THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



177 



It will afford a protection against the sun's rays, 

 and, as we believe, decrease the evaporation. Up- 

 on the whole, we hence say, hill the corn." 



"How Deep should we Plow?" — In reply to 

 this question, W. Reno, of Penn., says: "If it 

 should be a light, sandy soil, on an open, gravelly 

 subsoil, then shallow flat plowing would be the best 

 — say four or five inches deep, and eight or ten 

 wide, laid over level. But if it be a heavy clay 

 soil, on a subsoil of the same, then deep plowing 

 would be much the best — say from eight to twelve 

 inches. Tljis should not be laid level as in the for- 

 mer, but with one edge elevated and lying partially 

 on the previous furrow ; so that in time of much 

 rain, the water may lie under the broken soil and 

 pass off", leaving it in good condition. And if the 

 soil be naturally wet, tlien it will be best to loosen 

 the subsoil as deep as possible with a subsoil plow, 

 that the surplus water may pass off" through drains 

 that we may suppose have already been made in soils 

 of this nature — for if they have not, they should 

 be." 



W. H. Snyder, of Few Jersey, says : " There is 

 a prevailing opinion in this neighborhood that corn 

 ground should be plowed shallower than for other 

 crops." 



J. A. S., of Paris, C. W., says, instead of plowing 

 up five or six inches of the raw subsoil at once, 

 "rather bring up an inch at a time, giving the land 

 a good dressing of manure, and thoroughly mix 

 with the plow, tlie harrow, and the cultivator — re- 

 peating the operation at every successive breaking- 

 up, until your farm has a uniform soil of a rich 

 brown color, to the depth of at least a foot for 

 grain and gi'ass, and eighteen inches for carrots, 

 mangolds, etc. Such a soil and such a depth will 

 withstand a drouth much better than a shallow 

 one ; be easier and earlier worked, and will make 

 glad the heart of the husbandman by a crop double 

 in quantity and better in quality than that of the 

 shiftless man who scratches to the depth of three 

 or four inches." 



Pea Steaw. — S. King, of Canada, considers pea 

 straw, "cut somewhat green and cured without 

 rain, excellent fodder for making milk or beef The 

 cattle eat it eagerly and thrive well on it." 



W. R., of Cobourg, C. "W., says : " Pea straw, 

 cut a little green and well got in, is good food, es- 

 pecially for horses and sheep. We have heard of 

 a worthy old farmer who was noted for having fine, 

 sleek horses. When asked how he fed them, he 

 declared they got nothing but pea straw — and that 

 not half thrashed either^ 



Steeams in Pastuee Land.— H. B., of Ohio, says: 

 "Those who are so fortunate as to have small 

 streams running^ through their places, should fix 

 the precise position of their pasture fields here, up- 

 on both sides of the stream ; because the irregular- 

 ity of the banks will not admit of very profitable 

 cultivation, and if sodded with blue-grass will im- 

 prove every year. Trees should be left standing 

 for shading the cattle in summer, and in some de- 

 gree for protection from the wind in the winter. 

 A field laid out in this manner is so convenient, 

 that scarcely any but those who have tried the ex- 

 periment are aware of its advantages. Streams of 

 this kind are almost invaluable, as they supply wa- 

 ter constantly for the animals — which is much bet- 

 ter than watering them regularly, or irregularly, as 

 it may happen; in which cases their thirst may 

 sometimes become so great that they will drink 

 more than is for their benefit, and will distend their 

 stomachs to an extent which is injurious. It is 

 better always for stock to be allowed to drink when 

 their inclination prompts, and to always have water 

 before them ; they would then drink no more than 

 they really need." 



Cleaning Carrots. — A "Tenant Farmer" of 

 Canada Says he drills his carrots two feet apart, 

 using from t\vo to three lbs. of seed per acre. As 

 soon as the carrots fairly make their appearance, 

 he runs a horse hoe between the rows as close as 

 possible without disturbing the carrots. Then fol- 

 low with the hand hoe, walking backward, so as 

 not to tread on the newly cut weeds, and leaving 

 not more than an inch of unhoed ground on each 

 side of the row. This strip of weeds may be al- 

 lowed to remain till the carrots are thinned. If 

 the cultivator is run between the rows in the mean 

 time, it will be an advantage. Thinning is rather 

 a tedious process, as it has to be done by hand. He 

 leaves the Orange and Red carrots six inches apart, 

 and the White or Belgium from six to ten inches 

 apart in the rows. After this he goes over them 

 again, cutting out weeds and thinning any carrots 

 that may have been left double. An occasional 

 hand hoeing afterward is an advantage, 



Chinese Si^gae Cane for Foddee. — Hiram Reed, 

 of Indiana, says: "I have tried the 'Chinese Sugar 

 Cane, to some extent, as a fodder crop, and I am 

 sure horses and cattle cannot get anytliing they like 

 better, and do better on. I have given horses Su- 

 gar Cane and good clover hay at the same time, and 

 they will always eat the cane first. I am of opin- 

 ion that it will pay to plant a few acres of Sugar 

 Cane as feed for stock." 



