252 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Nov. 



clover, had I not seen it. I have used it constantly, 

 every year more or less, since I commenced. I do 

 not pretend to raise a crop of grass without it ; and 

 I am well satisfied that I have been more than twice 

 paid for the outlay, even at the highest price. 



I was told that in the end plaster would impover- 

 ish the land — that it merely acted as a stimulus, and 

 would eventally leave the land much poorer than 

 when tlie use of it was commenced. Of this 1 am 

 convinced, that I have not much to fear if 1 use a lit- 

 tle discretion ; but we must not be too greedy, or we 

 shall be like the man in the fable, who wished to be- 

 come suddenly rich. He could not be conter(f to 

 trace the rivulet to tlie big pond, but must have the 

 golden stream come like a mighty rushing torrent. 

 But he looks around, and his torrent has become dry 

 and dusty. So if we apply the plaster, it starts the 

 clover as if by magic, the big crop rolls out, we 

 grasp the scythe, cut it oil' and take it away from the 

 land, and perhaps repeat it the next season. We 

 then plow, and put on a crop of corn. The effect of 

 the powerful fertilizer, or stimulator, whichever you 

 may be pleased to term it, is still on hand ; we get a 

 fair crop, and perhaps follow it with one or two of 

 wheat or oats ; then seed again, and anticipate the 

 same round. But behold ! all has become dry and 

 dusty — our land is a barren waste. We have been 

 robbing the land, and have returned nothing. But 

 let us be content with one large crop of clover, if 

 our land is in low condition, and give the land the 

 next. Let it grow as large as it will, then put in 

 the plow instead of the scythe — let it go deep — have 

 a boy along with a forked stick, if necessary, to keep 

 it clear and roll the clover under ; and mark my word, 

 we shall find the plaster has done the land no injury. 

 I am sensible that plastering and turning in clover is 

 the cheapest way of manuring a soil like mine which 

 I have yet tried, except what I can obtain from the 

 barn-yard and stables. 



I have different views on the application of barn- 

 yard manure, from many farmers within the circle 

 of my acquaintance, and from some publications 

 which I have seen on the subject. I have seen one 

 or two articles in the Farmer, which correspond with 

 my views on the subject, or I would not say any- 

 thing, as I should not be able to defend my position 

 by analyses or a learned article on the subject ; but 

 if I am correct, I know many of my neighbors are 

 losing a great deal of the benefit of their manure, by 

 their practice of rotting before they apply it to the 

 soil. My plan is to apply it as soon as I can, and 

 plow it in, no matter how coarse. I never put straw 

 in a pile to rot, but bed the cattle and horses well 

 with it, and pitch it out on the pile during the win- 

 ter ; then take it out and plow it in. If I have more 

 Btraw than I can use in this way, I take it along and 

 plow it under. I will venture that the soil will fix 

 the gases without any farther trouble. 



As I have before stated, 1 am a firm believer in 

 the plan of manuring with plaster and clover ; but 

 buckwheat — unless you can prescribe some means 

 whereby it may be inado, or the soil may be made, 

 to retain the fertilizing properties, if there are any 

 to tlie buckwheat — I can assure you that I have no 

 faith at all in. Plaster will make buckwheat grow- 

 as well as clover ; but I have bushed it down when 

 it stood mid-sides to my horses, and plowed it under, 

 when I was fully satisfied that it did not benefit the 

 crop or the land in the least. I have tried the cx- 

 ]>rriment repeatedly, and had now rather go with a 



team in the morning and turn in a good dew, than 

 the stoutest crop of buckwheat I could raise. 



We use a composition here, wliich answers a good 

 purpose on corn. It is plaster, lime, and uuleached 

 ashes, about equal quantities on sandy land. If the 

 soil is more clay, use less plaster ; and if the soil 

 contains more lime, of course tess would be needed 

 in the compound. Apply it after the corn is up — 

 either before or after hoeing. Throw about a table- 

 spoonful on each hill. Plouoher. 



We thank the writer of the above, for his valua- 

 ble hints to his brother farmers. Buckwheat is worth 

 a little more than he supposes ; but it is considerably 

 less valuable than clover, to plow in as a fertilizer. 



A SINGtJXAB FREAK OF NATCTRE. 



In the winter of 1839, I saw, in the hands of a 

 freind at Waterloo, a number of grains of what he 

 called "Egyptian corn." It was to me a new var- 

 iety, and I begged of him several grains of it for the 

 purpose of ascertaining whether it could be success- 

 fully cultivated in our country. I had five grains, 

 on a piece of the original cob ; each grain being sep- 

 arately enveloped in a husk about an inch long, having 

 the appearance of a very small ear growing out of 

 the cob. I gave three of the grains to two of my 

 friends, to experiment with; but 1 understand that they 

 were lost. The remaining two grains I planted with 

 particular care, about six inches apart, as early as the 

 season would admit, in a well cultivated bed, on the 

 south side of my wood-house. The grains grew well, 

 and I attentively watched their growth during the 

 summer and fall. It soon became evident that the 

 corn was a larger and later variety than that usually 

 raised in this climate. The stalks resembled those 

 of the corn raised in the south part of the State of 

 Ohio, being large, and ten or more feet in height. 

 The ears did not set until about the last of August, and 

 the silk did not appear until about the middle of Sep- 

 tember. One stalk produced two ears, the other (and 

 larger one) produced but one ear. After the ears 

 commenced growing they grew rapidly, and their 

 growth seemed to be more and more accelerated as 

 the warm season advanced towards its termination. 

 After the weather became so cold as to entirely stop 

 its grov\th, (about the iiSd of October,) I pulled the 

 corn, and examined it. The larger stalk, bearing 

 one ear, produced "after its kind,'' with liusks for 

 every grain, although some of the grains were not 

 fully formed within them. The two ears- borne by 

 the smallest stalk being the most forward, or earli- 

 est, were fit for "roasting ears ;" but to my astonish- 

 ment, neither of tlieni had the least appearance of 

 husks enveloping the grains, as was the case with 

 the original grain which I planted ! Here was a 

 "poser." And the grains, too, instead of growing 

 some five-eighths of an inch in length, as was the 

 seed corn, were short, and nearly globular. They 

 were white, and appeared to be all of the same kind 

 — not the least intermixture could bo delected. In- 

 deed, intermixture by the pollen would have been 

 about impossible, inasmuch as all the tassels of the 

 corn in the neighborhood had 'oeen dead and dried up 

 a month or more before this variety showed its silk. 

 There w'as no corn within six rods of the hitter, and 

 none, but that which is called " sweet corn,'' in my 

 garden. 



To test the fact in regard to intermixture more 



