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late as Christmas, and again in spring until perhaps the for his own use and that of other farmers in the vicinity. 10th or 15th of May. Early in June the land was plowed In calling at the works, not just then in operation, I found and scarified, and then began the folding, 1,600 sheep be- the kind of which most were made, to be pipe tile of 14 ing confined by hurdles in a space just large enough to ac-inch calibre, sold for from $3 to $3.75 per 1,000, though commodate them without too much crowding, and the hur-latterly as a general thing, at the lower figure-a price too dles being shifted from day to day until the whole surface small I think he said, to admit of any profit to the maker. should be thus treated. I find my notes deficient in not These pipe appeared to be in more general use than tile of giving the size of the enclosure required for this number any other shape, so far as my observation went, but Mr. of sheep, but it appeared smaller than I was prepared to C. also made horse-shoe tile, for which his price was anticipate; nor am I quite certain whether any feed was $6.25 per 1,000 for the size two inches in the clear, and given them to be eaten during the night—where the latter they are generally laid, he told me, upon a flat bottom tile, is the case, it is my impression that about two square in lieu of the board which has here been most frequently yards of space are allowed per head. Stephens says that employed for a bottom with us, when one is required"the dressing thus given by 300 sheep is sufficient in a the price at which these are sold being $3.75 per 1,000. week for one acre of land, and is worth £3," ($15.) Dur-They are of the same length as the horse-shoe tile, and in ing the day, as already intimated, the sheep are at large laying are made to break joints with them. Collars, also, upon the unenclosed gorse-lands. are sometimes thought necessary with the pipe-simply a portion of a pipe one size larger, cut to the length of several inches, and fitting around each joint. More than once I heard it advocated, however, that the continuity of the drain is quite as likely to be perfect without the collars as with them; in the former case the whole length of the tile resting upon the ground, while in the latter the length of the collar alone is apt to be actually supported,

Along the side of the field in question, there ran an embankment of considerable breadth and height, together with the natural accompaniment of a ditch to promote the drainage of the soil. But the purpose of the embankment was to break the force of the wind over the surface of the ground, for the soil is so light as to suffer much from this cause unless some such precaution were taken. Arthur Young states that these drifting sands formed an extenHere they were also making what are called "pan-tile sive part of Norfolk, as well as bordering the Suffolk coast, for roofing-and, expressing some curiosity as to the probefore the introduction of turnip culture, and if I am not cess, a workman was called in to show it to me. The panmistaken, the embankments here are of quite early erectile, be it known, is of oblong shape, about 14 inches in

tion.

A favorite plow in use in this neighborhood, has its beam erected at one end, even more than the handles are at the other, so that the two form very nearly a right angle. The accompanying vignette taken from the cover of Ransomes & Sims' Catalogue, will serve to give an idea of its appearance, although there represented in rather neater style than those one meets with at work. The draught is by a chain which will be seen attached to the beam just forward of the coulter, and in its shortness the affair reminds one more of our implements, while it is in striking contrast with the long, lithe, low-lying furrow-makers which one finds further on in the same pamphlet this picture is taken from, and which I found occupying all the sheds at the English show-yards. It much resembles what Loudon calls the Norfolk. wheel-plow, to which, although 'clumsy in appearance from the great bulk of its wheels and their carriage," he accords the credit of doing "its work with neatness in light friable soils," and of requiring "only a small power of draught."

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length by nine in width, with one side curling up and one
side curling down, so that the ends when laid have the ap-
pearance represented in the an-
nexed figure. The clay is flat-
tened out and shaped by hand upon a board of the right
form. A man can make about 350 a day, and they sell for
say $1.87 per 100. The under side has one or two little pro-
jections, and, in roofing, these catch upon slats far enough
apart to support the upper ends of each tier of tile, the
No close boarding of the roof is necessary; the tile are laid
lower ends lapping perhaps four inches upon the tier below.
with mortar as a security against leakage, and these slats or
laths, tacked horizontally across the roof timbers, are their
for the gutters and to invert over the ridge. I have spo-
only support. Hollow tile of different shapes are made
ken so much in detail, because tile is the almost universal
roofing material one every where meets abroad. I really
was discussing the subject, what we mean by "shingles,"
had some difficulty to explain to a gentleman with whom
and I realized how some of the simplest things in the world
may not be very easily expressed in words on an impromp-
add, and what are called "plain tile," or perfectly flat pa-
tu trial. Pan-tile are made of different sizes, I should
rallelograms of burned clay, are also used, the latter pro-
vided with holes through which wooden pegs are driven,
to answer the purpose of the projections upon the others,
in keeping them in place.

