156 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



July 



investigations to be in every respect carefully made, 

 must be allowed. Let this be borne in mind, and I 

 doubt not an institution, under the charge of properly 

 qualified instructors, men of mind, men of practical 

 adaptation to the wants of the a • — not mere thorists 

 or fancy men, would eventual! > secure the approba- 

 tion of all, and would be en . ded with the young 

 men of our State ; and would annually send forth 

 many in all respects well qualified to discharge their 

 duties as farmers, and also prepared when called into 

 public life to discharge their higher duties as repre- 

 sentatives of their profession, the great producing 

 class of our country. 



Should I have leisure, and should you not have 

 more important matter for your paper, I design to 

 pursue this subject, and give in detail the course to 

 be pursued at an institution which, in my judgment, 

 would be well designed to accomplish the great work 

 now needed, — the Thorough Education of the Sons 

 of Farmers. 



CULTIVATION OF THE MAPLE. 



Each distinct species of trees, like each distinct 

 species of animals, requires to some extent its own 

 appropriate food. Hence a soil that will produce one 

 kind of trees in perfection, will not always produce 

 another. Hence, also, a young tree can hardly be 

 made to flourish where an old one of the same kind 

 has lived and died; because the former took from the 

 soil the elements necessary to the growth of the whole 

 species. (The case of a young shoot growing up 

 from an old root, may be regarded as an exception, 

 because here the nourishment is drawn by an old root 

 that is constantly extending itself into a new soil.) 

 Hence, too, a second growth of timber on the same 

 soil, is almost always different from the first, except 

 as above. To this may be added the fact, that the 

 cultivation of the same kind of- grain, on the same 

 field, for several years in succession, impoverishes the 

 soil more than if it had been subjected to a rotation 

 of crops. And hence, again, neither a tree, nor any 

 other vegetable, can be made to thrive in a soil which 

 does not contain the appropriate elements, nor can 

 fruit be raised on an inappropriate soil. 



The maple it is well known contains a large amount 

 of potash; and a soil that is destitute of this element, 

 or that contains only a small portion of it, will never 

 produce a thrifty tree, till the deficient element is sup- 

 plied. I have known many trees to die, or drag out 

 a feeble existence, evidently from no other cause than 

 the want of the proper elements in the soil; and I 

 have also known trees to flourish on an uncongenial 

 soil when supplied with their appropriate food. A 

 few years ago I set out several maple trees, around 

 some of which I threw a quantity of ashes, leaving 

 others without any. The difference in their growth 

 was soon manifest, not only in the amount of growth, 

 but also in the length of time that they continued to 

 grow: the former surpassing the latter in both re- 

 spects. Hence, 



To promote the growth of the maple, (and other 

 trees of a similar nature and under similar circum- 

 stances,) give them potash. It may be given in the 

 shape of ashes, weak lie, soap-suds, fcc, whenever 

 there is evidence of a deficiency in the soil. If 

 proper attention be paid to this subject, I believe we 

 shall much less often have complants of the slow 

 growth of the maple. H. — Down East, April, 1849. 



MR. VAIL'S SALE OF SHORT HORN CATTLE. 



A part of the stock of George Vail, Esq., of 

 Troy, was offered for sale at public auction, at his 

 farm, near Lansingburgh, on the 13th ult. There 

 was a large attendance of gentlemen at the sale.— 

 Among others, we noticed R. L. Allen, Esq., one of 

 the Editors of the American Agriculturist, ' and A. 

 Stevens, Esq., of New York city ; L. G. Morris' 

 Morrisiania ; Hon. A. Van Bergen, Coxsackie • 

 Messrs. Prentice, Tucker, Howard, Mclntyre, and b! 

 P. Johnson, Esq., Sec'y State Ag. Society, Albany 

 Messrs. Kirtland and McCullock, Greenbush ; t! 

 Hillhouse, Watervliet ; Mr. Ogden, Quebec ;' Mr! 

 Jean, Lewis Co.; Messrs. Jessup and Drinker, Penn.; 

 Col. D. D. Campbell, Schenectady ; Mr. Stark- 

 weather, Maine ; Gen. Wool, U. S. Army ; Gen. J. 

 J. Viele, Troy ; Amos Briggs, Esq., Schaghticoke! 



Mr. Vail gave, at his cottage lately erected on his 

 farm, a fine collation during the progress of the sale, 

 where every thing was in the best style, and the 

 gentlemen in attendance were highly pleased with 

 the arrangements, and all seemed gratified. The 

 sales were at fair prices, and such as we presume 

 will be deemed encouraging to breeders. We give a 



list of sales and purchasers, so far as obtained. 



There may be one or two omissions. The numbers 

 are from the catalogue : — 



COWS AND HErFERS. PURCHASERS. 



No. 1. Sally, red and white, 9 years old, Mr. Niles, 



Washington county, N. Y., $110 00 



Her calf, 2 weeks old, Mr. Percival,WatervilTe, 37 50 

 " 2. Judy 2d, white, 3 y'rs, Drinker. Jessup <fc Co.. 



Pennsylvania, ' 75 qq 



' 4. Queen 3d, roan, 4 y'rs. old, Col. LVD. Camp- 

 bell, Schenectady, . 135 00 



" 5. Countess 18th, roan, 3 years old, Mr. Jean" 



Carthage, Jefferson Co. 80 00 



Her calf, Red Lady, No. 17, 2 months old", 



Mr. Jean, Carthage. Jefferson co 25 00 



" 6. Victoria 2d, light roan, 5 years old, Messrs. 



Drinker &, Co., Pennsylvania 105 00 



" 7. Fanny 2d, Red and white, 3 years old. Mr. 



Jean, Lewis Co.,.. '_ 90 00 



" 8. Ariadne 4th, red and white, 2 years old" Mr. 



Burguyn, North Carolina,... ^ ' 105 00 



" 9. Sophia 2d, red and white. 2 years old, Mr 



Burguyn. North Carolina, 105 00 



" 13. Charlotte 2d. principally red, 2 vears old. Mr. 



Ogden, Quebec, * .' 100 00 



"16. Queen 5th, roan heifer calf, 2 months old, 



Mr. Burguyn. North Carolina, 50 00 



6 heifers were sold to Mr. Starkweather.— at 



what price, not ascertained. 



BULLS. 



" \r,. Beppo, white. 3 years old, Mr. Holton. Vt.. S7 50 

 " 19. Brutus, red, 2 '• Col. D. I). Camp- 

 bell, Schenectady, 135 Q0 



" 20. Belvidere, roan, l.j year old, Mr. Remington. 



Philadelphia,. _. *~ 150 00 



'•' 22. Victor, white, 2 years old. Drinker & Co. Pa' 90 00 

 "23. Nimrod, ro.in, l.j year old, Starkweather, -. 147 50 

 " '•!.). Minor, red and white, l£, Harrington, Troy. <i0 00 

 " 2(i. Albion, red and white. 1 year old, T. Hill- 

 house, Watervliet, 7.3 00 



" 28. Essex, red and white, I year old. H. R. Bur- 

 guyn, North Carolina, .' 80 00 



"29. Lenox, white, 1 year old, H. R.Bvrguyn 85 00 



While Bull calf, Mr. Jean, Lewis Co.." 30 00 



Cure for the Botts. — Take a quart of sweet 

 milk ; warm it, and sweeten it with sugar or 

 molasses, and give it to the horse. About half an 

 hour afterwards, give a pint of strong brine. The 

 botts, it is said, will eat the former and be distended 

 by it, and the latter will then destroy them. a. 



