|>. 4. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



51 



cen they are very dcnr. I would tbcrelbrc BUggest 

 ,t as potatoes are very cheap this year, it would be 

 11 for farmers to try various experiments on this 

 iject. Let them prepare a good even piece of ground, 

 1 mark out the rows equally with a given number 

 mber of hills, then plant each row with a diflerent 

 intity of seed, or with seed cut in a different man- 



for instance, 

 No. 1. Put one whole potatoe in each hill. 

 No. 9. Put two whole potatoes in each hill. 

 No. X Cut the potatoes into two, three, or four 

 rls, and put four pieces in a hill. 

 No. 4. Put one, two, or three of the same pieces in 

 bill. 

 No. 5. Cut off the seed ends and put one piece in 



hill. 

 No. G. 

 No. 7. 



No. 8. 



The same, with two or more in a bill. 

 Cut out single eyes and put two in a bill. 

 The same, with three or four in a bill, &c. 

 In this manner a large patch might be planted, each 

 w in a different manner. The number of the rows 

 id the manner of planting each, should be sot down 

 a memorandum book. Then let them be well cul- 

 vated, and not allowed to be disturbed until harvest, 

 hen each row should be carefully dug and measured, 

 ji id the result given to the public, mentioning the 

 imber and distance of the hills. Care should be ta- 

 rn to have all the seed potatoes of one kind, and 

 3arly of a uniform size; and if the weight of the 

 ^ed put in each row Ctuld be given, it would make 

 le experiment more complete. 



SAitfUEi Strowgek. 

 PenfiM, Feb. lOtk, 1840. 



For tlie IS^cvi Genesee Farmer. 

 Messrs. Editors — The 1st. and 9d. Nos. of the 

 few Genesee Farmer came to hand this evening. I 

 ad passed away some two or three hours very agreca- 

 ly, in reading the views and opinions of others in re- 

 ition to the different branches of farming, when the 

 lought occurred to me that I might contribute my 

 mite" to the pages of your new paper, which, by 

 ic way, I am confident will attain as high a reputa- 

 on, as regards talent and usefulness, as did its prede- 



Reaiinsr Calves. 



For a beginning, I shall be under the necessity of ta- 

 ing an exception to the opinion of "W. S. T.," in re- 

 ation to "skim milk calves." He says, on page 19, "a 

 :alf will live through the summer on skim milk, but as 

 oon as cold weather comes, he will begin to fail, and ten 

 hanccs to one whether he will surtive the ivinter. It 

 8 a very poor plan, in my estimation, to try to bring 

 ip calves on skim milk. They will never look half 

 18 nice as those brought up on sweet milk, or those 

 that suck the cows, nor make half so good cattle at 

 three years old." 



INow, if what "W. S. T." lays down hr fact, be 

 true, there is not a farmer in our section of country, 

 who understands or consults his own interest. All 

 onr calves are what your correspondent would call 

 "skim milk calves;" but I believe tbey pretty genc- 

 mlly survive the winter," and when "three years old," 

 are more than "half as good cattle" as his "sweet 

 milk" calves, or those that have "sucked thecovve." 

 The farmer who keeps cows and rears calves, takes 

 into consideration (or at least ought to) the profit to be 

 derived from them. Making butter and cheese, if 

 rightly managed, is profitable business. But if the 

 calyes are fed on new milk, or suck the cows, the ma- 

 king of butter and cheese must be postponed at least 

 three months, say four. Well, what then? His calves 

 are three or four months old, as the case may be, and 

 look fine — yes, stately and handsome. But that is a 

 long road that never turns. Here the calves are ta- 

 ken from the cows, or, as the saying is, "weaned," 

 "nd are turned out to graze. They have now to get 



their living another way. A change of diet takes 

 place, and a change in the looks of the calves is soon 

 discoverable. The fall arrives, they begin to lose their 

 nice and stately looks; that beautiful symmetry given 

 by a good coat of flesh, gradually disappears; winter 

 now sets in, and the calves that have swallowed so 

 much of the nutricious beverage, milk, are in none 

 too good condition for its pinching cold. 



Now for the other side of the case, to wit., "skim 

 milk calves." They are to be taken from the cows 

 when about one weok old. The milk, for the first 

 and second week, should stand 12 hours. It is then 

 skimmed and scalded. After it has cooled to the 

 temperature of milk from the cow, a handful of ca- 

 noU' is to be added to each calf's mess, which at first 

 should be five or six quarts. This quantity is to be 

 increased as the calf grows older, as judgement will 

 direct. Whey, with shorts or canell added, may be 

 given, after ten or twelve weeks, with good success. 

 Calves, reared in this way, soon forget their dams, be- 

 come docile and manageable, and continue gradually 

 to improve, without any checks or pull-backs; will 

 winter equally as well, and be in as good condition the 

 following spring as those reared according to the direc- 

 tions of "W. S. T." But ibeie is an item yet to be 

 added to the "skim milk calf." The butter or cheese 

 amounts to something. And, in order to be correct, 

 we will allow "W. S. T." a surplus of one-third to 

 add to his; then we shall have the remaining two- 

 thirds. Wo will now suppose the butter or cheese to 

 be worth six shillings per week, and the time fifteen 

 weeks. "W. S. T." will have thirty shillings and 

 we shall have sixty shillings, which will leove thirty 

 shillings in our favor, and this we shall add to the 

 value of our "skim milk calf." 



