THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. 



•^CkC^ 



establish upon a firmer bnsis the true progress find 

 growth of the city. It will have much to cohqucr in 

 the natunil infelicities of its location. The expenses 

 of filling it up to a griiile that will odinit of drainage, 

 must boar heavily upon property at present unproiluc- 

 tive, the owners of which will find themselves heavily 

 taxed for its improvement, and it must be something 

 of a burden even in the streets now most closely and 

 handsomely built. 



How Much Clover Seed will you Bequire next Spring. 



Now — yes, tiow— is the time at which this question 

 can be determined to the greatest advantage by thoso 

 who propose to raise their own supply of seed. If a 

 farmer has any clover growing on his own land, as all 

 who manage well do have every year, then he can 

 scarcely ever do better with at least a part of the land 

 in this crop, than to raise his own supply of seed for 

 the coming season from it. There may bo, doubtless, 

 exceptions to this general rule, as there are to almost 

 every rule of the kind. 



Taking it for granted, then, that every farmer does, 

 or at least should, sow clover every spring on all hind 

 with wheat and barley crops — (it may be risked also 

 with oats sometime.':, though there is a eonsidorablo risk 

 of failure) — and that it is better on several accounts 

 to raise his own seed than to buy, a good maniiger will 

 determine quite early in the season how much he will 

 be likely to want, and how his supply of seed for the 

 succeeding spring is to be provided. Let us take the 

 case of one on a farm of medium size, say of eighty 

 acres. Such a one will, probably, have fifty or si.\ty acres 

 under cultiviition, and will put about a fourth part 

 of the whole into wheat each year. Taking one year 

 with another, he will require clover seed enough for 

 twelve or fifteen acres, and as from three to four bush- 

 els of seed per acre may be reckoned upon ae an ave- 

 rag"rop, and as iX is better to sow us much as fifteen 

 pounds of seed ou an acre than any less, it is obvious 

 that between one and two acres must be devoted to the 

 raising of the seed that will bo needed for the spring 

 seeding of fifteen acres. 



The patch of an acre or two which is devoted to 

 raising the supply of seed for the next spring, should 

 be treated somewhat better, and somewhat differently 

 from the rest of the land in clover, in order to secure 

 first-rate seed. We need not insist upon the import- 

 ance of having clover seed, and all other seeds, as fully 

 matured and as nearly perfect us possible. Wo assume 

 that this matter is well known, and farther that it is 

 also known that frost chocks the growth of this seed, 

 and that full, plump, and perfect seeds cannot reason- 

 ably be expected in the second growth of the season, 

 if ihe first one was very luxuriant or cut rather late 

 in the season. To avoid those sources of injury to the 

 seed, the patch devoted to raising it should have the 

 first growth of the season cut quite early, or be pas- 

 tured until about the last of May or first of June, so 

 that the second crop may have full opportunity for the 

 perfect elaboration and maturing of the seed, before 

 that essential process is arrested by early frosts. To 

 contribute still farther to having the seed as well filled 

 and as perfect as possible, the patch devoted to this 

 purpose should have a top-dressing of liquid manurq 

 or guano, or well-rotted barn-yard manure, as soon as 

 the first growth is removed. The land may be in good 

 heart enough to perfect the seed without any such as- 

 sistance, but so important is it to have the seeds plump 

 and well matured, that some of the best farmers make 

 it a general practice to give the patch on which they 

 propose to raise seed for their own use, a top-dres.sing 

 with some kind of manurial matter. The kind of ma- 

 nure to be applied will be determined by various cir- 

 cumstances, nothing, however, being better (when a 

 large garden watering engine, or an old hogshead fit- 

 ted up on a cart or wagon, with a perforated tube, can 

 be had,) than two or three applications of liquid ma- 

 nure from a tank, or made otherwise, immediately af- 



ter removing the first crop. Droughts are not uncom- 

 mon at this time of the year, and the roots loft open 

 and exposed to a scorching sun, do not readily put 

 forth any new foliage or commence the second growth. 

 In such a rtate of things, a top-dressing of well-rotted 

 manure will partially mulch the land, as well as en- 

 rich it, if the mnnuriiil matter could only be washed 

 out of it into the land by either a natural or artificial 

 watering. 



The object of all such applicotions is to secure an 

 early start for the second growth which is to yield the 

 seed, and to furnish the plants with the elements ne- 

 cessary for the elaboration of the seed in the most per- 

 fect form. Plaster, it is now pretty generally admit- 

 ted, docs not favor the early maturing, nor the plump- 

 ness or perfectness of the seed. It is supposed to fa- 

 vor the growth of the foliage at the expense of the 

 seed and of its early ripening. 



Thoso who require only a few bushels of seed will do 

 as well to sow it in the chafi' as to have all the dusty 

 ond dirty job of threshing and cleaning their seed, and 

 the expense of a machine besides. Those requiring 

 larger quantities will generally prefer to have it thresh- 

 ed and cleaned by a machine. 



Chemical Composition of Wheat Flour. 



AMOUNT OF NUTniTmrS ELKMKNT3 IN BOLTED AMD UH 

 nOLTED FLOUK, COMPARATIVELY. 



A series of experiments has bocn made by Mr. J. B. 

 Lawes and Dr. J. H. fiiLDERT, for the object of deter- 

 mining the comparative amountof nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid, Ac., in flour of diflToront degrees of fineness, or, 

 in other words, in superfine flour, fine flour, and that 

 which contained more or less branny matter. From 

 the results of these experiments published in the Quar- 

 terly Journal of the Chemical Society, (London,) for 

 April lust, it appears that the per centago of nitrogen 

 was about onoe and a half as great in the bran as in 

 the finer flours. Even after including all the coarser 

 portions of flour which are usually considered fit for 

 bread-making, still the excluded branny parts contain- 

 ed considerably higher per centages of nitrogen. 



