^\)t jTarmci's itUnttlilribiintcii:. 



101 



to raise wlieat cU nil foi- inaikel, it is worth while 

 to save iill th;it Is raised. AOer ciilliiii:, the hest 

 method of oiirinji the wheat ]iro|)erly for the 

 hiirti or stack, is to set it up in what iscoiniDonly 

 called "Dutch shoclis"—lhat is, to si't it iiji hy 

 twos, ill shocks of twelve; rows north and south, 

 that holli sides may have the lienefit of the i'lut 

 mornins and evenin;: alternately. They shoidd 

 be .set lip as |ierpen(licnlarly as ihey will well 

 stand: her,ds slightly pressed (o^ethei-. If put 

 up well, in this manner, they will stand a lonj; 

 storm wiihout injury — hesides, it is cheaper than 

 any other method. 



Oats are better to be put up in small shocks, 

 and capped — as in lliat condnion they will re- 

 main a long time without injury— and should be 

 ihoroushly cured before housed, as of all fjrain 

 they are liiost liable to luust, from beiii;; too soon 

 lioused. IM. W., OUT east. 



A Chai)tei- on Harvestiu?. 



Mr. Editor: — The season is near at hand, 

 with farmers, when lime is the most valuable to 

 them of any period of the year. At no season 

 can the farmer more truly say 'Mime is money" 

 than in Wheat Harvest. If wheat is allowed 

 to staml until it is too ripe before harvest com- 

 mences, every tldn^' nmst he done in a hurry. 

 The wheat shells badly, and much of it lidls down 

 and is lost. Also, if it is rusiy the kernel be- 

 comes shrunk, vvooly and light, and is nearly ru- 

 ined. 



There arc many diffi-'rent opinions among 

 farmers in regard to the proper lime for cutting 

 wheat. Some think it must be so ripe that the 

 head will curl down and shell well, while others 

 contend that it should be done beliire this i.^i the 

 case: and in my opinion nearly all neglect it too 

 long, and thereby lose much of their grain. From 

 my own experience and observation, wheat is 

 ready to cut wlien the stalk has become yellow, 

 or ripe, six or eight inches below the bead. I 

 always begin lo cut my wlie.it vvhen the joints 

 are green, and before a head iu the field will 

 shell by rubbing in the baud, or when the hard- 

 est kernels can be mashed between the thumb 

 and finger. Wheat cut at this time will shrink a 

 little, but it shrinks into a round, plump, chrystal 

 berry, free from that hollow-sided, wooly look 

 and bad color that late cut wheat invariably has, 

 and also loses nothing by slieHin^-. 



If wheat is smutty, much is gained by early 

 cultins;'. Then but few of the smut kernels 

 break in the threshing, and those that do break 

 instead of luaking dust, remain in kernels like 

 coarse powder, which is not the case with well 

 ripened smut which nearly all beccmies powdered 

 to dust in ihresliing, colors the wheat, and injures 

 it for market, as I think many will reiuember 

 from last years experience — and will from that 

 of this year also, if the matter is not attended to 

 in season. When wheat is badly rusted, it is 

 ready lo cut, green or ripe. Soirie iiave objec- 

 tions to early cutting, thinking that if" wet weath- 

 er shnnld come on before the kernel becomes dry, 

 it would be likely lo grow, but I have never 

 known this to be the case where wheat was well 

 set up. The best way to set U|) wheat in the field, 

 that I have ever practised or observed, is this:^ 

 Take two bundles with the band heads turne'a 

 inwards, and set them up with the bulls liu' eiio'jp-!! 

 apart so that the heads will lean uell logethe.r am! 

 form a complete ridge ; il' the bands are uneven 

 on the outside, the mieveu parts should ije dr^wn 

 upwards so as to foriu the ridge — th.esi proceed 

 and finish the stook by setting up, the bundles 

 two and two, as above directed, "pUcijig them as 

 closely as (los.sible, and beint; oar^lid. lo make 

 every two bundles support iheviiseive.s.for n stook 

 of wheat slioidd never lean logelJier lenirihwise. 

 Wheat set up in ihi.s uay, wi'd s;aml during long 

 rains with but iiiile injury. Wheat that is cut 

 green should be loosely \iound, that it may liave 

 a chance to ciu-e welt; aud it shoidd nl^o be well 

 cured before it \s pm iiUotKe mow or stack. 



A. REYNOLDS. 

 Hanover, Juli/ 10, 1343. 



Remarks. — This coininsmication is of the 

 right kind. It is practical, seasonable and to the 

 point. The sulnect disciisseil is an important 

 one at this limp of the yoar. and we hope the 

 advice given will be observed during the aj)- 

 proHching harvest. Let the contents of the arii- 

 cle be remembered by all wlieat grower.s.— £rfi- 

 lor Michigan iarrwr. 



For tlie Fanner'^ .Monthly Visitor. 



Meteorological Journal kept atCeucord 



by A. CHANDLER. 



Harvesting Grain. 



Wheat and Rye sbonhl be cut as soon as the 

 kernel. barden.s. Not only is the straw of much 

 greater value for fodder, but the gr;iiu itself in 

 said to make flour more nutritions, and ol' bi tier 

 flavor, than when not harvested till fully ripe. 

 After cuttiug wheat or rye, it is belter lo bind it 

 in small sheaves and shock it in the field lor two 

 or three weeks, than to put it in the bai ii us soon 

 as is sometimes done. If the shocks are small 

 and well capped, they will endure a considerable 

 of a storm withoiit injury: and the grain will be 

 lunch sweeter when dried and hardened iti the 

 open air, than if stowed away in a close baru. 

