116 



THE GENESEE FAR3IER 



April 16, 1881 



ths azsarsssi: rAniusp. . 



SATURDAY, APRIL in, 1831. 



HINTS FOR APRIL. 



Although this is s month of shine and show- 

 ers, the farmer begins his labors for the sea- 

 son. First, see that your fonces are in good 

 repair, as crops without fences are sure to be 

 destroyed. Let the stock be shut from mow 

 •ing grounds, and the surface of them made 

 smooth — the stones picked up and the water 

 drains repaired. 



Do not allow water to stand upon any lands 

 where it can be prevented by reasonable ex- 

 pense. Let all your manure upon grass lands 

 be spread, and grass seed applied to such parts 

 as need it. 



This is tho best season for applying plaster 

 lo such lands as are to be manured with it. — 

 Sow yourgrass seeds with your winter crops, 

 where it remains undone j and ive would re- 

 commend to cover grass seeds which are sown 

 with winter wheat or rye, with a bush or har- 

 row. Many have recommended harrowing 

 those winter crops in the spring with a light 

 harrow, where seeds were not sown, as bene- 

 ficial to the crops. If a few of our readers 

 would make the experiment on a small por. 

 tion of a crop, and give us the results, that we 

 might hereafter publish it, wn shonld be much 

 obliged, and perhaps many of our readers be- 

 nefitted. 



We would particularly recommend to all 

 our readers the propriety of keopiog a jour 

 nal through the season, of all their operations, 

 and the resuas, with the attendant circum 

 stances. These are the data on which should 

 be founded agricultural communications, and 

 . the benefits which would flow from this course 

 would be many. Now is the time to intro- 

 duce system into all your business. Most ol 

 the hardy spring crops may be sown and plan- 

 tod this month. In the fields, peas, oats, bar- 

 ley, spring rye and wheat, hemp and flax, may 

 be sown as soon as the ground will admit. — 

 In the garden, onions, parsnips, vegetable oys- 

 ters, lettuce, parsley and cabbages should be 

 sown, and c.uly potatoes should be planted- 

 Those who are cultivating hops should dr-ss 

 (he hills and put down the poles while the 

 ground is soft. 



This is an important month to those who 

 would have good dairies, as the cows require 

 good nursing to keep them from losing flesh 

 The attention paid to calves is of the utmost 

 i.onsequence. If you would winter your 

 calves well, learn them to feed when youn», 

 and this can never be done so well as before 

 they are weaned. Commence by mixing a 

 litllo scalded meal with the milk, continue to 

 increase the quantity of meal or provender, 

 ano diminish the quantity of milk until it is 

 omitted iltogcther, but continue lo feed with 

 provender 01 such other food as they may be 

 fond if, sometimes with oat«, bran, &c, thus 

 loarning them early to bo messed will be found 

 to be of great advantage when winter arrives. 

 Should in, of them scour when (irst fed with 

 meal remember that chalk is highly recommen- 

 ded for that complaint. Attention should 

 Tie paid 10 most kinds of poultry. As turkies 

 and gesso .amble about for nests, they should 

 lie watched and their eggs brought in, for if 



left animals and crows are apt to destroy them 

 The last of this month is a good time for pru- 

 ning orchards, and some kinds of grafting may 

 be done ; trees may be transplanted, and seeds 

 that hare been prepared for nurseries should 

 bo planted Grape cuttings should be plenled 

 •ut— strawbeiry beds should be dressed. In 

 -hurt, the most of spring gardening should be 

 done this month. 



SHAPE OF TREES, AND PRUNING. 



Very few person' seem to bo aware of the 

 importance of giving prober form to the youn<* 

 troe, or mending or improving its shape, at a 

 later period. In the peach it is ruinous,sonn- 

 er or later, to encourage two or more leading 

 and principal blanches, from the main stem ; 

 let thum grow ever so straignt and upright, 

 they constantly recede by the pressure of re- 

 pellant branches, and by the weight of fruit; 

 until, afier having nursed them to maturity, on 

 the first windy day, you have the mortification 

 to find it split at the crotch, and one or huth 

 branches ruined, perhaps at the moment of 

 the r'pening ol* the fruit. 



The peach is peculiarly liable to this misfor- 

 tune, as the seam at the crotch adheres with 

 less tenacity than any other tree cultivated. 



