188 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



"We have spent considerable time and money in 

 experimenting with the various fertilizers for Indi- 

 an corn. "NVe know the importance of the subject. 

 But we are satisfied that, for the country at large, 

 (food ploioing^ jyroper preparation of the land, early 

 plantinff, and good and thorough after-culture, are 

 of far greater importance. Througliout the vast 

 corn-growing region of America, if we can remove 

 stagnant water, prepare the land properly, plant in 

 good season, and use the horse-hoe freely, the soil 

 in the majority of cases is rich enough to produce 

 fair and remunerative crops of corn. Still, unlike 

 wheat and other cereals, it is impossible to make 

 land too rich for corn ; and it should be borne in 

 mind that it costs no more to plant and cultivate a 

 crop of corn that will yield sixty bushels per acre, 

 than one that yields only thirty bushels. Of course, 

 the most profitable land for corn is that which is 

 naturally rich — too rich for wheat; but, in the 

 New England States, very profitable crops are 

 raised on poor soil by the aid of heavy manuring. 

 Levi Bartlett says: " Of thirty-five crops of In- 

 dian corn offered for premium in Massachusetts, 

 the average profit over all expenses exceeded $51 

 per acre." It is the opinion of many good farmers, 

 that manure is more profitably applied to corn 

 than to any other crop. An excellent farmer in 

 this neighborhood thinks the. cheapest way to raise 

 corn is on clover sod. He lets the clover grow as 

 long a.s possible in the spring, and then turns it 

 under just before planting the corn. The clover 

 furnishes manure, and he says the worms also feed 

 on it aud seldom uijure the corn. A handful of 

 plaster scattered on the hill before the first hoeing, 

 is generally considered profitable in this section. 



CULTIVATION OF BUCKWHEAT. 



Shkkp Poisoned by a Chemical Wash. —Last 

 year, an English farmer dipped his sheep, after 

 shearing, in a chemical solution, purchased of a 

 chemist at Berwick. The sheep were turned into 

 a large grass field. Heavy rains ensued, and washed 

 the solution from the sheep on to the grass. This 

 poisoned grass was eaten by the &heep, and also by 

 an ox and a donkey. I>oth the latter and 700 of 

 the former died. The farmer sued the chemist who 

 «old the wash. A great deal of scientific e%'idence 

 was adduced on both sides. The jury returned a 

 verdict for plaintiff— damages £1,400, or $7,200. 



Potatoes AN"n Plastku. — "When seed potatoes 

 are cut, it is well to roll tliem in plaster. "We know 

 fKrmers who think this one of the best means of 

 preventing the rot. If smeared with tar water and 

 then dried with plaster — as seed corn is usually 

 treated — so much the better. 



It has been said that buckwheat occupies th' 

 same position among grains as the donkey dot- 

 among animals — useful, hut not popular. It "^ 

 grow on the poorest of sandy soils ; can be sow 

 later than any other grain ; and is one of the be; 

 crops for cleaning the land and for killing win 

 worms and other injurious grubs. It has bee 

 extensively used for plowing in as a manure. Bi 

 though it has proved beneficial for this purpose, 

 is not as good as many other crops that might I 

 used — such as white lupin, spurry, red clover, & 



In clearing oif poor and hilly land, buckwheat 

 admirable for the first crop. We have seen exce i 

 lent crops on such land in New England, when 

 apparently no other crop would thrive. On sue 

 land, however, it is exceedingly grateful for mi< 

 nure. On the farm of Mr. Henet Sabin, of Leu 

 Mass., we saw a crop of buckwheat on a rougi 

 hill-side, where half the field had been top-dres8« 

 with 100 lbs. of Peruvian guano per acre; and ci 

 this half the crop was at least double what it w 

 on the other half, where no guano was used. A 

 experienced farmer says, "barn-yard manur 

 whether green or rotted, ashes, lime, and plasten 

 all seem to produce a wonderful effect when ai^ 

 plied to this crop." 



Buckwheat is often sown too early. "When t( 

 early, the hot sun is apt to blast the flowers. Tl 

 middle of June, in this section, is considered tU 

 best time to sow ; though, in New England, gooi 

 crops are often obtained when sown as late as tl 

 4th of July. In sections where there is danger < 

 frosty nights early in the fall, it must be sown earl 

 as a slight frost often destroys the crop. We mu 

 endeavor to steer between the two dangers — bla.s 

 ing of the flowers in the summer, when sown earl; 

 and the destruction of the crop by frost in the fa. 

 when sown late. It succeeds well sown on clovx 

 or grass sod. Formerly, it was considered best i 

 break up the land in the spring, and cultivate ar 

 harrow it a few times bcfore_ sowing; but latter! 

 the practice is to pasture the land, and break r 

 immediately before sowing. From three pecks ; 

 a bushel is the usual quantity of seed. 



Of the uses of buckwheat, we need not speal 

 Everybody likes buckwheat cakes on a cold wii 

 ter's morning. It is good food for poultry. Ho/ 

 thrive upon and are fond of it. When crushed, 

 is good feed for horses — more nutritious, it is .saii 

 than oats. It is good for milch cows, inoreasir 

 the quantity and richness of the milk. TJees w' 

 travel considerable distance to find a field of bud 



