THE GENESEE FAKMER. 



2T3 



than the Suffolks and Black Essex (or a similar 

 stock) belonging to Thos. Ceisp, well known in 

 America as a breeder of swine." 



The show of horses seems to have disappointed 

 Mr. H. He says: "In regard to the horses, I did 

 not see one in the classes mentioned " [" Thorough- 

 bred, Hunters, Roadsters," &c,,] "that would be 

 thought middling in New England or New York. 

 But Englishmen say it was no representation of 

 what there is in the country. The agricultural 

 horses were numerous, and many of them of very 

 superior character. The Suflblks appeared to be 

 the favorites. * * But on the whole, I think the 

 Clydesdale, which I saw in Lanarkshire and other 

 parts of Scotland, were equal, if not superior, to 

 any in the show. They are indeed valuable horses. 

 "With weight enough for almost any service, they 

 have style and action nearly equal to any light 

 horses." 



In the implement department, Mr. H. notices 

 CrosskUl's Bone-Mill, worked by steam, and which 

 "devours bones of all sorts and sizes, including 

 horn-piths of enormous dimensions, (from African 

 cattle, buifaloes, &c.,) like some carniverous mon- 

 ster." There were 105 engines and 88 threshing 

 machines, " but nothing that we need to adopt in 

 America." Mr. H. gives an interesting account of 

 the trials of steam plows, and concludes that 

 ** though the trials at this exhibition demonstrated 

 the practicability of using steam in cultivating the 

 earth, they afforded nothing satisfactory in regard 

 to the expediency of using it." 



Ashes for Corn. — My plan would be, unless I 

 had ashes to waste, to put on tiae top of each hill 

 of corn {directly after planting^) a small handful 

 of ashes. Ashes for some soi's are of much greater 

 utility than plaster, and no soil should be cheated 

 of the ashes made on the farm, — unles? perhaps a 

 heavy clay, devoid of drainage ; and on such a soil 

 nothing in the shape of manure or fertilizer wiU do 

 any good. 



If I wished to seed the rye field with grass this 

 fall, I would harrow thoroughly after the rye is 

 cut, sow the ashes broadcast, and the seed after it. 

 This as soon as possible after the rye is off, and let 

 the rain put in the seed to the requisite depth, — 

 which it will do, so far as my experience goes. 

 C. Beackett. — Rochester. Ind. 



Mules vs. Horses. — I noticed in your last issue 

 an article about mules and horses. I think it a 

 very good and plain article. I would say that I 

 wonder farmers have not already seen the advan- 

 tage of the mule over the horse. Here a sound 

 two-year-old mule wiU sell easily for $100, a five- 

 year-old generally for $250, Avhile a horse colt of 

 two years will not sell for more than $60 to $75, 

 and a horse of four to five years, sound, (which is 

 very hard to find,) for from $100 to $150. A Be- 

 gin:jek.— ^icA Valley, Alleg. Co.., Pa., Aug., 1858. 



SUGGESTED ITEMS. -No. 24. 



The harvest is over, so I may give a little time 

 to the Farmer, to-day. A capital number is that 

 for August; give us such every month, and your 

 appreciating readers will all become " life subscri- 

 bers," and life agents as well. In fact, a good 

 paper ever makes for itself enduring support. 



"J.?i English View of American Agriculture'''' is 

 not to be wondered at when so many of our own 

 writers talk of "exhausted soil" and "decreasing 

 average crops" — a cry which you so well answer. 

 Not long since, a correspondent of a leading eastern 

 agricultural paper objected to draining, "because 

 It hastens the decay of vegetable matter in the soil," 

 as though inert vegetable matter is of any use, save 

 as fed upon by crops, and, of course, consumed. 

 The faster we can impoverish the soil by growing 

 large crops, the better. We have only to feed them 

 in turn, to carry on the most productive and hence 

 most profitable system of agriculture. 



"/SiaZi as a Manure''^ has long been employed, but 

 we have seen no explanation of its action so rea- 

 sonable as that of Prof. Way. We shall try it on 

 the few acres of wheat we intend to sow this year. 



'■'■Bean Straw for Sheep''' would hardly answer 

 as a constant food, though highly valuable for these 

 animals occasionally. We have given it once a day 

 with excellent results, but never heard or thought 

 of dependmg on it entirely. Most animals, and 

 none more than sheep, like a change of forage, 



" Plow Deeper ! " Yes ! don't be afraid of going 

 too low with the plow. Try the experiment, at 

 least, if you are not satisfied on the subject. 



" The Cultivation of Beans''' receives new light 

 from Mr. Inman's communication. Our own lim- 

 ited experience agrees with his, that a good soil 

 produces the best beans, and that good culture will 

 not injure them, but, on the contrary, much in- 

 crease the product. 



" The Profits of Farming'''' are often underrated. 

 Because a man can not show a pile of hard cash at 

 the end of the year, it does not follow that he has 

 made nothing at farming. If he had kept an " ex- 

 pense account" of the items outside his farm busi- 

 ness, it would have shown him " where the money 

 goes," little by little, very likely. 



" The Barometer'''' is truly a valuable instrument, 

 and every farmer wUl do well to have one. The 

 " signs of the sky," however, are not to be despised, 

 as read by an experienced eye. 



^^ Bust on Oats'''' is not confined to Kentucky, or 

 other Western States. Late-sown oats are badly 

 rusted in this county, and no doubt through the 

 country, but not to the same extent of injury, 

 perhaps. 



" The Failure of Fruits'''' seems very general this 

 season; but it is not an entire failure, like some 

 years. There will be a few apples, peaches, pears, 

 etc., but no surplus in most instances. We have a 

 large pear tree which last year produced several 

 barrels of fruit; this year it will not give a bushel, 

 and those nearly all on one limb, but it is making 

 a fine growth — sending out new shoots to repair 

 the mjuries suffered from blight some years ago. 



Niagara Co., N. Y., August, 1S58. B. 



BoTS IN Horses. — A friend informs us that he has 

 found feeding the horses a mess of potatoes once a 

 week an effectual remedy for bots in horses. 



