356 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



tors. We now offer a Rural Annual, or any other work 

 costing twenty-five cents, for any Dosen of Original Do- 

 mestic Receipts which the committee considers worthy of 

 publication. (The printer is rery anxious that the ladies 

 should write only on one side of the paper.) 



The Essays should not exceed one page of the Gtnesee 

 Farmer, say eiglit pages of foolscap — and must be received 

 ■on or before the fifth of December, so that they can ap- 

 pear in the January number. 



The articles will be submitted to competent judges. 



Brevity will be considered as a mark of excellence. We 



mean by brevity, not the omission of Avords necessary to 



make good grammar, but the expression of thoughts in as 



clear and concise a manner as possible. The prizes will 



be promptly announced, and the books immediately sent, 



pre-paid, by mail. 



«-•» 



" The Advantages of a Good Agricultukal Libra- 

 KT, and the Best Means of Obtaining it." — One of 

 our correspondents offers this as a subject for a Prize Es- 

 say. It will be found in our list. We are not alloWed to 

 compete ; but if we were, should suggest that the " ad- 

 vantages" are " too numerous to mention," and that "the 

 best means to obtain it" is to get subscribers lo the Gene- 

 see Farmer. Any young man might, by a little effort, take 

 our first premiums for the largest number of subscribers, 

 and would thus obtain a seventy dollar library of the best 

 agricultural and horticultural books. If he fail in obtain- 

 ing the first premiums, he is certain of some of the smaller 

 ones. We have increased the number of premiums to 

 such an extent that, unless there is greater competition 

 than there was last year, a club of twenty subscribers 

 will take our lowest premiums. Last year we offered 

 eight January premiums, and Mr. Edwards, of Centre 

 Lisle, N. Y., took the eighth premium, w\i\\ Jifhj-three 

 subscribers. This year we offer twelve premiums, and a 

 correspondingly fewer number of subscribers will proba- 

 bly take a premium. Let all young men who want an 

 Agricultural Library, ask their neighbors to subscribe to 

 the Genesee Farmer, and they will get it. Be will in this 

 •way not only benefit himself, but greatly enhance the 

 prosperity of the town in which he lives by the spread of 

 agricultural and horticultural intelligence. 



Ontario Pear. — We are indebted to W. T. & E. 

 Smitii, of Geneva, N. Y., for specimens of this Pear, 

 ■which originated in Ontario county, about .eight miles 

 ■wrest of Geneva, and is cousidered a valuable fruit for 

 market purposes. It is of medium size, elongated, obtuse 

 pyriform ; skin, pale yellow ; stalk, long, curved, inserted 

 by a fleshy ring in a rather large depression ; calyx, par- 

 tially f>losed, or opened in a shallow, irregular, corrugated 

 basin ; ilesh, white, rather juicy, with a sweet, agreeable 

 flavoi-. RippnH abont tho first nf October. 



Delaware Grapes — We are indebted tn IVfessrs. TI. 

 E. Hooker & Co., of this city, for some Delaware grapes. 

 It is almost impossible to say too much in favor of this 

 variety. It is early, hardy and productive ; the bunches 

 and berries of fair size, and of the most exquisite flavor. 



Missing Numbers. — If any of our subscribers have 

 failed to receive, or have lost any numbers of the Farmer 

 for this year, we will most cheerfully furnish them. 



OcR January Premiums. — Now is the time to conft- 

 mence canvassing for new subscribers. The January 

 number will be issued by the middle of December, and 

 tlie earlier orders are sent in the better. We offer twelve 

 liberal premiums for the greatest number of subscribers 

 sent in by the fourteenth of January. A very little exer- 

 tion in procuring subscribers will enable any one to tabe 

 one of these premiums. Only try, and the Prize is yours. 



Now is the time to commence. 



■ ♦♦«. 



Over Three Hundred Dollars in Premiums fob 

 Subscribers to the Genesee Farmer. — It will be 

 seen, by reference to our prospectus on another page, that 

 we offer three hundred and twenty dollars' worth of books, 

 at the lowest retail rates of the publishers, for subscribers 

 to the Farmer for 1858. In addition t» this, we also offer 

 liberal specific premiums, so that we have all prizes and 

 no blanks. No one who tries can fail to take a premium. 



To our Agents. — If any of our friends have not received 

 the Rural Afinual for getting up a club for the Farmer, 

 we hope they will inform us, and it shall be forwarded 

 immediately. Mistakes frequently occur, which are very 

 annoying to our readers. These are sometimes our fault, 

 and not unfrequently the fault of the Post Office Depart- 

 ment. We are, however, always willing to send papers 

 or books over again, without charge. 



To OUR Friends Everywhere. — We will gladly send 

 specimen copies of the Genesee Farmer, and handsome 

 show bills for 1858, to any of our friends who are disposed 

 to act as agents in procuring subscribers. 



Show-bills. — Those of our friends to whom we seiiid 



show-bills, will greatly oblige us by posting them in sotas 



conspicuous place. 



►«♦ 



Inqutritjs aniJ Sitstotr*. 



What Fruit Trees are Most Difficult to Tran^ 

 PLANT ? — (R. G.) Nearly all our common fruit trees caii 

 be transplanted, when not too large, without difficulty. 

 Plants having long tap-roots, with few fibres, are most 

 liable to injury from transplanting; and those whose soft, 

 spongy roots, when broken or cut, do not readily heal, 

 should be moved with care. The cherry, particularly 

 when large, is perhaps more difficult to transplant than 

 any other hardy fruit tree. Next to the cherry, the aprp- 

 cot, nectarine, peach, pear, apple and quince, are least 



successfully removed in the order named. With proper 

 care, however, you need apprehend no trouble in trang^ 

 planting any of these trees at the age at which they are 

 usually received from the nursery. The older they are 

 the more care will be necessary. 



Density of Soils— (R. S., Seneca, C. W.) The defl>- 



sity or absolute weight of soils varies considerably, as will 



be seen fro-m the following table : 



Oni! cubic foot of drv silieious or 'calcareous sand woijrlfe 



alioiu .' 110 lbs. 



Half snnd and linlf clav 95 " 



CnmnKin r.nihle s. .il from SO to 90 " 



Pure Hgrieiiilnral cl.ny about 7.5 " 



Oardon mould TO " i 



Peaty soil ft-om 30 to 50 « 



Plaster ahd Lime as INIanure. — 1 would desire infcOf- 

 mation respecting- the advantages to be derived from the 

 use of piaster. How to be used on the different kinds of 

 crops and soils, and the quantity to be used on each. Also,' 