I

After a tour among the stock with a farmer from another county, whose dialect was quite marked-his pronunciation of the word "bull," for example, being precisely in rhyme with the adjective "dull," but who was evidently a man of solidity and consequence where he lived-we set out for a drive of several hours, meeting, just as we were on the start, I remember, an errand-sent farm boy, bestriding one of those rare animals with us, which are in England and Scotland, as well as upon the Continent, so common and so Then we came to the "Chillesford" farm, containing serviceable for odd jobs on the farm, and for villagers who another thousand acres, of which 400 are arable, 130 in cannot reach so high in the scale of animal labor as the horse marsh pastures, and the remainder in sheep walks. Among -I refer of course to that long-eared emblem of persis- the stock upon it were 450 breeding ewes with their lambs, tency and wisdom popularly known as the 'donkey.' A cap-80 rams and four or five stallions, besides the horses cmital ass, it is stated, can be bought from $3.75 to $5, "in ployed in working it. Here there are generally from forty the prime of his age," while a horse of much value costs to fifty bullocks fattened in winter, with the view mostly at least twenty times as much; "go long as there is a of their valuable services as manure-makers, and varying hedge-row overgrown with briers and thistles, so long as in number with the amount of straw produced for conthere is waste land furnishing a few tufts of rank and bit- sumption. The cattle kept here were the Suffolk polled ter grass rejected of other cattle, so long will the ass stick stock, several of which I mentioned as prize-takers at the to his work, thrive, and cost you nothing." Treated al-Ipswich Show, A brief call at a third establishment, that most uniformly with more or less cruelty and ingratitude, of "Gedgrave Hall," concluded our rounds.

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it is capable of carrying proportionately a heavier burden Among other notes jotted down during this visit, I find than the horse. Mules, which especially at the south are several rather disconnected items. A mixture of two common enough with us, do not seem often bred in Eng-bushels vetches to one of rye is sown for the horses in land, and all the asses I saw were stunted little things in early spring, being ready to cut or graze in April. The comparison with some of the fine jacks our breeders have fields in Suffolk are almost universally plowed in lands or imported for mule-raising, so that I do not think much at-"stetches," sometimes of 16 furrows width, or twice as tention is paid either to their production or improvement. wide as the drill and horse hoe are long-sometimes of My host, among his other operations, manufactures tiles only an equal width with the length of these implements. On some of the more luxuriant soils the wheat is "bla

* H. D. RICHARDSON.

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ded," as I think the operation is called; we saw a field of 28 acres, which the sheep had fed quite bare in May, and just before it came into head the men went through it cutting off the tops as a precaution against its being laid. It was now promising a fine yield. After the sheep had had an early bite in this field, it was horse-hoed between the drills and 12 lbs. white clover seed sown per aere; after which, if I am not mistaken, the sheep again grazed it over. After harvest the stubble would be grazed, and as late in the succeeding spring as May 20, or June 1, when the clover would be permitted to come on for a crop of seed. Great care is taken to keep the low lands clean. Gangs of children are engaged as weeders and for similar tasks so much per acre being customarily paid for their labor to the man who superintends it-who, of course, makes as much as he can out of the job, by employing his own children or agreeing with the parents of others in the neighborhood to secure the services of theirs.

Of the "Butley Abbey" farm alone, about 300 acres are drained at an average cost of $25 per acre. Mr. C. has two steam engines for threshing, &c.-one a seven, and the other an eight horse power. The "marshes" to which I have referred, are protected from the sea water by an embankment, with the usual system of drainage gates which let off the water when the tide is out, but when it rises shut by their own action to prevent its admission upon the ground. This dike extends more than twenty miles, and the marshes are very productive of wheat, as well as the best of grass lands.

