for the last fifteen years, resided on a farm near New Castle, Delaware, and given his attention entirely to agricultural pursuits. Hifi Devon stock was celebrated all over the country, and has been widely disseminated. He had but recently added to his herd some fresh importations. C. P. Holcomb, also had a high reputation as one of our very best agricultural writers and public speakers, and was frequently called upon for public addresses, which abounded in practical suggestions, and have contributed very much to create a taste for country life and improve the ordinary system of management especially in the improvement of stock. His style of writing and speak- ing was terse^ practical, and at the same time fluent, dif- fering in these particulars, most favorably from the rapid and declamatory agricultural addresses of the day, which often begin "with Adam the first tiller of the soil," and end with nothing which a matter of fact farmer can make available. In the unexpected death of our friend Holcomb, agri- culture, as well as the social circle in wb>h he moved and of which he was so bright an ornament, ^ xU long feel the void. «•» Raising Root Crops. We hope none of our readers will let this month pass over without putting in a plentiful crop of roots for next winter's supplies. We believe many will be driven to it who have the past season experienced the cost, of making beef and butter from pure grain, at the present high rates, some of whom perhaps sold rather bare early in the winter under the temptation of high prices and now have to buy at still higher. The prospects for the farm- er were never more flattering than now, but to avail himself fully of them it is indispensible for him to prac- tise a little of what he has been calling book farming , viz: raise root crops, plow deeply, pulverize thoroughly, ma- nure heavily and with such kinds as are adapted for the crop he is raising. Various experiments have proved that at least one third and probably one half less grain will do as much good, when fed in conjunction with roots, Carrots, Parsnips, Beets, Ruta Bagas, &c. When com is worth ninety cents, or one dollar, oats seventy cents and with a dozen or more cows or steers requiring feed, this saving will be quite an important item. An acre of land under proper culture, will readily produce six hun. dred to one-thousand bushels of roots, and even if sold, what crop will nett more money? Carrots, the past win- ter, and almost any winter have readily commanded fifty cents per bushel, and the demand for them is rapidly increasing as food for horses, at the livery stables. The expense of planting, continued seeding, and cultivation, deters many from root cultui^e. The weeds will grow and require attention when it cannot be spared, but we will now repeat, what we have before shown, how this difliculty can be easily avoided, by destroying the weeds before putting in the crop. After the ground has been well plowed which should be very early in the season, the harrow should be passed over repeatedly, at least twice a week so as not only to thoroughly break up and pul- verize all the lumps, but also to kill seeds of weeds just germinating by exposure to the actidh of the hot sua. If any one will examine his fields before harrowing, par- ticularly if it has been well manured, he will find millions I of weeds all over the surface, just sprouting and ina^ condition to be destroyed, by each successive harrowing. This will not cost a tithe of the expense of their destruo-l tion after the crop is planted, and will be done more ef-f ectually. 4%t Meeting of the Executive Committee of the State Agii> cultural Society. The first quarterly meeting of the Executive Committe« of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, was heii at the office of said Society, in Harrisburg on Tuesdaj, the 17th of April, 1855. President of the Society in the chair. Members pw ent Messrs, James Gowen, H. N. McAllister, A. 0. Hei> ter, John Strohm, Abram R. Mcllvaine, James Miles, Isaac G. McKinley, Thomas P. Knox, George H. Bucher, William Bigler. David Mumma, Jacob S. Haldemai, Alfred L. Elwyn, Algernon S. Roberts, John P. Ruthe^ ford and Robert C. Walker. Two communications were received from Chauncey ii Goodrich, of Utica, New York, accompanying a largJ variety of seedling potatoes which were sent by him fof the use of the Society. The potatoes were properly di^ tributed among the members, with a request that a rcpoj upon each variety as to their product, and adaptedness the soils of Pennsylvania, be made at a future me€tiii|| The thanks of the Society were voted to Mr. Goodrich. Also communications from Isaac B. Baxter and Frederic Watts, regretting their inability to attend the meeting j the Executive Committee. Also a communication fr Peter A. Browne, of Philadelphia, recommending th£ i trod»i3tion into Pennsylvania, of the "Axigora Goat The letter was authorised to be published in the trar actions. Also a communication from Joseph Ua ' proposing to sell a tract of land in Perry county, to trustees of the Farmer's High School of PennsyWr which was refered to said trustees. The following co munication proposing to donate two or two hundrea fifty acres of land in Centre county, for the purpose 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. U6 an Agricultural School, was received from General James the meeting of the trustees in June next. Resolved Irvin, and ordered to be published, and referred to the trustees of the Farmers' High School. Bellefonte, Feb. 22d, 1856. To the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society. Gentlemen : — Feelinff a deep in- 4'o^oa4' in f-hft earlv and ftflfjcjenf. nrornniTa*'^" «^^ ♦^'^ Po*.- mers' High School of Pennsylvania, I observed with pleasure that the legislature now in session have repealed the act of April 13th, 1854, and passed an act of incor- poration more acceptable to the friends of Agricultural science. But much yet remains to be done. Land sus- ceptible of a high state of cultivation is to be procured, suitable buildings erected, a library, apparatus, &c. pro- vided. The surplus funds of the Pennsylvania State Ag- ricultural Society I fear will be inadequate to this object. Whilst I hope that the legislature will not adjourn with- out making such reasonable appropriation as the interest of this great Agricultural Commonwealth demands, I take this opportunity of proposing through you to the trustees to give the institution a tract of improved land, containing from two hundred to two hundred and fifty acres (the land is good lime stone clay soil situated in Harris township. Centre county,) provided the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania be erected thereon. The tract is pleasantly situated at the junction of the Penn's and Nittany valleys, near the geographical centre of the State, in a rich populous and healthy district and within twenty two miles of the Pennsylvania rail road, at Spruce creek. Whilst such an institution will give such impetus to the agricultural prosperity of the State at large, it will prove especially beneficial to the particular district in which it shall be established; and I therefore desire its J)cation in Cenke county. If we would add dignity to manual labor, if we would have it held in honor by the community, we must associate it with science ; and if we would lessen the expense of acquiring scientific knowledge, so as to bring the cost within the means of the farming community, we must connect its acqnisiton with manual labor. These as I understand are leading objects of the Farmer's High School of Pennsylvania, and if as has been suggested, such an institution properly organ- i2ed, with aid of the surplus funds of your society and a reasonable appropriation from the State, can afford to the young men of Pennsylvania, able and willing to work (when work is required of all, and esteemed honorable) a scientific practical education, at an expense of less than "seventy-five dollars" per annum, it will be productive of benefit to the community, the full extent of which, tune only can develope, and future generations only tell. I remain very respectfully yours, James Irvin. The following resolutions were offered by H. N. McAl- lister, and unanimously agreed to. Resolved, That the thanks of the friends of agricultural science are justly due w Gen. James Irvin, of Centre county, for his generous Otter of two hundred or two hundred and fifty acres of ^nd, to the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, on condition that the institution be located thereon. Resolved F^at the Secretary be, and he is hereby directed to lay wtore the trustees, the proposition of Gen. Irvin, and the proposition of James Miles, of Erie county, as published That in the hope of exciting emulation and inducing sim- ilar propositions from the citizens of other sections of the State, the above resolutions be published. James Gowen, chairman of the committee to prepare a premium Ust for the next annual exhibition, made re- port which after bein g amended was adopted, and two thousand copies ordered to be printed in phamphlet form. In accordance with the constitution (this being the first quarterly meeting) George H. Bucher, was re-appointed Treasurer, and Robert C. Walker, Recording Secretary for the ensuing year. The correspondence between David Landreth, President of the "Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture," and the Hon. Marshal P. Wilder President of the United States Agricultural Society, upon the subject of the latter Society holding an exhibi- tion m Pennsylvania, was presented by Algernon S. Roberts. The correspon dence being before the commit- tee, a resolution was offered by A. S. Roberts, to th© effect that the assent of the Pennsylvania State Agricul- tural Society, be given to the United States Agricultural Society, to hold an exhibition this fall in Pennsylvania which gave rise to considerable discussion, and the as- sent refused by a large majority. The following committee was appointed to fix the place for the next annual exhibition, and instructed to locate it at Harrisburg, provided the citizens thereof furnish the grounds free of charge, and contribute to the Society within ten days, the sum of fifteen hundred dol- lars : Jacob S. Haldeman, H. N. McAllister, Abrah R. McIlvaine, Isaac G. McKinley, Robt. C. Walker. On motion of David Mumma, it was resolved that the Corresponding Secretary be requested to correspond with, and select a suitable person to deliver the annual address at the next exhibition. On motion, committee adjourned. l.f '^^'^'°^' «^ th« late annual meeting, together [^th all similar offers which shall be received i rior to Book Noticei. The Practical Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Gar- dener's Companion, by Patrick Neill, L. L. D. F. R. S. E., adapted to the United States. Edited by G. Em- erson, M. D., with notes, and additions by R. G. Par- dee; published by Saxton, N. Y., and for sale by D. Landreth, 21 and 23 South 6th st, Philadelphia. Price $1 25. This is an octavo volume of over four hundred pages, illustrated with numerous engravings. The bare mention of the names connected with its publication ia of itself a suflScient recommendation. We may say however, that it contains a vast amount of reliable in- formation on the subject of which it treats, and we are convinced after brief cursory examination of its con- tents, that there are few of our most experienced gar- deners and fruit growers, that would not find on pe- rusal, hints of far more value than the price of the vol- ume, while to the novice or to those of limited experi- ence, it must be of great value. Cole's American Fruit Book, by Jewett & Co., Boston. Twenty thousand copies have been sold of the above standard work. It has been long and favorably known to Pomologists, and is often refererd to for infor- mation not attainable elsewhere. Bbeck's Book of Flowers, published by Jewett & Co., Boston. This is one of the most valuable treatises in the country on the culture of trees, plants, shrubs, flowers, &o. It should be in the hands of every one \m TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 156 THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. ■ -It I lln who owns a garden, and wishes reliable, practical in- formation for its management 4«* The Farm School Appropriation. We had hoped to have been able to announce in this number, the fact, that the Legislature had made an appro- priation in aid of the Farmers' High School, but we are compelled to forego this pleasure. We are not without hope, however, that it may yet be made before the close of the session. It is difficult to conceive how an intelligent body of gentlemen — the principal portion of whom are the repre- sentatives of the Farming interest, and the remainder rep- resenting constituencies almost as favorable to agricultural Improvement as the farmers themselves, — should hesitate one moment in regard to this measure, against the intrinsic merits of which, no single member of either house has been willing to urge an objection. The subject has been brought officially before the Legislature by the following ably writ- ten memorial of the President of the State Agricultural Society, and we repeat, "we are not without hope," that the practical good sense of the members of the General Assem- bly will lead them to make an appropriation, of at least ten thousand dollars for the establishment of the Farmers' High School. To the Hon. Wm. M. ffieater, Speaker of the Senate: — Sir : — By the recent act of incorporating "The Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania," I was, ex officio, as President of "The Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society," made a Trustee of that Institution. By virtue of this position, and in accordance with the zesd that has so often urged me to efforts in furtherance of the interests of Agriculture, I most respectfully approach your honorable body, and entreat it to take into consideration the expediency of appropriating a fund adequate to the founding of the Farmers' High School, npon a respectable and permanent basis, commensurate with the great interests it is intended to promote, and the dignity and character of the institutions of Pennsylvania. The Legislature, in 1851, chartered the State Agricultural Society, and appropriated to its use two thousand dollars annually. Had this grant been withheld, the charter, in all probability, would have remained to this day a dead letter npon the statue book. So, in like manner, it may be appre- hended, that without adequate pecuniary aid, the charter of the Farmers' High School may remain inoperative. Although the bounty to the State Agricultural Society gave a starting point to the Farmers of Pennsylvania, by enabling the Society to hold agricultural exhibitions, and award premiums to the most commendable specimens of live stock and farm products; and although these exhibitions were as successful as their most sanguine friends could have hoped, yet they could accomplish but little more than the stirring up a laudable rivalry among the few exhibitors, who were already in advance of the general condition of the great body of their brother farmers throughout the Common- wealth ; for of the real tillers of the soil, from the interior rural districts, but a small number ever witness a State Ag- ricultural Exhibition. The deduction from this is, that to improve throughly the Agriculture of the State, something more is required than exhibitions. The benefits resulting from these displays were limited mainly to the net receipts that accrued to the Treasury of the Society, and to a cer- tain popularity, produced by the novelty of the exhibitions, among classes not strictly Agricultural. The popularity of Horse and Cattle Shows is unreliable, and susceptible of being turned to an account different from that ostensibly claimed for them. Such excitement, at best, is no proof that the great and needful work of improvement is going on upon the farms; for as yet no apparent increase has been effected in the average per acre of grain, corn, ers. and John M'Latffehlin, Rhubarb. I PiLV "."l ''°'^"™' ""''^ *™^«d ^y ^^^ Committee iomnst .' '"^'''' ^ P^^°'«' ^^^ *^« ^««t' to Wm. TehlTTu '' "^'^^ ^"°^^^' Specimen Azalea, ^t^e best to Robert Buist; for the second best, to John John Ponf "" '."""'' '''^"'^- ^^«^*'^'**' ^o' the best J Hab? \T^"' ^^'^»-«^*-^ « plants, for the best to «t "to Roh . i' ^^'^'°'' *" '^"^^ ^'^'"^^^t ; for th3 second E nd be To PHf- Z""*'^*' '' P^-*«' ^-th« »>-tand Ust to V . ''J'' ^"''- ^'''^^^'^*^"' ^-^ 12 ^/«n.,-for Unt to ; ' T''' ''' ^'^ ''''''^ ^-* ^ '• ^o"-»^^ «t to Wm tT" ^''"'- '''''^^^'^'^"' ""^ « i>/an.,-for the the sIlA ! . ^^^ ''^^"'°' ^'^'"^^^^ *« D.R.'^King; ^««^-.first premium three dollars to Jerome Graff gardener to C. Cope, and premiums of one dollar each to J. Pollock, R, Buist, and Wm. Thompson. Table design-^ for the best to C. O'Brien, gardener to D. R. King. Basket —for the best to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin ; for the second best to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to John Lambert. Bouquets—for the best pair to the same ; for the second best to Jerome Graff, gardener t^ C. Cope. SpecisU Premiums— two dollars to Pester Raabe for a vase of 'llya- mths ; three dollars to Charles Miller for Calceolarias stocks and other piants,and one dollar each for collection of plants to Isaac Collins, gardener to Gen. Patterson, to Jerome Graff; gardener to C. Cope and to JohnPollock, gardener to James Dundas. The Committee notice a beautiful seedling Camellia of a cherry red color and a beautiful monthly blooming carnation, shown by John Sherwood. By the Committee on Vegetables— Cucwm6er« for the besi two, to Wm. Thompson, gardener to John Tucker. Bhubarb— For the best 12 specimens to John McLaugh- lin, and a special premium of four dollars to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin, for a collection of Cauliflowers,' Cucumbers, Radishes and Lettuce; very fine for the season! The Secretary announced that he was auttiorized by John Fisk Allen, the author of the superb work on the "Victoria regia," to ft^sent the society with a copy, and on motion a tender of the thanks of the Society were ordered for this appropriate gift. The Committee of Publication was instructed and au- thorized to prepare the transactions of the Society from the commencement, and print 100 copies. The following resolutions were submitted by Mr. Buist, and unanimously adopted by the Society : Resolved, That this Society has learned with the deepest sorrow, the death of Thomas Hancock, who departed this life (from an attack of pneumonia) at his residence, near Burlington, New Jersey, on the 21st ult., in the 54th year of his age. Resolved, That in acknowledging the sudden bereave- ment with which this Society has been visited, it also ex- presses its keen appreciation of the severe loss the various institutions with which the deceased was connected in his native State and elsewhere ; and to the promotion of whose aims, he ever brought a rare practical intelligence, an ar- dent zeal and sound judgment. Resolved, That whilst the life of so useful a citizen might be fittingly presented as an example worthy of imitation on the part of a large body of surviving friends, the void which his death has occasioned cannot be more intensely experienced than by the members of this Society, with whom he co-operated for so long a period in the discharge of official duties, (being at the time of his death a member of no less than four of its most important Committees.) Besolved, That although this Society is far from sanc- tioning the publication of fulsome memorials of living men, yet it deems a sketch of the life, character and labors of its departed member, a proper subject for the pages of those journals, to the interest of which he had so often contribu- ted ; and trust that the principal one in our land will 'favor its readers with such other notice of this distinguished hor- ticulturist as may be due to his memory. Resolved, That this Society especially condoles with th<» immediate family of Mr. Hancock, in the sad dispensation which now afflicts them, but hopes, nevertheless, that in re- viewing the blameless career of their honored head, they will find much to comfort and solace them in their distress. Resolved, That copies of these resolutions, signed by the President and Secretary, be transmitted to Mrs. Hancock, and to the publishers of such horticultural journals of the country as are received at the rooms of the society. r ./ ■1 m TIGHT BINDING TEXTCUTOFF 158 THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. M t i We know of mnoh confusion as the Pumpkin Their common wishing to grow toll what to ask ... Pumpkini and Sqnashef. no vegetable genus in which there is so of names and characters among cultivators, and Squash tribe, or Cucurbita of Botanists. names have so multiplied, that a farmer some for his stock, or his table, can hardly for at the seed stores, or what will be the ofa&facter UIB Knowing that T. W. Harris, the distinguished Entomolo- gist of Massachusetts, had been paying special attention to this subject, with the view to some reliable and scientific classification, we addressed him the following queries, to whieh he has most kindly responded. To THE Editor op the Farm Journal: — In your com- munication, you request to be informed what is "the distinc- tion, if any, between the Boston and Vegetable Marrow Squash, also between the Connecticut Field Pumpkin and the Cheese Pumpkin ; what is the Valparaizo Squash, and is it a desirable variety; what are the distinctive marks of the Winter and Summer Crook-neck Squash, Early Egg or Apple Squash, Pattypan Squash, Turban Squash, Cashaw Pumpkin, Mammoth Pumpkin, Acorn Squash ; what are the correct names and synonymos of these kinds ; which of them is most valued in New England for pump||p pies, and which for stock and field culture ?" In September, 1834, Mr. John M. Ives, of Salem, Mass., exhibited in Faneuil Hall, Boston, a new squash, to which he subsequently gave the name of the "Autumnal Marrow Squash." It was figured and described in Fessenden's New England Farmer, vol. XIII, No. 16, Oct 29, 1834, page 122, and again in Fessenden and Teschemacher's Horticul- ral Register, vol. I, No. 3, March, 1836, page 93. This fruit thus introduced and brought into notice, soon became a great favorite^ and has ever since been extensively cultiva ted for table use, as a sauce and for pies, in the vicinity of Boston. So popular has it become in the market of Boston, that it may well be called "the Boston Squash," though I never heard that name applied to it. Mr. Ives, in his de- scription of it, called it a variety of Cucurbita melopepo, which ig an error. If not a mere variety of Commodore Porter's Valparaiso Squash, it doubtless descended from the same stock as the latter. It must not be confounded with the kind cultivated in England under the name of "Vegeta- ble Marrow," a very poor vegetable, as I am assured by friends who have eaten it in London, and apparently one of the sorts which in New England would be called Summer Squashes. The "Autumnal Marrow" is eaten only when fully ripe ; the "Vegetable Marrow," like your "Cymlings," is eaten only in unripe state. The former comes into eating in September, but may be kept with care till March. When pure or unmixed by crossing with other kinds, it is consid- ered as the very best autumnal and winter squash in New England. Many cultivators have allowed it to degenerate or become mixed with the larger and grosser Valparaiso, so that we do not often find it in entire purity in our markets. It generally has only three double rows of seeds. For a de- scription of it, see the works before cited, also Cole*s New England Farmer, vol. I, No. 12, May 26, 1849, p. 185. I am not sure what is the fruit denominated Connecticut Field Pumpkin, and the Cheese Pumpkin is unknown to me except by its name in catalogues. The Valparaizo Squashes, of which there seem to be sev- eral varieties, known to cultivators by many different names, some of them merely local in their application, be- long to a peculiar group of the genus Cucurbita^ the distin- guishing characters of which have not been fully described by botanists. The word squash as applied to these fruits is a misnomer, as may be shown hereafter } it would be well to drop it entirely, and to call the fruits of this group pom. pions, pumpkins, or potirons. It is my belief that they were originally indigenous to the tropical and subtropicej parts of the western coast of America; they are extensivelj cultivated from Chili to California, and also in the West In. dies, whence enormous specimens are sometimes brought to the Atlantic States. How much soever these Valparwjo rkiimnirina vnAv HiflTckr in form. size, color, and nuaiu» they all agree in certain peculiarities that are found in no other species or varieties of Cucurbita, Their leaves are never deeply lobed like those of other pumpkiw and squashes, but are more or less five-angled, or al. most rounded, and heart shaped at base; they are alfto softer than those of other pumpkins and squashes. The summit or blossom-end of the fruit has a nipple-like projeo. tion upon it, consisting of the permanent fleshy stile. The fruit-stalk is short, nearly cylindrical, never deeply five, furrowed, but merely longitudinally striated or wrinkled, and never clavated or enlarged with projecting angles neit to the fruit. With few exceptions, they contain four or five double row of seeds. To this group belong Mr. Ives' Aa. tumnal Marrow squash (or pumpkin) before named, Com- modore Porter's Valparaizo squash (pumpkin), the so called Mammoth pumpkin or Cucurbita maxima of the botanigts, the Turban squash or Acorn squash, Cucurbita piliformit of Duchesne, the Cashew pumpkin. Cole's Connecticut pie squash. Stetson's Cuba squash, and his hybrid called iht Wilder squash, with various others. The variety introduced from Valparaizo by Commodore Porter, became known to me about the year 1830, since which time it has been more or less cultivated in New Eng- land both for the table and for stock. It is of an oblong oval shape, of a pale reddish yellow color externally when ripe, nearly smooth, and very slightly furrowed, and oftei grows to a large size. It readily mixes with the Autumnal Marrow, but is inferior to it in quality. It may prove bet-f ter and more valuable in the Middle and Southern Stat*] than in New England. j The Turban, sometimes called also the Acorn squash, b«-| cause when the fruit is small it resembles somewhat an aeon in its cup, seems to be the Cucurbita pili/ormia of Duchesne, The middle lower figure of the group on page 283 of tit volume on "Timber Trees and Fruits," in the "Library of Entertaining Knowledge," seems intended for the TurbM squash. It sometimes grows to a large size, measuring » or 15 inchesjin transverse diameter, and looks like an in* monser Turkish turban in shape. Specimens raised in oj garden in 1851 were little more than ten inches in diameter, and weighed ten pounds or more, having very thick and firm flesh, and but a small cavity within. They proved el- cellent for table «8e, equal in quality to the best Autum" Marrows. They keep quite as well as the latter. The earliest account of the Cashew pumpkin that haefi len under our notice, is contained in the English translatioi of Du Pratz's History of Louisiana, (vol. II, p. 8), where* is called Cuahaio. In the original French work, the na^ given to it is Giromon. Du Pratz described two varietiei one round, and the other curved, or of the shape of a hu ter's horn. The latter was considered the best. The shaw or Cashew pumpkin is not cultivated or much kno in New England. I raised some specimens of the cro' necked variety, (which has only three double rows of see' a few years ago, from seeds received from New Jersey, did not ripen well, and many of them rotted before ripe. They are evidently too tender for a New Englan ^ mate. From the account given of them by Du I*^**^' seem well suited to Louisiana, where they are much este ed. See his work. 159 The genuine Mammoth pumpkin, or true Potiron {Cucurbi- ta maxima), maybe considered as the typical species of this group, having rather soft, roundish heart-shaped, and entire leaves, a short cylindrical fruit stem, a permanent fleshy stile, and five carpels or double row of seeds. The form of the fruit is an oblate spheroid, depressed at the blossom and stem ends, and marked with ten or more wide meridianal furrows. It aometimes grows io an immense size, two feet or more in diameter, and sixty pounds or more in weight, being light in proportion to its size, on account of the large hollow within. It is known to vary much in color and size, and somewhat in form. In some of its variations, it may have lost its original characteristic form, so far as to be no longer recognized. If this be true. Cole's Connecticut pie squash, the round Valparaiso squashes, and several others, may be merely varieties of the Mammoth pumpkin. To some of the varieties of this fruit the name Giromon or Gi- romont, otherwise written Giraumon and Giraumont, signi- fying a rolling mountain, seems originally to have been ap- plied, in allusion to the form and size. French writers sub- sequently transferred this name to certain varieties of the Cucurbita pepo. The plants of the foregoing Valparaizo, or Potiron group, are more tender and less hardy than those of the common pumpkin or Pcpo group; they are also much more subject to the attacks of worms or borers {^geria cucurbitoe) at the roots. Their fruits, compared with common pumpkins and winter squashes, have a thinner and more tender rind, and finer grained, sweeter and less strongly flavored flesh, on which accounts they are preferred by most persons for table use. The second group contains the common New England field pumpkin. Bell-shaped and Crook-necked Winter squashes, the Early Canada Winter squash, the Custard squash, and various others, all of which (whether rightly or not cannot now be determined,) have been generally re- ferred by botanists to the Cucurbita pepo of Linnaeus. This group 18 readily to be distinguished from the first one by the followmg charcters. The leaves are rough, and more or less deeply and acutely five-lobed. The fruit has only three car- pels or double row of seeds, and the stile drops off with the blossom. The fruit stem is long, and clavated or enlarged next the fruit, where it spreads out into five claw-like pro- jections ; and is five-angled and deeply five-furrowed. The fmt IS eaten only when fully ripe, and it may be kept with a throughout the winter. The rind, though sometimes quite hard, never becomes a woody shell, and the flesh re- 2ZS"^^ '"''"^''* "" '' ''''' °^^^^ ^^y'^f^ «P into differ i?L Tr '"'''""'^^ ^" "^^^^ -«P-*« these fruits a re nof oV . T '^"'^ ^'^"^'^^^ «^"^«*^^«- ^he seeds IP iron u *'''^ '' P'""P' ^"^ "^i^ ^ tl»o«e of the iPotiron group, but axe smaller, thinner, and of a greyish -eriy rrt! '^'^P'^^^P^^'^ of ^«- England, which for- foi^rmL.T'' '""^^ '' ^' substituted therefor, has a tr^t To I':* ^^-* of the mammoth pumpkin, k cot i r'r ^'*^° ;^^-^« i^« t--verse diameter kace not /o 1'^"^ ^"'"^ '^ '^""^o, the furrows on it. i««ome var et "" '^ ^'^ '^^^ '^ "°^ °»"oh thicker, and tCoranrCeli? ^''- '*^ '^^^ '' '^^^^ ^^-^ ^f ^aked pT'un anT ' il"' ""' '' " ^'''''''' ^^^^ng odor. ^nforSr . ^"^^^ P^^'P^*" «^"oe, and dried pump- •°«; Xt^nkt " ''' *'"^ '''' '""^ ^one out of'fash- ^^ ma^oTa,, ^'V '^'^ °^^«"^ "^^^^ of the autum- an-ow and crook-necked winter squashes, except by some of the old folks, who still prefer the pumpkin, baked m a milk-pan, and without any pastry. The New England -crook-neck squash," as it is common- ly but incorrectly called, is a kind of pumpkin, perhap. a genuine species, for it has preserved its identity to our cer- tarn knowledge ever since the year 1686, when it was de. scribed by Ray. It has thb form and «nlnr nf ^k. n..v.^ but is easily distinguished therefrom by the want of ITer- sistent stile, and by its clavated and furrowed fruit stem. Before the introduction of the Autumnal Marrow, it was raised m large quantities for table use during the winter, in preference to pumpkins, which it almost entirely superse- ded. ]y any farmers now use it instead of pumpkins for cattle ; the vine being more productive, and the fruit con. taming much more nutriment in proportion to its size. It varies considerably in form and color. The best kinds are those which are very much curved, nearly as large at the stem as at the blossom end, and of a rich cream color. Some are green, variegated with cream colored stripes and spots. Some are bell-shaped, or with a very short and straight neck, and are less esteemed than the others ; for the neck being solid and of fine texture, is the best part of the fruit. These crook-necks can be kept all winter, if not exposed to frost, and I have eaten of them when a year old. On ac- count of its hardiness, its fruitfulness, and its keeping qual- ities, this is perhaps the most valuable variety to the New England farmer. It is said to degenerate in the Middle and Southern States, where probably Commodore Porter's Val- paraizo or some kindred variety may be better adapted to the climate. The Early Canada squash seems to be a precocious and dwarfed variety of the common crook-neck. It is smaller, with a short and often straight neck, and is of a dark and dirty buff color externally. It comes into eating early, quite as soon as the autumnal marrow, and was, indeed stiU is, much esteemed as a table vegetable. The custard squash or pumpkin is an oblong, deeply fur- rowed, and prominently ten-ribbed fruit, with a pale buff and very hard (but not woody) rind, and fine, light yellow flesh, much esteemed in the making of pies and puddings. For a figure and description of it, see Cole\«i New England Farmer, Vol. Ill, No. 4, Fob. 16, 1851, pago 59. From seeds received from Paris, under the name of Patagonian squash, I raised a fruit exactly like the custard squash in form and size, but of a dark greon color externally and en- tirely worthless as an article of food. Nevertheless I in- fer that the custard squash is merely an improved variety from the same original stock. The fruits belonging to this second group probablv origi- nated in the eastern and central parts of the two Americas. They were cultivated by the Indians, and were found hero m their gardens and fields by Europeans on the first settle- ment of the country. Pumpkins, or bell-shaped squashes (as New Englanders would now call them), wore found as far north as Saco, by Champlain, in 1605 and 1606. A sim- ilar variety was cultivated by the Iroquois Indians, and still bears their name in France. Pumpkins were found by Raleigh's Colony among the Indians, in North Carolina, and by early voyagers in the West Indies. There are indigenous kinds in Brazil ; and we have seen that even Patagonia has added another to the common stock. Cultivation has doubt- less improved their qualities, and has caused them to sport m numerous varieties, so that it is now difficult, if not impossible, to determine which of the known kinds are typical species, and which are mere varieties. A third group remains to be described. The representa- tives of it are the Cucurbita Melopepo, verrucosa, and ort- feray of Linnaeus. It includes all those kinds called in New I! m I TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 160 THE FARM JOURNAL. [MlT 9^p England Summer Squashes, because they are eaten only during the summer, while thoy are soft and tender, and in on unripe state. These are the only two Squashes, if regard be had to the origin of the name, derived from the language of the Massachusetts Indians, by whom, according to Roger WUliams, this kind of fruit was ciined"A»kuta»qua»h, which Uie English from them call Squathes." From the same au- thority, and from other sources, we learn that the Indians of New England cultivated this kind of fruit or vegetable, and used it for food; that some of their squashes were "of 1 the bigness of apples, of several colors," while others are represented by Champlain, as being considerably larger, turbinated, and more or less puckered on the margin, and of the same form as that which in France is called Bonnet de ^etre, probably the prototype of our Scalloped Squash, or Ch^eurhita melopepo. Bartram found a squash vine growing wild in the interior of East Florida, climbing to the tops of the trees, and bearing little yellow squashes of the form and size of an orange. Mr. Nuttall informs us, that the warted •quash, Cueurbita verrucosa, was "cultivated by the Indians of the Missouri to its sources." It has generally been sup- posed, on the authority of Linnaeus, that the Egg Squash, Oucurhita ovifera, was a native of Astrachan in Tartary. On turning to the account of it given by Dr. Lorche, from whom Linnaeus received his specimens, I find it included in a list of plants, not natives of the vicinity of Astrachan, but cultivated only in gardens, where it is associated with such exotics as Indian corn or Maize, with which it was probably introduced directiy or indirectly from America. We also learn from Lorche that this species varied in form, being sometimes pear-shaped; that it was sometimes variegated in color with green and white ; and that tiie shell served instead of littie boxes. Here we have plainly indicated the little gourd -like, bard-shelled, and variegated squashes, that are often cul- tivated as ornamental plants. For further account of the Squashes of the Nortii American Indians, Wood's 'i mc vanOQS substances which might be used to advantage, my atten- tion was directed to a flat alluvial spot of ground in the centre of a plantation adjoining the land about to be top- dressed. A small run of water had formerly passed' through the centre of this flat, and having periodically left deposits of rich soil, it had accumulated to the depth of about 4 feet. It was covered with half-grown hard- wood trees, but as they were tolerably far apart, a great quantity of earth could be removed without disturbing the roots. On this natural store of fertility, men, horses and carts were at once set at work, and several hundred cart-loads were removed and laid down on the pleasure- grounds in heaps, each cont^iining from eight to twelve carts. A large quantity of short manure (partially mixed with byre and stable dung), lime, and soot being procured, the heaps were prepared in the followmg manner: — In the manure compost, a layer of soil was laid in the bottom 6 or 8 inches thick, and over it was spread, quite loosely, a 6-inch coating of dung. With alternate quantities of earth and dung, the former about 9 and the latter about 6 inches thick, the heaps were drawn to a ridge like a narrow potato-pit. The police manure, besides excrementitious matters, contained a great many undecomposed substances, such as straw, wood, shavings, rags, and parings of leather, and as soon as these were covered up with the moist soil, fermentation began. As the soil was mixed with gra88,I| ferns, fibrous roots, and other matters, many of them quite inert, the fermentation also extended to it. In a few days, therefore, the heat of the mixture was by no means inconsiderable, and it was several weeks before it entirely cooled. In about three weeks after the forma- tion of the heaps they were each turned over, and had a quantity of soot mixed with the compound. The turn- ing operation was begun at the end of each heap, and while care was taken to mix the soil and dung thorough- ly, no treading was allowed, for fear of pressing them too firmly together. As the material was being gradually turned over, the soot was mixed with it at the rate of about one cwt. to every five cart-loads. After being turned, a second heat came on, and continued for about a week ; and in another week more it was in a fit state for being applied to the land. When the heaps were bro- ken up, the earth, which had formerly been somewhat brown in colour, had become a rich black; and, judging by the greasy appearance of the mass, though it wa« comparatively destitute of smell, it appeared to be an excellent manure. It was applied at the rate of fromj 12 to 18 tons per acre, according to the state which th land was in. Taking 16 tons as an average, the coitj per acre was as follows : — Digging and carting ten loads of soil, . £0 3 4 Five tons of police manure, including rail- way dues and cartages at 48. 9d., . \ a ^ Three cwt soot, at Is. 6d., . . J * J Mixing, turning, and carting out of heaps, Ac, 0 » For this sum per acre a top-dressing was applied, which along with the lime composts, so much impraved the pasture that the annual rental was subsequently raised 10 per cent, above its former letting price, and left tX least 12 per cent, on the outlay. The dung used was in some respects suited to the land, which was rather still KliU «/53un>v*\/uu , u«iw v&A &«|^iAW& J.