136 



GENESEE FARMER. 



June. 



interest in this State. Who will make an exper- 

 iment on a sufficiently large scale to test its ex- 

 pense and its utility? Whoever will do this, 

 will earn the title of a benefactor to his country ; j 

 and, if successful, will be sure to have abundance 

 of followers, as our farmers are not such dolts as , 

 to refuse to do what they plainly perceive to be 

 for their interest. W. S. 



Wkcalland, April 7, 1847. I 



On Growing Corn. 



Mr. Editor : — In looking over the pages of' 

 your valuable paper from month to month, as | 

 they are issued from the press, I am led to the ' 

 conclusion that agricultural pursuits are, at the j 

 present day, assuming an honorable place among j 

 the professions of the age in which we live ; and ! 

 that the friends of this calling are, or should be, I 

 considered one great brotherhood, each endeav- 

 oring to contribute something to the fountain of 

 knowledge that already exists, at least to some 

 extent. And we believe the tiller of the soil at! 

 no very distant day is destined to stand (if not| 

 first) among the most honorable of his age, and ' 

 his profession will hold a conspicuous place among ! 

 an enlightened and happy "American" people. I 



The department of husbandry to which I shall j 

 allude, at present, is that of growing corn. This ' 

 crop is now becoming a very important one to j 

 the American farmer, and particularly so to those i 

 living in the Western States — and we who live ' 

 in Western New York are not a little interested I 

 in the crop, as it will yield us a fair reward for 

 our labor, provided the labor be judiciously ap- 

 plied. And who does not feel an abundant assu- 

 rance that a i-eady market is found in Ireland and 

 in various parts of Europe, for all kinds of grain 

 that may be converted into bread ? How long 

 this state of things may remain is yet veiled in 

 the future ; it will however remain for years un- 

 questionably. 



By adopting the following method I have been 

 more successful in growing corn than any other 

 that has come under my personal observation. 



In preparing the ground spread on a very lib- 

 eral coat of manure before plowing ; that taken 

 from the cow stable is preferable on my land, (a 

 gravelly soil.) Deep plowing will produce a 

 greater growth in the latter part of the season, 

 though the corn may not start quite as soon in 

 the early part of summer. Cultivate or drag the 

 ground with the furrows, that the grass may re- 

 main under. 



Mark the ground three feet each way. Deep 

 marking I have not found as good as light. — 

 Sometimes soaking seed will facilitate its growth, 

 though generally I choose to plant my seed dry. 



As soon as your corn is up so you can see the 

 rows, start a cultivator — go tlirough each way — 

 take the weeds and grass from the hill, and give 

 the corn a light earthing. When you have got 



through this process, put on your plaster. The 

 remaining team work for the season should be 

 done with the plow, in order to bring up the soil 

 to the rays of the sun, and also within reach of 

 the fibres of corn that are despatched in every 

 direction from the hill to secure nutriment for 

 the stalk. Before hoeing the last time a liberal 

 quantity of wood ashes should be applied to each 

 hill. The plaster will produce a good growth of 

 stalks — the ashes will greatly increase the num- 

 ber of ears and add to the length and filling out 

 of the same. 



I have tried manuring in the hill, but in dry 

 seasons it will not do as well. I have also tried 

 putting lime, ashes, and plaster in the hill, then 

 droping the seed on that and covering it in that 

 way — but with no very good success. 



Locke, March, 1847. J. D. C. 



Fences. 



Mr. Editor: — Your correspondent Mr. Man- 

 ly has been treating the readers of the Farmer 

 with an essay on the subject of the situation the 

 country is exposed to in the want of rail timber 

 and cheap fences — a matter which, in my opin- 

 ion, requires more attention than is generally 

 bestowed upon it. I have also something to say 

 about fences, and, with your permission, will 

 give my opinion and observations. 



Stone fences are not to be sneezed at, espe- 

 cially by western farmers who have no stone to 

 construct them with — for there is none more du- 

 rable or more safe, and I hold that a good fence 

 on a farm is better than opium to make the own- 

 er sleep at night. He feels safe that he shall not 

 wake up and find a whole drove of horses, cattle, 

 sheep, and hogs, holding festival in his corn and 

 wheat fields. 



There are many who would be astonished to 

 learn with what slim and contemptible means, 

 what mere chips and shivers of stone, a good and 

 lasting fence can be made. Let me enlighten 

 you, dear reader. In the fii-st place, in the line 

 of your fence, sink and embed all the large boul- 

 ders and ugly shaped hard heads firmly in the 

 earth ; then fill up the vacancies between with 

 the next worst ones, till you form a pretty uni- 

 form course. Then commence with the small 

 ones, even if it takes three or four to make the 

 width, and constantly interpose headers of white 

 cedar, chestnut, or oak ; if no larger in diameter 

 than your two fingers, they will answer. Build 

 it quite littfering, as the masons say, — 30 inches 

 to 3 feet at the bottom, and at 4J feet high, 1 foot. 

 Now the next requisite to make the wall stand, 

 and it is impervious, is to save and select from 

 your materials a sufficient quantity to cap the 

 whole. They should be a cleverly large size, 

 considerably larger than a piece of chalk ; in 

 short they should either be a foot long, so as to 

 reach across, or one foot wide, and the longer 



