1853 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
335 
Advantages of Drilling Wheat. 
The following distinctly detailed experiment in drill¬ 
ing wheat, was furnished by a correspondent to the N. 
Y. Tribune, and is only a fair sample of many others. 
A striking proof of the benefits of drilling, is shown by 
the rapid introduction of the drilling machines all over 
the country, an introduction they never could have met 
with, in the face of high prices and saving farmers, had 
they not possessed substantial and plainly discovered 
merit. 
“ Two years ago last fall, John Sickman, an intelli¬ 
gent farmer of Wayne county, purchased a wheat Drill, 
and resolved to test it fairly. His neighbors were deeply 
interested in the project. Some laughed at, and some 
encouraged him. A committee was chosen; a given 
number of acres ehained off—one-half the wheat was 
sown broadcast, and the other half planted with the 
Drill. The following summer, when the wheat began 
to put forth heads, the field was an object of much 
speculation. Many said the broadcast was as good as 
the drilled, bfct those who carefully examined the grain, 
proved that the drilled wheat was growing regularly— 
that of the broadcast irregularly. Harvest approached; 
the Conservatives were sanguine—hut the friends of the 
Drill said, “ If you get into the field, you will discover 
that the heads of the drilled wheat stand up side by 
side, and nearly every one has six rows. The broadcast 
wheat has hut few stalks equal in height, and some have 
only four rows of grain in the head. Wait till harvest, 
gentlemen. 55 
When the wheat was cut and separately threshed and 
measured in the field, it was ascertained that from the 
half which had been drilled, there was a yield of 43 
bushels to the acre —from the half sown broadcast a 
yield of 32 bushels , showing an advantage of nine bush¬ 
els to the acre in favor of drilling. 
“ So well satisfied with this experiment was Mr. Sick- . 
man, that the following season, in order to get drilling 
introduced among his neighboring farmers, he offered to 
purchase a drill w T orth $75 for one of them, if, out of 
25 acres he had to put in wheat, he would sow one acre 
broadcast, and drill the residue, and give him, (Mr. S.) 
what grain was gained over that sown broadcast. 
Requisites for a Good Farm. 
The committee appointed by the Jefferson County 
Agricultural Society, to award the premiums on Farms, 
made a most valuable report at the late exhibition of 
the Society. They state that in viewing the farms en¬ 
tered for premiums, they endeavored to keep in view 
as standard requisites and evidences of good farming, 
the following points; 
1. A good soil, well tilled, and kept free of various 
weeds, both on the fields and in the roads. 
2. Lots well fenced, and suitable in number to the 
size of the farm. 
3. Substantial and convenient barns and stables of 
sufficient dimensions to contain the produce of the farm, 
and to comfortably house the cattle kept on it. 
4. A judiciously arranged dwelling, in neat condi¬ 
tion, with a well and filtering cistern. 
5. Convenient buildings to facilitate the economical 
management of the farm; among which may he enu¬ 
merated a wood-house, a wagon and tool-house, a work¬ 
shop, a granary and corn-house, a convenient piggery, 
an iceffiouse, ash and smoke-house, all secured against 
decay by being well raised from the ground and neat¬ 
ly painted or white-washed. 
6 Convenient yards attached to the barns and sta¬ 
bles, so arranged as to prevent wastage of the liquid 
manure, well sheltered from the blasts of winter, and 
provided with water for the cattle. 
7. Door-yards laid with grass, and rose and flowex*- 
beds, and shaded by ornamental trees, indicating to 
the passer-by the dwelling of taste, health and comfort. 
8. A kitchen garden highly cultivated, and contain¬ 
ing every species of vegetable that can be raised in 
our climate, with strawberry and aspavagus beds. 
9. A fruit garden or orchard, where choice apples, 
cherries and plums are carefully cultivated, and where 
can he found neat rows of raspberry, gosseherry, black 
berry and currant hushes. 
Price of Wool. 
A New-York correspondent of the Albany Evening 
Journal , under date of Oct. 10, speaks very discour- 
agingly of the prospects of the wool market. He says: 
The market is very dull, and appears to he gradu¬ 
ally growing more and more depressed—presenting a 
very different aspect from the corresponding period of 
last year. Prices are already 5 to 8 cents lower than 
when the clip was first brought into market; and 
where the decline is to stop, is a question which is very 
anxiously considered. 
It is the opinion of large holders that it will continue 
to decline till the next clip. In proof of this, they are 
offering it at reduced prices, on long time. 
There are several causes operating towards such a 
result. Among the prominent ones is the very limited 
demand. Owing to the extreme stringency and unfa¬ 
vorable prospects of the money market, dealers cannot 
he induced to touch it on speculation, even at much 
lower rates. Manufacturers—confident that, if not 
lower, it cannot be higher’—buy sparingly, and no more 
than is required for immediate use ; and sales of goods 
having dropped off, and goods accumulating, with an 
uncertainty of their starting at as good prices when 
they do sell, confirm them in the determination not to 
purchase, except at reduced prices. Another cause, 
which has probably not been generally known in the 
country, is the large amount of rag-w r ool being used 
and constantly increasing. The use of cotton, which 
has been increasing for the yast year or tw'O on account 
of the high price of wool, was never larger than at this 
time; so that in the manufacture of low grades of 
goods, but little pure wool is consumed. 
It has been considered by some that there is a short 
supply of wool, hut a slight examination shows this 
not to he the case. The amount of old wool, pulled and 
fleeced, now in the New-York market, is larger than it 
has been on the first of Ma.y for the past three years ta¬ 
ken together ; and besides the stock of new in regular 
houses, there is, which was not the case last year, a 
large amount on consignment in the grocery and dry- 
goods houses. 
Great efforts are being made to carry it along, by 
moving it from one loft to another to obtain advances, 
so that a large amount will be pressed upon the market 
at no very distant period. Yours, &c. 
We quote the nominal prices :— 
Full blood Saxony ..53 a5S 
Full blood Merino...50 a 52Jr 
i to | do .47£ a 50 
\ to i do .42£ a 45 
Com. qu. do ...37| a 40 
Extra Pulled.47£ a 50 
Super, do ...45 a 46 
No. 1, do .36 a 38 
Lambs’ • • • • ... • • 40 a 44 
Absorbtion of Water by Soils. —Schubler found 
that during a dewy night, 1000 lbs. of clean and per¬ 
fectly pure sand did not absorb a pound; calcareous 
sand, 2 lbs.; loamy soil, 21 lbs.; clay loam, 25 lbs.; 
such as were rich in vegetable mold, still more; while 
peat absorbed more than either. Davy found the same 
quantity of very fertile and perfectly dry soil, gained 
18 lbs. in an hour; a good sandy soil, 11 lbs.; a coarse, 
inferior sand, 8 lbs.; a sterile gravel, 3 lbs. 