(»U\A, %JJ 1X3 Ul' BtttUie dung would have been preferable. The railway dues idded as much to its price as would have been the case with better manure ; and, therefore, though detailing the experiment as it was made, and the satisfactory re- jults which followed it, I am convinced that had ordinary stable-manure been used, it would have been still more profitable. The fermentation was a principal agent in preparing both the soil and dung as a top-dressing com- pound, and stable-manure would have been even more profitable in promoting this. A large quantity of the soil 80 obtained was also used with caustic lime, the composts being prepared in the usual manner. The proportion of lime to earth was as one to four; and with the former mixed up in a hot state, an excellent compost ras produced at an expense as under: Twelve tons soil, digging, and cartage, Three tons lime-shells, including railway dues and carting, at lis. 6d., Preparing, turning, and carting out the compound, • . • , , £0 4 0 114 « 0 8 6 £2 7 0 From the lime compound being used in the same en- closure with the dung mixture, it was scarcely possible to make actual experiments as to their comparative pas- turing efficiency. So far, however, as careful observation of the appearances of the pasture for several years after can be depended on, the lime compost seemed to give the most satisfactory results. Immediately after the appli- cation of the composts in autumn, the dung and soot compound produced a dark green and seemingly nutri- tious herbage. In the following spring, to a rather less extent, this was also the case; but during the summer the sward did not appear to be so closely eaten as that which had been dressed with lime. For the first year the hme made but little apparent difference on the luxu- nance of the herbage, but for two years past the pasture oressed with it has been darker green in colour, much less injured by moss, and more closely eaten than that iressed with the dung compost. Three tons of lime J^ere no doubt a very light dressing per acre; but its wnehcial action can be traced rather to the effect it had on the long-buried alluvial soil when thoroughly incor- porated with it, than upon the mere surface of the land. je quick-hme mixed with the roots and grasses of the H, and allowed to lie together sometime, promoted the composition of inert vegetable matter, and rendered it once capable of nourishing living structures. Then g D. on the compost being turned over once or twice, of nitror'^? v'^^ 'P'''^^ ^° *^^ ^^'-^^^'^^ a 8°»a" quantity nentlv7% "^ """^^^^ ^® formed-a susbtance emi- ter ; TJl^'^r' '' '^' ^'^'^ of plants. Without en- made ^fl ' ""^ particular experiments recently ^bservar '"''"'P^'*'' ^ P"n>ose to make some further htance. .!"' ""n *^® ^^'^^ ^^ "^® ^^ *^« refuse sub- I remarked that I speak from observation and experience, though the want of the requisite time and opportunities have prevented the making of experiments capable of being elaborately detailed. Eoad Scrapings .-—The cleanings of roads do not only contain excrementitious matter, but silica, potash, and mineral substances, required in the growth of plants, are also present. From the stones generally used on roads being of the trap-rock formation, the scrapings, of ne- cessity, contain a considerable quantity of a mineral sim- ilar in many respects to lime. When applied to the land, therefore, the action is chemical as well as mechanicaL On clayey soils roa'^ cleanings are of great use in ren- dering their texture more porous and less difficult to work. If the farmer is attentive to the gathering togeth- er of every descriptian of road scrapings, and mixing them with slaughter-house or fish refuse, gas, liquor, or similar substances, a large quantity of most valuable manure will be obtained during the year, at a compara- tively trifling expense. When blood, flesh or other ani- mal substances are being decomposed, a large amount of nitrogen in the form of ammonia, and also some phos- phates, are produced ; and unless these be taken up by the materials with which such animal matters are sur- rounded, a serious loss must be the result. For such composts the cleanings of ditches, and other earthy matters can be more profitably used than any other in- gredients. Often blood and other fleshy substances are thrown into the dunghills, but in this case a double loss is sustained. The rapid putrefaction of the animal matters promotes an injurious decomposition of the ordi- nary manure ; and, on the other hand, the latter is ill adapted for taking up the liberated ammonia. All the earthy matters, then, which can be collected on the farm, ought to be stored up in heaps in the formation of which the different kinds of soil should be mixed together. Lying in this state for some time, and occasionally turn- ed over, the mass will be improved even without the ap- plication of other ingredients ; but the most profitable method of managing it is to employ such fertilizing mat- ters as may be available in enriching the earth. When horses or cattle die, they are very frequently buried with- out any thought being taken of the value of the carcasses as a manure. Where such heaps of accumulated soil or road-scrapings are at hand, nothing will make better manure than the bodies of dead animals decomposed m the centre of the heaps. By the carcasses being cut up into pieces of suitable size, and thoroughly mixed with the earth, a soapy mass will be produced, remarkably po- tent as a manure. To promote decomposition, the heap may be turned over once or twice, and after the fleshy matter has been severed from the bones, the latter can be gathered together to be reduced in the bone mill. Taking the average weight of worn-out horses at 6 cwt., and the price they are sold at when sent to the dogs are 6s. each, we have a very valuable manure for 20s. a ton, besides allowing the skin to pay for the dissection of the carcass. Surely this is cheap guano, even were it three times the price. Or taking the average weight of cattle dyin|f from pleuro-pneumonia at 4 cwt., we may safely estimate, that each carcass is worth 12s. as manure. If this is the case why is so little attention paid to the bodies of dead animals, that we shpuld see them frequently buried 5 or i 4^ l\ M . TIGHT BINDING i 104 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jmrg I 1^55.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 15^ m 6 feet deep, or cast into some out-of-the-way pit, where they can serve no useful purpose whatever? Almost every farmer, it is to be feared, has now and then dead beasts about his place ; and though the carcass should be that of any of the smallest domesticated animals, still, if converted into a manure, eaeh one possesses a money value which should not be despiocd. Here, tuen, are two of the refuse matters of the farm which may be ad- vantageously used together — (1), the cleanings of roads and ditches, available in almost every case, and, (2), the carcasses of dead animals, obtainable in more cases than could be wished, both of them rendered of greater fer- tilizing value by being mixed together. But the refuse earthy matters of the farm are of use for many different sorts of composts ; and, in our subsequent remarks on these, we shall use the term earth and soil as signifying such matters acting the part of absorbents in the pre- paration of the more potent fertilizers. «•• Report on Some of the Diseases and Insects Affecting Fruit Trees and Vines. [Concluded from page 160.] Insects of the Grape Vine: — The vine is subject to the attacks of a very great variety of insects, differing also from each other in their operations, and in the amount of injury done by them. Most of them have been noticed in my "Treatise" on injurious insects; but there are others claiming the attention of the cultivator and of the naturalist. Grape Vine Borer : — The roots of cultivated grape vines in the Southern States have been observed, by Dr. F. J. Kron, of Albemarle, North Carolina, to be so much injured by borers as to prevent the ripening of the fruit, and finally to cause the decay and death of the vines. The insects do not even spare the native varieties, all of which, except only the scupptrnong or muscadine, are found to be attacked by them. Taking advantage of the foregoing exemption. Dr. Kron, has been successfully en- grafting and cultivating the best foreign and native grapes on stocks of the wild muscadine, probably the true Vitis Vulpina of Linnaeus, and of Sir J. E. Smith, in Abbot's ''Insects of Georgia," and identical with the Vitis rotun- difolia, of Michaux and of Elliott. He has also favored me with samples of injured vine-roots, and specimens of the insects in all their stages, together with an account of his observations and experiments upon them. This account, and a scientific description of the insects written by me at the request of Dr. Kron, have been published in the Raleigh Register for the 5th of April, 1854. The insects belong to the genus JEgeria, and are allied to the borers of the peach tree, and to those that destroy the roots of pumpkin and squash vines. In their winged form they strikingly resemble certain wasps called Polis- Ua\ hence I have given to this species the name of . j^eria polisHformis. According to Dr. Kron, they are '. found about the vines, and on the wing from the middle of June to the middle of September, during which time they couple and lay their eggs. These winged insects are of a dark brown color, more or less tinged with a tawny orange on the sides, and banded with bright yellow upon the edge of the second ring of the hind-body. The thorax and shoulder-covers, and the fourth ring, are more faintly edged with yellow or with tawny orange. The feelers, antennsB beneath, and legs are also orange color- ed. The fore-wings are dusky; the hind-wings are transparent, but veined and edged with black. The fe- male has a little orange colored tuft on each side of the tail, and the males have two tufts on each side, the middle pair longer than the others. The males are more uUmcrOus, moF6 actiVo, &nd oiuaiicr thnu the females' they measure from five to six-tenths of an inch in leogth and their wings expand from one inch to one inch and three-twentieths. The body of the female varies from six to nine-tenths of an inch in length, and her wings ex- pand from one inch to one inch and a half. These insects lay their eggs near the roots of the vines, and the whitish grubs, hatched therefrom, of various sizes will be found boring into the bark and wood of the roots during the summer. When fully grown, these grubs measure from one inch to one inch and three quarters in length. They undergo their transformations in oblong oval pods, formed of a gummy kind of silk, covered with fragmenta of wood, bark and dirt, which will be found within or ad- jacent to the injured roots. The insects take the chry- salis form at various times during the summer. The rings of the chrysalis are surrounded with minute teeth, which assist the insect in coming forth from its pod or cocoon when about to be changed to a moth. Eight-spotted SphinXy or Alypia octomaculata : — There are two insects occasionally feund on the grape vine, which in their caterpillar state closely resemble each other in form, size, color and habits. One of these is the beautiful Eudryas, described in my "Treatise;" the other is the Sphinx or Alypia, above named. This Alypia^ though common and occasionally so numerous as to be quite hurtful to the vine in some parts of the United States, is very rare in New England. I never saw it in Massachusetts until the summer of 1853, when a few spe- cimens were discovered on my grape vines ; and during the past summer they have appeared in greater numbers on the same vines. At first they were mistaken for the caterpillars of the Eudryas, from which, however, they are to be distinguished by having a conspicuous white spot on each side of the hinder part of the body. These caterpillars are white, passing into blue, transversely banded with narrow black lines, with a broader orange colored band, dotted with black on the middle of each ring. The head and feet are also orange, dotted with black. The black dots on the body produce a few short whitish hairs. They were found eating the leaves of the vine in the latter part of June and beginning of July. Full grown specimens measured one inch and a quarter, or more, in length. Before the 16th of July, they left the vines, and concealed themselves in a loose web upon the surface of the ground, and soon took the chrysalis form. One of them was transformed to a moth on the 10th of August ; others remained in the chrysalis state through the winter and came forth winged in May and June. The winged insects are black, with two large yello^ spots on each of the fore-wings and two white ones » the hind-wings. Their shanks are clothed with orange* colored hairs. Their wings expand from one inch to one inch and a half. Abbot has figured this insect in his * 'Insect of Georgia;" but has colored the caterpiUftr in- correctly. Orape-vine Flea-beetle, or Baltica:— The depredations of this insect upon the grape vine seem first to have been observed in the year 1831, by the late Judge Darling, in Connecticut, and by Mr. David Thomas, of New York. An account of them by the latter gentleman was published in 1834, in the 26th volume of Silliman's "American Journal of Science." The beetles were found to destroy the fruit « J- C» *l./» ortMinrr arxti tVtaiv vrrkttnrr ir% fl.n ^^m«. ^fi ™1 4. DUU9 iU tilV. OJk/l.*ls|^, t»uvK «>*Cal, ^\/uug, 4X4 vtxk> IxfllU Ul UUCDl/- nut colored grubs, destroyed the leaves in summer. These grubs have never been fully described. In a recent excursion to New Hampshire, I was struck by the condi- tion of the leaves of the black alders (Ainu* serrulata,) which, through a long extent of country, were destroyed in the same way as the leaves of fruit trees are by can- ker-worms. Upon examination, the authors of all this mischief were found to be certain dark colored grubs, great numbers of which were still remaining on the leaves on the 2d of August, while others had already completed their transformations, and had come forth in the beetle form. The beetles were identical with the above named sowing 150 lbs. guano to ihQ acre. I mixed the straw and guano together, and raised 60 bushel^ of corn to the acre, working the land with a cultivator.— ^;,ww;a/i Agriculturist. Botation of Crops. Although instances are frequently cited, of certain plants being raised on particular spots of ground for year after year, without any apparent diminution in the produce, yet it is generally allowed that a rotation of crops is always of advantage, and often of the greatest importance. We consider it as necessary as depth and mellowness of soil, and the regular application of manure. Gardeners are sometimes heard to complain of vegetables becoming * 'tired" of the ground where they have been long cultivated. They are attacked by numerous dis- eases and insects, while a deficiency is to be discovered in the amount of the produce. As soon as this is known some wiseacres will send many miles, in order to procure depredator of the grape vine, and feeding on the few new varieties of seed, because the old ones have "degen- green leaves still remaining on the alders. The grubs eratcd." were fully grown, and measured about half an inch in A more certain method of relief would be to adopt a length. They were of a livid brown color above, and good rotation of crops, which is based on the well paler beneath, with a black head, black feet, and a double known fact, that the several families of plants not only row of minute accuminated black warts, each producing a very short hair, on every ring. The body was nearly cylindrical; ihe feet were six in number, situated beneath the fore part of the body; and there was a little fleshy prop-leg beneath the last segment. It may be added that the beetles were rather more than three-twentieths of an inch in length, of a brilliant greenish blue color above, and that they leaped with the agility of fleas. The dis- covery of these insects in such immense numbers on the the extensive alder, and ravages committed by them on this shrub, seem to indicate that the natural food of this Bpecies is obtained from the alder, rather than from the vine; and that its resorting occasionally to the latter, may be owing to the want of the former, or to the extraordina- ry multiplication of the insects, in certain seasons, in the vicinity of the grape vine. Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 1854. ^m^ . . What a Mechanic can do on a Farm. You or a correspondent asked, in a former number, ''What a man can do in Virginia." I will tell you what have done, not by way of boasting, but to answer the question, and perhaps encourage others. I was born and raised in this county, and never had jny education more than to read and write. I was ound to a trade when young, and after I was free, lived ^ a farm, and received $140 a year. When I was wen y-four years old I married, neither my wife nor yself having any property. We are now worth $10,- , obtamed without any speculation, and in a straight- ward course. I have been married about twenty ^ars, work a farm of 23a acres, which I bought some ^ js ago, for $22 per acre. Last year I had 24 acres this t bushels of corn, which is only worth, at amniw !' ^^ ''^''^^ P®*" ^"'^^^- My sales this year will Iplowll '^^!!' ^^'^^^' ^'^"^"^^"^ P"^^' Srain, hay, &c. In? ^'^ ^""^ ^^""^ P°^^ ^^^^' ^a«* yea^> for corn, g spread over the ground lightly with straw, and strike their roots in diflferent depths and in different di- rections, but draw different kinds of nourishment from the soil. When one particular element of a vegetable is removed from the soil, the vegetable cannot again be raised there, until that element be restored. It is, therefore, advisable to alternate the crops, by which means the land will have opportunity to regain its origi- nal strength and fertility. This is illustrated by Dame Nature herself. If old pastures were to be attentively observed it would be found that the grasses gradually change from season to season ; and in wood-land, it would be discovered, that an entirely different kind of tree takes the place of such as have decayed, or have been cut down. Thus the pine and others of the coniferae will succeed the oak, the chestnut and other deciduous trees. A rotation is designed to prevent a too frequent re- currence of the same species upon a particular spot. Some authors lay down regular plans for the guidance of their readers ; but as the space annually appropriated to different plants depends upon circumstances, it will be readily seen that all such courses or plans are diffi- cult of application. Instead, therefore, of following this practice, we shall content ourselves with some general rules, which possess the merits of simplicity and brief- ness, so that the reader can adapt them to his own wants. In the first place, vegetables of the same species shall not follow each other, but return at as distant intervals as the case will allow. Tuberous or tap roots should be succeeded by those of a fibrous character; perennials by annuals ; and plants of a dry, solid texture, or those left for seed, by such as are succulent and juicy. Ground which has necessarily been devoted for a number of years to the artichoke, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberry, and the like, should, as soon as they are removed to oth- er parts of the enclosure, be subjected to a strict rotation, and allowed to recover those elements of fertility of which it has been exhausted. Where the garden is divi- ded into quarters, the vegetables can easily be made to take a circuit in every four or eight years. \ 5: I. \ 166 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jvvi 1 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 16f A little reflection will satisfy the intelligent reader, that by observing an alternation of crops, digging his soil to a proper depth, and manuring it abundantly, he need have no fear of its losing its fertility, or of his choice vegetables degenerating. — Sckenck's Garden T&xt Book. Transplanting Trees— Large and Small. A friend was recently complaining to us of his bad success in moving ornamental trees into his lawn, and asked us to account for it. Out of over two hundred, transplanted within the last two years, hnrdly six thrifty ones were now alive. He had gone to extraordinary ex- pense in digging very large holes, obtaining rich surface soil, watered them with great labor, staked and tended and mulched them, and yet they died. Our enquiries elicited the »ecret of failure, viz: that he had gone to the woods or clearing, for all the large and beautiful specimens he could find, both of evergreen and deciduous trees, thinking it unnecessary to go twenty miles to a nursery, when better looking trees were growing close by. In our short experience we have often had occasion to remark, to use a common expression, "there is a trade in everything." There is an art, or science in every human occupation, within the sphere of which only we must ex- pect to find that accurate knowledge of details so essen- tial to success. It is perhaps as unreasonable to expect a citizen unaccustomed to the philosophy of planting trees and to country life to understand it, as it would be to expect a farmer to be posted up about the rise and fall of "the funds, "and the variations of the cotton market. The reason trees from the woods do not succeed is, be- cause they have never been before transplanted ; in other words they are deficient in fibrous roots around the body of the tree. In their native locality, their fibres, containing the little spongioles or mouths through which food only is absorbed, exist at the extremities of the long roots. As it is almost impossible to take these all up, the very source of supply and support is cut off, and if the tree should be able to barely live, it will be years before new organs for supplying food can be re-formed. No matter how rich and abundant the soil may be in the el- ements of growth, there is but this one way provided by nature for them to be absorbed. In nursery practice, where trees are taken from their natural localities, they are removed quite small, and even then probably the loss is fifty per cent., and much more with many varieties. A small sized tree of one or two feet high can, of course, be taken up with much less loss of fibre than a large one ; the main roots being cut oflf there is an amount of fibrous root remaining, which enables them to recover speedily from the check to its growth and change of cir- cumstances, and develope fresh organs of nutrition. Ev- ery subsequent transplanting, and it has to undergo two or three before final removal to its place in the row for sale as a tree, increases the formation of fibrous roots and its probabilities of success when finally transplanted. Frequent removal of trees and shrubs is therefore prac- ticed in all good nurseries for this object. A mistake we think is often made by purchasers in seeking for very large trees, even from the nurseries, in the wish to procure fruit or shade without delay. We are satisfied nothing is gained by it. A large tree trans- planted in the ordinary way may, and does often bards live for years afterwards. It cannot grow and thrive till thoroughly recovered from the necessarily great and vi- olent interruption of its functions and organs of growth and nutrition. It becomes effectually stunted, while a small or young tree will hardly know the change, if prop. »y oQfA \a tat«n and will continue arowina and thriving The only effectual way to transplant large trees is hj the frozen ball method in the winter season. Natural History of New York, Vol. V. BY B. EMMONS, M. D. Our last number contained a very able criticism on the above volume, from one of our valued correspondents, and an experienced entomologist. The many gross er- rors and absudities, which he has pointed out, and which have also been extensively criticised in the ProgressiTO Farmer and Philadelphia Florist, admit neither of denial nor extenuation. They are matters of fact, too gross and palpable to pass unnoticed, and we sincerely hope for the credit of the great State of New York, and the scien- tific reputation of the whole country, the edition of the fifth volume, no matter what the cost may have been, may be speedily called in and cancelled. The plagiarisms of the work are discreditable in the highest degree to the author, £. Emmons, Jr., and the many inaccuracies are so palpable as to be almost ludicrous. Whaterer his ambition has been heretofore, his highest now should be that the very memory of his attempt to illustrate our local entomology should be forgotten, and not go down to posterity. Were we in his situation, we should prefer to sink a private fortune, if necessary, in the attempt to destroy all traces of the fifth volume of the Natural History of New York. It would occupy our thoughts by day and our dreams by night, and we would take no rest till it was a thing accomplished. We should then feel safe, at least, in preserving our name from the indignant censure of the future, and by going into retirement ten years now should hope to escape the recollection of the fifth volume even by the present generation. The Coming Crop in Western Pennsylvania. A. friend from the western part of the State writes as follows: — **The crops in this region all look well, very well; and every farmer here has put in an extra acre, and still the work goes on, for they are still plowing for a little corn. The grass never looked better at this season, and the clover that escaped the drouth of last summer looks very well. With us there has been no clover fields frozen out, the only damage they sustained was from dry weather and not from fros The excessive cold and deep snows of the last ' ^ter have made fin« clover." •*•*- Baising Calves on Sour Milk. An article appeared in a recent Boston Cultivator on raising calves, and as we see the process copied into sev- eral of our agricultural exchanges, we call attention to the subject chiefly for the benefit of our readers who are not practical farmers. The latter will place a prop^f estimate on this improved patent process for raising calves. The writer recommends one-half new milk first month, one-fourth new milk the second, and ^^ that "sour milk, hay, and a few oats." The writer thinks the alteration from sweet milk to sour is very important <»to be made while the calf is drinking," and after he has been" used to drinking sour milk, he will not touch sweet.'' Yen/ likely, and for the same reason, a horse fed for a couple of months on oyster-shells and watermelon rinds arWi not be in a condition to touch oats. When the calf scours, (as he most certainly will,) it is recommended to jrive it one or two doses of opium, as a certain cure. Sour milk, whole oats and opium for calves ! I It would be rather a ludicrous picture to see two persons feeding a calf on this plan, for it would require two, one to hold the sour milk and pour it slily into the sweet milk while it was drinking, so as to convey the impression to the calfs mind that it had only got sweet milk, for the virtue of the process would seem to consist in the calf's not knowing the sour had been put in. Whether the calf's stomach would not be likely to discover the imposition is not stated by this learned writer, but in such an event, DO doubt the opium could correct any unpleasant conse- quences, and soon put the calf to sleep. Seriously, we regret to see such matter in an agricul- tural paper, and are reminded of the remark of an old farmer, that only experienced and practical farmers could safely subscribe for agricultural periodicals, "as they alone know how to sift the wheat from the chaflf." We venture to say that a calf kept above ground for two or three months on such a system, would not at the end of that time cast a shadow. For very valuable and high priced stock, where the ex- pense would be fully justified, there is no plan for raising a good calf equal to buying a common cow, and let it run with her and suck at pleasure. The cow can be turned off for beef in the fall, when the calf will have a size, strength and maturity, ready for the coming winter, un- attainable by any other process. In ordinary cases calves can be raised well, by taking them from the cow at two or three days old, or so soon as the inflamation of the cow's bag is reduced, feeding them on fresh new milk for the first month, with a trough at hand contaia- ing a little meal to lick at pleasure, and which, with a little help at first it will soon learn to like. For the second month it should have, at least, sweet skimmed inilk, access to some corn and oats ground, or meal and tran, and soft hay, to be continued afterwards according to circumstances. The calf suckler, described on another pftge, will be found a useful and convenient auxiliary. In addition to the above, a piece of soft pasture, and pure vater should be allowed at all times, as nature herself suggests. Calves should be very early accustomed to the halter. We have always tied up our young calves at JJght in the stalls; and find the subjection when young m the effect of making them more quiet and tractable «ver afterwards. for about ten minutes, stirring it well. Then put it into moulds, and set it on ice. When cold turn it out and eat it with sweetened cream, or with boiled cui^tard. You may use the juice of fresh strawberries or rasp- berries, stirred in while the flummery is hot, but not boiled afterwards. The flavour of strawberries and Domestic Becipes. Red Flummery:— Boil a pound of ground rice in as »iuch water as will cover it. When it is thoroughly oiled and very thick and smooth, stir into the rice (while ot) a half pound of powdered white sugar, and about ee gills^ or six wine-glasses of fresh currant or cher- jy juice that has been passed through a linen bag. «ext replace it on the fire, and boil the whole together rasnberries is alwavs imnoivAH anA w««i,^-«j i 1.«„_ Ryb Mush:— To make smooth rye mush, sift a quart or more of rye meal into a pan, and gradually pour in suflicient cold water to make a thick batter, stirring it hard with a spoon as you proceed, and carefully pressing out all the lumps against the side of the pan. Add a very little salt. The batter must be so thick at the last that you can scarcely stir it Then thin it with a Itttle more water and see that it is quite smooth. Rye, and also wheat flour, have a disposition to be more lumpy than corn meal, when made into mush. When thorough- ly mixed and stirred, put it in a pot, place it over the fire and boil it well, stirring it with a mush-stick till it comes to a hard boil; then place it in a diminished heat, and simmer it slowly till you want to dish it up. Eat it warm with butter and molasses, or with sweet milk or fresh buttermilk. Rye mush is considered very whole- some, particularly in cases of dyspepsia. Feench Icing for Cakes: — Dissolve some fine white gum Arabic (finely powdered) in rose water. The pro- portions should be, as much gum Arabic powder as will lie on a ten-cent piece to a tea-spoonful of rose-water. Beat some white of eggs to a stiff froth that will stand alone. Stir in gradut ly, sufficient double refined pow- dered loaf-sugar to me ^e it very thick, (a good pro- portion is four ounces of sugar to the white of one egg,) add to this quantity a tea-spoonful of the rose-water with the gum arable dissolved in it, and beat the whole very hard. Instead of rose-water you may dissolve the gum in fresh lemon-juice. Previous to icing the cake, dredge it with flour, and in a few minutes wipe it off with a clean towel. This, by removing the greasiness of the outside, will make the icing stick on the better. Heap the icing first on the middle of the top of the cake; then with a broad bladed knife spread it evenly all over the surface. Dip the knife frequently in a bowl of cold water as you proceed, and smooth the icing well. If not thick enough, wait till it dries, and then add a second coat. Bread Muffins: — Take four slices of stale light bread, and cut off' all the crust Lay them in a pan, and pour boiling water over them; but barely enough to soak them well. Cover the bread, and after it has stood an hour, drain off" the water, and stir the soaked bread till it is a smooth mass; then mix in two table-spoonfuls of sifted flour, and a half pint of milk. Having beaten two eggs very light, stir them, gradually, into the mixture. Grease some muffin rings, set them on a hot griddle, and pour into each a portion of the mixture. Bake them brown ; send them to table hot ; pull them open with your finge^rs, and spread on butter. They will be found an excellent sort of muffin; very light and nice. Strawberry Cakes: — Sift a small quart of flour into a pan, and cut up among it a half pound of the best fresh butter: or mix in a pint of butter if it is soft enough to measure in that manner. Rub with your hands the but- ter into the flour, till the whole is crumbled fine. Beat three eggs very light; and then mix them thi'ee table- ■l-^ m\ I I TIGHT BINDING lU THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jini|ll855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. spoonfuls of powdered loaf-sugar. Wet the flour and butter with the beaten egg and sugar, so as to form a dough. If you find it too stiff, add a little cold water. Knead the dough till it quits your bands, and leaves them clean. Spread some flour on your paste board, and roll out the dough into a rather thick sheet. Cut it ifito round caken with the edge of a tumbler or something similar; dipping the cutter frequently into flour to pre- vent its sticking. Butter some large square iron pans or baking sheets. Lay the cakes in, not too close to each other. Set them in a brisk oven and bake them light brown. Have ready a sufficient quantity of ripe straw- berries, mashed and made very sweet with powdered white sugar. Reserve some of your finest strawberries whole. When the cakes are cool split them, place them on flat dishes, and cover the bottom piece of each with mashed strawberry, put on thickly. Then lay on the top pieces, pressing them down. Have ready some icing, and Bpread it thickly over the top and down the sides of each cake, so as to enclose both the upper and lower pieces. Before the icing has quite dried, ornament the top of ev- ery cake vnth the whole strawberries, a large one in the centre, and the smaller ones placed round in a close circle. These are delicious and beautiful cakes if propet-ly made. The strawberries, not being cooked, will retain all their natural flavour. Instead of strawberries you may use raspberries. The large white or bufi^-oolored raspberry is the finest, if to be eaten uncooked. Washing Silver Wake;— A correspondent of the Ger- mantown Telegraph says: Some thirty years since I was informed by a proprie- tor of one of the largest and oldest silver establishments in the city of Philadelphia, that "housekeepers ruined their silver by washing it in soap suds; it makes it look like pewter; never put a particle of soap about your sil- ver, then it will retain its original lustre; when it wants polishing take a piece of soft leather and whiting, and rub it hard." I had formerly seen sDver washed in water with the addition of a little soap and rinsed in clear water. I adhered strictly to his advice, and found a great diff- erence in the appearance of the silver. 199 marking ink on zinc for trees. Let strips of zinc, half an inch wide and perfectly bright, of any suitable length be procured, punch a hole in one end, and suspend by copper wire to the branch of a tree, with the name writ. ten on, and it will remain for many years indicating at aU times the name, and preventing much of the confu- sinn so T)r«>val**n* '" nnmpnr)lRfii?»** nf frvtiia T* oK^.,14 1 written with a quill pen, and always shaken before usin^. Take one drachm Verdigris, one drachm Sal ammonia powder and half a drachm of Lamp black, and mix with ten drachms of water. -«•• 1UE PROTECTIVE BEE-HIVE. -«•►- Leibig^s New Work. A new treatise on the relations of Chemistry to Agri- culture by Justus Leibig, has been issued from the press, which will attract general attention. The subject matter has especial reference to the celebrated experi- ments of J. B. Lawes, of Rothamsted, which it is conten- ded, overthrew the so called mineral theory of Leibig, but which the latter says in the present edition, »'he considers as the firmest supporter of the theory which they were originally intended to combat." He subjects these experiments to close examination, and lays down some general propositions, elucidating his own views of the true scientific principles of culture. The price is only twenty-five cents, and it is put up in a form for mailing. «». Labels of Fruit Trees. After a trial of some years, we can confidently recom- mend the following composition as making an indelible Among the many Bee Hives for which patents hare been obtained, the above deserves attention. The p«^- tentee thus describes it : 1. This Hive furnishes, as its name indicates, protection against the encroachments of the Bee-Moth. This is ef- fected in a manner, and upon a principle entirely new. No cage, trap, or decoy, is constructed for the Bee-Moth* In a peculiar manner the animal heat naturally emanating from the bees is intercepted, and in this way the deposits and hatching of the eggs of the miller is prevented. As to the real value of this arrangement or protection, no comments are needed. 2. It is easily ventilated in sum- mer and winter. 3. It provides for the deposit and re- moval of surplus honey without a Gestruction of the bees. 4. The work and condition of the bees can be readily in- spected. 6. It is a Hive of ffreat durability. 6. It prevents the bees from clustering upon the outside of the hive. 7. In it bees are fed without inviting robbers from other hives. 8. It affords ample room to prevent the bees from swarming, when required. 9. It is easily cleared of dead bees and every offending sub- stance. 10. This hive is made for exposure to the weather, answering the purpose of hive and house^ and on this account is the cheapest hive which can be used 11. It dispenses with a Bee-House, which affords a shel- ter for all kinds of insects. Its location is in the open [ftir and shade, as here represented. 