With the Suffolk Swine, many in the United States are already somewhat familiar. The stock of the Messrs. STICKNEY and others in the vicinity of Boston, obtained directly from Mr. Crisp, has been quite widely disseminated through the country. It is classed as a "small breed," although it is difficult to say what standard of size justifies the application of the name to some of those I saw at Butley Abbey. Mr. C. was quite an exhibitor at the Royal Society's show this year, having received the second prize of $25 for a boar, the first being awarded to one of Prince Albert's celebrated breed, and having taken also both the first and third prizes in the class of sows. He has two distinct families of them, one of blacks, and the other of whites-the latter of which alone have been imported; he seemed, however, to be of the opinion that the black was the better "summer pig" of the two-better able to stand the heat, while the white is the more common, and equally good for cold weather.

Suffolk is a county of nearly 800,000 acres, in something like crescent form. Like the other eastern counties, it feels less the influence of the Atlantic in tempering the climate and rendering it moist, and the winds of the northeast in spring are spoken of as pretty sharp. The soil along the coast is mostly sandy, and there are some sands and fens in the northwest, but the central parts are of strong loam, with a substratum of clayey marl or occasionally of chalk. Draining was considerably in vogue at quite an early day, constructed with bushes or straw; claying and marling the sands was practiced, adds Loudon, "but sand laid on clay found of no use, or marl on clay, according to the old adage

"Marle clay, throw all away;

Marle sand, and buy land." The same writer refers to the practice of folding as "universal;" he also compliments the plowmen of the county as particularly skillful.

The wages which laborers receive range from nine to twelve shillings per week-say from $2.25 to $3-but I think a good many operations here, as elsewhere, are paid for by the job.

It was while we were undergoing on this side the water, our annual relapse of patriotism-while our church bells were ringing, processions moving, and gunpowder proving itself most vociferous of revolutionary reminiscences, that the interesting observations were made which I have been endeavoring to record above-greatly I fear to the loss of the freshness and connectedness they possessed when gathered. And not until I had bid good-bye to the kind hospitalities of my friend, and seated myself in the evening London train, had it occurred to me, how that this "Fourth of July" was rapidly passing by without salute or celebration, and, worst of all, in actual intercourse of the most amicable kind, with one of those "Britishers," whom some charitable travellers have represented us as hating so vehemently.

L. H. T.

Great Timothy Hay Crop--Pasturing Meadows.
Mr. Eph. Gould, as certified at the Washington (0.)
Co. Fair, raised the past year eight thousand, five hundred
and forty pounds of Timothy hay on a single acre-cutting
the amount at once mowing. The aftermath, on the
first of October, was estimated equal to three-fourths of a
ton. Mr. Rathbone, of Marietta, who communicates the
above to the Ohio Farmer, is of the opinion that "the
secret of this great crop lies in the fact, that Mr. Gould
never pastures his meadows. The aftermath protects the
stools throughout the winter, and the grass gets an early
start in spring. In case of a drouth the aftermath serves
as a mulch, and under any circumstances makes a good
manure. Meadows that are never pastured, will last much
longer than the pastured, besides giving a larger yield."
It may be questioned whether pasturing meadows is as
objectionable as Mr. R. believes, but no one can doubt
that Timothy meadows are injured and often ruined by
close pasturing. The well known fact that this grass has
a bulbous root, generally lying just above the surface of
the ground, which is often broken or eaten by grazing
animals, would suggest a caution to farmers against pas-
turing Timothy meadows or depending on Timothy for
pasturage to any great extent. But there are some evils
attendant on a heavy growth of aftermath allowed to re-
main on the ground, as all farmers know.

Probably the above crop of Timothy hay is the largest ever taken from an acre at a single cutting. The Ohio State Ag. Society awarded recently its highest premium for six tons and 1209 lbs. of hay grown on two acres. Three tons is as great a crop as often produced-and the average hay crop of the country is usually not far from one ton per acre. That it might easily be doubled, we verily believe; and there is no item of farming which more needs or would better repay attention, than the grass crop.

KING PHILIP CORN.

The King Philip corn I suppose is named after Philip the celebrated King of the Narragansett Indians, who caused large quantities of corn to be raised and stored, preparatory to his great struggle with the colonies, and enjoined all the tribes of Indians that were in league with him to do likewise, thus providing the sinews of war; for corn, not money, was the sinews of war then. The kind of corn, or one of the kinds of corn he planted, was a rather large, white, eight-rowed variety, something like the smutty white, but larger.

