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THE GENESEE FARMER. 



EVENING DISCUSSIONS AT THE N. Y. STATE FAIR. 



During the New York State Fair, held in this 

 city, meetings for discussions were held in the 

 evening, which were well attended, and elicited 

 much interesting information. The meetings were 

 ably presided over by the Hon. A. B. Conger, of 

 Rockland county. On Tuesday evening the sub- 

 ject selected was ; 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO AGRICULTURE. 



Dr. Fitch, the learned Entomologist of the So- 

 ciety, opened the discussion with some remarks on 

 the wheat midge and the grain aphis. The latter 

 appeared for the first time in considerable numbers 

 two years since in the New England States, and in 

 the eastern portion of New York and parts of 

 Pennsylvania, Canada, &c. This year it moved 

 west in countless myriads, and spread all over 

 Western New York, Canada West, and portions of 

 Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, while at the 

 East it had somewhat abated. It sucks out the 

 juices from the leaves and straw of wheat, bar- 

 ley, oats, &c>, and when the heads appear they 

 leave the other parts of the plant to fasten on the 

 ears-, sucking out the rich juices and causing the 

 grain to shrivel. Dr. F. thought the grain aphis 

 would not prove a permanent pest. Lady-bugs 

 and other insects destroyed them, and he thought 

 they would soon pass away. The wheat-midge, 

 on the other hand, was more likely to stay with 

 us. If the latter part of June is wet, the midge 

 would prove injurious; but if dry, it could do but 

 little damage, except on low lands. 



On Wednesday evening the subject selected for 

 discussion was : 



FARM DRAINAGE. 



The Hon. Geo. Gkddks, of Onondaga county, 

 opened the discussion, presenting many interesting 

 facts. About one million gallons of water fall on 

 an acre of land each year in this section. The 

 larger portion of this water is carried off by evap- 

 oration. The water in evaporating cools the land, 

 and hence wet land is colder than drained land by 

 several degrees, because the evaporation is greater. 



The Hon. J. C. Peters, of Genesee county, 

 thought the products of the State could be in- 

 creased one-third by thorough drainage. 



Mr, Foster, of Seneca county, in answer to a 

 question, described the draining operation of his 

 neighbor, John Johnston. He digs the drains two 

 and a-half feet deep, and about two rods apart. 

 The cost of such underdrawing is about $20 per 

 acre. He preferred tiles to stone drains. Would 



use four-inch tiles in the main drains, and two inch 

 in the lateral drains. 



T. C. Peters thought there were few localities 

 in the State where .underdraining would not be 

 profitable. Up to midsummer water will stand. in 

 the post-holes — and this proved that the land need- 

 ed draining. On such land the grass is coarse. 

 Clover kills out, and frost appears early in the fall. 



Mr. Faile, of Westchester county, had under- 

 drained some worn out land at an expense of $30 

 an acre. The land had risen in value from $0 to 

 $200 per acre. 



Hugh T. Brooks, of Wyoming, thought under- 

 draining profitable on some soils and in certain 

 sections ; but on many farms it would not pay. 

 The land would not sell after it was drained, for 

 as much as had been expended on it in digging 

 drains. He thought three-fourths of the land in 

 the United States did not need draining. 



J. J. Thomas, of Cayuga county, had laid over 

 fifteen miles of drains, and he knew that $100 ex- 

 pended in underdraining had benefitted him $500. 

 His drains cost him about $30 per acre. In three 

 years the increased crops will pay the expense of 

 underdraining. Digs them about three feet deep, 

 and about ten rods apart. 



Mr. Baker, of Steuben county, had increased 

 the value of hi3 land from $45 to $125 per acre. 

 Draining pays on grass land and for sheep. The 

 quality and quantity of the grass is greatly increas- 

 ed, and the sheep are healthier. 



Mr. Bragdon, of Chicago, spoke of the benefit 

 of mole-draining on the prairies. Had seen corn 

 killed on undrained land; but on an adjoining 

 field which had been mole-drained, it was entirely 

 unhurt. Knows of mole-drains that were made 

 eight years ago, and which are still good. 



On Thursday evening the subject of Fences was 

 discussed. 



T. C. Peters estimated the cost of highway 

 fences in New York State at eleven million dollars. 

 The cost of all the fences in the State, at $1 per 

 rod, amounts to $144,000,000. A farm of 100 

 acres, divided into ten-acre lots, would require 

 1,600 rods of fence. But as these are on both 

 sides, we may reckon 800 rods to a hundred acre 

 farm. This, at a dollar per rod, would be $S 

 per acre. The interest on this is 50 cents per acre, 

 and another 56 cents are required to keep them 

 in repair. So that our fences cost $1.12 per acre. 



Lewis F. Allen thought fences could not be 

 greatly diminished unless the practice of soiling 

 cattle was adopted. 



