Farmers' gazette, and Cheraw advertiser. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1843, August 16, 1842, Image 1
0? ? til $ t * *
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VOLUME VII. . CHEKAW. SOUTH-CAROLINA TUESDAY. AUGUST 16, 1813. NUMBER 40.
tm?w?r??~??nwniTitim ii mini n r n?,i i in n ?
By M. MACLEAN.
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AN IMPORTED WORK HORSE.
In the Inst Farmer df Gardener, published
in Cincinnali, ue seen portrait of
Prince Coburg, an English draught horse,
owned by James E. Let ton, near Millersburg,
Ivy., and imported by him last year.
As some of his progeny may, in time to
come, he brought to this State by some j
of the numerous traders in horses from I
0 Kentucky, we shall copy the Farmer and
Gardener's account of the family of horses
to which he belongs.
rni ? ? . o . i i ? , i
l ne neignt or tne norsc 19 not stated ;
but from his form as represented in the
plate, we should pronounce it * pretty
considerable." The neck is a little arched,
is large where it joins the body, and
small where it joins the head. The head
is deep through the jaws, and small about
tho muzzle. The body is long but not {
well barreled out towards the hind quarters,
nor sufficiently full at tlie Hanks.?
The withers fall back very considerably,
giving the back an appearance of shortness
compared with the body. The loin
strong and well formed. The hrrast is
prominent and full. The legs scrr.cwhal j
long, and very hai.y. The hoofs we 1 j
formed, and well set on. The following j
is the account of the Farmer and Gardener,
accompanying the plate :
PORTRAIT OF PRINCE COUVRG.
Our engravings in the present number,
ary something from those which have
heretofore appeared in our work. \Vc
?_ *1 ?: 1 f nnriffi/lor
UCIIGVC liiey win uc iiiuiv.ru n uu
able interest. The first one is a portrait
of the imported English draught horse,
the property of Jas. K. Lotion, of Citron
Forest, Piney Grove Farm, ne.-sr Millersburgh,
Ky., and was part of his importation
last year.
Considerable difference of opinion is
entertained as to the real utility of so stout
a horse in this country, and some demur
is made by persons not thoroughly acquainted
with the subject, to the hair on
his legs.
Our own experience leads us to the
conclusion that there is no objection tube
made against him on either of these
grounds. It is not professed, that he is a
race horse, though he is sufficiently active
for all the purposes to which a draught
horse is generally applied ; and for farming
purposes, we think it will be universally
conceded, that bone and muscle
constitute two very important items in
the qualifications necessary to make a
really useful animal. We think him well >
worth the attention of the farming community,
and recommend him to their consideration.
His stock from large strong ;
mares, cannot help being powerful, he- !
yond any tiling in this country, and the
known docility of the breed makes them
invaluable. To appreciate this, a person
should see a brewer's or distiller's dray in
London?the whole of the teams without
blinkers on their bridles, each horse
watching the action of the driver, and his
own movement corresponding to the I
minutest fraction.
We could describe what we know of;
our own knowledge, of the tractability of
this breed of horses, but our object is not
to vamp up by any overstretched description,
our own opinion upon this subject. J
We, however, invite the attention of the j
farmers, to reflect how far their interests :
will be forwarded by the introduction of a i
strong team horse amongst them, instead 1
of the light diminutive one generally !
used?let us not, however, be niisunder- !
stood?wc fully value the bottom of the '
small horse, taking its origin from the J
thorough bred, and know their untiring !
stamina. This is all requisite in a road- !
ster, but on a farm, bodily strength, in our j
estimation, is more useful. As regards i
f the horse himself, he is a fine specimen
of the kind.
The following is his pedigree :
Prince Coburg, color black, bred by j
Mr. Jaincs Price of Bround, North Wales,
foaled May 10th, 183'J. He was sired
bv Black Prince, a Shropshire horse, and
out of dam Bronte, color, black, u ho won
two premiums, one at Denbigh and one
at Mold, ?2 each time, as the best brood
mare. She was by Loboxer, a brown
horse, belonging to a Mr. Done of W rexham.
