THE GENESEE FARMER. 



95 



rKiAi. OF Reapers in Belqit-m.— The Central Society 



Agriculture of Belgium proposes to hold an interna- 



inal trial of reaping machines at Brussels, during the 



escnt year. Three thousand francs have been voted to be 



3tributed in one or two prizes and to go toward the pay- 



!nt of all kinds of expenses connected with the carriage 



the machines. 



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R. W. Sawtell, Esq., of "Woodstock, C. W., writes: 

 Dur winter is mild but unhealthy, the extremes of cold 

 d heat being so sudden. On the 10th of January, the 

 Drmometer ranged as low as 40° below zero in some 

 rts, and three days after, 54° a^oris — a variation of 94° 



almost enough to kill a horse." 



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The Genesee FARjfKR, a monthly of thirty-two pages, 

 blished hj Joseph Harris, at Rochester, N. Y., is the 

 iest, and "probably the cheapest and best, agricultural 

 blication in the country. It is standard authority with 

 iners, comes from the very garden of the Western 

 rid, and its columns are filled with precisely such prac- 

 al matters and original suggestions as every real farm- 

 needs to possess. It is only half a dollar a year. 

 ecimens sent free on application. Now is the time to 

 jscribe. with the new volume, which commenced this 

 luth. It is really more valuable as a farmer's manual 

 in most of the two-dollar papers in the country. — East- 



1 Times, Bath, Me. 



. . f^^ 



Inquiries and Answers. 



Treatmbnt of Sandy Soils. — I have purchased twenty- 

 e acres, the soil of which, for the most part, is a sandy 

 m overlaying a subsoil of almost pure sand; and is val- 

 ble for nearly every purpose, but especially for garden- 

 r. A small portion; however — some two acres, — the 

 •mer proprietor considered nearly barren, and has laid 

 e for several years. I' desire to plant this piece to grape 

 les in the spring, thinking it adapted to that purpose ; 

 t before doing so, I wish to prepare it in a manner best 

 leulated to answer my purpose. The question is, how 

 all I manage? Trenching, in my opinion, is useless, as 

 p subsoil is too open and porous already — a leachy sand, 

 ould a good coating of lime — say fifty bushels — spread 



the surface, be of any real benefit to the soil or vines ? 

 ould digging large holes, two feet deep and six or eight 

 it wide, and filling them with a rich compost, ensure a 



d growth and bountiful yield? or what other method 

 )uld you recommend as a proper cultivation for grape 

 lies ? What compost would you recommend as the most 

 itable for out-door culture of vines, and the proper pro- 

 irtion of the different ingredients ? Your answer will 

 uch oblige — H. L., BrummondvUle, C. W. 



It is always less trouble to ask questions than to answer 

 em ; but as we know our correspondent is an intelligent 

 quirer desirous of information, we venture a few sug- 

 istions. 



Judging from your location and our knowledge of the 

 il, we should fear the two acres is somewhat springy — 

 IS for the most of the year too rtnioh wet to be warm and 

 oductive, and possibly has large patches of quicksand. 

 le first step will be to provide ditches or underdrains, 

 ree feet or more below the surface, to carry off surplus 

 ater. If the sand contains too little mold or soil, meas- 

 es should be taken to supply the deficiency in the cheap- 

 ,t and most efiectual manner. If the whole two acres 



Iuld be top-dressed with clay soil several inches deep, 

 d allowed to freeze through the winter, it would become 

 ■oken up so as readily to incorporate with the sand. We 

 ) not see why it is not practicable to ameliorate sandy 

 )il8 by the use of clay as are clay soils by the use of sand, 

 farmer friend of ours, on the shore of Lake Erie, west 

 r Buffalo, has changed the character of some of his stiff 

 aj lands by the use of beach sand, and expresses it as 



his opinion that for this use a load of sand is worth as 

 much as a load of barn-yard manure. We would recom- 

 mend to our Canadian correspondent, if practicable, a re- 

 versal of this process. If applied at once, it would become 

 quite soft by spring, when we should recommend trench- 

 ing the whole plat at least two spades deep, leaving the 

 clay soil at the bottom ; or, what would be better, mixing 

 it through the whole. 



When a sandy soil is broken up and worked as deep as 

 we recommend, little danger of leaching is to be appre- 

 hended. This is more liable to occur, if at all, in a soil 

 that is not often stirred, though very little danger is to be 

 apprehended from this source. The effect of passing 

 water through sandy loam or other soils, is to deprive it 

 of its ammonia and vegetable matter held in solution, 

 leaving it pure and palatable. This matter left in the soil 

 is ready to bo taken up by the roots of plants, as needed ; 

 and if good drains are laid to carry off the surplus water, 

 the soil is rather benefited than injured by the process of 

 filtration. It is not necessary to pursue this matter ia 

 detail at this time. 



Lime is used as an ameliorator of the soil in so many 

 different cases, and for such a variety of purposes, that it 

 is not easy to give any definite rule for its application. 

 Applied in a caustic state, it acts on the vegetable matter 

 in the soil, rendering it more soluble — a preparation for 

 its assimilation as food of plants. Applied to a loose, 

 sandy soil, the rains will wash it down among the parti- 

 cles of sand, where, acting as a solvent of the silica, it 

 prepares it to enter into the structure of plants. So of 

 clays. They, often contain all the necessary constituents 

 of plants, held so firmly together by their affinities that 

 plants can not obtain their support. The application of 

 quick-lime, breaking up these alBnities, enables the soil to 

 yield life-giving food to. the crop. If lime were to be ap- 

 plied to the soil in question, it should be plowed, the lime 

 sown broadcast, and a hoed crop — corn or beans— planted 

 and often hoed, that the whole may become incorporated. 

 This crop should be succeeded by such treatment of the 

 land as will best prepare it for the use designed. 



In addition to the lime, we should advise a fair dressing 

 of ground bones, which may be had at Buffalo, and are aa 

 excellent fertilizer for vines. 



In the place of digging holes and filling them up with 

 compost, as proposed, we should trench and enrich the 

 whole to some extent; and after the vines had been 

 planted and commenced growing well, top-dress the whole 

 soil with compost, ground bones, or well-decayed barn- 

 yard manure. 



We are not aware of any rule for making compost 

 heaps. Barn-yard manure, leaves, decaying vegetable 

 matter, swamp muck, gypsum— all in indefinite quantities 

 — mixed and commingled until it is well decomposed, 

 makes a good compost for such purposes. 



Apple Tree Borer. — (H. H. D., Willoughby, C. W.) 

 The worm to which you refer is unquestionably the Ap- 

 ple Tree Borer. They are sometimes in trees sent out 

 from nurseries, end often appear in localities where it is 

 difficult to account for their presence. 



The Borer, in its winged state, deposits its eggs npoa 

 the bark, near the root of the tree. Sometimes they are 

 deposited in the first fork. Each egg hatches a maggot, 

 which eats its way directly downward in the baxk. By 



