54 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Fictiti3us Sisnatures. 



Il' it were the cuatum in any deliberative assembly 

 —whether nt Wiishinglon or nt Albnny — for the orn- 

 tora to conceal their persona and disguise their voices 

 by speiUing through trumpets, — would their speeches 

 interest the audience as mnch as they do at present ? 



When a person walks in, or sits down in a legisla- 

 tive gallery, is he satisfied to close his eyes and listen 

 to strange voices? Would not the same sentiments 

 and the same a'gumcnts lie more interesting if he 

 knew from ivhosc mouth they proceeded ? Is it not a 

 laudnble curiosity that prompts him when a speaker 

 takes the floor, to ask who he is, and to whom he be- 

 longs ? 



Now as we presume our renders will he willing to 

 concede the right answers to these questions, we will 

 take the liberty to ask another. Would not the anony- 

 mous articles which are found in our columns, he 

 more interesting if we knew who wrote them 1 Wc 

 are free to admit the title of some writeia to conceal- 

 ment, such as our [Fair] correspondents "Annette" 

 and "Fanny;" but to " C. D"— " S. W."— "P'— 

 " B," and many others, whose names if written out 

 would shed a halo round our pages, — we feel unwil- 

 ling to make this concession. We do not insist, in- 

 deed — being gratified to hear from them under any 

 signature — but we hope they will consider how much 

 our interests, and the interests of the community, 

 would be promoted by such disclosures; and how 

 much more eagerly the reader would take up our pa- 

 per to learn something of his old friends and acquain 

 lances. t 



Fur the Ncio Genesee Fame 



Importance of Wheat Culture. 



MussRS. EiiiTons — To improve the true interest of 

 thcfi'Tiiicr, ofany eeuiion of country, you must most 

 surely instruct him in the management of his lands 

 foi- the production of the staple crop of the country, 

 or to the growth of that crop for whiidi his lands are 

 bi.'st adapted, and which will yield him the greatest 

 profit. Ji is well known that our principal profit is 

 produced from our wheat crop. It is the adaptation 

 of our soil to the production of this finest of grain, 

 that Will ever render our lands v.iluable above any 

 others adiip;eJ only to the production of the coarser 

 grains. And accordingly wisdom would dictate that 

 our improvements in agriculture should tend mainly 

 to the increased growth ol' this crop. It is true that 

 e.'iclusive wheat cropping may not be advisable; but in 

 the mnmgcment of our farms we ought to adopt a 

 system of lotation not c.ilcu'nied to interfere with the 

 growth of wheat; but rather to fit and prepare our 

 lands tor the reception of that crop. Smce the set- 

 tlement o( this country perhaps too much attention 

 has been turned to raising wheal, or we may have 

 practised a had system, and thereby drained and ex- 

 hausted our lands in many cases; hut having discov- 

 ered this error, we must not henceforth quit our old 

 crop and bestow our attention on other branches ol 

 farming to the neglect of this. And now, Meseis. Ed- 

 itors, what I would complain of in your paper, is the 

 little attention paid by your agricirltural writers to 

 wheat growing, an I the much to other things of mi- 

 nor importance. Perhaps it is taken for granted by 

 «11, that no information can be imparted to our farmera 

 on this subject. The old motto that "practice makes 

 perfect," I think will hardly apply in this caao; for 

 surely I believe that there are no greater errors com- 

 mitted among us, than in wheat culture; and there 

 is no branch of cropping in which (armera more disa- 

 gree than in this. For example, some think the best 

 time for seeding is the Inst of August and the first ol 

 Septrmber; others think the middle or last of S-p- 

 tembor prefettWe; sjmewdl plough in eeod, others 



harrow in: some think one bushel per acre sufiicient, 

 others two and others three. And also in regard to 

 fallowing, there is much diversity of opinion. Now 

 the-e and many other points which might he mention- 

 ed, are subjects worthy the attention of some of your 

 intelligent, practical, agricultural writers, and subjects 

 vhich might be profitably discussed. If some of 

 your able correspondents will give us a chapter month- 

 ly on the subject of wheat culture, grounded on expe 

 rience and observation, there will be more good result- 

 ing to the farming interest of Western New York, 

 ihan all the articles on ruta baga and mangel wurlzcl 

 that have ever appeared in all the agricultural papers 

 in the Union. Not but that the root culture has its 

 share ot interest and credit, but in this section it is of 

 minor importance; and surely the New Genesee Far- 

 mer ought to be adapted to its location 



Yours respectfully, R. 



We fully agree with the preceding remarks on the 

 importance of the wheat culture, and wc earnestly 

 call upon our correspondents to furnish whatever may 

 be valuable upon the subject. We think however, that 

 the culture of root crops ie quite underrated, as it is on 

 these that the farmer must greatly depend for the suc- 

 cessful and profitable feeding of cattle, and consequent 

 manufacture of manure, that prime mover in good 

 farming, not by any means excepting the culture of 

 wheat itself. 



A premium would have been nflered last year, by 

 the Genesee Agiiculiural Society, for the best wheal 

 crop, bad it not been too late when the list of pre- 

 miums was published. * 



Best Time for cuttiug Timber. 



