336 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Down brings the best price in New-York city, — and next 

 to these, ihe long-wooled sheep of Canada— that generally 

 the largest carcass (such as had been asserted as " only 

 fit for the tallow-chandler"; brought the highest price per 

 pound. Common butchers did not distinguish the differ- 

 ence, — " their taste was to make the most money they 

 could." — but a class of first-rate retail market butchers 

 pay a higher pri.ce for the best, lie stated that early 

 hmibs, tvell fattened on grass, from New Jersey, brought, 

 first in the season, five dollars per head, and afterward 

 three to four dollars — and that a distinguished farmer up 

 the river buys western ewes, breeds with them from his 

 South-Down rams, and sells both in autumn for about 

 %1 for each ewe and lamb. 



THICK OR THIN SEEDING. 



The time allotted to the sheep question having expir- 

 ed, and " Miscellaneous Subjects " being in order : 



The Hon. T. C. Peteks, of &enesee county, said in ex- 

 planation of his remarks on a previous evening, that the 

 field planted in hills three feet apart was good—\i\\\. in the 

 field three and a half feet apart the ears were larger, and 

 there was consequently more corn for the number of 

 stalks, not more on the land. He was satisfied that we 

 often greatly over-estimate the products of cornfields. 

 He found there were 400 grains on an eight-rowed ear, 

 and that it required four such ears, shelled, to make a 

 pound when properly dry after mid-winter. Four such 

 ears, as an average, on a hill of four stalks, was as much 

 as farmers usually get from a good crop— this would give 

 but 50 to 58 bushels per acre, and he thought the man did 

 well who obtained 40 bushels per acre. At three feet 

 apart, there would be about 1200 more pounds or '20 bush- 

 els more per acre, if the ears were equally large. 



0. C Crockek, of Broome county, had planted a piece 

 of corn (,y acres) on which GO large loads of rotted manure 

 per acre had been applied, in hills 4 feet by 18 inches, 4 

 or 5 stalks to a hill, and all was well saved — he had not 

 yet husked it. It was the eight-rowed yellow. On the 

 other hand, T. C. Peters said his corn on the richest land, 

 had grown so rank and thick, as to yield the least corn. 

 Some mistake was, however, supposed to have been 

 made. 



John Wade, of Cobourg, C. W., thought rich land re- 

 quired more seed than poor land. Had sown si.x bushels 

 of oats per acre. In England, he had known eight bush- 

 els sown per acre. 



T. C. Peters said a neighbor of his bad sown two bush- 

 els of oats per acre, on a black ash swamp of four acres, 

 and he obtained 107 bushels per acre. 



Mr. Wade sowed three bushels per acre this season, and 

 the oats were laid. Thinks if he had sowed eight bush- 

 els, they would have stood up ! In reply to a question, 

 he said he sowed \\, bushels of seed wheat per acre, with 

 the drill. Thinks this equal to 2 bushels sown broadcast. 



GRASS AND IRRIGATION. 



A. B. Dickinson alluded to his assertion of last eve- 

 ning, that he could make a heavier growth of grass with 

 clay than with manure. " One load of the poorest clay 

 that you can find in Chemung," said he " is better than 

 two loads of muck, even ou clay land." " Grass is the all- 

 important crop of the United States— all countries (with 

 the exception of China) where grass don't grow, become 

 impoverished, and the inhabitants leave them ; but all 

 countries where grass grows abundantly, become richer." 

 On grass land, oue load of manure placed on the surface 

 is worth two plowed in— and the clay would be of no ben- 

 efit if plowed in, (except on sand,) while a load of clay 

 carried on by irrigation, is worth two loads of muck. Ir- 

 rigation, efiected by muddying the v.-ater, and continued 

 yearly for five or six years, will give more grass than any 

 manuring, by mulching the roots, and making, the grass 

 grow stitfer, and solider. He had a rank growth of mea- 

 dow this year, but because it did not stand, it became 

 really half a ton to a ton less per acre, than some other 

 portions. The running on of the clay must be done late 

 in autumn, in winter, or very early in spring. Fresh soil 

 is plowed up, and the water streams being turned on, 

 carry it off, by stirring, to the grass land. He has found 

 that irrigating with clear water is greatly inferior to this 

 treatment. He has had a little over 4| tons per acre of 

 hay. Solon Robinson showed him a bunch of hay, which 

 ie bad picked up on the Fair ground, consisting of about j 



two-thirds ox-eye daisy and one-third June grass, but Maj. - 

 Dickinson cast it from him with contempt, and said he \ 

 would not cut such grass. In answer to a question, he 

 said he could easily and eft'ectually destroj- the daisy by 

 deep plowing with the double Michigan plow. Where he 

 cannot irrigate he manures ou the surface, when the 

 ground is hard in summer, on the most sterile spots, and 

 not by any means when the soil is wet and soft. He sows 

 of grass seed per acre, one peck of timothy, one of clover, 

 four quarts of red top, two of white clover, and two of 

 blue grass. 



