108 



GENESEE FARMER. 



April. 



Brief Notes from Correspondents. 



Destroying Willows, «fcc. — In your last number of the 

 Genesee Farmer, Milo has undertaken to inform the public 

 how to extirpate willows that grow in marshes and along 

 the banks of creeks. I know a method so much better, and 

 requiring so much less labor, I will give it to the public if 

 you think it worthy a place in your valuable Journal. 



Cut your willows as close to the ground as you please, 

 the longest day in the year, which occurs about the 20th of 

 June, and not one in fifty will ever sprout, and what few 

 do I have never known to leaf out the next year. Alders 

 and other marsh brush may be killed in the same way. — 

 G. B. GiLLKTT. Le Roy, March, 1848. 



Wire Fence. — A farmer whose head is turned by an ar- 

 ticle in the last Farmer in relation to wire fence, says that 

 a very greirt saving and improvement may be made in fence 

 by the use of a single horizontal stretched wire, in the fol- 

 lowing manner :— Lay the fence in the usual way five rails 

 high ; instead of driving stakes at the end of the rails, set 

 them singly at the middle of the rail, and run the wire from 

 stake to stake, and nine inches above the top rail. The 

 stakes should be driven alternately on each side the fence, 

 and in a straight line, in order to support both fence and 

 wire. S. W. 



The Morgan Horse "General Gifford". — We direct 

 attention to the advertisement of the owner of this splendid 

 horse. A correspondent says : — 



Messrs. Editors : — Being requested by one of the own- 

 ers of the celebrated 3Iorgan Horse, General Gifibrd, to give 

 you my opinion of him, I do so with pleasure. I have a 

 mare with foal by him, and consider him a perfect model for 

 a road horse, either for saddle or harness. He appeared to 

 rae, when I saw him last fall, to possess all the fire, strength, 

 and speed, attributed to the highest blooded specimens of his 

 stock, combined with extraordinary docility of temper. — 

 Mr. Mason informed me that he had timed his speed and 

 that he had trotted his mile within three minutes, since he 

 purchased him, a statement of the truth of which I have no 

 doubt, from a dash I saw him make under the saddle. 



His splendid flowing mane, and the inimitable arch of his 

 neck, and fire of his eye as he pranced impatient of rest 

 when led out of the stable, gave me the first conception I 

 ever had of the truth of that part of an ancient description 

 of the horse, which speaks of "his neck" being "clothed 

 with thunder ;" and as he stood fronting me after being rid- 

 den half a mile, with his head thrown in the air, precisely 

 like the figure of his sire, the Gifford Morgan, contained in 

 the Cultivator, I could well imagine why the old Morgan 

 horse, which this and his sire are said so closely to resem- 

 ble, was always a favorite parade horse. He weighed, 

 when I saw him last fall, only in decent working condition, 

 1040 pounds — and, in my estimation, is unsurpassed in all 

 the qualities which make a road horse valuable, including 

 easiness of keep, speed, strength, and power of endurance. 

 J. Dorr. ScottsviUe, N. Y., 1848. 



In remitting payment for several copies of the Farmer, a 

 friend gives the following reasons for supporting agricultu- 

 ral papers. His laconic remarks are " in order''; — 



Although I am not a farmer I am a well wisher of the 

 farmers and mechanics — as I am a miller by trade and often 

 annoyed with foul and smutty wheat. If every farmer 

 would take an agricultural paper, this would soon be as it 

 should — good clean wheat, instead of smutty and foul, which 

 so often makes fretful millers and scolding wives. Then I 

 say, farmers, mechanics, and all, take the Genesee Farmer. 

 It opens to you the science of your profession— making clear 

 and intelligible all that has heretofore been deemed chance. 

 No farmer can fail to be wiser and richer, if he carefully 

 peruses the well-stored pages of the Farmer. So thinks the 

 "Boquet Miller." Henry Palmer. Essex, N. Y., ISiS. 



Onions a Remedy for Scalds and Burns. — I wonder if 

 the readers of the Farmer are acquainted with the virtue of 

 onions in relieving the pain occasioned by a scald or burn. 

