1846. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



207 



dirt that remains in the wool adds to the weight, 

 without increasing the quantity. 



The resolution recently passed by the New 

 York State Agricultural Society, concerning 

 fine wooled sheep and their fleeces which are 

 entered for premium at the State Fair this fall, 

 shows that craft has been, and may be, used to 

 increeise the weight of fleeces. 



The Vermont shephercs think if they have a 

 buck that will give from 9 to 11 pounds of fine 

 wool, well washed on the back, they have an ex- 

 tra. Seme that are a little coarser give more ; 

 and when on my visit among them, I learned 

 that if they had a flock of ewes that would aver- 

 age 5 pound per head, including lambs, (year- 

 lings,) they wei'e satisfied. Yet I have do doubt 

 but a flock of Paular Merinos may be improved 

 in time, by improving from heavy fleeced bucks, 

 and selling off' the lightest fleeced sheep every 

 year and retaining all the heavy shearers, till a 

 whole flock even of ewes would average 5i or 6 

 pound per head. But it would be difficult at 

 present to make such improvement, when so 

 many are wishing to obtain them, and every one 

 wants the best, Reed Burritt. 



other words — does the moon exert a direct and 

 perceptible influence on any plants ? — and if on 

 one, why not another, through the entire list ? 



Hannibal, N. Y., 1846. Agricola. 



Remarks. — We have never seen nor read of 

 one well authenticated instance where any change 

 in the moon affected in any way a single living 

 thing, whether vegetable or animal, on this plan 

 et. Its power of attraction is too small to influ ■ 

 ence active vital, or chemical operations, to any 

 appreciable extent. Other causes than lunar 

 force produce the natural phenomena attributed 

 to the moon. 



Deep Plowing. 



IiUnar Influence on Vegetation. 



Mr. Editor : — As your papei' is devoted to 

 the science and art of Agriculture, it should; m 

 it does, treat of all the various ways by .vhich la- 

 bor may be saved, and yet not endanger the final 

 success of the farmer. We are frequently in- 

 formed, through the medium of your paper, con- 

 cerning the best methods of preparing tlie differ- 

 int seeds, and likewise how to manage the plants, 

 rom their first appearance to maturity, in order 

 to secure the most abundant harvest. All this is 

 well, and profitable, so far as it goes. But as we 

 are, to a great extent, dependant on Nature for 

 success in the cultivation of grains, why should 

 we not be informed with regard to the probable 

 effect that known and stated changes in our sys- 

 tem may have on the growth of our seeds'? — 

 Now if, aseome pretend, (and I am not certain 

 but justly,) the Moon exerts a direct influence 

 upon some particular seeds — requiring them to 

 be sown at such an age of the lunar orb to ensure 

 a favorable crop — it certainly is a fact of too much 

 importance to be withheld from the farming class. 

 If potatoes must be planted at a particular age of 

 the moon, to grow well and yield abundantly, 

 every one ought to know it, that he may be prof- j 

 ited thereby. The same may be said of flax, | 

 peas, or any of the seeds affected in this manner, j 

 Your opinion on this point would be quite ac- 

 ceptable. Is it the age of the moon that works : 

 such wonderful changes, causing some seeds to j 

 assume a peculiar form, and others to yield more 

 than would have been the case if planted or sown 

 at any other time ? — or is it because the season 

 has progressed just far enough to ensure a liberal 

 reward to the efforts of the husbandman? In 



I HAD a field of 13 acres, naturally very poor, 

 ■(so much so, that the fi.-st natural production was 

 a poor growth of sheep sorrel, a certain indica 

 tion of sterility,) which I intended to put in wheal. 

 The summer was something like the last, exces- 

 sively dry. When the time arrived for breaking 

 up this field, it was so hard that a plow with two 

 horses could not be got into the ground. Four 

 horses were tried without success. A coulter 

 was tried with two horses, but the draft was too 

 great, and four horses enabled the plowman to 

 break up the field. 



_ The weather continued dry, and when it was 

 time^ to sow the wheats the plows were put into 

 the field ffioAted with the coulter, and it plowed 

 well. The wheat wag sown; no manure was 

 applied. The wheat when harvested was a very 

 tolerable crop — for such poor land, very good — 

 and there were many places from ten to twenty 

 yards square, covered with luxuriant clover. No 

 seed could have been on the land, and how ii 

 came to grow, can only be solved by future ex- 

 periments). 



The idea that struck me (which I would like 

 to see investigated by some more scientific ex- 

 perimentalist,) was, thattlie plow having reached 

 deep into the clay bottom, (the top-soil was de- 

 composed granite, or coarse gravel, ) the clay at 

 tracted nitre from the atmosphere, and thus caused 

 tlie growth of clover, which it is believed will 

 only grow on lands cultivated for some time and 

 manured. New land will not produce- clover if 

 very rich. — R. in Southern Cultivator. 



Agricultural Fairs for 1846. 

 The St-ate and County Ag. F.-iirs are to be held, this Oill, 

 (in the counties we heard from,) as follows. . — 

 New York State, Auburn, Sept. 15, 16, 17. 



Jefferson County, Watertown, Sept. 1, 2. 



Madison " Eaton, Sept. 23, 23. 



Monroe '■ Rochester, (not determined.) 



Niagara ■• Lockport, Oct. 7, 8. 



Ontario " Canandaigua, Oct. 13, 14. 



Oneida " Whitestown, Sept. 24, 25. 



Onondaga " Syracuse, Oct. 1, 2. 



Onvego '• F:iIton, Sept. 29, 30. 



Orleanis " Albion, Oct. 1, 2. 



Otsego " Cooperstown, Oct. 1, 2. 



Seneca " Waterloo, Oct. 22, 2:3. 



Tompkins " Ithaca, Sept. 29, 30, 



Wayne '' Clyde, Oct. 1, 2. 



Yates, '■ Perm Yan, Oct. 1. 



