VOL. XIV. NO. 34. 



AND gardenp:r's journal, 



269 



I born uiineil up, and reinaiiiod upon iIk; sur- 

 , was tlieroliy mixed willi the coinpost iiiiiii- 

 Corn was tlii'n planted in drills* upon tlie 

 rows, the rows being at tlie usual distance and 

 allel with the furrow. .\t hoeing time the 

 face was stirred by running a light plought 

 neen the rows, but not so deep at this or the 

 secpient hoeing, as to disturb the sod. What 

 Lorain calls the "savage |)ractice " of hilling 

 the corn, was cautiously avoided. In the early 

 t of the season, my cornfield did not exhibit n 

 y promising appearance ; but as soon as the 

 ts had extended into the enriching matter be- 

 th and began to expand in the decomposing 

 n-d, which had now become mellow, and more 

 lutcly divided by the fermentation of the con- 

 d vegetable substances beneath, than it could 

 c been by tliO plough or hoe, the growth be- 

 le vigorous, and the crop, in the opinion of 

 se who examined the field, not less than sev- 

 y bushels of corn to the acre. As soon as the 

 n was harvested, the stubble was loosened up 

 running a light horse plough length-wise, 

 DUgli the rows, the surface then smoothed with 

 ush harrow, and one bushel of rye, with a suf- 

 eiit quantity of herd's grass and red top seed, 

 the acre, was then sowed, the ground again 

 rowed and rolled. The crop of rye was har- 

 ted in July following, and the two acres yield- 

 sixtyiiine and a half bushels of excellent grain, 

 I over five tons of straw. The grass seed, 

 ed with the rye, took well, and the present 

 son I took, what those who secured the crop 

 geil to be two and a half ions of the very best 

 hay from eacii acre. 



' Thus, ,vvith one ploughing, with the aid of 

 ■Dty cart loads of compost manure to the acre, 

 ave obtained two crops of grain, and stocked 

 land down to grass."t 



(To be cuntinucd.) 



FODDER RACKS. 



Do farmers fodder their cattle in the best way ; 

 t is, do they derive the greatest possible benefit 

 1 a given amount of hay, in the manner gener- 

 adopted by them in feeding it to their cattle 

 I sheep ? Hay by most farmers is thrown out 

 5 the yard, scattered about by forkfuls, and the 

 tie and sheep are left to scramble and fight for 

 il get it in the best manner they may. If the 

 d is dry, or frozen hard^ or covered with straw, 

 even snow, but little comparatively is lost; but 

 as is very frequently the case, the yard is soft 

 h mud and manure, it is evident much of the 

 r must be trodden down and totally lost, and 

 ;n at the best, some will be so injured by being 

 xed with the dung that the cattle will not eat it. 

 rhais the oidy complete remedy for this evil is 

 feed cattle exclusively in stalls, and where this 

 practicable, the farmer undoubtedly finds his 

 ;ount in thediminished quantity of food required, 

 i the superior condition of his herds ; still, but 

 V are able to adopt this mode of feeding to any 

 ■at extent, and the plan which approximates the 

 arest to this, and is of general and easy applica- 

 n, should be adopted. Experience has shown 



It might be planted in hills, if that course is pre- 

 red. 



Mr P. now uses the cultivator instead of the plough. 



tWilliam Clark, Jr. of Northampton, and Daniel Put- 

 m, of Danvers, have adopted similar methods of hus- 

 adry, and have been very successful. 



that much of this hi.ss and inconveiiieiicc in the 

 feeding of cattle may be avoided by the use of 

 suitable rack-;, and these are not so diliicult in pre- 

 paration, or so expensive as .some may at first im- 

 agine ; indeed, it is believed that the hay annually 

 saved to the farmer by their use, would pay the 

 expense of a yearly construction. Racks should 

 be so made and set, that cattle or sheep may eat 

 from both sides at once, as they occupy much less 

 space, and can be made at the same time more 

 portable^. To construct racks, let a tree of suita- 

 ble size be split into two parts, so that when the 

 split surface is smoothly hewn, the pieces will 

 resemb'e thick heavy slabs of sixteen or eighteen 

 inches in width. By the way, heavy slabs of the 

 ordinary kind, which may be procured from 

 almost every saw-mill, form very good substitutes 

 for these split timbers, when they cannot be read- 

 ily found. Near the edge of e icli side of these 

 slabs let holes be bored, into which let rounds of 

 wood be inserted ; the rounds, if intended for cat- 

 tle, may be four feet in length — if for sheep, two 

 feet will be sufticient, and at such distances from 

 each other as may be deemed advisable, always 

 remembering that cattle should not be allowed to 

 put their heads between the rounds, while sheep 

 should be permitted to jiass theirs at pleasure. 

