Vol. 1.— No. 7. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



53 



the formation, oi by a sudden rise. When ihe 

 formation is discontinued, or has been carried 

 off by water, leaving an out-cropping of the 

 rocks, salt springs frequency appear, but beds 

 af rock salt are generally found where there is 

 a sudden alteration of the descending strata, 

 forming there'by a vast reservoir, for the drain- 

 <ngs of the descending formation, into which the 

 salt water collects, and graduates itself by the 

 lighter particles passing off by capiliary at- 

 traction, until the remainder becomes suffi- 

 ciently strong for crystalization. Taking this 

 theory as correct we have every reason to be- 

 lieve that the great basin now occupied by 

 Lake Ontario, was once filled with rock salt. 

 The saliferous rock has a descent t6ward the 

 lake for nearly one hundred miles, of from five 

 fo seven feet per mile, with few exceptions. — 

 On the north side of the lake, this regular de 

 scent is interrupted by a vast continued chain 

 of basaltic rock, running east and west, which 

 appears to have been flung up by some subter 

 raneous convulsion, forming a barrier, or vast 

 basin in the saliferous rock by the sudden al 

 teration or elevation of the northern part of 

 the strata. If this theory is not correct, how 

 are we to account for the disappearance of 

 such a vast quantity of rock which lay below 

 the outlet of the Lake ? 



It is through this saliferous rock that the 

 Qene9ee river has cut its way up to the first 

 falls, or a distance of about four miles. In 

 many places the rock is in view, forming per- 

 pendicular banks, or nearly so, of from forty 

 to eighty feet. 



The soil, when formed from the decomposi- 

 tion of this rock, is sandy, with a rusty iron 

 color, loose, and rather barren. Much of the 

 southern shore has this for the superincum- 

 bent or upper rock, but it is genorally cover- 

 ed to considerable depth with surf or beach 

 sand, which was thrown mto bars before the 

 reoeding of the waters. Of this description are 

 the oak lands of this district. The water is- 

 suing from those hills of sand is very pure and 

 good, and although the width of this glade is 

 not sufficient for forming any large streams, 

 yet those formed by the springs from these 

 hills are stocked with trout, which is a proof 

 oC their purity. On the lop of the saliferous 

 formation, is a layer of from four to ten feet 

 in thickness, of a bluish gray colour, usually 

 denominated the gray-band. Although this 

 seems lo be a part of the saliferous formation, 

 yet the components seem to be a little different, 

 3s it contains a small quantity of allumme, 

 Where this forms a soil by d^cnmposition, it is 

 very hard and barren, but we do not recollect 

 to have seen it to any great extent. This for- 

 mation oan be examined at the lower falls at 

 Carthage, the gray hand forming the floor of 

 die river, over the red or saliferous rock ; for 

 although the red rock is much harder out of 

 water, the gray-band is tho hardest while it 

 remains under water, as it soon falls to pieces 

 when axposed to the air. 



CUTTING TIMBER. 



Febryary is Qndoubtcdly the best month in 

 the year for cutting sucb timber as we wish to 

 have durable. We would therefore recommend 

 >t to farmers, to cut their timber for rails and 

 other purposes, before the frost is out of it, or 

 (he sap begins to circulate. The less sap tim- 



ber has in it when cut, the longer it will last 

 other circumstances being equal. When trees 

 are felled, it is undoubtedly bettor to let them 

 remain until spring, at full length, that the 

 bark may be the more easily peeled off, which 

 is a verv important 'lung, when the timber is 

 to be used for rails, which should be split as 

 soon as the bark will come off, that they may 

 have the benefit of seasoning during the sum- 

 mer. If farmers will attend to this they will 

 find their rails will be worth fifty per cent 

 more than when cut after the sap begins to 

 rise. 



FOR THE GENESEE FARMER. 



TO CATCH FISH. 



Messrs. Editors — I have an old receipt 

 book, which says, " To cook u dolphin, catch 

 him first, eye." Now, Sirs, in a late paper, 

 you gave a very clever and convenient way of 

 conveying live fish from one place to another 

 even, I have no doubt, to great distances, and 

 with perfect safety, in cold weather. But 

 Sirs, you forgot lo tell us how we were to 

 catch them. 1 have a small artificial fish-pond, 

 to stock, which I have several times tried and 

 failed, owing to the difficulty of keeping them 

 alive after catching in warm weather, or du- 

 ring the season they are usually caught; there- 

 fore you will confer an obligation on me by the 

 information, how I can procure Trout, Bass, 

 Mullet, &c. at the season whan snow or ice 

 can be obtained to keep them in a torpid state 

 so that they can be removed. 



Fdi. 1, 1831. A Subscriber. 



