246 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



turnips that came through were at once pounced 

 on by the flea, and badly damaged. Many have 

 .sown over again with the same results. The whole 

 stock of Hungarian grass seed has been purchased 

 up greedily by farmers, and deposited in the soil 

 with the hope of supplying a deficiency in the hay 

 crop. Fruit promised exceedingly, but the frost 

 and drought have left but comparatively few ap- 

 ples, and those will be small unless we have a rain 

 soon. Strawberries have been pretty plenty ; cur- 

 rants, gooseberries and raspberries will be plenty. 

 The foregoing was written last evening, and 

 to-day we have been favored with two or three 

 showers of half an hour each, which will greatly 

 assist in bringing up turnips lately sown, and for- 

 ward late crops also, which seem to be suffering 

 the most ; will revive the pastures and cover the 

 ribs of our half starved cows, etc. e. w. s. 



East Zona, C. W., July \Uh, 1862. 



iHOWHTOUMAKEJIA GOODBFAHM ROLLERS 



Eds. Genesee Farmer : — B., Cooperstown, Pa., 

 in the June No. inquires how to make a good farm 

 roller. I will answer his query to the best of my 

 ability. 



Go into the woods and cut a stick of sound red 

 or white oak timber, that will square from twenty 

 inches to two feet when hewn. Saw the log off 

 eight feet long, then round the angles and plane 

 the roller smoothly. Having thus prepared the 

 body of the roller, attention should next be directed 

 to preparing the sockets. It is done as follows : 

 Bore about eight inches deep into the centre of 

 each end of the roller, and drive securely into each 

 of these holes a wrought iron socket. 



A frame may be constructed very simply, by 

 morticing three cross-ties into two stout end pieces. 

 Next provide two stout iron pins, about eight 

 inches long in the clear from the shoulder, and one 

 and one-half inches in diameter. Push these pins 

 into the sockets prepared for them ; their outer 

 euds should be made with shoulders, screws and 

 nuts — by this means they are made fast to the end 

 pieces of the frame, and become the fixed axle on 

 which the roller revolves. Lastly, drive on the 

 end pieces of the frame, fasten the tenons, tighten 

 the nuts, and fix on a tongue. For additional 

 strength, brace the corners of the frame and brace 

 the tongue. If the roller is to be used exclusively 

 in the corn field, or for rolling plowed ground, it 

 will facilitate the process of turning if the roller is 

 is cut into two sections, because one section will 

 roll forward while the other turns back ; hence the 

 tongue and frame will be relived of a great strain. 

 These rollers are unsuitable for meadows, because 

 they leave a little sharp l-idge between where the 

 sections roll. 



Some farmers prefer the " drum-head " roller. 

 They are hollow, made upon nearly the same 

 principle, but require more mechanical ingenuity 

 and skill iu their construction. 



The roller first described is easy to construct, and 

 within the scope of any ordinary mechanic. If 

 properly constructed, it is cheap, durable, strong, 

 and I earnestly think and hope it will prove satis- 

 factory to B. and other readers of your valuable 

 paper. 



Cutting Peas. — Try a Buckeye Mower. That 



machine succeeds in cutting "down" and "matted'* 

 clover. Why not cut peas with it, where they are 

 not brushed ? hal. 



m i m 



Top Dressing Meadows — Sowing Wheat. — As 

 one of the numerous readers of your invaluable 

 Genesee Farmer, I wish to inquire whether it 

 would be as well to top dress with well decomposed 

 compost manure a Timothy meadow soon after cut- 

 ting the grass, and let the second growth of grass 

 remain upon the land as an additional fertilizer, 

 instead of feeding it down. If not, what better 

 plan would you advise. 



I have also thought of sowing winter wheat upon 

 the sward of a meadow turned over the 1st of 

 August, or soon after removing the crop of hay, 

 by cultivating upon the sod after being turned over 

 with gang plows or cultivator; not tearing up the 

 sod, however, and then manure top of the sod with 

 coarse manure, or mulch with straw. Will you 

 please add your experience, or advise with reference 

 to this in your next number, and oblige — A Ver- 

 dant Agriculturist. 



The top dressing would undoubtedly improve 

 the timothy meadow. 



We have known a fair crop of wheat obtained 

 by turning under an old sod and cultivating in the 

 way you propose. In regard to the application o^ 

 coarse manure or straw to the surface we have had 

 no experience. — Eds. 



Barley Born of Oats. — A Mr. Ekins, of Eng- 

 land, claims to have some barley which was " born 

 of oats " ! In this country, there are many who 

 profess to be able to turn wheat into chess ; and 

 hitherto they have enjoyed a monopoly of the 

 business! They must now, however, look to theii 

 laurels. To change oats into barley is more useful 

 than to turn wheat into chess. Dr. Lindlet, to 

 whom the barley has been sent, is incredulous, 

 He admits that the barley sent him is unmistakably 

 barley; but has the effrontery to ask for "proof 

 that it ever was anything else! 



There is one thing still open to those enterpris- 

 ing men who understand this process of transmu- 

 tation : they should tell us how to change chesi 

 into wnEAT. This would be even more useful thar 

 to change oats into barley, and the discoverers 

 would be entitled to the thanks of the agricultural 



world ! 



— *«*■ 



Potato Bells. — A correspondent of the Londor 

 Mark Lane Express says that of late years the po- 

 tato fields have been increasingly gay with th( 

 purple blossoms of the potato, while in the autumc 

 the stalks lie prostrated with the heavy berries 

 full of seed. These seed balls are unnecessary and 

 rob the tubers. He thinks if the flowers were cul 

 off the plants would be stronger, and if persevered 

 in for a few years, the plant might regain its 

 former healthy condtiion. 



