1854 . 
303 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
upon this sandy bed of the yard. When the surface 
became unsightly and so that the cattle could not rea¬ 
dily 'find a clean place to lie down, the plow was taken 
out and run through this sand, and a new, fresh, clean 
surface turned up. Such was the mode of manage¬ 
ment during the winter. In the Spring, at convenient 
times, this sand w r as all hauled out upon the farm, 
sometimes upon the low meadow, but generally on the 
upland grass land. From cart or wagon two men, one 
at front end and the other at the hinder end, scattered 
it as far as it would go. The natural meadow became 
gradually less mucky, and more fit for the growth of 
herds grass and subsequently of crops of corn. The 
clay laud became more loose and friable, and when 
the dressing did not extend all over the field to which 
it was applied, the difference in the color and growth 
of the grass, and in the amount of the hay was quite 
observable. One field which had more of this .dress¬ 
ing than any other became changed from a stiff, com¬ 
pact clay to a loose, friable clayey loam, and, with a 
dressing of meadow muck from the cleanings of the 
ditches, assumed a dark appearance resembling those 
rich low soils which abound in carbonaceous deposits. 
These fields can now be plowed or hoed at times when, 
as formerly, they would have been hard and compact 
almost as a brick. 
In both the cases referred to it was thought that the 
outlay was a fund well laid out—yielding a very satis¬ 
factory interest yearly. 
Mediterranean Wheat. 
Messrs. Editors —Among the several varieties of 
wheat cultivated, it is a matter of the greatest impor¬ 
tance to know which is the most profitable kind to 
raise, taking every thing connected with it into ac¬ 
count. Mr. A. Y. Moore, well known as an intelligent 
and enterprising farmer, of Schoolcraft, Mich, has 
communicated to his agricultural brethern, in the Aug. 
No. of the Michigan Farmer , some of his experi¬ 
ence as a contribution towards the determination of the 
question above named. Seventeen yearn ago he pro¬ 
cured about a pint of Mediterranean wheat from New 
Jersey, and has been so well satisfied with it from year 
to year ever since, that he now raises no other kind. 
Among the advantages of this kind of wheat Mr. Moore 
names the following :—It has always, without excep¬ 
tion, proved to be more productive than any other kind ; 
it makes good flour and a good yield ; it is not at all 
affected by the fly which is becoming so destructive to 
some other kinds; it ripens early; and, lastly, it has nev¬ 
er been affected with rust nor smut. The bread made 
from the flour of Mediterranean wheat, it is pretty 
well known, is not so white as that made From the 
flour of some other varieties; but Mr. M. thinks this 
bread is decidedly better. 
Among the disadvantages attaching to this kind of 
wheat there is but one of any importance. Most buy¬ 
ers will not pay as much for it per bushel as they do 
for white wheat. Mr. M. thinks that this objection 
will hold good only where there is but little of it rais¬ 
ed, as millers do not like to mix it with white wheat 
on account of its darker color. He adds that nineteen- 
twentieths of all the wheat raised on . Door Prairie, 
Indiana, is of this kind, and that the farmers there 
Und no trouble in selling it, and at fair prices. Mr. M. 
says be would prefer to raise it, however, even if he 
were obliged to sell it at 10 per cent, less than most 
other varieties. 
Mr. Moore has recently floured a quantity of this 
wheat. “ The yield was very good and flour excel¬ 
lent/” He thinks that 100 lbs. of the offals is worth 
as much for any kind of stock as 100 lbs. of oats. 
Perhaps some of the readers of this may have some 
experience on this subject which might be of use to 
the farming public. A. 
How to Use Swamp Muck. 
Mr. Tucker —What is the best mode of using 
swamp muck, or is it really worth any thing at all? 
I have a large pond near my barn, from which I can 
obtain any amount of muck. I have several times 
carted out a considerable quantity of it, but have ne¬ 
ver been able to satisfy myself that it would pay. 
Several years since I spread a number of loads on a 
dry sandy piece of land, but could not perceive any 
effect at all from it. Any information in regard to the 
best way of using it, through the columns of the Cul¬ 
tivator, would oblige. J. Hurlbut. Gales Ferry 
We have occasionally given in back numbers of this 
journal, directions for the intermixture of swamp muck 
with stable manure, for spreading upon land. If the 
present drouth continues, we would recommend our 
correspondent to cart out on dry ground, all the muck 
practicable. If he has ’new a quantity of stable ma¬ 
nure on hand, he may make a large pile of compost 
near the pond, by placing the muck and manure in al¬ 
ternate layers, each only a few inches thick,—the thin¬ 
ner, the more perfect will be the intermixture. There 
may be twice as much muck as manure ; and if he 
could sprinkle over, say a twentieth or so, of fresh or 
leached ashes, all the better. Such a pile as this would 
form a most valuable compost. If the layers are very 
thin,carting and spreading will intermix it sufficiently. 
If no manure is now to he hs d, cart out the muck 
into heaps to dry, and cover it with long straw, slabs, 
or boards, to prevent its becoming soaked by fall rains. 
In the winter, it will then be light and easy to draw, 
will not freeze into lumps, and may be spread over 
cattle yards to become mingled with the droppings, or 
may form compost heaps by successive layers as just 
described. The drier it has been kept, the greater will 
be the amount of liquid manure it will absorb,—the 
richer it will be,—and the greater will be the saving it - 
will effect. 
Muck, applied unmixed directly to land, does not 
usually produce a striking effect—sometimes its bene¬ 
fit is very small. There is a difference in the quality 
of the muck—and when applied to land already well 
supplied with vegetable matter, it is of course only 
taking coals to Newcastle. The effects however, last 
many years. Doubtless, if our correspondent had 
measured accurately the results of his experiment, 
he could have perceived more sensibly its advantages. 
fSS>ESi@g 
•'■T;. 
