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THIS FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



are thu cause ; tlii;}' ;u'e retractile at tlio will of theanimil, 

 and operate so as not to impede its onward progress ; but 

 when a portiou of its body is once extended, and has pene- 

 trated into the soil they keep it finuly fixed, whilst the remain- 

 ing part of it is drawn after by muscular coiitraction. Now, 

 is not this a simple but interesting feature in the anatomy 

 of the worm that should be knowu to ever}' one ? yet how- 

 few, even of the best educated, are aware of its existence I 

 How many an/^Iers, do you think, are there who handle 

 their poor victim as frequently as we do our pen, and are 

 yet unacquainted with this fact ? And as reirarda tlie fly : 

 you need not even quit your study or parlour to have an op- 

 portunity of witnessing a strange, and, to the masses, inex- 

 plicable pheuomenon connected with the insect — n»mely, 

 the mode in which it walks upon the ceiling with its feet 

 upwards, or jirogresses upon the smooth vertical pane of 

 glass in your parlour window, setting at defiance a well- 

 known law of gravit;ition. If you are not able to solve this 

 mj'stery, ask some friend who possesses a microscope to show 

 the foot of a fly under the instrument, and you will find 

 that at the extremity it is furnished with a pair of mem- 



braneoui discs, on which there are disposed countless minute 

 suckers, that operate upon the inverted ceiling or smooth- 

 glazed surface over which the fly is marching in the same 

 manner as did the leather sucker with which, as a school- 

 boy, you were wont to amuse yourself in lifting heavy stones 

 — thisis the simple but ertective apparatus which enables the 

 little creature to maiutain its hold with security in any po- 

 sition. Nay, you may even, whilst lounging lazily upon 

 your sofa, watch some little fly that has settled upon your 

 coat, and is busily engaged in removing the dust from its 

 wings; you will notice wiih what a facility it crosses its 

 hinder legs over tlie wings, or raises the latter gently from 

 benoutli ; and after having effected this cleansing operation, 

 then rubs one leg against the other, to remove any particles 

 of dust from those members also. But are you aware that 

 for this purpose its diminutive limbs are covered with num- 

 berless hairs, by means of which the insect is enabled as 

 eflicicntly to remove the dust from its wings or body as you 

 are from your treasured volumes or pictures with your ar- 

 tificial brush of similar materials.^ — Samuelson''s Humble 

 Creatures. 



AUTUMNAL CULTIVATION. 



Never in any previous yciir do we remember so fa- 

 vourable a season for the prosecution of autumnal cul- 

 tivation. The sun has daily shone forth with unusual 

 brilliancy ; we have had a clear blue sky, without a 

 cloud to intercept his rays, and the comet's influence 

 has assisted to increase the temperature, and to pro- 

 duce this splendid summer weather. It has been 

 glorious for enjoyment, and equally advantageous for 

 work; and we congratulate the agriculturists of the 

 kingdom upon the pi'omptness, the energy, and the 

 despatch with which they have availed themselves 

 of so good a chance to effect the invaluable autumn 

 fallow. 



We have never before seen so much land, in any 

 season of the year, under the culture of every kind 

 of effective grubbers ; " Coleman's," " Bentall's," 

 " Biddell's," skim-ploughs, and common ploughs, are 

 all ii) requisition; at every turn we observe the well- 

 broked, well-baked surface of the soil; whilst the smoke 

 ascending from many a field in the surrounding coun- 

 try shows plainly that bonfires of rubbish are burning, 

 to the summary destruction of the farmer's foe, and to 

 the riddance from the soil of many a robber weed. 



Upon thousands of acres we have seen autumnal 

 cultivation accomplished or progressing ; and so effec- 

 tive, in most instances, has been the combination of 

 man's skill and industry with nature's power, that 

 the scorching rays of the sun have not allowed a single 

 perennial weed to retain a remnant of even scmi- 

 vltality. So perfect has been the cleansing process, 

 and so thorough the work of entire destruction in 

 these cases, that couch-^irass and its many relatives and 

 neigiibours are withered, sercd, and dead. 



This is saying much, but facts arc stubborn things, 

 and at the June meeting of the London Farmers' Club, 

 in '57, it was well pointed out that autumn is decidedly 



the best season for a perfect fallow. Mr. Bond, then, 

 said — 



" It has been my experience that August and September 

 are by far the best months for the destruction of any amount 

 of weeds or rubbish. It is theu that the soil is peculiarly 

 dry after the hot mouth of July, aud alter the removal of the 

 wheat-crop. The suu's heat is excessive, tlie thcrraometer 

 often staudiiig for successive days at 85 aud 90 degrees ; the 

 Uican temperature also exceeds by 10 degs. the temperature 

 of the combiued months of March, April, May, and Juue, when 

 the clcaasing process is usually proceeded with, and iu 

 autumn the vitality of every plant is at very low ebb ; thus 

 the usual dr)ues3 of the soil, the extreme heat of the sun, the 

 high mean temperature of the atmosphere, and the expended 

 energies of the plants themselves — all favour the autumnal 

 work. With judicious mana<;cmeut the perennial weeds can- 

 not live through it, and I am couviuced more good cau be 

 done by one day's work in August or September than by five 

 days of hard labour in the spriug." 



The present year even more than verifies the sound 

 truthfulness of these remarks, and the general culture 

 over extended areas in the kingdom shows the appre- 

 ciation of the season and the system. The opportunity 

 has not been neglected; further, the thermometer 

 during the jiast month rose upwards of 100 degrees 

 in the sun. Mr. Bond also remarked — 



" Should we succeed in the economical application of 

 steam to field operations, as appears both probable and im- 

 mediate, it is in autunm cultivation that such an invaluable 

 adjunct as steam for a motive power would be of incalculable 

 service. But without this assistance I have always been 

 able, with the horse strength of the farm, to «lfan three- 

 fourths of the wheat stubbles for earlj' roots, aud the re- 

 mainder in the spring." 



Steam power is invaluable, but we do not at present 

 possess it to any extent for field culture ; notwithstand- 

 ing, we know of diflerent instances this year in wliich, 

 with the Iu)r.sc-power of the farm, the wholr fallow 

 :;hift has been perfected by autumnal cultivation. It 

 is a system of such intrinsic worth— embracing effi- 



