THE GENESEE FARMER, 



129' 



Cultivation op Reeds. — I have a piece of wet, mucky 

 cronnd on my farm that I am at a loss what to do with, 

 end should be glad if you could suggest any profitable use 

 tor it. I know you will tell me to drain it. But this is 

 iinpiacticable. Can nothing be done with it without 

 draining V—G. R. T., Erie Co., K Y. 



IC it is too wet for basket willows, the only profitable 

 use that can be made of it is to plant it with the common 

 Reed {arurido phragmite^.) It grows where no other useful 

 plant will, and requires no care or cultivation Reeds 

 nourish best in situations where they can have water 

 flowing over their roots, and can either be transplanted 

 from where they are growing wild, or can be raised by 

 sowing the seed in the mud. Once they have possession 

 of the soil they will increase by their stolons or runners 

 and flourish to the exclusion of everything else. 



According to Flint this grass aifords a large amount of 

 nutritive herbage while in a green succulent state. In 

 Great Britain reeds are much used for the purpose of 

 thatching cottages, outbuildings, stacks, &c. ; and are 

 often used for covering summer houses, from the neat 

 appearance given to them ; and such roofs are said to last 

 fifty or sixty years. They make the best of covering for 

 dairy houses. Sometimes light screens are made from 

 them as a protection to wall fruit in winter, and they also 

 form good coverings for protecting glass. They answer 

 well for forming cones round tender shrubs or beehives, 

 and could perhaps be made use of for packing fruit trees 

 in for transportation When cut for these purposes the 

 stems should be full grown, ripe and still full of sap, as 

 if allowed to die or become frozen, they are brittle and 

 useless. The product of an acre is estimated in England 

 as worth annually about twenty-five dollars, with no 

 expense for cultivation. 



How TO Makk Grafting Wax, and to Cut and Pre- 

 serve Scions. — (J. R., Crawford Co., Fa.) — An excellent 

 Grafting Wax for out-door grafting may be made by 

 melting together one part of beeswax, three parts of rosin 

 and two parts of tallow. While yet warm, the mixture 

 may be worked up by .^ hand. 



For Root Grafting — Beeswax one part, rosin 4 parts, 

 tallow one part. 



The French make a very good material to wrap around 

 fresh grafts, by melting equal parts of beeswax, turpen- 

 tine and rosin, and spreading it while warm on strips of 

 coarse cotton or strong paper. Scions are usually cut in 

 winter or early spring, from the shoots of new wood 

 formed the previous year. They should be straight and 

 thrifty, and can be preserved by burying them in a box 

 ot sand in the cellar. When wanted for use, they may 

 be cut again into pieces containing three or four buds 

 each. 



Manure for Spring Wheat. — Will any of your expe- 

 rienced correspondents inform me through the medium of 

 the Farmer, wnether fresh barnyard manure, spread and 

 ploughed under in the spring, will be suitable for spring 

 wheat? The land was last year in corn, but is rather poor. 

 — Jas. Howie, Dexter. C. W. 



Fresh barn yard manure is not perhaps generally advi- 

 sable for spring wheat, but if no other can be had, and the 

 land is poor, it will be better than none at all. We hope 

 some of our correspondents will give their views on this 

 subject. 



Chinese Hogs.— (J. S.)— H. Fenner, of South Orange, 

 N. J., has some of these bogs for sale. 



Soft Grass.— Can you inform me if what we call Soft 

 Grass in the West of Scotland is the same as Meadow Fox- 

 tail, and if so, if it will stand our winters? — J. H. H., 

 MorrUtan, C. W. 



The Meadow Soft Grass,- (,^oZc«s lanatus,) is a diflerent 

 species from the Meadow Foxtail, {Alopecurus pratensis.) 

 Both these grasses are found in the New England States, 

 where they appear to stand the winter well, and would 

 doubtless do the same in Canada. The Meadow Foxtail is 

 however the most valuable of the two, and is considered 

 worth cultivating in some localities as a pasture grass, 

 when mixed with other grasses. The other is of little 

 value. 



Colored Plates. — (R. T. S.) D. M. Dewey, of this 

 city, is extensively engaged in the preparation of colored 

 plates of fruits, flowers, trees, shrubs, Ac, and you can 

 get from him wha^, you wish. He will send you a- cata- 

 logue of the varieties, price, &c., on application. We are 

 informed that he sold Jifteen thousand of these plates last 

 year to nurserymen, fruit tree dealers, &c He has just 

 shown us three handsome volumes of these plates pre- 

 pared for a gentleman in Missouri, 



Farms for Sale in Western New York. — Do you know 

 of a good farm, on Cayuga Lake or any of the lakes of 

 Western New York, for sale at a fair price— from 150 tc 

 300 acres? — Lloyd Minturn, Farruhurgh Center, Vt. 



Any of our readers wishing to sell their farms would do 

 well to advertise iu the Genesee Farmer. 



Grafting Seedling Apple Stocks. — (W. C, Croydon, 

 C. W.) It is perfectly safe for you to leave your Seedling 

 Apple Stocks in the ground during winter, and pull and 

 graft as you may desire in the spring, without, however, 

 delaying their removal until the sap flows. 



Bbemkn Geesk. — (Downer Trembly, Muskingum Co., 

 Oiiio.) — We have made several inquiries for you, but have 

 been unable to discover who have these geese for sale. If 

 any of our readers have them, or know who has, we shall 

 be much obliged for the information. 



Wire Worms. — (C. Inman, Mieh.) The wire worm is 

 the larva of a tribe of insects known as Click Beetles or 

 " Snapping Bugs," a description and cut of which will be 

 found on page 51 of the Rural Annual for 18(50. 



Cutting Box.— (" York.") — The best we know of is 

 the Rochester Premium Cutting Box, manufactured by 

 A. Gordon & Co., of this city. The price varies from $12 

 to $25, according to size. 



Seed Drills. — I bought last spring one of Kuhns & 

 Haines' Seed Drills. It works well, but on ground plowed 

 the fall previous it does not leave it sufficiently covered. 

 Now which will be the best, (on our light prairie land,) to 

 harrow it crosswise after th9 drill, or do nothing but roll 

 it after? — Edwin R. Healy, Mvscatine Co., Iowa. 



Winter Oats. — I would like to know if Winter JOats 

 would be a profitable crop for this section of country ? If 

 so, could seed be obtained nearer than North Carolina? — 

 Geo. Wright, Genesee Co., N. Y. 



Destroying Wild Flax. — I would like to know of some 

 method of destroying that annoying weed known as Wild 

 Flax. It has overrun some ten acres of my land. — D. 

 Landis, Lancaster, Fa. 



Feeding Peas to PiG3.--What is the best method of 

 feeding peas to pigs in winter, whether boiled or not ? 

 Will some of your correspondents answer? — R. J. S., 

 HUhhurg, C. W. 



