No. 10. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL, 



149 



be done. Gravel, or any kind of coarse rubbish, will 

 do for filling. There is nothing in stiff clay that we 

 have discovered, unfavorable to fruit trees, — if it be 

 well drained, and kept reasonably mellow near the 

 surface. ' 



Wisconsin and its inducements to Emigrants, 



Messrs. Editors — Havingrccently visited the Ter- 

 ritory of Wisconsin, and examined it with reference 

 to its agricultural importance, I have thought that per- 

 haps a haety sketch of its soil and climate, and its gen- 

 eral inducements to emigrants, might interest the read 

 ere of your journal. Wisconsin lies on tho west side 

 of Lake Michigan, and is bounded west by the Mis- 

 sissippi river, containing an area of land considerably 

 larger than the State of New York, It is at present 

 divided into thirteen counties, only the southern por- 

 tion of it being surveyed and organized into counties. 

 It now contains a population of about 31,000 inhabi- 

 tants, having increased over 12,000 within the last two 

 years. The climate is more temperate than the same 

 latitude in the State of New York ; there is more fair 

 weather, and less rain and enow, than in New York ; 

 from what cause I know not, but the thermometer and 

 tho metereological table kept in the Territory, prove 

 this to be so. E.tperienced agriculturists residing in 

 the Territory, say that the seasons are longer there 

 than in the State of New York, and I am inclined to 

 think this is true, as vegetation was two or three weeks 

 in advance of us when I was there. Wisconsin is a 

 rolling country, in some places hilly, though not too 

 much so. There are scarcely any swamps in it, unless 

 it be in the north part and west of the Wisconsin river. 

 The rivers, creeks, and small lalies, which are nume- 

 rous, contain clear water generally supplied from 

 springs with gravelly bottoms — consequently the in- 

 habitants are not subject to ague and fever or any bil- 

 ious complaints. On the whole, I am of opinion th« 

 Wisconsin possesses a milder and as healthy a climate 

 as that of New York. 



The country generally, with the exception of the 

 Lake shore, consists of prairie and burr oak openings, 

 and the soil is equal probably to any in the world. It 

 consists of a deep sandy loam, easy of cultivation, and 

 produces large crops of wheat, corn, and all of the 

 coarser grains ; the rate of production equals that of 

 the best land in Western New York. There is pro- 

 bably not timber enough in some parts of the territory 

 to supply the wants of the agriculturist, but this can in 

 B great measure be remedied by planting locust and 

 other forest trees, which grow with great rapidity. 

 The chief inducements to emigrants are the cheapness 

 of land, healthy climate, and the facilities with which 

 a farmer can commence operations. Land can be pur- 

 chased second-handed, for from $1 50 to $3 00 per 

 acre ; or at Government price, $1 25 per acre. Far- 

 mers usually contrive to take part prairie and part open 

 ings. Tt costs now $2 50 per acre to break up prai- 

 rie the first time, and after that one team will plough 

 it with ease. The openings are free from underbrush, 

 and the farmers generally girdle the trees, and plough 

 and sow among them without chopping. In this way 

 they get good crops : the trees are about as wide 

 opart as the trees in a common orchard. A farmer 

 arriving in Wisconsin with .$.")00, is about as well off 

 as a farmer here owning a farm worth $3000. Yet I 

 would advise a man who is well enough off where he 

 is, to stay there and let well enough alone. But a mon 

 who hos a large family which he wishes to bring up 

 farmers, or a man who has but little to begin life with, 

 had better emigrate to Wisconsin. I would rather 

 have .'flOO in money in Wisconsin now to start farm- 

 ing with, than $500 here ; the Wisconsin farmer will 

 be the best off in five years. Wisconsin, tOii, has fine 

 openings for mechanics of almost every trade. Its 

 laws are similar to those of this State, with few'ex- 



ceptione. The laws in favor of debtors are rather 

 more liberal : $100 value of the farming utensils of a 

 farmer, are exempt from execution, ond they exempt 

 many articles of furniture which are liable to be taken 

 in this State. There is no imprisonment for debt aris- 

 ing upon contract; the laws in that respect being 

 neorly a transcript from our statutes. 



A farmer wishing to emigrate to Wisconsin, would 

 take a steamboat, brig, or schooner, as the case might 

 be, at Buffalo, and land either at Milwaukie, Racine, 

 orSouthpoit, fRacinc I think the preferable place,) 

 and then go out into the country. Steamboats are 

 usually about five days going round, and sail-craft a 

 few days longer ; or emigrants may go by land, in 

 which case they would go through Michigan to Chi- 

 cago, and then strike into the Territory at any place 

 they might wish. Sail craft are much the cheapest, 

 and are said to be as pleasant and quite as safe as stoam 

 boats. I suppose a family of five or six persons could 

 go round in a brig and bo found, for $30 or $40. In 

 conclusion, I will reiterate, that if a man is well off, 

 stay where he is ; if not, and he is willing to undergo 

 some privations incident to oil new countries, pock np 

 and go to Wisconsin, particularly if he is a farmer or 

 a mechanic. 



Yours very truly, 



-L. H. NICHOLLS, 



Lockport, September 19, 1840. 



We hove this day churned the cream taken from 

 seven days' milk, (14 milkings,) and have the solid 

 satisf action of having fifteen pounds of beautiful but- 

 ter. (This milk remained unskimmed 36 hours.) 

 Young Lily has had no food but grass, and is olwaya 

 in very high condition. 



