VOLUME VI. NO. 13. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y—SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1855. 
{WHOLE NO. 183. 
(Stomratnriarions. 
BUCKWHEAT OS MABSH USD. 
The improvement of marshes, has of late 
afforded a subject for discussion of much in¬ 
terest, ar.d in some localities of great impor¬ 
tance. In Michigan the subject has called out 
many communications from experienced and 
practical farmers, which must lead to valuable 
results. I was much interested in an article 
on the subject, in the February No. of the 
Michigan Farmer, more, perhaps, from the 
fact, that the writer's last summer’s experi¬ 
ence corresponded in some respects with mine, 
but in which we arrive at different conclu¬ 
sions. He had in some measure drained his 
marsh, plowed it, and put it to various crops, 
corn, oats, potatoes, turnips, buckwheat, &c., 
most of which succeeded tolerably well, ex-* 
cept the buckwheat. It wa3 sowed 20th June. 
The dry weather succeeded, and excessively 
dry and hot when the buckwheat was in 
bloom, to which, together that it teas sowed 
too early, he attributes his scanty crop—his 
failure. 
I have a marsh on which the timber ha3 
been felled some years and mostly rolled away, 
which is made a marsh by wa f er flowing on 
to it and standing there. It had grown up to 
flags and wild grass. Last spring I cut a 
ditch around so as to cut off the rivulets and 
springs flowing in, and thus it became thor¬ 
oughly draiued. In June I plow©! the greater 
portion of it, as deep and as thoroughly as I 
was able to, and after a few days commended 
rolling and harrowing it. On the 20th June j 
I had little less than an acre prepared, which 
I sowed to buckwheat. The remainder was 
prepared at intervals, and sowed to buck¬ 
wheat at three different periods from the 8th 
to the 20th of July. Those who had some 
experience in growing buckwheat,-predicted 
the early sowed would prove a failure, and that 
the latest would be decidedly the best crop. 
The result was, the whole piece produced a 
heavy growth, vigorous, and full of bloom' 
through the season, and in this respect was all 
alike. The earliest sowed ripened in good 
seasoD, was harvested in good weather and in 
good order. The produce from little less than 
an acre was twenty-six bushels of the best 
quality of grain, besides a bushel or two of 
light grain, good for feed only. The other 
sowings did not fill as well, ripened when the 
season was cooler, and when rains were more 
or less frequent, which increased the labor of 
curing and threshing, besides a greater waste 
of the grain from shelling, &e. The grain 
was not as clean in consequence of the rains 
dashing the light soil on to it, and rendering 
it gritty. The latest sowed, was decidedly the 
lightest yield. 
From my last year’s experience I am satis¬ 
fied that early sown buckwheat, will yield the 
largest crop, a better and cleaner quality of 
graiD, and can be harvested and threshed with 
less labor and less waste. There is nothing 
superior to it to subdue wild grass and flags 
and fit a marsh lor seeding down to timothy 
and red top grasses for meadow. The land is 
left light and clean, and by once passing the 
cultivator over it, is better prepared to receive 
grass seed, than it can be by aay other pro¬ 
cess. When sowed early it may be harvested 
in season to stock down in September, and 
the field becomes a good meadow the following 
season. 
For the purpose of subduing lands of this 
description, and fitting them for the most pro¬ 
ductive, profitable and permanent meadows, 
buckwheat is not excelled by auy crop, and 
would abundant ly repay the labor and expense, 
for this object alone, wiihout taking into the 
account the amount of grain produced. For 
the grain alone it is generally a highly remu- 
nerat ive crop. The haulm or straw may be 
cured for fodder, as readily as clover, and when 
properly saved and housed, is sought for and 
eaten as greedily by cattle, as any other kind 
of feed usually fed in winter. From the 
abundant yield of straw, it is not without its 
value as a forage crop. a s. 
Randolph, N. Y. 
Economy and industry are the two great 
pillars of the farmer's prosperity. 
gloat’s |kral fltto-florkr: 
A QUARTO WEEKLY 
AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY, & FAMILY JOURNAL. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T, MOORE. 
