20 
THE CULTIVATOR 
is left umterthat name. Fallowing, as often practiced in 
some sectocns of this country, is quite a different opera¬ 
tion, and may reasonably suppose is quite different in 
its effects, &om what is recommended by the English au¬ 
thorities. Though the old idea of giving the land rest 
by abandoning its cultivation fora time, is now exploded 
with intelligent farmers, yet we have seen fallowing, 
(or what was called such,) practiced and defended from 
no more correct idea of its benefits. In grain-growing 
districts, we have sometimes seen fields half covered with 
weeds, mulleins, and tnistles, and on inquiring the object 
of that mode of mis-management, have been told it was 
“ fallow ground,” or else that it was “ thrown by to 
rest.” It is difficult to perceive the advantage that can 
result from a “ fallow’ 5 which not only exhausts the soil 
as much as would a crop of grain, but what is worse, 
instead of cleaning the land, is actually encouraging the 
growth of every noxious plant. 
A very common practice in some sections of this coun¬ 
try, with those who are considered good farmers, is to 
plow their grass or sod lands intended for wheat, in the 
month of May or June, and let them lie, sometimes with, 
and sometimes without harrowing, till September, or 
near the time for putting in the crop, when they are 
cross-ploAved, harrowed and sowed. This is done with¬ 
out any particular regard to the nature of the sod turned 
down—whether a crop of clover was turned in, or it was 
the tough sod of a sheep pasture, the future course is ge¬ 
nerally the same. The expediency of this mode of fal¬ 
lowing, may well be questioned in some respects. The 
objections which have been urged against it, are, that 
whatever gases are produced by the decomposition of the 
vegetable matter turned in at the first plowing, are by 
the second plowing brought to the surface, and dissipa¬ 
ted in the air; instead of remaining, as they should, to 
be taken up as food by the growing wheat. Another 
objection is, if the sward is not entirely dead, bringing 
it to the surface will cause the grass to grow and inter¬ 
fere with the wheat. In reference to obviating these 
objections, it has been suggested that some implement 
might be used for cultivating the ground, after it was 
once well plowed, which would properly prepare it for 
the reception of the seed, without again bringing the sod 
to the surface. An excellent farmer in Ohio, lately men¬ 
tioned to us his intention of preparing a set of very small 
plows, to be set in a frame, and so regulated as to work 
the furrow just deep enough to answer the purposes of 
seeding, and not to disturb the old sod. Mr. Wiard’s 
(( plowing machine,” or set of gang plow's, described in 
the Nov. number of the Cultivator, is in some degree 
designed to answer this purpose. 
Again, it has been suggested that sowing the ground 
designed for wheat, with some'leguminous crop—as peas, 
beans, or vetches, which from the broadness of their 
leaves are known to draw most of their support from the 
air, and consequently do not much exhaust the soil— 
would secure the objects of clean tilth and friableness, 
equally as well as is done by the naked fallow, and 
give the crop as so much clear gain over that mode. In 
many situations, we have no doubt a crop of peas, or 
early beans, might be taken off' sufficiently early for a 
crop of wheat, and it is well known that the effect of 
those crops is rather to ameliorate than impoverish the 
soil. 
Where land is occupied by clover, and is clear of 
weeds, plowing has been sometimes deferred till the 
time of sowing the wheat—giving the benefit of the 
growth of clover, either for pasture, or to be plowed in, 
for nearly the whole season, and obviating the necessity 
of a summer fallow. On loamy soils, or those of not too 
heavy a nature, we think this course might be safely fol¬ 
lowed. Excellent crops of wheat have often been ob¬ 
tained by it. Of the many examples which might be 
given showing this fact, we select the following given 
on unquestionable authority. On the farm formerly oc¬ 
cupied by Mr. Woodward, of Camillus, Onondaga Co., 
(N. Y.) a field of fifteen acres, in clover, was turned over 
in the month of October and sown with wheat. This 
proved the best on the farm—averaging 35 bushels per 
acre. Another instance was on the’farm of Mr. Dicken¬ 
son, Onondaga Valley, where the wheat was sown on a 
clover sod after a single plowing, and the measured yield 
from one acre was fifty-two bushels and eight quarts; and 
on several other acres the yield would not have fallen 
much if any short of the measured one. 
