THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



103 



£7 a year for potatoes for his family, aiui lie now 

 l.us £:i worth to sell, oioing to the munursfrom liis 

 gref7i crops. 



Michael Clarke, near Haiuilstowii, tenants a 

 farm of three acres, upon which he has introduced 

 tlie green-crop and soiling system, and lias work- 

 ed wonders. He siiys : " VVIieii Mr. Bl.icker tirst 

 came to my house, I had fallen into arieui s ; dis- 

 tress of mind and ill healtl), which tliis hroiiglit 

 on me, had driven me to a slate of despondency, 

 and I did not cure what became of me — I was in 

 despair, and my liimily in misery around me. He 

 lold me ho would help me, if I would do as he 

 directed me, and assured me the place would he 

 worth having, if it tfot justice. I did not believe 

 what he said, but as lie was so kind, I piomised 

 1 would take heart ajiuin. and do as he should di- 

 rect: accordingly, Mr. Bruce came and | oinied 

 out what was to be done ; I got up my spirits, 

 and iriy health, got better: Mr. Bi icker lent me a 

 cow, when I got clover to leed her. The tiist 

 year I was able to pay nothing, hut he saw I was 

 doing my best, and he did not press me ; the next 

 year I paid a year and a half's rent, the one after 

 i paid a year and a half, and the year following I 

 paid two years' rent, and now I expect to p:iy all 

 otf and have my cow and my pig to myself! 1 

 have a new loom besides; all my'dilclics are fill- 

 ed and levelled, and the whole farm (three acres!) 

 is in good heart. My health is better, and I am 

 in the way of doing "well ; I have meat for my- 

 self, meat for my cow, and meat for my family, 

 all provided for the next twelve months, and it is 

 long, indeed, since I was able to say that before ! 

 I thank God and his Honor (Mr. Blacker) for all 

 t'. se coiiilbrts, and 1 have nothing more to say." 



By this pl;in, a fiirni of fil'ty acres is made to 

 produce far more than one of one hundred, and 

 there cannot be a doubt but that the green-crop 

 and soiling system would enable Ireland to sup- 

 port three times her present number of inhabi- 

 tants.— Quar. Jour.- .%. 



Fnim the Albany Cultivator. 

 ElisUt or Mildew in Wheat. 

 In reference to the different theories of the 

 cause of blight and mildew, the highly intelli- 

 gent editor of the Albany Cultivator has the fol- 

 lowing remarks: — 



We have, in the course of our farming, experi- 

 enced the bad effects of blight lo a considerable 

 extent, and have hence been induced to examine 

 the subject with more attention. A few years 

 since a field of, sixteen ai-res of beautiful w heat 

 was so injured, that it was not wortli ilie labor of 

 cutting: it was, in fact, totally destroyed. In this 

 case, and in all others, where our wheat has felt 

 the blight, the attack has been preceded by warm, 

 close, sultry weather, with frequent showers, and 

 every circumstance IJivorahle to a rapid vegeta- 

 tion. The vessels oi the plant were evidently 

 unnaturally excited and pressed, and at the same 

 time the continued moisture softened the still 

 tender cuticle or covering of the stem, and les- 

 sened its powers of resistance. The microscope 

 shows that in this state the covering buisis or 

 cracks kingitiidiiially, the partially elaborated 

 juices escape, and these, it seems to ns, furnish a 

 nidus or place of reception for the minute seeds 

 of the fuu;ii, which always accompanies blight, 

 and the seeds orsporulesof which constitute the 

 red powTler or rust always found on wheat that 

 is bfhjhted. 



Atmospheric agencies have a great influence, 

 doubtless, in causitig this disease of wheat, but 

 we have not been accustomed to attribute so 

 much cflect to changes of temperature as does 

 Sir. Gowan ; and it struck us as not a little sin- 

 gular, that while the first half of his paper is de- 

 voted to proving that sudden changes of temper- 

 ature are the cause of this evil, the last part 

 should be an arffiiment to prove tlie freipiency of 

 this disease in British wheat, a'country n here the 

 climate is more equable, the range of the ther- 

 mometer less, and the changes less .sudden and 

 extreme than in almost any other. 



