Vol. X.— No. 6. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



45 



bushel of limo tn the acre, incluiling the j)ve]nira- 

 tioii of the seed, I have this year raised a good 

 crop, twenty bushsis to the acre or more, (judging 

 of what remains in the sheaf by what lias been 

 threshed) of excellent Wheat on old pluia land, 

 light loam soil, with no particular preparation ex- 

 cept the smidl one of lime and preparation of the 

 seed, as above stated ; this crop succeeded to a 

 crop of corn and potatoes, the latter of which I 

 find the best preparative for Wheal, which also 

 succeeds well a clover crop ; the soil should be 

 fine, well pulverized, ami sufficicuily fertile at 

 least to produce lifty bushels of corn to the acre. 

 The Jliiil iriieat should be sown as early as the 

 20tli of September, Ibougli I have known the crop 

 to succeed when sown as late as the 10th October. 

 Should this Wheat prove a safe crop against the 

 insect, and against injury by the severity and 

 changes of our climate, it will be a most valuable 

 accession to the crops of New England Farmers ; 

 an experiment with it, is well worthy their atten- 

 tion. M. DOOLITTLE. 

 Belcherlown, Jlugusl 4, 1831. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



HAY MAKING. 



In some of the Middle States, it is customary 

 to begin hay making when the grass lias scarcely 

 dropped its blossoms. This has been the prac- 

 tice of several generations ; and though unaided 

 by philosophy, the farmers of those districts bad 

 adopted the very plan which seems warranted by 

 the experiments instituted by the Duke of Bed- 

 ford, and which seem to prove that the greatest 

 quantity of nutritive matter is obtained from the 

 grasses when in flower.* Hay made from early 

 cut grass, moreover, has a brightness and fresh- 

 ness of appearance altogether superior to liay 

 made late in the season. 



Yet notwith>tanding bntli theory and appear- 

 ance are in favor of early hay, my experience is 

 in direct op[iusitioii. My horses have always 

 turned from it, whenever an opportunity for such 

 choice was offered, to old rusty bay, cut after har- 

 vest when the grass appeared half dry as it stood, 

 and this lliey have eaten with avidity. A circum- 

 stance of this kind is strongly imprinted on my 

 memory. An old kinsman who was a strenuous 

 advocate for making early bay, said to me when 

 I once called on him in sleighing time, ' Go to the 

 barn, there is plenty of bay, and there is none finer 

 or better in the country.' This was said with a 

 slight reference to our former debates on the sub- 

 ject. I went and found hay, cut when the grass 

 was in flower, and which seemed to have preserv- 

 ed all its greenness ; yet my horses, though hun- 

 gry, would not eat it, but the remnants of some 

 from my own barn which had been trodden un- 

 der foot in the sleigh, was eaten with an evident 

 relish. 



It would be gratifying to have some remarks or 

 explanations on this subject. It is certainly a 

 great saving of labor to cut our grass late in the 

 season. Many a ton of hay have we taken in, on 

 the afternoon of the same day in which the grass 

 was cut ; while in England, according to Sir 

 John Sinclair, the shortest time in which hay can 

 be made is 4 days, and 5 hay makers are requir- 

 ed to take care of the grass cut by one mower. 

 A Farmer. 



*Is Timothy (Phleum pratense) an exception ? I 

 have not the account of those experiments at hand. 



DECEPTION IN FLOWERS.— TRAVELLING 

 FLORISTS. 



'The Flower markets of Paris,' says the con- 

 ductor of the Gardener's Magazine, 'occupies an 

 open area of about two acres, and the stands of 

 the dillerent Florists are almost always kept by the 

 wives or daughters of the growers. We made 

 several purchases here,' says he ' and were amus- 

 ed at the clumsy attempts made to impose upon 

 us by the fair dealers. We were fully prepared 

 for this ; and, indeed should have been surprised 

 had these lively and agreeable women acted other- 

 wise.' 



Now, like Mr Loudon, I have not the least ob- 

 jections to a lively and agreeable French woman 

 getting the advantage of me occasionally : hut I 

 confess my feelings are different when I am 

 cheated by one of my own sex, of whatever na- 

 tion. 



In the month of February or March last you 

 published an advertisement — and printed Cata- 

 logues were issued and distributed, purporting 

 that the Sikcr Fay et Cohp'e, Jardiniers, Floiir- 

 istes et P^pinleristes from Paris, and were exhibit- 

 ing fur sale in Fulton-street, a clioice collection of 

 Ornamental Shrubs &c, and would remain but 

 for a short period, being, as they stated, on their 

 way to the Island of Cuba. 



I confess that the erroneous spelling of a great 

 niauy botanical names in a catalogue issuing 

 from a scientific establishment in Paris, might have 

 excited my suspicions of imposture : but this is a 

 fault from which even the New York Farmer is 

 not free. Then the numerous varieties continually 

 introduced by cultivation and discovery, made me 

 think it possible that Sieur Fay and Co. might pos- 

 S'-ss the Viburnum (Guilder Rose or Snow Ball) 

 producing red, yellow, rose, and variegatedjlowers. 