ASSOCIATE EDITORS : 
J. H. MXBY, T. C. PETERS, EDWARD WEBSTER. 
S]>ecla) Contributors : 
T. S, WuratoBs. H. C. White, H. T. Brooks, L. Wotkfrssj,. 
Ladies’ Port-Folio by Ams. 
Tim Rurai, New Yorker is designed to be aniqne and 
beautiful iB appearance, and unsurpassed in Value, Purity 
aud Variety of Contents. Its conductors earnestly labor 
to make it a Reliable Guide on the important Practical 
Subjects connected with the business of those whose 
interests it. advocates. It emhrac.es more Agricultural, 
Horticultural, Scientific, Mechanical, Literary and News 
Matter, interspersed with many appropriate and beautiful 
Kngravtngs, than any other paper published in this 
Country, —rendering it a complete Agricultural, Ijtfrart 
and Famjiv Newspaper. 
For Terms, ami other particulars, see News page. 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
THE OAT CROP AND ITS USES. 
The oat is the most hardy of all the cereals, 
and will flourish and come to maturity upon 
soils, and under ill treatment and neglect, 
that would be the destruction of barley, rye, 
or wheat. It will grow upon damper, colder 
ground, will belter endure the chills and 
frosts of a more northern climate, will appro¬ 
priate for nutriment cruder manures, and 
flourish under more ungenial influences, than 
any other grain. In making the above state¬ 
ment. we do not wish to be understood as 
recommending bad culture, even for oats; for 
that crop, as well as all others, will be sure to 
respond with increased productiveness to the 
generous efforts of the husbandman. 
Where any of the other cereals are raised, 
oats will grow, and the latter are very often 
profitably raised whe;e several of the others 
fail. In former years there were mauy local¬ 
ities in our own State, as for instance portions 
of Allegany county, where wheat was not at¬ 
tempted to be cultivated, and corn was not 
uufrequently cut off by late spring and early 
autumn frosts. In these localities, if the 
lumbermen would spare time enough to pre¬ 
pare the ground with any kind of care, they 
were sure of a good crop of oats. The latter 
grain is still more productive in those locali¬ 
ties now. since more careful attention is paid 
to agriculture, and farming lias become a pri 
mary, instead of a secondary employment; 
while at the same time both corn and wheat 
are also successfully raised. Iu northern New 
England, and in the British provinces, the 
oat is also a successful and profitable crop ; 
and a gentleman from Wisconsin assures us, 
that large quantities of this grain are trans¬ 
ported thence by railroad into Southern 
Michigan, the farmers in the latter locality 
finding it to their advantage to cultivate 
wheat for market, and buy cats raised in a 
neighboring State. 
Oats weigh 30 to 34 pounds to the meas¬ 
ured bushel ; and by analysis are found to be 
constituted about as follows : 
lbs. 07- 
Starch. 17 4 
Caseine, or avenine. 4 9 
Albumen. 0 4 
Gluten .. 0 8 
Dextrine. 2 15 
Sugar and mucilage . 0 11 
Oil. 2 6 
Water. 3 4 . 
Science has thus shown the giain to be an 
excellent food for animals, and corroborates 
that fact long established by experience.— 
There is nothing that can compare with oats 
as food for the working animal, and particu¬ 
larly the horse. The husky covering when 
masticated, serves to disintegrate the mass, 
and render it easily acted upon by the juices 
of the stomach. Many a horse that would be 
unfit for service if fed on corn or barley, will 
work and travel, and retain his flesh, on a 
feed of oats. The straw of the oat is far 
more nutritions than any other, and when cut 
in a comparatively giten state, will keep 
young cattle in good heart through llie win¬ 
ter, with very little other feed. The propor¬ 
tion of straw, chaff, and grain, in a specimen 
of oats grown by Mr. I’kteks, of Genesee 
county, according to an analysis by Dr. 
