1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



243 



Lime and Ashes on Corn. 



Messrs. Editors: — I am no farmer, but 

 cultivate a pretty large garden, for the purpose 

 of "mflytm^," as they say down South, a few 

 potatoes, beets, &c., and a little corn and the 

 like, for family use — as well as to afford that 

 bodily exercise which is necessary to good health 

 and a good appetite. 



The part of my garden on which I planted 

 corn had been a " common''' for a number of 

 years ur.til this spring, and was covered with a 

 wild grass. This when turned over presented a 

 grayish poverty -looking, appearance. Knowing 

 corn to be a luxurious liver, and withal a great 

 eater, and having no manure handy, I was 

 doubtful about the propriety of planting it there ; 

 but not liking ii among my young fruit trees, 

 and not wishing to go without the Sweet Corn 

 for summer — the Popping Corn for winter even- 

 ings — and the Johnny-Cake for all seasons — 1 

 had no other resort. 



I planted my corn, and when it came up it 

 was sorry looking stuff. I soon hoed it to try 

 to coax it along ; but still it looked as though it 

 was starved and had the jaundice to boot. I iioed 

 it a second time, and thinned out the stalks in the 

 hill, but with no improvement to its appearance. 



Not knowing much about the analysis of soils, 

 but knowing, from my reading of the Farmer 

 and from other sources, that the existence of 

 lime and potash in the soil was necessary for 

 the production of corn, I rather blindly, I must 

 confess, undertook to test its effects in this case. 

 I procured about two bushels of lime, and robbed 

 my wife's ash-heap of about one bushel of un- 

 leached ashes, and going through my corn-patch 

 with an old tin pail and fire-shovel, threw a 

 shovel full or two on each hill. And although 

 my wife declared I was wasting her ashes, I 

 thought I would try whether ashes would not 

 make corn as well as soap. I then hoed it 

 pretty thoroughly, and in a few days I imagined 

 it looked a little better. In about ten or twelve 

 days I repeated the operation, hoeing as before, 

 to mix the lime and ashes with the soil. Soon 

 after this we had a succession of warm showers, 

 and a remarkable change was visible in my 

 crop. The yellow, sickly-looking leaves began 

 to assume a wholesome lively green, and the 

 pipe-like stalks appeared better fed, and became 

 more portly. It now grew as much faster than 

 that of my neighbors, as it had before grown 

 slower. It continued to ftourish, and ripened a 

 beautiful and abundant crop. So much for ashes 

 and lime, and my experiment in farming. 



Gentlemen, if you consider my '■'■experience'''' 

 worthy of publication, or of any remarks, it is 

 at your disposal. Rustic 



Rose-Lawnr, N. Y., Sept., 1818. 



" Rustic" fed his feeble corn plants very 

 feountifuUy ^with **lime and ashes," and if he 



plants the land next season, the crop will be not 

 a little benefitted by the application. An acre 

 of forest will yield more potash, lime and other 

 valuable minerals in its annual leaves, which fall 

 to the ground, to say nothing of the organized 

 carbon and nitrogen in the same, than most far- 

 mers are aware of. The gathering of .these 

 leaves and using them for'manure are commended 

 to the attention of our readers. We have seen 

 crops much increased by this practice ; and 

 know that it is less resorted to than would 

 be profitable. A pound of dry forest leaves 

 yield from five to fifteen times more ash than a 

 pound of dry wood from the trunks of trees. 

 By rotting leaves in compost heaps, all their min- 

 erals are rendered soluble, which is far from 

 being the case with their ash when burnt. Their 

 organic elements are also valuable food for cul- 

 tivated 



Chaiitaiique Co. Agricultural Society. 



The annual Fair of this Society was held at 

 Fredonia, on the 31st of August. The proceed- 

 ings of the Fair, reports and awards of commit- 

 tees, &c., exhibit a continued and increasing 

 spirit of improvement among the farmers of this 

 noble county. Officers for the ensuing year 

 were elected as follews, viz : — 



President— Caleb 5 . Allen, of Charlotte. 



Vice Presidents— John M. Edson of Charlotte, 

 A. F, Morrison, Hanover; Harmon Corey, El- 

 licott ; Elisha Norton, Pomfret ; Martin Pren- 

 dergast, Chautauque ; Norman Kibbee, West- 

 field ; Jona. S. Pattison, Sheridan; Selden M. 

 Ely, Ripley ; Chauncey Warren, Stockton ; 

 John Chandley, Charlotte; T. Judson, Portland ; 

 Otis Skinner, Sherman ; J. E. Budlong, Car- 

 roll ; Dan'l Williams, Harmony; Austin Pierce, 

 Villenova ; Abijah Clark, EUery ; S. E. Palmer, 

 Gerry ; D. H. Treadway, Ellington. 



Secretarjj — E. F. Warren. 



Treasurer — John Dewey. 



The American Hare. — The Amej-ican hare, 

 usually known in this country under the name 

 of " rabbit," is found pretty generally from Can- 

 ada to the Gulf of Mexico. In winter and early 

 spring, in the northern parts of the United States, 

 its coat is nearly white, but in summer it is of a 

 yellowish brown, with a whitish tail. This little 

 animal makes a nest, or bed, of moss and leaves, 

 in some old log, or hollow tree, whence it issues 

 chiefly, but not altogether, by night. Though 

 not so much addicted to knawing as squirrels, 

 yet, its teeth being formed in the same manner, 

 it probably resembles them in its food, eating 

 various kinds of nuts and seeds, as well as green 

 herbs and the bark of young trees. The Amer- 

 ican rabbit, from its shyness and timidity, is 

 somewhat difficult to tame, and still more diffi- 

 cult to breed. 



