84 



&l)e -farmer's iHontljln lUsitor. 



ter, ami we doubt not ns to the conclusion whe- 

 tlier nil labor mid pains with trees is not more 

 than compensated. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 44 What I know of Farming." 

 Mr. Editor:— In the Tribune of May 7th, is the 

 third article of Prof. Mapes on " Deep Plough- 

 ing." But before entering on the general sub- 

 ject of deep ploughing, be gave his reasons why 

 ploughing at all was necessary l"l* the growth nf 

 plants, under lour different heads. This may all 

 be wed enough for the scientific man, but for 

 the ordinary practical man, we think it is more 

 detinue than is necessary. From observation 

 we are satisfied, that the plainer and more sim- 

 ple the language used in describing any branch 

 in agricultural operations, the belter will it be 

 appreciated by the mass of farmers. For in 

 stance, the object of all ploughing is, or should 

 be, to break up and thoroughly pulverize the soil 

 to a greater or less depth as the case may he, so 

 that growing plants may send their roots down 

 in search of food for their growth to perfection. 

 Of course, we do not give this sentence ns a 

 model for any one to describe the process of 

 ploughing, but only to show that short descrip- 

 tions, as a general thing, are better than lout' 

 ones. Ploughing we consider one of the most 

 important nf all farming operations, inasmuch 

 as it depends almost entirely in what manner 

 this is done, in order to ensure good crops. The 

 importance of deep ploughing is now so well un- 

 derstood by all men who practice in improved 

 farming, that it is not necessary to spend much 

 time to prove its value. All practical men who 

 have given any attention at all to this suhj.-ct, 

 must have come to the conclusion, that there is 

 no other way to render a soil permanent hut by 

 deep ploughing, and we will add that of sulisoil- 

 ing with it. Subsoil ploughing is comparatively 

 a new business in this country. But few as yet, 

 in comparison to the mass, have made experi- 

 ments in this kind of ploughing, but such as 

 have done so are well satisfied of the importance 

 of ibis branch of improvement. We are so well 

 satisfied with it ourselves, from the experience 

 of others, that it is our impression now, that any 

 soil — from a stiff clay up to a loose sand — would 

 be benefited by subsoil ploughing. The more 

 particular benefit of subsoil ploughing is to 

 break up and loosen the soil below the reach of 

 the surface plough, so that the roots of plants 

 may strike down in search of food. And also 

 that the surface water may be more easilv drain- 

 ed off. Again, Prof. Mapes says "that if mea- 

 dows be deeply ploughed, they will last much 

 longer without re-seeding, and when both subsoil- 

 ed and deep surface ploughed the [We wish our 

 correspondent had made il possible to ascertain 



these two words.] and not yet occurred 



when re-seeding became necessary." 



Although we have not bad experience in sub- 

 Boiling, yet we very much doubt the truth of this 

 asseition, when carried into practice, as it does 

 not look reasonable lo us. It is well known that 

 herdsgrass or timothy will begio to disappear in 

 quantify, in about three or four years after seed- 

 ing, unless it he heavily top-dressed with com- 

 post manure, and in a moist soil. Clover gradu- 

 ally begins to lessen in quantity in about the 

 second year after seeding ; while red-top will 

 last much longer than either of the other grasses, 

 ns this grass forms a thick tight sward, and in 

 some lands it would seem that this grass was al- 

 most indigenous to the soil. That meadows 



longer in the cultivated grasses than when shal- 

 low ploughed, is probably correct. But that 

 such lands will never want re-seeding we think 

 needs more proof than the simple assertion of 

 one man. 



Again, he says " such parts of my farm as 

 were thoroughly ploughed, to the depth of the 

 loam, say seventeen inches, did not give as good 

 crops as other parts where the subsoil hail been 

 disturbed to a still greater depth by the subsoil 

 plough run in the bottom of the furrow left by 

 the surface plough." We should have been very 

 happy if Prof. Mapes bad mentioned the kind of 

 plough which he uses to plough a furrow thai 

 depth. At ibis busy season we would travel a good 

 distance, and in a leisure season a hundred 

 miles to see a plough that would plough a fur- 

 row " seventeen inches deep" on ordinary up- 

 land soil. We have two of Pronly's centre 

 draught ploughs, and we have laken the trouble 

 to measure the height of them; and we find one 

 of them to measure from the bottom of the sole 

 to the top of the beam, where the upright bolt 

 goes through, nineteen and one-half inches, and 

 the oilier eighteen and one-fourth inches, which 

 we presume is about the ordinary length of the 

 improved ploughs now in use. So that in 

 ploughing a furrow "seventeen inches deep" 

 will) these ploughs, one of them would show 

 the beam at the main bolt two inches and a half 

 above the surface, and the other one inch and a 

 quarter above the surface soil. Now we leave it 

 for any candid practical man to say, thai plough- 

 ing a furrow at such a depth with these ploughs, 

 would be perfectly absurd. We cannot imagine 

 how a furrow can be ploughed at such depib, 

 unless it should be on a soil where there was 

 three or four inches of water on the surface. 

 We think thai Prof Mapes must be mistaken as 

 to the depth of bis ploughing; if net, then by 

 bis surface and subsoil ploughing together, he 

 must reach a depth of three feet. Willi the 

 centre draught plough, it has been our object lo 

 plough as near eight inches deep as we coiild,,and 

 in some cases ten inches, although we think thai 

 we never have been able to plough an ncre at 

 the depth of ten inches. However, we believe 

 in "deep ploughing," and should be glad to 

 plough ten or even twelve inches, if we could 

 get the plough down. 



