too ~- - THE FARMERS DEPARTMENT.

From the Massachusetts Agricultural Repository.

STIRRIJVG THE EﬂRTH ﬂ RELIEF AGAINST DROUGHT.

This is a trite subject, and one, which we are aware has been long since settled by intelligent cultivators in all countries- It is very familiar to gardeners, and the cans of the very supe- rior reductions ofgardens over ﬁeld culture may e attributed in part to the more frequent application of the hoe and spade. Yet it is true, that a very great number of farmers deny the proposition, and disapprove the practice. They think it dangerous to plough and hoe, in the time ofextreme drought and heat, while our own experience of twenty years has convinced us, that it is much superior as a remed , against drought, than watering 1n the limite manner, in which that must always be applied. There has never been a season in our memor in which there was greater necessity for the application of all remedies against drought than the present. The drought was not only of longer, duration, but it took place, when plants were the least able to resist it, not having sent their roots in quest of nourishment far, wide, and deep. The early foliage, also, is more ten- der, and more liable to wilt under a scorching sun and a drying wind.

In this extraordinary season, I had a small patch of early potatoes planted in a warm and sandy soil purposely to procure an early crop; the soilwas, at least, three quarters pure sand, mixed with some food for plants among the sand. The severe droight threatened a total loss of the crop. The potatoe stalks were fee- ble drawn up, scarcely larger than goose quills, an I expected every day to see them wither; all hopes ofa crop were abandoned. I thought that they were the fair subjects of a desperate ex-

eriment. On one of the hottest and driest

ays, I gave them a thorough ploughing, pas- sing the plough four times through each row; ﬁrst ploughing two furrows from the bills, as near the roots as possible, without throwing out the seed potatoes, and then returning the loam, or earth, instantly back by two other furrows. No rainintervened for ten days. In three days after, the potatoes changed their color. they started afresh as if they had re- ceived the beneﬁt of ample showers, while not a drop of rain had fallen.

The dews. which were abundant, settled upon the new turned earth, while before the plough- ing, no moisture had been apparent.

The last fact, though it cannot have escaped the notice of the most careless cultivator, has not been as yet explained. We can easily see, that a soil, rendered porous, would more rea- dily and easily convey its moisture to the roots. Itbecomes li e a sponge, and is readily per- meable, or rather readily permits the moisture to pass between the particles. But it is not yet understood why it attracts the moisture. Perhaps, however, it may be owing to its pro- seating a much greater surface to the moist air of the night. The fact however, which is what most concern: us, is settled. Perhaps some of the experiments of our distinguished country- man Dr. Wells, a physician of London, who rendered himselfdistinguished by his remarks on dew, may tend to explain this fact, though it is not my purpose to examine the theory.

Every man who feels an interest in the ques- tiol, can satisfy himself, at once, by stirring a small piece ofearth in a time ofsevere drought, and if he does not ﬁnd it in the morning more ﬁlled with moisture, than the undisturbed ground in its vicinity, let him continue a

isbeliever.

THE BRITISH AMERICAN.

But there is another mode, and it is one which I have never seen suggested, by which I apprehend the stirring of the surface, and ma- king it light and porous, is beneﬁcial in great droughts. It is this ; light porous bodies are bad conductors of heat, perhaps because they have more air between their interstices. The facts are familiar to us. Metallic bodies acquire an intense heat under the rays of the sun, so do stones in proportion to their density. The earth when very compact, will become exceed- ingly hot, but garden loam, which is very po- rous, remains cool at noon-day, two inches below the surface. I believe, therefore, that moving the surface, and keeping it in a light and porous state, enables it to rent the heat of the sun’s rays, that the air between the parti- cles of earth communicates the heat more slowly than the particles themselves do, when in close contact.

Such is my theory: But I am an enemy of theories,l always dstrust them, I look only to facts; and having observed that a slight cove- ring ofhalf an inch of sea-weed would pro- serve my strawberries from drought, which can only arise from its lying so loose on the surface, I have been led to infer, that the un- doubted fact, that soil in a loose pulverised state resists drought, is owing to the same cause, to wit, the slowness with which the heat ofthe solar raysis communicated to the roots. But be the theory sound or unsmind, I am per- suaded that every farmer will ﬁnd that the free use ofhis plough, and hoe, in times of se- vere drought will be more value to him, than as much manure as that labor would purchase. I have always been convinced from my expe- rience as an horticulturist, that the great secret in cultivation consists making the soil porous. In raising extotic plants we know it to be true, and our ﬂour pots are always sup- plied with soil, the most porous which we can obtain. The farmer may borrow light from an occupation which he looks upon with disdain, but which serves to elucidate and explain the secrets of vegitation.

