92 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



6. If the earth continues moist, and water 

 stands in hollow places, no trust should be 

 put in the clearest sky. 



Of all persons, the fanner and the sailor 

 are those who can generally, from constant ob- 

 servation, form the best judgment of the at- 

 mospheric indications of weather ; but while 



to the latter the Barometer is of the utmost 

 importance in indicating that a sudden change 

 is at hand ; to the former it will be found 

 equally useful, if he is a constant observer of 

 it, by showing him, pretty accurately, wheth- 

 er or not any particular change of weather is 

 likely to be of some dm'ation. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE— BUYING LAND. 



" You know vei-y well," said Science, 

 "how your neighbor, old Mr. Stubborn, went 

 into the next State to buy a farm. The owner 

 knew what the farm was, aud advertised it 

 in spring time, when he expected damp 

 weather. I advised Peter to take me with 

 him to view the strata of rocks below, and to 

 analyze the soil on the surface ; to see how 

 it laid for draining, and what aspect it pi-e- 

 sented to the atmosphere. I told him I could 

 save him my expenses many times over. But 

 Peter sconied my advice — he thought he had 

 worked more land than I had, and was as 

 good a judge of land as any man in the States; 

 and he set ofT, muttering something about ' not 

 letting book- worms make money out of him.' 

 He vvalked carefully over the fann — it looked 

 gi-een and flourishing, and not swampy, even 

 in that damp, wet weather. He was delight- 

 ed with it, and gave forty dollai-s an acre for 

 over three hundred acres. He paid liis twelve 

 thousand dollars and took possession. But in 

 the summer time as I passed that way, I found 

 that so-much-praised fann almost burat up 

 with drouth, and its vegetation drooping and 

 panting for moisture which the soil could not 

 supply ! Peter had bought a light, sandy soil, 

 lying upon what we call, geologically, a coal 

 formation, with a pretty decided slope east- 

 ward. I took a little bit of the soil, and ana- 

 lyzed it, and showed what it contained. In 

 one hundred parts there were about eighty- 

 thi-ee of lime, three of oxide of iron, one of 

 potash, and one part of phosphoric and car- 

 bonic acids, and lour parts of vegetable and 



organic matter. ' Now,' I said, ' the soil will 

 be beautifully productive in wet weather, but 

 will be parched in dry weather.' 



" 'Ah,' he said, ' that was howl was taken 

 in — I saw it in a wet spring season.' 



" 'If,' I rejoined, ' you had taken me with 

 you, I would have taken a handfull oi' this soil 

 from various parts of the farm, and would 

 have told you exactly what it contained, as I 

 do now. I would have told you that sand, 

 which predominates here, cannot retain mois- 

 ture, which flies off; nevertheless, I would 

 have told you that in certain positions the soil 

 might be made fruitfid, if it laid upon a faith- 

 ful geological formation, and with a moist at- 

 mospheric aspect. I should then have ex- 

 amined the geological strata here, and have 

 told you that it was on a coal fonnation, con- 

 sisting of beds of limestone and blue shale, 

 neai- the surface, which generally underlays 

 the worst lands — and sloping so rapidly towai-d 

 the east, the moisture would drain away 

 through the s;iuds aud down the slope, while 

 the east wind, the most di-ynig and piercing 

 of all winds, would blow with its keen, 

 di-outhy breath into the soU, driving out that 

 moisture which had not drained away ; that 

 in summer your crops would be impover- 

 ished, and in long drouths probably would 

 not gi'ow at all. I could have shown you all 

 this, and you would have known that the 

 farm was of small value, and saved yom" 

 money. Your ignorance has caused you to 

 throw away eis much as you have made in 

 many yeai's of hard work.' " [Sat. Courier. 



Harvesting-Machine. — A correspondent, writing from Michigan to the New- York Evan- 

 gelist, says : " A field of sixty acres was hai'vested in two days, as follows : A machine was 

 drawn into the field by sixteen horses, guided by as many boys as necessaiy. On the front 

 of the machine a man was stationed to adjust the forks and circulai- knives to the hight of 

 the wheat, which was readily thrown back into the machine. No more was seen of it till 

 another man in the rear part of the machine was observed tpng up well-filled sacks of pure 

 grain, in perfect order for the flouring-mill. This huge machine hars'ested and bagged tliree 

 bushels of the best wheat in a minute." 



Barrels. — A machine has been invented, and is now in operation at New-Haven, and 

 and also in New-York, for dressing barrel-staves. It will make 7,000 such staves, or 4,000 

 hogshead staves, in ten hours. 

 (188) 



