THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



215 



of our friends may be considerably enlarged by 

 an examination of its pages. We are much 

 indebted to the Editor of the {! Agriculturist" 

 for the courtesy which prompted the transmis- 

 sion of this number, and shall rejoice in any 

 opportunity to reciprocate his kindness. 



SOWING WHEAT. 



An impression prevails that our wheat is gen- 

 erally too thinly seeded, and that much larger 

 crops would be the result of a freer use of grain. 

 Captain Barclay, the intelligent Scotchman who 

 made an agricultural tour of the United States 

 in 1841, earnestly urged upon Mr. Marx, whose 

 farm he visited in this vicinity, to increase his 

 allowance to four bushels an acre, the quantity 

 usually given by British farmers. He thought 

 the liability to winter killing in this country, 

 made even a greater allowance desirable. 



We find an editorial on this subject in the 

 last number of the "American Farmer," which, 

 with all our respect for the wisdom and expe- 

 rience of its conductor, we must be permitted to 

 consider, in part, visionary and impracticable.-— 

 We allude especially to the advice, or sugges- 

 tion, as the Editor modestly terms it, that, there 

 is no necessity for delaying the sowing of wheat 

 to avoid the fall attack of the fly, for-ssays he, 

 if the progress of the insect be carefully watched, 

 it may be taken in its pupa, or worm state, and 

 mashed by passing a heavy roller over the field. 

 We would suggest to ouffriend that his finger 

 and thumb would constitute a much more effi- 

 cient implement for the purpose, and that it re- 

 quires a much u nicer fit" than a roller makes 

 with the inequalities of ploughed ground, to 

 mash a worm. 



After sobering down again to his usual style 

 of practical wisdom, the Editor concludes with 

 the following remarks, the excellence of which 

 more than excuses this unwonted flight of ima- 

 gination : 



" We would suggest that in every instance 

 where wheat may be sown, that the ground un- 

 dergo thorough preparation, and that all should 

 consider deep ploughing and repeated harrow- 

 ings essential operations. 



" We would advise, that if the land may not 

 have been previously limed, that from five to 

 ten bushels of lime per acre be sown thereon, or 

 an equal quantity of ashes. These quantities 

 are small, but will be found sufficient for the 

 uses of a season. And wherever wheat may 



be sown on a clover-lay, we would sow from two 

 to four bushels of salt to the acre. 



" We would, by all means, be pariicular in 

 the selection of good seed, having due regard to 

 weight of grain, strength of straw, earliness of 

 maturity, and quality of flour. 



" We would not have any wheat sown, with- 

 out having it first thoroughly washed in pure 

 water, and then soaked in a brine of salt that 

 would bear an egg or potato, for twenty-four 

 hours, which when taken out should be drained, 

 and then dried in lime. We are the more par- 

 ticular in insisting upon this mode of preparing 

 seed wheat, because we have noticed many ac- 

 counts of injury to the crops during the late sea- 

 son from smut, a disease perfectly within the 

 control of the wheat grower, and which can 

 never occur but from culpable neglect, as the 

 means we have pointed out, we do know, will 

 prevent its occurrence. 



" While we are upon the subject, let us ad- 

 vise all wheat growers to" give to his land a 

 bountiful allowance of seed, as should he fail to 

 do this, the bare portions of his soil will call 

 | into being some of those numerous weeds, the 

 seeds of which are always at hand, to occupy 

 | spots left by the neglect of the husbandman. — 

 He that wants a clean field of wheat must fill 

 that field with wheat plants. If he does not com- 

 mit a sufficient quantity of seed to the earth, nature 

 will not supply them, but she will supply a crop of 

 pestilent weeds to rob his 10 heat plants of their food, 

 j diminish his crop, and thus punish him for neglect 

 of duty" 



RIVER MUD. 

 We make the following extract from a letter 

 received from Mr. B. H. Magruder, of Albemarle : 



ic While I am writing, I will state the result 

 of an experiment I made in hauling river bank 

 mud or deposite on sandy land. My farm is on 

 the Rivanna River, and last October I» hauled 

 out 150 horse-cart loads on an acre and a quar- 

 ter of very sandy land, which^ had never pre- 

 viously borne a crop worth gathering. It was 

 spread in the winter and ploughed in with a 

 three-horse plough, and planted in corn last 

 spring. The result is, that the corn on this por- 

 tion is now better than that on the land conti- 

 guous to it, which has always produced a good 

 crop. So that I fully agree with your corre- 

 spondent, Richard G. Morris, in his estimate of 

 the immense value of river bank deposite." 



MAKING FRUIT TREES. 



When you wish to procure young trees of a 

 particular kind of fruit for transplanting, dig 

 | around the old tree until you come to a healthy, 

 I growing root, which cut off, and turn the end 