While writing out these notes, foreign journals bring to hand a lecture lately delivered (Dec. 7) by Mr. ROBERT BOND of Ipswich, in which that gentleman-who is the accomplished Secretary of the "Suffolk Agricultural Association," states a fact illustrative both of the progress of English Agriculture, and of the length of time which some of the English records cover,-that in the year 1387, 66 acres of wheat upon the Manor Farm of Hawstead in that county, produced 69 quarters of grain, and 26 acres of barley 52 quarters, 2 bushels-that is, the wheat at the rate of less than 84 bushels per acre, and the barley at considerable extent in this vicinity now. the rate of about 16 bushels. The present average pro-seed corn has never been changed. duction of wheat, on the other hand, is 28 bush. per acre. Plymouth Co., Mass.

The farm of one of my neighbors was purchased by his ancestors of King Philip's father, when Philip was a boy. Corn was growing on the farm at the time of purchase, and it must have been ptanted by Philip or his father, or by their direction. The same kind of corn is planted to a On that farm the

E. WILLIS.

CULTURE OF GROWING WHEAT.

A writer in the Mark Lane Express argues that "of all erops wheat is most in need of tillage during its growth; for the climate requiring it to be sown in autumn, that it may get a sufficient start in spring to give time for filling and ripening the ear, there are many months longer than are taken by any other crop, in which the efficiency of the preparatory tillage may be lost, the fine particles of soil coalescing again, and excluding the atmospheric supplies of nutriment; so that long before the crop has reached maturity, or come to that critical period of the setting of the bloom and swelling of the kernel, (when the plants need "good keeping," or will fail in fecundity,) the land is almost as solid and impervious as it was before the seedbed preparation began.”

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Culture is only practicable under the drill system, and the shallow tillage generally given in England under that system is found profitable, but the writer above quoted, would have deeper and more thorough culture, like that practiced under the Lois Weedon system of wheat growing, which is there found to go far to maintain the fertility of a naturally good soil without manure, as recently noticed in another place.

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the 3d up the 25th of November, during which time we have had several hard rains; and I have examined the outlets to all of the underdrains, which, without a single exception, are passing off large quantities of water. From a close observawere quite as important to the growing crop during the tion during the summer, I am satisfied that the underdrains drouth, from May to September, as they were in carrying off the surplus water in the spring; and I am equally certain bushels per acre, which would leave the account stand thus: that the increase of crop, resulting from draining is all of 20 Six hundred and eighty-five rods open ditch, at sixty-five cts. per rod, 8445.25.

One thousand five hundred rods of under

drain cost 865. Use of ditcher, wear and tear, $25.75. Entire cost, $536. Cr. by twenty bushels of corn on two hundred and thirty acres, gives four thousand six hundred bushels, at 25 cents, $1,150; showing a profit of $626 in favor of the mole plow in a single year.”

In regard to other experiments which have proved failures, it is remarked:

"The mole plow has been condemned from the fact of im

proper use, not procuring sufficient outlet, running the ditches too shallow, and failing to reach the clay sub-soil with the clay sub-soil for the mole to operate in. Otherwise the apermole. I have no faith in the use of the implement without a ture made by the mole will cave, and fill up."

Strawberries Mulberries and Grapevines.

EDS. CULT. AND CO. GENT.-I am intending to set out quite a quantity of the Wilson's Albany and Hooker's strawberry plants next spring, and have thought of adopting the mode of culture of alternate strips. I wish to inquire if these two varieties do well when cultivated in this way? Hovey's Seedling does not, for a very large part of the young plants formed in the preceding autumn will not bear any fruit. How is it with the Albany and Hooker in this respect? (1.)

Mulberry. Is it a fine fruit worthy of general cultivation, I also wish to inquire as to the merits of Downing's hardy and productive? Are not birds fond of mulberries as well as cherries? (2.)