PLANTING TREES, &c.

The following method of planting 'or 'trans- planting fruit trees are recommended by Euro- pean writers.

Planting with balls.—By removing a plant with its roots attached to a surrounding ball of earth, it continues in a growing state, without receiving any or but very little check from its removal. This mode is often practiced, more particularly with the more delicate and choicer kinds ofexotics, both trees, shrubs, and her- baceous plants, and occasionally with many of the ﬁbrous-rooted ﬂowering plants, both annuals and perennials, even in their advanced growth and ﬂowering state, when particularly wanted to supply any deﬁcient compartments, or when intended to remove any sort of tree or plant out of the proper planting season, as very late in spring, or in summer. The most difﬁcult tribe of plants to tranSplant, when in a grow- ing state are bulbous roots, which succeed with difﬁculty, even when removed with balls at- tached.

Planting by mudding‘ in, is a German prac- tice in pianting fruit trees, particularly suita- ble to the dry sandy soils of that country, and sometimes adopted in similar situations in Eng- land. The pit being dug out, the mould in its bottom is watered and stirred so as to form a mass ofmud about half the depth of the pit, the tree is then inserted, and its roots worked up and down in the mud, so as to spread them as much as possible equally through it. More

£0.14

mud, previously prepared is poured in till the pit is full, which is then covered with d;- earth, raised round the stem, but hollowed in the middle, so as to form a basin round it, stem, and ﬁnally covered with litter, (matched) and ifa standard, it is fastened toa stake to protect it from winds. Diel, a scientiﬁc Ger. man author, assures his readers, that trees planted in this way in spring, thrive better- in cold situations than those planted in the or. dinary way in the preceding autumn; and that though it occasions considerable trouble, it should never be neglected in spring or u. tumn He found italso particularly usefulinthc case of planting fruit trees in pots. (Obs. Oran. gerie, 81c. vol. ii.) Pontey alluding to this mode says. “ planting in a puddle occasions the soil speedily to ﬁrm, not only too hard for the roots of the plants to spread, but also so far as perfect. ly to exclude water."—Rural Improt'er, p. 89.

“ Planting,r byﬁring with water is an excellent variety of the last species. It has been suc~ cessfully practised by Pontey, and is thus des- cribed by him. The hole being made, and the tree placed in it in the usual manner, the root is then slightly covered with the ﬁner parts of the soil, the tree being at the same time sha. ken, as is common. to settle the earth among its roots. Water is then applied by a common gardening watering pot, by pouring it upon the soil with some force, in order to wash it close to and among the roots of the plant. But this can only be done effectually by elevating the pot as high in the hands as it can be covenient- ly used, after ﬁrst taking off the nose. It will be obvious, that for such purposes a large pan with a wide spout is to be preferred. The hole is then ﬁlled up with water as before, which usually ﬁnishes the business- The foot is ne. never applied except in the case of bad roots, which sometimes occasion the plants to be left a little leaning. In such cases, the application of the foot slightly. once or twice, after the soil has become somewhat ﬁrm, (which general- ly happensinless than an hour) sets the tree upright, and so ﬁrm as to require no staking.— Ibid p. 89.

British Cattle.—A century ago, our cattle from the inferiority oftheir feed, were not one half, sometimes even not one third of their present weight. It is computed that England, and Wales now contains, at least, ﬁve million oxen, and a million and a half of horses. of which aboutamillion are used in husbandry, 200,000 for pleasure, and 300 000 are colts and breeding mares. The number ofsheep is about twenty millions, and eight million lambs. The number of long woolled sheep is about ﬁve millions, their ﬂeeces avaraging 6 or 8 lbs. and ofshort woolled sheep fifteen millions, the weight of ﬂeece averaging from 3 to 3 1-4 lbs. The whole quantity of wool annually shorn in England is from eighty to eighty-ﬁve million ofpounds. The Merino were introduced about the beginning of the present century, and were imported in large numbers .after our al- liance with Spain in 1809. The great pastu- rage counties are Leicester, Northamton. Lincoln, and SomerSet; and for butter and cheese, Cheshire, Gloucestershire, and Will- shire. Theimport ofbutter and cheese from foreign countries is checked by duties, but these are important articles of Irish com- merce with England. a)

Age of Sheep—The age 'of sheep may be known by examining the front teeth. They are eight in number, andappear during the ﬁrstyear, all of a small size. In the second year, the two middle ones fallout, and their place is sup-

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