88 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 3. 



ROCHESTER, JUNE, 1842. 



Acknowledgements to Correspondents. 



Cast Iron Sun Dial.. — We acknowledge wilh pleas- 

 ure an Iron Sun Dial from Sheldon Moore of Ken- 

 sington, Conn. It is well cast and neatly graduated, 

 and may be confidently recommended to farmers, w!io 

 now go by a V2 o'clock mark, and some of wliose 

 wooden clocks from the land of steady habits are quite 

 sure to be right twice in twenty-four hours, because 

 they politely wait for the hour to come up to them. 

 Heaven sends to man no more beneficent monitors than 

 tliose which mark the flight of liours. They seem 

 eometimes very unseasonable and often sad, but always 

 useful counsellors. 



Subsail Ploughing. — S. A. inquires what is subseil 

 ploughing, and if it is any thing more than ploughing 

 a field deeper than it was ever ploughed before "! Sub- 

 soil ploughing consists first in making a furrow with a 

 conmion plough, say six or seven inches deep, and then 

 following in the same furrow with a plough construct- 

 ed f»r the purpose without a mould board, which shall 

 effectually loosen the ground eight or ten inches deeper 

 without bringing it upon the surface. By this process, 

 especially connected with a thorough system of under 

 ground draining, the whole land beuig loosened to a 

 depth of sixteen or eighteen inches, all superfiuous 

 moisture is carried off, air and warmth are admitted 

 into tile soil, by which vegetation is greatly advanced, 

 the roots of the plants more easily extend themselves, 

 and portions of the lower soil being gradually brought 

 to the surface, the whole becomes by degtces enriched 

 under the action of the atmosphere, and by cultivation. 



Remedy for Healed Cattle. — S. A. recommends 

 when an ox suffers by heat, to throw salt down his 

 throat at the rate of a pint per day, and to do this day 

 after day, until the ox has quit complaining. This 

 would be effectual without doubt ; but would it not be 

 quite as well to salt him regularly in the barrel 1 This 

 giving a sick animal medicine until he has done com- 

 plaining reminds us of the practice of some physicians, 

 (Gluack doctors beyond all doubt and none of the Med- 

 ical Society,) who succeed \i\ stopping ail complaints 

 but those of the heirs of their patients when their bill 

 comes to be presented. It is somewhat akin to De 

 Foe's Short Method with the Dissenters, recommended 

 to the dignitaries of the established church, which ad- 

 vised to hang than all. 



Social Evils. — The communication of Veritas upon 

 Social Evils is under advisement. Her politeness is re- 

 spectfully acknowledged. Her views are strong ; in 

 the main just; but if she gives us a third specimen of 

 her quality after this fashion, we shall set her down as 

 an arrant scold ; the last thing that would ever Ci^me 

 into our heads, when we look in her face and hear the 

 natural tones of her gentle and musical voice. She 

 charges us with deficiency of hope and want of trust 

 in Providence. We have trusted in Providence all oiu' 

 lives, but still don't find things come out just as we 

 would like to have them. The reason, we believe, is 

 that our views do not exactly accord with those of 

 Providence. Had ve made the world we would have 

 had no storms, no night, no sickness, no sin, no suffer- 

 ing, no death. But Providence permits all these things, 

 which we call evils. Many people often ask us, can't 

 you trust in Providence to put an end to war, and sla- 

 very, and drankenness, and oppression 1 We could, 

 U Providence would regulate it« mea3Vir«8 by our e»a- 



ceited wisdom ; but what folly and presumption and 

 mailness to expect this ! As these things have been 

 suffered to prevail ever since man was created, experi- 

 ence certainly gives us no reason to suppose that they 

 will not continue as long as man continues to exist. 

 We will contend against existing evils as long as we 

 can and with what little strength we have, and be 

 thankful when the sun breaks through the thick cloud 

 and cheers us with a spot of light, if no bigger than the 

 palm of our hands ; but we confess, after the experi- 

 ence of more than half a century, it is almost hope 

 against hope, and is somewhat like a man's venturing 

 into the rapids of Niagara. If by chance he gets back 

 with his life, he is sure to come out dripping and bruis- 

 ed ; but he is most likely to be carried down by the 

 torrent, which seems destined to flow on, who can say 

 how long, in all its violence, turmoil and frenzy. 



Zelia has fled and is clearly guilty of a breach of 

 promise. If we had her true name we should find a 

 legal remedy. But like a South American belle, she 

 wraps herself in lier incognito. With our friend W. 

 B. it is clearly a dead shot. His chaniicd imagination 

 has invested her with every thing beautiful and celes- 

 tial. It is cruel thus " to strike and conceal the hand." 



To W. C. Ws inquiries respecting the plan of build- 

 ing described in our April number, vje answer, 



1st, It would undoubtedly he better to have the lum- 

 ber well seasoned on account of the plasteritig. 2d, 

 Boards 11-2 inch in thickness would answer as well as 

 inch boards, — the thinner the boards undoubtedly the 

 firmer the work. 3d, We are not prepared to say that it 

 Would not be equally well to lay the boards in lime 

 mortar as to nail them j but have not seen it done. It 

 strikes us favorably. 



Flora in reply to Zclia, J. S. D.on Condition of the 

 Fanners, Turnipseed, Inquiries respecting Wher.t, 

 J. R. B. on Silk Culture, S. C. L. on Threshing Ma- 

 cliines, J. W. S.'.-; second valuable communication, B. 

