Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1818-03-17
AGRICULTURAL ESSAY,
No. II.
Seasonable hints 10 Farmers.

Seasonable hints 10 Farmers.
Ii is presumed you are fully aware oil the im-
portance ofhaving good seed selected for planting
This ought 10 be carefully attended 10 regards
the several sorts of vegetables and pulse bu, as il
regards the different kinds OF grain, more partcu-
larv wheat, il is of the greatest consequence. BY
paving suitable attention to the selection of seed
wheat and by having it well prepared before sow
ing. the crops throughout the couRtry would prob
| ably be increased one fourth in quantity. Old ex
perielced farmers generally prefer the seed OF their
own raising, or getting supply from their neigh
bours, provided it be good. When it is brought
from a distance, we can not ascertain its quality
with any degr ee Of certainty The seeds OF many
noxious aud injurious weeds may be intermixed
Herewith, which cannot be Observation-Disclosures, it
may be questioned whether wheat and other sorts
of grain will not depreciate by being in a soil
different from that on which it was raised. To the
several modes Of preparing wheat for sowing, We
add the following which il seems has been practis
ed by some of the farmers in Connecticut--Soak
the seed in strong brine from to ten days, say
bushe and half TO the acre, skim off the filth that
rises the top, and at the end Of not less than
en- days, pour off The pickle, mix with il Stacked
lime and SOW it the same day. Several farmers
who have prepared their wheat in this manner
from five to eight years, and he average crop has
been about twenty bushels per acre, free from
smut or blast. We repeat that, though these NAL
ad res may be guarded against with degree of Ger
tainty III wheat if the seed be goodyet we are con
6dent that these diseases cannot be eradicated from
grain affected Herewith and if sown, they will in
crease until the crop is run cut. This we have
learned by experience.
To increase Barley Crop.-Dissolve three
pounds OF coppetas in paiful of boiling. water,
add to this as much dung puddle water as will COW
er three or four bushels of barley stir it and let it
steep four and twenty hours; when the seed is
spread aud drained, sift fine lime which fits ii for
sowing. Barley grows well ON almost all kinds of
soil, Improperly managed, but that which is moder-
ately light is perhaps the most suitable. The land
should be well subdued by previous tiIage, and
well heated with dung, lime, ashes or other hot
manures, if you weuid hasnaan abundant crop.
AS necessary prepnEa.ajenlof Rye for sowing,
observe the following objections Salt is to be dis
solved in water until al egg will swim, then half
much is to be added and the seed put to steep
ing after tweIyerheurs an ounce Of alum 10 eve.
ny gallon is to sbe put in, and the whole stand
twelve hours longer, the liquor aust be draws off
and the rye spread on the 6oor and covered thick
with Stacked lime sifted on it and stirred until the
whole is inipfegnated Herewith, after which it is
to be Immediately sown. Ii is said there is not
much danger ofrye's blasting if managed in this
manner, except only from local causes, such as bar
barry bushes which ought to be eradicated from the
borders of fields as they will assuredly bring blast
We have read of farmer, who, for some reason
being obliged to beeary, sowed oats at break of
day, and had narrowed all in before sunrising. He
observed that the oats sown thus early, outstriped
the other oats sown on the same day after the day
was come on, grew taller, had larger head, and
appeared every way better, although that part of
the land which was sowed early, if there was any
difference was the poorest side. Our author con-
tnues, it is agreeable to reason that it should do
good. For the dews are impregnated with nitrous
salts and 10 the principal thing which enrich the
ground when IL lies fallow this dew being har-
rowed in with the seed may promote its growth Ii
the seed were sown 10 the evening as TO lie all
night to be soaked and softened by the dew, and
then narrowed in the morning, thou kaowest not
achetier stall prosper this that it may therefore
be best to make trial of both ways
While upon the subject of the culture Of grain,
we would add the following statement, published in
the papers some months since: | Daniel Hussey of
Fairfax do testify and declare that, in the summer
of 1916, put out piece of wheat TO be reaped by
the acre to Samuel Rollins after reapiDg we meas
ured the land with line, ald il contained an acre
and twenty rods and no more. In January Perrin
Read of Fairfax helped me tbresh the same wheat
and it measured sixty four bushels and half. The
land was ploughed once in July, the year before,
and cross ploughed in the fall. In the spring of
1916, il was pioughed twice before sowing and Two
bushels and half of seed were sown on said piece.
The land was yard for my cattle for two summers
before and was not otherwise manurcd.