Prince Coburg won the first prize at
? 4 I
corn, and applied umeacnea asnes 10 uurtv-six
hills. During the first part of the
season, the corn on which the ashes was
put appeared much better, than that in the
other part of the field, to which no ashes
was applied. When the corn was gathered,
the thirty-six hills, to which ashes
was applied, and thirty-six adjoining hills
which had none, were measured, and
those which had no ashes were found to
he the most productive and to have the
superionty over those on which ashes
was put. This was on h^avv land. The
same neighbor made the experiment on
1 - I I I \ 1.2- r* r\r ri
11^ill ury i?i?iu i\ jmi i ui ins uiup ui
was ashed an J a part was not. Here,
Holywell also (he first prize at the Denbighshire
and Flintshire Society, at Ruthyn,
of ?2 sterling each, and at Liverpool,
won the first prize of three sovereigns.
Sowing Machine.?A Mr. Hatch, of Rochester,
New York, has invented a machine for bowing
grass seed, grain and plaster. The inventor
states that it will sow with perfect regularity any
quantity to the acre, from four quarts to four bushels,
and that a man, or smart boy with a horse will
sow with it 25 acres per day. The price of the
machine is $10. The following certificate of its
performance is published in the newspapers :
44 Mr. Bateham?I have just finished using for
this spring the splendid Sowing Machine which
you forwarded me last fall, and I must confess
that it has exceeded all my expectations, and those
of my neighbors who witnessed its operation. I
went to the first field with my grass seed with a
rlonhtinflr hoart. and when I looked at the machine
and then at the diminutive size of the seed it was
to sow, my faith was in no wise strengthened.?
But I out with my letter of instructions, made my
calculations how much seed it would take to sow
one bout, measured it out exactly, turned it into
the hopper, mounted the chair and drove off, leaving
my friends who came to witness the oj>eration
grinning like so many Cheshire eats. First bout
my seed was sown out when within about two
rods of the end. Regulated the screw, poured in
the quantum suf. of seed, and at the end had about
half a pint left. Third bout,?started the regulating
screw a very little, and it came out as even as you
ever had your pie and cheese. I then turned into
the hopper, from time to time, as became necessary,
without measuring, having previously measured
out the quantity of seed for the lot, and when
I got through I had about one quart left. The
sowing of the lot (G acres) occupied about two
hours.
The wind blew considerably, but I could not discover
that it affected the seed, the hopper running
so near the ground that the dropping seed was not
disturln-d sufficiently to do the least injury. A
boy that can drive a horse and otherwise jxisscsscd
of ordinary judgement, can use it, and when
properly regulated it cannot sow wrong. I have
trie ' it with oats with equal success; and wheat,
flax seed, plaster, &c., can also be sown with it.
It certainly is a very valuable machine, and ought
to be in the possession of every fanner who has
much work of the kind every year.
. J. W. SMITH.
Knagg's Farm, Mannce City, O., 1612.
From the Transactions of the Society for
nromolinsr Agriculture in the State of Con
I" o a ,
nccticut.
OF ASHES.
What experiments have been made
with ashes ? On what soils, for what
crops, and for what grasses? What
success has attended the use? Are leached
or unleached ashes most beneficial
as a manure? I)o they equally suit upon
the sarnesoils, and f??r the same crops?
In what quantities are they to be used ?
Mr. At water, of Walling ford. I have
made use of leached ashes, as manure for
crops and grasses, and find it excellent
for both upon dry land. When my grass
fails. I plow up my land, and the ashes
serve again'as manure for a crop, and
afterwards for grass. But ashes have not
benefited my wet land, that was unfit to
plow; for though they in most instances
introduce clover, yet the land will soon
be covered with moss, when it is rendered
unfit for any thing, and if it cannot
be recovered from the moss by plowing,
it is injured instead of being benefited.
