THE GENESEE FARMER. 



119 



SPntIT OF THE AGBICULTUKAL PRESS. 



Planting Garden Peas. — The Bural American says : 

 " We think that the old system of bushing peas is a 

 very expensive one, and should be abandoned with all 

 low growing varieties, at least. We bush none, but sow 

 in drills about two feet apart, hoe and keep clear of weeds, 

 and the result is splendid crops. The drills should be 

 made in garden culture, with a hoe, and about eight 

 inches wide, and four deep; then sow the peas thickly 

 over the entire surface of the drills. A little manure in 

 the drills will be beneficial, unless the soil is very rich. 

 The following choice varieties are low growing, and good 

 for culture without bushing: Daniel O'Rourke, Prince Al- 

 bert, Blue Imperial, and Princess the two first being very 

 early. 



Scab in Sheep. — A writer in the last number of the 

 London Farmer' t Magazine says : 



" Should scab — that old, very annoying, and discredit- 

 able infliction — be found in the flock, by all means sepa- 

 rate the infected animal at once, and dress or anoint it, 

 and all that have come in contact with it, with mercurial 

 ointment, taking care not to change their keeping — a 

 thing of great importance. It would also be best to 

 dress the whole flock, but this is expensive, and somewhat 

 dangerous in the winter, although in open or fine, frosty 

 weather it may be done with impunity. Still, if the in- 

 fected auimal is at once removed, and proper care taken, 

 it is not always requisite. I have proved this point in 

 my own flock in the past year. One was found slightly 

 infected in a lot of seventy, purchased in May last. It 

 was separated at once, and dressed. No other took it." 



Steepinq Wheat. — We find the following in the New 

 York Times, we give it for what it is worth : 



" Sugar or molasses is recommended as an ingredient 

 in mixtures for steeping wheat, barley, oats, or clover 

 seed before sowing. Mr. Ronald, a merchant at Glasgow, 

 arguing from the fact that during germination the starch 

 of the seed is converted into sugar, as exemplified in the 

 malting of barley, and supposing that saccharine matter 

 coating the seed might yield important nourishment to 

 the young rootlets when the resources of the parent seed 

 were exhausted, tried the experiment repeatedly during 

 the years 1857-59, and states that the average result was 

 'an "increase of something like 30 per cent, in wheat over 

 the yield from seed sown in the ordinary way.' " 



Horses Pulling a.t the Halter. — The same paper has 

 the following t 



"To cure this bad habit, some recommend bitching a 

 rope to the horse's tail or hind leg, then to tie him to a 

 post, in such a way that, when he pulls, he will be thrown 

 down, or at least be made very uncomfortable. One who 

 has had experience with animals affected with this vice 

 recommends the following remedy; 'First, get an extra 

 strong halter, and hitch the horse to an outer limb of an 

 apple tree. Now, gently tease him, and provoke him to 

 pull. The branch will yield, but still hold him fast. 

 Tease him again and again, until he finds that he cannot 

 bueak his halter, or efiect anything but his own discom- 

 fort. Repeat weekly until the lesson is thoroughly learned 

 and he will at length cease to pull whan tied to a post.' " 



The Price op Butter. — The New York Tribune says : 



" In Herkimer, Oneida and Otsego, and other counties 



west of Albany, the best butter the market affords, can 



be purchased for 20 cents per pound, and yet the retail 



firice of butter in the city of New York is 30 cents per 

 b. for the best in the market. The best way for city 

 families to obtain their butter cheaply is to send to friends 

 in the country and get it from first hands." 



We were recently in a country town in Chemung county 

 16 miles from the nearest railroad station, and were in- 

 formed that farmers received 25 cents Jper lb. for butter 

 at their own doorg. 



Worms in Onions. — The agricultural editor of the 

 Tribune, Solon Robinson, has great faith in salt, both as 

 a fertilizer and a worm destroyer. He says : 



" Worms ingrowing onions are prevented in a great 

 measure by the use of salt in the manure. Do not be 

 afraid of twenty bushels upon an acre. Top onion seed 

 soaked in brine before planting was not infested where 

 worms had previously almost preventedtheir cultivation." 



Spirit of the Agricultural Press. — The New York 

 Evangelist, says : 



" This department of the Genesee Farmer we always 

 peruse with interest, and agree with the editor, Mr. Har- 

 ris, in regarding it as one of its most valuable features. 

 Containing, as it does, short extracts from the principal 

 agricultural papers of Europe and America, it furnishes, 

 in a brief space, the most important reeults reached by 

 leading agricultulists." 



Plowing. — The Country Gentleman says truly : 

 " Plowing well saves much labor in subsequent tillage. 

 Narrow furrow slices (except with sward) pulverize the 

 soil more perfectly, and leave a beautiful mellow surface. 

 Furrows seven or eight inches deep, and only six inches 

 wide are easy for the team, and leave the land in a very 

 handsome condition." 



We have never seen a plow that [would turn a furrow 

 eight inches deep and only 6 inches wide. How is it done? 



Cashmere Goats. — These valuable animals, about which 

 so much was said a few years ago should not be forgotten. 

 The experiment of raising them in this country seems to 

 promise entire success. We are indebted to a friend for 

 a staple of the wool, which is very long, 'and worth 

 §8.00 per lb. They yield from 8 lbs. to 6 lbs. per head. 

 The goats are hardy and will live on the coarsest food. 



Lima Beans. — A correspondent of the Gardener"! 

 Monthly says : 



" I succeed well with Lima beans, by planting in a box 

 in the house, or in a warm place in the garden, and trans- 

 plant when danger of frost is over, one plant to a pole, 

 which is better than more, and bad, on October 8th, saved 

 a supply of ripe seed." 



Flax vs. Wheat. — A correspondent of the Country 

 Gentleman argues that a crop of flax seed, (saying noth- 

 ing of the fibre,) is more profitable than wheat, at present 

 prices. He estimates that land which will produce 15 

 bushels of wheat will give 10 bushels of flax. Of course, 

 if the flax can be used the profits are greatly enhanced. 



Big Hogs. — The Cincinnati Commercial says Charles 

 OsBoaNB, of Clinton Co., Ohio, brought to that city one 

 hundred hogs, whose average net weight was 414 lbs. 

 They were about twenty months old. The JVew England 

 Farmer alludes to a Leicester hog, thirty months old, that 

 girts 7 feet and weighs 1,350 lbs., live weight ! 



Zinc Wash for Rooms. — The New York Tribune says : 



" Mix oxide of zinc with common size, and apply it 

 with a brush, like lime whitewash, to the ceiling of a 

 room. After this, apply a wash, in the same manner, of 

 the chloride of zinc, which will combine with the oxide, 

 and form a smooth cement with a shining surface." 



Tobacco and Flax. — In preparing our "Spirit" this 

 month we are struck with the fact that nearly all our ag- 

 riculturial papers have articles on the culture of to- 

 bacco and flax. Undoubtedly an unusually large area 

 will be planted with these crops. 



Hungarian Grass. — The Maine /'arw»«r thinks that rye, 

 barley, oats, wheat, or a mixture of all, sown very thick, 

 and cut while green, will make better fodder than Hun- 

 garian grass. 