We suppose another age must pass away before the 

 notion of lunar ivflucnce on timber will be entire'y 

 exploded. When the yielding mind of childhood re- 

 ceives a wrong impression (rom a parent or preceptor, 

 and it is allowed to harden for years before Philosophy 

 attempte to etTace it, argument loo often glances cfl' 

 like water from a goose's back. 



On what does this notion rest ? Why the moon 

 raises tides on the ocean. Admitted; but on whatelee 

 ■s its influence fe't? If it has not room enough M 

 raise tides on our lakes, can it possibly raise tides of sap 

 in the pores of a tree, where a microscope is necessary 

 to discover them ? 



But if it did raise the sap, what advantage could we 

 derive from that knowledge ? It would raise tides 

 every day; and no one particular lime would be better 

 than another. 



It has been handed down to us as a rule worthy of 

 remembrance, that " the old of the moon in February 

 is the best time to cut timber." But why is the oldoi 

 the moon better than the nnc? This question might 

 puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer. The "old of the moon" 

 may come on the first day of the monih; or it may come 

 on the last — it may ililTer a whole monih. The sap 

 iiiny be frozen, and the moon notable to stir a particle. 

 Or can it act on solids as well as fluids 1 If it can act 

 on frozen timber, why not on seasoned timber, or solid 

 rock? We cannot understand such occult principles. 



We admii indeed that the time prescribed may serve 

 well for cutting sojne kinds of timber; but certainly it 

 is not ihe best time to cut all kinds of timber. 



We believe it may be laid down as a maxim that 

 timber is most durable if cut ichen it contains the least 

 sap; and we have no knowledge that sap ever runs 

 from a tree in full leaf. On a former occasion we sta- 

 ted a fact from an observant neighbor that basswood 

 rails which he cut when the sap was in full lluw, .-otted 

 before they seasoned, though immediately laid up in a 

 fence. On the reverse, we have several instances ol 

 timber cut in summer that proved very durable, wiih 

 not one ws9 to tUo contrary. We tfaeiefore infer that 



the gradation from the beet time to the worst is 

 following order: Summer — Autumn — Win 

 limber should be cut in the Spring before the in 

 full leaf. 



Physiologists when treating of the fnnctioi 

 plants, have been too fond of drawing general 

 like other people, from a few obtervatiens. Bei 

 the sap of some trees, flows not in winter, lhcyj| to 

 erroneously concluded it was so with all. The dc- 

 the sugar maple however, flows as soon as the le 

 drop in autumn; therefore to have that timber dun 

 it should be cut when the tree ia in leaf; and as e 

 leaf is employed in pumping out the moisture, ititi 

 be well to let the liee lie unlrimmcd till ihey aie» 

 ered. 



A timber tree may be very valuable or oiher^i 

 according to ihe time of culling il; and in thiscoui 

 where they are growing scarcer every year, it ist 

 e6|)ccially important to have the best informalioi 

 the subject. 



bjsi 



pre" 



Discovery In Sugar Making. 



The following communication came too lale fa> 

 month, but we now insert it, with the hope that pi pi 

 Illy it may not be too late for trial this season, 

 know nothing of the value of the proposed impi 



ment. 



For the Netc Goicsce Farm 



Mkssbs. Editors: — As the time for making iV' 

 Sugar is at hand, I take the liberty of sending fo 

 seition, a very simple plan for clarilyingitand niai 

 a much purer and whiter article than can be dop 

 any other means. For some time the process v 

 secret, it having been accidentally discovered by i 

 mer whose sugar in consequence always comma 

 a higher price and more ready sale than that c 

 neighbors, and who for a long time would not lei 

 method he used be known. 



The story is this: — Having once borrowed a t 

 kettle from u neighbor, on attempting to use i 

 found it leaked from some cracks. Hoping to lei 

 the evil he threw in some Indian meal to fill u 

 cracks and enable him to use il. It did so; audi 

 adonishnient on " sugaring off," he found ai 

 better article than he was in the practice of ma 

 As the corn meal was the only thing he could attr 

 it to, he continued the use of it, and soon ascerti" 

 that it was a very great improvement on thi; con 

 method o''sugar making. 



The receipt is as follows: — To the sap require 

 40 or .50 lbs. of sugar, add about a pint of corn i 

 to be put in while cold and boiled together. 



The above I received casually ^rom a farmer 

 has used the process, and a neighbor of him whc 

 covered it. It is so very simple, and I am indue 

 believe so very efiicacious, that 1 send it for inee" 

 in your valuable paper, with ihe hope that it 

 prove of use to some of your readers. Should an i 

 It, I hope they will let it be known in some fi 

 number, how it succeede J. - VERNE'" 



Cazciiotia, I'cb. 2!>th, 1841. 



For the Keu> Genesee Fam 

 Blue Grass and Quick Grass, (or Couch Gri 



Messrs. EniTons — The prevalence, tenacity, 

 prolific disseminaiion of the grass v\-ell known an 

 us by ihe name of Blue Grass, ( Poa compress 

 the increased expenseaof cultivation, and greati 

 luinished reuirns of product which result Iron 

 presence in our grain fielda and cultivated mead' 

 at once demand, and will repay, the strictest inq 

 is to the most successful means for its preveniio 

 uraelication. 



This graas seems to be the natural or spontan 



rowthof rich, moist land in this country, an 



eeds appear to he thence disseminated by dom 



animals, upon the upland pasture, where tko o\ 



r 



i- 



18 

 !, 



y 



