37'S 
REVIEW OF THE SEPTEMBER NO. OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
science of gardening. “ In uncultivated grounds, 
soils occupy only a few inches in depth of the sur¬ 
face,” is an old theory that may be true in Europe 
when it was first written, but it is not so when 
applied to millions of acres of American soil ; 
which, in some of the western states, is deeper than 
the plow ever runs. I do not believe that “ every 
gardener or farmer who know the sorts of plants 
naturally produced upon a soil,” would he able to 
determine its value for cultivation. I recollect being 
told many years ago in Michigan, while “ land 
hunting,” that wherever I found the burr oak, I 
should find warm, rich, sandy land; and yet, in 
truth, [ found it afterwards growing upon poor, 
cold, hard, clayey land. So “ these plants are not 
absolutely to be depended upon;” in fact, only in 
extreme cases, not to be depended upon at all. 
Wool-growing in Western New York. —Hike this 
kind of articles. In reviewing it I wish to ask Mr. 
Peters a few questions, which I am sure he will 
answer freely, to make his statements more plain to 
some of us dull-brained city dwellers. You state 
that we can buy farms at $10 or $12 per acre, that 
will carry “ 300 sheep to every 100 acres of cleared 
land;” but do you in the cost make allowance for 
woodland? Would not that be included in the 
price, and, of course, add to the capital ? And, 
again, you allow no chance whatever for a poor 
man, or one even with $3,000 or $4,000, to engage 
in wool-growing in western New York. Must all 
of that class be driven to the prairies of the west ? 
Now, it appears to me, if no man with a less 
capital than $14,000 can profitably engage in the 
business, that very few will undertake it without a 
better show of figures than yours. The truth is, 
that the capitalist can make “11 per cent.” so much 
more certain and easy, that he will not engage in 
the laborious business of a sheep farm, without a 
prospect of much larger profits. Will twelve tons 
(and what kind) of hay without grain, winter 100 
sheep ? Is 20 acres of pasture, ©h an average, not a 
small allowance ? Do you pasture meadow and 
grain fall or spring ? 
Feeding Large Dogs in Town. —If with the first 
feed described, you will give nineteen twentieths of 
these dogs, each a sixpence worth of strychnine, it 
will save much future expense, and add greatly to 
the comfort of many thousand citizens, and still 
leave all the dogs that can be of any possible ad¬ 
vantage to their owners or anybody else—dogs 
included ! 
Ladies’ Department. —Not a word to say. I dare 
not look under that—what-d’ye-call-it? and I can¬ 
not see the beauty of the thing unless I do. So I 
will pass on to the 
Chapter on Grasses, which is well calculated to 
give correct information to the boys. But, pray 
tell me, which is the real Kentucky “ blue grass,” 
Poa pratensis or Poa compressa ? [Botanists have 
decided Poa pratensis.] What is called blue grass 
in New York is a different grass from that which is 
so called in Kentucky. If “ E. L.” will write an 
article giving a plain description of each kind of 
hay and pasture grass—when sown—growth— 
size—duration—use, &c., and the editor will illus-'i 
trate w r ith cuts [we will do it], it will be a very 
valuable article for the Boys’ Department of this 
paper. I think that the distillation of spirit from 
the seeds of several of the true grasses, as well as 
from the juice of the sugar-cane grass, is no less 
“ useful’ than the production of hay, bread, beef, 
pork, paper, hats, mats, bags, and ladies’ bonnets, 
all of w r hich are made of the “ grass of the field 
that perisheth.” And yet I am a strict temperance 
man. But I know that distilled spirit is one of the 
blessings of civilisation, and for many purposes not 
only usefid, but almost, perhaps wholly, indispen¬ 
sable. How dreadfully is this good gift abused ! 
Boys, be Kind to Domestic Animals. —I could write 
a long sermon from this text; but when done it 
would not comprehend more meaning than those six 
short words. Let me but learn the natural disposi¬ 
tion of a boy to be cruel to domestic animals, and I 
will paint his horoscope most truly; but it shall be 
an unenviable picture for him to look upon. Very 
likely the prison and gallows will form the end of 
the view. No trait in a<£hild’s character is more 
displeasing to me. No nation of people, except 
some of the very lowest grades of African barbarians, 
attempts to live without the use of domestic animals. 
Let them ever be treated kindly in all respects. 
Foreign Agricultural News. —Here I find an 
article from the Gardener’s Chronicle, upon the sub¬ 
ject of substituting other seed wheat, with a view 
of shortening the growing season, and consequently 
bringing on the harvest in summer instead of 
autumn. I should like to know what is the reason 
our winter wheat cannot be grown in England, and 
whether the experiment has been thoroughly tried 
with seed from this country ? In this country, our 
seeding is done before the harvesting in England. 
What they call spring w r heat there, which I believe 
is usually sown in February, when brought here, 
becomes winter wheat, and must be sown in autumn 
to perfect its seed. 
Pulling Flax. —The directions will answer as 
well for this country as England. But there is so 
much labor attached to growing and preparing flax 
for the spinner, that other crops will usually be iound 
more profitable here than flax, except when grown 
exclusively for seed, and then it need not be pulled. 
Making Rhubarb (pie plant) Wine, or preserving 
it, I cannot see the object of here where we have so 
many other better things. 
Bones Dissolved in Caustic Ley. —It seems curious 
that it should be necessary to publish this fact, 
known to every “ old woman” who ever made 
soap, and much more curious that it should have 
ever been the subject of a patent. But that was in 
England, where one is restrained by an excise law’ 
from making his own soap out of his own bones, 
grease, and ashes. 
The Potato Disease. —The remarks upon this go to 
prove to my mind, that the cause of this lamentable 
malady lies beyond the reach of all human skill ; 
and I fear it is destiny that we shall no longer de¬ 
pend upon this crop as a means of sustaining animal 
life. I sincerely hope that my presentiments will 
prove false. I cannot read an article upon the sub¬ 
ject without having vivid pictures of human suffer¬ 
ing presented to my mind. 
The Editor’s Table is not as sumptuously fur- 
i nished this month as usual, and so we can the 
sooner pass over it. 
Results of Hydropathy seems to be the. most 
tempting dish to a cold water man. This is un- 