 The tops of the two rows of rounds should diverge 

 from each other, so that vvliile their distances &t 

 the bottom should not be more than ten or twelve 

 inches, at the top it should be two and a half or 

 three feet; and if a slight railing of board be fixed 

 on the top of those racks intended for caitle, they 

 will be so much the stronger and better ; on the 

 ones intended for sheep, no such security is ne- 

 cessary. Let logs in a bracing manner be put 

 into the slabs, so as to raise them, if for cattle, two 

 feet, if for sheep, one foot ; let these feet rest on 

 thin flat stones, so as not to sink into the earth, 

 and the rack may be considered as completed. 

 Now it is evident that when such racks are pro- 

 perly placed and filled with hay, both cattle and 

 sheep can eat of it much more comfortably, and 

 to far greater advantage, than if it was scattered 

 over the earth, or mixed with the mud and water 

 of the yard. If such racks were constructed of 

 the proper length, say twelve or fifteen feet, they 

 could be easily removed from place to place, as 

 most convenient during the winter; and in the 

 spring, when no longer necessary, by placing them 

 under cover, as should always be done, they would 

 last for years. Farmers should always bear in 

 mind that no man loses by attention to the com- 

 fort, ease, and health of his cattle and sheep, and 

 that all suitable efforts for this purpose are amply 

 repaid in the end. It was the advice of the wisest 

 of men, the poet, philosopher, and natural histo- 

 rian of the inspired writings, " Be thou diligent to 

 know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy 

 herds," — advice which, if proper in the mild cli- 

 mate of Palestine, becomes doubly appropriate in 

 our latitude, and during the freezing winters of 

 New York. — Genesee Fanner. 



Important to Hop growers It has been 



found that the substitution of iron rods in place 

 of hop-poles exerts a most favorable effect upon 

 the growth and amount of crop. The plants are 

 not troubled with mould, rust or the fly ; they 

 grow much more weighty and luxuriant and ripen 

 much quicker. This eftect is supposed to be ow- 

 ing to the electric fluid attracted by the iron con- 

 ductors. 



FliOUGHING IN A GREIS.V CROP. 



As winter evenings .seem to afford a suitable 

 opportunity for intellectual improvement, and con- 

 sidering that the pages of a periodical of this kind 

 are dependent very imich on correspenilents for 

 matters of information, and that it is the part of 

 every subscriber to contribute his mite to the im- 

 provement and information of the readers of an 

 agricultural work of this nature, I have ventured 

 to pen a few of my thoughts. 



The farmers of almost every section of country 

 differ materially in their modes of farming, and 

 opinion respecting the most profitable manner of 

 converting the produce of their farms into money. 

 Their difference of opinion is certainly allowable 

 and natural, when we take into consideration the 

 difference of soils, the distance from markets, the 

 difficulty in most neighborhoods ot obtaining pro- 

 per help, Sec. all of which the ftirmer has to ac- 

 commodate himself to in the best tnanner he can. 

 The business of a farmer is in my o[)inion an inde- 

 pendent, an honorable, and, when properly pur- 

 sued, a profitable one ; and no doubt, so long as 

 our country continues in prosperity, the increasing 

 demand for produce will insure to the farmer a 

 handsome remuneration for the |u-oducts of his 

 soil. 



Ploughing in of green crops, as practised in the 

 State of New York, is so economical a mode of 

 enriching the soil, that I have often marvelled it 

 is not practised to a much greater e.ttent in other 

 places. Allow me to recommend the spreading 

 of a coat of lime previous to ploughing in. 



If the slovenly farmer, who allows his weeds 

 to grow up unmolested and cover his fields, would, 

 instead of tihis, plough them under, after a few 

 repetitious of this, he would be surprised at the 

 increased fertility of the soil, and save the labor of 

 carting manure from a distance. 



With respect to the best crops for turning un- 

 der, there are various opinions ; rye and red clo- 

 ver are, perhaps, as much in use as any other, 

 though some plough in oats, millet, turnips, &c. 

 In dry situations this practice succeeds best, as by 

 the ground remaining exposed to wet, the crop 

 turned under would not be so likely to rot. 



With regard to turnips for ploughing in, I must 

 acknovifledge myself an unbeliever; I have heard 

 of its being done to profit by others, but have 

 seen it tried in my own neighborhood without 

 success. Perhaps, however, it is owing to some 

 difl'erence in cultivation or soil with which we are 

 unacquainted. It would confer a favor on us Jer- 

 sey-men, if some of your successful New York 

 farmers would furnish us with their experience 

 on the subject of j)loughing under green crops for 

 manure, and on other modes of economising that 

 very expensive, yet indispessable material in the 

 business of agriculture. — "Junius," in the J\J'eie 

 York Farmer. 



Mites and Weevils The following method 



is practised in Germany for* granaries infested by 

 mites and weevils. Let the walls and rafters 

 above and below of such granaries be covered 

 completely with quick lime, slackened in water, in 

 which trefoil, wormwood and hyssop have been 

 boiled. This composition should be applied as 

 hot as possible. 



The daily increase of population in the United 

 States is about one thousand. 