Mr. Tomlinson of MUford. We have
found leached ashes to be excellent manure
for flax.
Mr. Parsons of Durham. I have used
unleached ashes, for many years, as manure
for Indian corn. I put a handful
round each hill, soon after the first hoe.
ing. and have much benefitted my crop
by thi-s method, having frequently omitted
some hills, for the purpose of ascertaining
the benefit derived from the ashes. I have
always found myself richly repaid both for
the manure and for mv labor.?The "rentest
advantage has accrued when a rain
has followed shortly after my applying the
ashes.
Mr. Noah Fowler, of Cuilforrl. I have
found, from experience, that leached ashes
is a very beneficial manure for wheat nod
rye. It appears to me to be a great preventati
vo of blasts.
Mr. Andrew Hull, Jr. of Cheshire.
I have received great benefit from leached
ashes as manure for wheat and rye.
But I have not found that it prevented
blasts.
Mr. Ilolcomb, of Simshury. I have
made use of unlcached ashes, as manure,
fur Indian corn, and have derived great
benefit from it on dry land. Whenever
I have used it for corn, where the land
was wet and heavy, it has been of no ad1
* ? or/\r\ r? f n 1 !
vantage U# me tiup ui an*
Mr. U'ciilsicorth, of Durham. One of
mv neighbors planted a field with Indian
1 > -i? i ii.:.
] the ashed corn much exceeded the other.
Mr. Eli Bronson, of Waterbury. In
June, 1762, I plowed a grass field, of n
! light sandy soil, where much old wood
was burned. The ground was very dry.
! After harvest, I plowed this fallow again.
I The drought continued more severe than
was perhaps ever known in the memory
of man. I observed that nil the spots
where lows were burned, were much more
" w
inoist than nny where else. Thi9 circumstance
particularly attracted my attention,
as I had been taught that ashe9
! were of a hot, droughty nature, suited
only to wet land.
In 1765, I planted a wheat stubble, J
which was new land and sandy soil, which i
had been thoroughly burned when tilled for j
wheat. Part of the corn was dressed with I
an handful of ashes to a hill, at the first
hoeing ; here, for the first time, within my j
knowledge, ashes failed of producing any
j beneficial effect.
Soon afterwards I planted u tough I
j sward, part of which was ashed in quantiI
ty as above. The part dressed with ashes
grew remarkably, while the other appearcd
languid and pale, as if grub-eaten, un[
til the second hoeing, after which it bei
gan to recover and to thrive better; but it
j finally produced not more than half as
! much as the part to which ashes was ap!
plied.
Prom the experiments of myself and
my neighbors, 1 formed the conclusion,
that not only on new land, which has been
recently burned, but also on land which
has been kept mellow by tillage for one
or two past seasons, and where little or
no undissolved vegetable substances remains
no visible benefit accrues ; of which,
the following facts may be considered as
| farther illustration.
In 1796, I planted corn after rye. the
I land cloudy and full of stubble, one end
j of it was very tough and was planted with
potatoes ; a few hills of the potatoes, and
most of the corn, were ashed, some of the
corn was dres ed with gypsum, all was
benefited, but the potatoes much the
most.
In 1797,1 again planted corn on cloudy
land, much incumbered with stubble. 1
carted on barn yard manure, not well rotted.
I ashed a part, by which the crop
was enhanced at least one-third.
In 1798,1 fallowed a lot, much cxhausted
by plowing ; it was a dry.loom, with
tender sward ; carted on barn yard manure,
ten loads to the acre, and plowed it
four times. I sowed half an ncre with 1
wheat, and strewed over the half acre a
small load of leached ashes, and eight or
ten bushels of unleached ashes. The
of firaf ?rr*.w snrnrisinalv. and
... ...... , j
though it did not hold out according to its
*
first .appearance, it yielded eleven bushels.
