NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



175 



CANADA THISTLES. 



The subject of Ciinada thistles is often spoken of, 

 and the modes of eradicating tliem supoested. But 

 some who have succeeded in destroj-inir them once, 

 do not seem confident that the same mode will al- 

 ways be equally efficacious. Now a word on this 

 subject. I have been greatly annoyed with thistles 

 — have sujtposed it impossible to extirpate them — 

 have mowed them in all times of the moon — have 

 salted them — and have ploughed them two or three 

 times in a summer — and still they have been the 

 victors. And they will continue to be the victors, 

 whenever the ground is tilled, unless the design 

 and determination is to till them to death. If plough- 

 ing is the mode resorted to, it will be absolutely ef- 

 fectual in a single season, if repeated so often that 

 the shoots cannot come to the surflice and there en- 

 joy the light and heat. But if ploughed only once 

 or twice, or even thrice, in a season, and the shoots 

 be permitted to come to the light, and grow two or 

 three inches, it amounts to nothing more than a 

 transplanting of the root. A broken piece of root, 

 only three or four inches in length, will send up a 

 shoot almost equal in size to the root itself. I am 

 confident that in breaking the roots in ploughing 

 our summer fallows and other grain fields, and scat- 

 tering the pieces by the harrow, the plant is spread 

 more than by the scattering of the seeds on the 

 wings of the wind. In hoed crops they can be en- 

 tirely destroyed in a single season, by going through 

 the field as they ajipear, and with the hoe cutting 

 them off a little below the surface. But even then, 

 the inch of the root thus cut off must be turned up 

 so as to wilt and dry, or it will continue to grow. 

 In small patches, as in the garden, and ornamental 

 grounds around the mansion, I have entirely de- 

 stroyed them in a single season by cutting them be- 

 low the surface with a weeding trowel, as often as 

 they appeared. Ths process of re})eated ploughing 

 as stated herein, when the patch is extensive, or 

 the use of the hoe or towel, as suggested above, 

 can be confidently relied upon as entirely effectual. 

 — Genesee Farmer. 



Remarks. — We have tried many modes of de- 

 stroying the Canada thistle, and the most effectual 

 mode, and the most economical, when it can be 

 conveniently attended to, is to put the land to mow- 

 ing. The first year there may be a pretty good 

 crop of thistles with the grass, but cut as soon as 

 they are in blossom and horses will eat them. Af- 

 ter the first year, but few will be seen, and in a 

 few years they will be all gone. 



No matter whether the land is in pasture or til- 

 lage, put it to mowing and the effect will be the 

 same. But thistles may be mowed for years, in 

 pasture or tillage, and several limes a year, with- 

 out destroying them. 



all over the surface on which it grows, bind every- 

 thing together that comes within their reach with 

 such a firm and intricate lace work; that not a sin- 

 gle stone can be removed from its position without 

 first tearing away its protecting safeguard. In 

 proof of tiiis, we refer to ruins of ancient castles 

 and buildings ; for, while in those parts of the 

 structure that have not the advantage of this pro- 

 tection, all has gone to utter decay; where the ivy 

 has thrown its preserving mantle, everything is 

 comparatively perfect and fresh, and oftentimes the 

 very angles of the sculptured stone are found to be 

 almost as sharp and entire as when first they came 

 from the hand of the builder. — American Agricul- 

 turist. 



IVY ON BUILDINGS. 



It is a mistaken idea that ivy renders a structure 

 damp, and hastens its decay. On the contrary, 

 nothing so effectually keejis the building, as may 

 be seen by examining beneath the ivy after rain, 

 where it will be found that the walls are dry, 

 though everything around is deluged with wet. Its 

 exuberant and web-like roots, issuing as they do 

 from every portion of the branches, and running 



SHEARING LAMBS. 



Some flock -masters recommend the practice of 

 shearing lambs, but I have my doubts as to the util- 

 ity of divesting young animals of their fleeces, 

 though, perhaps, in certain cases, they would be 

 far better with it off than on. This, indeed, may 

 be the fact when they are infested with vermin; or 

 when, having come early the preceding winter, 

 their fleeces may render them uncomfortable in the 

 sultry and close days of June and July. But would 

 not the comfort thus secured to them in hot weath- 

 er be purchased by a more than commensurate de- 

 gree of suffering when it becomes cokH As to 

 the "tick evil" — a sore one it is true, when unmit- 

 igated by remedial appliances, and one that, per- 

 haps, will sooner exhaust the vital energies of its 

 victim than almost any to which these innocent 

 animals are exposed, I would recommend either 

 New England rum or tobacco smoke — the former 

 applied as a wash to every part of the fleece and 

 skin, and the latter as a fumigation, blown into the 

 wool by means of a "smoker." 



The application of either of these will immediate- 

 ly rid the animal of their parasitical enemies, and 

 without involving any unpleasant results. Lambs 

 that are of good size by the last of June or the first 

 of August, may furnish quite a good fleece; but 

 the value of this is a mere trifle in the estimate, if 

 its removal is to operate unfavorably to the animal's 

 health, which I think it inevitably must. b. 



Bensalan, April 21, 1851. 



Gcrmantoicn Telegraph. 



ASHES AS MANURE. 



The true value of ashes to the farmer has long 

 been unknown, and even now is just beginning to 

 be appreciated. The soap-boiler's agents have long 

 been allowed to carry away the most valuable fer- 

 tilizer produced by the farmer, and leave in return 

 poor brooms and worse tea. Many an anti-book 

 farmer has hauled plaster miles to his farm, and 

 paid a high price for the same, when there was no 

 lack of theelement in his soil, and he was but "car- 

 rying coal to Newcastle," while at the same time 

 he sold his ashes at 10 cents per bushel, nominal 

 price, his soil being exhausted of potash. It is no 

 wonder that his lands should become "worn out," 

 and himself exceedingly dissatisfied with the sea- 

 sons and moon. 



Every plant contains inorganic elements w'hich 

 are, as all know, indispensable to its growth; these 

 elements are the ashes of the plants. Those re- 

 sulting from the combination of wood contain many 

 ofthe most important constituents of both the grains, 

 grasses and roots. Wheat and corn contain a large 