Yours, &c, 



L. DURAND. 



Land which has been long pastured by milch 

 vows, has been found to become so much ex- 

 hausted of phosphate of lime — the earthy mai- 

 ler of bones— that the milk was deficient in this 

 principle, and the cows became weak in their 

 frames, and mi healthy. On manuring the land 

 with bones and with phosphate of lime, the 

 composition of the herbage again became per- 

 fect, and the cows were strong, and gave good 

 and nourishing ut'iik.— . ilbany Cultivator. 



Mil 



Buckwheat without Grit. —Did any person, who 

 eals buckwheat cakes, ever have the good for- 

 tune to get any containing not a panicle of grit? 

 A method not generally known was lately slated 

 to us by a practical farmer, who says that buck- 

 wheat raised in this way is entirely free from the 

 difficulty. 



The buckwheat is sown at the usual time; but 

 before harrowing, a bushel of rye is sown with 

 it lo the acre; they both come Up together, and 

 the buckwheat, being much the most rapid in 

 growth, soon obtains the ascendency, the rye 

 only forming a smooth, green carpet beneath, 

 which completely prevents the dashing of the 

 grit of the soil by rain upon the buckwheat, 

 when il is cut, and otherwise keeps it clean. 

 After the crop of buckwheat is removed, the rye 

 obtains sufficient growth before winter, and the 

 next season affords a good crop of itself. Thus 

 the buckwheat is projected, and two crops ob- 

 tained from a single seeding.— Pennsylvania 

 Cultivator. 



Derby, Ct , June 9, 1849 



both deep ploughed and subeoiled will last much j found it an effectual remedy. 



Bone Meal for Cows. 



Il may have been frequently noticed that cows, 

 while giving milk, evince a disposition lo eat 

 hones. The appetite is sometimes very strong 

 lor them; indeed so voracious are some cows 

 that they will leave all oilier food for the sake of 

 obtaining hones,wbirh they will chew by the hour 

 together. This apparently morbid propensity is 

 accounted for by the following theory : Chemical 

 analysis proves thai milk contains bone; and it 

 is hence inferred that the food of the cow should 

 contain the elements of bone, in order to pro- 

 duce milk of proper quality, or that which is ca- 

 pable of affording due support to all parts of the 

 system. If the food is destitute of any of the 

 essential principles of the milk, the effort of na- 

 ture to protect tiiis fluid, may occa.-iou a draw- 

 back on some of the bodily tissues, and the sub- 

 stance of the bones and muscles may be carried 

 off in the milk. The bones from this cause be- 

 come weakened, and are unable lo support the 

 body. Thi* effect is sometimes called ilie "hone 

 disease." Prof. Johnston, several years since, 

 suggested thai bone meal fed lo cows, would he 

 • ' id useful in such cases. A ate number of the 

 Massachusetts Ploughman stales thai a number of 



port that tlicj have 



fan 



i I 



Heating Greeu»houses, &c. 



This subject, which is attrni ling so much at- 

 tention in 'England, is not less important in our 

 variable climate. 



Theoretically considered, there can be no 

 doubt of the great superiority of " healed air " 

 for this purpose, combining as it does, the essen- 

 tials of warmth and ventilation. 



Practically, every attempt to introduce this, 

 seems, s faras we are informed, to have proved 

 a failure in this country; although, abroad, the 

 " Po'maise" method, by which a due proportion 

 of moisture is secured, appears to find favor. 



To ensure success in tins mode of wanning, 

 two tilings appear essential. The first is, that It 

 current of air is established through the room to 

 be wanned. Unless this is done, inequality of 

 temperature, aiid stagnant viipor, will soon de- 

 stroy the plains. The current can easily be se- 

 cured by a large pipe, connecting ibe bottom of 

 the air chamber, with an aperture in the floor at 

 the opposile end of the room. The second re- 

 quisite is, that the air shall be supplied with its 

 due proportion of moisture. This may be done 

 in pari, by consiruciiiig „ sln; ,|| air chamber, and 

 by providing for the admission into the air cham- 

 ber, ami into the room to he warmed, a very 

 large volume of air. Tlie temperature will 

 therefore he low, and its capacity for moisture 

 be little increased. If a greater degree of damp- 

 ness should be desired, ii will be furnished by 

 drippings from a tank, placed over the warn) air 

 pipe. 



It is much to be hoped that some ingenious 

 mechanic should construct a furnace, which, 

 with ibe principle of the air-light stove, should 

 combine cheapness, efficiency, anil economy in 

 fuel. The demand for such an article is unmis- 

 takable.— Mbany Cultivator. W. R. g. 



From the Allwny Cultivatur. 

 Drainage of Land. 

 The principal object of draining is to take away 

 surplus water, but in effecting this, other impor- 

 tant benefits are secured. It is obvious that a 

 larger quantity of water in the soil than is re- 

 quired for the support of plants, is injurious. It 

 is injurious in various ways. That wet lands 

 are "cold and sour," is a common expression, 

 and an acquaintance with the principles which 

 ibis condition of the soil involves, shows that 



ii is corn ct. 



I. :... 



ledly proved that evaporation produces coldness, 