Rut we do not believe that sowing grass .seeds 

 with wheat, or the most sudden and extreme 

 changes of temperature, will always produce 

 blight, or that a perfect freedom ti om all plant 

 will always exempt it. Experience negatives this 

 position. The sixteen acres of wheat above al- 

 luded to was not sown with grass seeds, yet it 

 w MS lost ; and the tens of thousands of acres 

 uiially sown with wheat and clover satisfactorily 



and 



shows that some'hiiif besides " matted grass" is 

 required to cause hliyht. 



Wheat, early sown, on soils naturally dry, or 

 made so by draining, we have found to escape 

 lilight more certainly than any other. It has usu- 

 ilfy passed the sta^e in w hicli mildew commen- 

 es, beliire the season arrives in which the causes 

 if that disease are most active. On the coiitra- 

 y, late sown wheat does not come forward until 

 the hot sultry heato of the summer have come on, 

 nd these when comliined with moisture are most 

 ure lo produce mildew. Wheat that is winter 

 killed badly, is Irequently so niiuh retarded as to 

 be overtaken by mildew and niidered worthless. 

 If one part of" a field or iiei^hbdiliood is lower 

 ither, the lowest part usually :^iiffei-s most. 

 Wheat highly manured, esiiecially if sour 

 arely escapes being more or less blighted 

 ur this reason, fresh or unlermented manure 

 hould not he applied to the wheat crop. 

 In England, in districts subject to blight, it is 

 nstoniary to sweep the wheat fields, while the 

 rop is in" the stage most lialde to its attack, with 

 rope carried by two men, ai|d :;S long as the 

 vidth of the lands, or the labor of carrying will 

 permit. The rope drawn in this way agitates the 

 and causes the superfluous moisture to be 

 dislodged from the stalk and head, thus prevent- 

 ing that softening which w ould ensue if the mois- 

 ture ivas allowed to remain. This " roping of 

 wheat" is sometimes repeated several times iu 

 the season, partii ularly if the weather is favora- 

 ble to the developeinent of the mildew, <jr ninp- 

 tonis of the disease exhibit themselves in the 

 grain. If has been found by expcriiiient, that if 

 the grain is so far advanced as to be fiilly in the 

 milk at the time of the attack, that if the grain is 

 cut at once, and is cured in a proper luanner, the 

 grain will be far better, and make better flour, 

 than if allowed to stand. When cut in this way, 

 tne stem contains as much elaborated sap nearly 

 as the perfection of the grain will require, hut if 

 this is allo\yed to escape, as it will if the disease 

 progresses,*the berry will be de|)rived of all its 

 proper nourishment, and the consequence will be 

 a shriveled worthless grain. 



The conclusions at which we have arrived re- 

 specting blight, are as follows : 



1. That an excess of sap hurts the skin or epi- 

 dermis of the plant, and by allowing the juice 

 necessary to the perfection of the berry to escape, 

 causes it to shrink. 



2. That in this extravasated juice the sporules 

 of the wheat fungi fix themselves, their roots 

 penetiiitiug tlie stem and thus increasing llie evil, 

 while their speedily matured seeds, shed over the 

 grain, give the red appearance so characteristic 

 of mildew. 



3. That blight rarely attacks w heat unless a de- 

 gree of temperature above 70 has for several day 

 lieen indicated, accompanied by a great quantit 

 of moisture, and a stagnant condition of the al 

 mosphere. 



4. That late sown, or highly manured wheat, is 

 more liable lo the blight than that which matures 

 early, or that grown on soils where the manu 

 has been applied lo some previous crop. 



5. That while a thick coating of grass, by pre- 

 venting w free circulation of air around the plant, 

 equalizing the tenqierature, and freeing them 

 fmm useless moisture, has a tendency to pro- 

 duce blight, it will not do so, unless the other pre- 

 d sposiiig causes we have enumerated, are also 



6. That the sowing of clover and grass seeds 

 with wheat is of so much consequence to the 

 wlieat grower, is such an essential means of fer- 

 tilizing the soil, and such an important part in a 

 well conducted rotation, that it ousht not to be 

 abandoned, except on the clearest evidence, such 

 as we think has not yet been produced, that it is 

 the primarv cause of blisht, and certainly not un- 

 til other means of prevention have been tried and 

 failed. 



" One load of nianure housed, is worth two 

 loads which are left out to be drenched by the 

 rains, and to undergo the action ot the tiosts. It 

 will pay ns well to house our manure as our cat- 

 tle, and those who have no convenient place to 

 put it, should build temporary sheds." 