The year's operations were confined to 230 acres of prairie land on the west bank of Rattlesnake creek. Mr. T. Can you inform me how grapevines are grown from sinfirst laid out with an engineer's level 685 rods of open ditch,gle eyes in the open air? Also how to raise extra sized

at 80 rods apart, varying in depth from 4 to 6 feet, and in width from 6 to 8 feet, allowing for slope of banks 14 feet, to one foot in hight, which was let by contract at 65 cents per rod, and finished in October, 1858. The underdrains were cut in March, April and May; first laid off with the level, but more with the view of tapping the wettest portions of land between the open ditches, than a regard to straight lines, or thorough underdraining. In this way, with the ditcher, two yoke of cattle and two men, in sixteen days we put in 1,500 rods of underdrain, at a depth of three feet four inches, and a cost of $65.

layers for immediate bearing? (3.)

Is the method of propagating the Blackberry described in the December number of the Cultivator, equally good for the raspberry? (4.) SUBSCRIBER.

1. We have found the preceding year's plants of the Wilson and Hooker, but more especially the Wilson, to produce well the next spring, but not so abundantly as their second year. When they do not the first year, thin them out, and they will make amends the second year.

2. We have found Downing's mulberry hardy, but cannot speak personally of its merits as a fruit, nor of the fondness of birds for it.

3. Grapes from eyes are usually grown in propagating houses or hot-beds, and not in the open air. Grafting is the best for immediate bearing.

with a little bottom heat.

Green Corn Pudding and Succotash.

The account states that "at the time of running the mole plow, the surface of the ground was covered with water, from one to six inches deep. The surface soil to the depth of from one to two and a half feet, is a black 4. Both the raspberry and blackberry are thus propagaclay, or loam, rather a compact, tenacious soil; the sub-ted, but the raspberry does best in a propagating house, soil is a close, compact, yellow clay, to the depth of from three to five feet." The sod was then broken up, or turned over, from six to eight inches deep, harrowed (200 acres of it,) and then planted to corn, finishing the 200 acres on the 23d of May. On the memorable fourth of June it was up from 6 to 16 inches high, but on the morning of the 5th, all lay flat with the ground. It was then plowed up and replanted, and the product under these circumstances was 60 bushels per acre. The 30 acres planted last, on the sod and without culture of any kind, produced 40 bushels per acre. In relation to the working and success of the experiment, Mr. Trimble remarks:

"The underdrains all performed their work well up to the middle of July, when they began to fail, and by the first of August were perfectly dry. I have been on the farm from

Will you or some of your subscribers, inform me how to make corn pudding of green corn or roasting ears-also how to make succotash. H. G. P. Butler Co., Pa.

Grate the green corn from 24 ears-to this add 1 quart of milk and 3 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt. Now, this must be varied according to the age of the corn; if the corn is old add more milk or take less corn. Bake in pie dishes, till of a proper custard consistency.

Succotash is of two kinds-green and dried corn. For the first, boil the beans first, as they need more cooking, then shave the green corn off the cob, and boil it with the beans. then season to taste with butter or cream. With dry corn, the corn must be soaked until it is thoroughly swelled out tender, and then treated as the other.

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[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] CULTURE OF THE ONION.

EDS. Co. GENTLEMAN-There is in the "Co. Gent." an inquiry for "a good article on the Culture of the Onion." The answer comes in an article by J. W. Proctor of Essex, Mass, but as the onion is very largely cultivated in this vicinity, many farmers raising from two to twelve acres, and as our mode of cultivation may differ somewhat from that of Mr. P., I have concluded to write you a short article on the subject.

1. The ground selected for onions should be the best on the farm, as free from stones as possible; and it should be made very rich by the application in large quantities of the best manure to be had. We have lately practiced plowing in our manure in the fall, and then in the spring we harrow thoroughly, and give a top-dressing of some bought manure-guano, bone-dust, or whatever we prefer. In this way we can sow our seed from one to two weeks earlier than if plowed in the spring, and experience shows this to be very important, Whether plowed in spring or not, the ground must be well harrowed-every stone or any other obstruction picked carefully off, and then made very smooth and level with a hand rake. Extra care in the preparation of the ground is amply repaid in the after cultivation.

