:J6 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



THIl OL;N£SEii FARKillR. 



SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 1831. 



NURSERIES 



Every man who plants a Nursery of fruit or 

 ornamental trees, and tends it well, perform- 

 an act that should entitle him to the thanks of 

 the community. A plenty of good fruil has 

 always been considered a great blessing in ev- 

 ery country. Bu: few climates are so favora- 

 ble as to produce valuable fruits without culti- 

 vation, and planting a nursery is the first step 

 towards it. We have no doubt but many young 

 men aro deterred from planting nurseries, be 

 cause they think they cannot sell the trees 

 •when reared. We have travelled over con- 

 siderable part of the United States, bu-. do not 

 recollect to have seen a nursery ofyoung fruit 

 trees spoiled by overgrowth, or left standing 

 too long.when they had been well roared. more 

 particularly if they had been budded or graf- 

 ted. Now if all the trees that are raised, are set 

 into orchards or gardens, then the more nurse 

 ries the more fruit. There neid be no fear of) 

 overstocking the market, even where orchards 

 are plenty. The means for transportation an 

 different from what they were fifty years ago, 

 and a gentleman now thinks no more of send- 

 ing two or three hundred miles for fruit trees, 

 thunJie would have done twenty years since 

 of sending ten miles for a pound of tea or to 

 bacco. The inquiry is, " where can we pro 

 cure the best variety, and largest trees ?" A 

 gain, others may think that in order to insure a 

 bale of their trees, it is necessary that they 

 should be cultivated with the most approved 

 varieties, and they have never iiad an opportu- 

 nity of becoming acquainted with them. In 

 this respect, the alteration has been as great 

 within these few years, as it has been in trans- 

 portation ; you have now only to send to the 

 book store, and get Prince's Pomological Man- 

 ual, or some other author on honiculture, and 

 you have all necessary direction--. The time has 

 arrived when scientific information is distribu- 

 ted through every part of our country, at a 

 cheaper rate than in any other. We have 

 some of the most learned men of the age, en- 

 gaged in conducting magazines, and journals 

 and even tracts, all at such prices, as aro with- 

 in the reach of every farmer ; and there is now 

 no excuse for their remaining ignorant of their 

 profession, when they have a wish to be other- 

 wise. Now let us entreat such young farmer.-, 

 as are stationary, to commence the cultivation 

 of fruit and forest trees, for be assured it will 

 be a source of intellectual, as well as pecunia- 

 ry profit. When you have your young seed- 

 ling liees growing, and are wishing to procure 

 any particular variety of fruit, which is not 

 growing in your neightorhood, or within your 

 knowledge, you have only n> sen d your inqui- 

 ry to any one of the agricultural papers whose 

 columns are open for such inquiries, and you • 



have the information sought for; or if you[ ™ j ," " woultl "Ppear, that the first pound 

 Jiave young trees to sell, a communication 

 through the same channel, is sure to bring you 



mer, for these operations, previous to the sea- 

 son for performing them. 



FODDERING CATTLE, 

 At this inclement season much of the time 

 and attention of. the farmer, is given to feed- 

 ing and nursing his stock. This is an impor- 

 tant business, and upon it depends much of the 

 urofit or loss of the year. We think if far- 

 mers would give more moist food to their stocl; 

 during the winter, they would find it much to 

 their advantage. 



One reason why hay will not keep an an- 

 imal as well for the same length of time, as the 

 grass would from which the hay was made, is 

 the lack of moisture, little else having escaped 

 during drying. If horses or cattle are fed with 

 nay, and at the same time have water by them, 

 they will drink often. When cattle are confi- 

 ned in siables, they can be kept with less food 

 than when more exposed to the inclemency of 

 the weather; and when ihe hay or straw with 

 which they are fed, is cut and soaked, they re- 

 quire still lose, than when it is fed to them dry. 

 We know it is not common to cut hay, but it 

 undoubtedly pays as well for the trouble as 

 straw: the difference is, cattie and horses 

 will eat hay much better without cutting than 

 they will straw ; but both are more convenient 

 for after management when cut. As thresh, 

 mg machines are now becoming quite com- 

 mon, we would recommend to attach a cutting 

 box to each, to be carried by horse power, 

 which may be done with very little expense. 

 With such an apparatus, stock might be fed in 

 many cases cheaper on chopped straw & meal 

 than they could with hay. But in whatever 

 way stock are fed they should not be allowed 

 to lose flesh. We know the common practice 

 is different in most parts of the United States. 

