272 
THE CUITIY A TOE. 
Sept. 
fodder and the first products or crop of grass seeds. En 
passant, I bear testimony to the gratifying fact that, 
casteris paribiis, those farmers among us have been the' 
most successful who have been the most liberal in their 
expenses in the improvement of their soil, and every 
day confirms me the more strongly in the belief that 
sound economy requires that this improvement should 
be carried to the highest point of which the soil is ca¬ 
pable, in the way of manuring, liming, subsoiling, 
draining, &c. 
Liming is practiced to a Very great extent, and'with 
uniform good results—most generally upon corn, though 
often on wheat. The amount per acre varies from fifty 
to 200 bushels. Although I have known it applied 
in a perfectly caustic state with the corn crop, I never 
knew of more than one instance where it was suspected 
of burning the crop—the result might be different when 
applied caustic to growing wheat. Some farmers pre¬ 
fer to let it become effete, either in the kiln or small 
piles in the field—in either case it produces astonishing 
effects upon com, wheat, and grass, which effects are 
visible for many years—the first results being the pro¬ 
duction of remarkable crops of white clover where no 
seed had been sown. On this point I may say that 
caustic lime will, in four days, reabsorb nearly its full 
volume of carbonic acid gas when spread on the sur¬ 
face—and consequently loses its burning qualities. 
The operation of magnesian lime is very different, and 
must be treated with great care—and the presence of 
magnesia is very easily ascertained by chemical tests. 
The species of wheat usually sown is the Mediterra¬ 
nean. This wheat has lost its dark color, and has be¬ 
come as fair as the old species of red wheats, and is 
universally manufactured into superfine flour, for expe¬ 
rience has convinced us, that with very rare exceptions 
it is exempt from the attacks of the fall and spring 
weevil, and the new ihscct which has made its appear¬ 
ance the last two years, preying upon the grains in the 
milk state. This species almost uniformly escapes the 
rust. The few days of priority of ripening over other 
species, being the secret of two of the above exemp¬ 
tions. 
Of improved stock, large quantities have been intro¬ 
duced. It; is, I believe, the general impression that a 
strong cross of the Durham upon the better breeds of our 
native stock, is better than the pure blood—because 
this cross, while it preserves the early maturity and 
good fattening qualities' of the Short-homs, imparts 
the greater vigor of constitution of the native, and 
adapts it to the rigors of our winters, which are so much 
more severe than those of their native country. In ad¬ 
dition, the less attention we pay to our stock, as com¬ 
pared to the English, should cause us to select a some¬ 
what hardier race. Eor my individual self, I desire no 
mere fancy pure bloods, except for the above purpose. 
Of our Saxon, Merino, and Erench sheep, every per¬ 
son is sufficiently acquainted. A buck of the latter 
breed sold lately for $500, and produced an amount of 
wool last spring which I will leave to some other per¬ 
son to communicate. In consequence of the depression 
in the wool market for some years, the amount of wool 
produced in this region has, I think been reduced to 
about one-fourth the amount of mfiny former years— 
perhaps even less. Our farmers had become discourag¬ 
ed with having to sell their crops of fine wool at from 
thirty-three to fifty cents; hut herein they were in error, 
for I hesitate not to say, after an extensive acquain¬ 
tance with wool growing for many years,'that-no branch 
of farming is moi'e remunerative and certain than the 
growth of fine wool at three pounds-per fleece, and thir¬ 
ty-five to thirty-seven cents per pound. The profit from 
increase is a very important item, most generally over¬ 
looked. Respectfully yours. G. E. H. Near Broivns- 
villve , Pa., July, 1853. 
Cheap^Wells. 
It must he admitted that the present mode of digging 
and finishing wells for the supply of water for farms and 
dwellings, is rather behind the modem progress of labor- 
saving machinery. The shovelling and picking, and 
the slow and laborious turnings of the windlass, day 
after day, as the depth is gradually increased under 
these tedious and heavy labors, should give way to 
something nearer the horse-power and steam-engine 
principle. Wells are needed by every farmer, and are 
as necessary as food and clothing, and an improvement 
in making them would benefit millions. We are not 
about to proprose any thing, but merely to suggest the 
subject to ingenious men; and in the mean time, by 
way of assisting such suggestion, we furnish a few of 
the interesting facts in relation to wells, stated at a late 
meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. 
In soils free from stone, and consisting of sand, clay, 
marl, or gravel, successful experiments had been recent¬ 
ly made, at a very moderate cost, by the following 
mode. Instead of digging the common large well, to be 
walled with hard brick or stone, a hole was first made 
with an ordinary boring auger, or cylindric scoop, 
which brings up the soil to the surface. A cast iron 
cylinder, half an inch thick, five inches in internal di¬ 
ameter, and four feet in length, its lower end being 
brought to a sharp edge so as to penetrate the earth, is 
then driven down into the hole by means of a heavy 
mallet, or “ beetle.” To keep it steady, a collar of 
wood made by perforating a plank, is placed around it 
on the surface of the ground. The earth enclosed within 
it is again removed with the auger ; and in order to ob¬ 
tain a further downward passage for the cylinder, a tool 
is used for the removal of the earth in the form of a cir¬ 
cle beneath its cutting rim. It consists of a rod with a 
cross-handle like that of an auger, and at its lower end 
a claw at right angles to the rod, so that in turning the 
rod, this claw turns round and cuts the earth below the 
lower edge of the cylinder, which is then again beaten 
down with the mallet. Successive cylinders are placed 
one upon another, as they descend. In this way, a well 
of ordinary depth, or twenty feet deep, is commonly 
completed in a single day, the sides being incased with 
iron cylinders from top to bottom. A bed of gravel is 
then thrown into the bottom, and a metalic pump in¬ 
serted. It was stated at the meeting above mentioned, 
that the expense of such wells, where a business was 
