r AixiiLi • jKH-H B Ui ' Bi rt umaiiiiai^ ^^ 



60 



^lie iTarnur's jUjutl jlij iHsitor. 



BORF.BS-SOAP ?UDS ANdSuLPHUB TOKIIX. 



_Wr EMor: At llie agricultii.-M mwliiit,' al l he 

 Sua. Huu.e on Tur^day eve.,•M,^. U.st, mudet he 

 attetript to ad.l my i>'i'e to the acrmini ate.l .st. U 

 o I a Hi on "Fruil tn.'fs, lio.ers, &o.," ulien the 

 P J i,lenram,ounco.l .hut Mr. Karl had the lloor 

 and as it was qidte too h,te«hen he conch,de< 

 to punish the .neetin- with my •' experiences, 1 



take tlie lil.erty to punish you with them 



AhoMt twentv-r,ve years a-jo 1 set out an oi- 

 chard of ahoulone hundred and ht.y app e .rees_ 

 in a hard cravellv sod, rather inelunn- to c lay , 

 for ahout hl-teen years 1 Uept it constant ynmr 

 cultivation, well manure.l, and the trees floun- .- 

 ed eoverinj;- the <rround .o n.nch that it was e,y 

 ditVieull to plouj;h it. I then laid il down to ir,a>> 

 •o,n- or fWe years I iouud the trees he^an 

 to fail ; they did nut exhihit that dark green h h- 

 !,Jnlic-uive of vigorous health. I concluded 

 U^w vi ; to thelen.th of tin,e it had la,n >n 



"..rss and to renovate it, 1 ploughed .t as well as 

 1 conhl, and du;; around the trees. In tins pro- 

 Jess ve discovere.l that the borers Inul atlacke.l 

 almost every tree. As a re„>edy I look some 

 a,Ck"ittiujr nee.lles, and n.yself and hoys 

 Lnd.ed carefully for their holes, when by insert- 

 tt the nee.lles we put an end to hirther depre- 

 danons. (This answers every purpose, ami is 

 nmch better than a knife or chise .) I then had 

 e romd, hark scraped off, an.l the last ot May 

 the treJs were washed with stron.r soap suds and 

 sulphur, (2 quarts of soft soap, and i lb. ot sul- 

 „h n- to a bucket of water,) this operation was 

 ,.ain repeated in August and has been repeated 

 vearlv since. 1 have not been able to discover a 

 horer since the first apiilicalion, and my trees 

 flourish and bear fruit abundant y. 



This wash I think is far preterable to potash 

 and water, as that is liable to injure the young 

 trees unless great caution is used m its ai>p ica- 

 tion The soap suds and snlphnr ansuers all the 

 pnrposes of exterminating the insects and their 

 ei:<.s and as the la'ter is obnoxious to all insects 

 the^are not fond of selecting trees thus washed 

 for" laying their eggs and commencing honse- 



''"as respects canker worms I think they " have 

 their day," come and disajM-ear without any 

 Unown cause. A few years since 1 ban three 

 lar.'e trees whose foliage hud been destroyed foi 

 :«ev"^,ral years in succession by these depredators. 

 ] had seen the following remedy recomineiided in 

 ,the papers: "bore a hole in the root ol the tree 

 near the surface of the ground, with an augur, hi 

 it with brimstone." I trie.l this on my trees and 

 have not been troubled with canker worms since, 

 vet 1 am inclined to think their "time was out, 

 .and that they had ceased w trouble me ot their 

 ,own accord. . , ,. • . 



1 am inclined to think onr fiuUs and trim trees 

 will rnu out in time-every thing has its day.- 

 Some forty or fifty years ago the " lug .-top svveel- 



in"" apple was extensively cultivated and in high 

 .■epule in almost every to«n in I'lymuulh comity ; 

 this was a most excellent early apph-; now the 

 "old settlers" have almost all dieil off and young 

 irees are "like angel's visits, few and tar be- 

 tween," and all attem|.ts to propagate them i.s 

 nnavailiu'.' ; the fruit has .legeneraled in size and 

 flavor and no longer worthy to be called lugli- 

 loi. sweetings." 1 am very respectfully yours, 



IIORACK OOLLAMOUK. 



Pembroke, March 9, 184G.-.W.m. Pionghmm. 



Buckwheat. 



Buckwheat is a native of Northern Asia, and 

 Rceiiis to have been introduced into onr country 

 at its tirst settlen.i'Ut. It stands lowest among 

 ■the grain crops of the liirmer, and is seldom m- 

 <;ludcd ill any regular rolalion, but is cnluvate.l 

 on some piece of new laud, or some held out ot 

 its regular order. 



Mr. Kllsworth's Report for 1811, makes the 

 whole crop grown in ihe I'niled Suite.s, !),O(XI,()0O 

 Jiushels. More lliaii two thirds of this is grown 

 in the States of New York and Pennsylvania. A- 

 Jliollg the New ICngland Slates, Coimectieut takes 



ihe lead, whih^ Ohio is slly mgnged in itsciil- 



iljvation in the valley of the West. 