 We look to England for instruction derived 

 from experience, in many things appertaining 

 to agriculture, but we cannot find a precedent 

 with them for this practice; and surely they are 

 allowed to be the most systematic and econom- 

 ical graziers in the world. They hold it to be 

 bad economy to allow stock to lose flesh after 

 they have once gained it, and there is not that 

 crow inviting appearance with their herds that 

 is to be seen with us, during the months of A- 

 pril and May. It is true local circumstances 

 are always to be taken into consideration with 

 regard to farming, and therefore what would 

 be profitable in one place, might not be in an- 

 other. 



We believe it is cheaper in this section, 

 when cattle aro in flesh, to keep them so, than 

 to allow them to become very lean and re-flesh 

 them again. Allowing that it roquires a given 

 quantity of food to produce a pound of flesh 

 upon an animul when full fed, and that half 

 that quantity might be fed to him in a spare 

 manner, and during a time that would occa- 

 sion the loss of one pound, to replace which, 

 the first givon quantity would be again requi. 



Feb. 5. 1831 



a purchaser. As to grafting or budding, there 

 is not that mystery, that many of the quacks 

 which go about the country, would make you 

 believe- -no, they are as easy as cutting a whip- 

 stalk, or a bean-pole, and you may depend up-! 

 'n finding all necessary directions in the Far 



>f flesh cost only two fifths as much as the 

 last pound, allowing other things e«,ual. This 

 would make a material difference in the price 

 of an animal, whether we sold him for two 

 dollars per cwt. or for five 1 If farmers would 

 spend a few of thoir winter evenings in solving 

 the following problem, it might bo useful to 

 them. Pbob : How can a Horse, an Ox, or a 

 Cow, be kept cheapest through the winter? 



ON CHANGING SEEDS. 



We do no know of a nice common error, 

 than the practice of changing seeds, when far 

 mers do not wish to change variety.or of chang- 

 ing animals, when the breed is the same, believ- 

 ing that the transferring of seeds or stock.often 

 from one farm to another, U of importance to 

 the growth of individuals of the animal or ve- 

 getable kingdom. When we hear farmers say 

 " I have had my corn, or my potatoes so long 

 that they are run out," oi that " their flocks 

 have been so long upon their farms, that they 

 are much degenerated," then we think they 

 are proclaiming their own disgrace, and are 

 virtually saying that they are not fit to superin- 

 tend their own flocln; that they neglect them 

 so that they ruin them; that they are too lazy 

 to gather their seed corn as they ought, and 

 wish others to do it for them. To such mer. 

 we think the proverb of Solomon will apply r 

 "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little 

 folding of the hands to sleep, so shall thy pov- 

 erty come as one that travaileth, and thy wan 

 as an armed man." The fact, has been lon» es- 

 tablished, that by a course of breeding renom- 

 inated '■ in and in ;" that is, by breeding from 

 the best animals, and rejecting the poorest, a 

 flock may be greatly unproved, and in this 

 manner, some of the finest breeds of England 

 have been produced,— the same rule will ap- 

 ply to corn. Now if by careful attention to 

 the rules ef breeding fiom the best stock, a 

 progressive improvement is made, and this 

 improvement is denominated breeding " in and 

 in," then when farmers sell off their best stock 

 and breed from the poorest, the course with 

 the same propriety, may be called breeding out 

 and out. 



Yet so it is, the Butcher wishes to purchase 

 some fat sheep, (and the best sheep are the 

 most disposed to fatten) and the farmer al- 

 lows him to go and select from his flock such 

 as he chooses, leaving the refuse for him to 

 breed from, upon the out and out system. His 

 fields of corn ripen, and are gathered, the best 

 sold, and from the poorest selects his seed, 

 some of which fails, hut it is ail said to be ow- 

 ing to having been oil the farm so long. His 

 potatoes are dug and put in the cellar, the lar. 

 gest are picked up by tl\e boys to feed to the 

 pigs; the women look for the largest and best 

 kinds to boil, and by planting time none remain 

 but the refuse of the crop: ihese aro planted, 

 and because they do not produce a fine crop, 

 as to kind and quantity, it is suid they are run 

 out, and the term is very proper, since thev 

 were raised upon the true out and out system 

 If the farmers will select such of their sheep 

 [at shearing time, as they find do not produce 

 good wool, aro getting old, or havo other bad 

 points about them, and put them by themselves 

 for sale, and reserve those of good points only 

 to breed from, they will soon find the advan 

 tage of the " in and in" system. So with the 

 potatoes, let tho choicest bo selected for seed 

 keeping the several kinds separate : let these 

 be planted in good soil and well tended, and 

 we venture to say that the second crop will 

 convince the man thai his potaioes are not run 



out. 



Great fail of snow— During the night of tin 

 3lst, we had a fall of snow to flic depth of II 

 inches, and an addition on the 1st of two inch- 

 es more, making in the fields about 20 inche.s. 



