, 1861-12-05
Agricultural Items.

NUMBER OF SEEDS IN BUsHEL.-lI.
Briggs, in the NeW York Farmer, says
Finding diversity of opinion among far.
mers in regard to the quantity of seed neces.
sary TO stock a given quantity of ground,
and thinking that some others as well as my.
self might be curious to know the number
Of grains in bushel, and how many would
fall on given quantity Of ground, ! have
made out the following statement with a to-
cradle degree of accuracy, by computation,
after counting small quantity of the sev.
eral kinds mentioned. Timothy seed mum.
bers Al ,s2S, 400 grains to the bushel, and if
sown on an acre of ground, as recommended
by some, would give about 6 l-2 to the
square inch. Clover of medium size, what
we here call Eastern clover, numbers
about II, ,400,960 to the bushel, and gives
about 81 to tho square inch on an acre.
Rio Grande wheat, fair and plump, numbers
about $50, ,2SS to the bushel, and gives about
l2 34 to the square foot. Rye numbers
about sos, $50, and gives about 90 l-2 to
the foot.
CHAFF IN ANIMALS EYEs.-Cattle which
eat straw from a stack, or thrust their heads
into large piles Of straw, sometimes get bar
ley boards or oat chaii into their eyes, in
flaming and shutting the eye, causing the
flow Of water from it, and sometimes pro.
ducing blindness. S. Z. Todd states, in the
Ohio Farmer, that after trying for q COW
partly blinded with cat chaif, the various
remedies prescribed, including powdered
burnt alum blown into the eye, tho use of
honey, &C., TO no purpose, he found the
best remedy, and one entirely effectual, was
10 take q silk pocket handkerchief, draw it
tightly over the end of the finger, and after
having raised the lid as much as practicable,
thrust the covered finger carefully into tho
eye. The chaf adhered to it, and was at
once brought out. He has always sue
ceeded with this remedy. the finger is
not large, it may be passed all around the
ball. The animal, if not gentle, will re-
quire tying.
PINcHISG THE BLAcKBERRY.-Iti is recon-
mended, by cnltivators Of the black berry,
that the tall upright shoots Of the black.
berry should be pinched, when four or five
feet high, and that the side shoots be pinched
when two feet long, to render them pro-
ductiye. As an instance of the effect of
this method when pursued in the natural
way, the Country Gentleman states that an
old farmer informed him that when boy he
invariably found those bushes of the wild
variety which had been broused on by the
cattle to be full Of berries, whilst the tall
spreading bushes which they had not touched
generally had but scanty crop.
ANr RIDDGxcE.--A correspondent Of the
Bee Journal gives the following: We have
made an important and very cheap discovery
to keep ants from bees. Several years since
the little red ants were very numerous in our
and we put stone coal against the
end Of the house opposite the cupboard, and
IL banished them ali. We concluded il was
the effect Of tho eopperas in the coal. This
spring the black ant began to annoy our bees,
and we procured copperas out Of the coal
bank, and, putting il around the bench legs,
cleaned'all the ants off the bench, and there
has not been one about the hives since.
LIME FoR OLD GARDENS gardens,
that have been manured year after year, are
frequently unproductiye. Lime has in these
instances been found great rehovator.
" hcl ~ tAiS otate3 thO NeSStaOAOS dI0 tuuh
enough in growth, but without flavor; while
potatoes, and the root crops, are watery or
diseased, and not sound. Lime has the ef.
fest Of curing this, and, when used, should be
spaded In as fresh as possible. Added to
this, If the soil is light, may be given few
light top-dressings Of clay, which the lime
will have the effect Of reducing to fine
loan in conjunction with the richly manured
soil.
Tho Spring pruning Of gooseberries and
currants, II not done already, should be per.
formed Immediately. To do this properly,
II is necessary to begin when the plants are
very young, and then, when carefully and
and judiciOusly treated, handsome plants
may be raised Of almos: any desired shape.
The finest favored fruit is produced on tie
spurs Of the old wood, but the largest on
the young wood Of the previous Summer
The English mode Of pruning is usually
adopted, but we doubt If il is the best for
this climate. al thinRs considered.