As it respects shelters for calves, and in fact all oth- 

 er stock, I agree in fidl with "W. S. T." I am 

 abundantly satisfied that they are not only a great sa- 

 ving of fodder, but have a very great tendency to keep 

 the bones or frames of stock, of all kinds, well coated 

 with that very iitdispensable article, flesh. I also 

 agree with him, that farmers are apt to keep too much 

 stock, and consequently they are not sheltered and ta- 

 ken care of in the most profitable manner. The far- 

 mer who manages judiciously, will take into conside- 

 ration the quantity of fodder, or keep, he has on hand, 

 or, at least, intends to have; then calculate the amount 

 of stock this will keep in good condition through the 

 winter. lie will reserve enough of the smaller ears 

 of hie corn to feed his calves regularly once or twice 

 each day, in order to keep their fleeh up, and avoid the 

 disagreeable task of raising than vp ly the tail every 

 time they lie dow n to rest their weary and feeble limbs. 

 His shoats will be supplied with a good comfortable 

 place to lie in; they will bo well fed and kindly treat- 

 ed, when he will have the satisfaction of knowing, that 

 this animal, if rightly taken care of, is not so much of 

 a hog as his appellation generally seems to indicate. — 

 And, in fact, all his stock will be provided with shel- 

 ters, and well fed. Shouldfall farmers thus manage, 

 we should not see so many "pitiable sights," as com- 

 plained of by "W. S. T." Instead of long-haired, 

 raw-boned horses and cattle, lank, lean-looking, 

 squealing hogs, and "eheep with their fleeces almost 

 torn off, others, as the old saying is, 'about ready to 

 kick the bucket,'" we sbotdd have the sleek and 

 prancing steed, the well-proportioned and handsome 

 ox; a good-looking, decent hog; and well-clad and 

 healthy sheep. Happiness and comfort would be dis- 

 pensed to nil the farmer's stock, and he would expe- 

 rience his share in knowing himself to be the dispen- 

 ser of their comfort. CULTOR. 

 *A kin J of fine mill feed ormidlinga. 

 Cai/uga Co., Feb, 2lst., 1840. 



A Large Green House. — The London Ilorticidlu- 

 ral Society are building a Green House, which covers 

 one acre of ground; frame work, iron; cost, .'f 100,000. 



For the New Genesee Farmer, 

 Alauagemeut of Frait Trees. 



Preparing the ground for planting. — The first re- 

 quisite to procure a good orchard is to select a dry 

 piece of land. A sandy loam is preferable, but any 

 land will answer if it is sulficiently dry. The land 

 should be manured, ploughed at least to the depth of 

 one toot, and planted with some hoed crop the year 

 previous to setting the trees. Potatoes are preferable, 

 as they leave the ground well pulverized. 



Trimming the top in transplanting. — Trees when 

 first set should be very cautiously trimmed, and all or 

 nearly all the top should be left the first season. I 

 know that in this particular I differ from the commonly 

 received opinion. But I have learned by sod experi- 

 ence, that cutting off and mutilating the tops at the 

 time of transplanting, retards their growth at least one 

 half, for the first five years. I shall here adduce some 

 reasons why I think it a bad practice, setting aside my 

 experience on the subject'. The leaves of trees and 

 vegetables are the lungs, through which the sap is 

 elaborated and converted into vegetable fibre. This 

 process "consists in the decomposition of carbonic acid 

 ga», is either brought to the leaves by the sap, or ab- 

 sorbed directly by the atmosphere. The substance of 

 all plants is mosdy carbon; and as carbon in its com- 

 mon state, however minutely divided, is mostly taken 

 up by the sap of plants, this most essential ingredient 

 isobtained in the form ol carbonic acid gas, from which 

 the oxygen is separated by the leaves under the action 

 of light, leaving the carbon ready for assimilation or 

 conversion into vegetable fibre." From this state- 

 ment, it will be seen thot the leaves and roots act mu- 

 tually; the one is as necessary as the other to promote 

 the growth of the tree, and without this concert of ac- 

 tion the sap would ascend and descend without adding 

 any thing to the tree ; and when the sap returns with- 

 out being elaborated in the leaves the roots cease to 

 grow, or at least grow very little the first season. 



Washing the trunk. — Trees should be washed an- 

 nually with soft soap, and well rubbed with a woolen 

 cloth. This is the best preparation that I ever tried to 

 destroy lice and give a healthy appearance to the 

 trees. 



Orchards should be well ploughed and planted to 

 some hoed crop for four or five years, A. W. B j 



Erie co. , 1S40. 



For the New Genesee Farmer, 

 Culture of the Bush Cranberry. 



( Vahuriinm oxycocciis. ] 

 Messrs. Editors — It is probably not generally 

 known, that every garden may, with little trouble or 

 expense, be supplied with this valuable fruit. The 

 high bush cranberry is found in many parts of Allega- 

 ny and Cattaraugus counties, and may, with great 

 ease, be transferred from its native forest to the yard 

 or garden. Indeed, I know of no s'urub that bears 

 transplanting equal to this, and have never seen it pla- 

 ced on any soil, wet or dry, sand or clay, where it did 

 not flourish. The shrub so much resembles the snow 

 ball as to be dislingui-3hed from it with great difficulty. 

 A friend of mine once took great pains to procure a 

 fine large snow-ball from an old garden, and was 

 much su, prised, in the next season, with a fine supply 

 of cranberries. The fruit is not at all inferior in fla 

 vor to the cranberry of the swamps, and can be dis- 

 tinguished from it only by a small pit, which, for some 

 uses, makes the swamp cranberry preferable. The 

 fruit grows in large clusters, and will remain on the 

 bush during the winter, and is of a beautiful crimson 

 color. I do not know how extensively this fruit is 

 cultivated in this part of the country; but I never saw 

 it until I came to Allegany. Should you think this 

 shrub unknown to any of your readers, you might 

 confer a favor by publishing this. 



Yours, &c., Allegany Farmeb. 



Angelicn, Allfgnny Co., Feb., 1840, 