Turning to the ashts of the respective products of 

 ground wheat, there was found to be a much larger 

 proportion of matter insoluble in acid in those of the 

 finer flours than in those of the coarser brans. On the 

 other hand, there was considerably the highest per 

 centage of phospfioric acid in the ash of the brans. 

 The magnesia was also the higher in the ash of the 

 brans ; and the potash and lime the higher in that of 

 the flours. The proportion in which the more impor- 

 tant constituents of wheat are contained severally in 

 the usually edible flours, and in the branny matter, 

 was found to bo, on an average, about as follows : — In 

 the flours commonly considered fit for bread, nearly 

 three-fourths of the total, nitrogen ; about one-third or 

 two-fifths of the total, mineral matter, and only about 

 one-third of the total, phosphoric acid. Notwithstand- 

 ing the higher per centage of nitrogen, and the large 

 actual amounts of the mineral constituents of the grain 

 contained in the branny portions, the writers of the 

 paper were of opinion that such wore the effects of the 

 branny particles in increasing the perist.iltic move- 

 ments of the bowels, and thus clearing the alimentary 

 canal more rapidly of its contents, that it was ques- 

 tionable whether in the generality of coses, more nu- 

 triment would not be lost to the system by the admis- 

 sion into the food of the imporlectly divided branny 

 pa tides, than would be gained by the introduction into 

 the body in connexion with these irritating or cathartic 

 particles, of a larger amount of supposed nutritious 

 matters. The action alluded to, tbalris, tho well-known 

 effects of unbolted flour in increasing the frequency of 

 the movements of the bowels, may indeed be conducive 

 to health with those of a sluggish habit, the sedentary, 

 or the over-fed ; but-with those who do not come under 

 either of these descriptions or classes, the benefits de- 

 rivable from the use of unbolted or Graham flour, 

 especially in those whose diet is in other respects innu- 



tritious or scanty, maybe more than counter-balanced 

 by its tendency to irritate or quicken the movements 

 of the bowels. 



From another set of experiments, it appears that 

 the average yield of bread, with flours of varying fine- 

 ness, was rather more than 135 for every 100 of flour. 

 The nverngo of nineteen experiments with fine flour, 

 composed of the products of the first three wires mixed 

 together, gave a produce of about 137^ of bread for 

 every 100 of flour. Of 100 parts of bread, about 03 

 wore dry substance, and 37 water. Bakers' loaves pro- 

 cured in the country, gave an average of 62 per cent, 

 of dry substance and 38 of water, while loaves procur- 

 ed in London gave rather more than 64 of dry matter 

 and 36 of water, within twelve hours of its being with- 

 drawn from the oven. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



No. IS-Graashoppeie. 



BcoTT CocNTT, UiNK., June 8,| 1867. 



Messrs. Tucker & Sox— The subject of ail our 

 inquiry and solicitude at this time, is Grasshoppers. 

 I have enclosed several specimens for examination. 

 Wo want to know what to expect of them for the fu- 

 ture. The history of them here, as far as known, is 

 that the last of August last year, full-grown grass- 

 hoppers began to appear in our fields, and in a short 

 time there were millions. They came from tho north- 

 west. It is said that three years ago they were at the 

 Rod River of tho North, about 600 miles from here. 

 About tho last of September they commenced to de- 

 posit their eggs in tho ground, any where ; the hard 

 roads were covered with them. They void from 20 to 

 35 eggs each. This spring they have come out, and 

 are taking away everything that ia green. Some of 

 our wheat fields are as bare as the inside of our hands. 

 Corn, oats and beans disappeared as soon as up. From 

 prestint appearances we shall not be able to grow any' 

 kind of crops. Please give us a scientific description of 

 them as soon as convenient, through the Country Gen' 

 tleman. Truly yours, C. W. Woodbury. 



Answer lo (he above by Dr. FKch. 



Messrs. Tucker— The intelligence from Minnesota, 

 in tho communication from Mr. Woodbury, is truly 

 alarming. Such facts are within our knowledge as 

 clearly show that the grasshoppers of this country are 

 analagous, in every respect, to the migratory locust of 

 the east, whose career in all ages has been a series of 

 the greatest calamities which have ever befallen the 

 human race. " We are the army of the groat God, 

 and we lay ninety and nine eggs ; if the hundredth 

 were put forth the world would bo ours !" Such is the 

 song which tho Arabs say the locust sings. No aid of 

 oriental poetry, however, is required to impress us with 

 the pitiable condition of a country which has been in- 

 vaded by these creatures — where every particle of 

 vegetation has boon devoured, and not a mouthful of 

 sustenance is left for either man or beast ; whore the 

 inhabitants are obliged to scatter themselves with 

 haste into other countries, to avoid starvation, and the 

 whole land, in place of its previous bright green man- 

 tle of luxuriant verdure, is changed to a dreary, dismal 

 waste, blackened as though fire bM passed over it, and 

 solitary, save here and there a miserable being striving 

 to dig from tho earth a few roots to keep him from 

 famishing. Tho history of the locust presents to us 

 repeated instances of scenes like this. And it Is only 

 because the grasshoppers of our own country have 

 never yet multiplied to tho same extent, that we have 

 not experienced similar calamities here. But, as I 

 have often stated in my public Icciures, we have every 

 reason to apprehend that, as time rolls onward, instan- 

 ces will here occur, that will parallel what is related of 

 the locust in tho old world. And with such tidings as 

 Mr. Woodbury's letter brings us, our strongest fears 

 may well be excited at the prospect now beiore our 

 neighbors in Minnesota. If these grasshoppers, early 

 in June and before any of them are grown to half an 