Emmons, as stated in the agricultural depart¬ 
ment of the Natural History of the State, 
was as follows : 
Straw. 703.20 
Chaff. 143.70 
Grain. 7*15.60 
Grass lands broken up, furnish a goed soil 
for oats, and when unfermented and coarse 
manures are applied to the land, there is 
probably no crop raised that will receive 
more immediate benefit therefrom; while in 
many instances the first year’s profit of crude 
manures amounts to nothing, it is largely 
remunerative in the increased .Held of oats. 
It is a very exhausting crop however, and 
should not be cultivated on the same field 
more than one season without rotation. The 
yield is about fifty bushels to the acre for a 
good crop, but premium fields have produced 
eighty-five or ninety. About the middle of 
April is a good time to sow, and at least 
three bushels of seed should be used. Jn 
England as much as four, sometimes five 
bushels, are sown. The crop should be har¬ 
vested quite grceD, both to prevent ihe grain 
from shedding in the field, and also to render 
the straw more valuable as an article of fod¬ 
der. Neatly bound in sheaves, and well cured 
before securing, render the cat crop a beauti¬ 
ful as well as valuable harvest. 
SUMMER FALLOWING. 
Two or rather three things are sought to be 
attained by the process of fallowing—to clean 
the field of wee^s and to mellow and deonen 
the soil. All are necessary in order to the 
full productiveness of the same. 
1. Clean culture is always desirable, from 
the fact that weeds occupy the space and use 
up the food which would otherwise go to the 
growth of the crop. Hence the summer fal¬ 
low is used to clean the ground of all vegeta¬ 
ble growth, acd should be so managed as to 
free the soil from the seeds as well as the pres 
ent growth of useless plants. This may in 
part be done by early and careful plowing, 
and frequent and thorough working with the 
gang plow, cultivator or harrow, so as to de 
stroy the weeds as fast as they appear, and 
also excite the germination of their seeds 
which lie dormant in the soil. A true fallow 
is a field which rests from all productiveness, 
ami this character should be given as far as 
possible to all summer fallows. 
2. Fine culture—the reduction of the soil to 
a fine mellow tilth—is also necessary to its 
full productiveness. The roots must be ena¬ 
bled to penetrate at will in search of food, and 
the grouud should be open to the influences 
of air ar.d moisture. The ameliorating effects 
of fallowing, are in part due to the thorough 
disintegration of the soil by mechanical work¬ 
ing and long exposure to atmospheric influ¬ 
ences. No actual addition may be made of 
fertilizing elements, but those lyiDg inactive 
in the soil, especially iu that of a clayey char¬ 
acter, are brought into use, and become an 
addition to its productive power. A well 
mellowed clay soil will absorb a considerable 
quantity of ammonia from the rain and dews, 
as they are filtered slowly through it. 
3. Deep culture or tillage is generally of 
ranch benefit. A soil never stirred below a 
depth of six inches, has scarcely half the pro¬ 
ductiveness of one mellow©.! to double that 
depth. A deep, free soil will be found full of 
fine roots penetrating every part of it, and ev¬ 
ery one has observed the vigor with which 
the crops often grow over any part of a field 
which has its soil by auy means thoroughly 
deepened and mellowed. We believe deep 
plowing has never failed to benefit well draiu¬ 
ed soils, unless the sulxsoil was of a very pe¬ 
culiar character. 
Thorough work is the only profitable kind 
of work on a summer fallow, or indeed in any 
place. To plow carelessly with half turned 
furrows and frequent baulks ; to leave ihe 
field untouched for weeks to grow up to weeds 
and grass, to go but four or five inches deep, 
where tho soil is o-umed a good deal farther 
down, and may be brought into profitable use, 
is not the rght way to get the benefit of the 
process. We have only thrown out a few 
hints on the subject, and hoj e our readers will 
think the matter out for themselves. 
EXPERIMENT WITH MANURES FOR CORN. 
