452 
THE 
who doubts that he will be well repaid for his 
extra care and trouble ? 
Wo have taken the planting of a tree as an il¬ 
lustration, but there is nothing that is planted 
or transplanted that is not governed by the same 
rule. An example in floriculture occurs to us: 
Last May, a neighbor had prepared a bed for 
Verbenas, and a nice lot of plants having been 
procured from the greon-houso near by, ho pro¬ 
ceeded to set thorn. Now, friend 8mitu, though 
possessing many good qualities, is unfortunate 
in that patience and painstaking are not included 
in the list. The task undertaken was soon ac¬ 
complished. Ills wife, Mrs. Smith, is by far the 
bettor practical gardener of the two, and the 
plants, once set, came under her care and super¬ 
vision and, much to her disapjKhutment and dis¬ 
gust, they wouldn’t grow. She watered and 
weeded them, loosened the ground, sought for 
insects, worms, and appearance of blight, hut 
sought in vain. The plauts continued to exist, 
and that was nil. They did not grow. 8he finally 
struck at the root of the trouble and found the 
trouble was at the roots of tbo plants. Smith, 
who was in a hurry ns usual, had merely re¬ 
moved the Verbenas from their pots and set 
them in the ground, without spreading their 
roots or even breaking the balls of earth which 
held them. Two minutes for a plant would have 
made all the difference between careful and care¬ 
less setting, and have saved Mrs. Smith hours of 
time and much annoyance. She reset them prop¬ 
erly, however, and we have an idea Smith was 
glad lie wasn't at home when the discovery w r as 
made. Mrs. S. is not one of the women who 
“ nurse their wrath to keep it warm,” but there 
is no doubt she took particular pains to inform 
Smith that lie was not. a first-class florist. How¬ 
ever that may be, that Verbena bed is now her 
pride and the envy of her neighbors, l. a. h. 
Jot ®o|irs. 
MANURE FOE WHEAT. 
Farmers are undoubtedly becoming convinc¬ 
ed of the fact so forcibly presented by Mr. 
Wilson in your last issue, that it is possible to 
raiso the yield of the wheat crop in these East¬ 
ern States and maintain a much larger aver 
age than that attained up to the present time, by 
the judicious use of chemicals In addition to 
yard mauure; but, as far as 1 have read upon 
the subject, it appears to me that writers gener¬ 
alize too much to make their knowledge and ex¬ 
perience of much real value to practical farmers. 
The great difference in the formulas of Phots. 
Villf, and Stockuridoe, Illustrates the state of 
uncertainty in which farmers arc left by this want 
of precise information. As Mr. Wilson rightly 
surmises, that of Prof. Ville is not likely to 
meet, with general acceptance by farmers here, 
as the cost of fertilizing at that rate would be 
too great. As I understand the matter, wheat, 
like everything else, needs a certain amount of 
food for its perfect, development—In most farms 
much of this needed food is wanting in various 
degrees according to the natural characteristics 
of the soil and the extent to which it has been 
drained of its nutritive qualities—Now the ques¬ 
tion with me, and I suppose wit h all who look to 
then’ farms as a source of profit is this: ’‘IIow 
small a quantity of chemicals, and in what pro¬ 
portion, is necessary with a liberal use of yard 
manure to produce the best results with the par¬ 
ticular soil of which the land may be composed ?” 
For instance, our land about here is of a gravel¬ 
ly nature with a slight admixture of day, Now, 
it seems to mo that in all probability this kind of 
land may be deficient in cert ain needed elements 
to a greater or loss degree than others of a rich 
loam or light sandy nature, and therefore that 
each would require a different formula to insure 
the greatest possible yield at the minimum extra 
cost. 
If Mr. W. would inform ns of what particular 
elements the loading and most general claBBOB 
of soil are naturally deficient, and how they are 
cheapest produced in the land, and what partic¬ 
ular elements it is absolutely necessary impover¬ 
ished land should be supplied with, we could act 
n uch more intelligently and give to each other 
much more valuable and certain results than we 
can with such widely different formulas as those 
of Fkofh. Villk and Stockbridok to work 
upon. 
I would also like to ask Mr. W. what he means 
by “ auidoal formula for wheat.” I do not un¬ 
derstand the expression. Farmer. 
■ ■ ■»»» ' — 
IRON HURDLES AND MOVABLE FENCES. 
