286 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



" How are farmers to be prevented from spoiling 

 young horses by putting them too soon to the 

 •collar?" 



" In what cases are oxen or horses to be preferred 

 one to the other?" 



"Might not artificial ways of hatching fowls be 

 with advantage practiced?" 



Then follows "A letter to the editors, recom- 

 mending the culture of vines in our North Ameri- 

 can colonies." The writer says he has "long 

 thought that good wine might be made on the con- 

 tinent of North America. The extent of territory 

 we possess there is amazing, and the diversity of 

 climate such, that, in more than one of our colo- 

 nies, vines may certainly with advantage be 

 planted. I own it is to me astonishing, that none 

 but partial and pusillanimous trials have yet been 

 made in this important matter, in that part of the 

 world. A few vines have, it is true, been planted 

 without succees. * * * * It is well 

 known that a moist rich land is not proper for 

 vines ; yet on such kind of soils have vines been 

 generally planted in America. Some have planted 

 vines and suffered them to run up the neighboring 

 trees; but little was to be expected from this 

 method of planting them, as they could not enjoy 

 the full benefit of the sunbeams, and they Were too 

 much exposed to moisture, not only from the dews, 

 but from the perspiration of the trees which sup- 

 ported them. ****** 



'• It has, I know, been urged, that the grapes 

 cultivated in America are very apt to burst before 

 they are fully ripe; but this must either proceed 

 from their having too much nourishment, or from 

 the skins of the grapes being moistened by the 

 damp vapor which proceeds from the neighboring 

 woods. I have known, when a cherry tree in full 

 vigor has been loaded with fine ripe fruit, that one 

 night's rain has made all the fruit burst; moisture 

 will have this effect on most kinds of fruit, partic- 

 ularly on cherries, plums, etc. * * * * 

 I would earnestly recommend it to the planters in 

 our several colonies, to try, with proper precau- 

 tions, their success in planting vineyards: it would 

 be easy for them to procure cuttings from the best 

 vines which grow on the banks of the Rhine and 

 Moselle; these would thrive well in Virginia, 

 Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, and the 

 province of Massachusetts ; and ahle vignerons, for 

 the purpose of dressing the vines, might probably 

 be got, on moderate terms, from the Germans set- 

 tled at the back of Virginia and Pennsylvania; 

 ami if not, many in Germany would be glad to 

 remove." 



Next we have an article recommending salt o 

 old brine to keep moss from gravel walks in shad; 

 places. 



In the next number, for October, 1763, we fin 

 it recommended to give salt to cattle, when turne 

 into green clover, to prevent surfeiting, and "then 

 by greatly accelerate the fattening of the catth 

 and make it much safer for the farmer." 



Farmer M writes that he planted one-ha 



of a field with " quartered " potatoes and the oth« 

 half with whole potatoes. "The quantity < 

 roots," he says, "was much the same in the tw 

 parts; that is, the part which was planted wit 

 quarters and that which was planted with who' 

 roots, only the potatoes which grew from the la: 

 were largest." 



A Berkshire farmer gives "a very easy method 

 increasing the milk of cows." It is simply to fet 

 each cow a peck of malt dust each morning 

 milking. 



" Next we have " A letter to the editors on in 

 proved methods of breeding seed wheat." Tl 

 plan was to sow in drills two feet apart, hoe tl 

 land thoroughly, and earth up the wheat at tl 

 last hoeing. The result was a very superior quali 

 of grain, and an increased yield per acre, whi 

 there was a great saving in the amount of 6eed i 

 quired, as compared^with the old broadcast systei 

 In getting "seed for the next crop, the sheaves 

 this wheat were beaten lightly, so as to knock o 

 only the largest, ripest and best grains." 



We next have "An improved method of raisi 

 cucumbers." It is simply to train them up a w 

 with a southern aspect. 



Then there is an article recommending farad 

 and gardeners to gather the leaves of trees and i 

 them as manure. 



The remainder of this number is occupied pri 

 cipally with articles on the cultivation of madd 

 and sainfoin. 



In the November number, the first article is 

 the destruction of timber, in which the edit 

 remarks : 



"When a country happens to be over wood( 

 the madness of clearing it is often carried to < 

 cess. We have had many instances of this in Ei 

 land ; and in some of our American colonies tl 

 horder on the sea, the timber is so far destroy 

 through this madness of clearing, that even ti: 

 wood is excessively dear ; a horrid mistake ! whi 

 one would scarcely have thought any man of co 

 mon forecast could have been guilty of. But t 

 misfortune is, that present profit, in general, g 

 the better of every other consideration." 



Next we have an artfele on the " culture of i 

 hog pea." It is said to " keep down the wee 1 



