1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



167 



pack it away loosely, and let it settle by its own 

 weight ; and finely and evenly sprinkle on four 

 quarts of salt, and not more, while unloading. 



Stacking out hay is a bad business, unless it 

 is thatched, or made up by an artist — it should 

 be in the barn, or under barracks. An open, 

 rainy fall and winter destroys at least one 

 quarter, and if it stands over one year, the mice 

 destroy the balance. 



A good horse rake, with a horse and driver, 

 will»save the labor of ten men. It is not quite 

 as handy to load, being a little wadded, but yet 

 Time is money, in good weather, in haying time. 

 The horse rake is an excellent gleaner in a 

 wheat field, especially when the grain is crinkled, 

 or the binders do not, or have not time, to 

 rake it clean. A boy will easily go over ten 

 acres in a day, and leave the scatterings in 

 winrows. 



Keep the bottle out of the harvest field. 

 There is nothing like cold water to supply the 

 sensible and insensible perspiration, and to 

 cleanse and wash off the mucous of the throat 

 and fauces. All glutinous and saccharine prepa- 

 rations, as molasses, ginger, cider, &c., have no 

 tendency to allay thirst, and frequently bring on 

 diarhea and bowel complaints. Drink cold 

 water, and if from exhaustion, the men need 

 stimulus, give them food, and a drink of tea or 

 coffee. " That's the hammer,'^ and nails too. 

 So thinks the Prompter. 



Buckwheat is to be sown early this month, 

 about three pecks to the acre — but it is generally 

 a sign of bad farming to see large fields of buck- 

 wheat. It says pretty intelligibly that its owner 

 is a laggard and did not get his land prepared 

 early enough for any other crop, and so slashes 

 in the buckwheat : this rule admits of exceptions. 



In swarming bees, make the hive clean, and 

 if new, rub a cake of beeswax un the inside, 

 and sprinklfe a little weak brine of salt and 

 water— it is a greal harmonize r of the discon- 

 ■^ented spirits, and keeps them quiet. 



Sow round turnips and cut Canada thistles the 

 last week in this month. Make hay while the 

 weather is good — put the whole of your opera- 

 tions through, chuck up to the mark — let the 

 boys, girls and colts kick up their heels on the 

 4th, while you stay at home to watch the farm 

 and prepare the work for the morrow. — And so 

 may you prosper, as you lift at the wheel. So 

 mote it be. * 



How TO Manage a Kicking Cow, — Take a 

 piece of rope about two feet in length, and tie, 

 or splice, the two ends together so as to form a 

 loop. Double up, by bending, the fore leg of 

 the milking side of the cow and slip the loop over 

 her knee. By this means, she will necessarily 

 have to stand on three legs and will not be able 

 *.o kick. 



Experiments in the Culture of Indian Corn. 



Mr. S. H. Reed, of Bergen, Genesee county, 

 gives us the result of an experiment in thick 

 and thin planting of Indian corn in 1847. He 

 planted one acre with the hills 3 feet 4 inches 

 by 1 foot 6 inches apart. Another acre, in the 

 same field, and on equally good soil, was planted 

 about 3 feet one way by 3 feet 4 inches the other. 

 Both acres were cultivated alike. The crop was 

 hoed only twice ; but a cultivator was run 

 through four times during the season — the first 

 time soon after the corn was up. The weeds 

 were thus kept out, and the soil frequently 

 stirred — two essentials in the successful culti- 

 vation of Indian corn. The soil was a black, 

 sandy loam, in a high state of cultivation, though 

 no manure was applied during the year. 



The yield of the closely planted acre was 

 estimated at 90 bushels of sound shelled corn ; 

 while the acre in which the corn was planted at 

 the usual distance, produced only 4.5 bushels — a 

 difference of one half in favor of close planting. 

 The corn grown was the variety known as the 

 Dutton. The larger varieties would not proba- 

 bly produce as well planted closely, even on 

 rich soil — neither would any variety on a poor 

 soil. But Mr. R. is of the opinion, and thinks 

 his experiment proves its correctness, that by 

 good tillage and close planting, on rich soils, 

 the corn crop may be greatly increased, if not 

 doubled, in many sections of the country. Much, 

 however, will depend upon the kind of seed, 

 quality of the land, &c. The soil can scarcely 

 be too rich or too well pulverized for corn — tho' 

 judging from their usual practice, many farmers 

 have fears on these points. Generally the great 

 error is in not having the soil sufficiently en- 

 riched ; and another is, in not stirring the 

 ground often enough, with a light plow or culti- 

 vator, while the crop is growing — especially in 

 dry seasons. 



Mr. Reed states that in planting corn he puts 

 from 7 to 8 kernels in each hill. On hoeing, 

 and when all fear of injury is past, he pulls up 

 all surplus plants — leaving four in each hill. By 

 adopting this course he lias no vacant spots in 

 the crop. The plan is a good one. 



While on this subject we will give an extract 

 from the late Report of the Commissioner of 

 Patents, showing some curious results in the 

 change of varieties of Indian Corn. Writing 

 to the Commissioner of Patents, Mr. Isaac Fow- 

 ler, of Erie county, Ohio, says: 



" In the raising of Indian corn some experi- 

 ments have been made which have produced sin- 

 gular results. In the year 1839, I planted one 

 and a half acres of ground with three diflerent 

 kinds of corn, half acre of china, half acre yellow 

 gourd seed, half acre white flint — the result of 

 the crop was seventy-three and a half bushels, 

 shelled corn from the china, fifty-six and a halfj 



