1^4 



GENESEE FARMER. 



JCTLY- 



save the distribution of cbess and cockle over 

 the field. 



The English method of shocking is the safest 

 and best Commence by leaning two sheaves 

 against each other, and then continue on both 

 sides till there are a dozen ; flatten and beat the 

 heads together till they interweave and foj-m the 

 shape of a flat broom. They will not blow down, 

 dry quick, and will withstand a long series of 

 wet weather. 



Try to get along without the use of spirits du- 

 ring tlie harvest laboi-s. Substitute some home- 

 brewed beer, or coffee, or cold water, ginger 

 and molasses. Water a little soured with vine- 

 gar, and sweetened, is a great reliever of thir.-t. 



The greater part of the spring seeding with 

 clover and timothy will be lost, from the want of 

 rain : the only remedy is to seed again early next 

 spring, and that process none of the most sure. 



Turn your sheep on to the summer fallows as 

 soon as they look green — after which thoroughly 

 drag or work over with a cultivator. 



This month and August are thought unfavora- 

 ble to making and laying down butter, and there- 

 fore many resort to cheese making, which no one 

 should do with less than from 8 to 12 cows, as 

 small cheese are rarely good ; they dry and cure 

 before a sufiicient time has elapsed to go through 

 the second or incipient putrid fomentation, 

 ■whereby that peculiar, pungent and essential fla- 

 vor and mellowness is imparted to them. Butter 

 well worked over a second time, and laid down 

 in brine, will keep sweet any length of time. — 

 "We have eaten butter 4 yeare old, as sweet as 

 the day it was made. It whitens a little on the 

 outside, which may be scraped ofi" if intended 

 for market. 



Keep the weeds out of your garden, and pick 

 op and -burn all the fallen fruit to kill the future 

 insect that destroys your plunDs, dsc Look every 

 day at your potato top,s, and &e« if you can detect 

 Ihe cause of the disease, ^ 



Analysis of Soils. 



Every month's experience brings to our no- 

 ^ce some new fact.s, illustrative of the great prac- 

 tical value of chemical researches into the prop- 

 erties, and capabililies of ditferent soils, A few 

 weeks since, Mr. P. Risdokph, of West Bloo.n- 

 Held left at our office samples of the surface and 

 sub-soil of a farm belonging to him in Oswego 

 county, about 30 miles north of Rome. These 

 specimens are so unlike all soils in this part of 

 tlie State, that they njay be studied by our read- 

 ers with profit, who would be well informed on 

 the subject of imjjroving poor lands. 



The surface earth had 3 per cent, of moisture, 

 and 6 of organic, combustible matter in it. — 

 These removed, 100 gmiiis of the mineral ele- 

 ments gave 97 of fine silicious sand, which v/as 

 in£<^uble in boiling hydrochloric acid. T^ 



other 3 grains were alumina and iron, with bare- 

 traces of lime and magnesia. 3000 groins of this 

 surface soil as it came from the field, were steep- 

 ed in pure rain water as it comes from the clouds, 

 warmed to about blood heat, for a week. The 

 liquid was highly colored and sour, or had an 

 acid re-action. It was carefully filtered (a slow 

 process,) and evaporated todrynef-s. Its residu- 

 um weighed .^.60 grains. Of this dry matter 

 3.20 grains were humus, humic acid, or some 

 other combustible substance ; and '2.40 grains 

 were incombustible minerals. In the latter there 

 were 1.24 grains of alumina and iron with traces 

 of sulphuric and phasphoric acidy. Of lime there 

 was 0.8.J grains; soluble silica 0.10 grains, be- 

 side traces of magnesia and potash. All these 

 alkaline and other minerals doubtle:« came fionv 

 the 180 grains of vegetable mold which the 3000 

 grains of surface soil contained. 



We had only promised to examine the surface 

 soil of Mr. R., charging him but $2 for a week's 

 professional labor. But our curiosity was deep- 

 ly excited to find out the source of the lime and 

 potash in the liquid with which we had washed 

 the surface soil. Instead of fusing the 97 per 

 cent of silica to search for Ume, potash, and soda^ 

 locked up in the shape of insoluble silicatesj 

 (where doubtless they could be found,) we 

 thought that lime must exist somewhere in the 

 sub soil in a more available form. Accordingly 

 we searched there for it. 100 grains of sub-soil 

 gave 



Wnfer of absorption, 2.37 



OrgBnic matter, 2.55 



SiUcA, _ 89.00 



Alumina and oxide of Iron, 5.44 



Lirae,.-.. - 50 



Magnesia and Potash, trace*. 



Loss, .14 



lOO.OO 

 1000 grains of this earth gave as 5 grfiins of Hme^ 

 1 grain of magnesia, also half a grain of ^.-otasb 

 and soda. 



The reader has now a right to ask "What im- 

 portant practical truths do the above facts dis- 

 close ?" 



We answer : First, that the surface soil is sour, 

 contains an excess of sand (silicic acid,) and lacks 

 lime, alumina, potash, and soda. 



Secondly, That the application of leached ash- 

 es and stiff clay will improve the texturo of the 

 soil mechanically, as well as chemically — ren- 

 dering it less liable to leach, and lose any ma- 

 nure or other fertilizers that may be applied to it. 



Thirdly, That deep jjlowing, by bringing up 

 the lime and alumina from the sub-soil, will, with 

 the use of a heavy roller, improve the land. 



Fourthly, Th.-it unleached ashes will be of pe- 

 culiar value to correct the acitlity of tlie soil, 

 and increase the solubility of the sand. For the 

 fact must not be over looked that 3000 gniins of 

 this8;mdv soil gave to rain water, as it falls froni 

 ttje beaver,?, but one-sixth of a grain of soluble 

 silica. How to dissolve silica, or a flint tumbler, 



