THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



few suggestions as the result of my experience. 

 1 sowed a few acres with a view of ploughino- 

 it in as a o:reen crop Ibr the benefit of the soil, bu^t 

 was templed, by its luxuriant appearance and a 

 scarcity of other provender, to make use of it 

 for that purpose. The quantity of seed sown 

 was about 2 bushels per acre. Perhaps in a very 

 rich soil, the use of a smaller quantity of seed 

 might be attended with the objections named in 

 the remarks which follow the inquiries of your 

 correspondent, viz.—" the tendency of weeds to 

 check its growth." 



After the ground is well harrowed and sown, 

 I would recommend your correspondent to make 

 use of the cultivator to cover the seed— which by 

 the way I have found an excellent improvement 

 for covering seed wheat. The ground should 

 then be rolled smooth, which is all that is neces- 

 sary (o be done untH the time of harvesting ar- 

 rives. My crop was cut just at ihe time" the 

 grain began to harden— and the lower leaves of 

 the stalk were becoming shrivelled. The fodder 

 was suflered to lay on the ground Ibr a day or two 

 until the stalks had become sufficiently willed, to 

 be made use of as bajids (or tying the fodder in 

 smaZ/ sheaves ; after being bound the sheaves are 

 set up in small shocks of about one dozen sheaves 

 each, and capped by placing one sheaf on the top 

 as a crown to shelter the shock from rain. In 

 this state it remained until perfectly cured, when 

 It was carted off and stacked up in a convenient 

 place for feeding. I find this far superior to the 

 " whate straw" of our friend Paddy, for it don't 

 require any thing at all. JE. p^ 



P. S. With respect to the proper time of sow- 

 ing, I would suggest that the usual time of plant- 

 ing corn is the most fit season where the crop is 

 to be used as dry fodder. 

 ■Salt. Co., ^pril 21si, 1842, 



207 



THE FRUIT CURCULIO. FRENCH RECEIPTS 

 TO GUARD AGAINST THE BLACK WEEVIL. 



To tlie Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



Hillsborough, N. C, Jpril 8lh, 1842. 

 1 send you the following fact, in confirmation 

 01 the view you have taken of the application of 

 marl or shells to the soil around fruit trees. 1 see 

 that Mr. Downing, of Newburg, takes a similar 

 view of the matter, and recommends clay. 



Ihe fact to which I allude is this. A few 

 years since, while at the house of a very intelli- 

 gent farmer of Lincoln county in this state, 

 1 was forcibly struck with the lively and clean 

 appearance of his plum trees, which were then 

 loaded with fruit. On inquiring of his mode of 

 treatment, he remarked that the only secret in 

 the case was, to set them out by the road side, 

 {as his were) or along some path, where the 

 gr^ound would be trodden Jown as hard as pos- 

 it would appear therefore, that the rationale of 

 he thing is not to be sought in the shell marl or 

 in he clay but in having such a hard pan of 

 ear h around and under the trees, that the insects 

 wbich mfest them cannot get a lodging place in 



sfrSn'! ^"^J^*^^ reminds me of numerous receipts, 

 against various insects which are so troublesome 



to agricultural and domestic economy, that are 

 (ound in a French work, entitled "Secrets roncer- 

 nant les Arts et Meliers," published in 1790 in 

 lour volumes. In reading it over lately, it oc- 

 curred to me, that possibly some of ihe secrets 

 lor destroying insects might be valuable • and if 

 so, that I would be doing good service to 'furnish 

 them lor your paper. I have no means of know- 

 ing whether iheyare useful, and will therefore 

 send you a specimen, and let you judge for your- 

 sell. If you think them worth publishin^r, let me 

 know, and plenty more of the secrets "shall be 

 forthcoming. 



3Iode of protecting grain from ihe weevil and other 

 ■insects. 



Soak a woollen or linen cloth in water, and 

 I alter wringing it oui, spread it over your arain 

 I ln_two hours the weevils will be fbui^d attached 



Against weevils. 



I Take as much lie as is necessary for washin.^ 

 over your granary, in which boil a quantity of 

 ox-gall, (an excess need not be feared,) and wash 

 your granary wiih the mixture. 



■Another mode. 



Spread branches of ihe elder over your arain 

 heap, and the insect will retire to the walIs,1i-om 

 whence it will be easy to sweep them up and 

 burn them. To make the odor more efiective, 

 the leaves and branches may be bruised. 



j^nother. 



After the grain has been removed from the 

 granary, spread a large quantity of the branches 

 of the box over the fioor, and let them remain till 

 the grain is put in ; when they should be put 

 along the walls, partitions, joists, &c., as well as 

 j on and around the grain. 



jlnother. 



I Let your barn be emptied and swept, after 

 which let a flock of sheep lie in it fbr six weeks. 

 1 he odor of these animals will kill the weevils. 

 Should they make theii» appearance again, the 

 lollowing method should be adopted : 



Jlaother. 



Place in the middle of your barn, or granary, a 

 large iron pan of burning charcoal, closing the 

 doors and windows tightly. Cut three or four old 

 shoes into small bits and throw them upon the 

 fire, to which may be added the hoofs of horses, 

 iic. The fire should be kept up fbr three or four 

 hours. The strong odor of this smoke will in- 

 fallibly kill the weevil, &c. This process should 

 be repeated every year belbre housing your grain. 

 It also drives away rats and mice. 



[I think this process would be pretty sure to 

 kill men !] ' 



Another. 



Sprinkle the floors and walls of your granary 

 with a decoction of garlic, well steeped in a suf- 

 ficient quantity of salt water. The odor of this 

 is no sooner diffused thao the weevil dies or goes 

 away. 



