104 



Til E N E W G EN E S E E FARMER, 



Vol. 1 



Brief Hints for the Month. 



The chief bueineee of spring, as every fanner knows, 

 is to get the seed of his crops into the ground. But 

 many do not appear to understand the importance ol 

 taking care of those crops ofter«ards. It would be as 

 absurd to suppose that a crop could be had without 

 planting, as that a good one could be obtained without 

 any subsequent labor. 



A herd of cattle breaking into a corn field and des- 

 troying a quarter of the crop, is n grievous misfortune; 

 but an army of iceeds in lull possession, deetroying 

 three quarters, ia patiently endured. 



The farmer spends a month of weary labor, in 

 ploughing his field, harrowing, manuring, ridging, 

 and planting; and then loses the avails of most of his 

 labor by omitting a thorough e.\pulsion of these silent 

 but voracious intruders. It is as great a cost of land 

 and manure, to raise a weed as to raise a useful plant. 

 Let not the fanner the'efore expend his resources for 

 the production of the former. 



Many who have clean corn fields, neglect their pas- 

 tures. Mulhns ai\d field-thistles often over-run them. 

 They may be extirpated with little cost and great prof- 

 it; and when once the land is cleared of them lUey are 

 kept out with little labor. 



Canada thistles, St. John's wort, and other weeds of 

 this class, may be destroyed by deep ploughing, as di- 

 rected last month. 



Grass for hay, beaten down by rain, should be cut 

 early, before it becomes mouldy, decayed, and unpal- 

 otable. But other grass should stand until^ the seed 

 approach maturity, as the hay will then be tweeter, 

 more tender, more nutricious, and be more easily dried. 



Clover hay should be but slightly dried in the sun, 

 and the remainder of the curing performed by putting 

 it up in small cocks, so that it may heat very slightly, 

 to be turned when ncoessnry. Exposure to dciv, so 

 injurious to clover hay, is thus avoided; and the thin 

 leaves and succulent stem become equally dried togeth- 

 er. The labor of spreading is also saved. 



Every farmer shojdd have a horse rake, and as 

 soon think of being without a plough, as without one. 

 The horse rake possesses nearly the same advantages 

 over the hand rake, as the plough over the hoe in 

 breaking up a field. 



Let all farm implements, when not in actual use, be 

 kept from sun and rain. The sim cracks the wood and 

 the rain soaks and rots it, and they last not one quar- 

 ter the time that good care would insure Some far- 

 mers thus pay fifty dollars a year, ncedlessli/, in the 

 purchase and repair of wagons, carts, ploughs, har- 

 rows, hoes, spades, cultivators, &c., &c. * 



four times, by mixing our seed, half new and half 

 old, (the new coming up a day quicker than the old;) 

 these four coming up give it so many chances for esca- 

 ping the (ly, it being often seen that the seed sown 

 over night will be destroyed by the fly, when that 

 sown the next morning will escape; and rica rersa ; 

 or you may hoe plough them when you sec the fly is 

 like to destroy them; this will bury the greatest part 

 of them; or you may drill in another row, without 

 new-ploughing the land. 



**This method hos also another advantage of esca- 

 ping the fly, t/ic most certain of mnj otJier, and ivfiilU- 

 Me, if the land be made fine as it ought to be; thisis 

 to roll it with a heavy roller across the ridges, after it 

 is drilled, and closing up the cavities of the earth, pre- 

 vents the fly's entrance and exit, to lay the eggs, hatch 

 or bring forth the young ones to prey upon the tur- 

 nips, which they might entirely devour if the fly came 

 before they eat more than the two first leaves, which 

 being formed of the very seed itself, ore very sweet; 

 but the next leaves arc rough and bitter, which the fly 

 does not love." 



The author remarks ihot he has seen drilled turnip 

 seed, when put in at diircrent depths, as above stated, 

 "come up daily for a fortnight together;" and that he 

 has had the first that came up all destroyed by the fly, 

 "and about a fortnight after more have come up and 

 been hoed lime enough, end made a good crop." 



Rolling, withoutdoubt, isoneof the most elficacious 

 modes, perhaps the most so, to prevent the ottacke of 

 the fly; but where the soil is in any degree of an ad- 

 hesive nature, caution is needed that it be not done 

 when the ground is too wet, or it will become too 

 much packed and hardened; though the subsequent 

 passing of the cultivator between the drills, wotild les- 

 sen the evil by rendering it mellow. 



The preceding remarks, our readers will doublees 

 understand, were intended to apply to the flat and 

 globe turnips, and not to the rutabaga. Some advan- 

 tageous hints, however, in the culture of the latter 

 might be derived from them. * 



The Turnip Fly. 



The following remarks, copied from the old and cel- 

 ebrated work on drill-husbandry, by Jethro Tull, con- 

 tain some excellent hints, and may be ot value to 

 those at this season, who are about to sow crops of tur- 

 nips. 



" When 1 sowed turnips by hand, and hoed them 

 with n hand-hoe, the expense v/as great, and the ope- 

 ration not half performed, by the deceitlulness of the 

 hoers, who left half the land unhoed, and covered it 

 with earth from the part they did hoe, and then the 

 grass and weeds grew the faater. 



" When I drilled upon the level, at three feet inter- 

 vals, a trial was made between those turnips and a field 

 of the next neighbor's, sown at the same time, where- 

 of the hand-hoeing cost ten shillings per acre, and hod 

 not qii'te half the crop of the drilled, both being mea- 

 sured by the bushel, on purpose to find the dilTcrcnce. 