A POKER laid over the fire concentrates the 

 heat of the passing smoke, and creates a draught 

 through Ike coah. 



The noblest Institutions of Charity in New- 

 England. Good example for improved farm- 

 ing. 



Tfie New Hampshire Insane Hospital located 

 in this town is now in the course of rapid erec- 

 tion under the superintendence of John Conant, 

 who lays his hand to the business with the 

 vigilance of a faithful agent. The foundation and 

 basement are laid in :«plit granite with numerous 

 apartments of brick walls connected with the 

 main granite foundations. In these lower apart- 

 ments will be fire proof fiirnaces for warming the 

 building oti the most approved economical plan, 

 'th all the arrangements for cooking, for baking 

 and a laundry for the whole estiblishment. With- 



t)ie walls an ample well sunk in the ground to 

 spring of the best pure water, has been con- 

 structed. It is also calculated to bring to the 

 premises in lead or iron pipes living spring water 

 from an eminence at no very great distance, which 

 may be carried into every part of the edifice. 

 The same fountain head might also su|.'ply a 

 greater part of the village with water. The build- 

 ing at first erected will consist of a centre and 

 two w iiigs s-imilar to the first erection of the Hos- 

 (lilal at Worcester, Massachusetts; and as far as 

 it goes, "ill embrace all the improvements thus 

 far adopted at that noble institution. 



The first location of the Worcester Hospital 

 consisted only of a few acres of land, hardly suf- 

 ficient lor a' garden fur the institution. But 

 through the excellent taste and management of 

 somebody, farming and gardening have been car- 

 ried on there to the best advantage. 



We need only cast our eyes upon the six or eight 

 beautiful cows," giving double thequantity of milk 

 daily that is obtained from ordinary cows — or we 

 may look into the pens containing some fifteen or 

 twenty swine which will seldom fall short of 

 three hundred when dressed at twelve months, 

 and live hundred pounds of dead solid meat and 

 fat at eighteen months: we neeil only cast our 

 eyes upon the splendid cows and pigs of the 

 VVorcester Hospital to be convinced that the best, 

 the cheapest of farm management is there prac- 

 tised. 



Then again look at the fine single yoke of 

 young briiidle oxen doing the work upon the hos- 

 |)ital fann — carting the hundreds of loads of ma- 

 nure, and drawing to the under-ground drains 

 and fences, the many, many tons of cobble stones 

 which are collected ujion the rough land compo- 

 sing a large share of the present farm : these 

 oxen discover such admirable training as' we had 

 never seen in oxen kept by the very best fiirmers. 

 A motion of the driver oidy is necessary to make 

 them move to the desired point : they plainly dis- 

 covered that they at no time were driven beyond 

 their strength, and that they needed no loud 

 scieaiiiing,'no application of the gourd stick, to 

 draw as great weight as ever should be forced 

 upon them. The ox deserves all the sympathy 

 and kindness of the most faithful human being 

 who does our drudgery, who early rises to milk 

 our cows, to feed our pigs and our poultry, to set 

 in motion the days' works upon our farm :— the 

 faithful ox, far from deserving our blows, should 

 not be maltreated with an unkind wortl or look. 

 How cruel then to apply the lash and the scream 

 upon a draught beyond their strength. Alas! we 

 daily follow to the pasture what was a fine pair 

 of cattle, which, under our own employment 

 within the last eight months, have been so driven 

 under heavy loads that the hinder legs of the no- 

 ble animals are raised as the man of eighty-five 

 or ninety years raises his feet to walk when upon 

 a journey of fatigue. 



A"ain we have evidence of the good manage- 

 men't of the Worcester Hospital fiirm in the 

 plump jiair of horses kept and driven every fair 

 day exclusively to carry about the adjacent coun- 

 try the more weakly inmates whose health and 

 w"hose minds are both improved by breathing an 

 expanded out-door atmosphere and cheered by 

 the sound of the songsters of the air : this fine 

 pair of horses, broad upon the back and rump as 

 the largest dray-horse of the most independent 

 Boston truckman, doing credit to their keeping, 

 perform their daily duty with as much regularity 

 and fidelity ns the most sedate and staid of hu- 

 man kind. 



The farmins of the Worcester Hospital has 

 been brought forward gradually. At first not hav- 

 ing sufficient land even for garden purposes, an 

 adjacent field was hired, for Hhich a high price 



