258 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Aug. 
out stones, stumps and bushes, and all such objects 
are left by the settling of the earth, mostly on the 
surface, from which they may be readily removed. 
The “ swamp holes,” which, like plague spots, 
disfigure the surface of farms, forming the breeding 
places of worthless plants and disgusting reptiles, 
and filling the atmosphere with the seeds of human 
disease, may often be brought into the most profit¬ 
able cultivation. They frequently comprise the 
richest parts of the farm, as is proved by the large 
crops they produce, when redeemed from the effects 
of stagnant water and wild plants. They are par¬ 
ticularly natural to grass, and when properly pre¬ 
pared by drainage, the wild growth exterminated, 
and the surface properly smoothed, may be brought 
into valuable meadows by sowing the grass seed 
about the first of September. Timothy, and the 
large red-top are the best grasses for such situa¬ 
tions; a peck of the seed of the former, with half a 
bushel to a bushel of the latter, (according to its 
cleanness,) is the proper quantity for an acre. It 
may be scratched in with rakes, or by a bush-har¬ 
row. 
Peat bogs, drained, may be made to produce good 
crops of many kinds; but grain crops and grass are 
very liable to lodge down on peaty soils. This is 
owing in a great degree to the want of silex (flint) 
in the soil, and in some degree also to the soil being 
too loose to give the plants a firm standing on their 
roots. The application of sand or gravel remedies 
both defects, and when the mineral substance is well 
incorporated with the vegetable matter, the straw 
becomes stiff, and the crops stand and mature well. 
The quantity of sand which it is expedient to ap¬ 
ply, varies with the composition of the peat soil, 
some containing much more mineral earth than oth¬ 
er deposites. A coating of an inch to two inches 
in depth, will, however, be found sufficient in most 
cases. It may be carted on in winter when most 
farming operations are suspended. 
Peat to be used in the barn-yard, for mixing with 
animal manure, should be dug out at this season, 
and piled on dry land, where it may be obtained as 
wanted. In this situation, the air and rains gradu¬ 
ally dissipate the acid which the peat contains 
when in its natural bed, and which must be dispel¬ 
led or neutralized before the peat can afford nour¬ 
ishment to plants. 
Digging rocks (boulders) from grounds encum¬ 
bered by them, may now be done advantageously. 
Stone walls are generally the best and most econo¬ 
mical fences in such situations. They have the im¬ 
portant recommendation, that when once made in a 
proper manner, they are perpetual. A trench, two 
feet deep, and somewhat wider than the base of the 
wall, should be dug for the foundation, which should 
be filled with the smaller stones that are not suita¬ 
ble for wall. A skillful and practical wall-layer, 
will know how to select and place the stones so as 
to make the most substantial and permanent fence. 
Boulders that are not wanted for walls, may be 
sunk by digging holes under or beside them, so deep 
that they may fall below the depth to which the 
plow reaches. Those who have adopted this mode 
of disposing of boulders, state that it is much less 
expensive than to get them out by blasting with 
powder, employing men and teams to take them 
away. 
It is an erroneous idea, though entertained by 
many farmers, that improvement will not pay. We 
believe this is in many instances, urged merely as 
an excuse for carelessness and negligence. It is a 
safe maxim that, what is worth doing, is worth do¬ 
ing well. We could refer to hundreds of instances 
where such improvements as we have spoken of have 
been made, with a greater profit on the money so 
expended, than is realized in the ordinary routine 
of farming. The lands operated on are frequently 
of little or no value; but by an outlay of fifteen to 
twenty-five dollars, are made to pay an annual inter¬ 
est of from fifty to a hundred, and sometimes two 
hundred dollars an acre. 
Agriculture of Ohio, 
Annual Report of the Ohio State Board of 
Agriculture. —This document comprehends the 
information brought out by the operations of the 
Board of Agriculture for the state of Ohio for the 
year 1849. The introductory remarks by the Pre¬ 
sident of the Board, M. L. Sullivant, Esq., pre¬ 
sent a comprehensive view of the general progress 
of agriculture in the state, accompanied with use¬ 
ful suggestions in regard to its further advancement. 
It is stated that agricultural societies have been or¬ 
ganised in more than fifty counties within the state. 
Township Farmer’s Clubs, have likewise been 
formed in several instances, and weekly or monthly 
meetings are held by the members for the discussion 
of agricultural subjects. A spirit of improvement 
is said to be rapidly diffusing itself among the far¬ 
ming population, the good results of which are be¬ 
ginning to appear. 
Crops. —The crops of the past year, except 
wheat and fruits, are considered good; but the 
wheat crop, which ordinarily reaches twenty mil¬ 
lions of bushels in the state, it is stated did not ex¬ 
ceed one-third that amount. The chief cause of 
the failure is attributed to the “ red rust,” in con¬ 
nexion with which the wheat midge (Cecidomyia tri- 
tici ,) and the u sun-blight” are mentioned as hav¬ 
ing increased the injury in some instances. From 
all causes combined, the total loss to the farmers of 
the state is put down at thirteen millions of bushels, 
estimated as equivalent to eight millions of dollars. 
The Mediterranean wheat is mentioned as having 
escaped the rust, in some parts of the state, better 
than other varieties—(probably from its earliness) 
—and that the quality of the grain is improving— 
the millers purchasing it readily with but little or 
no discount as to price. 
Among means for the improvement of wheat cul¬ 
ture, the use of the subsoil plow is recommended as 
follows:—“By its use, two very important points 
may be gained, less liability to winter killing, by 
allowing the water to settle down into the soil, and 
pass off, which also gives the roots of the plant 
more room to range in search of the requisite quan¬ 
tity of food.” 
The crop of Indian corn for 1849, is estimated at 
seventy millions of bushels for the state. The ex¬ 
pense attending the transportation of this grain 
from the interior of the state, is so great that but 
little of it finds a market, except by its conversion 
into beef and pork. The improved mode of drying 
Indian corn by steam is alluded to, and the hope ex¬ 
pressed that the process will soon make the expor¬ 
tation of steam-dried meal an article of import¬ 
ance. 
The rot in 'potatoes is stated to have been less 
prevalent last year, than for several previous years. 
Grass is spoken of as “ the third if not the se¬ 
cond crop in importance ” in the state. It is said 
—“The profits of the grazing interest have been 
for several years in advance of the grain growing 
interest, if we take into consideration the relative 
amount of labor and capital required to carry on 
these branches of industry, and the uniformity and 