" 111 the new method they are more certain to come 

 up quickly; because in every row half the seed is 

 plantrd about four inches deep, and the other half is 

 planted exactly over that, at the depth of half an inch, 

 falling in after the earth has covered the first half. — 

 Thus planted, let the weather be never so dry, the 

 deepedt seed will come up; but if it raineth, the shal- 

 low will come up first: we also make it come up at 



liightuing Rods. 



While some important requisites are neglected in 

 the construction of lightning rods, much poins are ta- 

 ken with what is entirely unnecessary. Among un- 

 necessary particulars, we may mention the practice of 

 employing glass supj orts to connect it with the build- 

 ing. Well painted wood is much better and cheaper. 

 Glass, when wet, as it always is in a storm, conducts as 

 well as wood. Wood is much stronger, and by 

 it the rod may be held at a greater distoncc from the 

 building. If the rod is continuous throughout, ond 

 penetrates the ground far enough, the electric fluid in 

 all coses, must go directly to the earth, without pas- 

 sing in any other course. It chooses the most direct 

 channel and the best conductor. Hence a heavily char- 

 ged jar, may be discharged by a rod held in the naked 

 hand, without the latter being ofiected in the slightest 

 degree. But the hand is a much better conductor than 

 dry, painted wood. 



Among important requisites neglected, ia suflicient 

 height. A rod will safely protect a surface whose di- 

 ameter is four times the height of the rod above it. — 

 Thus, a rod placed in the middle of a building, /or((/- 

 cighi feet long, should ripe ttrclrc feet above it. 



"The rod should eyilt.r the earth at least five feet 

 and terminate in a bed of charcoal, which is a good 

 conductor. The bfet and most convenient way is to 

 dig a trench five or six feet deep, extending a few feel 

 from the building, and place in the bottoma few bush- 

 els of charcoal." 



If the point at the upper extremity of the rod be al- 

 ways s/iar/;: if the rod be continuous throughout, hy 

 being screwed and not mere\y linked together; and if it 

 terminate ol some feol below the surface, so as always 

 to be in moist earth; it will discharge on electrified 

 c\oud silenllij, and without explosion, in the same way 

 that a pointed wire discharges silenllv an electric bol- 

 ter v. 



Paint prcEerves a lightning rod from rust, and does 

 not diminish in the least its conducting power. * 



Electricity vs. Oak Trees. 



Wc moke a remark which should have been appen* 

 ded to the extract with the above leading, in another 

 column. We do not doubt that oak trees may be 

 struck more frequently than other trees. Whether it 

 be owing to their situation on hill tops, to their greater 

 height, or to their better conducting power, we cannot 

 positively assert. That the oak contains iron, is quite 

 new to us; and if thot be octually the case, it could not 

 much, if any, increase its conducting power. Unless 

 it were in an uncombined metallic state, which none 

 we presume will assert, its conducting power would be 

 very imperfect. Its oxide are non-conductors, and 

 its salts arc imperfect conductors; and the small quan- 

 tity of either could not have much effect on the con- 

 ducting power of the tree. * 



The Flotiers of Summer. 



At the commencement of summer, the Bractal or 

 Caucasian poppy is unquestionably the most showy 

 plant in the garden. Ten stalks from one root, nearly 

 four feet high, bearing flowers of the brightest crimson 

 which may be spread from six to eight inches wide, — 

 is no common object. It is p.-rennial. Another pe- 

 rennial species of the genus /"(/ymrcr is very brilliant, 

 but a little later in coming into bloom. This is the 

 Oriental Poppy with flowers of a bright orange color, — 

 less in size ond lees In height, but very ornamental. 



We like those Roses best that ore not much disposed 

 to fill the ground with suckers ; and such as may be 

 distinguished ufar off — not requiring a close inspection 

 to find out how they difl'er from their associates. The 

 following sorts possess those properties ; 



The Harrison is the earliest double rose in our bor- 

 ders, of a light yellow, and continues long in bloom. — 

 It is toll, and may be a hybrid from the single yellow or 

 the sweet brier, as the leaves are slightly scented. If 

 wc were to cultivate but three roses this should be one. 

 The (single) 7'cd and yellow Austrian is not to be 

 mistaken for any other kind ; and comes nearer to a 

 scarlet than any rose that we have seen. It is much 

 admired. 



The Caroline rose is the most graceful in our pos- 

 session ; somewhot globidar, and rarely displaying its 

 centre. The flowers of a pale red, are numerous ; but 

 stand apart on its long slender stems. It is quite hardy 

 here, though the seedling of a China rose ; and came 

 to us only second-hand from her who raised it, and in 

 honor of whom it was named. 



The Champncy another offspring of the Chino rose, 

 though Ices hardy than the former, has done well in 

 the open border. Under the snow it is safe, and our 

 coldest weather generally comes wiien it is covered ; 

 but if its stems should be damaged, it sends up new 

 stalks with great vigor, which soon come into bloom. 

 Like others of the same species, it flowers all summer 

 and through most of autumn. 



A tea rose, light bluch, and ^i the most delicate fra- 

 grance, abides the winter without injury in a covered 

 border, — as well as the Grctille rose, the multijlora, 

 and seve.'-al others of this tender elosa. 



The double sicect brier (so called) with petals a littlo 

 marbled, la a fine rose. The moss rose is always ad- 

 mired. The Belle Alimnce marked with white streaks, 

 is unique. The tall Idush, the hardy red monthly, 

 the cabbage rose, the double irhit£, the Labrador, the 

 royal Prorcnce, the single yellow, the maiden's blush, 

 and several others of uncertain name, are also good 

 plants for the border, ond add greatly to its beauty and 

 variety. 



There ore many other kinds in request, however, 

 such as the burning coal, the black Tuscan, the bumrJ- 

 learrd. &c. &<•. &■<■. besides the i^cotrh roses, which 



