Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1836-10-12


Brief hints for AUTUMN work-Select
seed wheat from that which grew in the
most productive parts of the field-endea.
vor to obtain the largest seed and sow
none other-this, if praticed in yearly
succession, will greatly improve the vari.
ETY..
Sow none but clean seed-for farmers
may as well raise wheat as to raise weeds.
Chess may be separated from seed
wheat by good tanning mill. II may al.
so by using brine If the brine is too strong
so that good plump wheat will not sink in
it, dilute it with water until it will; and
the chess and light imperfect grains will
float, and may be skinned of. Then emp.
ty the wheat into basket set on tub
or barrel, and the brine will run through
into it for further use. Both these methods
for cleaning wheat may be combined to adj
vantage.
Picking the largest heads by hand is a
slow but very thorough way, and more par.
ticularly beneficial where crops are sown
expressly for seed.
Smut in wheat crops is perpetuated by
the dust of the smut adhering to the seed.
1t may be prevented by sleeping the seed
twenty-four hours in ley, or mixture of
fresh lime and water made of half pound
of the former to one gallon Of the latter.
This is certain prevention. Care should
be taken that seed is not rendered foul by
putting il in smutty bags, or those where
smutty wheat has been kept.
The quantity of wheat sowed to the acre
should be from five pecks to two bushels,
varying with the time of sowing, and with
the size of the grains Of seed. Early sown
wheat should be in less quantity than late
and wheat with small grains should be in
less quantity than large, because there are
more OF them to bushel.
Wheat sown about the time or after
the first frost, will escape in a great
measure the Hessian fly. Where the
fly is not destructive it should be sown
early.
Furrow drains should be cut by passing
the plough three or four times through the
same furrow, and they should be made
through all low parts of the field. They
should be well cleared of loose earth by
means of shovel or hoe, so as to admit
freely off.
Corn should always be cut up, that is,
cut off'near the surface Of the ground, and
not topped, or cut off above the ears. The
former is more expeditions, it saves twice
as much fodder, and is attended with bet.
ter crop of corn, as it is always diminished
considerably by topping. This has been
proved by repeated experiments where the
corn was measured.
Seed corn should be always selected in
autumn-take such for this purpose as
have the greatest number of ears to a
stalk.
Hogs to be fattened may be turned into
apple orchards to pick up the falling apples.
They will fatten on them as well as on
, corn, if they have a plenty of them.
J Grain fed to hogs should always if posi-.
BILE, be first ground to meal.
, Considerable advantage is derived from,
| feeding cooked food Steamed or boiled,) to
hogs, and it should always be practiced
, when the number is sufficient to warrant
J the erection Of proper apparatus for it.
Advantage is generally derived from
{ using mired food for domestic animals.
} Straw may always be of great use toythe
; farmer in many ways, and is well worth
, preserving.
, The following method of securing straw
, is given by correspondent of the Gen.
} essee Farmer in former volume. "Previ.
+, Gus to thrashing go to hay-stack, and
/. twist quantity Of bands form six to ten
: feet long, which are placed at the barn
5 door, and when the straw is raked to the
z barn door, two men take band and stretch
!. it over the bundle Of straw, and run each
n hand under it, and turn it over endwise
Q when one of them fastens the band, and
It the other prepares another band. In thai
$ manner two men will bind as fast as the
:. swifest machine will thrash, and the straw
# is stacked as securely as wheat aud in ons
J. fourth ofthe time required when not bound.
Q When. wanted ii may be afterward removed
d with far less labor than when stacked with,
= out binding.
1t Strawberries may DO transplanted wild
TT advantage in the early part of autumn.
el Fruit trees may be removed and trans
10 planted afaer the first Of October. Mos
+. farmers who transplant fruit trees, suffer :
lg great loss by not doing the work 'ceA
d The principaiscare needed is, first, 10 diI
pr the holes large, say six feet across, and lit
III teen or eighteen inches deep; secondly, Z
I'd preserve carefully, the roots as entire an
In uniniured as possible, and not to SUITE
of them to become dry out Of the ground