206 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



should all be removed except the small central ones 

 not yet expanded, the roots immersed in mud, and 

 the plants then set The earth should be settled 

 about them by pouring on water, and then fine earth 

 drawn about them to form a mellow surface. A 

 coating of fine manure, two inches thick, should be 

 placed about tliem, which will keep them moist, and 

 prevent the ground baking if any subsecjuent watering 

 is needed." 



Mark by a stake or string the earliest and best con- 

 ditioned vegetable or plant whose seed you would 

 wish to have for another year, and let the article so 

 mlfe-ked be strictly forbidden fruit. An invariable se- 

 lection of your seed from the earliest ripened, con- 

 tinued for a series of years, wull make a material dif- 

 ference in the maturity of your crops. 



If you cultivate for seed, select from those plants 

 which give the greatest return for the least amount 

 of straw consistent with health and vigor ; if for 

 forage, the reverse holds true. Ccltor. 



Rochester, N. T. , 



sides and floor of the cellar with a coating of water 

 lime, about three-quarters of an inch thick; and when 

 it became set it was completely water tight. 



Yours, truly, C. 11. Forman. 



Halton, Wilton Co., C. W. 



REMEDY FOR THE CUT-WORM. 



Mr. Editor: — The cut-worm has been very de- 

 structive this season. I set 240 sweet potato plants, 

 and the third day after setting I found only five left. 

 Since then I have set 500 cabbage and 1,000 sweet 

 potato plants, with a hickory leaf around each, and 

 not a single plant has been cut yet. I lay the leaf on 

 the ground, the stem end from me; lay tlie plant on 

 it, the root to my right; take the stem end in my left 

 hand, and with my right hand fetch the top end of 

 the leaf over the plant and stem end, which forms a 

 tunnel ; let the plant come through the leaf as far as 

 it set in the ground before taken up; then open the 

 ground with a trowel, or something of the kind, 

 three or four inches deep; set in the plant and fill 

 half fuU of earth; then a gill or half pint of well wa- 

 ter; fill the hole, and press down a little, and leave 

 the top of the ground dry. The leaf should be a 

 half or Ihi'ec-quarters of an inch below the top of 

 the ground. In that way I find the little scamps 

 about the leaf, but they will not disturb the plant. 



All crops look well with us, wheat and grass in 

 particular. Respectfully, yours, 



J. S. Carpenter. 



Port Clinton, Ottawa Co., Ohio. 



THE COMING WHEAT CROP IN CANADA. 



Mr. Editor: — The M-heat crop in this part of 

 Canada looks exceedingly well. The only fear the 

 farmers expeiience is that it is too rank, and will be 

 knocked d<j\vn too much; but there is no doubt that 

 there is a good prospect for a first-rate crop. 



I recollect frequently hearing farmers and others 

 inquire, " What will keep the water out of cellars 

 where there is no draining privilege?" I have just 

 tried the experiment; and for the benefit of the com- 

 munity I will give the benefit of my experience, 

 through your columns, to your readers. We dug six 

 inches below the large creek running near the cellar, 

 and laid up the stcnie wall with water hme ; then 

 laid in a floor of brick with said lime; then lined the 



MEMORIAL. 



To the Congress of the United States of America: 



The Maryland State Agricultural Society (through 

 its committee appointed at its last general meeting) 

 beg leave to submit the views entertained by it in re- 

 lation to the improvement of agriculture, and to so- 

 licit for the plan proposed in the memoiial presented 

 in its behalf the favorable consideration of Congress. 



The Smithsonian Institution at Washington ha^s 

 been spoken of as a seminary around which might 

 spring up that national l-oard or school of agricul- 

 ture, with an experimental farm annexed, contempla- 

 ted by Washington. During his Presidency he fa- 

 vored such a plan as a great desideratum to assist 

 our progress. 



"The National Board of Agriculture in Great 

 Britain," he says, "I have considered one of the most 

 valuable institutions of modern times;" and in reply 

 to a letter of Baron Pu^lnitz, suggesting the estab- 

 lislung of a farm under public patronage, for the pur- 

 pose of increasing and extending agricultural knowl- 

 edge, he expresses his solicitude upon the subject, 

 but adds: "I know not whether I can, with proprie- 

 t}', do any more at present than what I have done. 

 1 have brought the subject in my speech at the open- 

 ing of the present session of Congress before the Na- 

 tional Legislature." 



This was his first message. After eight years ad- 

 ministration of the Government he renewed the sub- 

 ject; and in his last message to Congress, near its 

 close, impresses the object near his heart with zealous 

 argument (seldom used in his messages), evincing the 

 deep solicitude he felt in the success of his recom- 

 mendation: 



" It M'ill not be doubted that, with reference either 

 to individual or national welfare, agriculture is of 

 primary importance. In proportion as nations ad- 

 vance in population and other circumstances of ma- 

 turity, this task becomes more apparent, and renders 

 the cultivation of the soil more and more an object 

 of public patronage. Institutions for promoting it 

 grow up, supported by the public purse; and to what 

 object can it be dedicated with greater propriety ? — 

 Among the means which have been employed to this 

 end, none have been attended with greater success 

 than the establishment of boards, composed of proper 

 characters, charged with collecting and diffusing 

 information, and enabled by premiums and small pe- 

 cuniary aid to encourage and assist a spirit of discov- 

 ery and improvement. This species of establishment 

 contributes doubly to the increase of improvement, 

 by stimulating to enterprise and experiment, and by 

 drawing to a common center the results everywhere 

 of individual skill and observation, and spreading 

 them thence over the whole nation. Experience, ^- 

 cordingly, has shown that they are very cheap instru - 

 ments of immense national benefits. 



" I have heretofore proposed to the consideration 