2. When the ground is ready, we sow our seed, using a small machine which sows two rows at a time as fast as a man can walk. This machine is made near here, and I have never seen it in the agricultural stores. To the onion grower it is invaluable. The seed after being deposited in the drills, is covered by pushing a common hoe along the row, very lightly and carefully. The covering is sometimes done by a board attached to the machine, but I do not think in as perfect a manner.

If the weather is favorable, the plants will be up in about three weeks, and then the labor of cultivation begins. Our rows are twelve inches apart, and we use, for the space between the rows, very narrow hoes, about nine inches wide, and so narrow that the earth will run freely over without moving along in front. There have been two machines contrived during the past year for hoeing onions, and they promise to save a vast deal of labor. The weed ing is done by hand, the boys passing over the row on their knees, and taking out the weeds with a small hoe an inch or two wide. These tools are best made from a thin saw plate, and should be kept bright. They are very handy about the garden. The weeding should be continued until the crop is fit to pull, as the injury done by going through the onions when large, is not half as great as that caused by the weeds going to seed for next year. When ripe, the onions are pulled and left on the ground to cure. They should be thoroughly dried, and then, if stored in a cool, dry place, they will keep without much trouble the whole winter.

The average crop with us is about 500 bushels per acre, but 800 are often grown. And the average price is $1.50 per barrel, from which it is easy to see that with a good market, and thorough cultivation, the crop can be made very profitable. EDW. J. TAYLOR. Southport, Conn.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] Driving Bees---Bee-Hives, &c.

In the Country Gentleman of Jan. 5, I noticed the inquiry "S. H. S.," for a method of driving bees from one hive to another. He asks if it is possible? It is, and very easily done. The simplest mode which I am acquainted with, is to take the old hive a short distance from its usual place, and put an empty one instead. Having protected your hands and face in such a manner that they will not be able to sting you, then jar the hive-the bees will fly out, dart back to where the hive used to stand, enter the new one, and soon become domiciled in their new abode. This operation I think is sometimes very beneficial, especially when the comb has become old and dirty-it seems to have the power of rejuvenating the old swarm. When they have about all evacuated the old hive, it can be carried into a dark room or cellar, being careful to have a small hole through which a little light can penetrate the remaining bees will fly to this, and thence

find their way to the new home. This plan is a very good one for clearing box honey of bees.

Another plan is to invert the hive-set another one directly on top of it, adjusting it in such a manner that the bees cannot escape without getting into the new hive. Then breathe tobacco smoke into the bottom of the old one, gently tapping the hive at the same time-a few moments will suffice for apply the fume too strongly, or it will make them so torpid and stupid that they will not stir, resisting all efforts to dislodge them. I think this is the reason why many fail in driving them from boxes with tobacco smoke-they are rendered stupid before they are aware of what ails them. Bees naturally have a strong antipathy to tobacco smoke, and will always get out of the way if a chance is given them. Still another method I heard spoken of the other day. It does not differ materially from the first however. It is thisCover the face, &c, to prevent stinging-then place a rope of good length around the top of the hive from which you wish to expel the bees-set it off the plank-place another instead and then carefully place the one containing the bees on your back, holding it to its place by the rope. Then take a stroll out in the lots-a few turns will suffice to dislodge them. I should not prefer the last method for several reasons not worth mentioning.

the bees to clear the old hive. Care must be taken not to

My father keeps about 40 or 50 swarms of bees. The hive which he uses-got up by himself five or six years ago-is very well liked by those who have seen it, and used by a good many. It is different from any description that I have ever seen. Perhaps it would suit the ideas of some of your readers, and I will give a short description of it. The propor tions of the hive are as follows: Height two feet-one foot square clear inside-space in top for box 9 inches high-leaving 14 inches space below the box and partition board for the bees to form comb in. Door in front, 20 inches, is put on 4 inches from the bottom. If put any nearer than that, the bees when hanging out, are apt to get on it, thus hindering the opening of the door. Ventilator in the back of the hive near the top. An auger hole is made through the partition board for the purpose of letting the bees into the boxes. A glass 9 by 12, is placed in the lower part in front, for the purpose of examining into the wellfare of the bees. He always planes and paints thom.