In 1799, I planted corn, on buck,
j wheat stubble, loamy soil?I ashed a part
| of it when coming up, and omitted one
, row ; at first there was an apparent advanJ
tage, but by hilling-time it could scarcely
f be discerned, except at one end, where
j it was somewhat cloddy, and there it
i might be perceived at harvest time. The
i other part I dressed with gypsum, leav.
ingone row as before ; the success was
the same as with the ashes.
The same year I planted a piece of
sward land, loamy soil, and dressed the
corn with ashes, omitting one row, as in
1 the other field ; began to hoe the corn,
) seven days after the ashes was applied,
' when the hill in the unashed row, which
we crossed in hoeing, was everywhere
noticed from being yellow, while the other
was a lively green. After the second
hoeing, a second dressing of ashes was
applied on part of the lot, but without effect
even on parts of that row, which was
omitted in the first dressing. About hilli
O
ing time, the unashed row began to recover;
but finally yielded at harvest, little
if any more, than half as much us the
adjoining rows.
*" * i it ri j
I The same year l onservea me iincgooa
effect on corn, both from ashes and from
j gypsum, on tough sward, and on cloddy
i land, as applied by my neighbors, in sunI
dry instances.
! I have oftc-n found ashes, both leached
and linlcachod to be very beneficial to
| grass on dry land, but not on wet. I
! have never found them useful on my
j garden.
From my experience and observation,
; I conclude, that ashes is best applied on
dry grass land, or on land newly plowed
up, or where shades have lately been taken
off, or where grass turf or other vegetable
substances remain undissolved: in
each of which cases, there is contained in
the soil food for plants, unprepared for
vegetation. To effect, therefore, a speedy
preparation, ashes is an important appliI
cation.
Whether ashes do, in fact, prevent
; worms, or destroy them when corn is eatj
en by them, I have not been able to as
, certain ; though they have been often
I supposed so to do, when no evil of the
j kind has existed. I have often, when
. corn has appeared languid and yellow, as
; ife.iten by worms, taken up whole hills
and carefully examined both the roots and
; i the earth, without discovering any signs
I of worms. In these cases, I have sup]
posed the unpreparedness of the soil to be
, the only evil. Ashes is then a sovereign
i i remedy. But if the land bo well tilled,
,! the weather he warm, and there bo frei
J queut showers, it will be well prepared,
, w ithout ashes, by hilling time or sooner;
but the corn will not recover the injury it (
understood by the initialed. Instead of
telling us that the soil is enriched by being
periodically supplied by hydrogen and
nitrogen gas, by carbonic acid, or humus,
why not say, that by putting cow dung,
horse dung, or other vegetable or animal
manures upon the land and ploughing it
in, or by turning in a ley of clover, or a
green crop, that in the process of rotting
in the earth, a substance would be made,
I which the plants could feed upon. To
talk thus to the majority of men, who get
! a living by the plough, is to speak in intelligible
language?in a language they can
understand. To tell them too, that lime,
ashes, or marl, sweetens the earth, renders
a clay soil open, or a sandy one stiffer: '
that either of these substances will impart <
to the earth more power to attract mois- i
turc from the atmosphere, and make any
barn-yard or other manure go farther, is (
to talk common sense, and to guarantee j
one's being understood; but to talk of alkalinc
salts, their affinities, combinations, (
and anti-septic properties, is almost as (
much out of place, as would be a fourth (
of July oration delivered in Greek to a
promiscuous crowd. The farmer wants '
to know what substances will make man- I
ure?how, and in what quantities, they (
should be applied?if there be any thing
that can be procured at moderate cost, '>
which will improve the textuFe of his soil, l
or make his manures last longer, or enable i
hiin to grow ciops of better quality. After
all, these ore the great object be is aiming 1
| at, and the more like common sense the i
language in which these things may be
imparted to him the better, ,
We in our homely phrase would say, ,
that any substance, either vegetable or j
animal that will decay in the earth, will |
make food for plants; that it ought to be j
the unceasing business of every one to ,
collect as much of such things as possible, !
and that there is scarcely any thing on
the larm of the kind, which would not
prove valuable, if gathered and put on the
dung pile, or into a compost heap. And
we will close this article by repeating what
we have often told our readers?in all ;
" ' ?" fir m -i r I f, ,r t!lf? !
your geiungs, j;ci mil'-? "
improvement of your soil will be lasting,
with one or the other.
