314 



THE SOUTHE 



RN PLANTER. 



EXPERIMENT WITH CLOVER AND 

 TIMOTHY SEED. ' 



Desirous of learning, by direct trial, at 

 what depths clover and timothy seed 

 would germinate, I made a narrow trench 

 in a favorable situation, three and a half 

 feet long, increasing in depth from the sur- 

 face at one to the other end, where it was 

 six inches deep. The bottom of it was 

 therefore an inclined plane, and was made 

 smooth and even, by pressing a straight- 

 edged board forciblj' upon it. Thus pre- 

 pared, the seed was sown thickly in the 

 trench^ its whole length. In twenty-four 

 days, at an average noon temperature of 

 forty-five degrees, the plants appeared at 

 the surface for four inches from the shal- 

 lowest end towards the deepest part of the 

 trench; and afterwards continued to ap- 

 pear from still deeper portions of the ground 

 for seventeen inches, whefi it wholly ceas- 

 ed to vegetate. Three months have now 

 elapsed, and not a leaf has shown itself 

 beyond the point just named. The clover 

 and timothy sprouted' alike-, and ceased to 

 germinate at the depth of two and a half 

 inches. The plants are now nearly a foot 

 high, at the shallow extremity of the 

 trench; and diminish in stature as the 

 trench deepens, the lowest being about 

 five a.' six inches in height.. The intelli- 

 gent farmer will, of course understand the 

 object, and appreciate the value of this 

 experiment. 



Some of the same seed was scattered 

 on the ground, at the same time, and left 

 uncovered. It vegetated, in due season ; 

 its radicles, from an eighth to a fourth of 

 an inch long, lay exposed tothe snow and 

 frost for some time, and finally found their 

 way into the- earth. I. T. P. 



DROWNING. 



A notion prevails, vesy extensively, as 

 we judge from reading the newspapers, 

 that drowning persons never rise to the 

 surface more than twice; or, in other 

 words, that if a person falls into. the water 

 his third time of sinking is sure to be the 

 last, and fatal. In almost every publish- 

 ed account of rescue from drowning, it is 

 mentioned that the man or boy was sink- 



ing for "the last time" when, the timely 

 aid arrived. We. apprehend that this 

 altogether an idle notion., and the belief 

 in it. may possibly wouk mischief by in- 

 ducing suspension of effort to rescue. 

 There is no magic in number three; no 

 inscrutable and inevitable reason why a 

 drowning person may not come to the 

 surface a half-dozen times and sink as 

 often. It is possible enough that in ordi- 

 nary cases the strength, and vitality of the 

 sufferer may be so exhausted by three 

 sinkings as to make another rising im- 

 practicable ;. but even of, this there is no 

 specific evidence. We have known per- 

 sons to be drowned without rising even, 

 once to the surface, and inferior animals 

 we have seea go down and come up again 

 many times before life was extinct.: — New- 

 York Commercial Advertiser. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 RECIPE FOR BLACKING. 



Have a basket full of elder berries ga- 

 thered when fully ripe, and put into, an 

 iron, pot ; let them be slightly mashed; 

 after adding a good portion of water, boil 

 till the juice is well, extracted. Strain off 

 the- liquor and boil till it thickens a little; 

 This simple preparation makes an excel* 

 lent blacking. A supply may be made,. 

 and 3 kept for twelve months if put in bot- 

 tles and corked w ell. Water must not be 

 added 1 to the blacking after boilfog, or it 

 will cause it t a sour and spoil*. 



CULTWRE OF WHEAT. 



In an inter-view we recently had with 

 General Harmon, of Wheatland- Monroe 

 county, he communicated' same important 

 facts, from his own experience, on- the cul- 

 ture of wheat. 



The system of wheat cultivation gene- 

 rally adopted in Western New York, is 

 this. The wheat is sown in. a clover turf, 

 os summer fallow, from the 10th to 15th 

 of September. The quantity of seed is 

 usually one and a quarter bushels per 

 acre. Sowing a larger quantity produces 



