No. 3. 



Scalding Seed. — Coping of Stone Walls. 



91 



O'er. Now, in preparing carrot-seed for sow- 

 inc, I mingle with it a little sandy loam, and 

 eprinkle the whole v;ith cold water; when 

 fermentation commences, I turn the heap 

 carefully now and then, and when I see the 

 Bceds are sprouting, I sow all upon a fresh 

 pulverized surface and roll in ; then the crop 

 is up before the weeds have made their ap- 

 pearance, and it is my fault if they ever after 

 get the upper hand : this method is, I believe, 

 equally applicable to every other kind of seed, 

 and answers a far better purpose than swell- 

 ing them by sudden and artificial heat. But 

 I must hand you the following for republica- 

 tion. 



It is strange, while giving directions, espe- 

 cially for apportioning the several articles 

 which go to make up a mixture, that persons 

 cje not more careful in describing the mea- 

 sures of quantity to be used ; now a tea-cup 

 full is a very undefined measure, for I indulge 

 in one that holds about a pint; while a pinch 

 is still more vague, for if my neighbour Cle- 

 mentson's two fingers and thumb could be 

 inserted into a pint mug, they would, I am 

 thinking, soon find their way to the bottom ; 

 and yet, these measures are defined to a 

 nicety, when compared vvith the quantity, 

 some — (take some brandy, for instance) — this 

 is about as bad as the directions lor brewing, 

 where it is said, "pour your boiling water 

 into the mash-tub and let it cool a little, and 

 when it bites the finger pretty freely, then 

 add the malt." Now there again, my neigh- 

 bour Clementson would be at a loss to know 

 how to act; I am not sure that any water 

 would be inclined to bite his finger at all; I 

 tliink it would be apt to decline the offer — 

 but, seriously, are any of the above directions 

 much more outre than those which follow 1 



" Great losses are often sustained by neg- 

 lecting to scald seeds before planting, for 

 some entirely fail to grow, and others remain 

 a long time in the ground dormant, when 

 tliey ought to be up and growing. About a 

 fortnight ago, we planted some seeds of the 

 Cj'press vine, and, being in haste, we could 

 not take time to scald them ; about a week 

 after, we scalded some — these are now up, 

 but the first sown have not yet appeared. — 

 But we write for farmers as well as gardeners 

 — four days ago we scalded some seeds of 

 the sugar-beet and left them remain in the 

 water: this morning we planted them, and 

 many of them, were sprouted ; last year we 

 planted mangel-wurzel without scalding, but 

 we shall not do so again ; in the wettest 



f round they germinated freely, but in the 

 riest and richest part, they stood far asunder, 

 not half a crop. 



We are not aware that any seeds are in- 

 jured by scaldinq-, though there may be 

 many; and we should be gratified to have 



extensive experiments instituted upon this 

 subject. Some seeds would probably bear 

 more heat than others — we know that some 

 are more benefited than others ; the duration 

 of the heat applied will be regulated in some 

 measure by the quantity of water and the 

 kind of vessel into which it is poured, some 

 cooling much sooner than others ; several 

 quarts of corn may be safely scalded together ; 

 other seeds may not need more than a tea- 

 cup full of water, but let it be fuming hot ! 

 Remember, however, tliere is a wide differ- 

 ence between scalding and boiling ;* and, 

 after the water is applied, the vessel should 

 be set away from the fire : on seeds untried^ 

 it would be prudent to use but little water. 



Some years ago, we planted seeds of cer- 

 cis canadensis ; part were scalded, and part 

 were planted without that preparation ; a dif- 

 ference in the germination was the conse- 

 quence — very few of the unscalded seeda 

 grew. 



One week in the advancement of a crop 

 of corn or pumpkins is frequently of great 

 account, and the farmer may be prevented 

 from planting at the right time by accident 

 or bad weather ; in such cases let them try 

 this remedy." Subscriber. 



Coping of Stone Walls. 



A MOST remarkable evidence of the benefit 

 of shelter, and the consequences of the want 

 oi" it, may be stated as follows, naaiely : where 

 a wall has been raised of a certain height, 

 and trees planted ".'itiiin it, the trees are cut 

 by the blast as if by a hedge-knife, exactly in 

 the direction the blast has received from the 

 coping of the wall ; that is, if the wall is 

 flat at top, the trees have suffered far in ; if 

 the angle of the top is small, the cut of the 

 trees is exactly of the same angle, and e.x- 

 tends far in, in proportion to the flatness of 

 the angle ; but if the angle is very acute and 

 sends the blast almost directly upwards, the 

 wood almost escapes ; the tree by the wall ia 

 slightly cut, and no more. These facts may 

 not before have been noticed in scientific 

 publications, but they are open to every ob- 

 server, and they suggest many ideas of the 

 utmost importance as regards the erection 

 of walls in exposed situations, particularly 

 around the enclosed winter cattle-yards, and 

 other enclosures around the homestall and 

 gardens of the farm ; observing always, that 

 the angle be acute, so as to send the blast — 

 which in all cases will obey it more or less — 

 almost directly upwards. — Donald Bain. 



*TIie writer pliould have defined the difference be- 

 tween /uminn-, scaldiitfT and boiling; it miglit easily 

 have been done by coiiiparing them to tlirec piccta of 

 challi ! 



