336 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



I am now using in ray family corn meal that was 

 grourm and kiln-dried a year ago last May, and 

 Hominy tliat was maile and thus dried a year ago last 

 November. Both are as sweet and perfect as when 

 tht-y were first made. They were dried with super- 

 healed steam, and by a process and kiln which I have 

 patented, and which, while it does not scorch or color 

 the grain in the least, will dry it to any degree re- 

 quired, with much less expense than has been formerly 

 done. It can be placed in any mill, and will dry 

 hominy, meal or flour at an expense of two to four 

 cents per barrel 



When this plan for preparing corn meal shall be 

 fully understood, corn will be worth more to eat and 

 to ship than it is for whisky. Circulars will be sent 

 free on application, and all the necessary information 

 given v/ith great pleasure to those who wish to know 

 more about this process. I can send samples of meal 

 and hominy like the above to those v/ho wish to see 

 that it can be prepared in such a manner that it will 

 keep sweet, and save the necessity of going to mill 

 twice in a week in order to have good sweet meal. 



K.tLAMAzoo, Mich. H. G. Bulkley. 



AN EXPERIMENT IN POTATO CULTURE. 



The following account of an experiment made by 

 an intelligent farmer of our acquaintance residing 

 near this city, may not be uninteresting to our rea- 

 ders : 



A certain number of rows (the exact number we 

 do not recollect) were planted on the surface of the 

 ground, after the usual preparation, and covered with 

 earth by the hoe in hills. The ground between the 

 rows was worked with a small one-horse plow during 

 the season; and especial pains was taken that the 

 hills should be well made, and that the soil should 

 be kept free from weeds. Tov.-ard the close of the 

 season they were found to be diseased ; and when 

 gathered, many of them were badly afiected by 

 file rot. 



An equal number of rows, in another portion of 

 the same field, was planted in the furrow left by run- 

 ning a plow lightly across the ground, and covered 

 as before; but in the after cultivation care was taken 

 that the ground should be kept perfectly level and 

 smooth. When harvested, the tubers were sound 

 and in good order. 



What makes the difference between the two por- 

 tions of the field more marked is, the seed planted in 

 the former division were from a lot that showed no 

 signs of disease the year previous, while the same 

 kind of potato harvested the previous year were 

 touched by the rot. 



The inference drawn by him from this experiment 

 was, " that the potato can not endure the hot sun of 

 our climate, and that as far as in our power we must 

 keep its roots and tubers away from atmosphenc in- 

 fluences. The deeper the tiltli of the soil, and the 

 more level we kept the surface, the more healthy and 

 vigorous would be their growth." 



"As an illustration of the want of accurate know- 

 ledge on the part of those who ought to be thorough- 

 ly conversant with every point pertaining to their vo- 

 cation ; he asked a neighbor who had raised thousands 

 of bushels for this market, " which kind were the best 



for marketing use, and the most profitable to raise." 

 "He did'nt know; he had'ut seen nmch difference in 

 any of them." To satisfy himself, he last spring 

 planted fourteen varieties of seed; and when harvest- 

 ed and disposed of in market, we hope to be able to 

 give the results in full. * 



NEW STUMP MACHINE. 



The following description of a stump extractor, 

 which we liiid in the Michigan Farmer-' s Compan- 

 ion, will be found interesting to those who wish to 

 clear their ground of stumps. From the description 

 it would seem that any ingenious mechanic can con- 

 struct one at small cost compared with those usually 

 made : 



" We recently paid a visit to the farms of Jamf^ 

 Baily and Johx Spuague, Esqrs., Troy, Oakland Co., 

 for the purpose of witnessing the operation of a new 

 stump-machine, or at least new in this part. It is a 

 very powerful, effective machine, turning out solid oak 

 stumps three feet in diameter with as much ease as a 

 dentist would extract a molar. Its lever power ia 

 the screw. The directions here given will enable any 

 mechanic to make one. First, there are two bed- 

 pieces of best oak, 8 by 5 inches, 10 feet long, put 

 together like a common crotch-drag, spreading 10 

 feet at the rear end. The cross-piece is inserted 2 

 feet from the forv/ard end, and just behind this is in- 

 serted a strong bolt with a nut and screw, to prevent 

 spreading. Three posts 6 feet between joints, and 5 

 by 8 inches, oak, are mortised into the bed-pieces, 

 forming a triangle. The hind posts are 8 feet apart 

 at the foot, measuring across the frame. The top of 

 these posts are let into a head-block, 10 inches thick, 

 18 inches wide and 3^ feet long, made of the tougli- 

 est oak. A knot would be better. A hole is made 

 through this block, 3 inches in diameter at the top 

 and 8 inches at the bottom. Through this is passed 

 a common cider-mill screw, 4 J feet long, with a clevis 

 made of Swede's bar, passing through the lever holes 

 in the screw, to admit two holes for bolts an inch and 

 a half thick. Then a chain made of ^ inch iron, 4J 

 feet long, with a ring on one end a large hook on the 

 other, for hitching to roots. The nut in which tbo 

 screvv' works is let firmly into the sweep, (like an old 

 fashioned cider-mill sweep), to the end of which a 

 horse is attached. The screw is lowered sufficient to 

 hitch; the horse is then started and the stump is rais- 

 ed out with great ease. Indeed it was wonderful to 

 see with what power and ease it drew into pieces a 

 solid oak stump; it being so firm in the ground that 

 it came into parts rather than yield entirely at one 

 hitch. The whole cost of the machiiie is $24. The 

 screw of this machine was cast at the foundry of 

 Aaron Smith & Son, Birmingham, Mich., which with 

 the nut, cost $10. It was ibund uecetsary to insert 

 two extra braces, reaching from the loot of the rear 

 braces to the top of the forward one. This machine 

 is designed especially for large stumps. 



" Mr. Bailey had just started Ketchum's Mower 

 in his meadov/. The working of this machine is very 

 satisfactory. The team managed it with great ease, 

 cutting 10 to 12 acres per day. Haying wiih this 

 and a horse- rake is but a pastime." 