It must be obvious that there is an immense difference 
in the profits of cultivation where no interval is allowed 
in the rotation, and where the ground is every third or 
fourth year unoccupied by any crop: and, excepting un¬ 
der particular circumstances, such as have already been 
mentioned, w'e see no good reason for the summer fallow. 
But, as we have remarked, there are some cases where, 
from the foulness of the ground, &c., the fallow must be 
adopted. In conclusion, therefore, and in consideration 
of the whole matter, we cannot present a more compre¬ 
hensive and correct view, than by adopting the language 
of the late Rev. W. L. Rham, in that sterling work, the 
Dictionary of the Farm:—“ The advice we would im¬ 
press on the minds of cultivators, is—Avoid fallows, if 
you can keep your land clean; but when you fallow, do 
it effectually. Do not spare either plows or harrows in 
dry weather.” 
“ SWEET AND SOUR APPLE.” 
I have seen apples called half sweet and half sour, said 
to have been produced by innoculating or grafting toge¬ 
ther two half buds; but I became satisfied that the varie¬ 
ty was natural, and not produced by such means. It ap¬ 
peared to me that the ridges either ripened before the 
hollow's , and hence the former became sweeter than the 
latter,—or else there was a defect or disease in the for¬ 
mer which rendered them insipid. Indeed there was a 
deadness of flavor which I have found in no other apple. 
Now if two half buds can be made to grow and coa¬ 
lesce, it is very strange that such artists only select sweet 
and sour apples for a trial of their skill, when a differ¬ 
ence of color, of size, and of earliness, would be so much 
more strking and extraordinary. For instance—why 
have they not exhibited an apple which shall be on one 
side the little early juneating, and on the other the large 
j fall pippin? or the yellow harvest and the red spitzen- 
burgh? or the early bough and the late Roxbury russet? 
If they would take such kinds as should be agreed on, 
and achieve what they pretend has been done, all differ¬ 
ence of opinion might be terminated at once, and a great 
number of splendid apples manufactured profitable to both 
the nurseryman and the orchardist. 
Its not having been done, however, when it was quite 
as easy to do, is rather a suspicious circumstance; and it 
is not less remarkable that the color on both sides of the 
fruit which I have seen, should differ so little; that both 
sides should be so nearly of a size', and that both sides 
should be so nearly mature at the same time, not like the 
disparity between summer and winter apples. Another 
reason for doubting ; the, reality of such manufacture may 
be found in the loose and careless manner in which its 
advocates have expressed their opinions. If the half of 
two blossom buds indeed* could be made to grow together, 
we might have an apple half sweet and half sour, or half 
red and half white, from those two buds, but nothing fur¬ 
ther; for if the grafter should take the half of two leaf 
buds, the result would be very different. He would then 
have a stem consisting of two distinct kinds, soldered or 
cemented as it were together—but not mixed, and each 
kind occupying its own side of the tree. Hence each 
side would have its own kind of fruit, and there would 
be no partnership business between them. The idea that 
each limb would be composed of the two kinds, is altoge¬ 
ther preposterous. 
Such are my views of this matter. If I am wrong, 
however, I shall be willing to.make proper acknowl¬ 
edgments whenever the advocates of such amalgamation 
shall exhibit the necessary proofs of their skill. 
Cayuga co. 12 mo. 15, 1844. D. T. 
Turnep cutting Machine.— A man by the name of 
Saul, in England, has invented a turnep cutting machine, 
which may be manufactured by the farmer's own work¬ 
men, at a cost of from not more than $2 to $4, that will 
cut turneps from two to three bushels per minute, any 
size that may be required. 
