1849 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
287 
the public at 9 o’clock, A. M., and close at 10 o'clock, 
P. M., which arrangement will continue during the fair. 
The opening address will be delivered this evening, at 
o’clock, in the front saloon. A band of music will 
play during the evening. At 9 o’clock, a grand display 
of fireworks. 
Wednesday, Oct. 3.—The Steam Engine, with mov¬ 
ing machinery, wiil be in operation and continue during 
the Fair. 
Thursday, Oct. 4.—Spading Match, Plowing, and 
Testing of Plows, at Flushing, L. I.* in conjunction 
with the Queens County Agricultural Society. Steam¬ 
boats will leave the Battery at an early hour for the 
Plowing ground. An address on the field. 
Saturday, Oct. 6.—Fireworks this evening, at 9 o’¬ 
clock. 
Second Week. — Monday, Oct. 8.—Great Show of 
choice Roses and Dahlias at 12 o’clock, for special pre¬ 
miums. Cattle and other live stock to be exhibited on 
Wednesday, must be entered on the books this day, and 
pedigrees delivered to the clerk, at the Committee-room, 
at Madison Cottage, corner of Fifth Avenue and 
Twenty-Third Street. If previously sent to A. Chan¬ 
dler, Sup. Agent of the Institue, they will be attended to. 
Wednesday, Oct. 10.—The Cattle Show will open at 
10 o’clock, A. M., at Madison Cottage, corner of Filth 
Avenue and Twenty-Third Street, when all the animals 
must be on the ground. 
Thursday, Oct. 11.—The second and last day of the 
Cattle Show. The Hon. Levi Woodbury Will deliver 
the Anniversary Address at the Tabernacle, at 7% o’¬ 
clock, P. M. Tickets gratis, may be had of any of the 
managers, or at the Clerk’s desk. Music by an accom¬ 
plished choir, under the direction of Mr. George An¬ 
drews. 
Saturday, Oct. 12 —Pyrotechnic exhibition for pre¬ 
mium, at 9 o’clock, P. M. Each exhibitor will be re¬ 
quired to fire three pieces. Entries to be made on the 
books before 12 o’clock, M. 
Wheat Culture. 
Eds. Cultivator —Will you or any of your corres¬ 
pondents be so kind as to answer the following queries 
through the columns of your excellent journal ? viz: 
1. What is the proper time for a clover fallow to be 
made for wheat ? 
2. Shou'd the clover be cut or grazed before fallow¬ 
ing ? 
3. What is the proper depth to plow to insure the 
greatest yield ? 
4. Is early sown wheat more subject to the attack of 
the fly ? 
The above questions cannot, of course, be answered 
with precision-as the circumstances of soil and cli¬ 
mate will have their influence,-—but replies may per¬ 
haps, be given that would be generally applicable, 
Juvenis Agricola. Long Hill, Amherst Co., Va., 
July 20, 1849. 
A fallow for wheat is generally commenced in June, 
or the last of May. There is a difference of opinion as 
to whether it is best to turn in the whole growth of clo¬ 
ver, however great it may bo, or whether it should be 
partially grazed or mowed off; and we do not think that 
experiments have been made with sufficient accuracy to 
settle the point. But on one point, we think there is a 
general agreement among farmers who are in the prac¬ 
tice of plowing in clover, and that is, that it is best to 
let it pass the stage in which it contains the most sap, 
before it is plowed under. The reason is, that a great 
quantity of green watery matter, produces, an acid in 
the soil, which is injurious to vegetation. On this ac¬ 
count many prefer having the clover partially fed off, 
and that what is left is fairly turned towards ripening. 
It is common to plow fallows once or twice after 
turning in the sod, previously to being sown; the first 
(or rather the second) plowing to be done when the sod 
is fairly dead, and partially decomposed, and the next 
just before seeding, which is generally from the 10 th 
to the last of September. 
The practice has been considerably adopted of late 
years, to defer the plowing of clover-ley till about the 
time for sowing wheat, and to sow immediately on the 
furrow, after but one plowing. In this case it is com¬ 
mon to pasture the clover, more or less, according to 
the wants of the live-stock of the farm, or to mow the 
first growth and save it for hay. This practice has 
been quite successful, especially on loamy soils, or 6 ueh 
as do not require to be much worked to render them suf¬ 
ficiently friable. The great benefit of fallowing, is 
on land which either requires cleaning from foul plants, 
or from its tenacity, requires a more thorough pulveri¬ 
zation and aeration than can be effected by one plow- 
ing. 
The depth of plowing, on ordinary wheat soils, is ge¬ 
nerally seven inches. It is found that stiff soils require 
deep stirring; and it is not unfrequently the case, that 
the subsoil, in our best wheat districts, is as rich or 
richer in the elements which nourish wheat, than the 
surface soil. It only needs the action of the air to de¬ 
velop or render soluble its valuable alkaline and other 
properties. There are lands of a different, character, 
however, on which wheat is raised—lands on which the 
subsoil does not thus abound with valuable saline mat¬ 
ter; and on these lands a less depth of furrow, with a 
proper use of the subsoil plow, is deemed preferable to 
a deep burying of the surface soil, and the consequent 
result of bringing to the surface the comparatively bar¬ 
ren subsoil. 
Early sown wheat may form a harbor for the Hes¬ 
sian fly in the fall-—as it is not unusual for a generation 
of that insect to be produced before the setting in of 
winter. It may not be perfected in the fall, but will 
remain in the larvae or in the ‘“flax-seed” state till 
spring, when it is matured and brought, out by a few 
warm days, ready to attack the crop in full force. 
Where this insect is known to prevail, it is, therefore, 
deemed advisable to defer the sowing of wheat to so 
late a period that the plant would not make its appear¬ 
ance till cool weather should render the fly incapable of 
mischief. 
But it should be remembered, that the course which 
would be a protection against the Hessian fly is not a 
protection against the wheat midge, miscalled “ wee¬ 
vil ” Early winter wheat is the most likely to escape 
the latter insect, and that which is rather late, most 
subject to injury. The farmer must, of course, make 
his calculations as to which of these enemies, he is in 
the greatest danger. If he is most likely to be attack* 
ed by the Hessian fly, he will sow late; if by the midge, 
he will sow early, and an early kind . 
Management of Sheep. 
At a late meeting of an English Farmers’ Club, th© 
subject for discussion was,—“ The best, method of ma¬ 
naging a flock of sheep for breeding purposes.” Mr. 
Hardwick remarked that in regard to breeding ewes, h© 
should prefer keeping them well and even all the year 
round. He did not like sudden changes from high to 
low feeding, or vice versa, though he thought ewes 
might, advantageously have more food of a good quality 
after they were half gone with lamb, than before. As 
to the most profitable way of making up lambs for sale, 
if he wanted a horse to work, he would not give £5 
more for it because it was fat; so with lambs, if h© 
wanted lambs to work, he would not give 5s. wore for 
them because they were fat, and it must be remember 
