THE GENESEE FARMER. 



145 



whole corn, oats, and other seeds, that have been 

 voided by the bowels ; and a chemist can detect 

 starch and pi'otein elements in the fresh dropjDings of 

 cattle, horses and swine. 



Hay-makin<r and hay-ieeding, and we will add, the 

 economical production of hay, present many points 

 of deep interest to the thoughtful fanner. We have 

 had far more diflicnlty in makinc" good crops of clover 

 grow, than in curing them so as to prevent the an- 

 noyance of dusty hay. On soils of a medium quality, 

 gypsum rarely fails to bring forward a fair yield of 

 Sover ; but it sometimes fails. Ashes and manure 

 never fail, so far as our observations have extended. 

 Lime sometimes works wonders on meadows and pas- 

 tures, but tliat too disappoints one occasionally. 

 Warping and irrigation with muddy water fertilize 

 grass lands about as cheaply as any way known to 

 ihe writer. 



STONE WALLS, 



Mr. Editor: — I have heard my father say that if 

 he could have known what he now knows about stone 

 wall by taking two trips to New Orleans before he 

 had any laid, he could have saved money in the ope- 

 ration. He had about 300 rods laid by as good wall- 

 layers as he could get. Much of it was 3 feet at 

 the bottom, and 3^ high, without ditch or sticks, 

 and with stakes and rails above. Most of this, on 

 the dry ground, has stood in good order from twenty 

 to twenty-six years. Then came the improvement of 

 ditches, but they all were too narrow, and often too 

 shallow. If the ground was wet, and the bottom 

 of the wall touched the ground, the ditch did little 

 good; and if it lay on a stone that touched the bank, 

 it was not much better. 



"The verdict of our best farmers, as I understand 

 it, is that half wall is not half a fence; and that whole 

 wall, if not slighted, is the best and cheapest for a 

 long term of years. If a man can not lay a wall on 

 a good foundation so that more than half of it will 

 stand a hundred years, I think he does not understand 

 his business. I think I can do it, and I am not the 

 best wall-layer in these parts either. In 1834 I 

 commenced laying whole wall, and now have probably 

 750 or 800 rods ; and where the ground is dry it 

 stands very well, whatever the kind or quality. Some 

 of it on ditches does as well ; but if the ground is 

 wet, and the ditches poor, the wall soon tells of it. 

 If it is well laid, and the stones good, it will sway one 

 way and another considerably before it falls. 



If any of the stones are like to be in your way very 



' Boon, make np your mind the best way you can where 



you want a wall ; and if the land is wet, dig a good. 



thorough ditch, at least 12 inches wider than the 



wall. 



If the hard-pan is close by, I don't know as you need 

 go into it any ; if not, let it be from 12 to 20 incbf^ 

 deep, according to the softness of the ground. I like 

 much the best to plow and scrape out the top — two 

 of us hi this manner often being able to dig twenty 

 rods in a day. The team should be handy, and the 

 hands too, or the ditch may not be of the right kind. 

 Fill full with your poorest, smallest stones, having the 

 finest on the top and at the sides. The largest may 

 be picked for the bottom, and the smallest shoveled 



on top. I often use a shovel for small stones. Stoneg 

 too large to lay above the bottom of the wall, should 

 be unloaded on the line, for the bottom, and the rest 

 laid each side. If one man lay the wall alone, per- 

 haps if only a quarter are put on the lower or back 

 side, if there be such a side, just for the bottom, it 

 M'ill suit as well as any way. 



Working at stone is sometimes called "knitting 

 work ;" yet though you work at that mainly at odd 

 spells, you can often take time for prying up the large 

 ones, when the ground is not very wet and soft^ and 

 not \'cry dry. If, however, it is hard and dry, have 

 your bars as slim at the point as they will stand, not 

 square, but flat, and in heavy prying use them edge- 

 wise. Two men, with 4 or 4^ I'eet bars, can usually 

 jiry up any stone that a team can draw, by getting at 

 the best side, selecting a good fulcrum, and perhaps 

 sinking it in the ground a httle so it wiU not work ofF 

 and make too long a pry. If you want a longer 

 lever, perhaps you can find a stout, seasoned rail, 

 small at one end, that will make a good one. If any 

 of the stones are too large, you can break them by 

 burning them with one or tv.'O loads of stumps, &c. 

 I don't recollect as I ever failed of breaking a stone 

 in this way; some: times one load of stumps is sufficient, 

 but in some instances it is necessary to use two or 

 three. I suppose it necessary generally to have the 

 fire go well under and on all sides of the stone, so as 

 to swell the outside all around as nmch as you can 

 before the center gets hot. 



Drawing stone is not veiy unpleasant business, I 

 think, when you get a little used to it, and take the 

 advantage of it well. If you can man two boats, 

 and not draw far, and ixirhaps down hill, and neither 

 crew let the other get the start of them, so as to have 

 help to unload, and each hand have a good lever or 

 iron bar, and if the load is very heavy throw off a 

 few of the largest ones from the side toward you, 

 you can unload quick and not wear your fingers 

 much, and can clear a lot in this w^ay in a little while. 

 If the fingers get sore, or the weather be wet, the 

 stones dirty, &c., I try hard to think of some other 

 work that needs attention. I once got an old cart 

 for a trifle, with loose spokes, and had the spokes 

 shortened and thus made firm, leading the wheels 4 

 feet in diameter. It had a very-Jstrong box, extending 

 out over the wheels on each side, and therefore very 

 wide, with sides only about 10 inches high, a strong 

 end-board at the fore end from 4 to 6 inches wide, 

 anfl a long tongue, giving a fine chance at the end* 

 to put in stones, and not a liad one at the sides. The 

 box w^as short enough behind to make an angle of 

 45° when tipped up. A less angle would not let the 

 stones out good. If you could get a strong axle in 

 truck wheels, you could rig a first rate stone cart. It 

 is said that to take a wagon witli a long reach, and 

 swing a large boat under it just liigh enough to clear 

 the ground', attached to rollers playing against the 

 slakes, with holes and levers so as to take up and 

 lo .,cr at pleasure, is a first rate way to draw large 

 stones a long distance. To unload, drop the hind end, 

 raise the fore end. and go ahead. I often tip over a 

 load of stones on a boat with the team. Hook into 

 an auger hole or otherwise back of the middle, and 

 if necessary run down the l)ar into the ground oppo- 

 site, throw off a few coarse stones to keep the boat 



