882 
Raking into cocks will answer when the stalks are 
thick, small, and short, but they will become wet 
through more readily than hay, and it may therefore 
be best to guard them by a good thick cap of straw on 
each. A straw covering is a good thing for the stacks. 
It is best to place the tops of the stalks downwards in 
finishing off a stack, as in this reversed position, they 
throw off water much better than in the ordinary way. 
The best time to cut is when the leaves begin to 
turn brown and become dry, and after the tassels have 
fully developed themselves. 
We do not think our correspondent will find the sum¬ 
mers long and hot enough in the northern states to 
raise two good crops in a season, with ordinary corn. 
Eu-thcr south, and with the earliest ripening nothern 
varieties, it may perhaps succeed well. 
The crop should always be sown in drills and never 
broadcast. The drills produce better, require less seed, 
leave the ground cleaner, are more easily harvested, 
and are equally easy to plant, if done in the right way. 
Discordant Views —Subsoil Plowing. 
Messrs. Editors —I have taken your paper for a 
good while and always look for it in hopes of deriving 
some important information from it, but I will not con¬ 
ceal from you that I think it might be made more 
valuable. Your own observations seem to me to be 
shrewd and valuable, but are you not too much in the 
habit of publishing all sorts of communications or let¬ 
ters, whether they contain any thing useful or interest¬ 
ing or not, and whether they advocate practices in 
farming which you would approve of or not 1 You 
have letters or communications advocating both sides 
of all the disputed questions in agriculture, and each 
writer reasoning and theorizing away in favor of his 
own position. 
It is a pity that we could not in some way have a 
series of careful reliable experiments conducted by 
some reliable person and the results published. But 
who is to pay the expenses of such experiments say 
you. 
By the way as to subsoil plowing , you know that 
some scientific agriculturists recommend it as really 
indispensable to thorough first-rate farming, whilst of 
really practical farmers about here, I know of none 
who use it. And yet theoretically I have often thought 
that upon the soil in our neighborhood which is a pret¬ 
ty stiff clay, it might be highly beneficial. I should 
like to have you inquire through your paper if any 
person has made thorough and careful experiments , 
comparing the results and expense. I would not give 
a cent far any theories on the subject unless founded 
upon well ascertained facts. A Subscriber. Long 
Island. 
We plead guilty, in some degree at least, to publish¬ 
ing communications on both sides of disputed questions, 
and freely acknowledge our inability to decide on all 
the poii ts submitted to our readers. Take for instance, 
the question of our correspondent about subsoil plow¬ 
ing. We know that on some soils, it is not only con¬ 
sidered by scientific men. but has been proved by prac¬ 
tice to be highly beneficial. In some instances, but 
so far as we have heard they have been but few, it has 
proved of little or no value. The writer says the 
farmers in bis neighborhood do not subsoil. Have 
they tested it by experiment'! If not, upon what 
ground do they condemn the practice 1 This and a 
hundred other questions, can only be settled by a mul¬ 
titude of experiments in different parts of the eountry. 
It is a great mistake to suppose that one experiment, 
however carefully tried, is to settle these disputed 
questions. What may prove successful in one instance, 
may, in a different soil and climate, be a failure. We 
endeavor to give facts, and theories too, from all parts 
of the country, leaving it for our readers to select and 
adopt only what commends itself to their judgment as 
appropriate to their circumstances and soils. 
A Durable Fence. 
A durable, cheap and convenient fence may be con¬ 
structed somewhat after the manner of building gravel 
houses, which have been brought into notice by Mr. 0. 
S. Fowler of phrenological notoriety, and which were 
noticed in the issue of The Country Gentleman for 
June 15th of present year. Mr. Markham, whose 
experiments in building house-wall, were noticed in 
that issue, has informed the public in the Sept. No. of 
the Michigan Farmer, that he has fences made in a 
similar manner, which have stood for six years, with¬ 
out any crumbling, cracking or decay of any kind. 
To all appearance he says they are harder than ever. 
In building fence-wall, he uses one-third water-lime. 
He digs down about one foot, lays in large stones, 
banks up to the top of these foundation stones, and 
then begins his gravel wall on this foundation. He 
uses boxes to confine the mortar until it becomes stiff 
or hard, in the same way as when constructing house 
wall. He makes the mortar quite thin, and then crowds 
in all the stones, large or small, which can be conve¬ 
niently come at. To two bushels of stone lime, he 
puts about forty to fifty pailsful of water, and one bu¬ 
shel of water-lime. These he stirs and mixes well, 
and then adds forty-five to fifty bushels of gravel,—less 
when the gravel is fine, and more when it is coarse, as 
the finer the gravel, the more lime is necessary to make 
a good cement. Mr. M. has made fences in this way 
with lime alone, without the addition of water lime, 
but finds that they do not stand well. 
To Kill Liiveforever. 
Eds. Co. Gent. —Tell your correspondent, H. Stone, 
if he wishes to kill Live-forever, to dig it up root and 
branch, and either burn or drown it. Having had some 
experience with the “ animal,” I have come to the 
conclusion that this is the only way to eradicate it. 
The top will often make a growth of several inches in 
the center of a hay-mow. Cattle will not eat it, and 
it will stand strong brine, applied boiling hot, without 
appearing to suffer in the least. I waive all claims to 
the offered nremium. Helderberger. Westcrlo. 
