138 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



to sow as early as the ground conld be got in proper 

 condition ; but fair crops bave been obtained wben 

 sown as late as the middle of May. Bai-ley likes a 

 a warm, active soil ; what is called " barley soils " 

 in England being rather too light and sandy for the 

 production of the best wheat. We have, however, 

 seen most excellent crops on rather heavy soils, 

 when they have been summer-fallowed and made 

 mellow by cultivation. Barley will not succeed on 

 sod land. In some of the northern counties of this 

 State, they sow peas and oats together on sod land 

 and follow them with barley the next season. They 

 frequently sow as late as the first of June, and 

 raise good crops. We think two bushels of seed 

 per acre none too much. A farmer near this city 

 thinks a barrel of salt per acre on his barley a most 

 profitable application. 



Potatoes. — The bulk of this crop will be planted 

 before these remarks reach our readers. The ma- 

 jority of farmers in this section plant in hills 2^ 

 feet apart each way, and about three sets in each 

 hill. In this way the horse-hoe can be passed both 

 ways between the rows, and the expense of culti- 

 vation and digging is slight. It is generally ac- 

 Ivuovrledged, however, that by making the rows 

 the same distance apart (2^ feet), and then dropping 

 single sets in the rows, 12 to 15 inches apart, a larger 

 crop is obtained ; though it is thought not enough 

 more to compensate for the extra labor. We find 

 that on the sandy st)ils in tlie town of Irondequoit, 

 near this city, where potatoes are the crop, leacIieJ 

 wood-ashes are used to a considerable extent witli 

 good i-esults. They cost about one cent a bushel, 

 and are undoubtedly a clieap manure at tliat price. 

 From fifty to one }>undred bushels per acre are 

 used. On these sandy soils, plaster, from one to 

 two bushels per acre, is also considered a profitable 

 mi»: "ire for potatoes. It may be applied in the hill 

 at the time : f planting, or when the potatoes are 

 up. Just before the potatoes break tlirough the 

 ground, a light harrow, with the teeth knocked 

 out to straddle the rows, is passed over the ground 

 with advantage. It bro:ikg the crust and checks 

 the growth of weeds. 



Of all artificial manures for potatoes, we have 

 found nothing equal to Peruvian guano, applied 

 broadcast before planting, at the rate of 300 lbs. 

 per acre. We have obtained an increase of 84 

 bushels per acre from this quantity of guano, cost- 

 ing here about $9. 



Peas. — We believe it will pay to raise peas, even 



where the bug is most destructive, for the purpose 



. of feeding out early to hogs. They might be fed 



out on the land while still green. This would en- 

 rich the soil ; and the refuse and manure might be 

 turned under and the land sown to wheat. When 

 eaten eai*ly in the fall, the bug does the pea little 

 injury. Undoubtedly it would have been better to 

 have sown earlier; but it is not yet too late to ob- 

 tain a fiiir crop. Peas do well on sod land. They 

 should be sown thick for the above purpose — say 

 three or four bushels per acre. A good crop will 

 smother the weeds. A bushel or so of plaster per 

 acre, sown broadcast with the seed, or soon after 

 the peas are up, frequently produces a very marked 

 eliect. 



Mangel Wukzel. — This is one of the best roots 

 adapted to our dry, hot climate. It contains about 

 half as much again nutritive matter as turnips, and 

 will produce a much heavier crop per acre; but it;i 

 requires rich land and good cultivation. The soil 

 should be warm, deep and thoroughly pulverized. 

 It will grow on heavier land than the turnip ori 

 ruta-l>aga. Prepare tlie land this month, and sow 

 about the first of June, in rows 2-^ to 3 feet apart, 

 and 12 inches apart in the rows. If the seed is 

 soaked three or four days in warm water and then 

 rolled in gypsnm, it will start earlier, and the plants 

 will be more likely to get the start of the weeds. 

 Tiie plants should be thinned out when about twc 

 inches high, and if possible the work should be 

 done when the ground is moist after rain. The 

 same remarJc.s will apply to white and yellow sugai ' 

 beets. 



White Beans. — We desire to see the cultivation 

 of the bean greatly extended in this country. Like 

 clover, peas, and root crops, its growth and, con- 

 sumption oil the farm will greatly eniich the land, 

 At present it may pay better to sell the beans that 

 to feed them to sheep ; but if the market pricf 

 should be reduced by their extended cultivation, 

 they would still be a profitable crop for the farmei 

 to raise for feeding. They draw lightly on the soil, 

 and being planted in rows admit the use of tht 

 horse-hoe, so that the land can bo nearly as well 

 cleaned as by a summer fallow. There is perhaps 

 no crop so well adapted for planting among young 

 fruit trees as beans. There are a number of excel- 

 lent varieties, but for field culture the small white 

 bean is believed to be as profitable as any other. 



Beans do well on any good corn land. The gen- 

 ral opinion is that a light, warm, sandy or gravellj 

 loam is best. Many think that the soil should be 

 rather poor than otherwise, as rich land is apt tc 

 produce too much vine ; there is, however, a diti'- 

 ference of opinion on this point, probably owing 



