42 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



of Goat Island, has had no difficulty in sinking 

 chasms of vast depth, into which the broken rock 

 of the Hmestone Avails which compose the cataract 

 falls. This stratum extends over a large tract of 

 country, watered by the great lakes, which seem to 

 have a subterranean communication with the vol- 

 canoes of Hecla, in Iceland, and those of the south- 

 ern part of the European continent, as the disturb- 

 ance caused by the earthquake at Lisbon, in 1775, 

 caused the agitation of the waters of Lake Ontario. 

 He says that an immense volume of gas arises from 

 the chasm into which Niagara plunges from the lof- 

 ty precipices which form the Horse Shoe on the 

 American fall, and might with proper apparatus be 

 ignited — and when on fire would exceed in beauty 

 the flames of the gas ascending from the deep ra- 

 A-ines of the salines of Kanhawha, which give a col- 

 umn of flame of seventy feet in height. His con- 

 clusion, from all his observation, is, that the great 

 falls do not date beyond the universal deluge. 



SPIRIT OF THE AGRICULTURAL 

 PRESS. 



PERUVIAN GUANO. 



Prof. Nash, in his Farmer, says : — "This is an ex- 

 cellent fertilizer. Every farmer should have more 

 or less of it at command for special aj)plications. 

 On poor, out-of-the-way soils, where heavy manures 

 cannot be carried without too much expense, it may 

 be used with decided advantage for almost any crop. 

 On lands of a good quahty well situated for work- 

 ing and manuring, guano will not, in the long run, 

 pay at present rates, if used for the ordinary pur- 

 poses of inland farming. When there is before- 

 hand almost a certainty of high prices for produce, 

 the inland farmer may do very well to try it." 



AVe have recently conversed with two gentlemen 

 — both practical men, and of critical observation — 

 who informed us that they now have fields in grass, 

 and yielding good crops, laid down some five, six 

 and seven years ago, manured then solely M-ith gu- 

 ano, and receiving little or no manuring since. If 

 such were to be the general result, we might bring 

 up our farms to a wonderful degree of fertility ; be- 

 cause a third or half of the tillage land laid to grass 

 with guano, and producing a fair crop for several 

 years in succession, would enable us to appropriate 

 all the manure of the farm to the hoed crops. 

 This would allow of very high manuring, and put 

 the land in such condition as to produce heavy grass 

 crops without the further application of guano. 

 But we need further experiments, and test the gu- 

 ano upon its own merits, by putting the land into 

 grass without a particle of any other manure. 



THE AMERICAN SCYTHE. 



A writer in one of the English papers inquires if 

 any of their agricultural readers are acquainted with 

 the American scythe, its construction and superior- 

 ity over those of ordinary use in the British isles ? 

 It ap]>ear-s that a native of Yorlishire, England, on 

 aA-isit to his native land, brought the subject of our 

 scythe into comparison with those in use in that 



country. He told his friends there, that if it were 

 possible to introduce largely the true American 

 scythe, though at great money outlay, the gain to 

 Britain would be very remunerative, and that by its 

 superior efficienc)'. He also told his wondering 

 friends that one man here could cut four acres of 

 barley or oats in a day ! The writer states that the 

 real shape of the scythe could not be ascertained. 

 Is it possible that the American scythe has not yet 

 been seen and used in many parts of England ? We 

 recommend to our friends, Ruggles, Nourse, Mason 

 Sc Co., to send Mr. Mechi a case of half a dozen by 

 the next steamer. 



HARVESTS L\ EUROPE. 

 A French paper, the Constitutionnel, says there is 

 a large deficit in the crops of that country, and that 

 they will be under the necessity of jiurchasing large- 

 ly of other countries. They have usually gone to 

 Russia and the countries on the Black Sea, but this 

 year, they say, "we shall address ourselves to the 

 United States, where the harvest has been very 

 abundant, and it is evident that we may pay in 

 produce or drafts for a considerable part of the com 

 [wheat] which Ave purchase." 



The crops of Avheat and rye throughout the Avhole 

 of Northern Europe are lamentably deficient. The 

 Mark Lane Express (London) says : — "America as 

 well as ourselves, began this cereal year Avith an ex- 

 hausted stock ; Avhilst on the other hand, the pop- 

 ulation of the States increases even faster than our 

 OAvn, or any European State ; so that consumption 

 keeps pace Avith production up to the present time, 

 whatever it may do hereafter. They have, hoAvever, 

 had this year an excellent crop, and a large increase 

 of land under Avheat, and Avill probably be able to 

 export as much, if not more, than in 1847. The 

 question therefore is, what proportion of this shall 

 we obtain ?" 



In some parts of Europe, however, the harvest 

 has been good. In Austria, the Avheat crop was 

 abundant, and so in Prussia and Egypt. 



SCAKCITY OF HORSES IN EUROPE. 



A correspondent of the New York Spirit of the 

 Times, writing from Paris, says : — "In London, ladies' 

 saddle horses and carriage horses are not to be had. 

 In thirteen days' search, I could not find a decent 

 pair for sale at any price. If this war lasts another 

 year, the Europeans will be importing horses from 

 America ; and it would be Avell worth the attention 

 of our farmers and breeders to raise large horses, fit 

 to draAv a heavy carriage, or carry a heavy man. 

 Good saddle horses for gentlemen are still to be 

 found by paying for them ; a first rate one stands 

 you $300. A Utica (N, Y.) paper states that a 

 gentleman is now in that city purchasing carriage 

 and saddle horses for the market." 



HOGS AND CORN. 



Good pork has not been so high for several years 