12. Bees are I easily and safely transferred from the ordinary Box-Hive to this. Such are some of its more important character- istics These are given that individuals at a distance may form some idea of its utility. As to its practical operations, some idea may be gained from the following BLtticuient Ox lact/S. Two years ago, in consequence of removing from a neighboring State, the subscriber com- menced with a new stock of bees. Recently he has taken an account of expenditures and receipts in Bee- keeping for two years, and finds that his bees have paid in honey, and increase of stock, six hundred and fifty- four per cent, or three hundred and twenty-seven per cent, per annum. This is the average of his entire stock, vhich is now somewhat extensive. Some swarms have paid one hundred, others three hundred, others five hun- dred per cent a year. Other Bee-keepers who have used this hive have been equally successful. The subscriber would be glad to give one individual who has used it $25 for the proceeds of one swarm during a single year. Li this hive the natural instincts of the Honey-bee are not obstructed or changed, but directed into a profitable channel for the benefit of the keeper. I The Patentee of this hive is the author of a work en- titled ; Eddy on Bee Culture. This manual will be I Bent free of postage to any individual who shall forward 1 to him nine letter stamps. His address is— Henry Eddy, M. D., North Bridge water, Mass. enough earth and roots adhering to each one, as would go m a quarter peck measure, fling them into the cart, and plant them out either on a clear or cloudy day as It may happen, and not expect a leaf or blossom to hardly droop its head or wither. The reason is, they will have been thrice transplanted. First sown ih^o^.Ur i^ the frame, then pricked out into rows, afterwards as they increase in size, transplanted into other rows, wider apart and where they would have plenty of room in rich soil to expand and grow before the last removal. The consequence is they acquire a mass of fibrous roots the very life of the plant, to which the earth adheres,' and the stem acquires a firmness, not easily affected by the weather. This is of course done in frames under glass, which are raised from time to time as the height of the plants may require, and to give them room. In this way we have tomatoes about two weeks before our neighbor^ — <•»- -*%*- Pennsylvania State Agricultural Exhibition. Harrisburg has been selected by the Executive Com- mittee of the State Society, as the place for holding its next annual exhibition, and the necessary funds having also since been raised by its citizens, we are now able to give notice of it as a fixed fact. We have no doubt the selection will be generally approved of, its central posi- tion, and facilities of access from all parts of the State, entithng it to preference, inasmuch as both extremities,' lliiladelphiaand Pittsburg, have each had the benefit of one location of the fair. Judge Watts has accepted the Invitation to deliver the address. We anticipate a dis- play at least fully equal to any preceding one, and hope every farmer will consider it his duty to do something, «y either personal effort, or contribution, to sustain the character and increase the interest of the exhibition. ^Ple facilities will no doubt be afforded by the various road companies in transporting stock, implements, «Cm of which we will give due notice. ,: ' *'"'" °^ ^<>lding, with the premium Ust, will be found on another page. ■'*%*' ^ Early Tematoes. iBis bo'tt^? ''""^ ^"''^''^^ principles, which lie at the ba- applicw . '""^ ^*''™'"^ ^""^ gardening, and which are h tomato V'''''"^ ""'^^ ^'''''^'^ ^"^ °^^ *^^^' ^« ^«" *s %ronf«' /^^^^^"^ transplanting makes fibre either in NofTl ''^'''''^^'**^^^^^^«' ^^^i« both the se- Oar Tom!, if, *"""' *^ ^'^'^ ^^^ ^*^^^g «*rly tomatoes. fast montM^ ' ""^ *^' ^""^^ ^^ *^^' ^"^^^°S (°^^^^1« «^ V around '^V'^^^'''' ''*''^'* ^*^^' '^^"^' ^^''^^^^ hranched tlossom 't''' ^* ^""^^^ ''''* succulent stem, and out in ^tere th^v *" ^^^^ ""^ '^^^^ ^^^^ ^P » ^^rt to «y are growing, dig them up with a spade, and What is Poudrettel As this article is becoming quite common in market, as a manure, a short history of it may be interesting. In large cities, like London, Paris, and New York, an immense amount of filth accumulates in privies, and other places which it is necessary to remove. To do so required great expense, and to remunerate in part the person who did this unpleasant work, they adopted the practice of selling it to farmers, for manure. The first systematic effort to save it for market, we believe, was in London, The sewers were so constructed, that the accumulated filth of the city was emptied into them, and through them carried in a liquid state, into large reservoirs on the Thames. By means of steam power it was then forced through large iron pipes back into the country, and sold to the farmers. This liquid manure, though in the best possible state for use, was necessarily confined to a limited sphere near the city, and besides, was most offensive in odor. The great desideratum was to neutralize the odors without impairing the fertilizing properties, and render it suitable for exporting to a distance. To do this it is mixed with ashes, or muck, and plaster — the first to ab- sorb the water, diffuse the concentrated strength and render it better adapted to sow over the ground; the plaster to neutralize the odor, and also to detain the nitro- gen and ammonia. When so mixed, it is dried, pulver- ized and barrelled up for use. In New York, the sweepings of the streets are gathered in large piles and sold, but are not as valuable as the prepared Poudrette. This last article sells at about $2,00 a barrel. When genuine, it is the most concentra- ted and powerful fertilizer known. To be a genuine article, however, no more ashes, muck or plaster should be used than is necessary to render it dry, and fit it for barreling, and destroy the offensive odor. Counterfeit Poudrette has been manufactured of appearance so like the genuine, as to escape the detection of any test, ex- cept a chemical analysis, and yet almost totally worth- less. Like guano, it is valuable in proportion to the nitrogen contained in it. If, by exposure, it has lost that, or from the amount of worthless articles in its com- position, never had any, money is thrown away in purchasing this far famed manure. Farmers should be cautious of whom they buy, unless the article is tested by a chemist. — Ohio Farmer, J I ( TIGHT BINDING 170 THB FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. m X. Debates of the American Pomological Society. The proceedings of the third biennial meeting of the American Pomological Society, held last fall in the city of Boston, were duly published some months since in pamphlet form, and contain much valuable information to the farmer and fruit grower. The easays in two of our recent numbers on the diseases and insects affecting fruit trees and vines, by T. W. Harris, were extracted from its pages, and we now give, from the discussions on fruit, the following relative to varieties knoton in Pennaylvaniay excepting the apple, chiefly by reputation. The decisions elicited by these discussions are reliable and useful, embodying as they do the long ex- perience and experiments of the best Pomologists in the country: The Lawrence Pear:— Mr. Walker of Massachusetts. This pear, in my estimation, is one of the greatest acquisi- tions to the list of pears. I know of no winter pear, taking all in all, that is equal to the Lawrence. I think it will not bo going too far, when I say that the time will come when the Lawrence pear will be as eagerly sought after in the markets as the old St. Michael was. There are other qual- ifications, also, to be borne in mind. In the first place, the tree is a thrifty one; it has an abundance of foliage, and holds it until the frost comes. There is another property peculiar to the Lawrence. The fruit clings to the branches as though it had been tied on, reminding one of the Urban- iste in that particular. He desired that an expression may go out from this society that the Lawrence pear is among the very best; and, probably, the best of the late varieties of pears. Mr. Prince of Long Island. I would remark that it is one of the most vigorous trees ; it is invaluable on that ac- count; is always perfect, and is long keeping. I think it so invaluable a fruit, that the time will arrive when it will hold the same position for exportation, the Baldwin apple does. Mr. Manning of Massachusetts. Before the question is put on the Lawrence pear, I wish to say that I have known it for some twelve years, and from my own experience con- sider it the most valuable late pear that has been introduced within that time. It is hardy ; its flavor is excellent ; and I scarcely know of any point in which it is deficient Mr. Hayes of New Jersey. It originated on a light sandy loam; and I should like to know if it will grow on a heavy clay soil. The President It will; and I wish to confirm the favor- able opinion that has been expriissed concerning it. It is one of the most valuable that has been cultivated. It is so valuable that Mr. Gushing, of Waterton, has grafted over a great number of trees with it, — so many that he found it difiicult to obtain scions to do the work with. The Lawrence pear was unanimously recommended for general cultivation. It was here voted, on motion of Mr. Hancock, that it should require a vote of two-thirds of the members present, to place any fruit on the list for general cultivation ; and where much difference of opinion existed, that the number of votes for and against the recommendation be registered in the records of the society. Manning's Elizabeth was next discussed. H. W. S. Cleveland of New Jersey. I desire to give my testimony in favor of this pear. I have fruited it for six or seven years, and have always found it of very fine flavor; always selling very readily, and a very hardy, vigorous tree. I recommend it, without hesitation, for general cultivation. Mr. Cabot of Massachusetts. I recommend it for general cultivation. It is a very good pear, and good bearer, though it is rather small. Mr. Hancock of New Jersey. I have had it about ten years, and have universally found it good. For the last two years I have considered it the best pear of the season we have in New Jersey. Mr. Man ice of New York. It is very fine, very produo- tive, and very handsome. It was unanimously voted to place this pear on the list for general cultivation. The Jepferis Apple: — Dr. Eshieman of Pennsylvania I would recommend that the Jefferis be put on the list for trial. I have eaten it at our Society's Exhibition for thre« successive years, and consider it the best apple of its seafloi that I have ever seen. Mr. Baldwin of Pennsylvania. I have seen it for several years. It has always been considered the finest apple of iti season, which we have had at our society. ceed as well in this latitude as elsewhere in the Union. Sep- j tility. The surrounding fields are nothing like it, and with tember, if seasonable, is probably the best time for sowing, gimilar cultivation would by this time have been utterly im- But in our case the seeds were planted early in spring, and poverished. The former is the site of an old Indian burying although the succeeding summer, as every one knows, was I ground, and when the country was first settled, was inden- yery dry throughout, it grew finely and maintained its fresh- | ted with graves within six feet of each other, all over the ness and beautiful green appearance. We have also proof surface. The dead were buried in a sitting posture, not over that it will withstand our coldest weather, as our little two feet below the surface, and the writer, when a bov. filled his pockets many a time with beads and arrow-heads,' turned up by the desecrating plowshare. The half decayed bones "patch" has grown vigorously through our past unusually severe winter. For lawns and woodland pastures we know nothing prettier — not even the far-famed Kentucky Blue- Grass. The Farmer says: ''This grass, recently introduced into the United States, is either a native of Italy or Germany, and is probably peren- nial. It differs from the common kinds of Rye-Grass in many botanical particulars, which it is needless to enume- Mr. Hancock of New Jersey. It is the best seedling apple! jato, and which are only intelligible to the scientific eye; I have seen for a number of years. I consider it No. 1. Ill tut to the ordinary observer, it differs very perceptibly in is ripe during the latter part of this month [September] aniB presenting a darker green color, and having much more the early part of October. ■ abundant and broader foliage. It very commonly attains j enriching many of our fields, and the fact is thereby estab- Mr. Hooker of New York. That apple bas been shown I the height of four feet and sometimes more, and is not in- | lished that animal remains, and especially bones, are of las- of the aborigines are this day to be seen mingled with the soil, and, sad as it may seem, furnish food to successive crops of grain and grass. If the soil at any time gave signs of impoverishment, the occupant merely run the plowshare a few inches deeper, and turned up a few more Indians ! A goodly number of the readers of the Rural will recognize the place referred to, and can vouch for the truth of the above statement. The melancholy truth cannot be gain- sayed, that the ashes of a former race of men are to this day at the exhibitions of Chester County for three or fouryear8,Bclinod to spread on the ground. If sown in September, it and has universally been pronounced heat. Bmay be cut in the following May; and if sown early in It was unanimously voted to place it on the list of thonl March, it will yield a heavy crop in July. Whether given varieties which promise well. Blackberries : — Mr. Cabot of Massachusetts. I wish tol enquire about Lawton's New Rochello Blackberry. I have I seen something of it, and it seems to me a very good one. Mr. Prince of New York. It is the most remarkable u\ quisition of the blackberry kind ; very sweet and deliciowl indeed, a great bearer, and the hardiest plant possible. Thejj are planting it extensively. Mr. Manice of New York. It is very large, tender, anil delicious. I think it the greatest acquisition we have had. Mr. Saul of Now York. I can corroborate what othen| as green food or converted into hay, it is eaten with avidity by cattle, which have, in various instances manifested their ting benefit as an element of fertility. — Rural New Yorker, Feeding Bees. The theory of feeding bees on a large scale has had its day. It has presented splendid results for a time, and re- preference for it to the common sorts, which is accounted suited at length in splendid failures. Cheap honey, or a for by its superior succulence and softness. It braids much quicker than other species of Rye-Grass known to us, ar- I rives sooner at maturity, and is in every respect superior to ' all of them. As it overpowers clover when sown with it, it is useless to sow them at the same time; and the only chance I of their doing well together would be on poor soil, where the vacancies between the turfs of Rye-Grass might be filled with clover, to be available in the second or third mowings. have said. Mr. Charles Downing made a special journey toB It is sown in the usual way after a harrowing, and covered New Rochelle to see this blackberry, and found three acreiBwith a brush-harrow and roller, and the quantity of seed for covered with it. He said it was the greatest sight he evffBclean ground is about twenty-one pounds per acre. Among beheld, and entirely exceeded his expectations. The bnsheiBits other good qualities, it is found to withstand the influ- were completely loaded with fruit, and he thought it agreatBence of frost better than any other variety of grass. In a acquisition. Mr. Clark of Connecticut I never saw any thing more productive. Adopted as promising well. Mr. Prince of Long Island. I wish to ask whether gen tlemen know any thing of Needham's White Blackberry, I word, it is a decided acquisition to our agriculture. >f Lasting Effect of Bones. Bones, in their natural and uncrushed state, show little immediate effect, in consequence of their power of resisting, Mr. Manning of Massachusetts. I have had it on mjBbut if mixed in large quantities, in a crude or semi-pulver- grounds, and think it a very valuable variety, though notMBized state, with the soil of a field, the benefit would undoubt. much so as the Black. 1% be extremely lasting. The eff'ect would not be manifest Mr. Cabot of Massachusetts. I have seen it repeatedljin the remarkable increase of any crop, but in the moderate and supposed it an accidental seedling. I should hardl/Bproduction of many crops through a series of years. Any think it worth notice. W^^ ^^o has ever taken pains to study the subject, cannot Mr. Prince of Long Island. It is found plentifully fljhave failed to observe the slow decomposition of uncrushed Vermont and Ohio. I have tried it, and found it very "" productive. Mr. Cutter of New Hampshire. With me it is perfectlj] worthless. Mr. Walker of Massachusetts. This White Blackber is a very miserable affair, and I think the less we say of ^ in our publication the better. I move we close the sion on this subject. The motion was adopted. disci -••• .— "fl Italian Bye-Grass, The following is taken from the Genesee Farmer consider the Italian Rye-Grass, or, as it is sometimes term Ray— one of the most beautiful grasses yet introduced m this country, and doubt not that it will also prove i*«®" ?Jj of the most valuable, either for green food or hay Farmer correctly describes the sort we are acquain tedwiti bones, as from year to year they are turned up by the plow from out the soil of the garden. They may not have been placed there intentionally to answer the purpose of a ma- »are, but have been thrown out from the kitchen into the most convenient place for getting rid of them. The bones >»thi8 position slowly decompose, yielding up their constit- uent elements to new combinations, the earthy particles at pe same time crumbling into dust Ihh^^ ^^""^<^ not labor solely for his own immediate ben- \^, but he should look to the benefit of future years; and I «nce, If there be no conveniencies at hand for converting dnT r*^ ^"P^r-P^osphate of lime, or of crushing them to 3t, they ought by no means to be wasted. Their incorpo- lon m an uncrushed state, with the soil, will greatly add ^>t8 lasting fertility. . e know of a field in an adjoining county that had been and from our smaU experiments, we feel assured it wUl em opped for thirty years, and is now in a high state of fer- composition has been used, and the Bees have been fed freely, under the impression that whatever they stored in their cells must of course be honey of the first quality. I would ask why Cuba or Southern honey is not made of the first quality when it is stored up for the first time in Cuba or Florida, if Bees have the power ot converting an inferior article into one of superior quality. The true reason is that much of this so-called honey is taken from the sugar plantations, or from flowers which do not furnish the best honey. And the second transportation, although done by "Yankee" Bees, does not produce any chemical change in the article which is fed. Honey is gathered, not made by the Bees. Those who purchase in market Cuba honey which is packed up in "Yankee" boxes, do not get the best end of the bargain. They have yet to learn that the packing or transportation does not make it the fine flavored and wholesome article which is found in white clover upon all our hills in New England. The feeding of Bees on a large scale, or with a view to secure larger quantities of surplus honey, operates unfavorably upon the Bees in a variety of ways, and the principal objections to it are the following: 1. There is no profit in it. No man gets the quantity of honey which he feeds. 2. It prevents the Bees from going abroad to gather honey from the fields. 3. If the Bees are fed liberally late in the fall and early in the spring, there will be very few empty cells in which to rear young Bees. 4. It is deceptive, because a cheap and inferior article is sold for one of supe- rior quality. 5. It results, in the process of time, in the extinction of the Bees. The feeding of Bees may be prac- tised with advantage whenever they are not amply supplied with winter stores, a thing which happens to late swarms and to those from which large quantities of honey have been taken. For this purpose a cheap article may be used to help them through the winter. It may be desirable to take from the Bees all the white clover honey which can be obtained in boxes with a view to supply the Bees with a cheaper article. —Eddy. 1#> The Japanese Yam. The Japanese Yam {Dioscorea Japonica of botanists,) is the name under which a new vegetable has been recently impor- ted, and which, from the few experiments that have been i |P \\\ TIGHT BINDING -1 TEXT CUT OFF I . u 172 THB FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. f t made in its cultivation, promises to be one of great impor- tance. According to the best foreign authority, it is "of all the esculent roots proposed as a substitute for the diseased potato, the only serious one. Largely grown in China, it is very hardy, and stands the winter under the climate of Paris perfectly well. It is easily propagated by cuttings of its long vines, and by its roots, which are, like those of the potato, of annual growth. The roots are large and long— the fieab very mealy, and devoid of any peculiar or disagreeable flavor." It has been pronounced by eminent cultivators in France, "a precious acquisition." The result of the few that were grown in this country during the last season, was very satisfactory. The N. Y. Commercial Advertiser states that Mr. Bolles exhibited some of the roots at a late meeting of the New York Horti- cultural Society, and described them as giving a large yield, capable of bearing a cold climate, and of remaining in the ground during the winter. From the few specimens I have had the privilege of ex- aming, the shape resembles the sweet potato, though less uniform. The flavor is said to be somewhat similar to the «ime vegetable, but it is thought that wherein it differs, its tendency will be to come into even more general use. Its nutritious properties are said to exceed those of any other known root. Of its adaptedness to the climate of the Middle States, I believe there can scarcely be a doubt; and there is every reason for the belief, that even in Massachusetts, its cultiva- tion will be attended with the most complete success. — Mats. Ploughman. *♦»- Beans with Indian Com. It has long been an undecided question, whether beans planted with Indian corn, are an actual injury to the crop. Last year I had a piece of corn on the south side of a hill, of rather gentle descent, and as it presented a favorable opportunity, I determined to make the trial. There were fifty rows of thirty-six hills each, in the piece. Commencing on one side, I counted off eight rows, and planted the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth to corn and beans — dropping the beans not with the corn, but about six inches on one •ide. Eight more rows were then counted off, and the next four planted in the same way ; the remainder of the entire piece was planted to corn alone. At harvest, the first four rows, having the beans in them, were cut and weighed, and then the four rows immediately contiguous on either side, were cut and weighed. The same course was pursued in reference to the other rows, and the rows nearest them on either hand, and the result was no perceptible difference existed in the amount of corn produ- ced by the rows having beans in the hills, and that of the rows having none. The soil throughout the piece was as nearly of the same quality as it well could be, and the man- agement of the entire piece was in every respect the same. The beans made a very good crop, were well filled, plump and fair, and the corn was also good. The manure used, was short muck, one shovel full to the hill. The crop was hoed three times, and a gill of plaster applied to the hill at the second hoeing. — S. W. J. in Germantown Telegraph, «•# Remedy for the Wire Worm. Mr. D. Thompson, of Adams' Basin, in this county, in- forms us that he sowed a field to oats upon his farm soon after it was purchased by him, and that the crop was entirely cut off by the wire worm. He has since found by unmis- takable experiments, that hog manure is an entire preventive against their depredations. He has tested it repeatedly and in a variety of ways, and always with success. One time he distributed the manure broadcast over a portion of a field of corn, and plowed it in previous to planting, leaving another portion unmanured. In that part where the manure wai distributed he had a good yield while on the other the raT». ges of the worm was such as to destroy the crop. At another time he placed the manure in the hills of corn in certain rows, leaving adjacent rows unmanured, and th« resuit wud the furiuor Wore UutOuOueu, nuilc the latter wen entirely cut off. If this remedy is as efficacious ag Mr, Thompson assures us it is, the fact is invaluable for sodm localities. At all events the application will be of great advantage to the crop in other respects, if it fail in the one claimed for it. A correspondent in Peterboro' writes us that ashes mixed with the barn-yard manure applied in the hill to corn,8eemi to act as a specific with him, preserving the crop from their ravages, while that, to which it was not so applied, suffered severely. — Jiural New Yorker. «♦> Farm Implementa. To use that old plow longer is bad economy ; repairs have I already come to more than the original cost, and still, it ii an old, ricketty plow. It always did "run to land" too much, and always will, perplexing the plowman and fretting tha team. It has a radical defect past all cure of inventor or mechanic. Do not work with heavy, uncouth implements— they drag down the body like a perpetual sorrow upon the mind. Boys often acquire a disgust for farming, merely fron the use of the miserable implements placed in their hands. The lighter the tool, the better, if strong enough for the work for which it was intended. The workman who usei his shovel to pry up a stone, and breaks it, should be re>l quired to pay for it, and the next time, if not incorrigibljl lazy, he will probably use the bar. Use light rakes, made of good material, and so of hoes, spades, scufflers, and all j other implements. We have beaten the English in the con. struction of our agricultural implements, in their adaptation| to the work required of them. — H. E. Farmer. ~ ••• irs Frodnction, Preservation and Ripening of Fruit. HON. MARSHALL P. WILDER, PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETT. The immense loss to American cultivators, from the im- ortation of foreign varieties, in many instances not well adapted to the countries from which they come, and often less adapted to our soil and climate, suggests the impor- anceof raising from seed, native sorts which, in most in- ptances, possess peculiar advantages. It is now generally conceded that the trees and plants of a given country, like lits aboriginal inhabitants, will flourish better at home than pn most foreign localities. We rejoice that public attention has been turned to this object by some of our horticultural journalists, and that oany cultivators and amateurs are engaged in this interest- ing and promising department. The success which has jcrowned their exertions affords great encouragement to per- severance. Witness, for instance, thirty or more varieties of the cherry, by Dr. Kirtland, of Ohio, which appear adapted to our eastern climate, and some of them of superior Excellence. Witness the numerous varieties of the raspberry, ky Dr. Brinckle, Ex-President of this Society, of which, kome have endured, without covering, the severities of the ^a«t winter in the New England States, and which also prom- to be valuable contributions to American pomology. In Kidition to these, how many new varieties of the apple, the Mr. Knight's system of obtaining new and improved va- neties, depended entirely on hybridization, or artificial im- pregnation, so lightly esteemed by Dr. Van Mons. This is somewhat difficult to practice on account of natural fertiliza- tion by insects and the wind; but it has the merit of depend- ing on a truly philosophical principle, and with very partio- ular attention may yet nrove ha avaiuuu <-^- *u« : .— . ment of our fruits as it has for the production of fine varieties m the vegetable and floral kingdom, or as the corresponding principle has in the crossing of the breeds of domestic ani- mals. The result of Mr. Knight's experience disprove the ten- dency to degeneracy, inasmuch as many of his fruits, obtained by hybridization, are among the most durable and hardy va- rieties, as the Eye wood and Dunmore Pears; the Black Eagle, and other Cherries. Many cultivators, as Esperen, Bivort, Berckmans, and others, both in this and foreign countries, have sown seeds in variety, and have obtaiiied some valuable sorts. But I am confirmed in the opinion, that the best means of produ- cing new and excellent varieties, suited either to general cultivation or to particular localities, is to plant the moat mature and perfect seed of the moat hardy, vigorous, and valuable sorts; on the general pathological principle that "like produces like," and upon the conviction that immature seed, although the embryo may be sufficiently formed to ne list of American fruits. IIow mnnv naw tmri o.^»^^^^^t■ _-i. ■, . ._ t/vx.cv.i,ivfu, n, wm Beet Boot Vinegar. In these times of a scarcity of apples and cider, the follow- ing statement made by N. P. Fairbanks in the "Boston! Cultivator" is worth considering. He says :— The juice of| one bushel of sugar beets, worth twenty-five cents, a which any farmer can raise with little cost, will make froil five to six gallons of vinegar, equal to the best made of cider or wine. First, wash and grate the beets, and expresij the juice in a cheese-press or in any other way which a littlal ingenuity can suggest, and put the liquor into a barrel;! cover the bung with gauze and set it in the sun, and in fifteaBl or twenty days it will be fit for use. By this method thjj very best of vinegar can be obtained without any gre»j trouble, and I hope all who like good vinegar will try it I As this may readily be tried by almost any one, we hop*! to hear from some of our friends on the subject next winterT le list of American fruits. IIow many new and excellent rarieties of the strawberry have appeared since the intro- iuction of Mr. Hovey's Seedlings. Theae are sure indications of the success which will re- wd future efibrts to obtain valuable native varieties of lit; and they point to a fulfilment of the prediction of the Celebrated Van Mons, "that the time will come when our Wt fruits will be derived from seedlings." He gives the blowing sage counsel to his correspondents, to whom he bd sent trees -.—Sow your seed and persevere without inter- ^upHon, and you will obtain better fruit than mine.'* Among pioneers in this department, I am happy to notice geaUeman, (now residing among us) the pupil and friend r Van Mons, one who has adopted our country as his future ^ome, and who has already transplanted to our soil many loasands choice seedlings of the pear, which have come ^^hi8 possession from the collections of that gentleman fnd the celebrated Esperen. As to the best method of producing fine varieties from >e seed, the opinions of distinguished pomologists are not -<••- Another Core for Garget. Mr. Joseph Merriman, of Ohio, in an article communic* ted by him to the Ohio Farmer on this subject, says the duj ease may be cured thus :— "Take raw linseed oil and rub Jj over the cow's bag, which, if done on the first appearance, all that is needed generally, but two or three application always have cured the most stubborn cases, and is eas , done." He says he has seen cows that no milk could be g from, cured in forty-eight hours, in summer, and they g>n nearly as much milk as they did before they were sick. TbH is certainly easily tried, and no great harm can be done the cow if it should not prove successful.— 3/e. Farmer- iiiform. I^CHAMEL, among the French, from causes which seem to irreconcilable with nature and experience, entertained nons doubts of the practicability of any method for ob- iDgnew and valuable varieties from seeds, especially of pear because he has txied yarious experiments without »cee88 for fifty years. ^ Van Mons, of Belgium, instead of saving the seed of rinHnl .r"'*^''' '"^''*"^ ^^""'^ «f i°f«"«' sorts, upon the 2n * ' ^'°^ ^^^^°« *'"^^^ ^' '^' highest state of ciion must deteriorate, while an inferior one would im- Uon trrr"""" '^P'^^"«tio°«- He also held that hybrid- fcaie« il A *^ ^®««°«^*^y and imperfection. Thus he ktes '/^"^^°« t^at a perfect variety necessarily dete- m he sn u improvement or deterioration of ''•PoUen nf tv' ""^^ '^'"^* ^''^°' ''^*"'*^ impregnation by ^^ therefore^!! \T"''"l '"'^"'^'^ ^^ '^^ ""^ ^' ^°««^^«' ^ra bPthl '^^^ of a good variety may produce •better ""' * ''''"^' """^ *^^* ^^ * ^*^ ^'^^^^ ^ ^o^se i| not produce a vigorous and healthy offspring. Dr. Lindley, commenting upon this practice, justly remarks— "All expe- rience shows that in every kind of created thing, be it man or beast, or bird, the mysterious principle, called life, remains during the whole period of existence what it was at first. If vitality is feeble in the beginning, so it remains. Weak parents produce weak children, and their children's children are weaker still, as imperial dynasties have sadly shown." With him, we believe this theory as applicable to the vege- table as to the animal kingdom. May not a disregard of this doctrine account for the great number of feeble, sickly, early defoliated trees often found in our grounds by the side of those that are vigorous, healthful, and persistent in foli- age? Is not the theory we advocate as important in the production of fruit trees, as in the raising of cereal grains? The skilful agriculturist saves the best seed of his various crops, and selects the best animals from his flocks and herds for breeders. Why should not this law of reproduction regulate the practice of the pomologist as well as the far- mer? Has the All-wise and Infinite enacted several laws, where one would subserve the purpose. To the doctrine of Van Mons, and other distinguished writers, respecting deterioration by age, and after a variety has reached its perfection, there seem to be some exceptions. From the accounts of oriental travellers, may we not believe that the grapes of Eschol are as perfect now, as when the chiefs of Israel plucked their rich clusters three thousand years ago?— and the same variety of the fig, the olive, and pomegranite are as perfect in Syria, to-day, as in the period of David and Solomon? It is worthy of inquiry whether the native grapes, on the banks of our rivers, have deterio- rated since the day when the red men of the forest refreshed themselves with fruit from those vines, and whether the orange, the lemon, the bananna, and the fruits of southern latitudes, evince any more signs of decay than they did cen- turies ago? In a word, whether this doctrine of deteriora- tion is as applicable to the native, as to the foreign fruit of a country? Why may we not expect to obtain natural varieties of the apple and other fruits, as durable and far more valuable than those which have passed their second centennial, as the En- 1^ -i -i. I » TIGHT BINDING 174 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jninli855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 11 dicott and Stuyvesant Pears? From meteorological or other causes, which we do not at present understand, particular varieties may deteriorate in a given locality for a season, and afterwards revive ; or, they may show signs of decay in one locality and flourish well in others not very remote — as the White Doyenne, which has been considered for many years, by some in this vicinity, on the decline, while it is perfect in several places in Maine, New Hampshire, Ver- mont, and other States. Fruit-bearing may exhaust the vital energies of the tree and hasten decay, but still the variety may remain. We have, among fruit trees, no exam- ple of longevity equal to that of the new Taxodium, found in California, supposed to be three thousand years old. Our object is not to controvert the opinions of those who believe in the running out of varieties, whether their duration be limited to one hundred or one thousand years; but to enforce the importance of raising new varieties from seed, especially adapted to our own location. Preservation and Ripening of Fruit:— Much progress has been made in this art within a few years, and important results have been attained. The principle has been settled that the ripening process can be controlled. Autumnal fruits have been kept and exhibited the succeeding spring. We have seen the Seckel, Bartlett, and Louise Bonne de Jersey pears, in perfection in January, and even later. The matu- rity of fruits depends on saccharine fermentation. This is followed by other fermentations, as the vinous and acetous. To prevent these, and preserve fruit in all its beauty, fresh- oess, and flavor, the temperature must be uniform and kept below the degree at which the fermentation or the ripening process commences. Our remarks, like our experience, have special regard to the apple and the pear, though the princi- ple is doubtless susceptible of a more extensive application. Fruits, designed to be kept for a considerable time, should be gathered with great care some days before the ripening process commences, especially summer pears. A summer pear ripened on the tree is generally inferior. In respect to the latter, Mr. Barry, Editor of the Horticulturist, has so aptly expressed my own sentiments, that I use his language. "The process of ripening on the tree, which is the natural one, seems to act upon the fruit for the benefit of the seed, as it tends to the formation of woody fibre and farina. When the fruit is removed from the tree, at the very commence- ment of ripening, and placed in a still atmosphere, the nat- ural process seems to be counteracted, and sugar and juice are elaborated instead of fibre and farina. Thus, pears which become mealy and rot at the core when left on the tree to ripen, become juicy, melting, and delicious, when ripened in the house." Various fruit houses have been built both in this country and in Europe; and experience shows that their object can be obtained only by a perfect control of the temperature, moisture, and light Hence, they must be cool, with non-conducting walls, or with exterior and interior walls, or a room within a room. Thus the external atmos- phere, which either starts the saccharine fermentation or conveys the agents which produce it, can be admitted or excluded at pleasure. It is possible, however, to preserve the temperature at so low a degree and for so long a time as to destroy, especially with some varieties of the pear, the vi- tality, and therefore all power ever to resume the ripening process. Experience proves that for the common varieties of the apple and pear, about forty degrees of Farenheit is the temperature best suited to hold this process in equilibrium. The proper maturing of fruit thus preserved, demands skill and science. DiflFerent varieties require different degrees of moisture and heat, according to the firmnesss of the skin, the texture of the flesh, and the na*iral activity of the juices! Thus, some varieties of the pear wiU ripen at a low temper^ ature and in a comparatively dry atmosphere, while othen,! as the Eastern Beurre, are improved by a warm and huniidl air. Some varieties of the pear, ripening with diflaculty, formerly esteemed only second rate, are now pronounced o(| excellent quality, because the art of maturing them is betteil understood. But so many experiments have been tried, or are in pro.! gross, and so much has been written on this branch of ou?| subject, that I need not enlarge except to say that the art of preserving and ripening fruit in perfection, involveg so much scientific knowledge as to require great attention ani care; and, until its laws are more fully developed, mu8tbj attended with considerable diflBculty. I therefore commend it to your special attention, as second in importance only to the raising of new varieties. «•» Truths Established by Agricultural Chemistry. FROM LIEBIG'S NEW WORK. The growth of a plant presupposes a germ, a seed; the land plant requires a soil ; without the atmosphere, without moisture, the plant does not grow. The words soil, atmos- phere and moisture, are not of themselves conditions; these are lime, clay, sand-soils, soils originating from granite, from gneiss, from mica-slate, from clay-slate, all entire!; different in their composition and qualities. The word soil is a collective word for a large number of conditions. lot fruitful soil, these conditions are combined in proportion! adapted to vegetable growth ; in an unproductive soil, sonM of them are wanting. In the same manner, the words mo' nure and atmosphere include a plurality of terms or condi- tions. The chemist, with the means at his command, anaij* ses all kinds of soil ; he analyses manures, the air and tht water ; he resolves the collective words which express th« sum of the conditions of vegetable growth into their single factors, and, in his explanations, substitutes the individml for the combined values. In this process, it is evident there is nothing hypothetical. If it pass for a perfectly established truth that the soil, the atmosphere, water and manures, ex- ercise an influence upon the growth of the plant, it is no beyond doubt, that this influence is entirely due to the con- stituents of the soil, «Jbc.; and the province of the chemist is to set these ingredients before the eyes of those occupied with vegetable cultivation, and to illustrate their qualitiei and relations. 1. Plants in general derive their carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere— carbon in the form of carbonic acid; nitrogen in the form of ammonia. From water (and ammo- nia) they receive hydrogen. Their sulphur comes from m phuric acid. 2. Cultivated in soils, situations and climates, the mo? various, plants contain a certain number of mineral substan ces, and in fact always the same substances, whose nature learned from the composition of the ash. These ingredien of the ash, were ingredients of the soil. All fruitful soilj contain a certain quantity of them. They are absent fro no soil in which plants flourish. 3. In the produce of a field is carried off and reroov from the soil, the entire quantity of those soil-ingredient| which has become constituents of the plant. The aoi^ richer at seed-time than at harvest. The composition of soil is changed after the harvest. 4. After a series of years, and after a correspondi number of harvests, the productiveness of a field diminu When all other conditions remain unchanged, the sou » ^^ becomes different from what it was previously; the chan in its composition is the probable cause of its becomiflg' productive* 175 5. By means of manures, as stable dung and animal ex- crements, the lost fertility may be restored. 6. Manures consist of decayed vegetable and animal matters, which contain a certain quantity of soil-ingredients. The excrements of animals and of man represent the ashes of food burned in the animal or human body, i. e. the ashes of plants, which have been gathered from the soil. In the urine are found those ingredients of the plant, derived from the soil, which are soluble in water; the solid excrements contain those which are insoluble. Manures contain the materials which the consumed crops have removed from the goil. It is plain that by incorporating manures with the soil, the latter receives again the withdrawn ingredients. The restoration of its original composition, is accompanied with the recovery of its original fertility. It is certain that one of the conditions of fertility is the presence of certain min- eral ingredients in the soil. A rich soil contains more of them than a poor one. 7. The functions of the roots of plants in reference to the absorption of atmospheric food, are similar to those of the leaves, i. e. the former, like the latter, possess the property of taking up and assimilating carbonic acid and ammonia. 8. Ammonia, which is contained in or added to the soil, comports itself as a soil-constituent. The same is equally true of carbonic acid. 9. Animal and vegetable bodies and animal excrements, enter into putrefaction and decay. The nitrogen of the nitrogenous matters is thereby converted into ammonia, a small portion of the ammonia decays (oxydizes) further into nitric acid. 10. We have every reason to believe that nitric acid may replace ammonia in the processes of vegetable nutrition, i.e.that its nitrogen may be applied by the plant to the same purposes as that of ammonia. Animal manures accor- dmgly furnish the plant, not only with those mineral sub- stances which it is the function of the soil to furnish, but also with those forms of food which it naturally derives from the atmosphere. This supply is an addition to that quantity which the atmosphere contains. 11. Those forms of vegetable food contained in the soil, wiiich are not gaseous or volatile, enter the plant through Its roots. The vehicle of their transmission is water, by the Z7Jl:^t±''L ^r.« -^"^^« -^ transportable. dry seasons; by the same average temperature, the yield increases, to a certain limit, with the increase of the quan- tity of rain. 16. Of two fields, one richer, one poorer in plant-food, the richer yields in dry seasons more produce than the poorer, other things being equal. 18. Of two fiftlda nlikA in «v« *-_ .-3 ... ^ — a>, .». vucwttuwjr, ana coniaming an equal amount of soil-ingredients, one of which, however, has, besides, a source of carbonic acid, viz., decomposable vegetable or animal matter, the latter yields more in dry seasons than the former. The cause of this difference in yield lies in the unequal supply of matters, both as concerns quality and quantity, which the plant receives from the soil in a given time. [To be continued.] -«•» . Mantr ^e .u .7 — '' "^^^^^ ouiuuio ana iransportaDle. M ny of these kinds of food dissolve in pure water, others only m water which contains carbonic acid or a salt of am- 12. All those substances which exert a solvent action on r 1 yf''""^ «f the soil as are themselves insoluble, "se, by their presence, a given volume of rain water to Icould"^ a larger quantity of vegetable food than it otherwise of man.f ''"' -*^^ progressive decay of the organic matters consHr. ''"^'°**^ carbonic acid and ammonia- sal ts ; they kherbwi,^".