NO. 5. 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



67 



crops." The canal was afterwards construct- 

 ed, and the promise realized in less tlian the 

 required time. 



in the interior of France, where cattle 

 subsist almost entirely upon fodder, and are 

 not, as in the northern countries, fed upon 

 the mash from breweries and distilleries, 

 crops of the various plants used for their 

 support should be most extensively cultiva- 

 ted, and sliould occur more frequently in the 

 rotations. 



In all the compact and slightly argillaceous 

 soils upon my estates, if they are deep, after 

 having had them well dressed with barn yard 

 manure, I commence my series of crops with 

 beets, to -which succeeds wheat, which I sow 

 immediately after having drawn the beets, 

 and without any intermediate tilling; the 

 wheat I replace by artificial grasses, and 

 these by oats. When the land is of very 

 good quality, I follow wheat by clover, and 

 this in its turn is succeeded by the grains, 

 and by roots. 



In light soils which are deep and sandy 

 but fresh, such as those upon the borders of 

 the Loire, which are submerged once or 

 twice every winter, Isow first, winter vetch- 

 es, which produce abundantly, and these 1 re- 

 place by beets. 



Lands of the best kind, that is to say, lands 

 which to a good mi.xture and sufficient depth, 

 unite a favorable exposure and suitable ma- 

 nures, may receive into their series of crops 

 all the plants adapted to the climate, but 

 there are not many soils possessing all these 

 qualities. 



In the siliceous, and calcareous soils, as 

 they are generally dry, may be alternated 



with 



rye, 



crops of rye, barley, and white 

 those of sainfoin, lupines, lentils, French 

 beans, chick peas, radishes, woad, buckwheat, 

 potatoes, &c. 



Preference should always be given to those 

 crops which experience has declared to be 

 best suited to the soil and climate, as well as 

 ao those of which the products are the most 

 tdvantageous to the proprietor. 



In compact lands, containing a portion of 

 clay, and which from their quality are suita- 

 ble for wheat, the successive crops may con- 

 sist of wheat, oats, trefoil, clover, vetches, 

 beans, turneps, radishes, cabbages, mustard, 

 &c. A succession or rotation of crops should 

 be established in these various soils, accord- 

 ing to the principles which I have explained. 



A succession of crops well conducted, 

 economizes, labor, manure, expense of trans- 

 portation, &c. : it furnishes the means of rais- 

 ing and fattening a greater number of ani- 

 mals, and it meliorates the soil to such a 

 degree as entirely to change its nature ; so 

 that the most delicate plants, and those re- 

 quiring the most nourishment, may be raised 



in a soil originally sterile and ungrateful. 

 The arid sands of Belgium, and many of the 

 alluvions on the borders of our great rivers, 

 ofi'er numerous examples of the truth of this. 

 A good sys*.em of cropping alone can give se- 

 curity of a lasting prosperity in agriculture. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 Brief Hints for Autiiiiin Work. 



Select seed wheat from that which grew 

 in the most productive parts of the field — 

 endeavor to obtain the largest seed, and sow 

 none other — this, if practised in yearly suc- 

 cession, will greatly improve the variety. 



Sow none but clean seed — for farmers may 

 as well raise wheat as to raise weeds. 



Chess may be separated from seed wheat 

 by a good fanning mill. It may also by using 

 brine^if the brine is too strong, so that good 

 plump wiieat will not sink in it, dilute it with 

 water until it will ; and the chess and light 

 imperfect grains will float, and may be skim- 

 med off! Then empty the wheat into a basket 

 set on a tub or barrel, and the brine will run 

 through into it for further use. Both these 

 methods of clearing wheat may be combined 

 to advantage. 



Picking the largest heads by hand is a slow 

 but very thorough way, and more particularly 

 beneficial where crops are sown expressly 

 for seed. 



Smut in wheat crops is perpetuated by the 

 dust of the smut adhering to the seed. It 

 may be prevented by steeping the seed twen- 

 ty-four hours in ley, or a mixture of fresh 

 lime and water made of half a pound of the 

 former to one gallon of the latter. This is 

 certain prevention. Care should be taken 

 that seed is not rendered foul by putting it in 

 smutty bags, or those where smutty wheat 

 has been kept. 



The quantity of wheat sowed to the acre 

 should be from five pecks to two bushels, va- 

 rying with the time of sowing, and with the 

 size of the grains of seed. Early sown wheat 

 should be in less quantity than late; and 

 wheat with small grains should be in less 

 quantity than large, because there are more 

 of them to a bushel. 



Wheat sown about the time or after the 

 first frost will escape in a great measure the 

 Hessian fly. Where the fly is not destructive 

 it should be sown early. 



Furrow drains should be cut by passing 

 the plough three or four times through the 

 same furrow, and they should be made 

 through all low parts of the field. They 

 should be well cleared of loose earth by 

 means of a shovel or hoe, so as to admit the 

 surface water in wet seasons to pass freely off*. 



Corn should always be cut up, that is, cut 

 off" near the surface of the ground, and not 



