THE GENESEE FARMER. 



2n^ 



TO PKEYEirr EATS, MICE, AND INSECTS, WORKING 

 IN THE GRANERY. 



These live pests are a great eyo-sore to all farm- 

 ers and grain dealers, and a little care and trouble 

 will keep them away, and at the same time the 

 remedy will be a benefit to most kinds of coarse 

 Kraiu. For the benefit of tliose who would like to 

 keep grain aU summer, or a year, I will, in a brief 

 maimer, give the course to pursue, that the loss by 

 these little thieves may be comparatively small. 



After the grain is in the bin and made level and 

 smooth, put on the top about four quarts of fresh 

 slaked lime; let this be spread evenly over the grain, 

 rhis ^vill keep out rats and mice in a bin that con- 

 tains one hundred bushels. This lime must be 

 slaked so it looks like flour fresh from the miller's 

 bolt. If the lime is left upon the surface of the 

 ^rain, the rats and mice will not skip and play there 

 i great deal before they will have to sneeze some ; 

 md, further than this, there is always enough 

 ;rease or oily substance remaining upon the feet 

 )f rats and mice to make the lime adhere to them. 

 ifter they have been once into it they will not 

 ■eturn again the second time. You may likewise 

 ,hrow this lime about their haunts with much 

 )enefit ; but if insects are to be kept out, you must 

 nix the lime with the grain as you put it in the 

 )in, and shovel it through and through until it is 

 nixed thoroughly; then place on the top four 

 [uarts of the slaked lime. Four quarts of un- 

 laked lime is suflicient for one hundred bushels of 

 jrain ; and it will do no hurt in many kinds of 

 ;rain if it is never taken out, for it is an alkali 

 vhich is good for botts in horses. It wUl neutralize 

 he acid in hog swill, and prevent their vomiting ; 

 ind, in fact, this small quantity of lime would be a 

 )enefit to most kinds of stock if it should be ground 

 yith the grain. 



If you apply the lime to wheat, buckwheat and 

 lorn, or the like, and do not want it in the grain, 

 jet out your fanning mill and run it through. 



To slake lime perfectly, put it into a tight, stout 

 'essel and pour on boiling water, about half as 

 nach water as lime in bulk ; cover up the lime as 

 con as the water is in, and leave it until cool, 

 xood unslaked lime will more than double its 

 limensions when well slaked. a. l. smith. 



STONE FENCES. 



Editobs Geneske Farmer: — I notice several of 

 our correspondents have written on this subject, 

 nd with your permission I will explain the manner 



5a which we construct stone fences "down east;" 

 lOt that ours is a new or superior method; for with 

 s superiority must often yield to expediency. 

 Many of our farms are abundantly supplied with 

 rough material " for wall. Indeed, I have heard 

 ( f a man who said he had an acre on wliich were 

 tone enough to cover it with wall four feet high ; 

 nt then, you know, some men will irag. How- 

 jver much you may doubt tlie veracity of the above 

 assertion, be assured we are not obliged to use 

 ''>oofZ to help build our stone fences. But I wander 

 •om the subject. 



We build double, half-double, and single wall, 

 dthout trenching. Good double wall is made four 

 iet on bottom, two feet on top, and five feet high. 



Some are built three feet on bottom, one and one- 

 half feet on top, and four feet high, depending of 

 course upon the taste and means of the builder. 

 Half-double wall is made two feet at bottom, one 

 foot and a half at two and a half feet from bottom, 

 and from thence built singly to the required 

 height — four, or four and a half leet. 



The size of single wall depends upon the size of 

 stone — the largest being laid at the bottom, then 

 the next in size, and so on in regular gradation. 

 Such a wall makes as economical a fence as we can 

 build, particularly for pastures and land not tilled, 

 as it can be built cheaper, and is more easily re- 

 paired than double wall. For a sheep pasture, it 

 should be top-poled. By the way, in top-poling a 

 double wall for a sheep pasture, the stakes on the 

 pasture side of the wall should be driven into the 

 ground almost perpendicularly, so as to bring the 

 top-pole even with the inner top edge of the wall. 



In double wall, all stones that are long enough 

 should be placed crosswise of the wall for " binders." 

 Double wall should be " bound " at least twice in 

 five feet, including the coping. Half-double should 

 be " bound " at two and a half feet, or where the 

 single commences. Round stone should not be used. 

 Small, roundish, field stone should never be put into 

 the middle of a wall; for, by means of the frost, 

 they act as wedges to press the wall apart. In 

 building double wall, some let the stones slope to- 

 ward the centre of the wall. They should be placed 

 level. Wall "faced" on one side can be built by Jet- 

 ting the long stones or " binders " project on the 

 opposite side ; but to build " double-faced " wall, 

 requires considerable care and use of the sledge. 



A thoroughly-constructed stone wall will last 

 fifteen or twenty years with but few repairs. 



Belfast, Me., June, 1859. G. E. BRACKETT. 



ONE FARM IN WESTERN VXRGINIA. 



Messrs. Editors : — For the benefit of some of 

 your subscribers, who have written me on the 

 subject, I propose giving a short but plain descrip- 

 tion of our country. The country is generally 

 mountainous, or rather hilly. A good portion, 

 however, is good farming land. Some farms are 

 situated on the streams and are very rich, and of a 

 sandy loam. Other farms, situated on upland, are 

 more of a clay soil with, now and then a gravely 

 ridge. The land is generally free from stone, ex- 

 cepting rocky bluffs or some particular spots. — 

 Wheat and Indian corn are the main products of 

 the country. Irish potatoes grow well. Turnips 

 grow in abundance. Clover grows well, yet tim- 

 othy is the standard grass in this section of country. 

 Oats have been considered a very sure and boun- 

 tiful crop, but it failed last year owing to the rust. 



There has been but very little snow this winter, 

 so little that plowing could be done at almost any 

 time. There is vei'y little time in winter but what 

 work can be done on the farm to good advantage, 

 and very comfortably, too. The summers are very 

 temperate. 



Farm lands sell according to location, quality, 

 the improvement there is on them, &c. There is 

 now quite a stir in the land market. Farms may 

 be bought to suit almost any purchaser from 100 

 to 200, 300 or 600 acres, and ranging from $8 to 

 $25 per acre. It is rather a new country, and farms 



