THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



261 



It ia usual to plant tobacco on our rich Kontuc- 

 kv soil, for several years in succession, on the 

 same groiintK Tubacco is an cxhaustinjx-crop, 

 anil oucht not, too Ireqiientiy, to be pianled on the 

 same ground. Experience will soon sbow when 

 the crop should be chanjied. When it becomes 

 necessary to do so, tobacco should be Ibilowed by 

 a wheat crop, and the wheat sowed thickly with 

 clover the ibllowintr spring. The clover crop 

 should be continued lor al least two or three years, 

 and then should have a coat of manure in the lid!, 

 and be ploughed in, and suffered to lie till si)rin<.', 

 when it would agam be in good condition lor to- 

 bacco. A. Beatty. 



BEST TImR for cutting TIMBER. 



From tlie New Genesee Farmer. 



We suppose another age must pass away be- 

 fore the notion of lunar influence on timber will 

 be entirely exploded. When the yielding mind 

 of childhood receives a vvroiiiT impression from a 

 parent or perceptor and it is allowed to harden for 

 years before philosophy attempts to efl'ace it, 

 argument too often glances off like water from a 

 goose's back. 



On what does this notion rest'^ Why the 

 moon raises tides on the ocean. Admitted; but 

 on what else is its influence lelt ? If it has not 

 room enough to raise tides on our lakes, can it 

 possibly raise tides of sap in the pores of a tree, 

 where a microscope is necessary to discover 

 them ? 



But if it did raise the sap, what advantage 

 could we derive from that knowledge *? It would 

 raise tides every day ; and no one particular time 

 would be better than another. 



It has been handed down to us as a rule worthy 

 of remembrance, that " the old of the moon in 

 February is the best time to cut timber." But 

 why is the old of the moon better than the new ? 

 This question, might puzzle a Philadelphia law- 

 yer. The " old ot the moon" may come on the 

 tirst day of the month; or it may come on the 

 last — it may differ a whole month. Thesapmay 

 be frozen, and the moon not able 'o stir a particle. 

 Or can it act on solids as well as fluids'? If it can 

 act on frozen timber, why not on seasoned timber, 

 or solid rock? We cannot understand such 

 occult principles. We admit indeed that the time, 

 prescribed may serve well for cutting some kinds 

 of timber; but certainly it is not {he best time to 

 cut all kinds of timber. 



We believe it may be laid down as a maxim 

 that limber is most durable if cut when it contains 

 the least sap ; and we have no knowledge that 

 sap ever runs from a tree in full leaf On a former 

 occasion we stated a fact from an observant neigh- 

 bor, that basswood rails, which he cut when the 

 sap was in liill flow, rotted before they seasoned, 

 though immediately laid up in a fence. On the 

 reverse, we have several instances of -timber cut 

 in summer that proved very durable, with not one 

 case to the contrary. We therefore infer that the 

 gradation from the best time to the worst is in the 

 ibllowing order: summer — autumn — winter. No 

 timber should be cut in the spring before the tree 

 is in full leaf. 



Physiologists, when treating of the functions of 



plants, have been too Ibnd of drawing general 

 rides, like other people, Irom a few observations. 

 Because the sap of some trees flows not in winter, 

 they have erroneously concluded it was so with 

 all. The saj) of the sugar maple, however, flows 

 as soon as the leaves drop in autumn ; therefore, 

 to have that tiinber durable, it should be cut when 

 the tree is in leaf; and as every leaf ia employed 

 in pumping out the moisture, it might be well 

 to let the tree lie untrimmed till ihey are with- 

 ered. 



A timber tree may be very valuable or other- 

 wise, according to the time of culiinff it ; and in 

 this country where they are growing scarcer 

 every year, it is more especially important to have 

 the best inlbrmaiion on the subject. 



DIFFERENT EFFECTS OF NITRATE OF SODA. 



From the Farmers' Ma!;azine. 



As there appears to be much diversity of opi- 

 nion, wheiher nitrate of soda is beneficial or not 

 in its effects when applied to land, and many vary- 

 ing results after its application, I am induced to 

 send you an account of some trials I have made 

 during the present year; I do this more readily, 

 as it is only by an accumulation of (acts that any 

 general conclusions can be arrived at. I distri- 

 buted the nitrate of soda broadcast on the 27th of 

 April, it was very hot and dry, no rain had fallen 

 for a month previously ; the quantity of the saline 

 employed was 1^ hundred weight to the acre ; it 

 was applied to spring tares, oats, barley, beans, 

 peas, clover and wheat. The \yheat succeeded 

 partly lallow-land, and partly clover-ley. The na- 

 ture of the soil on this fijrm is a stiff' heavy deep 

 clay. No perceptible difference took place in any 

 of the crops to which the nitrate was applied until 

 alter the rain had fallen, which occurred in a 

 fortnight; after this that portion of the wheat 

 which was manured with the soda (and ihe year 

 before was preceded by a cfover-ley) quickly 

 became more luxuriant in growth and darker in 

 color, the same effects were developed on the 

 young clover that was salted ; on none of the other 

 crops could I perceive the slightest benefit from 

 the application of the nitrate. The sietches of 

 clover land wheat to which the soda was applied, 

 were reaped by themselves, an equal number to 

 which it was not applied were alr^o reaped ; on 

 thrashing each quantity, it was (bund the ma- 

 nured portion yielded one-fburih more grain, one- 

 third more straw than the other, but the sample 

 was notso plump, nor its color so good, the siraw 

 was not so bright. The same plan was not fol- 

 lowed with the other crops to which the salt was 

 distributed, as upon the most diliirent investigation 

 at harvest, not the sliijhtest diflierence between 

 these and the other portions of the fields could be 

 perceived. In the months of June and July, 1 

 applied the nitrate to mangel, Swedes and white 

 turnips; no benefit followed. 



In offering to you the conclusion I arrive at 

 from these results, I beg to say, I only throw it 

 out as a hint (or other investigators, and (or my 

 own farther research, for nothing can be more dan- 

 gerous to the advance of knowledge than drawing 

 sweeping general conclusions (i-om (ew and iso- 

 lated (acts. 



It appears to me, that nitrate of soda on the 