Auiojig some liirmers its cullivalion is imluccd 

 :lky the lirilc comparative outlay of seed and labor, 

 .■and llie.(,-,iickiiess of the returns. 



IJy so(ii« it has been considered a very ex- 



liaijMlillg.i'r.n'i '"" ''''^ '** ''y "" 11"'"'"^,''"' >;'■"" 

 etvMi recttitied opinion. Jt is more easily atlect- 



cd by the weather than any other grain, and a dry 

 .cason, a hot sun upon the blossoms, or an early 

 f,-o<l is siitficient to seal its ruin; but it the sea- 

 sou is propilious, good crops are otleu grown on 



very poor land. <- t i 



his .rcnerally sown about the first ot July, 

 ;„id about half a bushel of seed to the acre is re- 

 quired. The better the ground the less seed is 

 w-iniinl ; the most successhil cullivalors consid- 

 eriii" it an object to have a rather thin stand, 

 lar-e straw, and well branched out, in order to 

 have a good yield. Kye is .sometimes sown with 

 il and a tolerable yield obtained when the season 

 favors. Thus two crops are ohiamed wilh the 

 same ploughing. . 



About 175 lbs. of grain are reqiured tor 100 

 lbs. of flour, and difVeieiit mills will produce 

 very different qualities wilh the same quantity ol 

 grain The essentials of good buckwheat flour 

 are whiteness, absence of all grit, and a clean, 

 soft handling. , ,. , . 



The bread, or rallier cakes, made ot tins grain 

 in some sections, is con.sidered essential to a cold 

 weather meal In its season, it is used almost 

 exclusively by the poorer classes, both on the 

 score of economy and convenience. Medical 

 men have pronounced them unhealthy, and no 

 wonder they should do so, if their judgment is 

 made upou'the lieavy, leaden things that so often 

 come upon the talde under the name ot " buek- 

 wheat cakes." As in other things, there issleighl 

 in baking. Onr country women are tar ahead ot 

 your city cooks in this matter. 



Someaualysis of this grain have shown it to 

 l,e nutritious. It is said by I'rofessor Johnston 

 to contain gluten, starch and sugar, nearly equal 

 to some varieties of wheat, lint a hard-working 

 German once in our enqdoy, said it would do 

 very well for supper, to sleep on, but not lor 

 breaktiist or dinner, to suslain liim at his labor. 

 'I'he German's analysis was a real practical one. 

 Give me experience, yet. . 



Alost kinds of stock are fond ol this grain 

 when ground: and it is the best ot "slop tor 

 cows, producing an extra flow and better inilk. 



Pr<dmblv three-fourths of the crop is con- 

 sumed where it is raised, and retailed 111 the conn- 

 try tow ns and villages. Except in some .sectioiis, 

 Ihe ciiy markets are seldom resoried to. tor 

 New York it is put up in kegs or bags ot 100, 

 50 or li5 lbs. each. It is generally sold in lots to 

 wholesale flour dealers, Irom whom the grocers 

 obtain and retail it. It is now brmpiiig (Nov. 

 1st) about ft2 |ier 100 Ib.s. ill bags or barrels, 

 in ihe city of New York, according to the ne^vs- 

 papers. A. U. D. 



HacktUslown, JV. J. . .-,.•, 



— American Jlgncuhunst. 



Use of the Roller.— There is scarcely a 

 more useful implement of agricultnre than the 

 roller. The purposes effected by it are— Isl, the 

 breaking of clods and lumps on grounds, pre- 

 paratory to sowing or planling; 2d, pres.<ing the 

 earth, in some cases, aroniid the newly sown 

 seeds, and at the same time giving more com- 

 pactness to too light soils; :3il, smooihmg the 

 surface of grass gronnd.s— by which operaliuu 

 the stools of grass which may have been raised 

 by the frost are pressed into the earth, the growth 

 of the grass increased, and the surface belter hl- 

 ted for the scythe. 



The first ot" these purposes is one of great im- 

 portance; yet we apprehiuid that but few, coiii-^ 

 paiatively,"of our farmers are in the habil ot 

 nsiii" a r"oller to effect the pulverization ot the 

 .soil.'^ Taken in a | roper state cd' moisture, that 

 is, when the lumps are just softened, but not so 

 wet as to pack on bcini: crushed— the most cloildy 

 lield may be brought by the roller and harrow 

 into the"fiiiest tilth. It may be observed that the 

 weight of the roller should be |)roporlioned to 

 the tenacity of the soil. 