^'*'''' '"'"'''' of carbonic acid in the soil, richer in V. ^""^ ''*'®' P*"^"^"^' i° t^« «oil »»•« made 14 \ '*'^^°'<^ *^id than they could be in their absence. Jed irii'". ^'^-^^^'^^ food, but in their decay, i. Itte planM,^' "?'*"' '^ rendering soluble and available to H^antity af;. 'T""^^' ingredients of the soil, in greater Necavin '° ?'^'' ^''^^' *^^ ^^"1^ ^«°«' ^ the absence I j'J^^*y»ng organic matter. '»^r throu^h^^K"^' ^""'"^ ^^''*^' vegetation receives less ^^"•s; the h ^^'^ ^^ ^^''"' ^^ seasons, than in wet ^«feto A ^i^^r "" ^iff«'«°t years stand in relation A new of given quality yields smaller crops in The Yellows in Peach Trees. This disease was first known in New Jersey, but at what time, or place, I have no means at present of ascertaining. It has now spread over n^ost of New Jersey, a part of Dela- ware, some in Southern New York, and a part of Connecti- cut. It may be called the cholera of the peach trees, but is more fatal to them than the Asiatic cholera is to the human family; in the latter case many that are attacked, recover, but in the former, none. In both cases, quacks have adver- tised their specifics, but I venture to say, that there never has been a single instance where a peach tree that had the yellows was restored to a healthy state. This disease first manifests itself by a change in the color of the leaves, as the name indicates, from a healthy green to a sickly yellow. The branches are stunted in their growth, although having as many buds as would appear on a healthy shoot— they are all crowded on a short space, and when the leaves put out in the spring, they more resemble a tuft of leaves than a proper shoot. For one or two years the fruit sets and swells out to a moderate size, puts on the appearance of ripening, and falls from the tree from two to four weeks sooner than the same variety ripens upon healthy trees. Upon close inspection such varieties as have red cheeks will be found to have a different appearance from healthy fruit; the blush upon the cheek will be found to resemble blotches of erysipelas, and appear a little elevated. The early, imperfect ripening of the fruit has a tendency to spread this disease. Those who are not acquainted with the effects of the disease, on discov- ering what they consider a new and early variety, often pro- cure buds which they insert into healthy trees, any one bud of which is suflicient to communicate the disease and conse- quently to kill the tree in two or three years. Again, their early fall and appearance of maturity taking place at a time when peaches bring the highest price in New York, immense quantities of them are sent to that market, and from thence through the Northern States, thus distributing the seeds over a great extent of country, every one of which, when planted and trees raised from them, will be found to have the yellows. There is another manner in which I think this disease is spread, and that is by the pollen from the flowers. It is allowed that when a peach tree has the yellows every part of it is affected. If this is the case, then the pollen, being a part of the tree, is diseased. The firmness of foundation of plants is, I believe, correctly understood. The pollen is a small globule of lymphatic matter secreted by the stamens, which when disengaged floats in the atmosphere and is also transported by bees from one flower to another, and when a particle of this pollen strikes upon the point of the pistil of another flower, which point is always wet at the time of in- florescence, the globule of farina bursts, and the lymph U r ' !( I; Hi TIGHT BINDING IH THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. M m mixed with that of the pistil, which is a hollow tube, con- nected with the gerniin, or young seed, the paricarp of which being expanded and contracted by the variation of temper- ature, this lymph of the pollen thus mixed with, is taken into circulation in the rudiments of the young plant. If this is correct, then it follows that the young plant, when the pistil is thus impregnated with diseased pollen, must be diseased also. — G. in Rural New Yorker. -••»- Fmning Currants and Gooseberries. We copy the above cut from the Gardener's Chronicle, showing the true form of Currant and Gooseberry bushes when properly trimed. — Ed. The pruning of Currant and Gooseberry bushes is seldom performed in cottage gardens ; the consequence of which is, that every bush in time becomes a mass of wood, producing a quantity of worthless fruit, without either size or flavor. This is to be easily remedied by a little attention to pruning the bushes in winter, and never allowing the branches to be too crowded or to interfere with one another. The shoots which spring up in the centre should be cut away very closely, as well as the small shoots on the main branches, leaving only one at their points, which must be shortened for about a third of its length. If this is done, the bush will have the form of a cup, with the branches ranged regularly round the stem, as in the accompanying wood cut. Red and white Currant require the same treatment, as they produce their fruit on spurs in the way of the Gooseberry. The black Currant must be managed differently, as it bears chiefly on the shoots of the preceding year; instead, therefore, of spurring and otherwise shortening the branches, all that is necessary is to thin them, and keep the bushes compact —-Gardeners* Chronicle, -^»» Agriculture in France. A letter writer for the JRepublic says : — "A trip of six hundred and fifty miles, from the northern to the southern extremity of France, justifies me in the expression of my opin- ion that the sun does not shed its rays on so fair a land, or one so thoroughly cultivated. The whole country is literally a garden. Every square foot, from the mountain-top to the lowest ravine, is made to produce something, if it be sus- ceptible of it. Their mode of planting or sowing their crops; whether on plain or hill side, produces the finest effect on the appearance of the landscape. The place allotted for each crop is laid out in squares, or parallelograms, with mathematical precision, and whether large or small, the best garden could not be divided with greater accuracy. As there are no fences or hedges, and as the different crops are in various stages of maturity, you can imagine the variety of hues that meet the eye, and the magnificence of the pan- orama that stretches out in every direction as far as the vision can penetrate. In the absence of fences, cattle, se- cured by rapes, are driven about their pasturage by females, and sheep are confined within the required limits by boys' assisted by a shepherd's dog.** ' Superphosphate of Lime.-Its Effects on Winter Orain, and its Different Prices. Mb. Darlington : — I procured the article (made af. ter Prof. Mapes's direction) last fall, applied it to Rya at the rate of 400 lbs per acre, and harrowed it in with the Rye. It has a powerful effect on our Schuylkill county soil. Some of my fellow farmers have used the article manufactured and sold by Allen & Needles and speak very highly of it. The question now arises, why is Mapes's sold at $50 per ton, while that of Allen & Needles is at $40 ? The quantities of the different ingredients of which the former is said to be composed, are published to the world, consisting of lOOlbs. Bone Black, 66 lbs. Sulphur- ic acid, 36 Ibs.of Guano, and 20 lbs. Sulphate of Ammo- nia. I have now some of the article manufactured by Allen & Needles on hand intended for the oats crop. U is certainly no more than proper that the fanning com- munity should know of what the article sold by the lat- ter gentleman is composed of, and its proportions. A difference of 26 per cent, is an item of importance te the farmer. J. S. KELLER. Orwigsburg, April 16, 1866. We beg to suggest to our friend Keller, to test the comparative merits of the two articles by using them side by side in alternate portions of a field. He will bj this means learn which composition is best suited to the soil in his region. We should be happy to publish the result. — Ed. lian an inch long, set with very little depression. Ca- ^i with delicate, spreading segments, set in a very Challow basin. Flesh white, very juicy and melting, Ueet and sprightly in flavor. Ripens about the middle Lf August. irr -<•• DEARBORNS' SEEDLING. . A very admirable, early pear, of first quality, raised in 1818, by the Hon. H. A. S. Dearborn, of Boston. I« bears most abundant crops in every soil, and is one of th« most desirable early varieties, succeeding the Bloodgoodi and preceding the Bartlett. Young shoots long, dari brown. Fruit scarcely of medium size, turbinate, an very regularly formed. Skin very smooth, clear H I yellow, with minute dots. Stalk slender, rather more| ^bition of the Philadelnhia Seeietv ft%T >i^yn^*A^„ Agriculture. This Society have concluded to hold an exhibition the .oming fall, and on the grounds at Powelton, occupied by the State Society last year. It is the intention, we pderstand, to combine with the usual display some Other objects of industrial pursuits, to increase the at- ^etiyeness of the occasion, and for which the ample stent of the grounds present unusual facilities. When the Philadelphia Society puts out its strength, 8 it no doubt will do this time, a display may be ex- ectedfor a county exhibition, unequalled. The commit- ee having charge will of course fix the time so as not to Dterfere with the State exhibition at Harrisburg, or of -" friends over at Camden. open, and are generally so much injured in ope^i^ to be useless for future service. By this simple contrivance, ihe process of hermetical sealing is placed conveniently within the reach of every individual ; and fruit, vegetables and butter (if properly prepared) may be kept with their natural L.L LI paired, for an indefinite length of time " We may add that there is no difficulty in preserving fruits and vegetables fresh and perfect from one season to another all that is necessary being to expel and per- fectly exclude the air. Our table is occasionaUy (May 22) supplied with tomatoes of last year's growth, as perfect as the day they were put up, and we recently ate -peach pie equal to any made from fresh fruit in August or September. For particulars as to price, &c., see adver- tisement. -"•► County Ezhibitioni. Our friends throughout the State will please forward I early as convenient for record in the Farm Journal, lie times and places of the various county exhibitions so m as they are determined. We wish to insert them all soon as we have correct information, which will prob- ably come most appropriately through some of the offi- ^rs, also the names of the latter recently elected, or biding over, I '•••" '^KTO'S PAIEHT AIR-TIGHT, SELF-SEAIIirO CAITS , AHD JABS, '»»»°Uei?/? ""*''' "^ P**«"' ""- »««" obtain, ier, „„ ' "^ ^ *'■'' ''*'«°«°° of housekeepers and *1 objecl "'"'''"'Plishes a very desirable and '^^L?ll'"^ ^ *" ''^«"'P«»'> of the patentee: "The K near trr"''™"'"^ '''* * <=^'"^«' »'<>»°' *be same pur- *» vnthout the aid of a tinne, ; we difficit to 1m ELDRIDGFS PATEKT COBJT 8HELLEE. The above is a representation of this machine, which for simplicity and adaptation to the purpose intended, is not surpassed. It occupies about one foot by three* weighs ab«ut forty-four pounds, and i« intended for one periion to feed and shell. We are informed that one man with it may readily sheU ftom ten to twelve bushels per hour with ease. It does the work well, seldom leaving a grain on the cob, and depositing the shelled com in a small oompass. It appears highly adapted to a smaU farm, or to any one who does not want more than one hundred bushels sheUcd per day. Further information, as well as patent rights for Bucks and Montgomery counties, and of the city of Philadel- phia, also shop right and single machine. Application may be made to N. J. Embree, 273 Race Street, above Eighth. «•• , Varietiee of Boots for Field Culture. To keep our readers posted up in respect to the characterstics of vegetables usually sown for field culture, and the peculiar properties of each, we subjoin a short description, first of the Carrot, four kinds of which are used by our farmers and gardeners. The Early Horn Carrot is of a deeper red color than any other variety, as well as of smaller size, and of finer flavor. It is only cultivated in this country, in the TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF I i t I 178 THE FARM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. garden for table use. In addition to its small size at maturity, and its deep color, it is peculiar and may be readily recognized by the abrupt termination of the ta- pering point. Tlie Red Altringham Carrot is used for field culture, as well as the garden, resembles the above in color, but seems to have a constltutioual teiidency to run iSvO sub varieties. It keeps well for winter use, and is of fine flavor, but does not grow so large as the two follow- ing. It is peculiar in having its crown two or three inches above ground, and rather irregular taper. The Long Orange Carrot is the kind most usually culti- vated and known in the United States, for a field crop. It is of an orange color, sometimes inclining to red, and grows often to the length of two feet, with a regular ta- per from its crown to the point. Very little of it ap- pears above ground. With proper cultivation six hun- dred bushels of Long Orange Carrots have frequently been and may be raised on an acre. White Belgian Carrots are larger than either of the others, and have been grown at the rate of one thousand bushels to the acre. They are much thicker than long, somewhat in shape resembling the mangle wurzel, white under ground, and green on the top, with the head con- siderably above the surface. Although but of compara- tively recent introduction, the White Belgian carrot is now very extensively cultivated by the best farmers in France and Belgium, and other parts of the continent, and is thought by them to yield a larger bulk of produce than any other, as well as an equal proportion of saccharine matter. There are two other varieties of carrots cultivated in England and France, under the name of Large Red and Large Orange^ but they are so little known here as to make a description unnecessary No farmer ^ and espe- cinlly no dairyman^ should fail to plant a crop of carrots, both for his cows and horses. The two Beets cultivated for a field crop known as the Sugar Beet and Mangel Wurzel, seem to have originated in Germany, the former being a variety of the latter. The name anglicised means ^^root of scarcity y^ not a scarce root, but a root for a time of scarcity, thriving and growing abundantly when every other crop fails. The Mangel Wurzel grows to an enormous size and pro- duces most abundantly to the acre. Specimens have been grown weighing over fifty pounds, and the average produce to the acre, for a period of seven years, as re- corded by some English writers, is from seven to sixteen tons, the worst not falling below five, and the best not exceeding sixteen tons. The Mangel Wurzel roots are externally of a dull reddish color, internally somewhat marbled, with reddish or reddish green leaves. The Su- gar Beet or White Mangel Wurzel has green leaves, with light green colored ribs, and is white both externally and internally. They are very much the same in shape and size, and equally hardy and productive. On analysis, the Sugar Beet has been found to yield more nutritive matter than the other, causing it to be generally pre- ferred. The Mangel Wurzel differ so much from our garden beets, in several characteristics, that Botanists have been divided in opinion where to place them, some view- ing them as a hybrid, others as a distinct species, under the name of Beta Altissima, and some as a mere variei of the common beet. For all practical purposes, theil may be designated as field and garden beets. The Ruta Baga or Swedish Turnip is well known more generally cultivated for stock than perhaps anil other vegetable. It is superior to the common turnip f( tritive matter, more solid texture, and retaining its juicj till quite late in the winter or spring. The true Swedial Turnip is of a yellow color both in the interior and exj terior, the white variety having very much gone out ol use, and being entirely unworthy of cultivation. Swedish turnips are also known as green topped and purple topped. The former is the older variety, bi since the introduction of the latter has had less attentioul bestowed upon it and less care in selecting the seed,! though equal in merit. Skirving's improved Ruta or purple topped Swede is now considered one of the bi varieties. Its leaves are more like the common tumipj being less smooth and more serrated at the edges, thi other Swedish turnips, and it is claimed by him, thi they yield a greater weight per acre of sound nutritii bulb, and are also hardier and longer keeping. The Ruta Baga may be planted later than either of tl other root crops we have mentioned, say the middle July, and can easily be made to succed a crop of earl potatoes. In this particular they have the advi tage. From six hundred to fourteen hundred bushels Ruta Bagas have been raised to the acre in the Uniti States. The rules for successful and profitable root ci ture are few and simple : heavy manuring, deep ploi ing, thorough pulverization, clean culture, and avoi all ridging. «#» For the Farm Journal. Improving Poor Land. — Field Pea. In this age of progress and improvement in agricultt any means calculated to improve and enrich poor M should attract the attention of farmers generally, an when especially the means proposed are easily and be economically put into practice. I desire in this hastily written article t6 make simply^ few practical suggestions relative to the use of the cofl field pea, as an improver of poor land. I do so with i desire that its use may become more general and diffuse than it has been heretofore, as I am confident it will after our farmers become more acquainted with the ft| cility and advantage of this culture as a fertilizer. The use of the field pea for this purpose has he practiced with the greatest success for several years p» in some portions of Virginia, where farms previou^ very barren and sterile are now productive and some sections rich, owing to the culture of the pea, gether with a better rotation of crops. I am fully aware however, that wo are behind the in the way of improvements in agriculture and the cessfnl culture of the soil, (by our more thrifty and a, terprising neighbors of the northern States,) but i this discovery in husbandry we can boast of as so j em origin, and that too much praise cannot be awar to Mr. Ruffin, of Virginia, for I think he was the firstj recommend the use of the field pea as a fertilized The plan most usually adopted in planting the p€»| lt9 Imy neighborhood, when it is intended as a direct improv- er of the soil, is to sow them broad cast between the rows of com at the last working of the com, and then cover them over with a harrow or drag; the corn should Ibe cut off as soon in the fall as it is matured properly, and then the peas grow finely, and by the time for sowing kheat, (which most usually follows our com crop,) to Ihave a fine coat of pea vines on the land which shall be turned under by deep ploughing, and the wheat sown I down in the customary manner. The advantages in the pea as a fertilizer are that it is of quick growth, and I may say unfailing— that is with ns, where our clover is often killed out by the drouth. I do not wish to be understood however to say that the pea shall take the place of clover — far from it; I only Irecommend it as an improver of the land, and by this Imeans we assist the growth of clover. Another advan- Itage the pea possesses, is that it can be grown on the [poorest land, and again it is a cheap article; the seed [generally sells in our market from seventy-five cents to a Idollar per bushel, and when planted in the way I have Imentioned, it needs no extra work; making it, taking all Ithiugs into consideration, the cheapest fertilizer in my Ihurable opinion that can be made use of. The pea planted in this way of course is only intended ) improve the land, but when they are required for seed land to feed stock, they should be planted earlier and in a jdifferent manner. Yours T. J, yj^ Richmond, Va. ^•t.^ Profits of the Cold Grapery. TWIILIAM CHORLTON, OF NEW-BRIGHTON, STATE N ISLAND. In the fforliculturist of February, 1852, at the request if the late A J. Downing, I gave a practical account of :lie Cold Grapery at this place which was planted in \Iarch, 1850, and, as the question, **will it pay," has •ften been put to me during the interval of time which las elapsed, I thought that an estimate based upon the •roduce and expenses up to the present time, might be 't service m your journal. I would here premise that ^ere is nothing extraordinary in the amount of fruit iore than what others are obtaining by skill, care and ^"ention. The average weight of the respective crops Ti 'V""^"" collectively, would be one pound per ^ch, all of which would have readily sold at from fifty oseventy.five cents per pound ; the lowest price, howev- ■ ' IS only calculated. The following number of bunches gooa quality have been cut in the respective years : W62 bunches; 1852, 618 bunches; 1853, 918 lunches ' ^^^^' ^^^^ ^'''''^^' ' ""^^^"^ * *^*^^ ^^ ^945 The following calculation, which is as correctly stated ZaI' r" '^^"^ *^' ^^^'^'^^^ ^'^^ of the question : Za f;^'?^*^^ «*« $1472 60 I^educt labor, 1st year, $50 00 2d " 100 00 3i jahnTnAlAflfl ffxhihitions which have become matter of regular trade and speculation. If we could enter, with any thing like a feeling of zest, into the relations of this excessively shameless book, we should be Inclined to treat its publication as the most daring hoax which the author has yet perpetrated upon the public. But it has inspired us with nothing but sen- sations of disgust for the frauds which it narrates, amaze- ment at its audacity, loathing for its hypocrisy, abhor- rence for the moral obliquity which it betrays, and sincere pity for the wretched man who compiled it. He has left nothing for his worst enemy to do ; for he has fairly gibbeted himself. No imclean bird of prey, nailed igno- miniously to the door of a barn, can present a more hu- miliating spectacle than this Phineas Taylor Bamum, as he appears in his Autobiography." «•• Apples of Western New York. The winter apples of 1854 have generally been very good and choice. The country has been thoroughly can- vassed for what are left up to this writing, (April 16th,) and Roxbury Russets , the most plentiful, are taken at three dollars per barrel. A dealer told me he was to pay one farmer $1200 for 400 barrels of them of his own raising. Wheat at $2,50, the ruling price^ cannot pay better. The Esopus Spitzenhurg, Batdmn, and Rhode Island Oreming, have been good, but are taken in the fall for shipment. The few left, as sold by fruiterers, I have noticed to be very fair and well flavored. The Canada Red and Northern Spy have never been better. The last named I have seen brought in from different sources, and they are not only choice but very beautiful. I have never seen finer specimens than a parcel which a dealer obtained to retail from. They were enormous in size, high colored, and as fresh and juicy as any harvest apple. I inquired of the growers of them as to the fruitfulness of the tree, and one answe- red that it is only every other year that a full crop can be expected ; others, that every year their trees bear. High culture is necessary, and the same care will give a greater crop on all other trees. One person told me that he knew of a cultivator of the Spy who put on a plentiful top-dressing of stable manure, and the effect was that the mxi season his trees were loaded with high- colored and large apples, bending the branches to the ground. A large supply I find are brought to market every season, and this day the price asked by those who have them for sale U eight dollars per barrel, which is the only objection to the Spy. J. H. VfAira. --Rochester, N. Y. We copy the above from the Horticulturist, and the idea has suggested on re/iding it, when shall we have fiTiit culture pursued as a business on farms in Pennsyl- vania? Not merely a supply for one's own family, but a regular crop made of fruit, the same as corn, wheat, potatoes. We beUeve every acre devoted to fruit cul- ture in Pennsylvania, would pay a better profit in an ay- orage of ten years, than either of the others named but it must be pursued understandlngly. Is there a farme* in Pennsylvania, who would not be considered by hig neighbors a flit subject for the Asylum, if he was to haul out on his orchard, ''a plentiful top-dressing of stable maniir®." and vet we abnuld think eicht Hnlia>n> *v«» v.. rel for apples, one dollar and a half per dozen for pean &c., would pay well for his manure, and allow an ample margin for purchasing Guano, Super-phosphate of Lime &c., for his other crops. The time has gone by when farming must be considered a mere drudgery, and nothing thought of but that inte^ minable rotation, corn, oats and wheat. With present and prospective prices, farming must be considered fully equal as regards profit, and the accumulation of wealth, to any kind of merchandising, if the farmer chooses to abandon the dull routine of olden time, sanctioned oolv by habitf if he chooses to imitate the merchant in watch- ing his market, in studying the most profitable articles for his production, if he chooses to keep regular book ac- counts of profit and loss, and if he chooses to use the same energy in thoroughly mastering his business in all its details, both scientific and practical. Many years ago it used to be said that a farmer b portioning out occupations for his sons, would assign one brighter than the rest for a lawyer, a second for a doc- tor, and a third showing signs of activity and energy for a merchant, and poor Dick, who had always been a heavy dull boy both in and out of school, who could be a full hand only at eating molasses candy^ or at the din- ner table, who could only be roused to show signs of life by half a dozen claps of thunder, and whose only am- bition was to circumvent a ground hog or catch a musk rat, he would do for a farmer. Things now are changed, and to be a first rate farmer, in all its multiplied relations and duties, reqiures a high order of intellect, and most persevering habits of investigation and study. ■ <•• Conservatories. A correspondent of the Horticulturist inquires, if coi^ servatories or green-houses attached to dwellings can be made successful. I can answer aflirmatively, as I have had the management of one for many years so situated This green-house is attached to the dwelling in the angle formed by the main house and back building, facing south, with the parlor windows and hall door opening into it. The roof is of tin, supported by pillars> in whicb the sash is made to fit, so that they may be removed in summer, leaving an open piazza. There are outside shutters. The floor is of brick, which enables you to use water freely, and retains a proper degree of moisture throughout the house. It is heated by a small coal store of cast iron, which consumes about a quarter of » ton of coal during the winter. Hardy green-house plants do perfectly well here, such as Lemon and Orange trees, Laurustinus, Myrtle, Sweet Bay, Jasamins, Camellias, Rhododendrons, Pelargoniums, Coranellas, Primulas, Ox- aUs, Violets, Wall Flowers and Stock GiUies. Many of| the annuals also will bloom beautifully in the springs call these plants hardy, as I have had, occasionally, tWJ or three degrees of frost in the house without iiyury. consider a fire only necessary when the thermometer is likely to be below 20° out of doors. I have never perceiv- ed any dampness or unhealthiness to proceed from this house. On the contrary, it is delightful to see from the parlor windows, in cold winter weather, the Lemon trees loaded with their beautiful golden fruit, and rich dark- IffreeTi leaves ; and then you have the odor of the Lau- rustinus, Mignonette, Violets, Stock Gillies, and other I gweet flowers, diffused through your dwelling. This is, I think, the cheapest and most convenient way I ff having a green-house attached to your dwelling. The expense may, of course, be increased indefinitely and without any ill effects, either from dampness or unhealth- iness. H. N. Johnson. — Germantovm^ Pa, 5£= -••*- Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. The April meeting of this Society took place after our last number had gone to press. We extract the following introduction and resolutions from the published proceed- ings :— Dr. Elwyn reported the death of Chauncey P. Holcomb, Esq., of Delaware, and after paying a just tribute to the memory of the deceased, offered the fol- lowing resolutions, which were unanimously adopted: Resolved, That this society has heard with deep regret, of the death of Chauncey P. Holcomb, Esq., of Delaware. His long, earnest and faithful services in the cause of agriculture have entitled him to the respect of the far- mers of the country, and made for him a reputation which will long endure among all who esteem the noble art on which it rests. His liberal and disinterested feelings ; his efforts, controlled as they were by a high purpose ; his mtentions directed ever for the public good— give him a claim to be enrolled among the patriots of his country. Rmlved, That this body deeply sympathise with the State in which he lived, with the friends to whom he was endeared, and those relatives who are left to mourn the loss they will find irreparable. We have been furnished with the following letter comprising the substance of a verbal communication on the subject of the conversion of offal flesh into manure, by Robert Hare, M. D., Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania: 291 Chesnut St., June 9th, 1854. I^R- A. L. Elwyn, President of the Philadelphia So- «ety for Promoting Agriculture,— My Dear Sir:— My I't'ject this morning in making a verbal communication othe Agricultural Society, was to suggest that the car- ttlTth '^'' ki"ed under the "dog law," so called, 'gut be employed to carry out upon a larger scale some ^e^^penments, of which I made mention to the Society jnie years since, in which fish or flesh was converted j^ P^lverizable mass equivalent to guano. Hnv'''''^^ """^^ ^"^ requisite to steep the animals in a Parts^'f , ''^''''^ ^^""^^ P"''*^ sulphuric acid, and four U.J .' ''''^ *^^^^y 0^ ^ater, for from six to twelve jugular artery, and also through the gullet or rectum. Hydrostatfc pressure might be made by placing the so- lution in any elevated position, in an upper story for in- stance, of any building resorted to, and bringing it down by a small leaden pipe. ^^^L!^^* desic^cation is effected by heat, as above suggested, it may be carried to the temperature of mel- ting tin nearly, say four hundred degrees, without di- mmishing the ammoniacal elements. When this heat is used, the whole mass becomes friable and easUy reduced to powder, the bones as well as the flesh. Slugs roasted to this point become as brittle as glass. This fact was verified on a pretty large scale by the liberal assistance of Robert Gilmey, Esq., of Maryland, who wrote a most favorable account of the success of the resulting manure. When animal matter, such as slugs or bones, are heated in a closed vessel, the first escape of the ammoniacal ele- ments may be detected by a feather dipped in muriatic acid, or by a very weak and almost colorless solution of blue vitriol or sulphate of copper. Fetor is converted by wood, tar, or rosin, which may be made more active by mixing with oil of turpentine. Sincerely, the well-wisher of yourself, and of the So- ciety, truly yours, [Signed,] ROBERT HARE. ^#^ Horticulturist— Removal to Philadelphia. Our readers will all be gratified to learn that the Hor- ticulturist has been purchased by a citizen of Philadel- phia, and will be removed here in time for the issue of the July number. The new editor, John Jay Smith, is a resident within the now consolidated city, and who has long been recognised as one of the most able contributors to its pages Hereafter he will have the exclusive editorial control, and will be assisted by the many other competent pens in our city and vicinity, who have already done so much to advance the Horticulturist to its present high position, as the leading paper of its class in the United States. Our experience with the Farm Journal is, that the large cities are the best localities for the publication of such periodicals, and we think the change from Rochester to Philadelphia a most fortunate one. The Horticultu- rist hjas not a local, but a national reputation, and Phil- adelphia is entitled to the place, not only as being the great central point between north and south, but also from having always maintained the front rank in its Horticultural and Floral exhibitions, its numerous pri- vate and public green-houses, suburban residences, and the prevailing taste in this direction of its population. Ably as it has heretofore been conducted, we hazard nothing in saying from our knowledge of the new editor, his fine taste as a practical Horticulturist, and acknowl- edged ability as a writer, that its reputation will be fully sustained. tldn 7i!^ '^^«®q^e«% to dry them un7errshed"pro- hokeV ^'^''°' '''''''' ^^ *"" anthracite fire as meat is referably, the skin should be removed before the ever !f' T^ *^^ abdomen opened. The animals, how- Hx^iZ ^^ '^''''°^'* ^y ^ ^^^^ ^^d thrown into the 01^, or they might be injected with the solution by the -••»' Beaping and Mowing Machines. — Infringements of Patents. While the war is progressing in the Crimea, a war has also been raging within a few weeks past among the Patentees of Reapers and Mowers, and which being somewhat nearer at hand, has perhaps affected the sen- sibilities of our farmers and manufacturers more directly than the other. \\ TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF 182 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jci|Hi855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 133 m McCormick, alleging that Manny's, and some other reapers, have infringed on his patent, in respect to the reel, side delivery, and other improvements, applied for injunctions, which have been granted, and are to come off for trial next month. Howard & Co., the proprietors of Ketchum's Patent, have also obtained injunctions, against Forbush's ma- chine, which was subsequently compromised by the lat- ter paying about eight thousand dollars, and further pro- ceedings stayed. As the principles involved in the above attachments also affected many other machines, having more or less deviations from the original Patent of Mc- Cormick, many of our farmers in this section, for fear of difficulty, have been deterred from purchasing, or at least have hesitated. As regards Allen's Mowing Machine, and Manny's Reaper and Mower, which have been extensively sold in Pennsylvania, we are now able to state that the manu- facturers have made a compromise by which a consider- ation has been paid for the infringement, and the sales allowed to proceed for this year. Farmers, therefore, who have concluded to purchase either Allen's Mower, or Manny's Combined Reaper and Mower, have no occasion to be deterred by any fear of legal proceedings. Animal Portraits. The present and prospective rates of beef, mutton and dairy products, have brought about, among our enter- prising farmers, a very general disposition to improve their stock by purchasing, even at high prices, superior animals to cross with selections of our native breeds. Correct animal portraits, giving true and desirable points in the form, for study and comparison, are often very useful, besides gratifying a very honorable pride in their owners. The void left by Woodside, the greatest animal pain- ter this country has produced, has never yet been filled. His figures were all master pieces, recognizable at first sight, and portraying not only true outlines of form, but expression and character. Poetanascitur, nonfit, is equal- ly true of portrait painters. No study, or course of study, will create a talent of this kind. Exercise and practice will improve, but cannot originate it. A man may take and convey to canvass the form, but the artist alone can catch the life, spirit^ and expression. We have been in- duced to these remarks, by examination of a remarkably well executed oil painting of S. Holman's Norman horse, by Clarkson, 182 Chesnut st., which he has deposited in the oflfice of the Farm Journal for a short time, on exhi- bition, and to which we invite the attention of visitors. In very many particulars, it is admirably executed, and indicates a natural talent in this depart ment, which if properly cultivated, may result in something eminent. Clarkson has also executed oil paintings for several other farmers, and as his attention is now being much given to it, we should be pleased to see him encouraged. -*••- L. 0. Morris's Improved Stock. L. G. Morris, of Mount Fordham, Westchester county. New York, has issued a very handsomely illustrated cata- logue of his neat cattle, horses, sheep and swine, which is Buperior to any thing of the kind yet gotten up in this country. They were drawn by Page, and engraved by Orr, of New York, and are highly creditable to their skill as artists. Although the figures are beautiful, almost faultless, they yet convey the idea that they are I both truthful and natural, each animal having a distindl character. Such as are for sale have the prices affixed. He offers to forward the catalogue by mail to applicantg. «♦> Public Sale of Durham Cattle and Southdown Sheep. J. M. Sherwood, of Auburn, New York, advertises to | sell at public sale his entire herd of Short-Horn cattle, twenty-five in number, and nearly all imported, on the 20th of June. Also at the same time, seventy-five head of Southdown Sheep, many of them imported, and from the flock of Jonas Webb, and their descendants. Also a few Suffolk hogs. We have never seen the above stock, but have long known the owner, as having some of the best animals in New York, and presume their pedigrees can be relied upon. 40, More Durham Cattle for Chester County. We understand George Brinton, Jr., of Chester county, and whose fine stock, has at different times been po^| trayed in the Farm Journal, has recently added to herd, a very superior bull calf from Kentucky, which we I are glad to hear has safely arrived at his farm. He is of some of the best blood in the country, and we hope to furnish his pedigree for our next number. Chester and Delaware counties are going to maintain the lead in | Pennsylvania for good stock. «#, Farmers' High SohooL Before this number reaches our readers, they will Teiy I generally have been advised of the failure of the bill to obtain any pecuniary aid for the Farmers' High School ] from the State Legislature. Mortifying as is the fact, it was not at all unexpected I to us. The remedy for such benighted legislation or rather want of legislation is with the farmers themsehes. They must send men to Harrisburg of more enlarged minds, who can comprehend better the true interest of the State. We cannot yet despair of better times, and[ more enlightened action. «•» Fine Lemon Tree. As an instance of success in growing lemons, under the ordinary circumstances of a farm house without 8 green house, we may mention that our friend Mary Ann Rhodes of Locust Grove Farm, Southampton township, Bucks county, recently plucked one from her tree weigD* ing eleven ounces. It was always a profuse bearer, ana under her skillful management produces lemons of the largest size. Its place for standing in the summer « under the piazza. 4#» United States Agricultural Society We understand the above Society have made arrange 1 ments to hold their exhibition the coming fall at Cam- den, New Jersey, opposite Philadelphia, and at the sanil time and place as the New Jersey State Exhibinon-I The "Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture have not, at the time of our going to press, fixed upon the time for theirs to be held, but it is evident there will be at least four exhibitions, not very far apart, in which Lir citizens and farmers all feel a deep interest. Stir- ring times may be anticipated. We hope the ferry boats ^U be found equal to the occasion, but we can but believe would have been much better for the United States it Society to have located theirs on this side of the river on the excellent grounds at Powelton, and in co-operation I with the Philadelphia Society . 