The above affords one proof of the propriety of se- 

 lecting improved Short Horn or Durham Cows for 

 dairy stock ; of their aptitude to lay flesh at a tery 

 early age on the prime parts, and that more abundantly 

 than in any other breed, I shall say nothing ; as that 

 fact is established wherever they are known. 

 I am, sir, your ob't servant, 



JOHN WETENHULL. 



HanlieloiD Farm, Nelson, Gore District, U. C. 



For lh« ritw Gentsce Farmer. 

 Important ExporimentS"Soaking Seeds. 



Mr. M. B. Bateham — You ask for information 

 respecting the cause of failure of seeds — I therefore 

 send you on account of some experiments made by me 

 the past season. 



I prepared half an acre of land for Mangel Wurtzel, 

 and obtained the seed from your ogent ot Canandaigua. 

 After soaking the seed one day, I commenced sowing; 

 but rain came on, and the soil being rather clayey, it 

 was o whole week before I could sow the remainder. 

 The seed was soaked all this time, and supposing il 

 was spoiled or injured, I sowed it thicker than usual, 

 and had not enough to finish the ground. According- 

 ly I sent to the same place and got more seed, and 

 sowed the remainder without any soaking: so that 

 part of my ground was sown with seed soaked one day, 

 another part one week, and a third part not at all. 



Now for the results: — The part soaked one week, 

 came up first, ond much too thickly; — the part soaked 

 one day, came up slowly and very thinly; while the 

 port not soaked, did not come up at all. Thus show- 

 ing conclusively, the necessity of thoroughly soaking 

 these seeds, and the little danger there is to be appre- 

 hended from soaking too long. I am confident that 

 inattention to this subject, is the most frequent cause 

 of the failure of the Mangel Wurtzel and Sugar Beet 

 eeeds. Respectfully Yours, 



A. B. RAPALJEE. 

 West Farmington, Chit, co., Sept., 1840. 



Improved Short Horn, or Durham Cow, 

 " Y'oung Lily." 



Editors of New Genesee Farmer. — Gentlemen 

 I beg to give you the following information, respect- 

 ing a thorough-bred improved Short Horn or Durhom 

 Cow, of the most esteemed blood ; in case you may 

 think it worthy of a plocc in the New Genesee Farmer, 

 which is extensively circulated in this neighborhood. 



"Young Lily," now four years old, has given 

 from twenty-six to thirty and a half quarts of milk per 

 day, since the 29th day of last July. In August the 

 milk she gave in seven days (14 miUiings) was kept 

 separate from the milk of the other cows, and the 

 cream, when churned, produced eleven and a holf 

 pounds of butter. The weather was then so hot that 

 the milk was allowed to stand only 24 hours. 



Cultivation of Dactylis, Glomerata or Orchard 



Grass. 



Messrs. Editors. — Gentlemen — In answer to the 

 enquiries of Sereneus, in his interrogatories through 

 the medium of your journal, I beg leave to remark 

 that I have been in the habit of cultivating the Or- 

 chard Grass, both for seed and hay, for the last 25 

 years, and am of the full conviction that it stands as 

 high for hay or feed as ony other. As to the soil best 

 adapted to its growth, I conceive that moist rich loom 

 is the best ; but I have found that when I have sown 

 it among other grasses for pasture, it grows luxuriantly; 

 and in cases of severe drought, when all other grasses 

 are apparently dead, this stands the best, being all the 

 time green and fresh. The best time for sowing the 

 seed, I conceive to be about the middle of July or first 

 of August, as probably Nature directs this the best time 

 for sowing, when the seed comes to maturity, which 

 is about that time, or earlier, — to be dragged in on 

 mellow land, — yet I have always stocked in the spring 

 with oats, at the rate of a bushel to the ocre, ond if the 

 oats are not too heavy it generally grows well. Its 

 value for hay, I think, stands as high as any other 

 grass, ond for feed and the second crop it stands pre- 

 eminent, as it comes forword earlier in the spring and 

 holds out longer in the fall. On my farm in Connec- 

 ticut, from whence I removed this spring, I usually c«, 

 from two and o half to three tons per acre, exclusive of 

 the seed which I reaped before mowing in the same, 

 manner as I would wheat, and generally secured from 

 15 to 20 bushels of seed to the acre. The second crop 

 yields from one and a half to two tons per acre. 



1 know not how this grass will grow in this country, 

 but I doubt not that the soil here is admirably adapted 

 to its growth, as the land is rich, and in my opinion 

 will grow well almost every kind of gross that the 

 farmer may wish to cultivate. I brought with me a 

 siuall lot of seed, and stocked lost spring with oats 

 about on acre of land ; and the result is I have a fine 

 piece of orchard gross, which is coming forward to my 

 entire satisfaction. I intend to save seed enough next 

 year to stock more, and furnish my neighbors some 

 should they wish. In conclusion, I would advise 

 "Sereneus" to try this kind of grass, and presume 

 he will find it for his interest to grow it for both paa- 

 lure and hay. 



ZECHARIAH CONE. 



Bataria, September, 1840. 



R(7)iarks. — The increasing numbcrof our able cor- 

 respondents must be highly gratifying to our reoders, 

 as well as encouraging to ourselves. We are much in- 

 debted to Mr. Cone for his valuable communication. 

 Will be have the goodness to stole in our next what 

 quantity of orchard grass seed is requisite for an acre, 

 and whether ony preporotion is necessary to ensure its 

 vegetation ? — Eds. 



Frost. — We have hod but one visit from Jack Frost 

 this fall as yet, and that was very slight on the morn, 

 ing of Sept, 21. 



