18 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



CULTIVATION OF INDIAN COEN IN KENTUCKY. 



The cultivation of Indian corn, receives very con- 

 siderable attention in this part of the country, and 

 our best farmers do the thing up about as follows: 



After they have selected a portion of the farm most 

 suitable in their opinion for such a crop, they take 

 (it the land is middling fresh) a large turning plow, 

 with two horses or a yoke of oxen, and plow the in- 

 tended corn field thoroughly, across the last plowing. 

 And in the meantime they have a second team carry- 

 ing a large harrow in lines parallel to those drawn by 

 the plow. After all this is done, they turn both plow 

 and narrow across this late plowing, and repeat the 

 operation when the land is in good order. Care 

 must always be taken not to 'plow when the ground 

 is too wet, as this materially injures land by forcing 

 the soil into hard clods. 



When the soil has been well prepared as above 

 described, they v/ill take one horse and a shovel, or 

 bull-tung plow, and run furrows across the last plow- 

 ing four and a half feet apart, and parallel to each 

 other, after which cross furrows are run, in which the 

 corn is planted ; the furrows running perpendicular to 

 these serve to mark the point for each hill. When 

 the corn is an inch or two inches high, a bull-tung 

 plow is run close to it across the planting, this leaves 

 it lair to the sun on both top and side of the rows. 

 In a week or ten days it is cross-plowed in the same 

 manner, and if the soil is not foul, with the same plow, 

 but if so, with a small turning plow. And when this 

 has been done and a week or two has passed, the 

 small turner is taken and the bar or shear, as the size 

 of the corn will admit, is run next to the corn for the 

 first time. And finally in ten or fourteen days it is 

 laid by, by cross-plowing in the same vvay. We plant 

 in April or May, and lay by in July. J. N. Boas. 



Exchange, Ky. 



a I ■ ' 



Fall Plowing for Spring Wheat. — In the spring 

 of 1854, as the season was backward and wet, and 

 the j;round not having been plowed the fall previous, 

 I did not sow my wheat till the 10th of May; con- 

 seqaenlly, as the insects preyed upon it, and that 

 which escaped their ravages rusted, I had not half a 

 crop. I then altered my plan, and plowed the ground 

 in the fall, and sowed it the 6th and 7th of April, 

 1S55, befure the frost was out, so that the frost bore 

 up the horses. I sowed about two acres, and put on 

 about four bushels of seed, and I afterwards harvested 

 sixty-two bushels of good wheat. I prepared the 

 ground in like manner the next fall, and in April, 

 1856, I sowed five acres, putting on nine bushels of 

 seed; but having to wait for the snow drifts to get 

 melted ofl' from the borders of the field, it gave the 

 frost an opportunity of getting out to the depth of 

 cijjht or nine inches, consequently the grain was har- 

 rowed in too deep — it being a flat, heavy soil, and 

 full of water while the frost was coming out ; conse- 

 quently a great portion of the seed rotted in the 

 ground, but what came up branched and thickened, 

 and grew famouslj — and notwithstanding the ravages 

 of the mice and rats, I had one hundred and ten 

 bushels of full, plump wheat. Now, I thhik spring 

 wheat should be sown as soon in the spring as the 

 frost is out of the ground to the depth of four or 

 five inches. No insects have injured the wheat when 

 the ground was plowed in the fall and sown early. 

 Vienna, C fV. Ajndbkw Chutk. 



KAISING CLOVEE SEED IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



Clover seed is as profitable a crop as any that 

 can be raised in this section of the country, and we 

 have had very good success in producing it, in the 

 following manner: First, the ground is fitted for com, 

 by spreading on a good coat of barn-yard manure, 

 and plowing in to a fair depth; then, at the time of 

 planting, put on a compost made of ashes, plaster 

 and tine manure, which is all the manure used until 

 the clover is taken oif. After cora we put in oats, 

 which are followed by rye, with which crop we put 

 on the clover seed in the spring, about the time the 

 snow goes off. The ground should be well plowed 

 and harrowed for all the foregoing crops, and left as 

 light and mellow as possible. The quantity of seed 

 used may vary with the quality of soil. We sow 

 from four to six quarts to the acre. The crop may 

 be fed off the following spring, and as late as June 

 if the season is right, and no damage will accrue to- 

 the yield; but we do not practice it, for the following 

 reason : if the " times " should be dry when the stock 

 are taken off, the growth may be "cut." Nothing 

 is done through the summer but to see that no foul 

 weeds or grasses get in. We generally cut it the 

 latter part of August or first of September, leaving 

 it in the swatli a few days to dry, or cure. We then 

 rake it into small rolls of about a forkful each, doing 

 it while the dew is on, to prevent shelling. We 

 thresh it ofi' the straw by hand, and have the seed 

 ground out by machinery; the charge for getting it 

 out, together with fanning and putting up ready fo¥ 

 market, being ^1.50 per bushel. The high price of 

 this seed with us makes it a good crop, as it costs 

 little labor and expense, and leaves the ground ia 

 good condition for corn. F. li. 



Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Mass. 



Eating off Wheat in the Spring. — ^In the Feb- 

 ruary number of your valuable journal, I find that 

 the subject under consideration, whether the cultiva- 

 tion of wheat shall be abandoned in Western New 

 York, because of the ravages of the weevil. I will 

 inform you what I consider will counteract the mia- 

 cbief. It is admitted that if wheat could be sown 

 early, it would receive but little injury from the 

 midge; but this cannot be done on account of the 

 Hessian fly. Sov/ in August, (the earlier the better) 

 on a well prepared fallow. In April following, turn 

 on sheep, and eat off as closely as possible. (Calves 

 might answer, when the ground is dry, if sheep can- 

 not be had, but I never knew them used.) This will 

 entirely destroy the Hessian fly, and the wheat wili 

 ripen quite as early — soon enough to be oat of the 

 way of the weevil. When this method shall have 

 been tested, I think there will be no necessity to 

 abandon wheat growing in Western New York, as 

 I have known it tried, with perfect success. 



Euclid, Cuyahoga Co., O. J. Feseins. 



Hoven in Cattlb. — You request your correspon- 

 dents for information on " Hoven in Cattle." Let me 

 say I have found the best relief in twisting up a large 

 band of hay or straw, introducing it into the n\outb 

 and tying it up tight behind the horns, so as-to keep- 

 the animal with its head up and its mouth open; the 

 gas is thus evolved from the stomach, and speedy 

 relit'f is obtfiined. Charles Palaier. 



Mansfield, Ohio, 