Amer. Farmer.
MULE A>"D HINNY, HYBRIDS OF THE
HOUSE AND ASS.
The mule is the hybrid produce of an
ass with a marc; having a large clumsy
head, long erect cars, a short mane, and
a thin tail.
The hinny is the hybrid produce he- I
twecn the shc-uss and a stallion; the
head is long and thin, the ears are like
those of a horse, the mane is short and the j
tail well tilled with hair. The hinny \
is much less common than the mule, he- j
cause, being less hardy and useful he is j
never cultivated. J
J
lias sustained for want of earlier preparation.
Hence it follows, that ashes on
plow land should be applied as soon as
vegetation begins.
It is best to apply leached ashes as
soon as com is planted, while a team and
cart may pass without injury to the hills.
But whether unleached ashes can safely
be applied before the coin is sprouted, is
a question I am unable to solve.
The usual quantity of unleached ashes i
for a hill of corn is about a gill: but it is I
# c
worthy of being observed, that where a
greater or even a less quantity has been
applied, the effect has been much the
some. The effects of ashes and gypsum,
so far as the application of the two hcs
fallen within my notice, appear to be
much the same.
vFood of Plants.?What is the food
of plants ? This question is often asked,
but not always satisfactorily answered ;
for with all the lights which chemistry has
thrown around the paths of agriculture?
and we acknowledge they have been numerous?still
the terms used by Chemists,
and other scientific authors, are calculated
to bewilder rather than illumine the
mind of a common reader. One author
will tell us that the food of plants is Huj
mus?and we as instinctively ask, what is
j humus 1 If we consult another nuthor,
he explains it to be humic acid, or humin,
?again we are told?that it is carbon,
then uJmin, or geinc, geatcs, gcaic acid,
hydrogen and nitrogen gas, azote, and
ammonia. These hard sounding and jargon-like
names arc familiar enough to the
ears of the man of science?to him their
enunciation conveys a definite idea?he
is able to embody their meaning in his
mind at once ; but it is not so with ninetenths
of us farmers, who get "our bread
by the sweat of our face." To tell us,
that Potatoes, Corn, Wheat, Itye, Oats,
Barley, Clover, Beans, Cabbages, Turnips,
Beets, Parsnips, Carrots, dec. feed
upon either of those substnnccs, is to confound
rather than to enlighten. Why
then, do not those who unfold to us the
mysteries of chemistry, as applied to agriculture,
address us in a language which
the unlearned, as well as the learned can
understand ? If farmers and planters
were all, cr even a majority of them, pro
foundly versed in scientific lore?if they
were a'l chemists?it might be well
enough to talk to them in the learned
phraj es of science, because then they
could comprehend what was addressed to
them. But it is expecting too much to
tax their brain with the digestion of words,
so technical in themselves, as only 10 be
The mule, commonly so called, is much
valued for the saddle, and for drawing
carriages in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and
the East, and in the warmer parts ofAmnrica.?In
those countries where great attention
is paid to the breed, it is as tall
as the horse, exceedingly well-limbed
but not so handsome, especially about
the head and tail. These animals are
mostly sterile; some indeed, have thought
that they are altogether incapable of producing
their kind; hut some few instances
have occurred, in which female mules
have had foals, and in which even the
male has impregnated females both of the
ass and horse species, though such instances
are exceedingly rare.
