THE GEXESEE FARMER. 



341 



large amount of oil-cake, corn-meal, beans and 

 other cattle foods, and feeding them to stock oa 

 the farm. Tiiird, all the manure is applied in a 

 liquid form. It is conveyed and distributed over 

 the farm through iron pipes. Fourth, deep and 

 thorough tillage. 



"The visitors were, of course, ci^nveyed to the 

 mmense cauldron, wliere, with incessant seethe 

 md bubble, the root food of the farm is concocted, 

 rhrongliout the day, solitary individuals might be 

 seen, apparently meditating suicide, and a l)lis<ful 

 ■transformation to the cabbage sfnte— over this deep 

 md dismal abyss. The whole of the manurial mat- 

 ter of the farm pas-^es into this tank, and is then 

 ;ent tiying over the rye-grass, wherever it may 

 lappen to lie. The farm consists of 170 acres, of 

 which 12 acres are always in rye- grass—and thus 

 created after each crop is taken oif. The clover 

 md permanent rye-grass are all tiius irrigated 

 with liquid manure, which is forced tbrongh iron 

 pipes, and driven through hose and jet attached at 

 sei-tain places alouy; the mains. Owing to this pro- 

 eess, wliich was shown, the wortliy Ahlerman can 

 talk of three and four tuns of rye-grass at a cut, loome from it. 

 and of several cuts in the year; of several cuts of |^hen they clean out the stables in tlie winter, to 



MANURING FOR CORN IN THE FALL. 



A OOREKSPONDENT of the GermaiitowTi Telegraph 

 says : 



"The best time for manuring for corn is to tJie 

 fall, from the middle to the end of November, or 

 at any time during the winter, when the ground is 

 bare, but the nearer the sjiring the less good will 

 It is a custom with most farmers 



elover, and two tuns at a cut; of si)lendid crops ()f 

 a permanent grass, and of unfading crops of grain 

 and roots after these— in seasons when the farig^ers 

 around are complaining of utter failure. The ef- 

 fect of irriiration is ilhistrated by a field of five 

 acres, opposite the drawing-room windows, amongst 

 the rank herbage of which Aunt Sally was suffer- 

 ing reproof fur her obstinate attachment to the 

 pipe, as compared witli the lawn, which had never 

 been dosed, and looked as drab as a felt hat. The 

 quantity of liquid put on per day amounts to about 

 60,000 gallons ; and whether it is owing to the etfect 

 of this, or to tiie depth to which the land is broken 

 up alter its application, I know not, but certain it 

 is that there is hardly a weed to be seen. It is 

 verv seldom that one sees so clean a farm. Mr. 

 Mechi attributes this absence of weeds to the sub- 

 soiling process, which goes on in conjunction with 

 the plowing, six horses being employed in the two 

 operations. The long tap-roots are thoroughly 

 embeded, he says, and the expenses of hoeing and 

 weeding the cereal crops now growing are stated 

 to be in some cases only Is. — and in no case more 

 than 2s. — per aci-e. 



" Although Mr. Mkohi's example has been fol- 

 lowed in eliicient drainajie and dee[> culture, very 

 few men have had sufficient confidence in irrigation 

 by hose and jet to venture upon an outlay of £5 

 an acre to secure its advantages. I can not bat 

 think, however, that the example is as wortiiy of 

 being followed in this respect, provided only it be 

 done with due caution, as it is in the others. At 

 least, one is disposed to think so, judging by ap- 

 pearances." 



That Mr. Meohi succeeds in raising enormous 

 crops, there can be no doubt. The only question 

 is, will such a system of agriculture pay ? Mr, 

 M. says it will. The majority of English farmers 

 say it will not — and this is the bone of contention 

 between them. That Mr. Mechi has made his 

 poor, almorft worthless land, the richest farm in the 

 country, is admitted. That he raises enormous 

 crops is equally undeniable. He has done this, first, 

 by thorough underdniining — sometimes putting the 

 drains seven feet deep, and generally five feet, and 

 firom 20 to 40 feet apart. Second, by purchasing a 



throw the raapiure in the barn-yard to rot; but 

 this is a waste in three ways: First, the cattle will 

 eat much of it and it is wasted ; second, it is not 

 as" good when rotted as it was when taken from 

 the stables; and thirdly, the ground has been with- 

 out it all winter, and it not as rich as if it had been 

 protected by the manure. 



"Ground will become richer by being covered, 

 even if it is with brush ; and this is one of the 

 advantages of putting the manure on in the fall or 

 early in the winter. The numnre from tlie stables 

 should, therefore, be taken immediately to the field 

 intended for corn, and spread on, giving about two- 

 thirds as heavy a coat as for wheat,- and left to lay 

 there until plowed under in the spring. Those 

 who are within reasonable distance of the city, 

 will find that a few loads of town manure will pay 

 not less than 50 per cent, on the investment and 

 the trouble. Corn-fields served thus last winter, 

 turn out this fall about fifteen bushels of corn more 

 to the acre than fields near by them that were not 

 manured in this way ; beside's it will produce much 

 better oats next year," 



We suppose, of course, that the manure is ap- 

 plied as a top-dressing on grass,, or clover land in- 

 tended to be broken up for corn the following 

 spring. This practice is becoming quite common 

 in this section, and we believe it is the best method 

 of applying manure for corn. 



The manure causes the clover to start early in 

 the spring, and by the time the land is plowed 

 there is a good crop to turn under. This not only 

 enriches the land, but the cut-worms eat the gree» 

 clover and let the coi'h alone ! 



Some of the reasons assigned by the writer above 

 quoted may not be correct, but the practice is one 

 which has the sanction of all who have tried it. 

 We hope some of our readers will top-dress an 

 acre or two this year and give us the result. The 

 sooner it is applied the better. 



Warts on the udder and teats of cows may be 

 easily removed simply by washing them in a solu- 

 tion of alum and water. 



