No. 13. 



Post-Masters^ Xotice. — Smut in Wheat. 



205 



Post Masters' Notice. 



Post Masters are hereby authorized and re- 

 spectfully requested to act as agents for the 

 Farmers' Cabinet, in their several neighbor- 

 hoods. They have it in their power to bene- 

 fit the community essentially by disseminating 

 Agricultural Knowledge, and this can be 

 done in no way so readily and successfully as 

 by the circulation of agricultural papers. — 

 These pape^rs being afforded at a low price, 

 and embodying the experience of intelligent 

 and practical farmers, the result of experi- 

 ments, &c., are worthy of universal patronage. 

 We return our thanks to those Post Masters 

 who have heretofore acted as agents — and 

 especially to those who have occasionally 

 furnished us with valuable facts for publica- 

 tion; we hope their number may be greatly 

 enlarged the present year. 



For the Fariiieis' C-ibinet. 



§piit Hoofs. 



Horses being more liable at this season of the 

 year, when traveling over rough and frozen 

 clods, to get their hoofs split, I send you the 

 following description and diagram of a shoe, 

 which has been found preeminently useful in 

 effecting cures. The construction of this 

 Eihoe is remarkably simple. It consists only, 

 ill addition to the common shoe, of a bar across 

 the hinder part, on the under side, immedi- 

 ately before the corks. 



Fig. 35. 



In the cure of the Split Hoof, it is necessa- 

 ry that the shoe be kept lirmly tiistened on. 

 The edges of the crack, should be pared down 

 a little to prevent them from rubbmg to- 

 gether, and a little pitch should be poured in 

 to keep out the dirt. 



In tlie bandaging of hoofs, as was formerly 

 the practice, if the band is drawn sufficiently 

 tight to hold the hoof together, and prevent 

 its moving, it almost invariably deadens the 

 hoof, so as to entirely prevent its cure. But 

 by the above simple means, cures have been 

 effected after bandaguig entirely failed. As 

 the cure proceeds from the hoof growing out 

 Bound from the upper side ; it necessarily re- 

 quires a considerable length of time tor its 

 performance. A German. 



ClitEter County, Jan. 17th, 1838. 



Siiiut in l¥l&eat. 



That the prescription of brine and lime, 

 or chamber ley and lime, will answer the end 

 designed of preventing smut, we do not doubt; 

 tor tTie practice here recommended has ob- 

 tained in Western New York for more than 

 twenty years, and we do not recollect a sin- 

 gle instance in which it has failed where 

 properly conducted. From whence tlie prac- 

 tice originated we know not ; but in this state 

 it was first adopted on the eastern shore of 

 the Cayuga Lake, and that region had, for a 

 long time, the reputation of producing the 

 finest wheat in the State ; and it was exten- 

 sively purchased for seed in other but less fa- 

 vorable districts. For a number of years 

 past, smut has hardly been heard of, and 

 seemed eradicated; and in consequence of this 

 the preparation of seed wheat by liming has 

 fallen into disuse. It must be again adopted, 

 where seed perfectly pure cannot be obtain- 

 ed, and even in such cases its use is safe, as it 

 can possibly do no harm. It was at one time 

 supposed by many farmers, that gypsum 

 would answer the purpose of lime, for drying 

 the brined wheat, and preventing smut, and 

 in some cases was substituted for it. The re- 

 sult in the most of these instances, was, the 

 evil appeared aggravated in a ten-fold de- 

 gree. We have seen an experiment of this 

 kind tried, that to us, was perfectly conclu- 

 sive. A field was sown with^ wheat all 

 brined, and with the exception of that requi- 

 red for a few lands, all thoroughly limed.— 

 The remainder was dried in plaster instead 

 of lime, and sown the same day with that on 

 which lime had been used. At the time of 

 harvesting the line between the two kinds 

 was distinctly marked, no smut being found 

 on the part that was limed, while the plaster- 

 ed part was almost worthless. Spring wheat. 

 It has been found by experience, is more apt 

 to be smutty, than that sown in the fall, and 

 hence the greater necessity of properly 

 guarding against the disease. As many are 

 mtending to cultivate this grain to considera- 

 ble extent another year, the propriety of pay- 

 ing particular attention to this subject is evi- 

 dent, that the character of this region for 

 wheat and flour, may not suffer. Whether 

 in autumn or spring, we advise our farmers to 

 be very careful as'to what wheat they sow, 

 and if there is the least danger of infection to 

 apply the brine and lime at once.^Genessce 

 Farmer. 



Choose those animals or vegetables to 

 propogate from, that possess the properties 

 you wish to the greatest perfection. 



Be not above your profession, and always 

 consider it as the first that any man can fol- 

 low. 



