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GENESEE FARMER. 



ULA. 



Euming Straw for Manure. 



'E. N. Pearsall of this County, (Seneca,) 

 spreads his straw on his wheat fallow, and burns 

 lit, after which the ashes are plowed into the soil. 

 'The effect on the next crop of wheat is favorable. 

 He asks "what produces it?" I reply that the 

 ashes of each particular plant, is the best possible 

 inorganic manure for the saiiae plant. Hence 

 Jthe leaves and twigs of the vine, are the best 

 ■manure for the vine. It is said by some practi- 

 cal vine dressers, that this sort of manure alone 

 can i)revent grapes from deteriorating in flavor. 

 If brtth The wheat berry and stalk were burned 

 ron the new fallow, as manure for the next crop, 

 we should hear no complaint of a failure in the 

 soil to produce wheat. But burning straw is a 

 very wasteful sort of combustion ; rotting it is 

 more economical, as then the hydrogen and 

 carbon is saved with the inorganic matter, (ashes,) 

 to be employed as the organic elements of the 

 •growing plants. Fire is so rapid in its ravages 

 rthat all the carbon and hydrogen of the burning 

 ^matter is dissipated in tlie air, and lost to the crop. 



The present unprecedented Early Season, 



The Gardcijs in this vicinity, 'Waterloo, migVit 

 'have been planted this season on the 1st of April. 

 We have had no frost since the middle of April 

 seriously to affect vegetation. Pasture has been 

 at least a month earlier than usual ; in fact I have 

 not seen a single frost since the 10th of April, 

 which had the effect to retard the growth of gras.s. 

 It is now the 2.5th of May ; one night last week 

 we had a severer fi-ost than had been noticed be- 

 fore in a month — yet neither were beans nor to- 

 matoes injured in the gardens on the borders of 

 the Seneca Outlet. Last season we had a hard 

 frost on the morning of the 1st of June, which 

 destroyed much of the fruit in this and in all of 

 the neighboring counties; so we have not yet 

 passed the " ides of March." It is now remark- 

 ably warm and cloudy. The surface is finely 

 moistened by the recent warm rains. Should a 

 farmer drop from the clouds, into one of our 

 meadows, he would say it was within a week of 

 mowing time, such is the redundant vegetation 

 in May, 1846. S, W. 



Stone Fence. — Inquiry. 



Mr» Editor : — Permit me to in.yuire through 

 the pages of the Farmer relative to the best 

 mode of building stone wall, in order to prevent 

 the earth from heaving. It is a mooted question 

 whether the wall should be laid on an embank- 

 ment, or the earth thrown up each side. As tlie 

 matter is one of considerable importance, I should 

 like (as I presume would many other readers of 

 the Farmer,) to hear the opinion of yourself, or 

 some of your intelligent and experienced corres- 

 pondents upon the subject. 



Yours, &c., W. 



Wolcotl, K Y., June, 1846. I 



Weight of Paular Merino Fleeces. 



Mr. EorroR : — Agreeable to promise I send 

 you an account of the weight of the fleeces of 

 my Paular flock of Sheep ; but I can not give 

 them as heavy as some others have theirs, as I 

 never smear my sheep, and I have them washed 

 as clean as they can be, and shear them early. 



The first of June my buck "Major," (after 

 sending his wool for samples to about all of the 

 United States,) being thoroughly washed gave a 

 fleece that weighed just 15 lbs. — we think about 

 three fourths as much as if he had been shorn 

 each season. My ewes that have lambs gave 

 from 41 to 6i lbs. My ewe lambs (yearlings) 

 gave from 4 to 5i lbs.; a good share of them 

 gave over 5 lbs. 



I am perfectly satisfied that a flock of Paular 

 Merino ewes and lambs, exclusive of bucks and 

 wethers, with right management will average 5 

 lbs. of washed wool per head. Some, to be sure, 

 have reported higher ; but there are a good many 

 ways to get a heavy fleece from sheep, as well 

 as from the people. The Paular Merinos are 

 good enough when the truth is told, as I hesitate 

 not to say that there is no sheep that can be rais- 

 ed and kept with as little trouble and expense, 

 nor any whose fleece will bring as much money. 

 Yet those who live eonvenient to a meat market 

 can no doubt do better by keeping the Bakewell 

 or Leicester sheep. 



Res])ectfully yours, Reed Burritt. 



Biirdett, June 5,'l846. 



Scours in Sheep. 



Mr. Editor : — Below I give you a recipe to 

 cure the scours in sheep, that I have thoroughly 

 tested and never knew to fail. It is very simple 

 and cheap. 



Cure for Scours ix Sheep. — First take your 

 sheep shears and tag them, as the filth that ad- 

 heres to them in such cases seems to augment the 

 disease ; and then give from 4 to 6 table spoon- 

 fuls of good rennet, prepared the same as cheese 

 makers use it to set their curds for cheese. To 

 a lamb 8 or 10 months old, I give 4 spoonfuls — 

 and if it is not well in twenty-four hours, I repeat 

 the dose ; but one dose generally cures. I keep 

 it on hand, in a bottle, at all times. As above 

 stated, I have never known this remedy to fail. 



Burdeit, 1846. R. Birritt. 



A California Farmer. — A gentleman wri- 

 ting from California to the editor of the St. Louis 

 Reville says his stock consists of about 4,000 

 head of oxen. 1,700 horses and mules, 3,000 

 sheep, and as many hogs. They all pasture 

 themselves without dilficulty in the rich pastures 

 and bottom of the Sacramento, and only require 

 to be attended. This is done by Indians, of 

 whom he employs 400. His annual crop of 

 wheat is about, 13,000 bushels, with barley, peas, 

 beans, &c., in proportion. 