The dress he has for the purpose of hiving the bees, is made of coarse book muslin or musqueto netting, or anything which will admit of a free circulation of air, and will prevent the bees from getting near his face. It should not be so close as shirt, with sleeves, and reaches down well in the waist. The to obstruct the sight It is made something in the shape of a upper part is entire, with the exception of a hole of three or four inches in diameter. It is drawn on over a hat, the crown of the hat protruding outside. The brim of the hat keeps it clear from the face. This, with the addition of a pair of gloves which come well up the wrist, when they are well tied on, make a rig which costs but little, and one which any person, when they have them on, need have no fear of bees.

There are quite a number of bees kept in this section; but very little pains is taken to house them, however--are genwinter. In the spring the colony comes out very much weakerally left out without any protection whatever during the ened. This I think is one cause of so many failures, together with carlessness in spring when they are hatching. There are exceptions to this rule however, some taking excellent care of them. Still bee-keeping here as an art is in its infancy.

Bees situated a mile from the lake, which is 24 miles wide, often cross it for the purpose of getting honey. E. A. KING. Cayuga Co., N. Ý.

RENSSELAER Co. AG SOCIETY.-The annual meeting of this Society was held on the 17th inst., for the exhibition of winter crops, and for the election of officers for the ensuing year.

The Society resolved to purchase six acres of land lying between Troy and Lansingburgh, at $300 per acre, for the permanent use of the Society, and to make a sale of its present property in Lansingburgh.

The Hon. GEORGE VAIL of Troy, was elected PresidentThe retiring presiding officer, L. CHANDLER BALL, Esq., delivered an eloquent address, for a report of which, and of the proceedings of the Society, we are indebted to the "Troy Times." Since the last meeting two of the earliest friends and most efficient officers of the Society have died; B. B. Kirtland of Greenbush, and Joseph Hastings of Brunswick.

[For the Country Gentleman and Cultivator.] OSAGE ORANGE FOR HEDGES.

Ens. Co. GENT.-The question naturally arises, with what shall we fence our fields a century or even a half century hence? When we look over the map of North America, we find that a considerable portion of this vast territory is comparatively destitute of timber. From the western line of the State of Indiana to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, a distance of some twelve hundred miles east and west, and south from Kentucky, including Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and a part of Wisconsin, timber in this vast region is greatly in want. The eastern States once were heavily timbered, but the stately oak, with his vast list of associate neighbors, are, to a great extent, gone; so much so that many of the inhabitants are now for purposes of economy, and to save the small remnant of timber left, compelled to use coal for fuel from the mines of Pennsylvania. The question is, what shall we do for materials to guard our crops from our domestic animals? In many locations in the eastern States, a supply of stone is at hand. With stone laid in wall a good fence is made; but in the vast northwest we

have neither timber nor stone.

It was believed by some in this region that a fence could be made of a ridge of earth well sodded, by care fully cutting up the prairie sod into squares as large as a man could lift, then throwing up the dirt and making a ditch about two and a half feet wide and two feet deep, then over the embankment placing the sod. These fences were of short continuance as the sods seldom compacted and grow. The heavy beating rains and frosts of winter soon made gaps in them, and after a year or two became unsightly and useless, affording a fine place for cattle to cut their pranks in, making the dust fly with their horns,

Thousands of miles of this sod fence have been made on

our open prairies, but now seldom a trace of them can be found.

The heaviest and best trees of our timber have been felled, worked up into rails or used in building, and are now nearly extinct. For the last few years, as the west has rapidly increased in population, posts and boards have been mostly used for fencing. The new settler could not wait to raise a hedge-his crops must be protected, and as posts and boards were the most ready material, they were chiefly used. When the pines of the north are gone, and the supply of timber from that source fails, I again ask, with what shall we fence our farms? Nature has furnished us with a sure and reliable material, viz.: the Osage Orange or Maclura shrub.

of my neighbors bought 2,000 plants of one year's growth at a cost of $10 per 1,000. These plants, after being assorted, were set out in a line of about 100 rods, and carefully cultivated and trimmed for three years. Since then it has been cut down but once, leaving the main body and limbs about five feet high. Now it stands full ten feet high, and has been a perfect barrier to all quadrupeds since the third year after setting out. Others in this neighborhood soon followed, but had to send some 200 miles to get the plants. Traveling agents were employed to scour the country and contract at prices from 86 to $8 per 1000, delivered, with full directions for setting, triniming, &c. Some furnished plants, prepared the ground, set out and cultivated for four years, and then by previous contract received 80 cents per rod. Some of the best hedges in our county are those as last described.→→ Now thousands of miles of very excellent fence are stretched over our western lands.