In the consiructiou of the roller, it is now com- 

 mon to use plank, iiiakimr a cylinder of three to 

 four feet in diameter. The advantages of this 

 plMii are, that the imiilement is ilrawn with less 

 force, and the pressure is applied in a more per- 

 pemlicnlar direction. It has been objected how- 

 ever, that less presMire is given to the sod liy a 

 roller of large diameter, than one ot the same 

 wei-ht of smaller size, because the large one 

 bears on a greater surface. This objection may 

 be easily overcome by having a box attached to 

 Ihe fraiue, into which may be jilaced any a.Uli- 

 tional weight required lo make the roller ettec- 

 live. Another essential advantage ol the larL'e 

 roller, is, that in turning, it does not move the 

 surface of soil so much as a small one— that 

 avoiding ihe injury of tearing up the sward on 

 a^rass-lands, or of working the seed into bunche.s 

 and leaving bare spots, on land tresoly laid 



'I'he roller is best made in two parts, or wiih 

 a division ill the middle, so that each part may 

 revolve by itself. This much f^icilitates their 

 turiiiu", and obviates the liability ot dislnrbing 

 the surfiice of the ground. The lengili rccom- 



.eiided for the roller by Low, and other British 

 author.s, is five feel; hut «e have known the'u t'> 

 be made six (eel in length; and when divided 

 in the centre, as before uienlioned, we think 

 there is no objection to that length. — Vbamj 

 Cultivalor. 



Kindness better than Force.- If you waul 

 your horse to work well, you must endeavor to 

 make il happy; hapi.iness increases us strength 

 ami energies, and unhapi.iness diminishes llieiu. 

 When you find it is weak in any particular point, 

 d„ not press and harrass the weakness, hut show 

 it indulgence. Do not urge it to do more than it 

 is well able, as the more it is compelled to do to- 

 day the less it will do to-morrow. When\on 

 fiiul your horse begins to slacken his speed, do 

 not recklessly compel him to mamlain it, but 

 think how y'uu yourself would like lo be thus 

 urged on bevond your slrenglh. Do not worry 

 your horse "by repealed whip strokes; as every 

 blow robs Ihe animal of some of his slrenglh, 

 and conliniial blows rob il also of the molives to| 

 exerlion by the violence of the strokes on the j 

 skin, and also atl'ect the muscles nnderueath on 

 which iIh^ moliousdepend. If any person donbis 

 this a sli'dil blow on his arm or leg will soon 

 convince him of the truth. If .voii liave two 

 horses working together, and one horse is slower 

 or weaker than the otli.-r, do not l.irce il lo do 

 as much as the other, but rather slacken the 

 speed, if even it is done by keeping the other 

 hor-e back ; and never use henrimr reins ; they 

 are useless to the driver, vexatious lo the horse, 

 and are the caii.se of many tails; but above all, 

 bo not too fond of showing them that .you are 

 their master and ihey your slaves; they know il 

 well enough to their sorrow and without this 

 trouble. ^ 



Potatoes have become as dear as apples, in 

 Boston market— from SI.25 to ,?1.37i, were paid 

 per bushel for potatoes last week. 



Lard for London.— Hapliening in at Hasl- 

 in"-' lard oil fiictorv, we found them putting u|) 

 lanl in bogs' bladders, for an l^nghsh dealer. 

 This is the fashionable fi>rni <d" the article ol the 

 best quality, in that market, where it brin,L^ hi- 

 teen ceiils"a pound. The cases come Ironi Ohio, 

 are well cleaned, and «hen filled and cold, ap- 

 pear as while and as hard as an ostrich s egfc'.- 

 Springjietd Republican. 



CaiiUer or Black Gum on Plum Trees. 



For a fow years past the cullivalors of the phini 

 and cherry hi.ve been troubled with a disease la- 

 luiliarly kiiown, in this vicinity, as the black gnm. 

 Various causes have been assigned lor pro.lncmg 

 the mischiei;ai,d many, becoming di.-.couniged 

 hv the obslinacv of the disease, have cut down 

 their trees. WL do not know how it is wiih the 

 cherry tree, hut il has been observed that lor the 

 pinni, common salt, when applied at the rool.s, 

 acted as a powerful forlilizer, not only remleriiig 

 ihe tree more healthy, but iiiiich more [rmtb.l 



K.cenlly we have seen a wash ot salt dissolv- 

 ed ill walJr, recoinmended as u direct applica- 

 tion to ihese excrescences. 



At Ihe ninth agricuhiiral meeting held atlhe 

 ?,ate House in Boston, Mr. John Owen, ot Cam- 

 hrid'-e, gave a detail of his experiiuents with the 

 |,h„n tree, and his success in eradicaliug lliese 

 ,nM..hlly warts, which, if not destroyed, will de- 

 silo^ the tree itself. Wefmdalellerwritlenbv 

 |,i,n-p,iblishedintheNewKnglaiHl I'armer lb. 

 .avsihatin 1811 he lia.l a Washmgimi plum bad- 

 Iv'alVecte.l wilh a wart upon the main stem in- 

 .■olviiig some of the lower branches, le app ,e, 

 s dl to the soil around the tree, hut foarmg that 

 ; lis..ase might cmipletely girdle the tree be- 

 ',,„, his application c.nild act -'H'lO'e ';';;' 

 I ihe diseased pari and began to wash the pnil . ul, 



