i^. 



jJnquirlea anb ^nsroers. 



Hot -Beds. — "We caunot speak favorably of our 

 sucecsa with cloth as a substitute for gla^a in ma- 

 kin:' hot-beds. 



Tobacco Seed. — We refer those -who hare in- 

 quired for Tobacco Seed to the advertisement oi' 

 J. Il.\PAiJE & Co., in this number. 



"Beomer's Manure." — R.T.P., Punxsutawny, Pa. 



^e know nothing of this "prepared manure' 



and would advise no one to purchase such articles 

 without the composition is certified to, so that a 

 correct estimate may be made of its value. 



Tire FARMEr.— "Wheat, Potatoes, MAJnrRE, and Fowls. 

 —I have been a subscriber to the Farmer nearly a year, and 

 have been delighted with the reading matter it contains. 

 Before we took it, my wife had been a subscriber to a La- 

 dies' Magazme at four times the price, but she now says she 

 prefers the Farmer, as the most interesting and instructive. 

 She is a lover of flowers and gardening, and, by-thc-by, 

 wishes you to take her name as a candidate for some of the 

 choice flov.'er seeds the coming season. 



I have just now been perusing the last number of the Far- 

 mer by a cheerful fire, whilst the rain is fertilizing the 

 parched ground without, and seeing that you notice letters 

 of inquiry on different subjects relating to farming, garden- 

 ing, horticulture, &c., I feel inclined to submit a few ques- 

 tio'ns to you, which if you deem worthy of notice, of course 

 I shaU feel flatXered. 



I have, for the first time in my life, come in possession of* 

 a house and lot of my own. The lot contains four acres ; 

 the soil is rather light and has not been improved much; it 

 is of a saiidv, loamy nature, the stone in part flint, and u 

 mixture of what is licre called the soap stone and iron stone. 

 Now, as I am rather inexperienced in farming or gardening, 

 or anything of the kind,! would like to get some instruction 

 through your paper. There is a thin clover sod on one- 

 half of it, which I had intended to plow under for wheat, 

 but being busy building, and the season extremely dry, I 

 delayed till too late. My potato crop last season was small, 

 though what I had were very good, being very dry and 

 mealy. I think the soil is well adapted to potatoes, and I 

 think I should prefer cultivating them, could I produce two 

 or tliree hundred bushels to the acre, as you say may be 

 done, I can have access to some ashes, some barn- 

 yard manure, and plenty of lime four miles distant, at 6)i 

 cents per bushel. 



I would like, if I knew how to conduct and manage a 

 small henery, to have one if it did not interfere too much 

 with my little field. Could you give me some information 

 as to their probable profit, the cheapest convenient mode of 

 constructing the arrangements, and the best common kind 

 of layers. C'an any kind of hens be made to lay all seasons 

 — winter as well as summer? W'hat is the best plan of 

 managing to effect this? 



But I presume I have now given yon enough questions 

 for once. I have given so many, believing that information 

 may be given through your widely circulated paper, either 

 by you, or souie of your correspondents, which will be in- 

 structive and entertaining not only to me, but to many of 

 your subscribers in Pennsylvania. Wasiucn Steacy. — 

 Bart, Pa., 1S51. 



Potatoes are a better crop than wheat to grow 

 by one who has but four acres of land, all told. 

 Use a little lime and a great quantity of ashes per 

 acre, well incorporated with the soil, if you would 

 grow a large crop of tubers. If the land lacks or- 

 ganic matter, apply leaf mould from the woods. 

 A little well rotted manure may be added to bring 

 them up to a high state of productiveness. 



You might keep a few fowls with profit, but 



large numbers of fowls cannot be kept together 

 without great care. They become diseased and 

 die. Fowls want plenty of room, and a chance at 

 the fresh earth. Although many agricultural edi- 

 tors ridicule the large breeds, we have no hesitation 

 in saying that the Shanghaes are the best layers in 

 the country. They are yet costly, and probably 

 cannot now be procured for less than $5 per pair, 

 which is too much to pay except for a pair or two 

 to breed from. They will be cheap in a year or 

 two. It is not natural for any birds to lay during 

 the whole year. Yet much can be done by keep- 

 ing them in a very warm house, and feeding fresh 

 meat and pounded oyster shells, or lime and bones. 

 A box of ashes, or sand, is quite a luxury, and ne- 

 cessary to their cleanliness. 



Carts. — A correspondent says : "I am much pleased with 

 the plan you offer, so far as I understand it, and wish to get 

 up a cart from the drawing, but find myself at a loss to un- 

 derstand one or two important parts. You say the body 

 sets flat on the axle, and the shafts are attached to the hot/- 

 torn of the body by bent iron plates. Now it appears from 

 the drawing, that the shafts are attached at the extreni<» 

 tVont part of the bottom, which I think cannot be the case. 

 How far from the front end are the shafts attached ? (1) — 

 What is the shape of the bent irons by which they are fast- 

 ened ? (2) How high are the wheels, and what is the width 

 of the tire ? (3) James Gardxek. — Ilullldayihurg, Pa. 



(1) The shafts are attached to the bottom, by 

 bent iron plates, near tlie axle, and it tips on the 

 bolts which connect the shafts and body there. 

 The usual way is to have shafts and frame attached 

 to the axle, the body to sit on bolsters to bring it 

 level, and to tip on the axle. 



(5) Flat, and of sufficient width to correspond 

 with the timbers or wood work. 



(3) As a general thing, four and a half feet is the 

 proper height for wheel^ and four inches width of 

 tire for the land. It cannot all be made plain, 

 without skeleton drawings, but anv good waggon 

 maker who understands the principh can adapt 

 the parts to each other. 



Tellow Spots r^ 'Wiieat. — I write for the purpose of 

 obtaining infomiation through the columns of your valuable 

 paper, as to the cause of the appearance of yellow spots in 

 wheat. These spots are not generally seen until the warm 

 weather of spring, when aU at once different parts of the 

 field will begin to wear a yellow and sickly appearance, 

 and become stunted in growth. Sometimes these spots are 

 not observed at harvest. At other times the disease is 

 nearly fatal. My own opinion is that it is caused by some 

 insect, but what kind of one (if insect it is) is a question. It 

 is not the work of the Hessian fly, neither is it caused by 

 wire worms ; nor is it owing to a poverty of the soil, for ma- 

 nuring does not prevent it ; it is not owing to a lack of 

 potash, for I observe that the wheat is affectt-d where I 

 burned a log heap before sowing. Any information on this 

 subject would greatly oblige A'Subsceibek. — Olney, A". Y. 



Many believe that the larva; of the wheat fly 

 (cecidomyia tritici, not Hessian fly,) are in seed 

 wheat when sown, and that the development of 



occa- 



the insect in the young plant in the sprin, 



sions the injury of which our coi-respondent speaks. 



'hir. W. P. KiNZEE, sm intelligent observer in Lan. 



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