4#» The Coming Crops. West of the mountains in our own State, in the wes- tern States generally, and especially Michigan, the ac- counts seem to agree in the promise of an extraordinary wheat crop, the present season. In eastern Pennsylva- nia, and in some of the best wheat counties in New York, the very extreme cold, combined with the small quantity of snow that fell last winter, killed it, we learn, to a considerable extent. «•» Mowing Machines and Lime Spreaders Again. Friend J. L. Daelington: — I notice in the April No. of the Farm Journal, an attempt made by your cor- respondent, Lewis Cooper, to undervalue my account (given iu the March No.,) of an experiment made by my neighbor and myself with his Lime Spreader. He says, I was a frequent visitor at the shop, making every in- quiry, and was referred to my numerous neighbors who had machines, and tried them successfully, &c. ; that 6ome men never can be suited, or don't know when they are, and thinks this is the case with his neighbor ; also, thinks he never had any thing made to please him, even to a wheelbarrow ; that he was cautioned not to sell him a machine; that it would do him more harm than good; that nobody could please him, and confesses he never Bold a machine with so much reluctance, believing he had been properly cautioned ; that he can at any time furnish certificates from at least Ji/ty of my neighbors, that will testify their satisfaction in the operations of the same Lime Spreader, &c. Permit me in reply to state, that I never was in or about his shops, except when I went to bespeak, and went for my machine ; unfortunately, made inquiry only of the proprietor ; never heard of the numerous neighbors he says I was referred to, but was induced to engage a machine by his, and newspaper puflfs ; I had never seen a machine operate^ but since the publication of his April communication, I have made considerable inquiry, and unfortunately for his assertion, I can find but three of my numerous neighbors within a circle of eight miles Jho have machines, and one of them told me he could do no good with Cooper's Spreader. Another, a near neighbor of your correspondent, who had bought a half fight, (the Patentee holding the other half,) says the Diachme is not what it ought to be; that lie don't like it 8 well as at first, when he saw it spread, and was in- deed to sign a certificate; that it will not spread lime nei Th^^^ ^'^^ '^ ^""^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^'^^ ^^^ ^^^^' ^ *^'**^ eighbor who had a machine, (belonging to a son living thatT '^'^^°^^') ^^^^ ^« <50uld do no good with it ; with ^*^ ^P^'ead many thousands of bushels of lime Pun h- **^^^^^' ^^^ "^^^^ worked so hard in his life as in chmg and trying to get the lime through this ma- chine, and that he would not give five dollars for one of them. I cannot fiud one person, but says. Cooper's Spreader, is not fit to spread Pequea lime, when hauled and put down in heaps in the field to slack, the usual way of treating lime in these parts. It may spread dry lime, well pulverized and clear of lumps or sandy lime, as in some parts of the country, if right well punched about in the machine. "Nothing made to please him." Now I have a thresh- ing machine, wheat drill, corn drill, guano sower, and wheelbarrow, all of which please me well, and the maker or vender never heard a word of complaint from me. So well known am I for favoring the introduction of meri- torious machinery for agricultural purposes, that no less than ten patentees and venders have, within the last year, urged me to make the trial of their improvements. *'Sold to him with great reluctance." After I bespoke the machine, an acquaintance from a distance, who had a share in a Spreader, told me they would do no good; I shortly after met with Cooper, and told him, as the ma- chine was not done by the time he promised, I thought I would not take it, would wait another year, to which he was not willing to agree, but insisted on my taking it, which I did. People are often induced to sign certificates to satisfy a neighbor, without seeing machines fairly tried, or without thinking properly of the injury or loss others may sustain by it. In these cases lime was generally procured when dry and ^n nice order, and a number col- lected to see the spreader operate, and then induced to certify favorably for the machine, though they never saw it tried with lime in the condition it is generally spread. Those who get humbugged by such certificates are re- strained from making public their disappointment, fear- ing to expose themselves, or oflfend the venders or paten- tees of such machines. I am, therefore, not certain, that I will not yet be awarded a Silver Plow for breaking through this restraint and cautioning the public. As my Lime Spreader is as good as ever it was, if the pat- entee will take it back I will allow liim to keep twenty dollars of the money I paid him. Ab to the mowing machines, they are procured on fair terms, Lee, Pierce & Thompson oflfering to take back and return the whole of the money, if they did not answer the purpose designed. I did not return mine, and I think few, if any, were returned. They will mow and do it well, when they get the knives and some of the small fixings more permanently secured — I wish them success. I gave an account of my first trial with the mower, merely as a set ofi* to friend Dampman's glowing ac- count of his, and did not design to injure any vender or patentee of either kind of machines, but merely to put the farmer upon his guard. THOS. WOOD. Penningtonville, 4th mo. 18th, 1855. Our correspondents. Wood and Cooper, appear to en- tertain entirely different ideas in regard to the Lime Spreaders. Since this controversy has sprung upon us, we Lave made many inquiries of persons owning Spread- ers, nearly all of whom spoke favorably of them. Those who did not succeed to their satisfaction stated that their lime had laid in heaps over winter, and was wet and mor- tary when the trial was made. We should be pleased to hear from our friends at a distance, whom we have not been I »>».■ H II TIGHT BINDING 184 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jdh 1865.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 14 II ii \tnm enabled to see, as to their experience with the Lime Spreader, and we should like some of them to permit us to insert the result of their experience in the Journal. — £d. CALF SUCKLEB. The above cut is a good representation of an imple- ment for suckling calves, which was exhibited at the last State Fair, and attracted much attention. It is simply a tin vessel, holding a few quarts of milk, with a gutta percha teat secured over the rim of the tube beneath. This teat has within it a valve, through which the fluid within is drawn out by a slight pressure similar to that of the calfs jaws, or of the hand in milking. It also has a handle by which to suspend to a hook in the stable or yard, so that the calf may go to it at pleasure. It seems to us that this simple calf suckler may be found highly useful and convenient, and save much of the time and trouble required for feeding in the ordinary way. The slower process also of drawing out the milk in the natural way by suction, rather than to drink it by mouthfuls, mixes it better with the saliva, and produces more benefit. The cheap and economical raising of calves has now become quite an object. At the prices of stock cattle it will pay better to raise even here, than to buy from the drovers. A home raised animal, partic- ularly if crossed with an improved breed, always attains a greater weight at the same age, than if purchased out of a drove, and will always command from the butcher a higher price. Never having gone oflf the farm, he is also more docile and a better feeder. The calf suckler costs about two dollars and fifty cents. <♦» . Lime Spreaders. M«. Dablinqton:— I see by the March number of your valuable Journal, that a correspondent, near Pen- ningtonvUle, Chester county. Pa., has some grieveong complaints to make in regard to certain Lime Spreaders and Mowing Machines, which he says have been puffed and blown about as superior labor-saving machines and awarded premiums by committees, who never saw them perform. As to mowing machines, I know but little but if he has reference to my Lime Spreader, in this re. spect, I will with pleasure inform him, that the assertion is without the least shadow of foundation, which I am ready to prove by the committees, who awarded me pi^ miums ; as it is well known by the committees and mem- bers of the Pennsvlvania, Maryland and Virginia State Agricultural Societies, who awarded me premiums to the amount of one hundred and twenty dollars last fall, that I was not only at the expense of buying lime, but went to the trouble of making it into nearly every condition, in order to prove to them that my Lime Spreader did all I claimed for it; but your correspondent, after making a statement of the non-performance of a machine, which he had purchased, says, **one of another patent, celebra- ted for spreading wet lime, was procured, and also sent home." If this is true, it is the first instance I have eye? heard of ; yet it may be true. If the machine will not spread all kinds of lime as reconmiended, why is it that Messrs. Chalfant, Smith, Strickland, Philips, and a host of others, who are your correspondent's near neighbors, have not discovered the humbug ? These gentlemen have spread upwards of ten thousand bushels, since April, 1864, and speak of its superior qualities in glowing language. I have spread lime with one of the machines — lime that had laid in heaps for three years, and was spread in March, 1854, which is known to have been a wet month. My machines are warranted to operate as recommended, or no 8ale,and as long as we do this, I should think that no man has a right to cry humbug, because they happen from some other cause to fail in their use. I will add, that if your correspondent will name the day when he will have lime to spread, I will come and spread it for him, if he will publish through the Farm Journal a true and impartial account of its operation. JOSEPH W. FAWKES. 4*1 For the Farm JoorniU. Trees. Me. Editor: — There has been for many years an in- creasing attention paid to the propagation of fruit trees, but it is to be regretted that the labor is often lost by a common error: that is — allowing the grass to grow too near the trees. No young tree will grow well when a sward is formed around it. Yet in travelling our country in every direction we see this mistake. The earth should be turned over in the spring, and in the latter part of the summer or beginning of autumn, &* least three feet from the trees ; then all weeds, or grass which spring up, will rot and become excellent manure for them. Thus they will grow rapidly, otherwise th«y often die before coming to maturity. The importance of raising forest trees if also becoming every year more apparent, as there is an increasing 8ca^ city of wood in all cities or towns. To propagate these also the same treatment should be resorted to as with fruit trees. In planting, the hole dug for them should in ^ cases, be much larger than the space necessary for *"* accommodation of the roots, and it should be filled with 185 the best earth intermixed with manure. Although an observance of this method will require more labor, it will be great gain, as the trees will be larger in seven years, than they would become in twenty if cultivated in the common way. ARBORD. . «•» Farm Fencing. Oar friend Col. Mayer, of Lancaster, in a private let- ,ter to the editor, makes the following incidental allusion I to the subject of fencing. We trust he will find leisure at an early day to favor us with his views more at large on this important topic. His long experience, and hab- its of close observation in all matters to which he directs his attention, give great weight to his opinions. "Having some thirty years experience in farm fencing, which time I have re-fenced the lands of my large West Earl Farm, I will at my leisure furnish you an article on that subject generally. Suffice it for the present to say that green locust posts will last years longer than dry. That posts of full grown sound timher free from decay, prove to last longer in their natural than inverted posi- tion. The reverse is the result of posts made out of old trees in progress of decay, which is at aU times indicated -^ ^„, urauuueo, utjcay or porosity of the butt cutt." Lancaster, April 13th, 1855. -*•»- A Splendid Stick. A stick of white oak timber, measuring fifty-one feet eleven inches in length, and squaring forty-one by forty inches, making nearly six hundred cubic feet, has been '^manufactured" at Wallaceburg, C. W. This is said to be the largest stick of timber ever cut on the North Amer^ ican Continent. -••• IMPROVED SUFFOLK BOAR. Bred by Dr. Morton, Etherton Farm West Needha., Mas., for which the First Prize was awarded by the Norfolk Agricultural Society, at the Exhibition, 1854. We h„ ^'^^'^""'f Horticultural Society. it embraces several new objects of competition, which ibitiornTtr'Q • premium list for the June ex- want of space prevents us from referring to more par- 5it,oi, of this Society to be held on the 12th, 13th, J^th and 15th insts. The Society * 'invites the co-opera- Pon and competition of cultivators. The purses are 0P«n to all, and the Society institutes for the benefit of Cultivators who neglect these exhibitions, act on a very jcmal policy, while every one having a taste for the uivation of fruits, flowers, &c., and wishing it extend- I^Uhould lend a helping hand. ■ -••» . New York State Agricultural Society. lat El .^""^'^^^^^^ ^^ ^^'^ Society for 1865 is to be held 6th Tn ' ^^^""^^'g county, on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and . ^^^oUv. The premium list has been enlarged improved, and now exceeds eight thousand dollars. ticularly in this number. For the Farm Journal. Premiums at Ezhibtions. Mr. Editor: — Your correspondent T. W. in a late number of the Farm Journal, makes the pertinent enquiry; *'Why do committees award premiums to ma- chines and implements, which are good for nothing?'* T. W. does not say to what committee he refers, but it is shrewdly suspected he had his eye on the late exhibition at Powelton. As a quiet observer on tnat occasion, more especially of the department of implements, to which my mechanical taste and inclination led me, I passed from machine to machine, comparing tne ments of each, con- trasting the simplicity of one with the cumbrous char- J V^ %4 TIGHT BINDING tl tl 3 li 1^ 186 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jvn ■ 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. acter of another, where two or more were designed for the same purpose, thus forming my own judgement, or where preconceived opinions existed, correcting, changing or confirming them, either by closer scrutiny or inter- change of ideas with others of similar tastes with my own, whom I met with on the grounds. Thus I became ♦>,.«fftr I'fitimofplv a^niiaintc^d with nearly all the inple- ments of value, formed my own conclusions as to their respective and comparative merits, and awaited the pub- lished awards, with some little curiosity. I need not say Mr. Editor, the conceit was taken out of me. Machines to which I would hardly have given shelter, were dignified by '^Silver Medals" and others of third or fourth rate value, were assigned "first premiums." That the committees intended to do rightly, no man can doubt,— to have "approached" them in the sense un- derstood by the trading politicians of our Legislature, no one would have ventured— but insidious snares some- time succeed, when the open bribe would utterly fail, base metal, in other words impudent assurance may be more potent than modest merit. Mr. Editor, if the evil ended with the award, there would be less cause of complaint, but unfortunately many men distrusting their own judgement, are guided by that of committees, make their purchases according- ly and when too late to protect their pockets, find they have been egregiously deceived, that the implement which has reached them, endorsed by a respectable committee is utterly worthless in comparison with others designed for the same purpose, which are passed by without a word of commendation. Another phase of the evil, arising from the honest indignation of makers or inventors, who con- Bcious of the value of what they exhibit, and to which they invite the strictest scrutiny, find themselves over- Bhadowed or forstalled by the effrontery of some one, who worms himself into the confidence of the committee, who perhaps yield unwillingly to avoid his unblushing importunity. The committee on implements at the late State Fair, were originally composed of gentlemen, selected on ac- count of their presumed capacity for the duties asssigned them, but in many instances they failed to appear and their places were hastily filled by men "honest and true" but wholly incompetent. It is to be hoped, hereafter that the executive com- mittee will so sub-divide the committees, that not more than an hour or two need be consumed by each, then competent gentlemen will not hesitate to act and we shall be spared the boasting advertisements which have suc- ceeded the last show X. P. Q. Delaware county, Feb. 15th, 1865. -••^ For the Farm Journal. Lunar Influences on Agriculture. In the Farm Journal of May, I noticed an interesting article on the influences of the moon, respecting which subject I should like to present some further inquiries. I have not been able to see the number for August, 1852, referred to by Mr. Garber and Mr. Hamilton, in their articles, but I conclude that the proper time for cutting briars, &c., there specified, is the sign of the Heart, (Leo, the Lion,) in August. Several years ago, (in 1853,) I made an experiment to ascertain the truth of this be- lief which I had often heard expressed, though the recommended was different from the above, it being that of the Arms, (Gemini, the Twins.) This trial proved un- satisfactory, the bushes sprouting with equal vigor tlie succeeding spring. Nevertheless, I have not relinquished credence in these "superstitions," which, observed as they are and have been through all ages and in all na- tions, are not to be risked on one or two experiments but on a carefully observed series. But this is not the only or the most interesting point where the moon is said' to touch Agriculture. In the sowing and reaping of grain, the planting of garden veg- etables, the cutting of timber, and in the transplanting and setting out of fruit trees, many farmers still care- fully attend some particular phase of the moon. On these subjects, most of which are probably known to many of your readers, I, for one, and certainly all eage? for true knowledge, would be heartily glad to be enlight' ened by those who have experimented. A few months ago, when speaking to a highly intelli- gent farmer of New York, he told me that in peeling oak-bark for the tanneries, he had remarked that while at some periods of the spring and summer this was yery easy, at others, dependant, the workman thought, on the Moon, it was just the contrary. I suggested that per- haps it was the new cortical layer forming in the spring, which made it easy then, but he said the times in which it was so, recurred periodically during the season. About thirty years ago there was an interesting article published in the Annals of Philosophy* on these influ- ences, principally embodying the observations of a gen- tleman who had resided many years in South America. Here it is stated that trees are least durable when cut at full moon ; the difference in timber cut at this and at the opposite syzygy being very apparent. The former is more liable to be infested with worms, rots sooner, and splits at certain periods after its fall. He also states that, (in the tropics,) the sap rises at full moon, and falls in proportion to the moon's decrease. It is well known to farmers that there are certain nights, sometimes called "growing nights" on account of the rapid growth of the cereals in them. We are told by the traveller Dupons (Travels in TeiTa Firma Vol. II, Ch. VJI, pp. 150 and 158,) that in the cultivation of the cacao great attention is paid to the lunar phases, the cultivators having learned their importance by careful experiment. It is earnestly to be hoped that that the interest exci- ted in this subject wUl not be permitted to die cnt, till we know much more about the truth than we do now. Will not some of those men who have observed the "signs" practically, tell what they are and what are their effects ? The high importance of the lunar influences has been fully recognised in meteorology, medicine and geology* so it is trusting in no mere chimera or empty supersUtwB to we believe their power over the vegetable economy- New Haven, Ct. ^- ^' ^' Several articles intended for this number are unavoi • ably omitted. 187 Itannyinede Farm, the Residence of Christoplier Fallon, of Philadelphia. We lately had occasion to pay a visit to the above farm, and as any practical illustrations of good culture and suc- cessful management tend to stimulate others in the same path, so far at least as the knowledge of it is communicated, we take the liberty of spreading a little of what we saw UirOUG[U lUO u3i|j6o vx buv A' c»A UA w \f%At una. In the first place we would remark that the proprietor is an eminent Lawyer of Philadelphia, of very extensive daily business, who yet finds it both convenient and pleasant to reside with his family out of toicn, about seven miles, all the year round, both summer and winter — an example, we are glad to say, which is being yearly more extensively followed in all our principal cities by business men. We can conceive of nothing in this world, after a clear conscience, more desirable than precisely such an establishment as that at Runnymedefarm, where wealth has not only concentrated all the luxurious appendages which wealth only can procure, both in doors and out, such as an elegant mansion, com- manding an extensive view, supplied with the city luxuries of gas, made on the place, in every story, also water, heated air, Ac, and outside, beautiful gardens, conservatory, green- houses, grapery, fish-pond, fruit trees in every variety, pro- ductive vegetables — garden and forcing frames, well furnish- ed lawn, ice-house, carriage houses, &c. ; but combined with the above a highly improved, cultivated and productive/arm. In the absence of the proprietor, we were shown over the latter, and the improved stock, some of which were imported last season, by his manager and superintendent, George Drayton, whose skill and experience may be inferred from the fact, that last year he received for premiums on stock and crops, from our State and County Societies, about two hundred and fifty dollars, as well as the first premium for the largest crop of corn raised in Pennsylvania in 1854, being one hundred and one bushels and twenty-seven quarts to the acre. Knnnymede contains over one hundred and thirty acres, is in high order, and very productive. It used to be managed as a dairy farm, but the cows were sold off kst spring, and the object now is to sell hay in Philadelphia, and keep up the land by back loads of manure, a system pursued by many around the city, and which works well. Many of the processes of culture, we have been so long urging through the Farm Journal, we found in practice here, such as deep plowing, sown com fodder, root culture, compos- ing manures, thorough pulverization, and preparation of soil, well arranged barns and shedding, constant supply of water for stock, Ac. The Double Michigan Plow was used this spring in plow- ing for corn, and we also observed a plentiful supply of compost in each hill, so that if the farmers in the interior are not watchful, the probability is that G. Drayton wUl again carry off the first premmuis for corn. The operation of this plow proved entirely satisfactory, turning up to the depth of thirteen or fourteen inches. At our visit the ground was being dressed with a plentiful coat of sheep manure, preparatory to being plowed down for carrots. Several hun- dred bushels of these were raised last season, and fed with great advantage, some fine long orange and white Belgians omg still in the root cellar, and answering well to make up for the deficiency the present spring of early pasture. Sown corn fodder is much relied on for winter use, and ^as the means of allowing about twenty tons of hay to be sold this spring at a high price, which would otherwise have to liave been consumed on the farm. G. Drayton cures it saccessfully for storing away in the barn, by cutting it at Vol. X, N. S. 1825. 1. pp.237, 238, 2S9. Partly republished In the Franklin Journal, vol ■ e proper time, rearing it up along a convenient fence, and ^"ig It from being blown down by long straw or hay many of our wealthy citizens. ropes secured over it to theposts j after one side is thoroughly dried, these bands are loosened, and qyqtj pannel of fodder is then turned on the other side, and when thoroughly cured, tied up in sheaves, and hauled to the barn. The pasture and mowing grounds boro evidence of plen- tiful top dressing, in their luxuriant growth. Good compost made on the place, and short manure, are relied on for thig purpose more iLau Guano, or any of the fashionable fertil- izers of the day. One field was in with Rye Grass, and a small patch with Lucerne, sown this season for experiment. The Rye Grass has been found to be very productive and of rapid growth. In all the stables, we observed care taken to pre- serve the drainage from the stock, by conducting it to placea where none would be lost. Under the horse stables, was an extensive manure cellar, where, by raising a door, every thing could be shovelled down conveniently, and so arranged below, being on the side of a bank, that a cart could readily be backed up to haul it away for composting. The careful preservation of every thing in the shape of manure from the stables, henery, hog pen, Ac, and its augmentation by judi- cious composting, is one of the striking features of the good management of the farm, and impressed us most favorably. The system being now to sell hay, of course it was not heavily stocked, but the animals were all of the right kind. Rose, imported last season, and whose portrait was in a for- mer number of the Journal, was in good condition, and in her fine neck, head, and horns, a model of a well formed, high bred animal. Nelly, also imported, has some very good points, but we judge had at some time received an injury on her back, behind the hips, which hurts her appearance. Hep heifer calf about five months old, of a light roan color, is one of the most beautiful and promising animals we have seen for a long time, and shows the high bred Durham in every part; she combines size, with neatness and fine bone, and a beautiful head and muzzle. Drayton informed us she never sucked a cow, but was taken off immediately, and raised by hand on good sweet milk. She did credit to her keep. The young bull imported last season with the cows, not having been turned out to pasture, still had his old coat on, and was not quite in as good condition as he should have been. He has good length of carcass, breadth on back and hips, and other points, for making li fine animal when fully developed and matured. We were gratified to find Drayton a full believer, from his own experience, of the correctness of Guenon's theory, by which he not only buys his cows, but also raises all his calves. The marks on the escutcheons of several cows we saw were very prominent, and indicated, what they really were, extraordinary milkers. We observed many other things worthy of notice, but want of space obliges us to close. We may remark, that unlike many such establishments in the vicinity of Philadelphia we could name, where thous- ands of dollars have been uselessly and irremediably squan- dered, the proprietor of this magnificent estate has been most fortunate in his farm manager, and in his gardener and greenhouse man, Robert Both thoroughly understand their business, and every dollar spent, and every piece of labor performed, so far as we could observe, had been done by men who knew what they were about, and had to bo done but once. There are so many ignorant pretenders, who come over from the old country, palming themselves off, especially in the department of ornamental gardening, and who have cost their employers not only in the erection of greenhouses and graperies, but in their management afterwards, thous- ands of dollars, that it has operated almost to create a dis- gust, and dread to make even an effort in this direction, by TIGHT BINDING 188 THE FAKM JOURNAL. THE FARM JOURNAL. 189 i Mifflin County Agricultural Society. An adjourned meeting of this Society was held on Thurs- day evening, April 5th, 1855, Cyrus Stine, Esq., President of the Society, in the chair, assisted by Thos, J. Wilson and A. Watt, Vice Presidents, and Geo. Frysinger and H. J. Walters, acting as Secretaries. The following oflScers were elected for the ensuing year: PREainnKT — flvnis fitino. Esn.. Atkinson's Mills P. 0. Vice Presidents — Hon. John Henry, Andrew Watt, Thos. J. Wilson, Moses A. Sample, James M. Alexander, and Robert A. Means. Secretary — H. J. Walters, Esq., Lewistown P.O. Assistant Secretaries — George Frysinger and Henry Frysinger. CoRRESPONDiNa SECRETARY — Adam Harshbarger, New- ton Hamilton P. 0. Treasurer and Librarian — Hon. Thomas W. Moore. For Executive Committee, in addition to oflScers — Samuel Kyle, A. W. Campbell, Gabriel Dunmire, James M'Cord, William Mitchell. <•• Officers of the Montgomery Co. Agri. Society President : — Edwin Moore, Port Kennedy P. 0. Vice President : — Samuel Roberts. Treasurer: — D. C. Getty. Rec. Secretary — George F. Roberts. CoR. Sec. : — Alan W. Corson, Plymouth Meeting P. 0 Executive Committee : — D. H. Mulvany, Jno. Kennedy, W. H. Holstein, Chas. Hirst, Jno. Schlater, Wm, Michener, Charles L. Wampole, George Krieble. The time for holding eighth annual exhibition (1855) has been fixed for Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 3rd and 4th. Officers of the Bucks County Agricultural Society. The following are the ofl&cers of this old and flourishing Agricultural Society : President — William Stavely, Solebury. Vice Presidents — Jolly Longshore, Lower Makefield; Jacob H. Rogers, Warrington; David Cornell, Northampton; Levi Buckman, Middletown. CoR. Secretart — Thomas Warner, Middletown. Rec. Secretary — John S. Brown, Doylestown. Treasurer — Jacob Eastburn, Solebury. *•* To Mark out straight Com Rows. For corn, take a stiflf sod, plough it early and deep, turn it completely, harrow until you pulverize thoroughly, plant early, and cultivate to perfection. To do this you should work your corn both ways. To have your rows straight, and spaced evenly, you must make a machine of the following description. Take a plank one and a half inches thick, say nine or ten inches wide, and eight feet six inches long, then three pieces three by five in three feet long each, throw them down thus, four feet apart, then spike said plank on the top. Out of the under side of each piece or runner cut two and a half inches and insert a tooth taken from one of your culti- vators; have it extended below the runner three and a half or four inches. For handle bore one and a half inch hole in the hinder part of each runner, so as to slope back. Insert three pins or posts, and on the top put a lathe by boring one inch hole, and fasten with nails or pins and your machine is completed in less than two hours, if your materials and tools are at hand. To attach your horse, take two common trace chains or ropes about the same length, attach to the top of each outside tooth by dropping on a link in place of washer then screw down the nut. Attach your horse with common lead or plough gears. To use this machine properly, it takes two persons, one to bare lightly on the handles and carry it round at the ends, and the other to lead the horse. To havt the rows evenly spaced, have a very light pole eight or ten feet long tied under to the horse's bit so as to connect with the rings of the bit, have a mark on the pole which the lea. der must keep directly before him : after the first through the leader must walk in the last furrow. The beauty of the work for the most part depends on tlie skill and iudcrement of the person who leads. Iq t.hi> ».. you have your ground checkered completely with much lew cost. A CHESTER COUNTY FARMER. Our correspondent above, also recommends getting two crops off the same field in one season by cutting the cohl in the fall in wide strips, and sowing wheat immediately. We always thought this a slovenly way of farming and not to be recommended, except under very particular circum. stances. What may be called clean culture can not be made of it, and as early sown wheat has latterly been found to be the best, the corn will not be sufficiently ripened to allow of the proper preparation of the ground for wheat. A crop of potatoes could be ripened and got off to much more advan- tage, both for potatoes and wheat, than for either oora or wheat as he suggests. — Ed. «#» For the Farm Journal. Large vs. Small Potatoes for Seed. J. L. Darlington: — I see a statement of Mr. C. T. Al- vard, of Wilmington, Vermont, going the rounds in the Village Record, in which he says, that ho has been in the habit of planting large potatoes for seed, but one year he run short of large ones and was compelled to finish planting with small ones, the largest of which was not larger than a common plum; and that he raised equally as good potatoes from the small, as he did from the large seed. Now, if such is the case, why is it that when farmers go to select their seed-corn, they pick the longest, the thickest, the best grown, the largest grained and the ripest ears is their crib? Why not lay their refuse corn aside to plant, if they can raise as good a crop from it ? Why is it that they go to their wheat field and select the best lot of wheat in the field, and put it away in their barns where they can get it for seed ? Why not take the smallest in the field? The rea«oiJ is obvious, there is not an intelligent, keen-sighted, reasoiv- able farmer in the country, but who knows that such a sys- tem would be ruinous to his crops, because it is the direct road to degeneration, which, in one year might be so trifling as not to be observed, but follow up the same system for twenty years, add twenty such degenerations together and see what they will amount to. In my opinion, potatoes have sustained more damage by planting small, indifferent, half- ripe seed, and by planting the potatoe for ages without in- termission, than it has by all other causes combined. The potatx)e, to do it justice, should be renewed from the seed of j the apple, at least, in every twelve or fifteen years. I finnlJ believe that planting potatoes for successive ages withoin| renewing, and planting half-grown and half ripe seed, «« the main causes of the potatoe rot and failures in the crop. HOWARD WILLUMSON. Willistown, April rth, 1856. «•* Guano Inspection. Mr. Editor:— I have long been a subscriber to yo«| Journal, and have gathered therefrom much useful infor-| mation. I noticed in the last number, among the proceed- ings of the State Agricultural Society, a Resolution calling I for the appointment of a State Gueuo Inspector; of v?hic I entirely approve, provided, we can prevent it from Deing| sanded, after it passes the inspection. I have been using guano more or less for the last tnr It- _r. ears, and my method of telling its quality, is this : I push lack that guano nearest the mouth of the bag so as to get s fair sample, then I wet my finger so as a little will stick to it, and taste it; if there is any perceptible feeling of grit in it, I at once condemn it as of an inferior quality, for the genuine article is very soft to the tongue, like any other slimy material would be. I am aware that tasting guano is nono TtlARflAnt. but \t If) beM.ar than ♦'^ ^^*» oht^a^aA J. B. BETTS. Forrestville, Chester Co., March 25th, 1855. The bill referred to by our correspondent failed in the legislature, not because some good inspection law is not required, but on account of the objectionable features of the enormous perquisite attached to it, which would make an annual salary for the Guano Inspector of about sixteen thou- sand dollars. There were over one hundred applications for the oflSce, in consequence of the rich prospect it presented. The test of Guano, alluded to by tasting, we do not consider at all reliable. — Ed. Com, Bye, and Indian Bread. We have been resolved into a committee for a special re- port on this very important branch of the great culinary art, and if our readers do not understand and act discreetly in reference to it hereafter, it is not our fault We profess to speak, in the following passages, ex cath^ edra, and if others do not succeed in their earlier experj- Washing Machines. Mr. J. L. Darlington: — In a late number of the Journal, you desire to know the merits of the different wash- ing machines. I am unacquainted with any but Hollings- worth's Knuckle Machine, manufactured at this place by J. Roope & Co., and may be had at the Agricultural Ware- I house, West Chester, after the first of March, at $9 00. This machine will do as much washing in two hours, as a j woman could do in a whole day's hard rubbing on the old I fashioned board. A boy twelve years old can work the ma- chine without the least danger of injuring the finest articles I of clothing ; it is simple in its construction and plain in its operation. The box is one foot by two feet four inches, and twenty inches high. In the bottom of this box are placed one hundred and fifty wooden balls, two inches in diameter, which float when the water is put in ; the clothes are folded and fastened into a sash which hangs on a lever above, and works down through the middle of the box, and by opera- ting the lever the clothes are rubbed up and down through the balls, and will clean anything that soap and water will I take out. Yours, Ac, A SUBSCRIBER. Pughtown, March, 1855. «•» For the Farm Journal. Charcoal fbr Fruit. Charcoal is a most excellent thing to put among the roots of fruit trees, especially when planting them, at the rate of a peck to two pecks to the tree. It keeps them healthy and pigorous. The cdals raked out of a common bake-oven pswer admirably. During the past winter I pruned my | orchard, and when done I hauled the brush to an open space, kindled a fire, and "fed on" the branches until I had aU consumed; this done, I had a fine pile of coals, I then Pok a shovel and covered them with soil, which excluded ® oxygen, retained the steam arising from the ground, pad of course quietly extinguished the fire. In this way I Obtained from twelve to fifteen bushels of the very best of c arcoal-.abundance to put among the roots of some trees was then planting. It would not do to heap the boughs ttien burn them, for that consumes thorn altogether. J. C. -*••- ^ HenneticaUy Sealed. 'm h^ ^^^ *^?^ ®^P^®^®^®^ ^^^^ ^^ Indicate an air-tight |eiD*°^- ^^* ^^ should never be employed except for hhichT*^- *• ''^''^^^ ^""'"^ ^"^^ ^^ ""^^^'^^ *^^ material of Ld o : J^^^^ *® composed, such as a glass tube being mel- r^ and then clo8ed.~^cten plants, for the I best specimen Pelargonium, to Robert Buist;— Cmeraria^— for the best and for the second best, to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to John Lambert. Roses— 12 plants, for the best to Frederick Algeier. Tulips— cxxt flowers, for the best to ^- vy. Earl. Collection of twelve Plants— for the best to ttobert Buist; for the second best to John Pollock, gardener ^ James Dundas. Of six Plants-for the best to William ^Qompgon, gardener to John Tucker ; for the second best to onn Pollock, gardener to James Dundas. Specimen Plant -j-tor the best to Wm. Sinton, gardener to Dr. Rush; for ^^ second best to John Pollock, gardener to James Dundas. a«fc,<_for the best to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to John ^mbert; for the second best to Itfark Hill, gardener to M. . aidwin. Of Indigenous Flowers, for the best to Meehan na baunders. Bouquet-one pair, for the best U> J. J. ermehl, gardener to John Lambert; for the second best to Jerome Graff, gardener to C. Cope Special premiums — three dollars, to Wm. Thompson, gardener to John Tucker, for a beautiful collection of Azaleas; two dollars to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin, Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, etc. One dollar to John Pollock, gardener to James Dun- das, for a collection of Gloxinias ; another dollar to the same for a collection of Gloxinias and Orchids. The Committee called the attention of the Society to a new Heliotrope called "Beauts du Boudoir." as worthy of notice. On motion, ordered that a special premium of three dollars be awarded to James Kent, gardener to J. F. Knorr, for a fine display of plants. By the Committees on Fruits— "Pot the best three bunches of Grapes, the White Frontignao, to Wm. Thompson, gar- dener to Mr. Tucker. By the Committee on Vegetables — Cucumbers — for the best six, to Wm. Thompson, gardener to Mr. Tucker. Rhubarb — for the best, to Samuel Cooper; for the second best, to Henry Cooper. Asparagus — for the best to James M. Tage, Burlington ; for the best display by a private gardener, to Mark Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin ; for the second best, to Wm. Thompson, gardener to Mr. Tucker ; and a special premium of one dollar to J. Graff, gardener to C. Cope, for a display of Beans, Tomatoes and Cucumbers ; and one dol- lar to C. O'Brien, gardener to D. R. King, for a dish of Mushroons. Ordered, that a vote of thanks be tendered to A. H. Ernst, of Cincinnati, Ohio, for the gift of a copy of Landscape Gar- dening, by G. M. Kern. On motion of D. R. King, "Resolved, That this Society has heard with pleasure of the purchase of the periodical called the ^'Horticulturist," by a gentleman of this city, and of its future location and publication here, and cordially recommend it to the patronage of its members, and that of the community generally." Mr. Cope remarked, in connection with this subject, that due regard had not been expressed towards the original Ed- itor of the "Horticulturist" by this community, and he hoped that the subscriptions to the fund for the erection of a mon- ument to Mr. Downing would be speedily made at Mr. Buist's, where the book is left for that purpose. «•• A New Oil Plant. The small iTec(Castiglionia lobata,) known in Peru under the name of "Pinoncello," and cultivated about Surco, Hua-* cho, and Sambageque, also growing wild in considerablo abundance in those regions, it has been ascertained, yields a valuable oil, well adapted to the purposes of illumination. Its bean like fruit, or seeds, when roasted, have an agree- able flavor, preferable to that of the olive. When eaten raw, the etherial oil generated between t*he kernel and the outer skin is a strong cathartic, the effects of which can only be oounteracted by drinking cold water. It has been ascer- tained that the seeds will grow in Baltimore ; and, doubtless, plantations of this tree might bo formed in many parts of the South, from which vast quantities of oil might be pio- duced, and thus add another link to the great chain of our national wealth. The Patent 'Office has taken measures to procure some of the seeds of this tree for trial in the South and South-west. Crops in Virginia. The Fredericksburg Herald of the 7th says;— "The wheat prospect in Stafford and King George, for twenty-five miles along the Rappahannock, is unusually promising. In many fields the growth is knee high, promising an early harvest. The joint worm generally makes its appearance about the 15th. We have heard but little of it thus far. |J f' :*) i-i ' t i ; ( 1 TIGHT BINDING I IP i 192 THE FARM JOURNAL. i^m A Psalm of Life. BY H. LONGFELLOW. Tell me not in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream ; For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real, Life is earnest And the Grave is not its goal j Dust thou art, to dust retumest, Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment and not sorrow Is our destined end or way, Rut to act, that each to-morrow Finds us farther than to-day. Art is long and Time is fleeting, And our hearts though stout and brav^ Still, like muffled dreams, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world's broad field of battle, In the Rivouac of Life, Re not like dumb, driven cattle. Re a Hero in the strife. Trust no future, however pleasant. Let the Dead Past bury its dead; Act, act in the living Present, Heart within, and God o'erhead. Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time. Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother. Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us then be up and doing, With a heart for any fate ; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait. «•• Camphor vs. Pea-Bugs. A correspondent of the Plow, Loom and Anvil says: — •Having observed in the Horticulturist an inquiry relative to seed peas damaged by bugs, I will offer a remedy perhaps not new but new to rae. Four years ago last spring, my seed peas were more than half destroyed by bugs, the largest and best varieties being most injured. The summer following, I had boxes made, one for each variety, with a cover ; and when the peas were gathered, I put into each box, with two •quarts of peas, from six to eight bits of gum-c*mphor the size of a large pea, and mixed them together and closed the box. The next spring there was not a pea injured. I havo pursued the same course every year since, and have not had aD« pea affected by bugs. -<•►- Rraiuing. John Johnston, of Seneca county, N. Y., glvee In the American Agriculturist the following plan to ascertain whether land needs draining:— "Dig holes about two and a half feet deep in different parts of the field ; put a cover over the holes so that the rainwater cannot get into them, »nd if they fill with water until within a foot or so of the surface, in ten or twelve hours, then his land requires, and will pay well for draining. I think I hear F. L R., and many others say, that these holes will fill up on any land, if the ground is wet at the time. Rut I tell them it is not the case. You may dig as many drains as you please on dry lands, and they will never run water unless the snow is melting on the surface. If F. L R., had stood over the making of be- tween forty and fifty miles of drains, as I have done, he would be a better judge of what was wet and what was'dry land. To the unpractised eye, land that looks dry, is gorged with water six inches below the surface." Calture of Asparagus. Asparagus is a plant that will bear an exceedingly ridi soil, provided the manure is finely and thoroughly incorpo. rated with the soil, and that plenty of room is needed for each individual plant, its large growth depending on this at an indispensable requisite. From our own observations we are inclined to think that for its market production, itshouy be in drills sufficiexitl'" remote to admit a nprrow ** r\Wk«a A v>ieo CIU. tivator. A very common cause for small shoots, even in bed* which have been dug and enriched two feet deep, is planting too thick or near together, and afterwards allowing the evil to be increased by the self-sowing process, numerous young plants springing up all over the bed. We would give three leading requisites of success namely — good soil, good cultl, vation, and plenty of room. — Exchange, «#• Origin of Potato Oats. We have to record the death of Mr. Daniel Jackson, of Greenhill, Arkleby, Cumberland, at the advanced age of 94 He was a considerable landed proprietor in the county, and upwards of half a century since, purchased some potatoes which were supposed to have come from abroad. When they came up, among them a few heads of corn appeared, reeenw bling the oats, then generally grown in this country, biU larger and differing in appearance from the common sorta. The seed was carefully preserved, and in a few yeari suffi. oient was produced to offer it for sale. From the circua. stance of its having been found originally among these potatoes, it was called potato-oats. — Mark Lane Ex. Seeing the Elephant Passengers who travel by the New York and New E&rm cars have a grand chance of ''seeing the elephant" Going from New York, the cars pass the farm of P. T. Bamam,a mile or so before reaching Bridgeport, Ct. On that farmy and in plain view from the railroad, an elephant may be seen every pleasant day attached to a large plow, and doing up the "subsoiling" in first rate style, at the rate of about three distinct double-horse teams. The animal is perfectly tractable. His attendant rides him, while a colored man guides the plow. The elephant is also used for carting large loads of gravel in a cart arranged purposely for him, and in drawing stone on a stone-boat or drag, in piling up wood, timber, v oeuuic mo oAtiin* nation and proper notice of every article on exhibi- tion, justice to those who comply with the rules of the Society requires that they shall, in all cases, first re- ceive attention. Articles or animals removed from the grounds be- fore the close of the Exhibition (except by permission of the President) cannot receive a premium though awarded. jl^^On Tuesday the grounds will be opened to the public, and continue open for four days. Single admission 25 cents. Members^ cards $1. Articles and animals for exhibition can be entered on and after the first of September at the office of the Society in Harrisburg, until the first day of tlie Ex- hibition, when an office for entry will be opened upon the ground, where entries will be made only during hat day. Competition without the State. The Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society makes the field of competition co-extensive with the United States, and '^cordially invites the citizens of other States to compete with us for our prizes. Animals and articles entered for exhibition wil have cards attached, with the No. as entered at the business office ; and it is desired that exhibitors should, in all cases, obtain their cards of Number and Class, previous to placing their stock or articles on the grounds. All persons who intend to exhibit Horses, Cattle Sheep or Swine, or who intend to offer stock for sale. should notify the Secretary of such intention, on or before the 20th day of September, and leave with him a list and full description of such stock, in order that proper arrangements may be made for their ac- commodation. Applicants for premiums are particularly request- ed to pay attention to the directions attached to the list of premiums for fat cattle, ^a^ sheep, butter and cheese, &c., and the statements required from exhibi- tors of those articles must be lodged with the Secre- tary before the 25 th of September. • be filled ; and on Wednesday morning, at 9 o'ck at the same place, they will be furnished with tl books of entries, when they will proceed to decide u the merits of the different animals and articles subni ted to them, reference being made to the numbei affixed to each. The Judges on all animals will have regard to t characteristic of the breeds which they judge. Th will make due allowance for age, feeding, and oth circumstances, on the character and condition of t animals. They will not give encouragement for over-fed am mals. They will not award premiums for BullJ Cows, or Heifers, which appear to have been fatten" ed for the butcher ; the object being to have superi animals of this kind for breeding. No person whatever will be allowed to interfe with the Judges during their adjudications. No animal or article can take more than one p mium. All productions placed in competition ifi\ premiums, must be the growth of the competitors. When there is but one exhibitor, although he show several animals in a class or sub-division of class, only one premium will be awarded to one m mal ; that to be the first, or otherwise, as the merit the animal or article may be adjudged. And a p mium will not be awarded, when the animal or arti-l cle is not worthy, though there be no competitioi In any case the person to whom a pecuniary premiuul may have been awarded, may elect to accept a di, ploma instead thereof. Superintendents. It is expected that the Superintendents will tak«| particular direction of all articles in their respective departments, and see that all such articles are ar- ranged, as near as may be, in numerical order, for| their easy approach and examination. iBBtmctionB for the Judges and for the Superintendents . of the Different Departments. The Judges are requested to report themselves to the President on their arrival, at the Business Office, at the Show Grounds ; they are desired to meet at the Society's tent, on the grounds, at 4 o'clock, P. M., on Tuesday, 25th September, when the vacancies will Plowing Match. The Plowing Match will take place on Friday, ttel 28th, at 9 o'clock, A. M., in a field adjacent to tli{ place of Exhibition. Persons competing in the Plowing Match are re-l quested to have their teams hitched, and ready t| move off at the appointed hour. The Address. The Annual Address vill be delivered at 1 o'clofl P. M., on Friday, the 28th of September ; mdim^ diately after the Address, the Reports of the Vie^J ing Committees, or Judges, will be read, and thj Premiums awarded and distributed. Hay and Straw. Hay and straw will be furnished gratis, for all imals entered for premiums ; and grain will he p I APPENDIX HI ided at lowest cost price, for those who desire te I whose care all articles intended for exhibition and archase. Payment of Premiums. Cash premiums awarded will be paid by the Ireasurer at the office of the Society in Harrisburg* aring the whole of the week after the exhibition. I I^Persons to whom c«*A premiums have been wded, are informed that unless they call for them the place and time specified above, application lust be made by letter, to the Treasurer, George H. lucHER, at Hogestown, Cumberland county, with lom the Book of Awards will be left. Persons to [hom medals and silver plate have been awarded 111 please furnish their names to the Recording Sec- tary, in order that the engraving of names may be roperly done. |j^The Secretary will forward the Diplomas mrded, in such manner as may be directed bj the Arsons entitled to receive them. The Reports of the Judges will be published by le Society, as soon after the Fair as practicable. not accompanied hy the exhibitor may be directed. Forms of Affidavits for Surveyor, Applicants and Assis- tant ; County, ss. A. B. being duly sworn, says he is a surveyor; that he snrvpvprl wifK cK«:« and compass, the land on which C. D. raised a crop of the past season, and the quantity of land is acres, and no more. A. B., Surveyor. Sworn to before me, this day of 185-. -, Justice. Kotice to Exhibitors. [The Executive Committee will take every precau- k in their power for the safety of Stock and arti. IBS on exhibition, after their arrival and arrange. ^nt upon the grounds ; but will not be responsible ' any loss or damage that may occur. They de- |e exhibitors to give personal attention to their ar- 1 [les and animals, and at the close of the Fair to at- id to their removal. iMr. Joel Hinckley, of Harrisburg, has been ap- jinted General Superintendent of the Exhibition, to County, ss, C. D. being duly sworn, says that he raised a crop of the past seasen upon the said land surveyed by A. B., and that the quantity of grain raised thereon was bushels measured in a sealed half bushel ; and that he was assisted in harvesting and measuring said crop, by E. F., and that the statement annexed, subscribed by this deponent, as to the manner of cultivntion, &c., is in all respects true to the best of his knowl- edge and belief, and that the sample of the grain exhibited is a fair average sample of the whole crop. C. D. Sworn to before me this day of , 185-. , Justice; County, ss. E. F. being duly sworn, says that he assisted C. D. in harvesting, getting out and measuring his crop of referred to in the affidavit, that the quantity of grain was bushels as stated in the affidavit of C. D. E. P. Sworn to before me, this day of 185-. -, Justice. -*••- ISST W f il '9 Je Society Will take great care in the selection of their Judges, aud they confidently hope that all who ^il be named will attend. The names of the Judges will be announced and published at least one month before the Exhibition. CLASSING. I CATTLE. No 1.— SHORT HORNS. Bulls. best Bull, 3 years old and upwards, Mbest do do H^<^8t do do - - f ^^^1 between 2 and 3 years, - hd best do do . , - Nbest, do do f ^ull between 1 and 2 years, Nbest do do J^^best, do do - . fBullCalfunder 10 months, - N best do do . '^best do do $20 15 8 15 8 4 10 6 3 5 3 ^2 ' Cows. Best cow 3 years old and upwards, Second best do do Third best do do Best heifer between 2 and 3 years old. Second best do do Third best do do Best heifer between 1 and 2 years. Second best do do - - Third best do do Best heifer calf under 10 months, Second best do Third best do do do $20 10 6 15 10 5 10 5 2 5 3 1 No. 2.— DEVONS. Biills For best bull 3 years and upwards, h i ii ,f S20 TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF IV APPENDIX u Second best do do Third best do do - Best bui 1 between 2 and 3 years. - Second best do do - Third best do do Best bull between 1 and 2 years, Second best do do Third best do do - Best bull calf under 10 months, Second best do do Third best do do Cows. Best cow 3 years and upwards, - Second best do do Third best do do Best heifer between 2 and 3 years, Second best do do Third best do do Best heifer between 1 and 2 years, Second best do do Third best do do Best heifer calf under 10 months, - Second best do do Third best do do No. 3.— IlEREFORDS. Bulls. For best bull 3 years old and upwards, Second best do do Third best do do - - Best bull between 2 and 3 years Second best do do - ■ Third best do do Best bull between 1 and 2 years, Second best do do Third best do do - - Best bull calf under 10 months. Second best do do - ■ Third best do do Cows. Best cow 3 years old and upwards. Second best do do Tliird best do do - - Best heifer between 2 and 3 years, - Second best do do - • Third best do do Best heifer between 1 and 2 years, Second best do do Third best do do Best heifer calf under 10 months, - Second best do do - - Third best do do No. 4.— AYRSHIRE. Bulls. For best bull 3 years old and upwards, Second best do do Third best do do - - Best Bull between 2 and 3 years, - - 15 Second best do do - - 8 Third best do do - 15 Best bull between 1 and 2 years, 8 Second best do do 4 Third best do do - - 10 Best bull calf under 10 months, 5 Second best do do - - 3 Third best do do • ■ 6 Cows. 3 For best cow 3 years old and upwards, - 2 Second best do do • • Third best do do - - $20 Best heifer between 2 and 3 years, - - 10 Second best do do - - 6 Third best do do - • - 15 Best heifer between 1 and 2 years, 10 Second best do do - • 5 Third best do do - - 10 Best heifer calf under 10 months, - 5 Second best do do - - 2 Third best do do - • APPENDIX 5 3 1 $20 15 8 15 8 4 10 5 3 5 3 2 15 6 15 8 5 10 5 2 5 3 1 $20 15 8 No. 5.— IIOLSTEIN. Bulls. For best bull 3 years old and upwards, Second best do do Third best do do - - Best bull between 2 and 3 years. Second best do do - - Third best do do Best bull between 1 and 2 years. Second best do do Third best do do • - Best bull calf under 10 months. Second best do do - - Third best do do Cows. For best cow 3 years old and upwards, Second best do do Third best do do - - Best heifer between 2 and 3 years, - Second best do do - - Third best do do Best heifer between 1 and 2 years, Second best do do - - Third best do do Best heifer calf under 10 months. Second best do do Third best do do No. 6.— ALDERNEY. Bulls. For best bull 3 years old and upwards. Second best do do Third best do do - " Best bull between 2 and 3 years, - Second best do do - Third best do do kond best do do - - liird test do do " - est bull calf under 10 months, tcond best do do - - bird best do do - - Cows. 3r Dest cow 3 years old aiid upwards, fecond best do do - - bird best do do - - est heifer between 2 and 3 years, tcond best do do - - bird best do do - - est heifer between 1 and 2 years, Bcond best do do - - bird best do do - - lest heifer calf under 10 months, - BCond best do do - - lird best do do - - No. 7.— NATIVES OR GRADES. Bulls. lor best bull 3 years and upwards, econd best do do - - [bird best do do - - lest bull between 2 and 3 years, econd best do do - - [bird best do do - - lest bull between 1 and 2 years, econd best do do - - [bird best do do - - . fest bull calf under 10 months, econd best do do - - . Cows. for best cow 3 years and upwards, econd best do do [bird best do do jest heifer between 2 and 3 years, - econd best do do jliirdbest do do |est heifer between 1 and 2 years, econd best do do prdbest do do - jest heifer calf under 10 months, - econd best do do - 16 Best bull between 1 and 2 years, No. 8.— WORKING OXEN. |w best team of 20 yoke from any county, (Premium to be paid to the County Agricul- jtural Society in said county,) - Pcond best team of 20 yoke from any county, (Premium to be paid to the County Agricul- Jtural Society in said county,) - N team of oxen, not less than 2 yoke, - « ■^^^^dbest do do . - «8t yoke of oxen, - - . . Nondbest do Wbest do . . .'.".", r f '*^^^11 be provided to test the working ^ of the oxen. 5 3 5 3 2 15 6 15 8 5 10 5 2 5 3 1 No. 9. —FAT CATTLE. For best pair fat steers or oxen. Second best do do - - do do - . $12 10 8 lO 8 4 6 4 2 3 1 12 10 8 10 8 4 6 4 Third best Best fat cow. Second best, Third best. Best fat heifer. Second best do Third best do Best fat steer. Second best, Third best, Applicants for premiums for fat cattle, must fur nish statements of the manner of feeding Jg^* Judges on Fat Cattle will give particular at- tention to the animals submitted to them for exami- nation. It is believed that all other things bein"* equal, those are the best cattle that have the greatest weight in the smallest superfices. The cattle to be judged as fat cattle will all be weighed, and the Judges will take measures to get the superfices o each. $15 10 5 10 5 3 10 5 3 15 10 5 3 1 $100 50 . 25 20 . 20 10 8 quali- No. 10.— MILCH COWS. For best Milch Cow, |20 Second best do ------ 15 Third best do IQ Jg^* The cows to be kept on grass only during the trial, and for ten days previous to each period of trial. The time of trial from 10th to 20th of June, and from 10th to 20th of August, 1855. STATEMENT TO BE FURNISHED CONTAINING First. The age and breed of the cow, and time 0 calving. Second, The quantity of milk, in weight, and also of butter made from such cow, during each period of ten day6. Third. A statement to be made to the Judges of the facts, verified by the affidavit of competitor and one other person conversant therewith. No. 11.— FOREIGnImPORTED CATTLE. Best Short Horn Bull 2 years old and up- wards, diploma and - . . . $25 Best Heifer or Cow 2 years and upwards, di- ploma and 20 Best Devon Bull 2 years and upwards, diplo- ma and -- 20 Best Heifer or Cow 2 years and upwards, di- ploma and - 20 Best Hereford Bull 2 years and upwards, di- ploma and ------ 20 Best Heifer or Cow 2 years and upwards, di- ploma and - 20 Best Ayrshire Bull 2 years and upwards, di- ploma and ------ 20 Best Heifer or Cow 2 years and upwards, di- ploma and 20 I TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF stfe VI APPENDIX APPENDIX !r« VII li^ $50 30 60 30 50 30 The importation, to entitle it to compete, must have been made within two years. jjo. llj.— SPECIAL PREMIUMS For such animals as have taken a first premium at any of this Society's previous Exhibitions ; cer- tificatps or satisfactory evidence thereof to be pre- sented to the Secretary at the time of entering. No animal entered in this class of highest distinction can compete in any other class. For the best Stallion that was not less than 4 years old when he took the first premium. For second best do do do For the best Bull that was not les,? than 3 years old when he took the first premium. For second best do do do For the best Cow that was not less than 3 years old when she took the first premium, For second best do do do CLASSJfO. n. HOBSES AND MULES. No. 12.— STALLIONS "aND MARES FOR ALL WORK. Best Stallion 4 years and upwards, - - $30 Second best do do - - - 15 Third best do do - - - 5 Best Brood Mare, (with foal at her foot,) 4 years and upwards, - - - - 30 Second best do do do - 15 Third best do do do - 5 Heavy Draug'ht Best Stallion 4 years and upwards, - - $30 Second best do do - - - 15 Third best do do - - - 5 Best Brood Mare, (with foal at her foot,) 4 years and upwards, ----- 30 Second best do do do - 15 Third best do do do - - 5 Quick Brauglit Best Stallion 4 years and upwards, Second best do do - - Third best do do - - - Best Mare, do do - - Second best do do - - - Third best do do - - Draught. Best Stallion 4 years and upwards. Second best do do - - Third best do do - . Best Mare, do do - - Second best do do - - Third best do do - - Three Years Old. Best Stallion 3 years and under 4, - • Second best do do * - Third best do do - . . Best Mare, do do - - $30 15 5 30 15 5 $30 15 5 30 15 5 $30 15 5 30 Second best Third best do do do ^do Two Years Old. Best Stallion 2 years and under 3, Second best Third best Best Mare, Second best Third best do do do do do do do do do One Year Old Colts. Best Stallion 1 year old. Second best Third best Best mare. Second best Third best do do do do do - 1 Hatched Horses for Carriages. Best pair of Matched Horses, Second best do - - - - Third best do .... Best pair of matched Mares, - - - Second best do . - - . Third best do . - - - For Draught or Farm. Best pair of Matched Horses, Second best do - . - - Third best do - - - - Best pair of Matched MareSf - - - Second best do - - - - Third best do - - - - Geldings and Single Mares. Best Geldinji for saddle, - - - - Second best do - - - - Third best do - - - - Best Gelding for harness, - - - Second best do - - - - Third best do - - - - Single Mares. Best Mare for saddle, - - - - Second best do . - - - - Third best do - - - - - Best Mare for harness, - - - - ■ Second best do - - - - - Third best do . . - - - Jacks and Mules. Best Jack, - - - - Second best ------ Best Jennet, ------ Second best .----" Best pair of Mules, - - - - ■ Second best do - - - - " Third best do - Best Team of Mules not less than 4, Second best do do - - ' No. 13.— FOREIGnImPORTED HORSES, Having been imported within three years. Best Blood Stallion 4 years and upwards, di- §lfl 1 ploma and -----. lest Brood mare 4 years and upwards, diplo- ma and - - - - 20 lest Stallion of all work 4 years and upwards, diploma and - - - - 20 lest Brood Mare 4 years and upwards, diplo- ma and - - . . 20 [est Draught Stallion 4 years and upwards, diploma and - - - - 20 [est Brood Mare 4 years and upwards, diplo- ma and - - - - 20 Thorougli Bred. ^ [est Stallion 4 years and upwards, - - $30 econdbest, do ----- 20 [bird best, do - - - - - 10 [est Brood Mare (with foal at her foot,) - 30 econdbest, do - - - - - 20 fhird best, do ----- 10 In order to compete in this class of Thorough ireedsy Pedigrees must be produced, showing the jrity of blood of all animals exhibited in this class. jhe pedigree must be complete on the part of both lam and sire, and a certificate of the time of impor- Best pen of Ewes, not less than 3, Second best, do - . . Best pen of Lambs, not less than 4, Second best, do - - - mn. -••^ CLASSJ^O. in. SHEEP, S"^INE AND POITLTBY. No. 14.— SHEeFaND wool. feat Buck, - - . . . 3ond best, do - - - - [est pen of Ewes, not less than 3 - econd best do - - - - [est pen of lambs, not less than 4 Bcond best do - - - - Middle wooled. est Buck Beond best do - - - . est pen of Ewes, not less than 3 econd best do - - - - est pen of Lambs, not less than 4 econdbest do - - - - Merinoes. est Buck, - - . . ^ ^ • » ^cond best do - - - . est pen of Ewes, not less thaa 3 [cond best do - - - . est pen of Lambs, not less than 4 - fcond best do - - - . , ^ Saxons. bstBuck - - - . . Icond beet do - r P^» of Ewes not less than 3 - [cond best do ... . Nt pen of Lambs not less than 4 pnd best do ... . . , , Cross Bred Sheep. Fbuck, hndbest, do ."."-'.' $10 6 10 6 10 6 $10 6 10 6 10 6 $10 6 10 6 10 6 FOREIGN IMPORTED SHEEP. Long wooled. Best Buck Second best do - - . . Best pen, 3 Ewes, - - . . Second best do - - - - Middle Wooled. Best Buck ----.. Second best do - - - . i^estpen, 3 Ewes - - - . - Second best do - - . . Merinoes. Best Buck Second best do - - . . Best pen, 3 Ewes - - . . Second best do - . . . Saxons. Best Buck ----.. Second best do - - . . Best pen, 3 Ewes - . - . Second best do - - - . Fat Sheep. Best Fat Sheep, 2 years old and upwards Second best do - - - . Third best do - - - . Best Fat Sheep under 2 years Second best do - . . . Third best, under 2 years - - - Best 5 Fat Sheep, any age Second best do - - - - Wool. Best 3 fleeces Saxony Wool Second best do - - - - Best 3 fleeces Merino Wool Second best do - - - - Best 3 fleeces of Long Wool - - . Second best do - - - - Best 3 fleeces of Middle Wool Second Best do - - - - Best 3 fleeces Lambs Wool - . - Seconc best do - - - - Best Shepherd Dog, Second best do - • - - 6 10 6 10 6 $10 6 No. 15.— SWINE. Large Breed. For best Boar over 2 years old. Second best do do Best boar, 1 year old, Second best do - - - Best Boar 6 months and under 1 year, Second best do do Best breeding Sow over two years. Second best do do Best Breeding Sow 1 year, Second best do - - - 10 6 10 $10 8 10 8 $10 8 10 8 $10 8 10 8 8 10 8 $6 5 3 6 5 3 10 8 $5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 $10 5 10 5 10 5 10 5 10 5 r/ ^i TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF ilii m VIII APPENDIX Best Sow, 6 months and under 1 year, - 10 Second best do ^ Best lot of pigs, (not less than 5) under 6 months, 10 Second best do do - - - 5 Including Chester, Berkshire, Hampshire, Leices- ter and their grades. Small Breed. For best Boar over 2 years, - - - • Second best do - - - - - Best Boar 1 year old, . - - - Second best do - - - - - Best Boar 6 months old and not 1 year, Second best do do - - - Best breeding Sow, 2 years, . - - Second best do - - - - - Best breeding Sow 1 year and under 2, Second best do - - - - - Best Sow 6 months and under 1 year, - Second best do - - - - - Best lot of Pigs not less than five and under six months, ------ Second best do - - - - - Including Neapolitan, Suffolk, improved China, Chinese, Mocha and their grades. For best Fattened Hog, - - - - $5 Second best do ----- 3 10 5 10 5 10 5 10 5 10 5 10 5 10 5 No. 16.— POULTRY. Best lot of Shanghai fowls not less than 3 ; 1 cock and 2 hens, $3 Second best do ----- 2 Best lot of Dorking Fowls not less than 3 — 1 cock and 2 hens, ----- 3 Second best do ----- 2 Best lot of Poland Fowls not less than 3 — 1 cock and 2 hens, ----- 3 Second best do ----- 2 Best lot of Black Spanish, not less than 3 — 1 cock and 2 hens, 3 Second best do ----- 2 Best lot of Jersey Blues, not less than 3 — 1 cock and 2 hens, 3 Second best do ----- 2 Best lot of Buck^s County Fowls, not less than 3 1 cock and 2 hens, - - - . 3 Second best do ----- 2 Best lot of Cochin China, Malay and Chittegong Fowls, not loss than 3 — 1 cock and 2 hens, 3 Second best do 2 Best lot of Bantams, not less than 3 — 1 cock and 2 hens, - 3 Second best do 2 Best lot of Game Fowls, not less than 3 — 1 cock and 2 henp, -----. 3 Second best do 2 Best lot of Native or Dung Hill Fowls not less than 5, ------3 Second best do - - - - - 2 Best lot of Poultry owned by exhibitor, - 10 tt it It (< (I {( Largest collection of Fowls, Best lot of Capons, not less than 3, Second best do - - - - Best pair of Turkeys, - - - - Geese, - - - - Wild Geese, - - - Muscovy ducks, " " Common ducks, - - - Best pair of Pea Fowls, - - - , Best Caponed Turkey, - - - - Best lot of Guinea Fowls, not less than five, Best exhibition of Pigeons, Second best do - - - - Best pair imported Fowls, - - Silver Medal Second best do ----- J APPENDIX IX -*•*- CLASSNO- IV. No. 17.— PLOWS AND PLOWING MATCH. The Plowing Match will take place on Fridaj morning at 9 o'clock. Persons competing in tie Plowing Match, will have their teams hitched and in readiness at the appointed hour. First premium to be awarded for the best Silver Medal Bronze Medil - . 8 3 Silver Medal Bronze Meda' Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Meda Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal plow - - - - - Second best plow, - - - Third best do - - - , - Fourth best do - - - Best single horse Plow, Second best do - - - Best Subsoil do - - - Second best Subsoil Plow, Best Corn Plow, - - - - Second best do - - - Best Side-hill Plow, Second best do - - - First premium to be awarded to the best Plow- man, ------- Second best Plowman, - - - - Third best do Fourth best do . - - - - First Premium to be awarded to the best Plow- boy under 18 years, - - - - Second be»t Plowboy under 18 years. Third best do do - - - " Fourth best do do - - - ' Ji^^-The name of Plowman must be given, as wel as the kind of plow to be used, at the time of entrj CLASSING. V. No. 18.— FARM IMPLEMENTS No. 1. Best Farm Wagon, - - - Silver m Second best do - - - Best Hay rigging. Second best do - - - Best Harrow, - - - Second best, - - - - Best Corn Cultivator, Second best do - - • Jest Grain Drill, . - - . Silver Medal Second best do - . - Bronze Medal Third best do - - - - - 5 Best Seed Planter, for horse or hand power, for Silver Medal 5 Silver Medal - TVf-J-l lVUiiK3 XUCUitl Sliver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal 5 do - 3 - Silver Medal Bronze Medal - Silver Medal Bronze Medal - Silver Medal Bronze Medal 5 3 s or drills, - - - Second Best do - - - Best Cultivator for general purposes, Second best uO uO do Best Broad Cast Sower, - Second Best do - - - Best Roller for general use. Second Best do - - Best Clod Crusher and Roller combined. Second best do do Best Fanning Mill, Second best do - - Best Corn Stalk Cutter, - Second best do - - Best Hay and Straw Cutter, Second best do - Best vegetable cutter. Second best do - - Best Corn and Cob Crusher, by horse power, S. Medal 15 10 i It Second best do do do Best Clover huller, Second best do - - Best Horse cart for farm, Second best do Best Ox Cart, - - - Second best Ox Cart, Best Horse Rake, - - - Second best do - Best Ox Yoke, Second best do - - - Best Corn Sheller, horse power. Second best do do - Best Corn Sheller, hand power. Second best do do - Best Farm or Road Scraper, - Second best do do - do B. Meial 10 - - 5 Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal 5 3 Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal 5 3 No. 19.— FARM IMPLEMEATS, No. 2. - - - Silver Medal Bronze Medal 5 Silver Med' Bronze Med* For best Churn, fciecond best do - - - Best Cheese Press, Second do - - - Best twelve Milk Pans, - Second best do - - Best Milk strainer, - Second best do - • Best potato masher. Second best do - - Best grain cradle, - - - Second best do - - - Best scythe— snathe and scythe Second best do do Best twelve hand rakes. Second best do Best six hay forks, 3 - 3 2 - 2 1 3 2 2 1 Diploma 2 - 3 2 Diploma Second best do - . - - Best six grass scythes, - - - Second best do - - - - Best six grain scythes, - - - Second best do - - - - Best six axes, - - - - Second best - - - - - Best six manure forks, ... Second best do - - - . Best six Devonshire shovels, - Second best do - - - - Best six canal shovels, . - - Second best do - - -^ - - Best six spades, - - - - Second best do - - - - - Best six corn hoes, - - - Second best do - - - - - Best set of horse shoes, - - - Best lot of grain measures, not less than Second best do do do do Best dozen wire brooms, - - - Second best do - - - - Best dozen Shaker or twine-tied brooms. Second best do do do Best half dozen corn baskets. Second best do do - - 2 - Diploma 2 - Diploma 2 - Diploma 2 Dipioma 2 - Diploma 2 - Diploma 2 - Diploma 2 3 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 5 3 SIX, No. 20.— FARM IMPLEMENS AND MACHINE- RY, No. 3. For best portable saw mill. Silver Medal and $20 Best steam engine for farm purposes, easily portable, - - - Silver Medal and 20 Best portable chopping mill, - - - 20 Best mowing or reaping machine, Silver Medal Second best do do Best sweep horse power. Second best do - - - Best railway horse power. Second best do - - - Best Threshing Machine, Second best do - . - Best separator and winnower. Second best do do - - Best portable hay press. Second best do - - - Best churning power. Best dog power churning machine. Best washing machine, - Best pump for wells, - - - Second best do - - - ■ Best arrangement for raising water other than pump, Silver Medal Second best do do do Bronze Medal Best hay and cattle weighing scales. Silver Medal Best weighing machine for general farm pur- poses, Silver Medal Best lot of small and large scales. Best portable cider press, - - Silver Medal Second best do do - - Bronze Medal Bronze Medal . - 10 - - 5 - - 10 5 Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal - - 5 - - 5 5 Silver Medal Bronze Medal TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF n APPENDIX I ■mi Silver Meda^ Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Silver Medal Best half dozen flour barrels, Second best do do - - Best variety of cooper work. Second best do do Best Shingle and stave cutter, Second best do do Best invention for spreading Lime, Best collection of farmer's tools, arranged in a deposit, ------- Best invention for securing the run of water in drains, ------- Second best do do do do do Best and most numerous collection of Agricul- tural Implements, diploma and Second best do do do - - In addition to the foregoing premiums on Agricul- tural Implements, Diplomas and Premiums may be awarded by the Judges for such new and meritorious implements and inventions, not enumerated above, as may be exhibited. Persons presenting Agricultu- ral Implements or articles of mechanical ingenuity, are requested to furnish the Secretary with a partic- ular description of the article, and the price and place where it can be obtained. CLASSNO. VI. No. 22.— DAIRY, SUGAR AND HONEY. APPENDIX XI 5 3 25 20 No. 21.-LEATHER AND ITS MANUFACTURES. Best plow gears, 55 2nd best do 3 Best wagon harness for farm, - - - - 5 2nd best do do Best cart gears, 2nd best do - - Best set of double harness, 2nd best do do Best carriage harness, 2nd best do Best buggy harness, 2nd best do Best farm saddle, 3 - - 5 3 5 3 - Diploma Bronze Medal - Diploma Bronze Medal 5 3 2nd best do - Best lot of men and women's saddles and bri- ^^^«' Diploma 2nd best do do do Bronze Medal Best travelling trunk, - - . - Diploma 2nd best do ... Bronze Medal Best lot of men, women's and children's boots ^^^«^oes, Diploma 2^^^^«t Bronze Medal Best wagon whips, 2nd best do ... Best carriage whips, 2nd best do . - - Best sole, harness and upper leather, 2nd best do do do Best calf skins, dressed, 2nd best do - - - Other articles manufactured of leather, and not enumerated, above, cash premiums and diplomas may be awarded to by the Committee. . 5 2 Diploma 3 Diploma 5 Diploma 5 Butter. Best lot of butter— quality as well as quantity coj. sidered— made from 5 cows, in 30 consec- utive days, 10 pounds of the butter to be ex- hibited, - - - A Silver Cream Poi Second best A Silver Cap A certificate, signed by the owner of the com and at least one other person, who assisted in milk ing and making the butter, certifying to the facts of the case, to accompany each lot of butter. Best lot of 20 lbs. butter made in June, 1855, A Silver Goblet Second best lot, made in June, 1855, A Silver Cap Best lot of 10 lbs. butter, made at any time, A Silver Goblet Second best lot of 10 lbs., made at any time, A Silver Cup Best Firkin or Tub of butter, not less than three months old, A Silver Goblet Second best, A Silver Cup Premiums to be awarded to girls under twenty-one years of age. Best lot of 10 lbs. butter, made at any time, A Silver Goblet Second best lot, A Silver Cup Best lot of 5 lbs., of butter, made at any time— Sel^ Silver Tea Spoons. Second best lot, A pair of Silver Butter Knivei Best barrel of salt for Dairy purposes, - - $3 Second best do do - • - 2 1 Best barrel coarse salt for packing, - - J ' Second best do do - - - 2 1 Cheese— One Year and Older. / Best 50 lbs. cheese, - - - Silver Medal Second best do ----- 5 Third best do ^ I Less than One Year. Best 50 lbs of Cheese, - - - Silver Medal Second best do - - - - - ^ Third best do ----- 8 Best i dozen cheese boxes, - - - - • » Best Dairies from any county, not less than cheese from each, ----- 20 Those who present cheese for the premiums offe^ ed, must state in writing, the time it was made ; th« number of cows kept ; whether the cheese was made from one, two, or more milkings ; whether any addi- tion is made of cream ; the quantity of rennet used, and the mode of preparing it ; the mode of pressure, and the treatment of cheese afterwards ; and the kind of salt used. Sugar and Honey. Best 20 lbs. maple sugar, - - - - " Second best do - - - - - Best 10 lbs. honey, - . - - - Second best do 3 Third best do 2 The Honey to be taken without destroying the jjees: and the kind of hives used, and the manage- ment of the same to be stated. CLASS J[o. vn. No. 23.— FLOUR AND CORN MEAL. Best barrel of flour, - - - Silver Medal Second best do - - - Bronze Medal Third best do 3 Best barrel of corn meal, prepared from kiln- dried corn, - - - - Silver Medal Second best do do - Bronze Medal Best sample corn Farina, - - - - 2 Best wheat Farina, ----- 2 Best sample 5 loaves baker's bread, - Silver Medal Second best do do - - Diploma Best sample, one barrel each, water and butter crackers, - - - Silver Medal Second best do do do Bronze Medal Best smut machine - - - Silver Medal Second best do . - - Bronze Medal late invention in manufacturing flour, — A Sil- Ter Medal No. 24.— GRAIN AND SEEDS. Best bushel white wheat, - - - Second best do - - - - • Best bushel red wheat, . - - Second best do - - - - " Best bushel Mediterranean wheat. Second best do - - - - - Best bushel of rye, - - - - Second best do Best bushel yellow gourd seed corn. Second best do Best bushel white flint corn, Second best do Best bushel mixed corn, - - - Second best do B«8t bushel oats, Second best do - - - - • Best bushel barley, . . - - Second best do - - - - • Best bushel Irish potatoes, - - - Second best do - - - Best bushel sweet potatoes, - - - Second best do Best bushel field turnips. Second best do Best bushel ruta baga, - - - - Second best do - - - - ■ Best bushel sugar beets, - - . Second best do Best bushel carrots, - - Second best do - - - - 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 Best bushel parsnips, 3 Second best do------l Best bushel flaxseed, - - - - - 3 Second best do------l Best sample hops, not less than 10 lbs., - - 3 Second best do -1 Best sample of timothy seed, 1 bushel, - 3 Second best do 1 Best sample of newly introduced grain, valuable to farmers, not less than 1 bushel, - 5 SS^ Samples of grain and seeds in all cases to be deposited with the Secretary. No. 25.— VEGETABLES. For 12 best stalks of celery, - - - - Second best do do - . - 6 best heads of cauliflower, - - - - Second best do - 12 best white table turnips, - - - - Second best do - - - - - 12 best carrots ------ Second best do ----- - 12 best beets, Second best do ----- - 12 best parsnips, - - - - - Second best do - - - 12 best onions, . - - - - Second best do 6 best heads of cabbage, . - - Second best do 6 best head of brocoli, - - - - Second best do 12 best tomatoes - - - - - Second best do - - - - " " 2 best purple egg plants, - - - Second best do 12 best sweet potatoes, • 1. • - Second best do - - - - " Best i peck Lima beans, . - - Second best do - - - - " Best bunch double parsley, - - - Second best do - - - - " 3 best garden squashes, . . - Second best do - - - - " 3 best large squashes, . - . - Second best do 3 largest sweet pumpkins, - - - Second largest do t " ' " 3 largest field pumpkins, - - - Second largest do - - - - - 12 best ears yellow seed corn. Second best do - - ^ " " 12 best ears white seed corn - - - Second best do - -• - " " Best 12 table potatoes, - - - - Second best do - - - - " For the choicest and largest asssortment of ta- ble vegetables, ------ Second best do do do do $3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 1 3 2 3 2 2 1 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 10 XII APPENDIX I APPENDIX XIII CLASS NO. vni. (( « No. 26.— DOMESTIC AND HOUSEHOLD MANU- FACTURES. Best lot of silk cocoons 2nd best do - - - - Best specimen of raw silk, reeied silk, sewing silk, pair silk stockings, silk shawl, - - . " handkerchief, - pair of woolen blankets, 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - - - - Best 10 yards of woolen cloth, 2nd best do - - - - Best 15 yards woolen carpet, 2nd best do - - - - 3d best do .... Best hearth rug, - - - 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - 4th best, do - - - • Best rag carpet, 15 yards, - 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - - - - Best double coverlet, 2nd best do - - - - 3d best do - - . . Best pair woolen knit stockings, - 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - - - - Best pair woolen knit half hose, 2nd best do - - - - 3d best do - - . , Best pair woolen mittens, - 2nd best do - - Best home made shirt, 2nd best do - - - , Best barred flannel, 12 yards 2nd best do - - - . Best plain flannel, 12 yards, 2nd best do - - - . Best 10 yards barred linen, 2nd best do - - . . Best 10 yards plain linen, . 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - - - - Best 10 yards linen diaper, 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - - « . Best 10 yards tow cloth, 2nd best do - . . . Best pair cotton knit half hose, - 2nd best do .... Best pair linen knit stockings, 2nd best do - - - . Best pair linen knit half hose, 2nd best do - Silver Cup 5 Silver Cup Silver Cup Silver Cup 5 . . 