250 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



GUESSING. 



The area of every enclosure on a farm ought to 

 be ascertained, iu order to determine with some de- 

 gree of precision the qiuuitity it produces per acre, 

 tis well as the quantity of seed and plaster sown per 

 acre, and to regulate the manuring and the labor 

 with some degree of accuracy. Fields being gene- 

 rally rectangular, very little difficulty would arise 

 in determining the number of acres in each, and 

 when once ascertained, a record could be kept that 

 would render further trouble unnecessary. Many 

 farmers depend too much on guessing^ as to the 

 quantity of the land and the products per acre, and 

 those who are not pretty knowing in such matters 

 are supposed by some occasionally to make great 

 mistakes, that sometimes involve a suspicion of 

 their veracity. If the size of fields and the amount 

 of their prc^ducts wei"e accurately registered iu a 

 book kept for that purpose, it would be but little 

 trouble; and it would furnisli an agreeable amuse- 

 ment for a rainy day, to compare the products of 

 different years from the same ground. By this 

 means, a farmer would always be able to determine 

 the improvement and increased fertility of his farm, 

 and if at any time he should incline to furnisli an 

 agricultural journal with the results of any of his 

 operations, it could be done with confidence as to 

 its accuracy which would be satisfactory and in- 

 structive. A farmer should never guess at results, 

 when he has the means in his hands of arriving at 

 the truth so easily. Keep a regular account of all 

 articles sold and purchased, and at the year's end 

 balance your book, so that you may know your 

 latitude and longitude, and not be in danger of re- 

 ceiving a visit from the sheriff". 

 Sand Bmok, N. J. J. T. SERGEANT. 



RTJ3T ON OATS IN KENTUCKY. 



Editors Genesee Fakmek : — The rust has ruined 

 our oats. There will not be saved in this, or any 

 of the adjoining counties, one half enough for seed. 

 It is something unheard of, by the oldest of our 

 farmers. We hadj in the months of April and May, 

 an unprecedented amount of rain. The rust first 

 made its appearance upon the low lands, whence 

 the disease spread to all parts of the farm, as though 

 it was subject .to the laws of an epidemic or conta- 

 gion. It attacked di fferent crops at different stages, 

 but all previous to the appearai.ce of the head. In 

 fact, the blades seemed to be the part primarily at- 

 tacked, the straw in many instances l)eing remark- 

 ably exempt ti-om rust. Can you tell us anytbing 

 about the cause of it, and do you think tbat wheat 

 upon the same ground would be more liable t(-- rust 

 than on a different piece of ground ? Will you, or 

 some of your scientific farmers, give us your views, 

 experience, or observations? We would like to 

 hear from Mr. John Johnston, especially. 



Buaer Co., El/. K. B. MOEEIIEAD. 



Kindness to Domestic Animals makes the ani- 

 mals to love yon, and even the hogs will give a 

 grunt of pleased recognition when they see you. 

 It pi'omotes a kind disposition in the animals — 

 makes them feel nice, and fatten easier. It also 

 re-acts on yourseli^ and will make you kind to 

 others. 



JUDGE BUEL'S APPEAL TO YOUNG MEN. 



Editors Gi;nesee Fakmer: — It may not be 

 generally imd'i-stood, by all your young readers, 

 that the sui.)Ject of Agriculture was one in which 

 Judge Buel distinguished himself, by devoting to it 

 his powerful energies, his great and comprehensive 

 mind and ready pen. From a volume of the Cul- 

 tivator before me, commenced in March, 1834, I 

 take the following appeal to young men. Read it 

 «//!, young readers of the Farmer, for I assure you 

 it has lost nothing by age. Read it all, and keep 

 alive the memory, and cherish the principles of 

 those dear departed ones who have gone before us, 

 and have labored incessantly for our good. 



O. B. 8. 



" The young men we would especially appeal to. 

 You are destined soon to occupy tiie stage of public 

 action, and to All the imj^ortant stations in society. — 

 Now is the time to prepai-e for these high duties, as 

 well as for profit and distinction iu your business. 

 Your cliaracters are but partially formed, and are yet 

 susce^^tible of receiving good or bad impressions, 

 which are to last througli life. It is important to you, 

 to your friends, and to society, that these impressions 

 should be for good. We will lay before you rules and 

 examples of the wisest and best men, to aid you in the 

 formation of your characters — to enable you to be- 

 come intelligent and successful in your business, — 

 useful and respectable in society, — and beloved and 

 happy in your families. Do not object that you have 

 no time to read. Few young men labor more hours 

 than did BEXJAinN Frakklin, or are more humble and 

 self-dex>endent than he was in his youth, and yet 

 Franklin found abundant time for self-instrucdon ; 

 and so indafatigable and successful was he m his stud- 

 ies, that ho became one of the most useful and cele- 

 brated men of Ids age. We need not limit the remark 

 to Franklin : most of the distinguished men of the 

 day have risen from humble stations by their own in- 

 dustry and frugality, and have acquired a great share 

 of their knowledge in the lionrs not allotted to ordi- 

 nary business. Your winter evenings are your own, 

 and may be applied usefully. They may be computed 

 at one-fourth of the day, or one entire month in a 

 3'ear. Time is money : and the young man who ap- 

 propriates this month to the acquiring of useful 

 knowledge, does more to add to his future fortune, to 

 say nothing of his intellectual wealth, than if he re- 

 ceived \YAy for this month and loaned it upon interest. 

 Knowledge is in another respect like money : the 

 greater the stock of it on hand the more it will ad- 

 uniuster to the respectability and enjoyments of life. 

 But knowledge is not to be acquired without exertion, 

 nor is anj'thing else that is useful in life. It is the 

 labor we bestow in acqidring an object that imparts to 

 it an intrinsic value. It has been well said, that " al- 

 thongli we may be learned by the help of others, we 

 can never be wise hut by our own wisdom." It is the 

 humble design of this monthly sheet to excite a laud- 

 able ambition to improve the mind as well as the soil. 

 If we succeed in awakening the latent energies of the 

 former, we think the latter will follow as a natural 

 consequence, and our object will be attained." 



Fattening Sheep in Winter. —Keep them in a 

 dry place, and let them have plenty of good clover 

 liay and turnips, with half a pound of oil-cake and 

 a pint of barley per day. Water daily. I have 

 fattened them in this way iu a short time, and I 

 think this is the best way of fattening tlieni in 

 winter. Jonathan Kitson. — Hoicard, G. W. 



