No. 9. 



Dialogue between a Fu/hcr an<l Son. 



271 



may be carried forward at great deptlip, and 

 the earth extracted without witiulrawine tlie 

 rods, bj' which also full three-tburthsof tlie time 

 and labor may be saved. The means by which 

 it is proposed to effect this desirable object are 

 as follows: An aiij^er is to be made with a 

 spiral worm windinjr round a cylinder which 

 forms its centre. The cylindrical part is not 

 to be solid, but perforated throughout its whole 

 length by a square hole of two or more inches 

 diameter, for the purpose of receiving within it 

 an iron bar of the same figure and admeasure- 

 ment. The bar will thus servo the double 

 purpose of a spindle or shaft to work the au- 

 ger or cause it to bore, and of a slide upon 

 which the auger may be drawn up with fa- 

 cility to the surface from very great depths in 

 a few seconds of time, its contents be dis- 

 charged, and the auger be let down again as 

 quickly, to proceed in the perforation of a fresh 

 portion of earth. That a part of the contents 

 of the spiral auger may not fall out when be- 

 ing drawn up, the worm or thread is not to be 

 left open, but is to have a perpendicular bor- 

 der, raised upwards at right angles to the 

 plane of the thread ; the aperture between 

 the upper edge of this border and the next 

 thread is left open for clearing out the auger 

 with facility. The construction will be easily 

 understood by referring to the engraving, in 

 which P represents the exterior of the spiral 

 worm or auger; Q. the square iron bar passing 

 through the square tube of the auger ; R chains 

 to draw up the spiral worm along the bar; S 

 top plate, to which the chains are attached; 

 T upper view of the plate, showing the square 

 hole through which the bar passes ; U angular 

 point of the square bar; VV" cutting edges of 

 the auger ; W under side view of the bottom 

 cutting parts of the auger. Various kinds of 

 tools may be attached to the bottom of this 

 auger so as to peck, &c. — Herbert's Ency. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Dialogue 'between a Father and Son* 



ON FALLOWING. 



Frank. — How is it, father, that you never 

 fallow your land? All our neighbors fallow, 

 and declare that it is necessary every four or 

 five years; but why should it be more neces- 

 sary for them than for you 1 



Father. — It is strange that the question of 

 the necessity of fallowing still exists, particu- 

 larly when the difference between the two 

 systems of management is so great, amount- 

 ing to a year's rent in four or five, and the 

 loss of the produce of at least a fifth part of 

 the arable land every year. Some persons 

 practise it for the purpose of clearing the land, 

 which, they affirm, cannot be done effectually 

 without it ; while others declare it is neces- 



sary, as a season of rest to the soil.* Now, 1 

 have never found it necessary to resort to a 

 whole year's fallow for either purpose, and 

 yet I am sure that riiy land is more produc- 

 tive now than it ever has been, and is mucii 

 cleaner than the land of many of our neisjii- 

 bors, who practise fallowing most rigorously. 

 But it is remarkable, that many who fallow, 

 for the purpose of clearing their land of weedp, 

 will allow these to grow, and often to perfect 

 their seeds, on their fallows, between the 

 times of ploughing! and this reminds me of 

 a story relating to one of those who thus re- 

 plenished his soil with a seven years' crop, 

 according to the old adage, " one year's .need- 

 ing is seven years' weeding." There was a 

 public sale in his neighborhood, and he, be- 

 ing early, escaped a heavy shower of rain : 

 just at its conclusion, a neighbor, an enemy 

 to the fallowing system, came jn on horse- 

 back, quite dry. "How now!" cried th» 

 fallovvist, " where hast been to keep so dry"!" 

 " Why," replied the other, "just at the com- 

 mencement of the storm I was passing your 

 fallow below, so I rode under one of your 

 fine thistles, and sat perfectly dry until it wafi 

 over, and then I came on." I have heard 

 also of a favorite hog that had been lost for 

 many days, and was at length discovered in 

 a field that had received a whole year's fal- 

 low, to enable it to carry a wheat crop, com- 

 pletely hidden by the weeds, ^which were 

 growing and blossoming above his head ! 



Frank.— AnA now I think of it, no one 

 ever finds it necessary to fallow his garden, 

 either for the purpose of cleaning or rest. 



Father. — That is an observation which I 

 was about to make, and it is with me conclu- 

 sive; in fact, no one can force land to rest; 

 it will continually be throwing up some crop 

 or other ; and is an artificial crop more ex- 

 hausting than one of those called natural? 

 unless indeed the countryman was right, who, 

 to the observation that weeds will grow even 

 in an unkindly season, replied, "yes, but the 

 earth is ()W7i mother to the weeds, while she 

 is only mother-in-law to the crops that are 

 planted in her bosom." Much allowance, I 

 confess, must be made for soils, situations, 

 and circumstances; it is to the system of fal- 

 lowing so rcUsciously observed, that I object: 

 I much also depends upon the plougiis that are 

 'used; many of these have the only quality 

 of following the horses easily, but do not pro- 

 perly cultivate the soil: with such, fallowing 

 is necessary. But I will read from my me- 

 morandum book, the management for the first 

 course of crops, on the new held, which 1 re- 

 ceived from farmer Vincent in so foul a .state 

 as to be heart-breaking, as the neighbors 



* To the observation that luiid rfqiiircs n.-sl, "yes," 

 replies an old farmer, " about as much a3 my kitchen 

 table docs after the men have dined." 



