THE GENESEE EAEISIER. 



and horses in the State of New York from 1845 to 1850, can only be accounted for by conceding 

 the inability of the land to keep them, ■without more skill than has been applied to that pnrpose. 



Mr. Calvert's does not come np to our ideal of what a grazing farm ought to be made. He, how- 

 ever, is soon to introduce extensive irrigation by steam power, and should iiis life be spared to 

 three score years and ten, a model farm may be seen in Prince George's county, Maryland. A new 

 octagon barn one hundred feet in diameter has recently been erected by him, having a skylight in 

 the center, with ample storage for turnips and forage over the first story, which is devoted entirely 

 to stalls for cows. These stand in two rows quite round the building, leaving an open center-?pace 

 of thirty-two feet in diameter. Mr. C. prefei-s the ground to plank floors for cattle to stand upon, 

 which is kept clean and smooth, and generally bedded. A horse and cart rnaj- be driven round 

 behind all the cows in the stable for taking up manure ; and so much of the urine as is not absorbed 

 by the straw and other litter, runs into tanks. From thirty to foi-ty thousand bushels of turnips 

 are fed in a year, which are sliced with turnip-cutters. Cows graze in the field in the summer 

 season ; although it is believed that soiling is more economical where good land is dear and labor 

 cheap. After the steam engine is made to convey all the manure from the stables to the fields in 

 a liquid state and properly diluted for distribution, soiling will be still more profitable ; for a good 

 crop of grass may bo cut every four weeks during seven or eight months, in the climate of Wash- 

 ington, with proper irrigation and manuring. 



The writer has now seen the opening of four springs in the District of Columbia, and watched 

 the capabilities of the soils and seasons of this region with lively interest. It possesses agricultural 

 resourees of a high order, which science and capital are bound to develop at no distant day. Hun- 

 dreds of imigrants from the Northern States are purchasing farms, or vacant old fields to make 

 them, much to their advantage ; and southern markets already experience the benefits of the new 

 imp^iilse given to horticulture, tillage and husbandry, by the new comers. So great has been the 

 demand for timothy and clover seed that the former has sold at $4, and the latter at ^Y.SO a bushel 

 this spring in Washington. Acres of cabbage plants set out in December, are now nearly large 

 enough to gather for market. Clover is as forward at the 10th of April as it is in Western New 

 ^ork by the 10th of May. Lime, plaster, bone dust, and guano, are the amendments purchased by 

 thriving farmers ; and the effects of these are generally very satisfactory. 



Good cows sell at from $30 to $50; oxen at from $50 to $150 a yoke. Beef, pork, mutton, 

 lambs, veal and poultry, pay the producer a good jjrofit. Eggs have been 15 cents a dozen, and 

 butter 40 cents a pound ; but both are now much cheaper. We have bought our seed potatoes in 

 the country (AVbite Mercers) at 50 cents a bushel, which i-s 50 per cent, cheaper than we have 

 known them in four years. Corn has also been sold as low as 50 cents a bushel in the Distilct by 

 the quantity. 



For making chopped feed, straw, husks, cornstalks an-d blades sell much higher, relatively, than 

 corn. The increase of population in the District, aided by the more rapid increase of wealth, 

 horses and cows, keeps the demand for forage in advance of the supply. Hence meadows and 

 pastures are objects of great importance ; and we think that faymers every M'here neglect them too 

 much for their own interest They yield the much needed manure, and should be improved by all. 



BRITISH AND AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



(Continued froin Par/e 113.) 



B. I thought a few days since that we were going to have spring on us before we were ready 

 for it, but the last few days have worn a more wintry a<?pect, and have greatly retarded vegeta- 

 tion. On the whole, however, we have had a remarkaljly mild winter throughout the United 

 States, and the prospects for fruit and all agricultural and horticultural products was never more 

 .cheering. Had we not had a temperate winter, the cattle, in many districts, must have suffered 

 much from "short commons," as the hay crop last year was very poor in some places. In seeding 

 .land down for permanent meadows, what grass seed would you sow ? 



A. In Western New York I know of nothing that answers so well for all purposes as timothy 

 and clover. 