In answer to A Subscriber, as to the best sea 

 son and method of catohing fish, for stocking 

 ponds, we reply : 



The month of March we consider the bent 

 season for doing it in this latitude, — and the 

 kinds of fish that are most generally taken for 

 that purpose, are Trout, Bass.Perch, Pike and 

 Pickerel. These kinds are readily taken with 

 a hook, baited with tho large white grubs, 

 which are found in old decaying logs, or with 

 small fish, which may be found about large 

 springs, at this season of the year. Having 

 ascertained where any of the above named 

 fish pass the winter, the fisherman should pro- 

 vide himself with such a number of lines and 

 hook!< as be shall think proper, and as we do 

 not exactly agree with Doctor Franklin, in his 

 definition of a fishing pole,* it may be omitted 

 altogether. When the fisherman has arrived 

 at the place where he intends catching, he 

 should proceed to cut holes through the ice, 

 towards which the fish will approach, allured 

 by the light. His lines should be wound upon 

 the thin ends of pieces of shingles, about 3 

 inches wide, having holes cut through the cen- 

 tre of them, about one.inch diameter, through 

 which rods of sufficient length to reach across 

 the holc9 cot through the ice should be put, 

 and of sufficient strength to hold any fish that 

 may take the hook. Having all things thus 

 arranged, let the hooks be baited and let into 

 the water, unwinding so much of the line as 

 will allow the hook to sink to the required 

 depth, then place tho rod across the hole, and 

 allow the thick end of the shingle to rest upon 

 the ice, with the other on which the line is 

 wound, directly over the water. 



The advantage of this method is, that one 

 man may atleud to a great number of hooks, 

 for when a fish has taken the bait, and attempts 

 to go off with it, a little force upon the line 



raises ihe thick end of the elm gle in the air, 

 which may be seen at a distance, and the de- 

 pression of the thin end allows the line to un- 

 wind, so that no alarming resistance is offered 

 to the fish. It should be remembered that fish 

 biie at ihe bait more readily when the weather 

 is becoming warmer, than when it is stationa- 

 ry, or growing colder. There may be better 

 methods than the above, for taking fish at this 

 season, but they have not come within our ob- 

 servation. We will mention one which we 

 have seen practiced in taking'the salmon trout, 

 on the north side of lake Ontario. A hole is 

 cut through the ice, over which a close tent is 

 made with blankets, within which the fisher- 

 man seats himself with a lamp and spear. The 

 hght of the lamp in the water allures the trout, 

 which approach the hole and are speared by 

 the fisherman. 



SHEEP. 



We cannot refrain from reminding our bro- 

 ther farmers again, of the importance of giving 

 close attention to their sheep at this season. — 

 It often happens that a few ewes yean about 

 this time ; most of the lambs die, because the 

 dam has not milk enough to support them. If 

 the farmer will take Ihe trouble to feed his 

 sheep with moist food, instead of keeping 

 them altogether on dry hay, he will find very 

 little difficulty in raising early lambs, which 

 will hring him a greater price than later ones. 

 A few turnips, carrots, or boiled potatoes, 

 with a little oat or corn meal, given daily, will 

 be of great advantage to your flock, both in 

 regard to the lambs and wool. 



* A po'e, With a ettirtg aj one end aod a Cool at tile o- 

 tfier. 



TERMINOLOGY. 



Cicatrict — the mark or scar, from whence a 

 leaf has fallen, or from the healing of any 

 wound. 



Culm— the stems of grain, grass, Indian 

 corn, &c. when dry. 



Drupe — the thick hard covering of a seed, 

 nut, or stone, as-in the cherry, walnut, &e. 



Exotic — plants not found in a wild state, but 

 which are introduced from abroad. 



Indigenous— plants growing naturally and o- 

 riginally in a country. 



Peduncle — a stem bearing flowers and froit. 



Raceme — stems arranged along the side o> 

 a general peduncle.as the grape, currant, &c. 



Glands — a roundish appendage situated on 

 leaves, stems, &c, which serve for transpira- 

 tion and secretion. 



Graviina — the family of grasses. 



Hybrid — a mule — a vegetable produced by a 

 mixture of two different species. 



To the F.diiorBof the Genesee Farmer: 



As your paper is read by many of the scien- 

 tific men of our country, I would be glad tp 

 have you give the following publicity is hopes 

 that it may lead to some experiments that may 

 be useful. As X was travelling on a piece ot> 

 new road, a few years since, I notieed a phe- 

 nomeneu which was beyond my eompreheri- 

 sion- The road that I travelled was over . 

 tract of land which was that kind which we 

 call clay soil. On this read there had been 

 some repairs made, by filling up several boles 

 with green hemlock boughs, oyer which some 

 soil had been thrown. There was little travel 

 on this road, and I noticed the water in one 



