18G5. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
279 
no advantage over sowing broadcast, so far as 
obviating tlie injiirious effects of freezing and 
tliawing are concerned. Tlie teetli of grain 
drills sliould be set to run not more tlian two 
indies in deptli. One and a half inches deep 
for winter grain is better than two, for reasons 
already assigned. At this depth, nearly all the 
roots will be so near each other, that the ex- 
pansion of the soil will neither break the stem 
or seriously damage the roots ; nor will it cause 
perceptilile diminution of the crop. 
A Word about Sorghum. 
The amount of land in sorghum is reporteil 
as very large. This certainly was to be expect- 
ed, from the groat price sugar and molasses have 
borne for some years past. The manufacture 
of syrup continues to be llie only profitable aim 
of the sorgimm boiler, for wlien well made it is 
a valuable and marketable article. The sugar, 
what there is of it, has an uncertain value, as it 
is of very variable quality. The time of har- 
vesting is after the seed has passed the milky 
state. If necessary to begin early, so as to pro- 
long the boiling season, a portion may be cut a 
little sooner, but it is better to cut later and stack 
the cane. Strip the leaves from the cane before 
cutting up, and top below the second joint. 
We will not advise as to the best cane mills or 
evaporating pans. There are several good ones, 
and like mowing machines, their excellencies 
make them very nearly equally valuable. The 
boiling should be conducted rapidly in shallow 
pans, so that the scum may be removed. If it 
is possible, boil down the juice and finish it be- 
fore it has been exposed to the air bj' standing; 
but that which is scnnewliat reduced will bel- 
ter bear exposure tlian that freshly expressed. 
Tlie skimming should be very thorough, and 
the hot syrup should be passed through a filter 
or strainer of wire gauze to remove specks, etc. 
Juice of good quality may be evaporated and 
purified without the use of defecating articles, 
like lime, soda, eggs, milk, etc. ; but when it is 
necessary to use them, lime is the best neutralizer 
of acids, and eggs the best coagulator, though 
fresh bullock's blood is much cheaper. These 
substances are only added in the finishing pro- 
cess, and will all he removed by the skimming. 
Economy in fuel is a very important subject. 
Tlie fire should burn freely, no more air ought to 
be admitted than will aid the combustion, and all 
cracks where air can enter except below the fire 
should be stopped by clay and sand luting. 
The fire should play along the bottom of the 
pan, and all the heated air pass as close to the 
pan as is consistent with a good draft. Noth- 
ing is gained in concentrating the syrup too 
much, and it is done only at the risk of scorch- 
ing. It should be about the thickness of good 
West India or New Orleans molasses. 
Preparation of Soil for Winter Wheat. 
In our latitude, whether winter wheat is to be 
sowed on summer fallow, or to follow barley 
or oats, the ground really should have been 
in the course of preparation during the month 
of August. As the Midge and Hessian fly 
are no longer feared in many localities, farmers 
may now return to the producticju of winter 
wheat, with the expectation of raising remuner- 
ative crops, if they prepare the soil pro|ierly. 
Our experience with this crop warrants us in 
stating that the most elfectual prevention of the 
ravages of the midge, is a thorough preparation 
01 the soil, and a liberal application of good, 
well-rotted manure, and tills lias been cor- 
roborated by some of the best wheat growers of 
Western New York. The reasoning on this 
subject is, that a thorough preparation of the 
soil produces a more luxuriant and healthy 
growth, which will withstand the injurious at- 
tacks of both these insects, and every good 
farmer will admit the correctness of the logic. 
Wheat of any kind needs fertilizers of a very 
fine, rich character. Indian corn will feed on 
coarse, unfermented manure, which would be 
very poorly adapted to the growth of wheat. 
All good wheat growers agree also on this point, 
that winter wheat requires a firm soil ; and ex- 
perience proves that soils of this cliaracter, 
yield the best crops of wheat. The light, porous, 
and mucky soils found on most of our table 
lands do not produce as large crops of winter 
wheat as many of the slopes and undulating 
portions of the country. However, good faini- 
ers are learning that by plowing, harrowing and 
manuring, a fair crop may be obtained where 
the soil is naturally quite inferior and uot adapt- 
ed to the production of winter wheat. 
In preparing oats or barley stubble for win- 
ter wheat, it should be plowed at le.ast two 
weeks previous to the time of putting in the 
seed. If the soil is thin, let the common plow 
run only as deep as the soil extends; then break 
up and pulverize the subsoil with the subsoil 
plow, instead of turning up too much of the 
barren soil from below. (Read the article on 
page 246.) The best time for putting in winter 
wheat is usually about the first of September. 
Let the compost, or rotted mauure, be hauled 
and deposited in small conical heaps over the 
field. Allowing that five bushels are enough 
for one square rod, when spread evenly, and 
that there are twenty five bushels in a two-horse 
wagon load, thirty-two loads will manure one 
acre abundantly for a good crop of wheat, if tlie 
manure is made of the droppings of work horses 
and oxen, and fattening bullocks and sheep 
that have consumed more or less coai'se grain. 