I should feel obliged for information regard¬ 
ing a light but st-ours fence which could be 
used to pen a flock of a hnudred ©weB over an 
orchard which requires some fertilizing. It 
would bo best to mention the price of Bueh a 
fence and also that of a stronger and higher one 
which would prevent cows from wandering 
where they were not wanted. If, on trial, the 
lighter hurdles proved serviceable, it is probable 
a quantity of the heavier ones also would be re¬ 
quired. Much of the land on which these would 
be used lies iu front of a gentleman's residence, 
and in dividing off any part of it for farming 
purposes, the park-like view would not be de¬ 
faced, if the fence was painted green and 
happened to be of a material which could in this 
way be rendered invisible at a distance. 
In England apple orchards are universally 
kept in grass of the natural varieties usual in all 
old permanent pastures and meadows, and the 
grass on them is generally kept very short by 
grazing sheep and calves upon it. This keeps 
the lAnd in a good state of fertility, especially 
under and around the trees, because the sheep 
lie in the shade a great deal of the day while the 
suu shinea, and, of course, leave there much 
urine and droppings. 
In the present instance, the orchard is not 
fenced from the pasture on any sido, and it is 
desired to detain the whole flock within its 
limits long enough to give a good dressing to 
the roots of the trees without injuring the grocn 
sward. To prevent the sheep from being 
damaged by confinement while this iH being 
accomplished, aH well as to enrich their manure, 
some oorn or grain will be fed them in troughs. 
Any hints about tho best way to manage an 
orchard so as not to detract from its natural 
appearance by pruning, and yet keep the trees 
healthy, will be thankfully appreciated. 
A Won kino Farmer. 
-» ♦-»- 
FARM NOTES. 
FERTILIZERS AND RAIN-FALL. 
Unless the soil to which any fertilizer is ap¬ 
plied, is sufficiently moist to render it soluble or, 
in other words, to dissolve the constituents, the 
crop can receive no benefit from it. Too much 
dependence is placed upon the usual rainfall of 
the season to effect this end. The usual mode 
of cultivaton does not assist nature as is required. 
Shallow culture will not answer, because the soil 
is either water-logged at one time, or as dry as a 
brick-yard at another. Deep culture does an¬ 
swer, because the excess of water passes off bo- 
fore it can dissolve tho fertilizers and conse¬ 
quently before they can be carried down to tbe 
subsoil. Iu lauds of shallow top soil, subsoiling 
must be resorted to, to create depth of tilth. 
There is no economy in applying any manure to 
a shallow soil resting on an impervious hard- 
pan. And herein lies the main objection by 
many to artificial manures. They do not put the 
soil in a condition to make the most of them, 
and perceiving no benefit to the crop, condemn 
the fertilizer, while Ibnj are the ones to be 
blamed. Either plough 12 inches deep, or if 
that will not answer, (on account of thin top soil,) 
subsoil till that depth is attained, then apply 
manure, and the due amount of moisture will be 
secured, 
WHAT PAYS AND WHAT DON’T. 
The majority of farmers bond all their energies 
to producing heavy crops. Everything is crowded 
toward that one end, and iu almost all cases 
tho result is an inferior quality. When, how¬ 
ever, a prize at an annual fair is to he competed 
for, quality not quantity, is aimed at. What is 
the inducement in this cose ? Tho money pre¬ 
mium, of course. Well, what is the inducement 
in growing regular crops, but the money price 
in tho public market ? And now again, what is 
the difference between the two? Why is not 
every crop grown for quality ? Why should we 
only under the stimulus of a local exhibition, 
prove that we can grow a good article, and thou 
at onoo go home and prove that we won't? 
Every man’s experience is, that a good article 
always pays ; then why arc poor ones taken to 
market? There is but one answer to these 
questions. S. IIufus Mason. 
-- 
BRIEFLETS. 
Losses in farming are readily inenrred by let¬ 
ting tho crowded weeds eat up tbo plant-food 
while tho crops are starving ; letting the tools 
rust and rot for want of proper shelter; keeping 
poor breeds of stock that cost as much in care 
and food as good ones, but yield less produce, 
lay ou less fat and bring less money from the 
butcher; Bolling tho best animals instead of 
improving the stock by breeding from them ; 
selling coarse grains instead of feeding them 
with hay and straw, thus increasing the nutritive 
properties of these and the fertilizers on the 
farm ; neglecting a careful system of rotation in 
crops, tho advantages of which all acknowledge, 
while many foolishly omit its practice ; culti¬ 
vating crops which a little calculation would 
show are unprofitable, owing to the nature of the 
soil, or tho drain they make upon it, the cost of 
transportation to market or from other local 
causes ; neglect of drainage, fences, repairs and 
other permanent improvements ; inattention to 
barnyard manure, liquid and solid, and to the 
compost heap ; carelessness in keeping an exact 
account of receipts and expenses, and consequent 
ignorance of the crops that pay best and of 
EW-Y© RKER. 
many means of retrenchment and economy ; 
neglect to select, each fall, the best seeds from the 
harvested crop for planting the next one; neglect 
to take and read a good agricultural paper, bo as 
to get posted on current improvements and dis¬ 
coveries, as well as to keep up with the times 
and acquainted with the markets. 