The same doctrine holds good with the plui 

 and nectarine, but with less force, and in fact, 

 there is but one shape that is to be tolerated 

 with tree* thai are allowed their full growth, 

 .ind not restrained, or trained in any way ; and 

 ihat form is a straight centre stem, from the 

 root to the terminate bud, with branches aU 

 .ornately projecting at judicious distances, 

 both around the circumference, and tho whole 

 line of ascent, allowing no one to gain the ad- 

 vantage of mother in excess, but by proper re- 

 tarding or encouragement, so to manage, as 

 they shall present a cone, beautiful in shape, 

 and strong to resist the wind, rains, and heavy 

 weights of foliage and fruit. 



Quince trees, by proper attention, may be 

 made to have straight handsome bodies, and 

 fine expanding regular tops instead of the croo. 

 ked. craggy, sprawling bushes, so generally 

 cultivated. 



It is also a great mistake to trim the stems 

 of young trees too high, causing them to shoot 

 up to premature heights, become top heavy, 

 and liable to be blown over, or badly leaned 

 from their perpendicular and true, position ; 

 which causes them to need staking, and tying, 

 whereby they are apt io become chafed, and 

 frequently ruined. 



Trees in town gardens, which are situated 

 between high houses and bams, are peculiar- 

 ly liable to misfortunes by wind, which is cau- 

 sed to whiffle, whirl and eddy about with such 

 force, as often to dogrei: damage; in all such 

 cases they should be allowed to send out limbs 

 lower down, in regular order, with a straight 

 centre, and handsome shape. 



When peach trees get large and over-grown, 

 or when they are appan nlly ;;oing backward 

 from age, they can again be renewed by cut- 

 tin- off the whole lop, at the collar next the 

 toots or at the first branching limbs, when a 

 groa: quantity of shoots will put out and form 

 handsome dumps, and bea. well ; indeed it is 

 the Pennsylvania method of serving trees for 

 the firs i bearing, which for seedling kinds do 

 well; cultivated kinds should be cut above the 



graft. Prune all trees at the opening of the 

 bud, and if you wish to be nice about it, cove: 

 the cut with grafter's wax, tar, or oil paint. * 



AGRICULTURAL PAPERS. 



In the publication of an agricultural panor 

 the publisher will always have to encounter 

 one serious difficulty, that is, the strong preju- 

 dice which prevails with many of our fanners 

 against any innovations upon the traditions 

 and customs which bave been handed down 

 from sire to son, from generation lo genera- 

 tion, and which originated in the days of igno- 

 rance and superstition. 



But they should not be discouraged — the 

 day-break of information has arrived, and we 

 find all those farmers who are wishing to keep 

 pace with the march of improvement, have 

 become inquiring men, and their inquiries now 

 are not, who tills Hie most ground, buL— who 

 who makes the greatest profit upon his capi- 

 tal, employed in agriculture ? not who raises 

 the greatest crop with the greatest expence, 

 but who raises the most money yearly with r> 

 given capital. 



In order to take the advantage of such in- 

 quiries, it is necessary that a farmer should 

 know what is going on about him, and what 

 improvements ire making in the agricultural 

 world. And in what way can be obtain this in 

 formation so cheap as by taking some good, 

 well-codducted agricultural journal ? not a 

 paper which is got up by persons unacquainted 

 with the business ; in which aro copied all Eu 

 ropcan publications, whether calculaled for 

 this climate or not— but one in which are com- 

 municated, in a plain manner, piain matters of 

 fact, by farmers themselves ; and from which 

 conclusions may be drawn that wiil not endan- 

 ger the forluce of the practical man. 



If men of fortune are disposed lo devote 

 monev for the purpose of experiments in ag- 

 ricuiluro. it is well, and Ibey deserve to be ho- 

 norably mentioned by those who enjoy the be- 

 nefit of their experiments without the cost. 



In this manner Ihe agricultural world has beer. 

 benefitted with improved oreeds of cattle, bor- 

 es, &c. which require! no: only tuna but mo- 

 ney to produce in tbeir improved state. In 

 this we have been benefiiied bv what.m many 



respects, is called an evil in society, viz the 



continuation of Baronial estates in England.—. 

 They have enabled some ofihe nobility of that 

 country to make experiments both in agricul- 

 ture and the arts, which would have been at« 

 tended with ruinous consequences to men of 

 small estates. 



It is by reading agricultural works that our 

 tanners of limited means can be informed of 

 such improvements as are made in other coun- 

 tries, without the expense of travoiling to ex- 

 amino them. 



In our own country it is plain that improve- 

 ments are making yearly. As an example, 

 consider the plow that was used twenty or 

 evdn tea yens ago; compare it tvith the one 

 in use at present, and we shall be convinced of 

 ihe march of improvement among us. YV« 

 ire ready to grant ihat there was a time when 

 inn. rs became so enthusiastic for improve- 

 ments that the excitement was attended with 



