1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



169 



Notes from S. W., of Seneca County. 



■4 Book Farmer of the trtie variety — White Flint and Medi- 

 terranean Wheat — Farmers Error — Eai ly Peas — Good 

 promise of Crops, ^'c. 



I ALWAYS feel as though Book Farming would 

 finally overcome stalwart prejudice and igno- 

 rance, when I see the intelligent, smiling face of 

 such men as Joseph Wykopp, of Varick ; being 

 full of the hope within him, and wishing to bene- 

 fit others, this man has procured more subscri- 

 bers for the Genesee Farmer than any other 

 man in Varick and Romulus. In proof that he 

 does not act blindly, or from a false enthusiasm, 

 Mr. W. is acknowledged to be the best, or 

 one of the best, practical farmers in the plateau 

 of old Romulus. He is a con amore farmer him- 

 self, and is desirous that every tiller of the soil 

 should also love his calling, for itself, until they 

 have learned that there is no good husbandry 

 with labor misapplied, or natural laws unheeded 

 or miscoustrued and outraged. 



Mr. W. gave me two samples of wheat, the 

 Mediterranean, and the White Flint of Gen. 

 Harmon's introduction. He gives a decided 

 preference to the white flint, as being no more 

 liable to the ravages of the fly, less liable to 

 winter-kill on flat, undrained fields, and as yield- 

 ing more to the acre, and three or four pounds 

 more flour to the busliel. Mr. W. does not 

 make up his award in favor of the white flint 

 variety on slight grounds, or on the result of a 

 single experiment ; he has had the benefit of 

 much observation and experience in the culture 

 and growth of both varieties of wheat. 



One of the great hereditary errors of farmers, 

 is the notion that plowing land and leaving it ex- 

 posed to the sun will not diminish its fertility, 

 and that a growing crop only, exhausts the soil 

 of its organic fertility. Dr. Lee tells us, and 

 he speaks experimentally, as well as from scien- 

 tific theory, that land may be exhausted of all its 

 organic matter, by stirring or plowing so as to 

 prevent all vegetation. A. Macumber is of opin- 

 ion that summer fallow at best is only the least 

 of two evils. The secret of his great success in 

 farming is, (next to his ne plus ultra farm) in 

 keeping his land covered with growing grain or 

 grass, 



crop promises well. The most inveterate croak- 

 er, (and there is no lack of croakers among far- 

 mers,) finds no cause at this time to predict, even 

 a light crop, of any kind. S. W. 



Waterloo, N. Y., June, 1848, 



Another Grain DrUl. 



Messrs. Editors: — I had the pleasure, this 

 afternoon, of witnessing the performance of a 

 new Drill, lately got up by P. Seymour, of this 

 town, so extensively known to the farming com- 

 munity as the inventor of the Broadcast Sowing 

 Machine. 



This drill sows nine rows at a time, nine 

 inches apart, and does it in a workmanlike 

 manner. The machinery is simple — and so far 

 as I could judge from a hasty examination, not 

 liable to be out of repair. It is attached to one 

 of his broadcast sowing machines — and it may 

 be changed from a drill to a broadcast sowing 

 machine in a few minutes. This is certainly an 

 advantage, as plaster, ashes, clover and grass 

 seeds will always be sown broadcast. 



As drilling in wheat and some other grains 

 appears now to be the order of the day, farmers 

 should not commit themselves too hastily in favor 

 of either of the machines now in the field. The 

 time for sowing wheat will soon be at hand. 

 Let each enter the field, unprejudiced ; then let 

 the prize be awarded to the most perfect machine 

 — not forgetting to take into account cost, general 

 utility and durability. Yours, &c., 



Myron ApaxMS. 



East Bloomjield, N. Y, June 19, 1848. 



Fresh Bones for Hens. — A correspondent 

 of the Germantown Telegraph says: — Those 

 who keep their hens confined, will find it for 

 their advantage to keep them liberally supplied 

 with ashes, lime, gravel and pounded bones, — 

 These articles are highly beneficial — especially 

 the latter, which, with a large per centum of 

 animal matter, contains also another principle 

 highly essential in the formation of the shells of 

 eggs. While on this subject I would advise every 

 one who keeps hens, to provide them liberally 

 Vegetation not only covers the soil from with vegetable and animal food. " When permit 



the sun and dry winds, but the roots it leaves 

 in the soil go far to supply organic matter for 

 the feeding of the succeeding crop. 



On the 14th of this month, June, the first green 

 peas were brought to market in this village. 

 They were grown on one of those parallel 

 ridges of the Onondaga saliferous formation, a 

 gravelly loam, in the town of Galen, Wayne 

 county. Peas planted at the same time, (first 

 of April,) on our level clay loams, are not 

 yet in pod. Now, (22d June,) some farmers are 

 making clover hay ; in two weeks more we 

 shall be in the midst of wheat harvest Every 



ted to range abroad through the fields and gar- 

 dens a very considerable portion of their suste- 

 nance is obtained from insects, and if they are 

 restricted and deprived of the privilege of seek- 

 ing it for themselves, they must be supplied, or 

 they will become unhealthy and an expense 

 rather than an income to the farmer. Buckwheat, 

 as it contains a larger quantity of lime than other 

 grains, is also an excellent feed for hens. 



Save your Suds. — If you have a strip of land, 

 do not throw away suds. Both ashes and suds 

 are good manure for bushes and young plants. 