But when I got among the Roses, I was de- 

 lighted. — Like my brother Florist in Bedford- 

 Street, 'I'm dreadful fond of Roses,' and in my 

 simplicity would have purchased a number of the 

 new varieties, had 1 not been dissuaded by a judi- 

 cious friend who was present. Besides the 

 Grande Cuisse de J\'ijmphc, the color of which is 

 not stated, toe had green, blue, brown and flaxen 

 Rose — white with black, and white with yellow 

 stripes — red with black stripes — red with yellow 

 edges — black and brown with white borders, 

 &r, &c. The Sieur Fay, if that be his name, 

 when I expressed surprise at such curious varie- 

 ties, assured me that every one named was true 

 and genuine, for all were grown by himself. But 

 I was particularly attracted by a Violet Moss Rose, 

 an engraving of which colored'from nature was ex- 

 hibited to me. You will say that I ought to have 

 known the wood of a Moss Rose at sight, this is 

 true, and my only excuse is, that several of my 

 friends who profess more botanical knowledge 

 than I pretend to do, purchased a number of these 



Roses, NOT ONE OF WHICH HAS FLOWERED ACCORD- 

 ING TO ITS LAREL. IMy hopcs and fears are also 

 at an eml. 



As when a hen in the straw sees with surprise 

 her first chick burst its calyx and waddle forth a 

 duckling — such was my disappointment a few days 

 ago when my first VioUt Moss, emerged from its 

 shell, a common Blush Rose. I blush when I look 

 at it, and give this notice through your Paper that 

 simpletons like the writer may be warned against 

 trading xuith these travelling nurserymen in future 



After all, I wish to return good for evil : and as 

 your Journal will probably reach the Sieur Fay in 

 Havana, would hint to him not to return via 

 New York, lor soine who ilealt with him when 

 here might prove ugly customers ; after this advice, 

 the least he can do, is to send me a box or two of 

 ' Dos Amigos,' cigars directed to your care, and I 

 promise him that all our future dealings shall be 

 under the Rose. R. 



From the Geneiee F.irraer. 



IRRIGATION. 



Although I am not opposed to irrigation, when 

 it can be incideiittilly introduced without great ex- 

 pense, I do not think it at all essential to good 

 husbandry in our northern latitude, nor that its 

 benefits would in any measure compeusiile for 

 the heavy expenses attending it in other countries. 

 One would suppose that during the present sea- 

 son, and those which have preceded it, wc had 

 more occasion for ditches to carry oftj than to let 

 in water, upon our fields. The globe may be di- 

 vided into agricultural zones, each of which re- 

 quires a different system of husbandry. Ours is 

 not the zone of irrigation, but of draining and ma- 

 nuring ; where a judicious rotation of crops, and 

 clean husbandry, with the auxiliaries I have nam- 

 ed will generally countervail the evils ofdrought. 

 Grounds suffer from drought in proportion to their 

 poverty and bad tillage. In central Asia, the 

 northern part of Africa, and trojiical America, 

 irrigation is the great source of fertility, and the 

 use of manure is almost wholly dispensed with. 

 In countries lying between these, two zones, those 

 of irrigation and of draining and manuring, as in 

 the south of France, Italy, Spain and the southern 

 states, the two systems may be blended with the 

 best effect. The expense of irrgation, in Eng- 

 land, is stated by Loudon, to vary from lOs. to 

 40Z. sterling per acre. We are apt to forget the 

 difference in climate, when we recommend to our 

 farmers the practices of Egypt, of Persia, Peru, 

 Chili and Mexico. Some of these countries have 

 no rain during the year, while others are without 

 any from three to six months at a time. 



Albany, July 16. J. B. 



To Farmers. — A writer in the Norwich Courier 

 says — ' If grass when mown, is carefully turned 

 every day it will injure very little. The great 

 cause of injury is its laying on the ground through 

 a long spell of rainy weather. If it lay there 

 more than one day it becomes mouldy, and turns 

 black. If carefully turned daily rain or shine, it 

 will not lose color. This is the result of many 

 years' experience.' 



To this we have to add a suggestion made to us 

 verbally by an experienced farmer, nnd we give 

 it nearly in his own words. 'Itis often the case 

 that I find it expedient to rake up my hay when not 

 much more than half cured to avoid an apjirooch- 

 ing rain. It is unfit for the stack or the mow, 

 and by putting it in cock it is but imperfectly pre- 

 served, must be sunned again,and the process is one 

 of much labor and delay. But I have lately learnt 

 on the approach of raiu, to put up Iiay but " half 

 made," in the common phrase, and by applying 

 salt, in the proportion of three pecks, or a bushel, 

 to a ton, it keeps well, comes out bright in the 

 spring and is the best h.ay for working cattle, be- 

 ing heartier than that cured in the ordinary man- 

 ner.' 