5 5 - Silver Cup 5 - . 3 5 - 3 Silver Cup - - 8 . - 5 Silver Cup 5 . . 3 2 5 3 2 5 3 2 3 - - 2 1 3 2 1 2 - - 1 5 3 Silver Cup 3 Silver Cup 3 Silver Cup 3 Silver Cup 3 2 Silver Cup 3 2 Silver Cur> 2 3 2 3 2 3 • - 2 Best pound linen sewing thread, 2nd best do - - - Best ornamental needle work, 2nd best do - - - 3d best do - - - Best ottoman cover, 2nd best do - - - j-»6Si; tSiviQ cover, - - « - Silver Cup 2nd best do - - - - Best artificial flowers, - - , 2nd best do - - - - Best variety worsted work, 2nd best do - - - Best fancy work with needle for chair, 2nd best do do - - Best worked cushion and back, 2nd best do - - - - Best silk qnilt - - - . 2nd best - - - - - 3d best ------ Best fancy quilt . - - . 2nd best do - - - . 3d best do - - - - Best plain white quilt, - - - 2Dd best do - - - . 3d best - - - - - Best counterpane, - - - - 2nd best do - - - Best lamp-stand mat, - - - 2nd best do - Best ornamental shell work, - 2nd best do - - - - Best specimen wax flowers, 2nd best do - - - - Premiums of $2 each, to' the number of ten, maybe awarded on articles comins: within this class and not enumerated above. Articles of domestic manufacture to be made in the family ; and, in all cases the exhibitor must fur nish evidencees that the articles are so manufactured. And no article manufactured in factories, or oat oi ^ the family, will be received in this class J ■ - I t • - 5 3 ■ - 3 2| • - 3 2 Silver Cup 5 • - 3 Silver Cup . - J 3 Silver Cup ■ - 5 3 . - 3 2 . . 3 - 2 . . 3 2 . - 3 2 [ Best home made bread, 2nd best do - - Best Dound cake, 2nd best do - - Best sponge cake, 2nd best do - - Best preserves, 2nd best do - - Best fruit jelly, 2nd best do - - Best tomato precerves, 2nd best do - - Best tomato figs, 2nd best do - - Best specimen of pickels, 2nd best do - - Best sample of apple butter 2nd best do - Silver Cup . - 3 I - i J . - 2 Silver Cup . . 3 Silver Cup . . 2 Silver Cup . 3 . 5 . 3 3 2 3 Best quince and peach butter, each, gndbest do - - - - Best home made soap, . - - 2nd best do - - - - . - 2 1^ Persons whose trade is baking, cannot enter this list in competition, as it is intended alone for the encouragement of housekeepers. No. 27.-MANUFACTURES OTHER THAN DO- MESTIC. Best piece black broad cloth, American manufacture, twenty yards. Best piece blue broad cloth, American manufacture, 20 yards, - - - Best piece woolen carpet, manufactured iu factories, twenty yards. Best piece of sattinett, twenty yards, " bleached cotton shirting, thirty yards. Diploma " unbleached cotton shirting, 30 yards, Diploma " bleached cotton sheeting, 30 yards; Silver Medal " unbleached cotton sheeting, 30 yards. Silver Medal " linen sheeting, twenty yards, - Diploma " pair woolen blankets, - - - Diploma " variety of flannel, - - - Diploma " variety of American shawls, from A- merican wool, - - - Silver Medal " carriage, buggy and hunting wagon, each $10 2nd best do do do do - - 5 Diploma Diploma Diploma Diploma Best piano, - - - - 2nd best do - - - - - Best specimens of Cabinet Ware 2nd best do - - Best improved Bedstead 2nd best do - - - - Best improved School Desk and Chairs — Silver Medal 2nd best School Desk and Chairs, - - 10 CLASS NO. IX. Silver Medal Diploma Silver Medal - - $10 - 6 3 AGEICTTLTURAL PRODUCTIONS OF FIELD CROPS. No. 28.— WINTER PREMIUMS. Best 5 acres of Corn, ... - 2nd best do do Best Acre of Corn, not less than 80 bushels, Second best do ■ do do 70 do Best 5 acres of Wheat, - ., . - 2nd best do Best Acre of Wheat, not less than 40 bushels, 2iidbest do do 35 do - ^est 5 acres of Rye, 2nd best do Best Acre of Rye, not less than 40 bushels, 2iidbe8t do do 35 do Sest 5 acres of Barley, - - - - Second best do Best Acre of Barley, not less than 50 bushels, 2udbest do do do 40 do - Best 5 acres of Oats, - - . . 2adbe8t 'do $50 20 20 10 50 20 20 10 25 15 10 5 25 15 10 5 25 15 Best Acre of Oats, not less than 60 bushels, 10 2nd best do do do 50 do - 6 Best Acre of Timothy geed, ... IQ 2nd best do do - - - - 5 Best Acre of Clover Seed, - - - 20 2nd best do do - - - - 10 Best acre of Irish potatoes, not less than 200 bushels, -------20 2nd best do - - • - - 15 Best acre of table potatoes, - - - - 25 2nd best 15 Best half acre table potatoes, - - - 10 2nd best do ----- 5 Best acre of carrots, 60 lbs. per bushel, - - 20 2nd best do do - - - 10 Best half acre of carrots, 60 lbs. per bushel, - 10 2ud best do do - - - • 5 Best acre of ruta baga, 60 pounds per bushel, 20 2nd best do do - - - 15 Best half acre of ruta baga, 60 pounds per bushel, 10 2nd best do do - - - 5 Best half acre of sugar beets, - - - 10 2nd best do do . - - 5 Best quarter acre of mangel wurtzel, - - 10 2nd best do do - - . 5 Best quarter acre of turnips, - - - 10 2nd best do do - - - 5 Best quarter acre of sweet potatoes, - - 10 2nd best do do - - - 5 Best half acre of tobacco, - - - - 10 2nd best do 5 Competitors for premiums for the above agricultu- ral productions, must produce ^full statement of the mode of cultivation and the kind of seed used. The ground to be in one contiguous piece, to be measued by a Surveyor, with chain and compass, who shall make affidavit to the correctness of the measurement to fhe land cultivated. All of the corn competing for the five acre crop, and all of the corn competing for the one acre crop, must be shelled and measured between the Ist of De- cember and the 10th of January, and the number of bushels certified to by the affidavit of some other per- son who helped to shell and measure the same. The grain to be measured in a sealed half bushel, or measured by weight according to the standard. The exhibitor must also exhibit a sample of each crop not less than half a bushel, at the annual meet- ing in Harrisburg on the third Tuesday of January nex' . W^ See form i of affidavit in regulations. class'no. X. FRUIT AND FLOWERS. No. 29— FRUIT. Best and greatest number of choice yarieties of Ap- ples, 3 of each kind marked and labeled with the names, . - - - - $10 Second best do - ** liiif Wi I li TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF XIV APPENDIX APPENDIX XV Best and greatest number of choice varieties of Peaches, 3 of each variety, with the name, Second best do Best 5 varieties of Pears, named and labelled, Second best do - - - - Best collection of Apples, Best collection of Peaches, Best collection of Pears, Best collection of Plums, Best collection of Native Grapes, Best collection of Foreign Grapes, Best sample of Grape Training, Best peck of Apples, - - - 2nd do do , - 3rd do do - - - Best peck of Peaches, 2ttd do do - - - 3rd do do - - Best peck Plums, . - - 2nd do do - - - 10 6 5 3 Silver Medal Silv3r Medal Silver Medal Silver Medal Silver Medal Silver Medal Silver Medal • $3 2 1 3 2 1 3 . - 2 1 - - 3 2 1 Second best do - - - - , Greatest variety of Verbenas, - - . Second greatest do - - - , Best 10 varieties of do - Second best do - - - . Best collection of German Asters, Second best do do - - - Best and greatest variety of Pansies, Best collection of Greenhouse plants owned by one person, ------ 3rd do do - - - - Best r eck Pears, - - - - 2nd do do - - - - 3rd do do . - . - Best German Prunes, Best dozen Apples, . • - Best " Peaches, - - - - Best " Pears, - - - - Best " Plums, - - - - Best " Quinces, - - - 2nd best " - . - - Best Water Melons, • - - 2nd best do - - - - - Best Musk Melons. - - - 2nd best do - - - - - Best Citron Melons, - - - 2nd best do . - - - - Best peck Cranberries, domestic culture, 2nd best do do Best home made sparkling "Wine, 2nd best do do Best home made Wine, 2nd best do do Best home made Cordial, 2nd best do do - - Best bottle Cider, with mode of curing so as to keep sweet one year, - - Silver Medal The fruit exhibited not to be removed until the close of the Exhibition, and particular care is reques- ted to be observed by the Superintendents that the same is not injured. No. 30.— FLOWERS, PLANTS AND DESIGNS. Silver Medal - $2 2 2 2 2 1 6 3 . . 6 3 5 3 3 2 Silver Medal $3 3 2 3 2 Best di8j:^lay, 2nd best do - - - 3rd do - - - Greatest variety of Dahlias, Second greatest do Greatest varietv of Roses, Second greatest do Best variety of Phloxes, Silver Medal Silver Cup, value $10 - Bronze Medal " - - $3 ... 2 ■ • • 3 2 - • • 3 do do Second best Best floral Ornament, - - - . Second best do ... Best hand Boquet, Flat, . - - Second best do do - - - Best hand Boquet, Rounds . - - Second best do do - - - ■ Best basket Boquet, - - - - For the most beautifully arranged basket of Flowers, ------ CLASS W XI. 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 20 10 10 6 3 2 8 2 5 5 6 STOVES, SILVES^WABE, GLASS AND GLASS-WAfiE, CUTLERY AND BBITANNIA. No. 31— STOVES. Best Cooking Stove for coal, 2nd best do do Best Cooking Stove for wood fire, 2nd best do do Best Cooking Range for families, 2nd best do do - - - Best Furnace or other apparatus for warming houses, economy of construction and con- sumption of fuel, and security of premises, Silver Medal - $5 Silver Medal 5 Silver Medal 5 Silver Medal 6 Silver Medal 5 S Iver Medal Silver Medal - 6 Silver Medal . - 5 5 - - 3 Silver Medal . - 5 to be taken in consideration, 2nd best do — Diploma Best Ornamental Parlor Stove, 2nd best do do Best Hall Stove, - - - - Best sample Hollow "Ware, 2nd best do - - - Best sample Iron Railing, 2nd best do - - - Best Arbor Seats, - - - 2nd best do - - - . - Best sample sculptured Marble, - 2nd best do do No. 32.— SILVER-WAReTgLASS AND GLASS- WARE, CUTLERY AND BRITANNIA. Best exhibition ot Silver Ware, Silver Medal 2nd best do I>iplo"^* Best exhibition of Table Cutlery, American Man- ufacture— Silver Medal. Second best do — Diploma. Best Pocket Cutlery, American manufacture- Silver Medal. Second best do — Diploma. .-* Best specimen of Silver Ware, with agricultural designs, suitable for premiums — Silver Medal. Second best do — Diploma. Best variety of Britannia Ware — Silver Medal. Best sample of Window Glass — Silver Medal. Seconl lest do do — Diploma. Best samples of Glassware — Silver Medal. Second best do — Diploma, CLASS NO. m BACON, HAMS, imTENTIONS MISCELLANEOITS AEH- CLES AND FARM BUILDINGS. No. 33.— BACON AND HAMS. For best 12 Hams cured by exhibitor. Second do do do - - 5 Third do do do - - - 3 Fourth do do do - - 2 All competitors for these premiums are required to have their Hams cooked and brought to the exhibi- tion with the skins on, and also to give a statement of the manner of curing. No. 34.— INVENTIONS. For best improvement for roofing houses, whether with wood, iron or other material — Silver Medal. Best lot of pressed Brick, - - - - $3 Best lot of water or sand moulded brick, - 3 For improvements in machinery useful to the far- mer, and having valuable properties, and not included under any head of any regular premiums, discretion- ary premiums will be awarded ; but no premium will be awarded upon articles which properly belong to any of tl)e previous classes. Under this general head, premiums will be award- ed upon articles of ingenuity, usefulness and merit, which may be exhibited, which are not provided for in the foregoing list of premiums. Any articles deemed worthy, manufactured of iron, metal, brass, leather, india-rubber, and articles composed of cloth, fur hats, caps, umbrellas, &c., cash premiums and di- plomas may be awarded to. No. 35.— MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES AND FINE ARTS. For best specimens ol Daguerreotypes — Silver MedaL 2nd best do do — Diploma. Best specimen of Cattle Drawing — Silver MedaL 2nd best do do — Diploma. Best specimen of animal painting in oil — Silver Medal. 2nd best do do do —Diploma. Best specimen of Dentistry — Silver Medal. 2nd best do — Diploma. Best specimens of Animal Lithographing — Silver Medal. 2nd best Diplo No. 36.— FARM"bUILDINGS. Best plan of Farm Buildings with description thereof to be approved by the Committee, $30 2nd best do 20 -»•»- In order to encourage the raising and feeding prof- itable cattle for Beef and to promote a supply of well fed Meats and Poultry for market, the following premiums will be awarded for animals and articles to be exhibited at the Annual Meeting of the Society at Harrisburg, on the third Tuesday of January next, the exhibition to commence the day previous to the meeting. No. 37.— FAT STOCK. 5 fat bullocks owned and fed by the exhib itor, fat Steer not over 5 years old, 2nd best do do - - . 3rd best do do - - - - Best fat Steer not over 3 years old, 2nd best do do - - , - 3rd best do do - - . ^estfatCow 2ndbestdo 3rd best do ^est fat Heifer, 2»ddo do \^^^ do ^est fat sheep, 10 ^^do do 8 ^'^do do 5 No. 38.— DRESSED MEATS AND POULTRY. $50 20 15 10 20 15 10 20 15 10 20 15 10 Best carcase of sheep, • - - - 2nd best do do - - - - 3rd best do do Best dre&sed hog, weighing not less than 300 lbs. 2nd best do ----- - Best dressed side of Beef, - - - 2nd best do ----- - Best pair dressed Turkeys, - - - 2nd do do do - - - Best do do Geese, - - - - 2nd do do do - - - - Best do do Ducks, - - - - 2nd do do do . . - Best do do Capons, - - - - 2nd do do do - - - Best do do Chickens, - . - 2nd do do do - - - 3rd do do do - - - - $8 4 2 5 10 5 3 2 2 1 2 1 3 2 3 2 1 Proper arrangements will be made for the exhibi- tion of the animals and articles, and care will be ta- ken to provide the necessary shelter for them. Animals exhibited under the head of Fat Stock must be fed as well as owned by the Exhibitor. THE END. iii . / (r TIGHT BINDING TEXT CUT OFF u iml i v% i VOLUME 5. PHILADELPHIA, JULY, 1865. NUMBER 7. For the Farm Journal. AdaptatiOfi of the Lands of New Jersey for Agricultural Purposes. BT HON. WILLIAM PAERY, CINNAMINSON, N. J. Respected Friend, E. C. Brewster ;— Thy favor was duly received, relating to the agricultural conditions of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and stating that the following assertions had been made, viz: "The State of "Pennsylvania is a better agricultural State than the "State of New Jersey, even on an average being taken "as to size ;" and requesting an answer, giving my views on that subject, with which it affords me pleasure to comply. Each State possesses some advantages not enjoyed by the other, which may be readily pointed out, but to sum up the whole and strike a true balance is a different matter. The land in the northern part of New Jersey is of much the same character and quality as in Pennsylva- nia; the same range of mountains extending through each State, with this difference in favor of New Jersey, its location being between Pennsylvania and New York it is that much nearer the best market, and about as well supplied with railroads as Pennsylvania. The geographical position of New Jersey, with refer- ence to agriculture, has no rival ; lying between the two commercial emporiums and near the largest manufac- turing districts in the Union, nearly surrounded by the P'eat waters connecting us with other continents, well supplied with rivers, creeks, and smaller streams, pene- trating throughout the interior, many of them naviga- Ws, on which the gentle ebb of tide carries the products <>fthe soil, lumber, grain, and staple articles, to mar- '^et, and the returning flood brings back merchandise »nd manure to supply the farmers' wants, which gives to ^ew Jersey great natural advantages so far as relates to carrying agricultural crops to market, but since the in- troauction of railroads, water communication has become ^ess important. Sections of country that could not be applied with water conveyance may now be better ac- commodated without it. 00 far as internal improvements and liberal legislation cjn foster agriculture by facilitating the transportation 0" crops from distant parts to market, and carrying back ertilizing materials to enrich the soil, thereby placing to support agricultural crops, for where that deficiency is found in Jersey land, it is fully compensated by the greater ease with which it is worked. The following statement of the crops and value of land, taken from the Census Report, will serve to show the present agricultural conditions of each State. Pennsylvania in size and population is about five times as great as New Jersey, and has more than six times as many acres of farm land improved. State of Pennsylvania, "Sew Jersey. Value per acre of farm land, $27 $43 Average number acres In each fann, 117 llff " value of each farm, $3,197 $6,030 Bushels of wheat, 15,367,691 1,601,190 AvoraKe per acre, 15 11 Bushels of rye, 4,800,160 1,265,578 Average per acre, 14 8 Indian com, 19335,214 8,769.704 Average per acre, 20 SS Oats, 20,641,819 3,063,621 Average per acre, 22 36 Value of orchard products. $723,389 $607,268 Average for each farm. $5 $476,^ Products of market gardens, $688,714 Bushels potatoes. Value of^poultry, 6,032.904 3,715,261 $686,801 $336,963 the remote portions of the State nearly on an equality th the frontier farms, Pennsylvania has the advantage, ore on account of the course pursued in relation to "»e construction of railroads than from strength of soil It will be seen by the above that the preference is in favor of New Jersey, except for winter grain, which, previous to the present high prices, had been considered of secondary importance in those sections having conve- nient access to market, and was sown to occupy the ground during the time intervening between a crop of vegetables and the succeeding crop of grass; frequently three crops, commencing with peas, then melons or cu- cumbers, followed with turnips, worth several crops of wheat, are taken from the same ground in one summer before seeding it with wheat, which is the hist work be- fore the frost closes operations in the fall. Wheat sown in proper season, I think, will yield as much per acre in New Jersey as in Pennsylvania, for the premium crops in Burlington county, N. J., have for several years past averaged more than thirty bushels per acre, and as high ^ as forty have been raised. The taxes in Pennsylvania press heavily on the agri- cultural interest, while in New Jersey they are compara- tively light. The value of land for agricultural purposes does not entirely depend on the amount of produce that can be grown per acre, but in a great degree upon the facilities for transporting the crops to market ; for the cost of transportation must first be paid, as well as of tillage and manure, before the farmer gets any profit; and those States in which enterprising men enjoy the right to build highways on which to carry their produce wherever the public good requires, will, other things be- ing equal, surpass those where this right is denied. m 194 THE FARM JOURNAL. [July I In this respect Pennsylvania has the advantage as an agricultural State, for, under the operation of a General Railroad Law, men of capital may build railroads where they will best promote the general good, by making compensation for all damages sustained by reason of their construction. This inftRtinuible privilege, so reasonable in itself, is not enjoyed in New Jersey ; and the railroads that have heretofore been built were located without reference to the agricultural interest, and hence the southern half of the State, embracing over two millions of acres, admira- bly adapted by nature to agricultural purposes, and far surpassing the northern half, which more resembles Pennsylvania land, remains unsupplied, having but one railroad south of the Camden and Amboy Company's roads. The people of South and West Jersey have supplicated a number of years for permission to build a railroad through their own fertile land, to carry their crops to market, and offered to make compensation for all dam- ages that would be sustained thereby ; but all in vain. In consequence thereof but a small part of New Jersey is yet available for agricultural purposes. Of over five millions of acres of land there are less than two millions improved. Hundreds and thousands of acres of fertile land easily tilled, which by means of a railroad would be within one hour's ride of Philadelphia or New York, now remain uncultivated, and can be purchased for a less sum than the same land will rent for annually when supplied with railroads. This land is mostly of a sandy loam on the surface, easily •worked at all seasons of the year, either wet or dry, when clear of frost. Its free and mellow nature allows the surplus rains to pass readily from the surface without injuring the crops, and yet it is so retentive of moisture as seldom to suffer of drouth, which renders it more cer- tain for an average crop during a series of years than loamy land of a stronger quality, and being underlaid with a subsoil of clay and gravel which retains manure and moisture for the support of agricultural crops, plants and fruit trees, accounts for the celebrity to which New Jersey has attained for the production of choice fruits. I have seen the premium pears of Burlington co., N. J., bring at public sale four dollars per dozen, and was cred- ibly informed that the same pears were sold at an ice cream saloon on Chesnut St, Philadelphia, at one dollar each. Extensive deposits of marl varying from five to twenty feet in depth are distributed throughout New Jersey, more than enough to enrich the whole State and furnish a liberal supply to Pennsylvania, when we get railroads on which to carry it. This valuable manure in its natural state, is well adapted to all kinds of crops, and especially so for pro- moting the growth of potatoes, white clover and other grasses, and far surpasses the Apothecary's Patent Fer- tilizer. Our most successful potato growers use marl liberally, and some of them plant from fifty to one hundred and twenty acres each of a season, and raise a better crop of large sized, smooth and handsome Irish potatoes, free from prongs or knots than could be, by the use of any other manure or fertilizer known to the public without marl. 1865.] THE FARM JOURNAL. tleman of this city, as to the comparative agricultural . resources of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Jt was con- In the vicinity of the marl districts, the custom haa ■ ^^^ed to refer the matter to a committee of which Will- become general to follow the whole crop of corn with po. \ ,^ p^^^y ^^s one, for examination, and we cheerfully tatoes, to the almost entire exclusion of oats and barley; . pi^^e to the article in the Farm Journal. A large and hundreds and thousands of horses and mules are J^j^ber of our subscribers reside in New Jersey, and it annually employed hauhng marl into those sectioni, ,„ ^^^jlv less interesting to us in Pennsvlvania than to where the people are not allowed to build railroads to ! ^hem, to know that her size being considered, she isal- carry it. The sweet potatoes raised in New Jersey exceed by ten times in quantity, and are of much better quality than those grown in Pennsylvania, and their culture is rapidly increasing ; many farmers plant of a season from fifty to two hundred thousand hills each ; they do not require strong, rich land but yield a better crop in loose sandy soil, and in ordinary seasons yield about one hundred dollars worth per acre. A neighbor of mine a few days since informed me that owning to the high price obtained, his crop of sweet potatoes last year yielded him three hundred dollars per acre. I consider the character and location of New Jersey soil more favorable for agricultural purposes than that of Pennsylvania, and when supplied with railroads vill be the garden for raising early vegetables and fruits for the large commercial cities and manufacturing districts by which it is surrounded. Then will the real worth of land in New Jersey for ag- ricultural purposes become so manifest, as to give it t greater preference over that of Pennsylvania than whtt was exhibited in the last census report, by which it ap- pears that the value of farm land in New Jersey is sixty per cent., or three fifths higher than in Pennsylvania; this difference now exists notwithstanding New Jersey is under an influence that prevents the construction of rail- roads through the best agricultural districts, and mainly on account of the natural advantages, for the people still use the same modes of conveyance that were employed by the ancients before the superiority of locomotives was known. The land compared with that of Pennsylvania, is easier tilled, equally productive, less liable to suffer from sud- den changes of wet and dry, imbibes more freely the sun and dew to favor the growth of early fruits and vegeta- bles, and ripen them sooner for market, which gives* larger return to the husbandman. ready in advance of her sister states in some important staples. In another part of our paper we copy some ad- ditional statistics from the last census, appended to the pamphlet premium list of the New Jersey State Society for present year. We have been surprised to find the value of farm land per acre in New Jersey, rated in the census above both Pennsylvania and New York. Sye Grass. J. L. Darlington Esq. : — In the May number of the Farm Journal you ask for further information from me on the subject of Rye-grass. Should you think the fol- lowing observations worth inserting they are at your service. When a resident in England, I several times saw Ital- ian Rye-grass growing, and once from necessity grew it myself, but can say little if any thing in its favor. It is of a very coarse quality and in my opinion only usable in its green state when not more than three quarters grown. I believe the late Duke of Portland tried it, as well as all the other varieties under the irrigation system, but gave it up, and continued the best kinds of English. Allow me at this point to call the attention of those gen- tlemen who take an interest in agricultural pursuits, to the system of irrigation, and should they at any time go to England and wish to see it carried out in a perfect and successful manner, to make a special visit to the meadows of the Duke of Portland, at Clipstone, near Mansfield, Notinghamshire. I mention these meadows because I have no doubt many have sites in this country M well adapted for irrigation as these are. I will now go back to the chief subject of this article. I have not the least hesitation in saying that the Ital- ian Rye grass is nearly if not quite as great an exhauster of soil as Timothy, besides which, it leaves a root which It is scarcely possible to get clear of again. I have also Nature has been bountiful indeed, but in order to enjoy ^^t little if any doubts that it is the wild variety from the full benefit of her advantages. New Jersey must keep which all those named as English have been propagated, pace with other states and allow her citizens to buil One who is fully conversant with botany, could, I pre- railroads through the agricultural districts to develop gnme decide that point, and also whether the Ray-grass their resources. The general railroad laws adopted m , spoken of in the American Agriculturist, is not this vari- Pennsylvania and elsewhere are favorable for F^J^^^^^ ^^ ^it;h the name changed to Rye. It posseses many of the objectionable qualities that are mentioned as belong- H to the orchard grass of this country. As I have never turned my attention to practical agri- c^ture in this country, having chiefly led a city life, I wn not aware that I have ever seen a specimen of the <>«5hard grass spokon of. Perhaps some of your nume- ^^^8 readers would kindly send a few stems with roots agricultural interest, while the railroad monopoly in New Jersey is against it. . • + . With sentiments of regard and a desire that this inter- esting and important subject may claim a deeper hold od the public mind than heretofore, that whatever obstruc ions are found to prevent the advancement of agricul may be removed thereby benefiting the whole commumty. as all other trades and professions are greatly dependen attached, to your office for inspection. elicited for their success on its develop ement. The foregoing interesting communication was as we understand, by a discussion between the person whom it is addressed, E. C. Brewster, and another g The growing of grasses of the best varieties is of such portance that no pains or expense ought to be spared ^ ascertain which are the best. As to the comparative value of the Italian and English, I can only say, I would never grow the Italian if any other could be procured. It was by a partial failure of a plant of clover, and that so late in the season, that English was not to be had without sending to a great distance, and every day I lost being of great moment, that I very unwillingly sowed the Italian, and greatly to there was, and I was left with a crop little better than wheat straw. Had it not been a fine season for securing it, it would have been worse and fit for nothing except bedding, and that of a very bad description. At any time I would rather have good Oat or Barley straw than the best secured Italian Rye-grass. Had I been fortunate enough to have got English I should have saved my clo- ver and had a very large quantity of superior hay. If I were so situated again, although it might be at a season when some other crop would have to be neglected for a few days, I would sacrifice what clover remained, and plough the land, and sow either Tares or a good variety of Pea. This would leave the land in an ameliorate condition and fit for growing a fine crop of wheat. I am certain it would repay, gentlemen, to encourage the importation of all the varieties of English Rye-grass, and give them a fair trial so as to ascertain which is the one best adapted to this climate. Do not let that extraordinary statement made at one of Mr. Mechi's, agricultural dinners (in England) by a Mr. Cird, and commented upon in the May number of the Journal, induce any one to try the Italian Rye-grass. I will let the twenty tons per acre, be it grass or hay, answer for itself, but must inform those who are igno- rant of the fact, that the Scotch acre is one fourth larger than either the English or American. There is one other statement made by the same gentleman which I cannot let pass; and that is where he mentions that it was *'cut ten times from March to December." I think any gen- tleman who is in the least conversant with the climate of Scotland will agree with me, that there could be but little got from the mowings that took place in the months of November and December, and also that the ''humid climate of Scotland" must have been a great preventa- tive to its being made into hay that cattle would eat. I also think two or more of the first cuttings, even if abun- dant, would be exposed to the same fate as those of the months of November and December. The experiments that are being constantly made upon the *'Tiptree Farm" (as Mr. Mechi pleases to call his property) and the good dinners given by that gentleman, are the source of startling statements as to what is, and can be produced per acre. It is very rarely that three crops of hay are secured in a season in the south of Eng- land, where they have many more bright and clear days than in Scotland. Yours truly, JOHN WM. GIBBONS. Philadelphia, June 11th, 1865- -«•»- For the Farm Journal. Intellectual Improvement of Farmers. The winter is past and the vernal sun is again shed- ding his balmy influence over the hill, the valley and the lawn ; the feathered songsters are now cheering us with their notes of thanksgiving, and the groves are becomiiig redolent with the foliage and flowers already bursting into life. , / ^ i mm n f\ TIGHT BINDING 196 THE FARM JOURNAL. CJ^wf 1865.] Thus pass the seasons away, calm follows the hurri- cane and sunshine succeeds the blackened sky. This is the order of nature, and ordered by nature's God, and therefore must be right. Nor is this state of things con- fined to the works of the Divine Architect as applied to the material world — and he must be an inattentive obser- ver of the times, who does not see the same vicissitudes in the affairs of man — for awhile the smiles of fortun? seem to attend his every movement — does he invest his money in houses and lands; they rapidly increase in value — does he engage in mercantile pursuits ; his busi- ness is equally prosperous ; and even should he purchase stocks, they shortly double his investment, when, Nebu- chadnezzar like he exclaims, ''see what my skill and wis- dom has produced." But the top of the ladder is reached, many of his stocks become worthless, and the balance yields him little interest; his goods are sold to the dis- tant merchant who unable to collect his debts cannot possibly meet his engagements ; and even his real estate after paying the increased taxes with diminished rates affords him but a trifling income. But this is all right, and man in his free agency is per- mitted to work out his own cure ; he now sees that every good and perfect gift comes from above ; that his ingrat- itude is justly punished ; and even those who have inno- cently become the dupes of the speculator, readily ac- knowledge that all is right. For while they would be unwilling that any of the human family should suffer from want of the necessaries of life, they are quite free that many of the luxuries should be withdrawn ; while they wish none to exert themselves beyond their ability, they believe it right for all to be actively employed ; and they feel fully assured that by exercising what the Ger- mans call the Vier Haupt Tugender (the four cardinal virtues) Temperance, Justice, Prudence and Fortitude, with a perfect reliance on the goodness of an overruling Providence, that all things needful will be added. While I have given a rapid sketch of the thickly popu- lated part of the community, there is a class, the very bone and sinew of every country, who, moving in an humble sphere have passed unscathed by the whirlwinds which have prostrated so many in the higher walks of life. This class is, "The Cultivator of the Soil," and to these I would now address a few remarks. While the world is dependent upon us for the very food which sus- tains them, let us not boast of our independence, for they also furnish us with many of the comforts of life ; there- fore a reciprocity of favors contributes to the happiness of the whole. Rut let us not rest satisfied with our profession as we find it, but each one endeavor to add something to its improvement; and to do this we must read, think and work. I hear some of you say *'what time have we to read?" Our daily avocations continue till night, and then we want rest and sleep. But stop my friend, for he who labors from five till eleven and from one till seven in summer, can very well spare himself two hours at noon for reading and rest (unless some emergency press him,) and the winter affords him much precious time. But books are expensive ! True, it would require a considerable sum to buy all that might be wanted, but to avoid this let us establish libraries in every neighborhood, of weU selected works, a part of which should be on Ge- ology, Mineralogy, Entomology, Chemistry, Agriculture, Horticulture, together with the best periodicals of Uk day, both foreign and domestic, which would give us aH ihQ improvements that are annually made not only in our own country, but throughout the world. And as to the strange prejudice that exists in some sections of the country against book-farming, as it is called, I would have you discard it at once; as well might the hardy mariner have rejected the introduction of the compass in navigation, declaring himself satisfied to do as his fore. fathers had done; or the ancient scribes have rejected thj use of the type in expediting the circulation of knowl- edge over the world. That we are not bound to believe all that we see in print is very true ; and here comes in the exercise of the second requisite in the improvement of our profession; we must think for ourselves, but before we can think correctly we must have ihQ facts collected, "for how can we reason but from what we know." Therefore if we lay down something like the following rule, which I think guided the great Newton in his re- searches after truth, we shall seldom be deceived in our conclusions, viz., "no more causes of natural things ought to be admitted than are true and sufficient to ex- plain the phenomena — therefore effects of the same kind will always be produced by the same causes." M. B. S. Philadelphia 6th mo. 21. 1865. Native Oaks. For the Farm Journal. Mr. J. L. Darlington : — I observe in the April Na of the Farm Journal, an article on our native oaks; and as you request some of your readers to send you the measurement of any unusually large oak trees in their neighborhood, I have now growing on a wood lot on my farm in Springfield township, an oak, a swamp oak, thil measures twenty feet in circumference around the trunk at the height of two and a half feet above ground, and is upwards of eighty-five feet in height. It is a beautifiil i straight bodied tree with but a small top ; several of the largest limbs have been broken off a number of years ago, and it is sending out a fine new growth of limhe, commencing some forty-five feet above ground. It tf growing on a kind of bottom soil ; the timber in the neighborhood immediately around, is not so unusually, large, but is composedof almost every variety, white oal;, red oak, elm, hickory, poplar, white ash, chesnut, maple- cucumber, sassafras, dogwood, wild plum, spice-wood, grape-vine, and linn-wood. Yours, with respect, Mercer, Pa., April, 17th, 1866. J. A. NELSON. Agricultural Periodicals for Premiums. We observe, that the Ohio State Board of agriculturj have resolved to distribute four hundred copies of tW two Agricultural papers, published in that State, to co» petitors at the next State Fair. This is a wise liberaUt|| and shows a proper appreciation of the great benefits agriculture, by the circulation of such periodicals. »»• can hardly hope for such action on the part of our Sta Society or its Executive Committee, and yet we belw there is no plan, by which they could accomplish much good throughout the State, with so small an o ay. The Farm Journal is now in its fifth volume, »»• THE FARM JOURNAL. 197 we believe has aided very materially to awaken a spirit of improvement among the farmers in Pennsylvania, irhere it has its chief circulation, and has been no inef- ficient ac^unct to the efforts of the State Society. It has however received no assistance from the latter, and has had to rely on its own efforts and resources. We have never //UsAetf our own claims, but still believe if the State Society were to subscribe for, and circulate one thousand copies annually, it wonld be the means of disseminating much good, and redound to its own advantage. There is no State in the Union in which agricultural papers, are so poorly supported as in Pennsylvania. -■■■ ' <•*■ Ground Pood for Stock. Few persons seem to be aware of the importance of grinding every variety of grain before feeding it to ani- mals. In fattening any kind of animals, it is all impor- tant. There is no animal's stomach that can digest any variety of grain with a cortical covering. All animals that swallow a single kernel without crushing, void it whole ; and what is singular, after passing the ordeal of the gastric juice, the heat and digestive organs of the stomach and tlie whole intestinal canal, the seed will still germinate and grow. Horned cattle are not careful chewers of their food, as they depend upon rumination to comminute their food properly, in which grain, meal and roots, are never brought up to undergo that process. The hog is a notorious gormandizer, and scarcely chews atall;and it is said that of three hogs confined in a nar- row stall, and only the first one fed what com he can eat, the middle one will fatten fastest, and the last one keep in good order. The horse masticates better, but age and hard fare often disable him from performing such duty as is required to render his food fit to produce the nutriment it contains. The stomach is a macerating vessel where all the food is intended to be dissolved, and its nutritious parts to be taken up and carried to the blood, to be distribu- ted and deposited on all the tissues. The period that all particles take in dissolving, is exactly in proportion to their bulk. A cube of salt or of loaf sugar, if divi- ded m two, will dissolve in water in half the time it would whole ; as will metals in acids, or ice in the sun In every point of view, therefore, either for profitable expenditure or speedy fattening of animals the grinding and comminuting the food has nearly one half the advan- tage over the ordinary process ; and, if cooked, saves the stomach and its complicated organs and nerves, the ex- ertion of cooking it there— as cooked, it has to be, before <"gestion. It is the opinion of close observers that fully one half the expense of sustaining and fattening is saved. In feeding horses and cattle, for simply carrying them "^ough the winter, if what grain they are entitled to was ground and the hay or straw cut, mixed and proper- y moistened, the saving would amount to quite an item pvery inch of hay or straw will be eaten and nothing 08t. Two-thirds the quantity now fed in racks for the Ofses to pull under their feet, and that fed to cattle on e ground, and trodden down and spoiled, would suffice ^ carry stock through the winter. But habit is every- ^g; it is stronger than the ties of family affection, the ?ood-^ill and confidence of the world, or the hope of sal- tation, as is evinced by the inebriate— and it holds good in all the duties and actions of life. If we had been ha- bituated from our youth to cut, cook and prepare food for our valuable animals, the most beneficent gifts of the Creator, should we not look with astonishment at the practice of waste and mismanagement now in general use ! In England, where necessity teaches people wisdom— where ten to twenty dollars rent is paid for an acre of land— they manage things differently. In that country, where the best work horses in the world are kept and the fattest animals are sent to market, every particle of food is cut and ground; and horse's food often baked into loaves. Their experience has settled the most economical process and necessity enforces it. Our whole system of feeding is wrong. The under-cover stall feeding is the only true one, both as respects the saving of provender, the com- fort of the animals, and the value of the manure.