 M.'s remarks on Condition of English Farmers, in- 

 quiry respecting While Daisy, J. Mc. L.'s inquiries re- 

 specting Stearine from Lard, J. C. on the same sub- 

 ject, A. G.'s plan of a Cheap House, B. K. D.on 

 Pruning, and various other favors, which we have no 

 room even to particularise, are necessarily excluded by 

 the press of matter previously received. We shall do 

 what we ca n to clear the docket at the next session of 

 the court, and hope our friends will give us many new 

 cases. 



Plagiarism or Poaching; or iu the language of 

 the Coves, Lifting, 



The Farmer's Gozeiie in Cuiiii., publishes, wiih- 

 out the customary credit a long article, which cost us 

 some pains to prepare, on, raiting ludinu Corn for 

 fodder. This is soon after copied into t'.ie American 

 Farmer as from the Connecticut Fiirmer's Gazette, 

 and now renripeara in the Southern Agriculuuist un- 

 der the same head. This is all very graiilying to our 

 self estfem and our honest desire to be useful. As tu 

 its moral liearinge, we mean the rules of editorial 

 courtesy and jusiice, we submit to the honest judg- 

 ment of those who are taken in the fact. 



We have been honored in a similar way recently 

 by our good I'liends the Family Visitor and the Boston 

 Cultivntor, which they will probably set down to the 

 head of fair cousining ; and, as being all in the fami- 

 ly, we will not complain. Even the old honest New 

 England Former has got some few spots upon its 

 hands. We sny this in the most civil and friendly 

 manner ; and so sure as wp should unfortunately dis- 

 cover that we have disturbed a single live hornet, we 

 shall beat a retreat ; and to those who have taken 

 away our coat we shall surrender our clonk tko. 



But this is not the whole of it. If we were intro- 

 duced to the public only under such honorable auspi- 

 ces, we shr.idd not be so much disturbed by it ; but 

 when the beUvvethersjump over the fence, all tharest ' 



of the mution-henda loUow. Bo our old clothes me 

 at Inst hung out at every Jev/'a stall in the coiuiiry, 

 and represented as bran-new and of the laiiEt foehion, 

 without a worfl being said of the real stitcher, nor 

 even of the goose that pieeeeJ them. Now all this 

 is very comfoiting to one's vanity, but it does not but- 

 ter poor Snip's bread. 



Sometimes in such cases we thiiiU that our wares, 

 poor Be they may be, are iilie the sheep upon the 

 island of Nantucket, where in shearing and killing 

 time, like gentlemen among the umbrellas and hats at 

 the close of a fashionable party, the propretora go 

 upop the rule of taking the best until all ore gone. 

 Gentlemen I in all coses cf future appropriation, we 

 beg of you to look at the ear-marks. For ourselves, 

 we belong to the non-resistants, and shall knowingly 

 go upon no marauding expedition. We shall sail 

 under no pirate's flag, though the agricultural sea ia 

 now covered with the noblest barks, spreading their 

 canvas to the breeze and laden with the richest car- 

 goes. We navigate only a humble coasting sloop, 

 wilh a bit of bunting at the mast head merely for a 

 weathercock. We mean to carry an assorted Con- 

 necticut variety cargo of nicknocke, useful in a lamily 

 way, but no wooden nutmegs or bnsswood melon 

 seeds ; and if any of our good friends desire any of 

 our humble wares for use or disposal, they are wel- 

 come to any or all of them, if they will not tear off 

 the shop bill. We hope we shall not give offence; 

 but for fear, we can only add, '• Rips mended gratis." 

 Analysis of Soils. 



G. W. of Northbridge, inquires as to the anolyeis 

 of soils. We are entirely satisfied that no common 

 farmer can undertake successfully this difficult chemi- 

 cal investigation. Davy has given s.ime directions 

 for doing it in bis Lectures and Chapial in bis valua- 

 ble treatise on Agricultural Chemistry, but neither of 

 them io deemed satisfactory or accurate by modern 

 Chemists. Dr. C, T. Jackson has treated to the 

 subject in his Geological Survey of Rhode Island. It 

 requires apparatus, preparation, and practical skill 

 quite beyond the reach of persons who liave not mode 

 chemistry matter of long, careful study and practical 

 application. We want, therefore, a State Chemist, 

 whose business it shall be to exomine, chemicolly, 

 soils which may be sent to him. But in order to un- 

 derstand how much valuable knowledge even the 

 most common farmer con acquire of the nature of dif- 

 feient,soils, we would refer our correspondent to n 

 ircBWse on the physicol properties of soils in the sec- 

 ond number, vol. 1. p. 177, of he 'IronsoctiouB of 

 the British Royol Agricultural Society, This is a 

 paper o< very great value, oiid there are severol others 

 relating to the same or kindled topics in the same 

 excellent work, which has now reached to its third 

 volume. The paper to which we refer is practical as 

 well OS scientific, and has likewise the great merit of 

 being intelligible. We ehall presently give it to our 

 readers. 



For various reasons, which we shall some time 

 give more at large, we have net the same confident 

 anticipations of extraordinary benefits to be denred 

 Irom ihe chemical analysis of soils, which many per- 

 sons look for, unless by a process not yet adopted, we 

 first ascertain what the soil contains before the plant is 

 grown in it, and what it contains afterwards, that we 

 may if possible, determine what the plant has taken 

 from it. But the great difficulty iB,that in the piocefs 

 of analysing the soil, filtering, drying, burning, aiid- 

 so-forth, many subtle matters entliely escape ; and 

 such new orrongements and combinations loke place, 

 that from the condition to which it is then reduced, 

 it isdifliciilt to determine what it was or how it opera- 

 ted in its original condition. We aniicipate most val- 

 uable results from the analysis of crops and manures, 

 and much fiem the analysis of eoils, but what baa 