The mules made use of in the southern
parts of Europe, are now brought to an j
astonishing perfection as well as great
rpi ii ill
size. i uey urt? usuany mum, auuiig,
well limbed, and large, being mostly
bred out of fine Spanish mares. They
are sometimes fifteen or sixteen hands
high, and the best of them worth forty
or fifty pounds. No creatures arc so
proper for large burdens and none so sure
footed. They are much stronger for
draft than our horses, and are often as
thickset as our dray horses, and will trav.
el several months together with six or I
eight hundred weight upon their hacks.
Some think it surprising that these ani.
mals are not more propagated here, as
thev are so much hardier and stronger
O
than horses, less subject to disease, and
eapahlc of living and working to twice the
age of a horse. Those that are bred in
cold countries are more hardy and fit for
labour than those bred in hot; and those
which are light made are fitter for riding
than horses, as to the walk and trot; but
they are apt to gallop rough ; though these
do it much less than the short.made ones.
The general complaint made against
them is, that they kick and are stubborn;
hut this is owing to neglect in breeding
them, for they are as gentle as horses, in
countries where they arc bred with proper
care.
In the breeding of mules, mares that
are of a very large breed and well made,
should ho employed. They should be
young, full of life, large barrelled, smaller
limbed, with a moderate sized head, and
a good forehead. It is found of advantagc
to have the foals from the time of
their being dropped often handled, to
make them gentle; it prevents them
from hurting themselves by akittishness
and sudden frights; and they are much
easier broken the proper age, and become
docile and harmless, having nothing of
viciousness which is so commonly com-1
plained of in these animals. They J
may be broken at three year old,
but should never be permitted to do
much hard work till four, as they are thus
secured from being hurt by hard labor,
till they have acquired strength to bear
it without injury. An expert breeder of
these animals found, that feeding them
too well while young, though it made
them very fat, was far from being any
advantage to them; as it was not only incurring
a much larger expense than was
any way necessary, but also made them
wonderfully nice and delicate in their
appetites ever after, and also by increasing
their weight of flesh, rendered them
more subject to strains and hurts in their
morning gambols. He therefore contented
himself with giving them food ensugh
to prevent their losing flesh, and to keep
up their growth without palling their np
petites with delicacies, or making them
over fat; he also took care to defend
them from the injuries of the weather by
allowing them stable room, and good lit_l
Un.Mncxn.ioiniT tl.on. ovnrv
icr IU aiccp Uli, ...V... W . V. J
day to be well rubbed down, with a hard
wisp of straw by an active groom. This
was scarcely ever omitted, particularly
in cold raw wet weather, when they
were least inclined to exercise themselves,
When three years old, mules arc
proper for use.?Mason's Farriery.
LUCERNE.
A correspondent of the Annapolis (Md.)
Republican takes the following notice of a
patch of Lucerne, belonging to Win.
Johnson, Esq., of Princess Ann, Somerset
county :
" It consists then, in a few words, of
about three fourths of an acre?it was
sown in 1S29; has been cut, this makes
the twelfth year. He keeps two horses
and three cows?has a full supply of milk
and cream, and more butter than he
knows what to do with?much more than J
can be said of many farmers who have |
500 acres of land without a lot of lu.
cerne. This lot has been cut over once,
and now before he can get half over
again, the three horses and cows getting
more than they can devour, he will have
to cut and make hay of it to prevent it
from getting too old. It comes several
weeks before clover?may be cut four or
five times?strikes its roots very deep and
will therefore stand dry weather, and
will last no one knows how long; for this
is now a splendid crop after hcing cut
eleven years, and yet?farmers wont sow
f it ! even Mr. Johnson's neighbors with
a few exceptions, and with his success
staring them in the face! I told Uira,
that the common objection urged against
it was, that they Cannot get it started?
that the weeds and grass will smother it
the first year. Walk with me said he
and I will tell and show you all about it.