THIRD EVENING. 

 The regular subject for discussion this evening was 

 "The Culture of Wheat; Is it Desirable for the Farmers 

 of New York to Increase the Culture of Wheat ; Are 

 there Other Crops that Could be Substituted that would 

 Enable the Farmer to Secure Equal Profits and Preserve 

 his Land in Better Condition ?" 



Louis E. Heston, of Alabama, Genesee county, N. Y., 

 thought it desirable to increase the cultivation of wheat. 

 Wheat afforded more profit for the labor than other crops. 

 His soil is a claj' loam, resting on limestone. He breaks 

 up sod laud and sows it to peas; then plows the ground 

 and drills in wheat, two bushels per acre. Since the a-.*- 

 veiit of the midge, he sows little but the Mediterranean va- 

 riety. Gets about thirty-five bushels per acre. Keeps a 

 large number of sheep. Feeds them with straw and one 

 bushel of oats to one hundred sheep per day. Also feeds 

 them cornstalks and cuts them when he can. Buys bran 

 for his sheep when cheap enough. He seeds down with 

 the wheat; one peck timothy sown in the fall wiih the 

 wheat, and six quarts of clover per acre sown in the 

 spring. Does not often mow clover; plows it under as 

 manure for wheat. He has oue hundred and sixty acres 

 of arable land, and sows about fifty acres of wheat each 

 j-ear and ten acres of corn. Thinks he can continue this 

 without injuring the land. 



T. C. Peters remarked that it was getting to be a com- 

 mon practice in the wheat districts, to sow timothy in the 

 fall and clover in the spring. 



Mr. BowEN, of Jledina, N. Y., said some of his neigh- 

 bors had raised thirty-five bushels of Mediterranean wheat 

 after barley. A great breadth of laud had been sown to 

 wheat this fall. 



Gen. Harmon, of Monroe county, thought it desirable 

 to increase the culture of wheat, because it makes most 

 manure. If grown every third year, with clover ani 

 sheep, it improves the land. He did not approve of turn 

 ing in clover. Would rather let his neighbors eat it of 

 with iheir sheep for nothing. He turns under a clovej 

 sod in July, from seven to eight inches deep, with a Mich 

 igau subsoil plow. Sows one and a half bushels of 

 seed per acre. The Mediterranean variety is more exten 

 sivelv grown in his vicinity than all other kinds together 

 The Dayton variety has yielded very well, but is tender 

 and is apt to sprout in wet harvest weather. Is no bettei 

 than the Mediterranean — a little whiter. Some farmers tha 

 grew it last year have not sown it this fall. The earlies 

 variety that he has grown is the Virginia May, a bale 

 white wheat, but not as white as the Soules. He drill; 

 his wheat. The Hessian fly does not affect the Mediterra 

 nean as much as it did the Soules, so that they can sow 

 earlier than formerly ; say the fii-st week of September 

 Has not seen the Hessian fly for five years. The midg( 

 is the only enemy they have to fight now. Sown in gooi 

 season, the Mediterranean is but little injured ; but whei 

 sown as late as October, is as much injured as the Soules 



John Wade, of Cobourg, C. W., thought seed whea 

 should be brought from the North, as it ripens earlier. 

 Corn from Canada will ripen two weeks earlier. Then 

 is no crop more profitable than wheat. Has grown wheal 

 every third year, and his land is better than it was thirty 

 years ago. His rotation is grass land, manured auc 

 planted with corn, followed with oats or barley, seeded 

 followed by wheat. In his vicinity they seldom grou 

 Winter wheat. The Fife is the most popular S|^)riug va- 

 riety. Gets about thirty bushels per acre. 



Gen. Harmon had sown three bushels of unleached 

 ashes and four bushels of plaster per acre on his wheat 

 and obtained an increase of four bushels of wheat per 

 acre. 