The following experiment upon the value of 
different fertilizers for Ihe Corn crop, was 
made on the State Farm at Westborougb, 
under the direction of a Committee of the 
Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, last sea¬ 
son. We condense from Mr. Flint’s second 
Annual Report, heretofore noticed. 
The field planted to corn contained 21 acres; 
the soil was cf a light, loamy character, and 
the crop for three years previous had been 
hay. Fifteen acres was manured with a com¬ 
post of barn-yard manure, loam and meadow 
muck, in the proportion of 220 loads of the 
first to 120 cf ihe second, and 40 of the last 
named. It was estimated as worth one dollar 
per load of 34 bushels, and was applied at the 
rate of twenty-five loads to the acre. The 
whole field was plowed eight inches deep, and 
furrowed both wajs thirty six by thirty inches. 
The six acres not manured were divided into 
six equal parks, and different manures applied 
lor the experiment: 
Ten dollars worth of the fertilizers named 
in the annexed table, were mixed with five 
times their bulk in meadow muck, and ap¬ 
plied to each acre, iu the hill, w ith the follow¬ 
ing result per acre : 
No. Lot. Feitllizer Applie*!. Bush, of Grain. Weight of Stalks. 
No. 1, Reservoir manure, 43>£ 3.160 lbs. 
No. 2, 3, Guano, (not fairly tried,) 36.6 2,740 “ 
No. 4, Mupea’ Super-phosphate, 42 3,300 11 
No. 5, De Burg’s Super-phos., 50>£ 3,600 “ 
No. 6, Bone manure, 45 Not weighed 
Per acre, Bard-yard compost, 43J* “ “ 
The experiment with Guano was not con¬ 
sidered a fair or.e, os the seed eon. wan twice 
destroyed by its strength, although it had been 
composted with muck for some weeks, a3 
stated above. The third planting was neces¬ 
sarily late, and the corn of these two acres 
more affected by the drouth. On lot No. 5, 
the corn was nearly all sound, there being but 
one bushel of soft corn on the acre. It 
should be remembered that the manure ap¬ 
plied in each case, except the last, was at the 
rate of $10 per acre, in that $25. 
The. treatment of each lot was the same, 
but the result cannot be looked upon as deci¬ 
sive. Guano had no chance at all, and the 
barn-yard manure was too much diluted and 
too deeply buried to show its full effects the 
first season. Still the experiment is an in¬ 
teresting one, and we hope will be tried over 
again on the same farm the present year. A 
larger crop of corn was produced on a differ¬ 
ent lot, by an application of 30 loads of ma¬ 
nure from the pig stye per acre, for two suc¬ 
cessive years. The yield was 624^ bushels 
per acre the first year, and 55 the second. 
<0ur jsperiri Contributors. 
SUBSTITUTES FOR HAY. 
The large breadth of land required for 
meadows, particularly where the yield is uot 
over one to one and a half tons to the acre, 
renders some substitute for hay very desirable 
with farmers, and particularly those whose 
acres are limited in number. We have here¬ 
tofore had occasion to call their attention to 
the importance of sowing corn for soiling 
purposes, and to cure as winter food for all 
kinds of stock, and deem no apology necessa¬ 
ry for again bringing the matter before them. 
As a precaution against failure of meadows, 
as a cheap and sure method of furnishing the 
best of fowl, and as a matter of economy in 
the health of animals, we would urge the pro¬ 
priety and profit of sowing corn for fodder.— 
No farmer should omit it, and if he has no 
ground ready, let him plow up in the best 
manner a corner of the hog pasture, or any 
other field used for grazing—roll down the soil 
and with a grain drill sow it to corn. It may 
be sown broadcast, but the experience of 
mauy farmers inclines us to prefer it sown in 
drills. It grows quick, may be cut green any 
time during summer as food for working teams 
or dairy cows, and will, for either, be found 
more profitable than grass, it should be al¬ 
lowed partially to wilt before feeding, especial¬ 
ly for working teams, as they can then obtain 
more food with less water. It is excellent in 
winter to alternate with bay as a variety, and 
better relished by stock as containing more 
saccharine matter. It should be cut and bound 
in very small bundles, having been allowed to 
partially dry before binding, and will be less 
liable to heat and mould if put up in small 
stacks than in a large body or barn mow. 
