VOl,. XIX. NO. 36. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



LIME— "ONE FIRE MORE." 

 Mr Putnam— Permit me to second your recojn- 

 mendation in rejjard to tlie application of liirje the 

 ensuing spring, on the plan proposed by Dr. .fack. 

 son, as set forth in your report of his instructive re- 

 marlts at the Seventh Agi-icul(ur:il Meeting. 



It yet appears to be a mooted (luestion witliniany 

 of our practical agriculturists, «-hetlier this n-reat 

 chemical agent is capable of afibrdiug any impor- 

 tani aid in improving the common methods'of culti- 

 vation ; and it would appear to be the surest way 

 to settle Its merits as a fertilizer, to adopt, shidly, 

 as you observe, the recommendations of its distin-' 

 guished advocate, Dr. Jackson, ivhich are not only 

 supported by science, but by the experience of 

 many intelligent and persevering cultivators in va- 

 rious parts of our country. 



Considerable disappointment has been produced 

 heretofore in its application as a top-dressing, which 

 the scientific reasons assigned by Dr. Jackson in 

 his remarks, will prevent in future. 



Upon the whole, with so much evidence in sup. 

 port of its utility, and with the satisfactory explana- 

 tions afibrded by science of the causes of its failure 

 in certain cases heretofore, I think instead of aban- 

 doning its use, there are new inducements for far- 

 mers to proceed in their experiments with it. Let 

 it have a fair trial, upon sr.ienlific principles, as pro- 

 posed by Dr. Jackson, and I for one have no fears 

 for the result. At any rate, le; it not be condemn- 

 ed as worthless, before it has been put to (he test 

 its friends solicit. An article of so much general 

 importance and of so high pretensions as an aid to 

 agriculture, should nut be spurned upon the mere 

 unsupported suggestions of nn^ man, more particu- 

 larly of one so manifestly destitute of chemical 

 knowledge as fThe severe personal allusions of 



285 



please a schcl class of readers, you must be deem- 

 ed peculiarly fortunate in being suited to please 

 the mass ; and the course which you marked out 

 for yourself upon assuming the editorial duties, and 

 "hich you have thus far so ably and faithfully 

 maintained, is the course, depend upon it, sir, which 

 will regain the Farmer its wonted popularity, and 

 meet the unqualified approbation of the great ma- 

 jority of its subscribers. I am pleased to see that 

 in your effort.^ to make a good agricultural paper, 

 you are so well seconded by the aid of correspon- 

 dents—and, wishing that their number may be aug- 

 mented, and that the Farmer may grow in publTc 

 favor as you advance in editorial experience, 



I remain truly yours, J. H. D. 



P. S. — In one of the farm reports lately publish- 

 ed in the Farmer, I noticed the opinion advanced as 

 fact, that manuring corn in the hill has the effect 

 to produce an extra quantity of stalks to the detri- 



Berkshire blood. To this cause may also be at- 

 . _ 'ributcd, I have no doubt, the varieties we 80 often 

 1) you marked out find in corn, whicli, although selected with the 

 ,lit,,r;„l ,h„;^^ ..„,i greatest care, and planted faraway from every other 

 variety, will still be found to "sport" in a most sur- 

 prising manner. p yy^ 



WHY DON'T HE DO IT. 

 When a farmer Anow that a gate is better, and 

 as a time and labor-saving fixture cheaper, than a 

 set of bars and posts, and without calling on a car- 

 penter he can himself make one — why don't lie do 

 il.= 



Wlien he has no other fastening to his gates and 

 barn doors than a rock rolled against them, and in 

 a single evening after supper is able to make a 

 better one — why don 't he do it ? 



Or when he sem the boards dropping from his 



-^ - --■ - "=^..- ''^"'^ »nd out buildings, and like heaps of rubbish 



ment of the grain. As I do not recollect hav- >.ving in piles about his premises, and need only 

 ing seen this question discussed in your columns, | "ailing on again — why don 't he do it? 

 I woujd ask il this opinion is sustainable as fact.='| Or if he is afraid of the expense of nails, and is 

 The stimulus given to com in its early stages by always crying up the maxim of Dr. Franklin, to 



our correspondent which follow here, thouo-h just 

 we have thought best to omit, as they might give rise 

 to a warfare of an unpleasant characrer.f Such 

 men, however, can do but little to impede the march 

 of agricultural improvement or dampen the spirit of 

 BCientihc inquiry which is now awakened. In their 

 veneration for ancient error, they may despise the 

 truths which modern science is revealing— hut 

 .hey cannot circumscribe the influonce or prevent 

 ;he effects of those truths, no more than they can 



'' Pluck his brightOHss from the sun 

 Or With polluted finger larnish it :" 



But I am digressing. Mr Editor, I would again 

 irge upon farmers the propriety ot testing the'val- 

 le of lime in the exact manner proposed by Dr. 

 fackaon, and if success does not attend the triali 

 here will then be reason for dispensing with its' 

 ise: In the encouraging words of our caption, give 

 ■ One Fire. More r and another will be unnecess°ary. 