The Best Time to .Sell, as a rule, is as soon 
as the farmer can obtain a fair profit on the 
amount of time and money expended in raising 
his crops. Experience everywhere has proved 
conclusively that it seldom pays the producer to 
become a speculator. By selling early, the mind 
is relieved from anxiety, and can turn the more 
earnestly to the season’s legitimate duties; shrink¬ 
age and loss from vermin and other causes are 
avoided; tho money in band often prevents the 
necessity for running into debt, for which a 
heavy interest is always charged either under 
its proper name, or in an increase of price 
on the goods purchased; the farmer has the 
means for buying manures, stock, implements 
and machinery at the best time and figures, and 
of pushing necessary work, and making improve¬ 
ments on his land or homestead. Calculate, 
therefore, what your products have cost you in 
money and its equivalent timo, add a moder¬ 
ate profit, and sell promptly so soon as you 
can realize the total, taking, of course, as much 
more as you can get, and leaving to olherH the 
anxieties and risks of speculation. 
Saving Straw for Fodder should bo practiced 
by every provident farmer. Much of it now is 
carelessly wasted or recklessly burnt, yet it is 
conceded on all hands that most of the enor¬ 
mous losses, which during the past year, have 
been inenrred by the cattle-owners of California, 
by tli© death of their stock from starvation, 
might have been avoidod, had the advice of far¬ 
sighted agricultural papers on this point been 
heeded. Straw, when early cut and properly 
cured, has Bomewhat of tbo quality of olover, 
and with a little additional feed in winter, it will, 
if well stacked and cared for, keep cattle in good 
condition, make abundant manure, and thus re¬ 
store to the soil much of the fertility of which 
the growth of the crop deprived it. Hay may in 
this way bo economized for sale or use, cattle 
kept fat and sleek, and the farmer be amply ro- 
wardod for the little extra trouble needed to in¬ 
sure these beneficial results. 
Cows and Sueef are pastured together in 
equal numbers by the thrifty fanners of Holland. 
The sheep to whom scarcely anything in the 
way of pasturago is objectionable, eat the hard 
and wiry grasses which the cows reject, keep 
the turf closely cropped, improve the fertility of 
tho soil by their droppings scattered everywhere 
about it, aud prevent tho growth of bushes, 
weeds, and shrubs. Ju addition to theso bene¬ 
fits, a small flock of good sheep would furnish a 
supply of cheap, wholesome and convenient 
meat for the household, while their flooco would 
make a welcome addition to the cash acconnt, and 
their lambs make good the losses made by the 
larder, This is surely one of the lessons our 
own farmers might learn with profit from tho 
practices of Other countries. 
A New Method of Onion-Orowing is strongly 
recommended by a French horticulturist. Some 
of the seedlings in the original bed should be left 
standing at intervals of about a oouple of inches, 
and the spaces between them caused by the re¬ 
moval of the rest, filled iu with good garden 
mold,mixed with pigeous’dung,or ordinary fames. 
The beds must bo kept well watered and it is 
said the resulting crop will astonish the grower. 
The Qualities of JIay are pithily stated in 
the old saying “ timothy for muscle ; clover for 
milk; corn for fat." Hence timothy is the lmy 
for horses and young stock ; arid clover for milch 
cows. People are generally too reckless in feed¬ 
ing cattle promiscuously with whatever they 
havo to give them, without taking much pains to 
make a proper selection. 
Apples and pears will keep and color better 
and bring a higher price, if picked a few days 
before they are quito ripe, and the best way to 
determine tho precise time when this should be 
done, is, instead of pulling the fruit down, to lift 
it up, bend the stem over, and if it parts from 
the twig without breaking, it may be at once 
gathered. 
Guinea hens, it) is said, in addition to laying 
more and better eggs than common fowl, will, 
each of them, keep an aore of potatoes clear of 
beetles, and answer every purpose of a barom¬ 
eter in predicting the weather. These days are 
as proliflo in finding new uses for old things, as 
iu discovering and inventing new devices. 
“Pusi.et” or purslane, anathematized here as 
a pest by our farmers and gardeners, is carefully 
cultivated and considered a very choice and deli¬ 
cious vegetable by those of Europe. Prejudice 
alone prevents people in every part of the world 
from using many edibles highly prized by those 
equally civilized elsewhere. 