As the seeds were all procured from Texas, a trade of considerable importance sprung up. Now the seeds can No be had at from $12 to $16 per bushel anywhere. those who are acquainted with them, can readily detect doubt there were many worthless seeds sold, but now, We know large nurseries, the spurious or defective. who sell at from $1.50 to $2 per 1000. I understand that some growing from 100,000 to many millions annually, Messrs. Overman & Mann, near Bloomington, in this State, the last year planted over 100 acres with sced. I have not tried to raise the plants from the seeds but onee, and then met an entire failure. The safest way, I consider, is to buy the plants of the nearest nursery, carefully assort them into three classes-the best and largest set out together, and also the second size by themselves, and the third class should be used for the stove.

After the plants are procured from the nursery and as sorted, with a spade make a trench some ten inches deep -make a grout of loose dirt and cow dung, thin enough to well cover all the roots-then place them in the trench and cover about two or three inches above the top of the roots, care being taken to have all the roots well bedded in dirt. After the buds are well open, and the leaves begin to appear, transplant. The ground should have been plowed in the fall about eight feet wide, by leaving the last furrow in the center at least a foot deep. In the spring commence in the center and throw the dirt all back, leaving a fine mellow bed to receive the plants. It will do to prepare the ground in the spring. By either time, be sure to have a finely pulverized soil to receive the plants. Draw a line, no matter how long, and fasten it Some fifteen years ago, Prof. TURNER, of Jacksonville, to its place by driving hooked stakes over it; then with in this State, and a few others, procured seeds of the Ma- a spade, which is thrust at least ten inches deep, place clura from Texas; planted them, and tried the experiment the plants which have again been grouted and assorted, in hedge growing. Their labors were crowned with suc-after being taken out of the sprouting bed and put in their cess. Soon there was a great demand for seed, prices ranging from $20 to $30 per bushel. The seeds were sown in nurseries, and at one year's growth, packed and sent to purchasers many miles distant at $10 per thousand. To encourage the growth and to induce people to try the hedge, the State Ag. Society offered liberal premiums for hedges at different ages of growth. The County Societies also rewarded the owners with suitable premiums for best hedges. We do not say that all who tried the plants succeeded. There are men who have the best of stone at hand, who cannot or do not lay them into a handsome and compact wall. Neither do we find a good substantial rail fence made, even where the rails are of the best kind, or a good post and board fence made even out of good materials. Some ment wont do their work well; they will make a balk or a botch of anything they undertake-so with hedge growing-they will not do it right even if a good pattern is on their first neighbor's farm. In growing an orchard, how many fail? We cannot, therefore, expect that all who attempt it will succeed. To meet with success, as in everything else, the work must be done well. As I have had some experience in hedge growing, I will give it to your readers, hoping that I may induce others to try, for the question is still before us, "with what will we fence our fields?" Twelve years ago, one

places. A man with his spade, and a boy to put in the plants, can set half a mile in a day. While setting, the spadesman tramps the dirt carefully, but not too tightly, about the roots. The plants should be set about two inches below the place where they grew in the nursery, and about six inches apart in the row. All the yellow part of the root should be out of sight.

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If there are low moist places over which the hedge is to pass, raise the dirt some two or three feet high and keep the two ditches cleaned out that the water may have a free chance to run off. If a low place is to be crossed, where water is liable to stand, bring the hedge raised on the embankment to the center of the low ground, then cut a deep ditch, sufficiently deep to carry off all the water, or under drain, which is better. At the opening in the ditch set two or more posts and board up. necessary that this care be observed in crossing low ground, as the roots of the Maclura run almost straight down and very deep-and they will no more thrive in a wet subsoil than an apple tree will. As a general thing, we, in this region, have been too anxious to have a long unbroken line of hedge by setting plants without proper care over the low places, but to our sorrow have many gaps more wide and hedges more defective, by neglecting to give the roots the advantage of a dry foothold.

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