THE CULTIVATOR. 
179 
1 * 
tor, as I am frequently asked by our friends here, 
such questions as are answered in the above hasty 
communication. Yery respectfully yours. Geo. 
W. Durant. Rensselaerville , May 1853. 
Rust in Wheat Prevented by Draining. 
L. Tucker —Under this head, in your eigh¬ 
teenth number, are some suggestions from a far¬ 
mer in the western part of this state. 
Observation and experience have convinced me 
that too much moisture in the soil is the cause of 
wheat being thrown out by frost, and that tho¬ 
rough under draining is the only remedy. 
Every observing farmer knows that too much 
moisture is one great cause, if not the only cause 
of rust in wheat - consequently the dryer the soil 
is, the less liable the wheat is to be injured by 
rust. Thorough underdraining is the remedy. 
The writer says*. “ when I moved to this coun¬ 
try, I had no idea that our land would ever need 
draining, but this was when the ground was full 
of roots. Since these rotted out, there has been 
a settling down of the soil, &c. * * * I only 
know that I have fields which I would not now 
think of sowing with wheat, but to which purpose 
I should have made no objection ten years ago.” 
Is not this the experience of every farmer liv¬ 
ing south of the lime ridge or ledge in all the 
wheat growing sections of this stated While north 
of that ridge, no such results are experienced. 
This is my experience, having formerly owned 
a farm south of the ridge, on which wet places 
each succeeding year were found, and though un¬ 
der draining was extensively used, and with good 
effects, still these wet places each year called for 
an additional drain. Becoming tired of this, I 
sold that and bought a farm north of the lime 
ridge, and am exempt from the former difficulty. 
Lands north of the ridge, which are naturally 
wet, should be drained, but those which were dry 
before cultivation, remain so after it. This is my 
observation and experience. Does the observa¬ 
tion and experience of others corroborate it? M. 
Fairmount , N.. F., April 7, 1858. 
Clearing New Land. 
Lewis Sanders, a veteran agriculturist of 
Kentucky, recommends girdling forests, as far 
preferable to cutting the'trees in a green state. 
He says: 
Having possession of a body of unimproved 
land, and with crippled and restricted means, the 
first great question to he settled under the cir¬ 
cumstances, was the best method, to bring the 
land into a productive state. Grass was deter¬ 
mined on as the ultimate object. To prepare the 
land to yield something in the,shortest time, and 
with the least outlay of money, was the course to 
to be pursued. The first step was to deaden— 
girdle a few hundred acres—reserving useful tim¬ 
ber only.. This is an important operation on all 
clay soils, and in many places not sufficiently ap¬ 
preciated. By girdling a most beneficial process 
takes place in the soil, whieh is loosened and en¬ 
livened-—yielding kindly to the plow, and being 
much more productive than lands from which the 
timber has been cut green and removed off. I 
know this fact from actual experience; the ration¬ 
ale may be discussed by others. The roots of the 
stump of a green tree will resist the operation of 
a plow, one, if not two or three years longer than 
the roots of a tree of the same growth, girdled 
and left standing. 
Deaden your land, by girdling the useless tim¬ 
ber, as soon as convenient after the sap is in full 
flow.; this work to be finished by the 10th of 
August. At the end of four or five years it is 
easily cleaned up and made ready for the plow. 
Fire, judiciously applied at times, materially aids 
in the cleaning up. The roots being sufficiently 
out of the way to permit deep plowing, (the only 
sure method to save the soil,) two or three crops 
of corn may then be taken off. The cultivation 
of these two or three crops mixes the surface with 
the subsoil, leaving the ground In a better condi¬ 
tion for the reception of grass seed than a virgin 
The Red Cedar for Farm Fences. 
J. Hildreth, in the Rural New-Yorker , re¬ 
commends the Red Cedar for farm hedges. He 
says — 
“ The scarcity of timber makes us begin to think 
that some substitute must be used for fencing, and 
one inquiry is; What kind of tree will make the 
best hedge when planted for that purpose? The 
merits of the different varieties used, thus far, 
have been fully discussed, but I have never heard 
of the Red Cedar tree being spoken of as suitable 
for a farm fence, yet I believe that this, after all, 
is the variety of tree which will yet be used for 
such purposes more than any other, and does in 
reality possess more good qualities to recommend 
it for such purpose for our climate. 
‘ ‘ The different good qualities are: It bears prun¬ 
ing to any extent, and at any season, and is im¬ 
proved thereby. It 4s subject to no diseases; it 
grows equally well in poor, thin soil, as in rich; 
it* is not affected by long drouth or the coldest 
weather. Grain or other plants will grow even 
among the branches, so that no barren land is 
caused by the growth of its roots. It will be a 
protection from the sweeping winds that blow ' 
across our country in winter. It will form an 
agreeable shade for all domestic animals, and by 
a general adoption of this tree for fence, our whole 
eountry will he made'beautiful by the cheerful 
appearance of these evergreens. 
a I would he glad to awaken all readers of the 
Rurai to this subject, for none, certainly, is more 
worthy of their attention. I have hundreds of 
these trees under my observation; some standing 
singly, some in groups, and others in lines; and 
none can fee more ornamental.” 
List of States Fairs for 1853. 
Vermont,. ... 
Sept’ber, 
13, 14, 15. 
Kentucky. ..., 
. .Lexington,.,.... 
“ 
13, 14, 15, 
16,17 
New-York,... 
.Saratoga,.. 
a 
20, 21, 22, 
23. 
Ohio,.__... 
..Dayton,.. 
a 
20, 21, 22, 
23. 
Pennsylvania,. 
. Pittsburgh,-- 
a 
27, 28, 29, 
30. 
Michigan, ..., 
. .Detroit,. 
u 
28, 29, 30. 
Wisconsin,... 
. .Watertown,... 
October, 
4, 5, 6, 
7. 
Milk and Cream. —It is asserted that milk al¬ 
ways throws up a smaller proportion of the cream 
it contains, when of some depth in the vessel, than 
when shallow; and that more cream rises by di¬ 
luting the milk with water, and rendering it less 
tenacious, although the quality of the butter is 
injured by this treatment. 