The best previous culture, said he, is Irish
potatoes; the hoe in that case kills grass
and weeds and he showed me a lot of
a neighbor's which last year was
was partly in corn and partly in potatoes,
both sown in lucerne this spring. That
on the potatoe part was, to a visible line,
much better than the other. The way to
manage it is this?take a rich lot of
ground on which the water docs not lie,
winter or summer?cultivate it in irish
potatoes?sow it down broadcast 1st May,
20 pounds of seed to the acre, and in July,
cut it. You may suppose from the looks
of it the first season the weeds and the
grass would overcome it, but don't be
alarmed. They die olT and the second
year the lucern will survive almost in immortal
vigor. The proof of the pudding
is in eating it?here I saw the proof?how
rapidly it shoots up again?how many
cuts it will give in the year, and how
many years it will last, it is safe to say
that an acre of well it set, is worth twenty
acres of clover.
But the best is to be told. It is a
fact which I hare now, on board of this
old Steamboat Maryland (now 22 years
old!) learned for the first time?from authority
and in a manner which leaves me
not a douht of its truth?that Lucerne
possesses the remarkable characteristic
of being exempt from that quality in clover
and other green meat, as English
writers call it, which makes it dangerous
to give it to horses when in active exercise.
In other words you may feed them
as Mr Johnson does his carriage horses,
on lucerne instead of dry fodder or hay,
and travel them on it fast or slow without
danger of touching their wind ! every one
knows that this can't be done with clover
?Mr. Robinson who some years since
owned a stage line between Ccnterville
and Easton?a route of 21 miles, over
which a single team was driven fed on
corn and green lucerne, without ever
blowing a horse. In Itqly the stage
horse in his most active use is fed on
grain and alfalla or lucerne?But what
eifrniTioa n fhniisnml illustrations ? ThIS
! like others will be rend and thrown aside,
.- as a thing that "tells very well on paper,"
hut too troublesome to be put in
practice!!
It would probably Ik> belter to sow it
with oats, cutting off oats and lucerne in
July; but what I saw had not the advantage
of any protecting crop-.-the oats
would probably assist in keeping down
weeds and grass?To conclude?the lot
should be rich, well worked in Potatoes,
and well top dressed in February, from /
year to year, the oftcner the better?That
gives the crop an early and vigorous start
?That Farmer who once enjoys the benefit
of a lot of lucerne for his horses and
milch cows will never be without again
?Like getting a mule?he may be slow
to be persuaded, but when he gets a
good one, he will be slow to part with
it.
From the New Haven Fanner's Gazette.
EXPERIMENTS WITH SALT PETRE, dtC.
Mr. Stoker,?As you have often ex.
pressed n .vish that the readers of your
paper would be more communicative, especially
the farmers, I have thought of
writing 1 few hinta on experience; and you
may expect it in the plain farmer's style,
without much Latin or Greek, and probably
but little grammar.
You will recollect that I stated to you
last spring, that I had purchased several
hundred weight of saltpetre, for the purpose
of benefiting the crops and enriching
the soil in my field of corn. There is ubout
9 acres, which was rye stubble last
fall turned over and harrowed part of
tho field ; manured this Spring, plowed ;
harrowed, and left smooth for planting.
First sowed 100 weight ef saltpetre and
3 bushels of plaster on two acres; bushed
the ground after sowing, and planted 29tli
of April, 3 feet on the row and 4 feet between
the rows; tho seed soaked in saltpetre
and plaster wet with urine. Not
more than one half of the corn ever came
up.
One week later, planted three acres
more to the same field?the corn prcpar
cd and planted as above ; tlie ground manured
; but no saltpetre or plaster sowed.
The corn came up a little better.
One week after, planted the balance of
the field?corn and land prepared as
above. Perhaps four.fifths of the corn
canic up. In all the different pieces
planted a number of rows dry, which generally
came up well. The season
thorough planting has been so very wet
and cold. 1 think the corn would have
looked much better if the ground had been
ridged.
Wishing to plant a part of the field
with white beans between the corn, I put
half a bushel asoak in water and saltpeter
on Friday night, expecting to plant thorn
on Saturday ; but the rain prevented* and