54 



THK FARMERS CABIIVET. 



VOL. 1. 



be employed in tilling land that gives a crop' 

 below profit; that is rather the amusement 

 of folly than food for the purse. However, 

 it may be within the means of the farmer to 

 purchase manure, he must not forget that the 

 barn yard is his mine, ///v manure his gold 

 dust .' We should not anticipate additional 

 crops without the improvement of our soil, 

 and to do that it is necessary to secure grass 

 and hay ; as without stock no manure, and 

 without manure no crop. I 



The art of farming is not an acquirement 

 of a day, but of years, or rather a long life of 

 experience; that which might be adapted to, 

 one farm advantageously, would be improper 

 on an adjoining one, owing to difference of: 

 soil, &c. Book farmers, for want of experi- ' 

 ence, too generally lay down one general' 

 rule to be adhered to on all occasions. AJ 

 physician might as well undertake to restore 

 all his patients from an invariable course of 

 medicine, however different their complaints 

 or habits of body, as all farmers to restore 

 their lands by one given course, however dif- 

 ferent might be their soil, climate, or locality 

 to the different manures and price. Such 

 manures and crops should be selected as are 

 best adapted to the soil and climate, and 

 mature calculation of the expense in the cul- 

 tivation and transportation to market, produce 

 the greatest clear profit. 



From the Cultivator. 

 On Seeding^. 



Of all the practices constituting seed hus- 

 bandry, none are more replete with benefi- 

 cial effects, and which better repay the out- 

 lay than that of seeding. It has become an 

 established practice with good farmers to seed 

 frequently with clover and timothy, a prac- 

 tice that should be adopted by all. It is high 

 time that the practices and opinions of our 

 ancestors-those which derogate from our best 

 interests I mean — shmild give place to more 

 modern and more rational views. That there 

 has been great advancement in the science 

 of agriculture will be conceded by all ; — 

 then why do we cling so strenuously to an- 

 cient practices when those of more modern 

 date are infinitely superior? 



I rejoice in the improvement that has al- 

 ready been made. Agriculture has become 

 the theme of the day. The most enlightened 

 of our citizens are embarking in its pursuits, 

 which give assurances of its being ultimately 

 established upon a basis concomitant with 

 its merits. Then it behooves us to follow 

 those practices most clearly demonstrated to 

 be beneficial — and believing seedino- to be 

 one of these, I proceed briefly to detail its 

 utility. 



The practice of seeding is too much neg- 

 lected by many of our farmers, a practice, 

 which, could they be induced to adopt, I am 

 confident in believing would not be relin- 

 quished. The natural grasses yield less of 



quantity and nutriment than either clover or 

 timothy and some other of more recent intro- 

 duction. Double the quantity of pasture may 

 be obtained from a given piece of ground well 

 seeded, than it would otherwise afford ; and 

 for mowing there will be a still greater dif- 

 ference. 



Independpnt of this, its fertilizing proper- 

 ties to the soil must be considered. A good 

 sod preserves the soil from the too great in- 

 fluence of the sun, renders it porous, and con- 

 sequently pervious to atmosphere nourish- 

 ment ; hence we observe that meadows new- 

 ly laid down almost invariably bear the great- 

 est burden. 



Whereas grounds not seeded, by being too 

 much exposed, soon become of so compact a 

 nature as to render them in a degree imper- 

 vious to either heat or moisture, without 

 which they cannot be capable of the least 

 productiveness. 



Autumn we consider the most proper time 

 for sowing timothy, and the spring for clover. 

 We have generally made a practice to sow 

 our timothy immediately after the last har- 

 rowing in of the wheat, having a person to 

 follow each harrow, which leaves not a par- 

 ticle of ground without seed, and never have 

 perceived the wheat to have been injured in 

 consequence. 



The time for sowing clover must depend 

 altogether on the season whether early or 

 backward. We have oftener sown too early 

 than too late, and 1 am inclined to believe 

 that others have fallen into the same error. 



In my opinion, it should not be sown until 

 the ground begins to dry and becomes settled, 

 when it will be observed there are innumer- 

 able small crevices produced by the contrac- 

 tion of the earth, which will receive the seeds 

 and which the first rains will close, thereby 

 producing immediate vegetation. 

 Respectfully submitted by 



Gko. Willets. 



Skaneatelas, Ond. Co., 8th mo. 17th. 



Apple Trees bearing alternate 

 Years. 



Those who have any thing to do with or- 

 chards, or who have paid any attention to ap- 

 ple trees, know very well that some trees will 

 not bear a full crop every year. The cause 

 of this is probably owing to the exhaustion 

 of the trees during the bearing years. In 

 those years the tree hangs very full, indeed 

 all its powers are put forth and ripen such a 

 heavy crop ; and this expense of sap or oth- 

 er matter so exhausts the system that it re- 

 quires a year of rest to bring up its energies. 

 This may or may not he the true cause, at 

 any rate the fact is well known ; and many 

 who have good varieties of apples, have re- 

 gretted that they could not change the state 

 of things in regard to particular trees, and 

 have a crop every year. Mr. Longfellow, of 

 Winlhrop, well known as a successful orch- 



