110 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



tyrant again locks up his prisoners, almost escaped. 

 IJy this aUcrnate freezing and thawing, the roots of 

 the grain are broken and raised above the surface of 

 the ground ; much of it, held by only one fibre, is 

 blown about by the cold winds ; and the shade of that 

 which is thrifty, or a short spell of dry weather, soon 

 destroys every prosi)cct of its heading. 



Now, suppose a roller to be passed over the field ; 

 it will press all this standing- out wheat close to the 

 ground, so that its roots can branch and take a fresh 

 hold ; and as every clod will bo crushed, many a fibre 

 will bo covered by the crumbled earth, and thus 

 take a fair start with the rest. But the roller has 

 another use — to cover grass seed. Hero we sow 

 clover seed the last of February, or first of March, in 

 order that it may have time to form a good root be- 

 fore hot weather, which often destroys it. If the 

 ground is in proper order, the roller will press the 

 seed slightly into the earth, which will cause it to 

 germinate immediately ; and should this bo frozen out, 

 there is another portion, which, being slightly cov- 

 ered, will be a little later, and, by its being covered, 

 will bo better able to stand cither frost or heat. 



I am bere reminded of an incident which goes to 

 prove the advantage of pressure upon wheat in the 

 spring. A neighbor hauled out his clover seed chaff 

 to sow, using a cart for the purpose. From the time 

 the wheat covered the ground, you could see two 

 parallel lines of verdure traversing the fields, just 

 the distance that the wheels were apart ; and this 

 was distinguishable in some places, after the wheat 

 was cut, by the superiority of the stubble. 



Now, is it not strange that with these things so 

 plain to every one, the roller is so little used ? AVell, 

 the secret is just this : We believe in it, but xoe ain't got 

 any roller. We don't think of it, or, if we do, we put 

 it off until reminded by the condition of the ground, 

 that it would be a fine time to use it. We then vow 

 that we'll have one by next spring ; but alas ! you 

 know what resolutions oi future amendment are 

 worth. Well, now, I am going to have one. It costs 

 me too much to do without it. What do you say, 

 reader? AU those in favor will say, "Where's my 

 a.xer" W. H. G. 



FiiEBERicK County, Va., 1849. 



Remakks by the Editor of the New England 

 Faumek. 



Much has been said by intelligent cultivators of 

 the advantages of rolling winter wheat, in order to 

 reset the plants that have been thrown out of the 

 ground by frequent freezing and thawing, and all 

 opinions are in favor of this operation. In this sec- 

 tion but little winter wheat is raised, but in sowing 

 summer grain, there is great advantage to both grain 

 and grass in rollmg the land, besides leaving the 

 land smooth for the scythe and rake. 



MILLET. 



This plant is cultivated both for seed and for fodder ; 

 and although it is a long time since it has been tried 

 in different parts of the country, yet it is but very 

 little cultivated. For fodder, corn is usually pre- 

 ferred, as it yields a far larger crop. The following 

 remarks are from Professor Emmons, in an article in 

 the American Journal of Agriculture and Science : — 



He states that he has siibj ected this grain to an anal- 

 ysis, in order to determine the proportion of nutritive 

 matter it contains. He finds that, compared with 

 wheat or Indian corn, except in oil, it exceeds both 

 in its power of sustaining life. The grain is " rich 

 in the elements that produce bone and muscle, and 



its straw is not deficient in the elements common to 

 the cultivated grasses." He thinks it might be cul- 

 tivated in this country with profit, as food for ani- 

 mals, as it yields from sixty- five to seventy bushels 

 to the acre. 



Millet is much used in some parts of Europe — 

 England, Germany, and Poland — where it is used 

 as a substitute for rice, sago, or hominy, and also as 

 food for poultry. It requires a warm, sandy, rich 

 soil, which should be well pulverized to a good 

 depth. It is planted in drills, and should be sown 

 the latter part of April, or early in ISIay. Millet 

 was formerly raised to some extent in Pennsylvania, 

 but Avas soon abandoned, not being considered so 

 profitable as some other crops. 



ANIMAL ENJOYMENT. 



Many persons have been puzzled in regard to the 

 cause of some animals being made to subsist on 

 others, as it seems to be a barbarous mode of obtain- 

 ing their sustenance. Those who cannot see why 

 the great fish should eat the little ones, may read 

 with interest the following article fr-om Buckland's 

 Geology : — 

 Aggregate of Aiiimal Enjoyment increased, and that of 



Pain diminished, by the Existence of Carnivorous 



Races. 



The inhabitants of the earth have been divided 

 into two great classes, the one herbivorous, the 

 other carnivorous ; and though the existence of 

 the latter may, at first sight, seem calculated to 

 increase the amount of animal pain, yet, when 

 considered in its full extent, it will be found materi- 

 ally to diminish it. 



"To the mind which looks not to general results in 

 the economy of nature, the earth may seem to pre- 

 sent a scene of perpetual warfare and incessant car- 

 nage ; but the more enlarged view, while it regards 

 individuals in their conjoint relations to the general 

 benefit of their own species, and that of other 

 species with which they are associated in the great 

 family of nature, resolves each apparent case of 

 individual evil into an example of sujbserviency to 

 universal good. 



Under the existing system, not only is the aggre- 

 gate amount of animal enjoyment much increased, 

 by adding to the stock of life all the races which are 

 carnivorous, but these are also highly beneficial even 

 to the herbivorous races, that ai'e subject to their 

 dominion. 



Besides the desirable relief of speedy death on the 

 approach of debility or age, the carnivora confer a 

 further benefit on the species which form their prey, 

 as they control their excessive increase by the de- 

 struction of many individuals in youth and health. 

 AYithout this salutary check, each species would 

 soon multiply to an extent exceeding, in a fatal 

 degree, their supply of food, and the Avhole class of 

 hcrbivora would ever be so nearly on the verge of 

 starvation, that multitudes would daily be consigned 

 to lingering and painful death by famine. All these 

 evils are superseded by the establishment of a con- 

 trolling power in the carnivora ; by their agency, 

 the numbers of each species are maintained in due 

 proportion to one another — the sick, the lame, the 

 aged, and the supernumeraries, are consigned to 

 speedy death ; and while each suffering individual 

 is soon relieved from pain, it contributes its enfeebled 

 carcass to the support of its carnivorous benefactor, 

 and leaves more room for the comfortable existence 

 of the healthy survivors of its own species. 



The same "policy of nature," which is thus bene- 

 ficial to the great family of the inhabitants of the 

 land, is established with equal advantage among tho 