 About ten years since my wife scalded her fingers so severe- 

 ly that several pieces of flesh came off from the bones.— 

 After trying various remedies with a view of easing the 

 pain without effect, she at length pounded an onion and 

 applied il to her finders though she had never heard of such 

 a remedy. The pam ceased immediately and did not re- 

 turn, though her fingers were very sore for some time. — 

 We have tried the remedy several times since and always 

 successfully. B. S. Gilbert. Bums, N. Y., 1848. ' 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



To Correspondents. — Communicaiions have been re- 

 ceived, during the past month, from Jno. McVean, H. Little, 

 *, M. M. R., H.. N. B. Rogers, B. W. S., Henry Palmer, 

 B. S. Gilbert, C. H. Maxson, J. Dorr, G. B. Gillett, Jno. 

 Lawrence, H. Y., Subscriber, L. Skorke. M. Eames, Rus- 

 tic, Alleghany, G. A. M., Chas. P. Smith, A. Farmer, W. 

 S. T., S. Davison, Joseph Carpenter, G. A. J., A. Willson, 

 Inquirer, H. M. Stow. J. H., S. N. Holmes, and W. H. 



The publication of the Premium List of the Slate Ag. 

 Society compels our printer to defer several articles which 

 have been placed in type for this number — among others 

 the communication of our Illinois friend on the " VVanis of 

 Western Farmers." For the same reason, (and the addi- 

 tional one that our advertising patrons affoid us no oppor- 

 tunity to give extra pages of reading matter,) we omit our 

 usual page of " gleanings from foreign exchanges" — togeth- 

 er with answers to various inquiries. 



" Livingston" is informed that we are in favor of giving 

 both sides of all questions that may properly be discussed 

 in an agricultural journal — and that his article, which is 

 both appropriate and well written, would have been pub- 

 lished months ago, had it been accompanied by the 7iame of 

 the RUthor. Q3= Those who favor us with arlicles for pub- 

 lication, are reminded that the name of the writer should 

 always accompany each communication, although it may 

 be withheld from the public. 



O. S. G., of Mantua, Ohio, will find the solution of sev- 

 eral if not all his queries in the previous volume of this 

 journal. The information desired would occupy nearly 

 the whole of this number — and we ceriainly cannot find 

 time to give it in a private letter as desired. 



Agricultural Books. — A correspondent (whose letter 

 we have mislaid,) wishes us to specify ten or twelve of the 

 best agricultural books ; and suggests thit we should keep 

 an assortment of such works to supply school libraries, &c. 

 We hardly think we could make a belter selection of books 

 than those mentioned in our premium list, published on last 

 page of tlie 31arch number. As we have frequent applica- 

 tions for books, especially from agents, by mail, we have 

 ordered an assortment of the most popular works on agri- 

 culture, horticulture, &c., which we shall receive in a few 

 days. 



The advertising department of our present number is 

 filled with matters worthy the attention of farmers and hor- 

 ticulturists generally. We direct attention to it, for the 

 benefit of readers as well as advertisers. 



Thanks. — We again acknowledge our indebtedness to 

 those individuals who are engaged in extending the circu- 

 lation of the Farmer. The daily additions to ou/ subscrip- 

 tion list are truly encouraging. The following is one of the 

 numerous substantial and complimentary letters received 

 by the Publisher since the commencement of the present 

 volume : — 



Dear Sir : — I again enclose $8 for twenty more subscri- 

 bers to the Farmer. I will continue sending as fast as 20 

 names are added to the list. The price is so trifling that no 

 person who is at all interested in agricultural affairs can re- 

 fuse to take it. The only excuse assigned to me was by a 

 farmer to-day, who declined taking it for the alleged reason 

 that it reminded him too forcil)ly and too frequently of what 

 he ought to do, but did not do, on his farm ; that he did not 

 like this negligence in farming placed so prominently before 

 him. I prevailed upon him, however, to take it, and his 

 name is on the list I send you. 



The Horticultural Department, under Mr. Barry, is 

 deservedly popular with the readers of the Farmer in this 

 region. I have taken tlio Farmer since its commencement, 

 and I must say that his articles alone have been worth to 

 me four-fold the subscription price, ever since his connec- 

 tion with that department. 



I am no competitor for any of the premiums, nor do I 

 expect or will I receive any compensation for any services 

 I may render ; but any further assistance I can give will be 

 most cheerfully contributed by 



your ob't serv'f, J. D. G. Nelson. 



Fort Wayne, Ind., Feb. 2, 1848. 



Wood's Cast-Iron Plow. — The bill which passed the 

 United States Senate, to renew the patent of this plow, has 

 been defeated in the House of Representatives. 



