70 



GENESEE FARMER. . 



Mar, 



Gleanings from our Foreign Exchanges. 



American vs. English I.aiplements. — A Mr. 

 S LOCUM has taken over to England a variety of 

 our Improved Agricultural Implements for a trial 

 against their far-famed articles. — Plows, Fanning 

 Mills, Scythes, Cradles, Rakes, &c. — and the 

 trial by a Committee eventuated as follows : 

 the best Northampton and Howard's Champion 

 Plow required to turn a furrow on a clay soil 5 

 inches deep and 11 inches wide, a draft of 420 ; 

 Uie American Plow b inches deep and 14 wide, 

 *364. The next trial was at 8 inches dee]), and 

 11 wide ; the English Plow required 644 lbs., 

 the American 598 lbs. The triers remarked : 

 "Injustice to the American plow, we must say, 

 they cut and turned their furrows quite as well 

 as the others, breaking the land to pieces ; indeed 

 they are the most simple, light, strong, efficient 

 Plows that it is possible to conceive." 



The Fanning Mills were equally as superior. 

 They say, with the exception of cleaning out 

 white caps they •' are quite equal to our best 

 machines, and one man is able to fill more chaff 

 into it, than two can put into any of our ma- 

 chines ; but its greatest recommendation is its 

 cheapness, simplicity, efficiency and expedition." 

 — "Mr. Slocum's Hand Machines are the 

 strongest, lighest and most perfect articles that 

 ever came under our notice." 



This result is rather creditable to the inge- 

 nuity, and good judgment of the "Universal 

 Yankee Nation." It is what the boys would 

 call, in common parlance, "teaching their grand- 

 daddy's how to suck eggs." 



Manures. — The Girardin des Fum.ierss?>ys: 

 It would certainly be very useful, if the specific 

 properties of every kind of manure were care- 

 fully studied, so as to acquaint us with the quick- 

 ness, the strength, and the duration of the action 

 of each, in order that we might apply to every 

 soil and every crop exactly, and without hesita- 

 tion, that which is most suitable. What has 

 hitherto retarded the acquisition of this knowl- 

 edge is the universal custom of throwing pell- 

 mell, all the manure of the farm-yard into one 

 receptacle, under the idea that this mixture of 

 manures is best for all kinds of soil. This prac- 

 tice is well enough in an alluvial soil, where all 

 fields are of the same character ; but in gen- 

 eral practice, especially upon large farms, where 

 more varied soils come under one cultivation, I 

 would advise not to mix the manures, but to 

 apply to each field that manure which is most 

 suitable to it. In the present state of our knowl- 

 edge, it seems advisable to recommend the ap- 

 plication of the cattle manure to dry sandy, 

 warm situations, and horse and sheep manure to 

 cold, damp soils. 



Fresh vs. Decayed Manure. — The Phar- 

 maceutical Times says : — " M. Koertk, pro- 

 fessor at the Royal Academy of Agriculture, at 



Ma^glin, in Prussia, made some years ago, a 

 series of experiments to ascertain whether it i& 

 more economical to use fresh or decayed manure, 

 regard being had to the relative proportion of 

 each. I subjoin the principal results of his ex- 

 periments. 1. Manure exposed to the influence 

 of the atmosphere, in heaps or layers, contin- 

 ually loses its fertilizing principles, and its bulk 

 diminishes in a corresponding proportion. A 

 hundred loads of fresh dung are reduced at the 

 end of 81 days to 73.3 of its first bulk, or loss 

 of 26.7 ; 254 days, to 64.4 of its first bulk, or 

 loss of 35.7 ; 384 days, to 62.5 of its first bulk, 

 or loss of 37.5 ; 493 days, to 47.2 of its first 

 bulk, or loss of 52.8. 2. The loss was much 

 more considerable in a certain time, at the com- 

 mencement of its decay, than at after i>eriods of 

 this change, as Gazzeri had previously ascer- 

 tained. 3. Less loss is sustained when manure 

 is spread in layers on the land, and well pressed^ 

 than when in small heaps ; so that it is advan- 

 tageous to spread it in layers on the land, and 

 roll it, when it cannot be immediately plowed 

 into the soil. 4. Although it is impossible to 

 state exactly the loss of bulk of manure when 

 allowed to lie for a long time in the heap, we 

 shall not be very far wrong in stating that in 

 common circumstances it is at least one-fourth 

 of the whole : so that 100 cart-loads are reduced 

 to 75. M. Koerte concludes from his investi- 

 gations, both on a small and large scale, that it 

 is more advantageous to carry the manure at 

 once, in its fresh state, to the land, (and this is 

 more particularly the case with sheep dung,) 

 than to wait until it has decayed ; and this rule 

 should be invariably followed, taking at the same 

 time into consideration the nature of the land." 



Sheep Feeding. — A series of experiments on 

 sheep-feeding and wool-growing have just been 

 made in Germany. The following are the results 

 which have been deduced : — 1st. The feeding 

 property of the Swede turnip, as compared with 

 the jTOtato, is as 7 to 2; and for the growth of 

 wool, the relative value of these two substances, 

 20 to 17. 2nd. That the temperature is of 

 much more importance than generally imagined; 

 both with regard to quantity of food consumed 

 and the benefit derived from it. To ascertain 

 this fact, one lot of sheep was fed in warm 

 (though well ventilated) sheds, and the rest were 

 fed in the open air, exposed to the weather. 

 The latter required more food in proportion 

 as 30 to 22 ; and yet the former have increased 

 weight as 3 to 1."' 3rd. It was tried whether 

 lambs, or 2J-year-old sheep, gave the most in- 

 crease of weight with similar food, and it was 

 found that the increased weight was equal ; 

 though in the former case it was principally car- 

 cass weight, and in the latter case it was wool. 

 The writer concludes the very long and carefully 

 written account of his experiments with the fol- : 

 lowing remarks : — "These experiments have 