Before I close this, permit me, sir, to congratu- 



ite you on your success in your new capacity 



Jnder your charge, I consider the usefulness of 

 le Farmer, as an agricultural paper, greatly en- 

 anced ; and am confident that the New England 

 irmer— the lord of an acre, alike with him" who 

 lis his hundred— could adopt no better means to 

 )crease his store of "this world's goods " and reap 

 richer recompense for his toil, than by becoming 

 subscriber to, (and a payer for,) your valuable 

 eekly. I would not detract a hair's-breadth 

 om the well-earned merit of your eminent prede- 

 jssor in the editorial chair, but in justice to you 

 must say, that if he was fortunate in being able to 



the manure in the hill, lessens the chance'of the 

 crop being injured by frost, by hastening its matu- 

 rity ; and I submit whether, in the long run, this 

 advantage does not counterbalance the evil of a dis- 

 proportionate quantity of stalks. I should like the 

 views of your correspondents, pro and con, in re- 

 gard to, the matter. 



From the Farmer's Cabinet. 



ON BREEDING BACK. 



Sir — Conversing lately with two very intelligent 

 friends and practical agriculturists on the tendency 

 of all animals to " breed back," I was struck with 

 the instances they related as having happened with- 

 in their knowledge, and which carry back that ten- 

 dency to a date far more remote than what I had 

 contemplated as probable, or even possible. 



The first said, " When I was a lad at mv father's 

 house, we had amongst our poultry a small rooster, 

 of the bantam or feather-legged breed, with the' 

 feathers extending outside his legs like two stiall 

 wings; he was kept until it was suspected that the 

 breed of the other fowls might be injured by his 

 cross, when he was killed ; but, from that day to 

 this, not a year passes without a feather-legged 

 chicken amongst the poultry !" 



The other said, " I once kept the variety of fowls 



save the pennies and tlie pounds will take care of 

 themselves," and he knows that the same Dr. Frank- 

 lin also said that " many n:en are penny wise and 

 pound foolish," and he is not careful to think of the 

 precejit contained in the latter — why don 't he do it.' 

 If it is a saying of nearly half the manure of a 

 farmer's stock by keeping them shut up in yards, 

 instead of running at large through most of the win- 

 ter — why don't he do it? 



If he knows that many of his fields would be 

 greatly improved by ditching, and by the removal 

 of large stumps and stones — why don't he do il ? 

 And when he knows that his pastures yield near- 

 ly double the feed, and of a better quality, if the 

 bushes were all cut and subdued — why don 't he 

 do it ? 



And if he can add fifty per cent, to the product 

 of his clover fields, and even his pastures, by the 

 use of gypsum — why don 't he do it? 



And if it is cheaper, actually cheaper, to burn 

 dry wood than green, and to use a stove instead of 



an open fire-place — why don 't he do it ? Far- 



mer^s Gaz. 



From the Albany Cultivator. 



CULTURE OP THE SUGAR BEET. 



Messrs Gaylord 8,- Tucker — I have tried during 



called rumps: that is, (owls naturally without tails; the four years past, various modes of cultivating the 

 but at length, determining to get rid of tiiem, they j sugar beet. On our soils, which we call red land, 

 were all killed right away: this was seventeen I but which I suppose you would call alluvial, the 

 years ago, and during that time 1 have never had | following plan I find the best. 1 work my ground 

 oneof that sort upon my farm, but this year there j until it is well pulverized, with a good supply of 

 has come a rump fowl amongst the chickens!" | manure if it is poor. I then draw furrows about 



And It IS in this way, I presume, that the very i two feet apart, into which I put a reasonable quan- 

 frequent admixture of black, or spotted-faced sheep, tity of manure. I then run my plough round both 



are to bo found in flocks where there have never 

 been either .ewe or buck of that variety for nn age ; 

 but it must have been observed by every one, at 

 all conversant with the rearing of sheep, that these 

 mongrels, which have black, or dark-colored spots, 

 are always the best sheep in the flock. And I 

 know at this time, a remarkably fine pen of spring 

 pigs, a cross between the Chester county and Berkt 

 shire black and white, each of which has the requi- 

 site number of white feet, &c., according to Albany 

 statute ; but two amongst them, and by far the best 

 pigs, have a tinge of red mixed with the white— a 

 proofthat they are "breeding back" to their old 



sides of the furrow, which will cover the manure 

 and raise it on a ridge. I plant the seed from ten 

 to twelve inches apart on the ridge. In this way I 

 have been tolerably successful. Last year I had 

 an extraordinary crop, but I did not take time to 

 ascertain the number of bushels or tons to the acre. 

 This year I had two acres, and got twentysix tons, 

 though I do not call it more than half a crop, it 

 having been a very dry season. Peter Diehl. 



jYiw Oxford, Penn. 



Poverty wants some, luxury many, and avarice 

 all things. — Cotoley. 



