456 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 8 



The following notice is from the American 

 Farmer. 



"We learn from the Bufjle at Choslorlown, that 

 this machine was put in operation on ilie larm of 

 Judge Chambers near tlial place, and that it far 

 surpassed the expectations of all who witnessed it. 

 Judge Chambers has about 150 acres in wheat and 

 rye,lind the manner in which the fields so far 

 have been cut ilow'i is much superior to the ordi- 

 nary mode ofcradlinir; scarcely a siraw bei'.^g left 

 etatiiling. The machine keeps 6 binders hard at 

 work, even with the stoppages that are inci- 

 dentally required ; we suppose it could give em- 

 ployment to several more, without increasing the 

 speed, which, says the editor, when we saw it, was 

 a brisk walk, three nmles being hitched to it. This 

 machine we understand is warranted to cut 15 

 acres per day ; at that rate, it is more than equal 

 to six cradlers. Another thing which attracted 

 notice was the great regularity with which the 

 straw and grain were laid for the binders, no raking 

 with careful binders being required. Every per- 

 son who has seen this machine in operation has 

 been highly gratified with its performance — 

 among others, Judire T. B. Dorsey of Anue A- 

 rundel and John Glenn, Esq. of Baltimore, who 

 came over last week in the steam-boat VValcolt 

 lor the express purposeof witnessing its operation. 

 It is as much superior in the quantity and quality 

 of its work to the cradle, as the latter is to tiie old 

 fashioned reaping hook, and il answers equally 

 well in light grain or rank. 



The American says — "The patent reaping ma- 

 chine of Mr. Hussey has been used in various parts 

 of Maryland during the recent harvest, and has 

 been very generally and highly approved, as well 

 on account of the perfect and expeditious manner 

 in which it operates, as the saving of labor etfected 

 by il. Opinions are various as to the amount of 

 work which it performs in a day, some estimating 

 it as equivalent to six, and others to ten cradles. 

 The cost of the machine is i^l50.'' 



If this machine should prove to be, as we ear- 

 nestly hope it may, a very important benefit to 

 agriculture, the lacts of its early and general com- 

 mendation, and aflerwards, its long neglect, and 

 now its resuscitation and testing by fair and proper 

 trial, all go to show the great injury inflicted on 

 deserving inventors themselves, as well as on the 

 gulled public, by the puffing srjstem, which is in 

 such universal use in this country. Every now 

 invention or scheme, or publication, whatever niv, 

 be its degree of merit or demerit, is ushered Ibrih 

 with puffs upon puti's. Du|)es are made, and the 

 knaves, who puff and sell, profit at the expense of 

 the fools who believe and buy. And the more 

 discreet or cautious, who know the working of (he 

 puffing system, stand aloof, and trust as little to 

 true statements as to the false ; and the most excel- 

 lent and meritorious discovery consequently sufli?rs 

 the neglect, and its trial and introduction are op- 

 posed by the incredulity, with which the same class 

 would treat the "Chinese tree-corn;" and they 

 view the discoverer with suspicion, aiul deem him 

 as little worthy of irulli, us the noted introducer of 



that humbug, and of the notable plan of making 

 dupes for the sake of charity. By the way — tha 

 extensive sale of "Chinese corn" at 25 cents and 

 ipl the ear, must have made the charity fund of 

 considerable amount ; and it is time that Mr, 

 Thorbm-n should publish his report of the charita- 

 ble purposes to which this great harvest of profit 

 was to have been appropriated, according to his 

 promise. It is said that this small stock of miracu- 

 lous corn has proved to be as inexhaustible i.s the 

 widow's cruise of oil; and it may be safely admitted 

 that, whether it deserves, or not, the seller's recom- 

 mendation for extraordinary productiveness, while 

 growing, that no corn, before known, ever grew 

 so fast in quantity after it had been gathered and 

 offered for sale. 



QUERIES ON CIIIiVCU-BUG AND OAT-LAY. 



To tlie Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



Nanscmond Co., July lAih, 18.39. 



Will yon, or some of your many cornributors, 

 have the extreme kindness to inform a subscriber, 

 what course to pursue to rid himsell of the chinch- 

 hug? My crop is quite much inlesied with them, 

 and I fijar will he seriously injured; they (the 

 chinch-bugs) having been introduced on my fiirm 

 1 suspect by some seed wheat which I purchased 

 of a neighbor. Also the most speedy and eco- 

 nomical mode of resuscitating land which has been 

 over-dosed with marl; the idea has sugirested itself 

 to me that by turning in a green crop of oats would 

 be beneficial. 



What think you of an oat-lay as an improving 

 crop? the seed cost much less than any thing else 

 which we could seed the land in ; but the objec- 

 tions to it would be, that they would have to be 

 turned in during a very busy season, and the land 

 would be exposed to the sun until covered by a 

 crop of weeds; which might not be speedily ori 

 poor land. 



Any inlbrmation on the above subjects, would 

 mucli oblige your constant reader H. 



WlTCll GRASS* 



J/r. Editor. — Some of your correspondent;? 

 have been striving to rid themselves ;ind their 

 neighbors of that iroublesoiiie weed, witch grass. 

 Now 1 happen to know from experience one of 

 the easiest and most profitable methodsof destroy- 

 ing this grass. This ixrass will never increase in 

 pastures. It always finds its way into .^uch land 

 as has a warm light soil and is most cultivated. 

 Land abounding in this weed should be iinaiedi- 

 ately converted to a sheep pasture, and in a li;w 

 years il will be emirely eradicated. 



My lather once took a piece which was thickly 

 set wilh it, ploughed it late in June, sowed it with 

 winter rye and turned it into his sheep pasture. 



•* We believe that this is the New England name 

 lor what is called wire grass in \'ir;;inin, and couch 

 grass ill England. — Er. F. R. 