 No part of the straw suffers injury in the shocks 

 except the very outside of the outside sheaves; 

 whereas, in the barn the inside of the sheaf often 

 heats and sometimes grows mouldy or musty. 

 Grain thus saved threshes nnicb easier than that 

 put into the barn soon after being cut. When 

 cut as early a.s we recommend, grain needs to be 

 more thoroughly made, even than hay, before it 

 will do to hind into sheaves and pack away in a 

 close body ; and if this is not done both the 

 straw and the grain suffer in consequence of the 

 neglect. 



Oats sometimes rust in the field about the time 

 the kernel is nearly full, and as soon as any thing 

 of this is perceived the better way is to harvest 

 immediately. The straw will be worth more 

 than if suffered to stand longer ; and the graiu 

 will be as good, if not better. 



As a general thing in this country, Eiiglisli 

 grain, as it is called, is not cut as early as it 

 should be ; and our farmers suffer loss in conse- 

 quence thereof. 



_ The Williamsport (Md.i Banner says .-—The 

 copious rain experienced in the fore part of the 

 week, has given a fresh impulse to vegetation 

 generally, after a long drought. The corn crop, 

 which was beginning to siifier from the drought, 

 will be materially benefiued, and wheat jmd rye 

 ripened for the cradle siome days sooner than 

 was antici[iateii at the commeneemeut of the 

 week. Tlte oats will be very.sltort and the crop 

 light. _- 



Remarks. — 'jst inst., a hard frost last night; 

 froze the gr.jund in some places sufficiently to 

 feel il bre,nk under feet.— 2d, very cold night, but 

 frost preifented by the wind ;. yesterday and lo- 

 d^y '.ire.s have been quite comfortable iu doors, 

 ai'.<t «>ver-toats out. — 3d, rainy, and .somewhat 

 warmer than yesterday. — 4th, shower from the 

 N. W. in the night ; cold, cloudy day. — 6lli, heavy 

 shower in the night. — 9lb, rained hard in the 

 night and most of the A. M. — lOtb, mined iu the 

 nigfil ; very warm from 9 A. M. until 1 P. M., 

 vvhen there came on a heavy llmuder shower 

 from the west. — llih, rained quite hard in the 



WnsTERN Virginia.— The smaH grain crops, 

 particularly the wheal crop, from all the accounts 

 ws have seen and heard, may be reckoned as 

 among the best, if not the very best, this year, 

 tliat have been raised for many years. — Wyihe- 

 ville (Va.) JVhip;. 



Crops in Lower Virsinia. — The weather con 

 tinues hisfbly favorable to the corn crop, which, 

 every where that we h;ive beard liom, is report- 

 ed " firsi rate. ' 



The wheat is all- housed, and a better, season 

 for getting it in could not liaxe been asked for 

 in tiie orisons of the most avaricious. — Norfolk 

 Herald. 



The hay croj) in this vicinity will not turn out 

 quite as heavy as was anticipated a few weeks 

 since. The crop is rather backward, and- cur 

 farmers have now fiiirly ciilered into it. The 

 crop will be about a third heavier than lust year, 

 but not equal to the year previou.s. The quality 

 is good, and until yesterday the weather has been 

 favorable for curing \t.—Btmgar,. Jf'hig- 



Wheat inNorther.n I.NmA.v^.— The Laporte, 

 Ind., county Whig, lieing in the centre of one of 

 the finest wheat 'gro^'"? regions of the great 

 We.st. says the prospect of a heavy cr0|i of wlit-at 

 is verv flattering. Corn and 



now up over the low inlervo'e land ajaiii, The 



ground is soakia,if fVill of water. Nothing an- 1 in that country 



pears to grow in the gardens but early pen.-^'; p'>- oats lijck beauHiol. »o<l a bountiful Harvest is 



tatoos tliat were plained the 27lh of .-\pril have | anticipale.d. 



been up Imt a fiivv d.iys, and can harilly be said 



to grow at al^now;rvery thing is very hack- 

 ward but gras.s and English grain.— 16th, cold 

 and rainy.- a-3d, tbundersliower from the N. W. 

 at hah-past G o'clock P. M,— 29tt„ rained a little 

 ill the night. 



The weather met with a rdian^re on ;!;« 19th, 

 and .since that mne it has been vory warm most 

 t.f he time. Corn and its kixicbxJ, bv the ai.l of 

 Nature s grand steam power, sun shine and show- 

 (U-s, are going ahead wonderfullv. Tl 

 temperature from the 90th to llie"30[h 

 deg. ; the vvar(ue.st day was the S8th .^> 

 eter indicating 9Vdcg.i.i the shade "^ 



Pefdivg PorLTRY.-Prof. Greg<u-y, of Aber- 

 eeii, observes, "As you keep poultry, 1 ;"j;y ««'_| 

 _,oii ll 

 with their food a sufficient <1 



voii thai it has been ascerlauied that if you mix 



tity of egg shells 

 will lav, 



le average 



^yas 71 1-2 



lerniom- 



o;h::;;re:i-Wl.erfi>od maybe; indeed, a Ibul 

 l^e^mid not fi-KH^gL -y '" ^^^^t?'^ T. 



ir,eofmorta-.vwhich they often 

 ' wajr>=, would lay no eggs at all. 



eat on the 



