588 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 10 



It is estimated by the committee, that the ordi- 

 nary-performance of this machine is from ten to 

 twelve acres per day; alihougli tliey fully believe, 

 that, on an emerorency, ii could accoinpli^h ivvice 

 this amount of work. In confirmation of ihis, they 

 would state, that it cut, on (his occasion, six hnn- 

 dred and thirty square yards m two niinulcs, doiuir 

 its work in the most perfect manner. It requires 

 from six to fen persons, accordini^ to the state of 

 the crop, to bind up or remove the orrain as fast as 

 cut, which it is necessary should be done to pre- 

 vent it i'rom being crushed by the horses and 

 wheels of the machme, on the succeedinff ihrouirh. 

 The machine is not liable to iret easibly^out of or- 

 der ; and the cutters, although they are very rea- 

 dily sharpened, seldom require it, as more' than 

 one hundred acres of grain, according to the state- 

 ment of Mr. Hussey, had been cut'by those at- 

 tached to this machine, prior to the presentoccasion. 

 Upon the whole, the machine did its work re- 

 markably well, whsreit was possible for any thing 

 except the naked scythe to penetrate — and" so fa'T 

 as the cotiimiitee could perceive, to the entire satis- 

 faction of a number of intelligent larmers present 

 on the occasion, most of whom were, at first, not 

 a little skeptical of its utility. 



Your committee would say, in conclusion, that 

 they believe the reaping machine of Mr. Hussey, 

 (0 be an advantageous substitute lor the present 

 mode of cutting grain on large firms, or where 

 two or three adjoining larmers of tlie ordinary 

 amount of land in this vicinity unite in using it — 

 the price of one being one hundred and tifiy dol- 

 lars. We would tlierelbre recommend it to the 

 attention ol" this society, and the agricultural com- 

 munity generally, K. Smith, 

 John Fox, 

 Jacob Shallcross, 

 P. R. Freas. 



mme was mature full three 

 novv here is a liiir case lor 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 

 THE MATURING OF CORN HASTENED BY EAR- 

 LY CEASING TO CULTIVATE THE GROWING 

 CROP. 



I avail myself of a rainy hour to return your 

 philosophical correspondent, Senex, my hearty 

 thanks lor his very beautiful explanation of the 

 manner of the acting of plaster of paris upon limed 

 land; time may prove him right in his speculations, 

 but right or wrong, I thank him. The man who 

 cultivates his racionating faculty has always 

 been more in request than he who cultivates that 

 of discrimination. Without much care .^or the 

 philosophy of this mailer, it is my purpose to push 

 the lacts to all useful extent. I think that it was 

 that singular, yet great man, Napoleon, who said 



common cultivator, and once cleaned with the hoe 

 around the plants. Upon the ICth of Jime, I with- 

 drew the labor of ciiliivation to the harvest field, 

 and was unable afterwards to pass my horses 

 through the rows without breaking ofl' the shoots. 

 Upon the 10th of Ausust it was ready to be strip- 

 [led of tops and (odder. Now my immediate 

 neighbors planted at the same time, and ploughed 

 their corn (iiiir times; 

 weeks before theirs ; 

 philosophy. 



I am now burning shells for the second applica- 

 tion to my (iillow of 60 bushels per acre, the first 

 having been made three years since. Clover seed 

 is lor the greater part a failure, owinc I presume 

 to the cloudy wet weather. This will compel me 

 to take successive crops from the same land ; an 

 odious practice, except in the mouniains and upon 

 their best land. 



I have stated the ficts having relation to my 

 corn crop, believing that the saving of three weeks 

 in the cultivation is a matter worthy of notice. 

 My obliging friend Senex may be able to account 

 philosophically fjr the rapid' maturation of the 

 crop. If time be money, not less than $100 was 

 saved in the cultivation of the crop, and I entertain 

 the belief that the crop has been made without 

 injury to the land ; that is, that a summer fiillow 

 would have been as injurious as my crop of corn 

 or more so. What should be done with weeds 

 from two to four il-et hiirh, covering all my wheat 

 stubble? Nature's course is onwa7d; are they the 

 means she uses for that purpose under the influ- 

 ence of lime ? 



A Fairfax Cultivator, 



We presume the weeds which have succeeded 

 the growth of wheat, are annuals, (as carrot weed, 

 crop-grass, &c.,) which will not appear next year, 

 and keep the land foul, but will yield their place 

 to some other crop in nature's manuring rotation. 

 Nothing is required but to let them alone, and they 

 will serve to lop-dress, and enrich the land; and 

 first to protect and next to manure the next year's 

 clover, if clover be already sown, or if not, such 

 other crop, natural or artificial, as may succeed. 



Ed. F. R. 



ON THE VALUE OF SUN-FOWER 

 OIL. 



SEEDS FOR 



To tlie Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Athens, J/ugust 25th, 1839. 



,1 ,ur\ - - ,■ 1 ■ ,' . . Although a stranger to you, I take the liberty 



that "d he gave ear or one hour to the ph.Ioso- of addressing you, upon the subject of the sJ- 

 phers of Ins court, his dynasty would not last three \flower plant ; knowing that you take a deep inter 

 days." Perhapsawere ;jrac/ica/>mer has as est in any and every thino-connectec- 



little to expect from philosophy as Napoleon ; \u 

 practical life it is a great matter to think correctly; 

 but to apply those thoughts usefully, is not a mat- 

 ter of less importance. 



I have another curious fact to state in relation to 

 my corn crops. The land was turned witli a good 

 plough and two horses, then checked at right an- 

 gles, 4^ feet square, and planted from the 4th to the 

 iOth of April. It was then cultivated with the 



ry tiling connected with agricul- 

 ture, &c. For the last five years my attention 

 (mental I mean,) has been at times occupied on 

 the merits of this plant, as a valuable addition to, 

 if not a supersedent of our oils, now in general 

 and unavoidable use. I have used the term men- 

 tal, because I have expended much more of 

 thought than manual exercise upon the subject. 

 From the limited trials made, however, both in the 

 culture of the sun-flower, and the home-made ex- 



