NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JULT 



coating of plaster, lime or guano, will help it 

 very much, especially if dry. Prepare the seed 

 the same as for spring wheat. Wash thorough- 

 ly, pickle in strong brine twelve hours or more, 

 and mix with ashes or slaked lime. 



In this way I get from twelve to fifteen bush- 

 els per acre, and think it doing well without 

 manure. Have never tried manure on upland, 

 but presume it would do well. 



The kind of wheat called the White [Winter ? 

 Ed.] Blue Stem stands winter best. I have 

 rnised the above quantity, per acre, without ap- 

 ])lving anything but dry wheat and simply har- 

 rowing it in, N. F. Morrill. 



Sanbornton, N. H., May, 1S59. 



Remarks. — Excellent, plain, and seasonable 

 suggestions. Try them. By applying a moder- 

 ate quantity of well rotted nranure to the pasture 

 land spoken of, we have no doubt the crop 

 would be increased from twelve and fifteen bush- 

 els to twenty bushels per acre. 



CLAY" AS AN AMENDMENT TO SANDY 

 SOILS. 



Soils void of clay, or containing it in too small 

 a relative proportion, are materially improved by 

 a top-dressing, and particularly when the clay 

 finds its way to the soil through the compost 

 heap. In such case it exercises its peculiar pow- 

 er of absorbing ammonia and other products of 

 decay, and afterward-a yields up to plants the ma- 

 terials thus absorbed. While the clay is thus 

 performing an useful office, itself is changed in 

 condition so as to lose its greater tenacity, only 

 hQuling this property in a sufRc ent degree to add 

 firmness to sandy soils after its addition. The 

 quantity of clay required to amend a sandy soil 

 incapable of retaining manures, and indeed when 

 even blowey, is not as large as many suppose. 

 One thousand bushels per acre is sometimes quite 

 suificient, if evenly spread and left on the surface 

 for a time, before being plowed in, so that rains 

 and dews, assisted by sun and air, may cause the 

 division to become more perfect. It is not the 

 clay alone which corrects blowey sands, but in 

 addition to its own effects directly, the roots of 

 crops, grown by its assistance, lend their aid. 

 When clay and vegetable mould can both be added 

 to sandy soils, as in the vicinity of muck depos- 

 its, then the amendment is still more perfect. 



The value of this kind of amendment is its per- 

 manency ; for as the clay is not appreciably used 

 by plants, it continues forever to imbue the sand, 

 and each year to re-perform its function of re- 

 taining gases, abstracting valuable constituents 

 from solutions, in addition to its mechanical use 

 in giving the necessary solidity and adhesiveness 

 to the soil. 



Many are not aware that some sandy soils, 

 notwithstanding the peculiar light couditien of 

 ^ the dry surface, are still more difficult to disin- 

 tegrate deeply by a sub-soil plow than heavier 

 soils, settling by rains like a sea beach; in such 

 sands many kinds of clay seem to act as a lubri- 

 cator to the surface of their particles, and after 

 being clayed, they may be the more readily plow- 

 ed. — Working Farmer. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 HOBSKS. 



Too much vigilance is seldom known on the 

 part of proprietors of mares, in selecting a horse 

 to breed from. Hundreds of horses are offered, 

 and urged as breeding stallions, a large number 

 of which are objectionable by way of sad blem- 

 ishes, bad proportions, or age. Their proprie- 

 tors have a smooth story to tell. If his feet are 

 contracted, small and of course weak, that is 

 nothing, he was stabled too young. This stock 

 will be just as good as though he had good sized 

 and strong feet. If his knees are sprung, small, 

 and of coarse weak, the story will be, he was put 

 into a stall of some peculiar form, that caused 

 his knees to be so. But that will not affect his 

 stock. And so of all other weaknesses, dispro- 

 portions and blemishes. Old horses, or mares, 

 are objectionable for breeders, from the liability 

 of their stock to possess the debilitating effects 

 consequent upon age, which may not be discov- 

 ered until labor is required of them. 



Stallions are taken to the premises of persons, 

 and many good qualities asserted and urged to 

 induce patronage. I would say, hesitate, look 

 for yourself, if you have confidence in your own 

 judgment, if not, take some friend who is un- 

 biased, to assist you. Generally, the best horses 

 are not taken around the country for customers. 

 If a horse has a reputation at home, he may stay 

 there and save his proprietor much labor and ex- 

 pense. I would select a horse to breed from 

 with every good quality possible, combined, viz : 

 feet, which should not be contracted or flat ; legs 

 which should not be too slim or clumsy, but wide 

 and sinewy ; well spread knees, and prominent 

 hocks; cords large, and highly developed mus- 

 cles ; full in the flank, deep in the chest ; round 

 barrel, a well placed shoulder, neck long enough 

 so that he can put his head up or down ; not too 

 thick under the joles, well proportioned head, 

 and active ears. 



If I wished to raise horses to sell in the city 

 markets at high prices, I would select a stallion, 

 the nearer thorough-bred the better, about 153 

 or 16 hands high, with the above qualities, 

 weii,hing about 1100 pounds, and possessing ac- 

 tion of the highest degree. It is a fact that farm- 

 ers may increase their interests in horse-raising 

 to a very great extent, by judiciously selecting 

 stallions and mares, the former of which k very 

 much more unde** our control than the latter. 

 A N. E. Farmer. 



For the Netc Ensland Farmer. 

 KAISING GRAPES. 



Messrs. Editors : — Within a few days I have 

 become possessed of information in the culture 

 of the grape, which is new to me. It may be so 

 to some others who would like to grow the Ca- 

 tawba and Isabella in perfection, but are deterred 

 by repeated failures. 



A distinguished horticulturist residing within 

 hail of Plymouth rock, told me a neighbor of his 

 was enabled to ripen his Isabellas in perfection, 

 having built a coping ef some two feet on the 

 top of his trellis. Confirmatory of the above, I 

 give you an extract of a letter, received from 

 Bridgeport, Conn., a few days since. "I find no 