Farmers should also provide root crops for 
winter use—for many reasons not necessary to 
be repeated, as every intelligent farmer know T 3 
their value, and others will hardly read what 
we may say except by accident. 
Of root crops, for American culture, the 
carrot probably stands at the head. It may 
be sown during May and June, the earlier af¬ 
ter the 15th of May the better. Let them ! 
grow as long as you can and get them housed 
before winter. Parsnips have been too long 
overlooked. They are very rich in saccharine 
matter, and are well liked by cattle after be¬ 
coming accustomed to them. They are ex¬ 
cellent for early spring feeding, and very de¬ 
sirable on account of their being kept io the 
ground during winter. This is a saving of 
labor and expense, and you can have them 
just when they are wauted, fresh and sweet_ 
Sow a patch on our recommendation. 
Mangel wurtzels are also well worth the at¬ 
tention of farmers and herdsmen. They grow 
a large amount of weight to the acre, and 
with carrots and other roots make excellent 
food for stock. Many of the best Canadian, 
English and Scotch farmers grow them in this 
climate in the place of the Swede turnip cr 
ruta baga, as less affected by the severe heat of 
our summers, and it is enough to say those 
who are best acquainted with them speak 
highly iu their praise. Will not every farm¬ 
er who reads this hasty article plant or sow a 
small pa<ch of something as a substitute for 
hay—and if it does uot come up to our recom¬ 
mend, they may blame us once for bad advice, 
or they may, as very many have done, thank 
us for some timely hints. H. c. w. 
Buffalo, May, 1855. 
THE POTATO COMPETITION. 
Mr. Briggs’ proposition for testing the dif¬ 
ferent varieties of potatoes as to their produc¬ 
tiveness, in competition with his Mexican 
Wild, opens a door for a spirited contest, which 
we hope may be heartily entered into. The 
results of well conducted experiments of such 
a character, embi acing localities in all portions 
of the country, must be of great benefit to the 
agricultural public, and a well digested report 
of such experiments must give to it a value far 
greater than the single dime charged as a sort 
of entrance fee for each competitor. Such a 
report, containing the minutia of all the cir¬ 
cumstances of time, soil, location, cultivation, 
weather, &c., that go to affect the result of a 
crop iu different localities, would give hints 
and suggestions that might prove cf immense 
advantage to the country, aside from the test 
of productiveness of the different varieties. 
It will test another thing, to some extent at 
least, whether a very small quantity of seed to 
the acre may not be just as well, and much 
more economical, than the amounts now gen¬ 
erally used. To this end the reports might be 
more enhanced if the yield per acre were given 
iu each case, as well as the yield per single po¬ 
tato. Then, again, the weight of the potato, 
the number of eyes, the number of pieces into 
which it was divided,—the number of hills 
these pieces planted, and the distance asunder, 
ought to be mentioned. From the aggrega¬ 
tion of all these little items, much may be 
gleaned to be turned to great practical utility. 
Again, the report might be made more valua¬ 
ble, if, so far as it might be practicable, each 
competitor should test two or more varieties, 
side by side, aud give the result. 
We ot the West could have wished the prop¬ 
osition had been made at a much earlier date ; 
for most of us have our potatoes all planted 
and our grounds occupied, so that we may not 
so fully enter the list. However, we presume 
we may send our dimes and become entitled to 
the report when priuted, if we are unab’e to 
contest with our potatoes. Is this a right in¬ 
terpretation of Mr. Briggs’ proposal? But 
this may be tasking him too much, for he cer¬ 
tainly cannot hope to profit pecuniarily by it, 
especially when he may have to honor orders 
for more lhau one Rural from his competitors, 
who, by Iris proposition, are free to beat him 
with his own favorite variety. t. e. w. 
