r 



THE GENESEE FAKMEK. 



Ohsmical Field Lectdties fok AGRieui-TaEiSTS. By Dr. 

 J. A. Stookuaiuit, Professor in tlio Koyal Academy of 

 Agriculture at Tharand. Translated from the German. 

 Edited, with NotfS, by James E. Tbsouxmaciier. Pub- 

 lished by JouN Baktlett, Cambridge, Mass. 



This i3 one of the best little works on agricul- 

 tural chemistry extant It is eminently practical 

 and scientific. Though ■written more especially 

 for Gei'raan readers, it is a book "which no intel- 

 ligent American agriculturist can read without 

 much profit. It embodies many of the more 

 recent developments of science, and judiciously 

 applies them to Hie details of farm husbandry. 

 It contains some few theories which do not accord 

 with our experience, and which we have good 

 reason to believe erroneous; but as a whole, these 

 "chemical field lectures" contain more science 

 and sound common sense than any other work 

 we have read on agricultural chemistry. 



Oregon. — On one day of the present month, 

 we received six letters from Oregon, each con- 

 taining orders for clubs of the Farmer. Already 

 we have more subscribers in Oregon than in any 

 Southern State, except Kentucky. Large ship- 

 ments of fruit trees have been made from this 

 section to Oregon, and we have sent by mail 

 more agricultural and horticultural books than to 

 any State in the Union. This speaks well for 

 the enterprise and intelligence of the farmer on 

 the shores of the Pacific. 



From a letter from John Minto, of Salem, 

 (Jan'y 5th) we make the following extract : 



" Ton have an Oregonian's thanks for the compliment in 

 the September number of the Farmer. But there is one 

 item in the said number, methinks, neither flattering nor 

 tnie, viz : the amount of wool that a sheep is said to yield. 

 It is ver) questionable whether half the amount of wool was 

 given in to the census taker, as there was no pains taken to 

 save it, there beins; no*' market for it. The writer himself 

 keeps a small lot of sheep, of which the following is an ac- 

 count for 1S5'2 : 21 head, 1 year old and upward, yieMed S7 

 lbs. — washed on the sheep; 14 ewes brought 24 lambs and 

 raised 21 ; sold washed wool at 40 cts. per lb.; lambs, nine 

 months old, $8 per head ; grown sheep commands from JHIO 

 to $12 per head. As a general thing, sheep do well with- 

 out any otJier attention than penning up at night, which is 

 amply paid for by the manure they make. 



'■ This winter has been an exception, as we have had 

 snow on the ground two weeks ; it is all gone now, how- 

 ever. 



" To conclude, I beg leave to predict that Oregon will yet 

 be one of the first countries in the world for wool and 

 mutton." 



Inquiries anlr ^natBers. 



(H., Valley Farm, N. H.) Guano would give 

 you good crops of rye and corn. "We do not 

 know whether 'it would pay you to use it on 

 these crops when they sell at $1 per bushel, but 

 should think it would. Can you not get the same 

 amount of fertilizing matter in barn-yard maniu-e, 

 composts, &c., for a less cost than in guano ? If 

 you cannot, Peruvian guano is far the cheapest 

 artificial manure in the market. Tiy a few 



himdred weight and let us hear the result. Soiv 

 it broadcast for lye, and in the hill for corn, being 

 careful, however, that the seed does not touch 

 the guano. 300 lbs. per acre is the usual quan- 

 tity. 



(A J. Hinds, Grand Eapids, Mich.) There is 

 no foul meadow-grass seed in the seed stores in 

 this city. 



(Jesse Osborn, Paoli, Ind.) The earlier you 

 plant potatoes after the land is in good working 

 condition, the better. They ripen earlier in the 

 fall and so stand a better chance of escaping the 

 disease. "Whole potatoes planted in hills 2^ feet 

 apart, is attended with less labor than cutting 

 and planting them in rows, though the latter 

 probably gives the largest yield per acre. "We 

 prefer planting in hills. "Well rotted hog manure 

 is considered best for potatoes. 



(E. "Ware, Jr., Hancock, K H.) "We do not 

 think it would be profitable to mix salt at 50 cts. 

 per bushel, or plaster at |10 per ton, with guano, 

 previous to sowing on spring wheat. "We have 

 had no exj^erience in composting it with meadow 

 muck. "We should think, however, that it would 

 be advantageotis to use it in this way. Salt is 

 not, to our knowledge, used by New York farm- 

 ers in stacking wheat. It is used to great advan- 

 tage on hay. 



Multicaul Rye is a winter grain. 



Back numbers of the Genesee Farmer are not 



subject to a higher rate of postage than when 



mailed at the regular time of publication. 

 • 



Beet Stjgaj!. — I have noticed various accounts for years 



fast relating to the manufacture of Beet Sugar, and I think 

 have seen statements of the expense of an establishment 

 upon a small scale — the whole process of manufacturing — 

 but I do not know where to look for the account. A num- 

 ber of subscribers seem to feel interested in the matter, and 

 would be plf ased to understand the whole plan. IIeevey 

 Johnson.— //bWa?»c?. 



Much haa been said and written on the produc- 

 tion of beet-root sugar in this country, but so far 

 as we know little has been satisfactorily done. 

 AVe are still destitute of that practical and pecu- 

 niary information which farmers most desire. 

 Any of our readers who have experience on this 

 subject, will do us a favor by expressing their 

 views in the Farmer. 



Baen-Yard MANLfRE. — Plcase notice in the Farmer the 

 best method of treating bnrn-y.")rd manure that is made du- 

 ring the wint<>r — I mean in the yard. Whether it should be 

 applied in the spring, or otherwise ; and whore it is intend- 

 ed to be preserved "for tlie following spring crop, how it 

 should be preserved to the best advantage? "VV. J. Colb- 

 gbove, H'onoich,, Pa. 



The above questions are of great practical im- 

 portance, and we trust they will call out the 

 opinions of our experienced correspondents. For 

 om- opinions on the proper management of manure 



UA^ 



