THE GENESEE FARMER. 



343 



"The clover liokls are preparoil for wheat by being 

 -deeply plmi;hed in Juno, ami the snrfuce beiiii; after- 

 ■wards worked by the hari"<>w and the scarifier to de- 

 stroy the weed-^. Thou-^h this system saerifices a vast 

 quantity of valuable forage, yet, in the circumstances, 

 it is perhaps the best that can be f 'llowed, for it ad- 

 jnits of the wheiit crop being frequently repeated, and 

 involves but a suiiill amount of manual labour, -which 

 is the element that determines tlie agricultural sys- 

 tems of America. 



"The farmers in the Riga district sow about one- 

 third of the whole extent of their possessions with 

 wheat every year. It is the best paying crop, and 

 every one endeavors to have as great a breadth of it 

 as possible. The plon;ihing up of the clover sod and 

 the cultivation of the surface is called " fallowing," 

 ^liicli is a less expensive system than what goes un- 

 der the same name at home. The winters are ver}' 

 cevere, and field labour is then entirely interrupted ; 

 but the short season for labouring and cleaning the 

 land is more than compensated by the poweiful influ- 

 ence which tlie hot summer weather has in destroying 

 the perenniiil grasses and weeds. These are readily 

 killed by being ploughed up at that season and having 

 their roots exposed to the heat and drought. In this 

 way is the land kept clean by the best farmers in the 

 north western part of the State of New York, which 

 is perhajis the most productive region for wheat in 

 JS'orth America. Ko clean fallows nor any expensive 

 fallow crops, such as turnips, are nece-sary to keep the 

 land in good condition and free from weeds. 



" On one of the Riga farms which we visited, ex- 

 ten, ling to 2S0 acres, we found 80 acres in wheat, 11^ 

 in barley, 14 Indian corn, 25 woods, the rest pasture 

 and clover. In lS.j3, the crops of wheat averaged 40 

 bushds to the acre; in 1854, only 25 bushels. As in- 

 dicating the natural capabilities of the land, we were 

 fihown a field on which a heavy crop of Indian corn 

 had grown in 1S52; it was sown next spring with 

 barley, which produced 50 bu?hels to the acre; then 

 sown with wheat in autumn, and this year it had 

 yielded 40 bushels per acre. On this farm a field of 

 clover was in course of being ploughed up and sown 

 with wheat; it had been in wheat this yeai, but the 

 farmer was complaining that the plant of clover 

 was bad, while in our opinion it was a most excellent 

 one. Mr. Harris remarked that this was surely a 

 mei'e excuse for getting a little more sown with wheat, 

 while the pi ices were good. 100 sheep are kept on 

 this fa: m, be=ides 10 or 15 cattle, which are reared 

 and sold when two years old. 



" On another farm of 208 acres there were 40 in 

 woods, 12 permanent pasture, 7 Indian corn, 12 oafs, 

 10 peas, 65 wheat, the rest in clover. About 1000 

 bushels of wheat were, thrashed this year, 600 last, 

 and 2000 the year before. The seasons appear to in- 

 fluenee the yield of wheat far more than they do in 

 Biitain. Tlie flock of sheep yielded 400 dollars last 

 year. Leicester sheep do not seem to thrive well 

 where so much of the land is cleared, for frequently 

 the whole flock are seen during the heat of the day 

 standing crowded together with their heads all down. 



"It is almost the universal practice to sow clover 

 among the whi-at in spring, and at the same time to 

 give the field a dressing of 100 lbs. of gypsum, which 

 has a wonderful eflect on some crops. The clover is 

 benefited more than anj^ other plant; though peas, 

 potatoes, and Indian corn have often new life imparted 

 to them by a light dres-ing of this substance, which is 

 almost the on'y artificial manure used in the Western 

 States. The manure of the farm is applied to Indian 

 corn, which is pei'haps more grateful than any other 

 crop for liberal treatment." , 



IMPROVE YOUR STOCK OF FOWLS. 



Xow is the time to e.xamine your stock of fowls, 

 and to carefully select out the hena and roosters de- 

 signed to be kept for breeding next year. The fe- 

 cundity of hens aPFords the breeder great facilities 

 for improving his fowls. Hy careful and judicious 

 selection, it is easy to correct deficiencies, and in- 

 crease the good qualities of any ordinary stock of 

 bens. This matter should be attended to before 

 winter sets in, as the fowls which may be rejected 

 are now in good condition, and it is unadvisable to 

 keep more fowls in winter than can readily be fur- 

 nished with abundance of food. A few hens, well 

 fed, will always lay more eggs than twice the num- 

 ber, half-starved, during a few months of the year, 

 even though they may have a superabundance of 

 food at other times. See, too, that the hen house is 

 warm and dry. Hens, like sheep, can stand any- 

 thing better than damp places. Let it be thorough- 

 ly cleaned out now, and regularly supplied, during 

 winter, with clean, dry straw. 



In selecting out hens to keep for another year, 

 choose those under four years of age, having re'- 

 erence particularly to a healthy and vigorous consti- 

 tution, large, well formed bodies, and rather small 

 legs and feet, bright eyes and pendant combs. Early 

 maturity and good laying qualities must not be for- 

 gotten. The form is a good indication of the former, 

 and also, to a certain extent, of the latter. If early 

 maturity, beauty of form and refinement are carried 

 too far, the tendency to lay eggs is supposed to be 

 diminished. If a hen is known to be of an uneasy 

 disposition, or a poor layer, on no account keep her. 

 If you design to change one or more of your roost- 

 ers, now is the time to do it. They will thus have 

 abundant time to get acquainted with their partners 

 before spring. In selecting a rooster we should not 

 look so much to beauty of outline, as to a vigorous 

 and valliant demeanor, strong, muscular thighs, full 

 breast, and plump, heavy body, having more muscle 

 than fat. Color is a mere matter of fancy. White 

 fowls are supposed by some to be delicate; but this 

 has not proved so in our experience, though it is 

 probable, as a general thing, that colored fowls are 

 the hardiest. White or bluish legged fowls are the 

 favorites with some, from the whiteness and apparent 

 delicacy of the meat; but it is admitted that the yel- 

 low legged are the richest and most highly flavored. 

 If a little flesh meat can be cheaply obtained du- 

 ring the winter the fowls will be all the better for it 

 It is a tolerably good substitute for the worms and 

 insects they obtain in warmer latitudes. Be very 

 careful, however, not to give them any salt meat, as 

 it always proves injurious and sometimes fatal. They 

 must have access to fresh water, and if they cannot 

 find food enough from the scatterings of the barn-yard, 

 must be fed as the judgment of the farmer dictates. 

 The following brief description of some of the 

 principal breeds of fowls is condensed from an ex- 

 cellent article written for our Rural Annual, by C. 

 N. Dement. To our numerous readers who have 

 not seen that work, it will prove interesting: 



" The Black Poland fowls are among the most 

 prolific layers, and their flesh is particularly fine and 

 delicious. They are plump, square, full breasted and 

 short-legged. They bear the restraints of a yard 

 well, laying abundantly, of large-sized eggs, and are 

 slow to sit; indeed, mostly " everlasting layers," but 