Now spread the manure evenly on about one 
acre, and bury it and mingle it with the soil 
with a two-horse cultivator run about four inch- 
es deep. Go over it three or four times ; and If 
there are any lumps, use the roller to crush 
them. The aim should be to mingle the ma- 
nure thoroughly with 3 or 4 inches in depth of 
the best soil, and to have that depth finely pul- 
verized, so that the grain may have not only a 
good seed bed to germinate in, but be supplied 
with an abundance of available nourishment for 
promoting tlie growth of the young plants, so 
that they may acquire a large growth, or mass 
of roots before winter. This will be an excel- 
lent security against " heaving out " by freez- 
ing and thawing, and it will also prepare the 
plants for starting early the following spring. * 
In-and-in Breeding. 
There is probably no greater folly that the 
common stock raiser can be guilty of, than 
breeding from animals close akin. The results 
are in almost all cases unfortunate, and tend to 
the degradation of his stock. This is true of 
horses and neat cattle especially, of sheep es- 
sentially, of swine in a less degree, but still 
noticeably ; and in the case of fowls and pigeons, 
the evil results are more quiclily seen than in 
any other classes, perhaps. In-and-in breeding, 
where most carefully conducted, has produced 
very favorable results ; but this was under the 
direction of men who gave their lives, with 
severe, assiduous study of animals and their 
points, their difl'erences of constitution and 
temperament, of form, size, etc.; and who were 
also possessed of an intuition as to which 
animals would cross well. In those herds, loo, 
where In-and-in breeding has been successfully 
practised, it must be remembered that the re- 
lative numbers of males and females approached 
much nearer a natural standard, than is ever 
profitable in economic slock raising. If any one 
wishes to see how quickly he can run down a 
superior flock or herd, let him undertake to 
imitate Bakewell on a small scale. 
Cutting Feed for Farm Stock. 
The winter is before us ; the fairs are at hand, 
and oppiu'tunities to select the best kinds of 
hay, straw, and stalk cutters are off'ered to farm- 
ers. We have for a long time taken every op- 
portunity to give the weight of our influence in 
favor of cutting up and soaking, or cooking feed 
for all farm stock, except sheep. In the hope 
of stirring up some of our readers to introduce 
straw and stalk cutters upon their farms, we 
print the following from "H. A. W.," of Chautau- 
qua Co., N. Y., who goes further than we do in 
advocating cut feed for sheep. We have no doubt 
it is excellent for fattening sheep. — He writes: 
"From long experience and eoniinued exper- 
iments, I am fully persuaded in my own mind, 
and think it needs but little proof to demonstrate 
that coarse feed for cattle should be cut, or 
chopped, and to a certain degree cooked, that 
they may receive the full benefit. For eighteen 
years I have personally superintended my farm 
stock, and practised more or less the cutting of 
food for all, but more especially for the horses, 
of which there were at all times three, and 
sometimes four in the stable. There were also 
5 to 13 head of cattle, and from 12 to 35 sheep. 
The cattle and sheep were sheltered during all 
storms, after they came to the yards in the fall. 
The horses had each one bushel of cut straw, 
which was placed in a tight bo.v and sprinkled 
with 4 quarts of corn and oat meal (equal parts 
mixed and ground fine,) and wet with boiling 
hot water, the whole well mixed, covered tight- 
ly and left to soak 12 hours. The feed for all 
the horses was mixed at once. I believe one 
bushel of this feed is sufliclent for one feeding 
of a horse from 1000 to 1100 lbs. weight. I 
never feed but twice a day, mornings and even- 
ings. Observation convinces me that 3 lbs. 
cooked meal is equal to 5 lbs. raw. I have fed 
almost every kind of grain to horses, and they 
relish all when prepared in this way. I feed 
regularly, whether at work or idle. My horses 
are always fat, and ready for a drive of 5 or 50 
miles a day, as necessity requires. It is a fact 
that horses will perform more labor on cut and 
cooked than on long and uncooked feed. So will 
cows produce a greater flow of milk on such 
feed. Sheep produce more wool and healthier 
lambs, when fed with such feed, than Avlien fed 
otherwise. In February of 1804, I sold to the 
butcher seven wethers, coming two years old in 
May following, for 45 dollars. They had been 
fed regularly from December 1st up to the time 
of sale. There cannot be a question with the 
careful observer .and experimenter, but that cut 
and cooked food is from one fourth to one third 
cheaper. One ton of straw and five busliels of 
corn ground fine, the straw cut and soaked, with 
the meal, will keep a horse in better condition 
than one ton of hay. No enterprising fanner 
who cuts his fodder will go back to old ways." 
[Corn stalks well cured, cut and wet up with a 
little meal, are equal to good hay, for feeding.] 