— J?w- ral New Yorker. -••»- An Experiment in Soiling Cattle. I very much regret that, in reply to your inquiries, relative to my experiments in soiling stock, I am not able to give you a more detailed and satisfactory state- ment, yet the little experience which I thus far have, has been so satisfactory to myself, that it is most cheer- fully communicated, in the hope that others may be in- duced to give it a trial, for I am aware that any particu- lar process in farming, to be generally valuable, must stand the test of repeated trials, made under the vari- ous circumstances which modify the results in different regions. During the summer of 1854, my stock on my home farm, consisted of a span of horses, one yoke of oxen, a three year old short horn bull, fifteen cows and twelve calves. As I wished to break up the greater part of my old pasture, and could not well appropriate other lands to that purpose I resolved to make up the deficiency by feeding in the stable all except what they could graze upon a six acre lot of old pasture. For this purpose I sowed four acres of corn in drills, three bushels to the acre ; part of it as early as the seed would come, and all before the first of June. The land was in good condition, having been plowed deep and well manured; and if cured, the yield would pro- bably have been from four to six tons to the acre. In addition to this, before the corn was fit to cut, a little less than two acres of clover was fed green to the stock, making in all say twelve acres of land, upon which the above stock was well summered, and in fact were in much better order in the fall than most herds in this region in consequence of the short feed occasioned by the severe drouth. The teams and bull were constantly stabled, and re- ceived dry hay till the first week in June, when they were put upon green cut clover ; but to prevent their scouring, as well as the cows, when first put upon it, a small portion of dry hay was mixed with the green clo- ver for a few days, when it was gradually abandoned. During the flush of feed in May and June, the cows grazed a large portion of their food from the six acres of pasture, the deficiency being made up in dry hay the clover came. , / 7, I till TIGHT BINDING liJllH I t«^ 198 THE FARM JOURNAL. [Jw« Perhaps it required two weeks longer keep in the opring on hay, than if the cows had been turned upon an abundant pasture. They were stabled nights, being put up before milking, and not turned out till after milk- ing the next morning, and received evening and morning as much clover as they would eat, till about the 10th of Auguatj when the first sowed com had got its growth, and could be cut without loss. Upon this they were fed till near the first of December, when the corn raised on the four acres was gone. That portion of it standing when frost came, was cut and cured in small bundles set up in shocks, upon which the cattle fed nearly as well as when green. The corn sowed was the common yellow, but this spring I am going to sow sweet corn, which I am sure will pro- duce a heavier growth, and much better quality. The cows thus fed, gave a larger quantity of milk than they have ever done upon pasture alone, and did not shrink it, in the fall, from the drcnth as if pastured. This was very favorable to my calves, with my mode of rear- ing them, which is upon skimmed milk and buttermilk with a little meal in it, which they receive as long as the cows give milk in the winter ; for the amount of milk for them did not diminish as it would, had the cows been pastured alone, and shrunk of their milk in the latter part of summer. My cows are of the largest class, being thorough bred and grade short horns, none of them less than fifteen- sixteenths Durham, and would require as much feed as any class of cows. The only drawback is the labor required to feed and care for the cows. This will amount to about two hours extra labor per day, say $1.00 a week, or $30.00 for seven months. But this is much more than compensated in the greater amount and better quality of the manure made and saved in this way. for cow's manure, dropped about a pasture in summer, spoils nearly as much grass the first year, unless it is taken up and carted oflF, as it augments the growth the next year. In order not to mislead any one, it should be added that to feed so many cattle from so small an amount of land, it must be in a good condition, rich enough to yield at least three tons of hay or a hundred bushels of corn to the acre. Respectfully yours, Alpheus MorsCj in the Country Oentleman, Corn and Cob Meal for horses. One of the editors of the Michigan Farmer has been experimenting on corn and cob meal, as horse feed, for a couple of months, exclusively, and with the following results. After one month's feeding, febrile symptoms were occasionally observed in one of the horses, such as short and quick breathing &c. On stating the case to Dr. Dadd, the skillful veterinary surgeon of Boston, it elicited the following valuable letter. The importance of occasional change of food which it recommends, is not sufficiently attended to by our farm- ers in feeding their stock, *'As regards your horse, I would (if he is no better) change the diet immediately. He is probably suffering from acute, or perhaps chronic indigestion, which is very apt to occur in animals when kept too long on one kind of diet. No facts in dietetics is better established than that ofl the impossibility of long sustaining health, or even lift on one kind of diet. It fails to support nutrition. (S^ Liebig and Carpenter.) The animals experimented up. on, after a certain length of time, seemed willing to endure starvation rather than live on one kind of diet As regards the adult horse, however, he will exist for somi time on highly nutritious articles, such as oats, barley, com meal, &c., but they finally induce febrile disasMi such as Zammt^w (inflammation of the foot,) rheumau n, founder, &c. They do not require so much of the flesh- making principle as the young and growing animal, whicli not only requires sufficient carbon in the form of food to renovate the tissues, but also enough for growth and development. The adult, however, requires a greater variety of food than the latter, to support the integrity of his organiza- tion, consequently as you have fed your horse on com ani cob meal all winter^ there may be a disproportion between the amount of carbon, (in the form of food,) and the ox- ygen respired, hence his digestion must be deranged, or carbon, in the form of fat, is deposited in the variom tissues. A fat horse, of course you are aware, is not the one for fast work nor fatigue, and, the emaciated excepte ■ Osage Orange Trees. Mr. H. P. Byram, the editor of the Louisville Journal, writes to that paper from Dayton, Ohio, under date of September 9th, 1854 : Li the vicinity of this city I saw some of the most per- fect specimens of the Osage Orange that I have ever be- fore met with — more perfect, indeed, than I supposed nature could produce, even with all the aid that art and industry could lend her. The plants seem to withstand the blighting eflfects of this unusually dry season, better than any other species of vegetation. The leaves still present the most rich glossy green that characterizes this plant in our most favorable seasons. From a somewhat extensive acquaintance with the character of the Osage Orange plant, I have often pro- nounced it the hedge plant of America, but I had no idea of the degree of perfection to which I find it susceptible of being trained in the hedge. The oldest of the hedges here now is about four years. It is four feet high, and three feet broad at the base, and as dense, compact and uniform from the ground to the top, as if it had been moulded by hand from some plastic material. My atten- dant remarked that is was "so close at the bottom that a snake could not find its way through it." There were several other specimens in the same vicinity, from one to two years old, all presenting the same beautiful appear- ance. The great and only secret in producing this living American prairie fence is, clean culture for four pears, and a relentless, unsparing shearing, from the period of setting the plants to the end of four years, and then to maintain it in its proper form by semi-annual clippings. «•» A Mode of Repelling the Apple Tree Borer. I have suffered from the effects of the "Apple Borer," having lost some seventy beautiful trees during the space of three years. I made use of all the preventives sug- gested by others that I could get hold of, but all to no purpose. I came to the conclusion four years since, that the tree must oe protected by a covering in order to pre- vent the little animal from making a deposit. My pro- cess was this, and so far successful to the extent of the covering. Early in May, which is the proper time for this region, I examined every tree, and if nits or grubs were there, I followed them with a knife and removed them. I lifted the earth from the collar or base of the tree to the depth of two or three inches, and made use of worn wool bags, of little value, for wrappers which, when cut into strips, are very convenient. I commenced two inches below the surface and wound the extent of two feet, giving the tree two thicknesses of sacking and securing the same with slender twine. I then replaced the earth, and the work was done for the season. It is necessary to loosen the sacking or coverinsr earb in May every succeeding year, and wrap the tree agiun as above stated. When the animal is prevented from piercing between "wind and water," its favorite haunt, it examines for some vulnerable point, but his depreda- tion above the protection, with me, has been exceedingly rare, and when committed, easily detected. Should it be necessary, it is an easy matter to wrap the tree to and around the forks, as there is nothing effectual short of a complete protection. Since pursuing the above course, I have not lost cm tree that was not too far gone to recover, and no new tfo- posits under the covering has come to my notice. Wm. McKiB, Salem, N. Y. — Horticulturist. «•» Horticultural Novelty. The agricultural branch of the Patent Office has taken steps to procure seeds of the bunya-bunya, a tree of the fir genus, which grows in Australia, and bears a cone nearly two feet in diameter, filled with seed of the size of an olive, and of flavor more rich and delicate than that of the pine apple. There have recently been imported from France the cuttings of several varieties of the prune, which hare been distributed by the Department in Maine, New Hamp- shire, Vermont, Northern New York,. Michigan, Wiscon- sin, Minnesota, and several points on the Allegheny mountains, to be engrafted on the common plum tree. 4^ 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. 201 Coarse furs — such as bear and buffalo skins — may be preserved by beating them well in the spring, and head- ing them up in an air tight spirit cask, which had been recently emptied. Especial care must always be taken to have furs, woolens, &c., clean and free from insects when put up for the season — and no means are adequate uot cleansed of the natural grease. — A Troy Furrier. ««>^ ^ Turnip Seed from the Patent Office. We have received for distribution, by the politeness of Dr. Elwyn, several packages of turnip seed forwarded to him from the Patent Ofl&ce ; and also a large package of the same kind of seeds from the Commissioner of Pa- tents, which we will take great pleasure in distributing to our friends who may apply while the stock holds out. We copy in this connection the circular of Mr. Mason, Commissioner of Patents, and a list of the varieties : MODE OF CONDUCTINQ THE EXPERIMENTS. I frost. A careful estimate of the quantity of roots and tops raised on a given space of ground may then be made by measurement or weight, which, together with other circumstances connected with their growth, may be en- tered in a tabular form, and returned to this Office by mail. CHARLES MASON Commtssioner. Names op Vabieties:— No. 1 Skirving's Swedish Tur- nip, 2 River's Stubble Swedish Turnip, 3 Laing's Swedish Turnip, 4 Green-topped Swedish Turnip, 6 Ball's Hybrid Turnip, 6 Green-topped Six-weeks Turnip, 7 Snow Ball Turnip, 8 Strap-leaved Turnip, 9 Small Yellow Malta Turnip, 10 White Globe or Norfolk White Turnip, 11 Green Round or Norfolk Green Turnip, 12 Green Globe or Green Norfolk Turnip, 18 Golden Ball Turnip, 14 Red Globe or Norfolk Red Turnip, 16 White Tankard or De- canter Turnip, 16 Green Tankard or Decanter Turnip, 17 Yellow Tankard or Decanter Turnip, 18 Red Tankard or Decanter Turnip, 19 Green- topped Scotch Turnip, 20 1. The varieties known as Swedes or Ruta-Bagas may Purple-topped Scotch Turnip, 21 Skirving's Purple-top- be sown or planted in drills or ridges twenty-five inches ped Scotch Turnip, 22 Early Stone or Stubble Stone apart, and a foot asunder along the drills, in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachussts, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Min- nesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Washington Territory, and Oregon, from the middle of June to the 20th of July ; in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Vir- ginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiania, Illinois, and Missouri, from the 20th of July to th| 1st of August; in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiania, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, and California, from the 1st of August to the 20th of September ; and even later in the more southern States. The ground should be rich, dry, and well prepared, and the plants hoed at least twice in the course of the season. 2. The other varieties of seed may be sown broadcast, in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Wis- consin, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Washington Keeping Furs in Summer. About the 1st of April, or on the approach of warm weather, lightly whip, comb and brush your furs till they are perfectly free from dust, sprinkle them with a littlfl spirits of any kind and wrap them in clean linen. Pot _ _ „ them in a tight box or drawer, and keep the air from Territory, and Oregon, from the ISth of Jidy to the°lst them as much as possible. In this situation they may ^ August; in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, remain ten or fifteen days, when they ought to be exwa- Majyi^nd, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, laiiania, Illinois, ined and the whipping, combing and brushing repeated. ^^ Missouri, from the 1st to the 20th of August; in The insects most destructive to furs, are, first, the | ^^^^^ Carolma, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala- black bug which infests smoked meats, &c. It appeal bama Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiania, Tex- and deposits eggs early in the spring. This kindw ^^ ^^^ Mexico, Utah, and California, from the 1st of moth does not eat the fur, but preys altogether onti»« Octobor to the last of November, and in the more south- skin. Next, the small ash colored miller, which proa* ^ States, any time during the winter. The land most soitable should be a light sandy or gravelly loam, freshly ces the moth that destroys all kinds of woolen stufE^i and may be seen hovering about the candle on a som- mer evening. This kind particularly preys upon and de- stroys the furs, and ought to be most guarded against, also the mite, which are very numerous. They appeal like dust, and are scarcely perceptible to the naked eye. They subsist upon and destroy the fibrous membrane which attaches the fur to the skin. Hence the practice of sunning and airing furs is highly prejudicial, for as in- sects fly about in the air, it not only affords them an op- portunity of getting in and breeding, but the warmth oi the sun nourishes and supports them, and at the saDi^ time spoils the color and destroys the life and beauty the fur. of niMmred, if necessary, with well rotted farmyard dung, w "folded" or '^yarded" by cattle or sheep, or by the ^dition of guano, bonedust, or by superphosphate of June. Land newly cleared or burnt over, or old pasture ground ploughed two or three times in the course of the summer, and the latter fertilized by wood ashes, will of- ^ produce an excellent yield. The sowing should al- ways be done if possible just before a rain; for the escape from the fly and the success of the crop depends in a great measure upon the quick germination and a rapid Powth at first. The crops in no instance should be harvested until after ^6 general fall of the leaf, or the occurence of a heavy Turnip, 23 Yellow Stone Turnip, 24 Red-topped Stone Turnip, 26 White Dutch Turnip, 26 Yellow Dutch Tup- nip. «»> Exhibition of the United States Agricultural Society. In our last number, we inadvertently committed an error in stating that the Exhibition of the above Society was to be held this season at Camden, and in connection with the New Jersey State Exhibition. The mistake occurred by some one calling in our ab- sence, and leaving a note on our desk, to that effect, for publication. We understand it is yet doubtful if the United States Society hold an exhibition any where this season. ••• To Bestroy Bed Ants. A correspondent of the Southern Cultivator contrib- utes the following method for destroying the above named insects: — Procure a large sponge, wash it well; press it very dry ; by so doing it will leave the small cells open — lay it on the shelf where they are most troublesome, sprinkle some fine white sugar on the sponge (lightly over it) ; two or three times a day, take a bucket of hot water to where the sponge is, carefully drop the sponge in the scalding water, and you will slay them by the thousands, and soon rid the house of these troublesome insects. When you squeeze the sponge, you will be as- tonished at the number that had gone in the cells." <•» Acid Phosphate of Lime. It is some years since this salt was proposed as a ma- nure, and repeated trials since that time have fully dem- onstrated its eflficiency. The simplest method of prepar- ing it is as follows : Bones are thrown into heaps, where they soften by fermentation. They are then cov- ered with half their weight of water in wood or stone vats, and half their weight of oil of vitriol added. The whole passes into a pasty state in the course of eight or ten days, when it is mixed with earth, charcoal, or saw- dust, to render it pulverulent. If it be required to apply the salt in a fluid state to land, the paste is diluted with 100-200 times its bulk of water. 4 t •r I MS THE FARM JOURNAI.. 1 i [JuiT I Deep Tillage. Deep plowing turns the drought itself to good account, and renders mulching and irrigation comparatively useless, or, if used, more efficacious. During a dry spell and in trenched ground, roots strike deeper in search of food and moisture, become more extensively ramified, and sooner find the rich loam and manure intermingled deeply with the soil, xuu luacuiug process, as ii is caiiea, is reversea, ana takes place upwards more than at any other time, or, in more scientific phrase, capillary attraction is increased. As each particle of moisture is evaporated from the surface, it is succeeded by another, and the whole soil is filled with the asoended moisture and gases, which are appropiated by the numerous rootlets as they have need. The wet season is also a blessing to the deep cultivator. The more rain, the more heat, ammonia, carbonic acid, and cither organic elements are left in the soil as it descends. As each drop filters through, it is succeeded by another, or by air, both essential to vegetation^ and to dissolve, act on, or combine with, the inorganic elements of the soil. As the water drains off", air is sure to follow, and this is the proper mode of its circulation. Each is also generally at a higher temperature than the undrained land, and the warmth of the nnder soil is therefore relatively increased. The farmer often objects to this waste of water, and would retain it for a dry time ! The trenched and porous soil holds water like a sponge, notwithstanding the drainage. It retains or can command enough for the wants of vegetation. But let us see the operation on the undrained land. The farmer often speaks of his "cold wet land." No va- riety of soil, in any location, is, of itself, colder than another. The very water which trenching, draining, Ac, allow to pass off after imparting its virtues to the soil, if retained on or near the surface by hard impervious sub -soil, becomes itself by its changes, the source of the coldness complained of. Instead of running off, it evaporates, and by this process abstracts a great quantity of heat from the soil and surround- ing atmosphere. The evaporation of a pound of water re- quires about 1000 degrees of heat; some authors stating it less and others more. Or it reduces 100 pounds of air 45°. This ifi reversing the experiment of Prof. Johnson, in Espy*s "Book of Storms." where he says, "a pound of vapor** con- densed to water ''would heat 100 pounds of air about 45°. Thg ground to a considerable depth is warmer, by many de- grees, where the rain is drained off, instead of being allowed to accumulate and evaporate. Hence this enormous loss of an invaluable stimulus to vegetation. This chilling and deadly process of evaporation is going on to excess from the time frost comes out of the ground in the spring, till freezing again occurs. At this period, the undrained land, having the most water to freeze, becomes the warmest, say in December, when of no value to vegeta- tion, but rather an injury. For once, forsooth, the undrained land is warmer than the drained! But for this excess of heat in winter, this kind of land must pay dearly in early spring. How is all this? inquires the farmer. Simply be- cause water, in congealing to either ice or snow, has its ca- pacity for heat lessened about one-ninth, and this excess is given off to surrounding bodies ; or, in other words, its latent heat is set free. On the other hand, ice, or frost as it is called in the ground, in melting, demands back this same heat, at the rate of from one-eighth to one -ninth of 1000° for every pound melted ,* and under the surface it does not obtain all this directly from the sun, but through the soil; therefore the more water the colder and longer cold will be the land in gpring. Now let the agriculturist go to work and make this "cold, wet, heavy land" of his^ the very best he has for any product, tre<*s, vegetables, grains, or grasses. — JDr, Kelly, Trapping Ombs and Cat Worms. A writer over the signature of C. Q. in the May No. of the Mich. Farmer, relates his success in preventing the dep. redations of these pests of the farmer by a new and very i^, genious invention of his own. As neither fall-plowing nor any other generally known method is much to be relied upon, probably many may be induced to try this newly pro. posed uietaoa. xi xOuuu &5 aUCCesSiui as \j. v^. represontl it, we shall be happy to make a report thereof, and to be the organ through which those who may find it useful shall send a vote of thanks to the original inventor. Last spring, says C. Q., "I tried an experiment with the "varmints,** which I will relate for the benefit of whom it may concern.'* He planted his corn on a clover-sod plowed in spring. While planting he found plenty of the small grubs. The corn was planted about the 20th of May, andw soon as it came up they commenced their mischief. Enow. ing no reliable or certain way of saving the corn, he conclu- ded to trap them. For this purpose he took a round stick, 3 or 4 feet long and about 2 inches in diameter, and making one end sharp, and taking two rows at a time, he made from two to four holes, 4 or 5 inches deep in or close by every hill. After fixing several rows in this way he waited to see the result. On examination he found that almost every hole had one or more worms in it. In one hole he counted m many as six. He then went over the whole field in the same way, and the result was that hardly a hill of com was de* stroyed after the holes were made, while his neighbor's com just over the fence, which was on ground plowed very early, was more than half cut off by the worms. "It might be supposed,'* says C. Q., "that when the fellows fell into the traps they would bore into the side and escape; but on watching them I found they would try to climb up the side, but the sides being smooth they always fell back again, when about 24 hours of sunshine and starvation would put an end to them. They usually commit their depredation in the night, and while crawling around to find the corn they tumble in.** An additional recommendation of this method is, that the birds will not pull up the corn, when they find plenty of grub already provided for them. C. Q. states farther, that a portion of this field of com looked green, and flourished luxuriantly, while another por- tion looked pale and yellow. To the former he had applied (a table-spoonful to each hill) a mixture of 2 parts lime with 3 parts of ashes. The latter had no such application.- Country Gentleman, -•••- Millet Coltnre. In 1851 1 had a dairy of forty -five cows, and having been obliged the year before to buy most of my fodder for a dairy of about the same number, I cast about to see if I could not find something that I could raise in the place of hay that 1 could keep my cows on, and keep them in a good condition, and at the same time get a good supply of milk from theft for market (as milk dairying was my business). I so^*^ com and found it an excellent substitute j but to keep » many cows on it required too much labor, and after nu winter it became too dry and harsh, and did not give vm^ milk. In *51, I sowed four acres of millet (four quarts pei acre) the 16th of June, and had as much fodder as from any eight acres of grass that year— and it was a good year vit hay. I have raised from four to eight acres every y«*' since, and have invariably had good crops of not only fod or hay, or straw equal to as many tuns of the best timo 1 hay, but from twenty to thirty bushels of seed to the acre, equal to as many bushels of corn to feed to any kind of ^ mestio animals. I feed most of my seed, after paving ground, to milch cows, preferring it to Indian meal, as ma*' 1866.] THE FARM JOURNAL, SOS ing more milk and of as rich quality. The last season I had six acres of millet which has been worth more than $50 per acre, or $300 for the six acres. I have fed thirty-five cows on the straw since the 25th of January, and have enough left to last until the 1st of May^ and got 120 bushels of seed from the lot. The ripest of the seed, some sixty bushels, I have sold for seed, and the balance I am now feeding my I horses, and find they do as well on the meal put on cut hay and straw as they did when I fed an equal quantity of corn ' and oat-meal. Now for the manner of raising it; I have raised it on ' green sward, turned over at my convenience any time in the fall or in the spring up to the time of sowing j I then har- row until mellow, then put on from twelve to eighteen quarts of seed per acre, and as much fine manure as I can spare, from five to fifteen good wagon loads per acre, and sow about the middle of June, and I am sure to have double the amount of hay that the same land in similar condition would produce in meadow. It will stand the drouth better than any other crop I ever raised; in fact, it wants hot, dry weather for it to grow in; if it is moist enough for it to to come up, there is but little danger, as the last two years have proved. After the seed is sown and well dragged or cultivated, the ground should be well rolled, as we get a good deal of dry weather about that time, and if not rolled it may be too dry for the seed to grow; but after it is once op, I think there is but little danger of a failure of a crop. The time of cutting that I have practised is, as soon as I get through with my oats — say the last of August, or when about half of the heads have seed matured enough to grow. The stalk will be green and full of juice. I cradle it, let it lay one or two days to wilt, and stack it up as I do oats, put on a cap, and let it cure in the stack; it will then be as bright as the best toppings of corn, and any animal will eat it as readily as any other forage. — T. B. Shepard, in Gen- me Farmer, «•» ^ Plea for the Birdi. The Norwich Examiner, in a notice of Hovey*s Magazine for February, says : ''Wilson Flagg continues his plea for the birds and cer- tainly makes out a very plausible argument for the crows and blackbirds, which have been too long put under ban by the sapient legislatives of New England. It is among our earliest recollections, living in the family of a Justice of the Peace, that the farmers* boys brought young crows by the basketful, to receive the bounty upon them. The cry of these poor birdlings, just taken from their nests in the deep forests, and with the down of infancy upon their half covered «kius, haunted our boyish imagination for months after the acrifice. It seemed a most inhuman butchery. The boun- oes so thinned out the crows, and insects increased to such w extent, that some of the States were obliged to offer counter rewards for the protection of the crows. "The red wing crow and blackbirds live to a great extent upon grub-worms, caterpillars and other larvae — the silent, hut deadly enemy of all vegetation, and whose secret and insidious attacks are more to be dreaded than the combined mischief of all the feathered tribes put together. It is re- ported that when the locusts had been accidentally intro- duced into the isle of Bourbon, and had spread so as to de- stroy vegetation, a few grackles introduced from India soon "JiQltiplied so as to exterminate them. The wood-peckers *na the night-hawks are also shown to be very useful birds. Who would grudge the common robin his feast of cher- ^% or the blackbird his grains of corn, if he were at once <^nvinced that the services of these birds, and others, are from famine. They are profitable servants, who glean a tribute from our orchards and cornfields, as the wages of their labor; and if we could make an exact estimate of the amount of service they perform, we should find them abundantly worthy of their hire. If the poor bird who is outlawed for a little mischief he is supposed to do, should present his bill containing an enumeration in figures of the amount of grubs and insects he had destroyed, we should probably be startled at our own indebtedness, and be willing to pay him more liberally than he pays himself, for the continuance of his services.** «•>. Save Your Plums Now. We begin to think this can be done without Mr. Matthewa, if not with him. We were yesterday on the grounds of one of our best horticulturists, and saw the application, and have some faith in its success. Our friend thinks there is no chance for mistake about its eflScacy. He informed us that he applied it last year, after the curculio had begun its rav- ages, and that it not only saved those which were unstung, but many of the plums on which the insect had left his card, healed and ripened well. The liquid enters the opened wound and destroys the egg. This is the only remedy he has ever found to avail against this slippery enemy of one of our best fruits. His recipe is — One peck of unslacked lime, six pounds of salt, one barrel of water. The mixture is to be applied with a common garden syringe. If one ap- plication is not sufficient, repeat it. A single application answered with him last year No time is to be lost, as the young plums are already set, and the enemy has begun to show himself. If a syringe is not to be had, sprinkle on the liquid in some other way. The mixture is cheap and easily applied, and every man who has a plum tree should try it. This is the most philosoph- ical remedy we have yet seen suggested, and we commend it with more confidence than most new things to the notice of fruit growers. If it answers our expectations, it will be worth millions to the country. Plums can be grown on loose, sandy loams as well as on clay soils, to which they have hitherto been mainly confined, on account of the rava- ges of this insect. The cultivation of this fruit may be in- definitely extended, and we may make our own dried plums instead of importing them from France. Those who have Mr. Matthews' remedy in keeping should hurry up their secret, or they will be too late for the fair. — American Agriculturist. «» Hay for Cows in Summer. An observing intelligent and successful farmer informs us that he is in the practice of feeding his cows with hay in summer, particularly if the season is such as to afford flush pastures. His reasoning is that a full, rapid and vigorous growth of grass gives to cattle that feed upon it, a desire for something to absorb the excess of the juice in their food. Dry hay they devour greedily, and though in ever so small quantities, evidently with the most beneficial effects. Every farmer must have observed that in dry seasons, horses, cattle and sheep, keep in good condition upon herbage parched and apparently scant, while in wet seasons, in tall pastures, though always full, the process of fattening with them was slow. Dry fodder in such cases is required to give substance and tenacity to the green, and can be profitably used by feeding it to horses and cattle. — Newburgh Telegraph. We clip the above from the Rural New Yorker, and do not remember ever to have seen or heard the observation before about dry hay in summer for stock. It strikes us thero n , ._ is sound philosophy in the theory. We have often noticed *1 that can save our crops from destruction, and the world ' our cows eating dry herbage in the midst of plentiful pasture^ TIGHT BINDING fi04 THE FARM JOURNAL. Uvvt m .A I m i but the reason why, never occurred to us. This is one of the cases, where a practical hint of much value may be gleaned by the farmer from his agricultural paper. 4*» Why there is no Rain in Peru. In Peru, South America, rain is unknown. The coast of Peru is within the region of perpetual south-east trade winds. *-*---'0— »— ~ — w« » . AWAii MsAvxvo CUV vu l/uo VOIKO WJ. VUO JClCni/ South Sea boiler, yet it never rains there. The reason is plain. The southeast trade winds in the Atlantic ocean first Btrike the water on the coast of Africa. Travelling to the northwest, they blow obliquely across the ocean until they reach the coast of Brazil. By this time they are heavily laden with vapor, which they continue to bear along across the continent, depositing it as they go, and supplying with it the sources of the Rio de la Plata and the southern tribu- taries of the Amazon. Finally they reach the snorw capped Andes, and here is wrung from them the last particle of moisture that that very low temperature can extract. Reach- ing the summit of that range, they now tumble down as cool and dry winds on the Pacific slopes beyond. Meeting with no evaporating surface, and with no temperature colder than that to which they were subjected on the mountain tops, they reach the ocean before they become charged with fresh vapor, and before, therefore, they have any which the Peru- vian climate can extract. Thus we see how the top of the Andes become the reservoir frota which are supplied the rivers of Chili and Peru.— [Lieut. Maury's Geography of the Sea. . «*»^ The Late Thomas Bates of EngUnd. The fact is, that he possessed that intuitive genius, with- out which no man can hope to rise above a bungler in the difficult art of breeding. With this he united long experi- ence, and a degree of enthusiasm which no difficulties could repress, no failures could daunt. He loved his cattle for their own sake, not for the money he might happen to make by them; above all, he never forgot the character of the ani- mal he was dealing with. He insisted on a cow being a cow, and not a mere oblong box of fat. Hence the charm of his herd, of which every individual has a character which when once studied will never be forgotten. Hence he did not, as some breeders do, neglect the milking qualities of his favor- ites, for he well knew that a first rate animal may both milk and feed. From my own experience, I find the cows of Mr. Bates' blood the best thrivers on hard keep and in an exposed situ- ation I ever possessed. The popular notion that highbred animals are tenderer than mongrels is a mistake, arising in great measure from the injudicious nursing they too fre- quently receive. I never pamper my short-horns, and, there- fore, when removed from my farm it would be difficult to find a situation on which they would not thrive, or food on which they would not keep their condition.— Willoughhi/ Wood, in Agricultural Gazette. 4«» How to Prevent Weevil. We are informed by Mr. Chamberlain, of the City Mill, that the farmers of Vermont are in the habit of heading the movements of the weevil, by a simple process. The next season after it makes its appearance, they go through their wheat fields, about the time the wheat is heading, immedi- ately after a shower or while the dew is on it, and scatter newly slacked lime broad cast, so that it will adhere to the heads and stems of the grain. They use about a bushel to the acre. Good lime should be secured, and slacked by sprinkling a littJe water over it »o as to retain all its strength. A paddle may be used in scattering it The remedy has, it is said, been so effectually tried, as to leave no doubt of the result. Strips in large wheat fields left untouched by the lime, for experiment, have been entirely destroyed by the weevil, while the grain on each side was all saved. Since this intelligence was received, Mr. Jesse Allen of the Centre Mill, has received corroborating information from a Muskingum county farmer, who had seen the same pme- tice and the same results there. — Akron Beacon, 4#» . A Speculator Cured. Once on a time a country Dutchman early one morning went to town, where by chance he overheard some traden telling each other how much money they had made tha morning by speculation; one of them had made $100, |200 $600, Ac. Han's bump of inquisitiveness was so excited that he, without any reflection, forthwith concluded to leave his former business, which was labor, and try his hand at speculation, and on his return home made known his inten- tions to his faithful vrow. Early next morning he gathered his wallet containing his funds, amounting to five dollars, and off he goes post haste and half bent to look up a Bpec- ulation. He had not proceeded far when he met a wagoner, and accosted him thus : "Good morning, Mr. Wagoner, I wants to speculate i leetle dish morning wid you.*' "Well, say," said the wtg. oner, 'Oiow do you want to speculate ?" "Well," says the Dutchman, "I will bet fife dollars you can't guess what my dog's name ish." "Call him up till I look at him;" rojoined the wagoner. Dutchman — "H-er-e Va-tch, he-re Wa-teh, he-re Va-tch," the wagoner eyes him for a moment and said, "I guess his name is Watch." Butchmanr—"0 besure, Mr. Wagoner, you has won him, de monish is yours," and Han's returned to his old occupation perfectly satisfied. «•» 1855.] THE FARM JOURNAL. Oreat Tield of Cucumbers. Mr. Daniel Morse, of Lockport, N. Y., writes to the South- em Farmer as follows : For the benefit of your readers, I give you the production of eight hills of cucumbers, planted in my garden last spring. The manner of planting was taken from one of the agricul- tural journals. Having fully prepared a good garden soil by repeated spadings, I placed barrels at a distance each way of eight feet, and about six inches in the ground. The barrels were then filled with barnyard manure, and seeds previously soaked for 24 hours planted around, and about four inches from the barrels. After the plants made their appearance, and when there had been no rain during the day, two pails of water were put on the manure in each barrel every night, which found its way through holes bored in the lower head. About four plants were left to each of the eight barrels. The end of each vine was pinched off just before fruiting. Now for the result and number of each picking. Ist gathering 70 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th u t( tt (( it a (( (I .122 ..131 ..160 .145 ..172 .179 .186 .252 .276 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20 th gathering 247 ^ - ^ 387 it if a (t it a it tt it Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The stated meeting of this association was held on Tues- day evening, at Concert Hall. The plants and flowers were of great beauty and the display charming. The following premiums were awarded. By the Committee on Plants and Flowers — Glorianiag, eight plants, eight varieties — for the best to Thomas Robert- Alexander Burnett, gardener to A. P. M'Kean. Fuchsias, 8 plants, 8 varieties — for the best to Thos. Robertson, gar- dener to B. A. Fahenstockj for the second best to Mark * Hill, gardener to M. W. Baldwin; for the third best to Jno. Pollock, gardener to Jas. Bundas. Lilies, 3 plants — for the best to Robt. Buist. Carnation, for best American seedling to H. A. Dreer. Herbaceous cut flowers, for the best to T. Meehan. Collection of 12 plants, for the best to Robt. Buist; for the second best to Thomas Robertson, gardener to B. A. Fahnestock. Collection of six plants, for the best to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to John Lambert. Specimen Plant, for the best Medinilla-tnagniflca, to Thomas Robertson, gar- dener to B. A. Fahnestock; for the second best, the Rhucos- permum jasminoides, to Robert Buist. New Plants, for Fuch- sia Duchess of Lancaster, $2 to Thos. Robertson, gardener to B. A. Fahnestock. Table Design, for the second best to A. L. Felton. Basket of Cut Flowers, for the best to Jerome GraflF, gardener to C. Cope; for the second best to J. J. Habermehl, gardener to J. Lambert; of indigenous flowers, to Thos. Meehan. Bouquets — For the beist to H. A. Dreer; for the second best to Jerome Graff, gardener to C. Cope. SpecialPremiums, $3 to John Pollock, gardener to James Dundas, for Seedling Gloxinias ; $3 fcr Orchids,