THE GENESEE FARMER. 



243 



first, look at what there is to be done. The soil in, 

 and immediately around, the hill, remains unstirred. 

 Jt is to he mdlowed. Sliike the comer or side of 

 the hoe, well in, first on one side of the plants, and 

 then the olher, and draw it toward you, so as to 

 loosen the soil without much displacement, at least 

 two inches deep. Do this a,s often as is needed to 

 thoroughly loosen all the soil, untouched by the cul- 

 tivator or horse-hoe. 



2. On good ground, planted and hoed in season, to 

 destroii the weeds will be a secondary consideration — 

 there will be so few to de.stro3'. But when plentiful, 

 fiist cut them up, scrape away the surface earth 

 which contains them, and in the course of the week 

 bury them out of sight. Very weedy ground re- 

 quires careful hoeing — such hoeing and culture as 

 will kill the weeds, in one way or another. 



3. The tliird ase of the hoe — to form kills for 

 plants — is fast getting obsolete or out of date. Po- 

 tatoes only require hills — and these should be slight 

 mounds oaly, net steep pyramids of «arth. How 

 does an unskilled workman undertake to hill pota- 

 toes? He strikes in his hoe so near the roots as 

 nearly to dig them up, he chops and haggles at ran- 

 dom, forming a botch in the end. A skillful hand, 

 (myself, fjr instance!) first, with two strokes of the 

 toe, clears away the weeds; with two or four more, 

 mellows the soil in the hill; and with about six more, 

 forms a perfect hill, regular in shape and slightly 

 dishing iii the centre, to take a little extra share of 

 the rain to the roots. It is done quickly, easily, and 

 philosophically, or, with a reason for every move- 

 ment. 



The hoe — par exeellence-^m light and thin in the 

 blade, and "set right" on a long, smooth, springy 

 handle, with a sharp edge, well tempered, " too hard 

 to batter, and too soft to break." Th« blade should 

 not be too long, hut nearly twice &s wide as long, so 

 that when v^'e strike with the side, we make a narrow, 

 djep cut — so convenient in ■melloiomg the hills. 



In conclusion, " The Objects of Hoeing" can only 

 be accomplished by keeping these implements bright, 

 and their handles shiney, by constant ttsuge for at 

 least six weeks after planting. Co?-n grows by hoe- 

 ing — by agitation of the soil. Make the horse-hoe 

 do all that it can — let the hand-hoe finish up the 

 worL But my Sorgho sucre calls for the hoe, so I 

 will lay down my pen, take that up, and go at it. 



B. F. 



APPLYISfG AND LEAVING MANUEES UPON THE 

 SURFACE. 



Messrs. Editors:— I have been in the practice of 

 applying manures free from noxious weeds, by spread- 

 ing and leaving upon the surface, at any and all times 

 of year when most convenient; but prefer to apply 

 npoa close-cropped grazing or meadow land, in the 

 autumn, winter or early spring, as grass, when much 

 grown, is partially and temporarily killed by the ap- 

 plication. 



When manures (of the ordinary quality and quantity) 

 come in close contact with the soil, the grass readily 

 penetrates and thickens upon them, the manure ope- 

 rating at once as a mulch, a fertilizer, and a retainer 

 of ammonia, or other atmospheric elements, and form- 

 ing a greatly increased nnd productive turf or sod, of 

 unappreciated value to the succeeding crops, whether 

 taken oae or many ^ears after the applicaiioo. 



In this way, farmers who choose may have the 

 barn-yard mostly cleaned out before the busy season 

 comes on, nor need there be any fear of dissipation oC 

 values, as the rains and dissolving snow will distribu'e 

 the more soluble portions among the soil, and the 

 growing grass will seize upon the substance with as 

 much avidity as a hungry pig will upon clover, and 

 the sun will evaporate nothing but pure water. As 

 to the gases, are they not evolved from all manures 

 when brought into a state of fermentation, and to a 

 greater extent than when manures are in contact 

 with the appropriating activities of living vegeta- 

 tion and with the soil ? 



I have long been in obscurity as to the natural 

 processes which, as is claimed, take so much value 

 from manures spread and left upon the surface, and 

 have given limited snggestien to the practice recom- 

 mended by your correspondent, John Joh.nston. — 

 Nature, a someweat respectable and reproductive 

 " institution," of long standing, and which, as pro- 

 ceeding from an all-wise and beneficent source, never 

 makes a mistake, invariably spreads her manures in 

 the autumn. She draws her nurslings under cover, 

 and lays down her leaves and surplus grasses to pro- 

 tect them from the cold, and yield their substance to 

 the next year's product; and mark how uniformly, in 

 our climate, a blanket of s.iow is laid upon the earth 

 before the advent of a cold snap. 



I believe the recommendation of Mr. Johnston, 

 that manures should be applied in the autumn, will 

 be sustained by experience; and that on this subject 

 the Doctors of Agriculture are wise beyond what is 

 written. • John McYean. 



ScottsviUe, JV. Y. 



CULTIVATION OF WINTEE WHEAT. 



Messrs. Editors: — ^The cultivation of wheat un- 

 d€r different circumstances or in different localities, 

 like various diseases incident to the human system 

 under different circumstances, requires different treat- 

 ment He who assumes to write a specific routine, 

 or prescription, for the cultivation of wheat upon 

 the hard granite hills of New Hampshire, upon the 

 deep alluvial prairies of Illinois, upon the cold, clayey 

 hills of North-eastern Pennsylvania, upon the deep 

 rich loam of "Western New York, will find, in my 

 opinion, to say the least of it, an " up hjll " business, 

 or rather, perhaps, they who attempt to grow wheal 

 in all these localities from the same specific formula, 

 will fail in some of them. I know nothing about 

 the raising of wheat in New Hampshire, Illinois or 

 New York, but I wish to speak of North-eastern 

 Pennsylvania. 



The soil here is not peculiarly adapted to the grow- 

 ing of wheat. It is wanting in lime, I suppose, and 

 other ingredients that go to make up the elements of 

 a good wheat soil Though some good crops have 

 been grown here, especially when the country was 

 new, yet now, as our lands grow older, one of our 

 most implacable enemies is a certain Mr. Frost, more 

 familiarly known, perhaps, as "Jack Frost." For us, 

 in most cases, to sow winter wheat on old ground, 

 thoroughly summer fallowed and pulverized, woukl 

 be equal to throwing the wheat away, and losing all 

 trouble and expense of preparing the ground. And 

 in order to avoid the action of the said Mr. Frost ah 

 much as possible, some of our farmers pursue a course 

 something like the following: 