To MAKE CABBAGES HEAD PROPERLY a pinch 
of salt to each head, or a Blight watering with 
weak lime is very beneficial. 
SEPT. S 
(Entomological, 
HESSIAN FLY. 
(Cecidomyia destructor,—Say.) 
BY I. P. ROBERTS, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURE, 
CORN ELL UNIVERSITY. 
Many of the fanners of New York are only too 
well acquainted with the ravages of this insect; 
and since it lias made its appearance this year in 
several counties of the State, it may be both 
profitable and interesting to describe its habits 
and also some of the best, means of preventing 
or checking its depredations. We havo just 
harvested the best Wheat crop we have had for 
years ; and it will be hard to convince anyone 
who has not seen or felt to his sorrow the mis¬ 
chief this little black fly is capablo of, that it is 
not only possible but probable that In quite a 
large proportion of the best wheat-growing dis¬ 
tricts of New York, the yield of the next harvest 
will be materially reduced by this little “Hes¬ 
sian.” Should Ibis bo tho case, tho second har¬ 
vest no doubt will bo very meager. 
This insect is supposed to have been intro¬ 
duced into Long Island by the Hessian troops 
in August, 1770. After making their appearance 
in the town of Fbltbusb, the pests spread rap¬ 
idly to other portions of Long Island and ad¬ 
joining States, carrying destruction to many of 
the best wheat districts. They usually multi¬ 
ply rapidly for two or three years, whon they as 
rapidly decrease ; their decline being caused, it 
is bolieved, by disease and the attacks of their 
parasitic enemies. There is no way of foretell¬ 
ing their reappearance or migration to new lo¬ 
calities. The fly that lays tho eggs is from % to 
# Inch in length, has two wings, and is nearly 
black. They are usually two-brooded. Tho eggs 
for the first, are laid from the latter part of 
August till tho twentieth of September. If the 
fall iB unnsnally warm and fine, there are some 
deposited as late as October 1st; further South 
thoy work even later than this. Each female de¬ 
posits from twenty to fifty eggs on tho upper 
surface of the leaves near their base, which hatch 
in about four days into palo, red larv®. 
They pass down to the lower joint, stopping 
just above it, fastening thomsolvos to the stalk, 
with their heads downward, and suck tip the sap 
of the plant, causing it to die or turn yellow. In 
about five or six weeks they have attained the 
length of about 3-20 of an inch and very muoh 
resemble in shape, size and color, a small flax¬ 
seed. During the winter they lie dormant and 
are transformed into tho perfect fly from the 
tatter part of April to the last of May. These, 
in turn, lay their eggs for two or throe weeks, 
which rapidly hatch into larvm that may be 
found in tho “flax-seed" state during Or Just 
preceding harvest. Tims wo see it is an unin¬ 
terrupted aud accumulative attack from the 
time the grain has made its appearance above 
ground until it is harvested. 
Perhaps tho most effectual remedy, or rather 
preventive, is late sowing. No wheat should be 
sown in localities where they havo already ap¬ 
peared, or in districts adjoining, until September 
15th, and if it is deferred until the 20th it would 
be all the bettor. Repeated rolling is said to 
detroy some of tho larva:, and burning the stub¬ 
ble where practicable, would certainly destroy 
many and thus prevent so great devastation of 
the succeeding crop. The great objection to 
either rolling or burning is, that it destroys both 
friend aud foe alike. 
Great care should always be used in destroying 
all noxious hiseets lost we also destroy the bene¬ 
ficial ones; the chief of which are the Ichneu¬ 
mon and Calcis Flics. In tho counties of Yates, 
Seneca, Tompkins and Oayuga, where the Hes¬ 
sian flies have already made their appearance, it 
would appear wiser to fit the ground perfectly, 
apply extra fertilizers and sow lato, rather than 
ruu any risk or trust to auy methods of destruc¬ 
tion. If all infested and contiguous districts 
would sow late euough so that the wheat would 
not appear aboveground before September 25th, 
I believe the fly could be effectually starved out. 
I'oultn! jjar&. 
RAISING YOUNG TURKEYS. 
Many persons suppose that young turkeys are 
much harder to rear than chickens. Indeed 
with most farmers this seems to be a generally 
conceded conclusion. Yet from my own observ¬ 
ation and experience, I have come to tbe de¬ 
cision that it is not so bard as most people sup¬ 
pose. I was led to investigate the matter from 
observing a few neighboring farmers, who always 
raised a goodly number of these useful biids. 
Upon inquiry, I found their mode of treatment 
was of a more enlightened kind than that prac¬ 
ticed by the general run of farmers. Having 
studied out more of tbe nature of tho birds than 
is usual, they had adopted an intelligent system 
