1858. 
191 
I HE CULTIVATOll. 
Would it answer after drilling the oats, to sow the seed 
and guano broadcast and harrow them in, or would 
that uncover the oats ? [Loamy soils that have some 
clay, will absorb the strength of guano, and give it off 
for at least a year or two—hence a considerable portion 
will be left after the oat crop. On very light soils the 
case would be different, and it would perhaps be better 
to sow the guano late in the fall as a top-dressing, to 
be washed in by the rains. If sowed with the oats, it 
should be buried as deep as the oats, in order properly 
to benefit the grass roots, and we would not recommend 
sowing it immediately afterwards, as proposed. If our 
correspondent could sow his grass seed early in spring, 
and without oats or any other crop, it would doubtless 
do best. Such at least is our experience ] 
Grain Drills. —One inquiry about the drill. I no¬ 
tice my wheat which was put in with the drill, that 
upon the hill-sides, where the soil was loam, that the 
wheel in running in the drill furrow, (which is neces¬ 
sary in order to have the drills uniform in width,) put 
the seed too deep to vegetate—how shall I remedy the 
evil in drilling the oats? Would putting a broad tire 
on that wheel help the matter, or shall I raise the drill 
tube, so that it will row on the surface, to be buried by 
the wheel. J. It. Gardner. SunnybanJc , Va. [We 
have applied to Bickford & Huffman for information, 
and when we receive their answer, will give it to our 
readers] 
Drills, Threshers, Ice-House, &c. —We furnish 
the following answers to the several inquiries of a cor¬ 
respondent at Cedar Point, Ya. 1. Bickford & Huff¬ 
man’s wheat drill is one of the best if not the very 
best now made—it can be ordered of them from Mace- 
don, N. Y. The price varies with the size, $75 and 
upwards. 2. Excellent two-horse thrashing machines 
are made by Emery & Co., It. H. Pease, and Wheeler 
& Co., all of this city, and Westinghouse & Co. of 
Schenectady, either of whom will send circulars with 
prices, &c., in full, on application. 3. One-horse mow¬ 
ers and reapers have been proposed, but we are not 
aware of the manufacture of any. 4. An ice-house 
built of brick would answer the desired purpose if a 
stratum of one foot of sawdust were placed between 
the brick wall and the ice,—to be kept in its place 
either by a wood partition placed a foot from the brick, 
or filled in after the ice is built up leaving a foot space. 
Wild Fruits. —Can the wild gooseberries, grapes, 
cherries, and strawberries, be replanted and attended 
to, and thus improved ? This country abounds with 
such wild fruit—also fine wild plums. Please answer 
my simple questions. I wish you could see our prairies, 
covered as they are now with white, blue, and yellow 
flowers, some really exquisite in form and color. The 
prairies seem one great flower garden. John Doy. 
Lawrence , Kansas Ter. [It is doubtful whether the 
wild fruits mentioned would prove equal to our best 
cultivated sorts—but it is easy to try them. A friend, 
believing that the wild strawberries of Western New- 
York were more delicious than any cultivated variety, 
planted them in his garden along with Burr’s New 
Pine, Large Early Scarlet, and several others of the 
best sorts, but when they came to bear, they were in¬ 
ferior to all—partly no doubt from the fact that hun- 
ger and abstinence had given a keen relish to the wild 
fruit when eaten. We have known an orchard of wild 
\ plums planted from the woods; and, as in their native 
localities, some were excellent, many poor, and a large 
portion of a middle character. We should like much 
to see an effort made to select the finest and most pro¬ 
ductive wild plums, and attempts made to improve them 
—something valuable might be had, as the wild plum 
possesses such superior hardiness, and will grow vigo¬ 
rously on light or gravelly soils, where the common plum 
dwindles and fails ] 
Lime Brick. —“An old Subscriber” of North Plan- 
tagenet, C. W., is informed that two persons arrived in 
Lawrence from Wisconsin, about a year since, with 
machines and men, to commence to make brick from 
lime and sand. Three houses were built, also the front 
of a fine store. But all cracked and crumbled to pieces 
in a short time. The persons that contracted lost con¬ 
siderable. In fact, here they are an entire failure 
Whether it is owing to a want of knowledge of the 
quantities of sand and lime to mix, I am not able to 
say, but some say this is the cause. J ohn Doy. Law¬ 
rence, K. T. 
Osage Hedges. —1 wish to make several inquiries 
in regard to Cteage Orange for hedges. I. Whether it 
is better in single or double rows ; if double how far 
apart each way ?' 2. If two year old plants are procur¬ 
ed from the nursery, is it better to cut the tops to the 
roots before setting out, or wait till next spring ? I. W. 
Bennington , Vt. [It is best in single rows, and may 
thus be more easily and perfectly cultivated. The dis¬ 
tance should be about eight inches. Cut the tops near¬ 
ly to the roots when setting out, and they will be more 
likely to grow and sprout up vigorously. Then let them 
grow two years without cutting, till the whole top has 
given a very strong root—then cutting back properly 
will quickly make a very stout hedge. Although not 
asked, we will say, that no osage hedge should be plan¬ 
ted where a strip of land at least five feet wide on each 
side, cannot be kept constantly and thoroughly culti¬ 
vated, clean, and mellow, for the first five years. If 
this cannot be done, sell, throw away, or burn all the 
plants before setting them ] 
German Millet and Hungarian Grass Seed.— 
Why is it that some seedsmen are asking six dollars 
per bushel for this seed, under the name of Hungarian 
grass, when they know they are one and the same 
thing ? In sowing it, should I sow upon the furrow and 
harrow, or harrow the ground first, and then sow and 
brush them in ? [If the ground after plowing is in fine 
mellow condition, and has been plowed with narrow 
furrows, so as to leave an even surface, sow before har¬ 
rowing ; but if rough or cloddy, harrow well first.] 
Is it so ? —A writer in The Homestead , giving a 
description of the township of Orange, immediately 
west of New-Haven, and of the farm of Elisha Dick- 
erman in that town, makes the remark, which we doubt 
not will surprise many, that Mr. D. is one of the numer¬ 
ous instances in that State (Conn.) of a mechanic turning 
farmer, and beating the tillers of the soil themselves 
at their own business. “ We have found it true,” says 
the writer, “ in all parts of Connecticut, that those 
who farm lands to the best advantage, and make a 
dollar bring the most in farm products, are men whose 
faculties have been trained and sharpened in other 
callings. A man eventually succeeds in business, not 
so much by his special training for it as by the amount 
of good common-sense and tact he brings to bear upon 
it. You will find illustrations of this in the rural im- 
