Draining-Steuben County.

MESSRS. EDITORS-I was in Yates and Steuben counties last week and part of the week before, and must tell you about draining, &c. I found a farmer some 12 miles west of this, who has thoroughly drained this season some 40 acres, putting his tiles all three feet deep. He began by deepening and widening a brook that runs through his farm This he straightened, made it fifteen feet wide at the top and five feet deeper than it was before, which gave him a good outlet for his tile drains. He had fifty men at work for him, and did up the work in a short time. He had been draining on a small scale for a number of years, but got tired of working wet land for nothing, and concluded to go at it in earnest and get something to till that would pay. Now this man is no fancy farmer; he is a working farmer; when you take him by the hand, it is as hard as the bark of a hickory tree; yet he enjoys it, and has means enough to make any improvement as soon as he is sure it will pay.

I saw another field where thirteen men were at work digging ditches and laying tile. I went into the field to see how they were doing-I found them making what I think very thorough work, but wasting money in putting larger tile than necessary in the lateral drains. This is a prevailing error. Everywhere I went, I found more or less draining going forward. Almost every one who goes to market with grain or cord-wood takes home tile, especially west of Geneva, and a great many east of it.

I found the corn a good crop where I have been, and farmers busy gathering it. Buckwheat is not a good erop in many places. Oats and barley have been a light crop Mediterranean wheat good every wherewhite wheat vory poor; much of it mown and put up for fodder without threshing.

Sheep are in much better condition than last year. I have got some 500 for winter fatting; most of them were fatted last winter-at least, fed grain in order to sell them for mutton as soon as shorn; but the markets falling, were held on. I have bought no cattle. They are held too high in the country, according to

eastern markets.

Steuben county, in my opinion, has never attracted that notice as an agricultural county that it deserves. There is a great quantity of excellent land there, for raising all kinds of grain, and excellent for grass. True a large portion of it is hilly and tedious to plow, but wherever naturally dry, or artificially made so, it bears fine crops of every kind, even on the tops of the hills Where the farmers are progressive, there are corn and wheat crops that surpass more celebrated locations. An immense quantity of the land requires draining, and would pay abundantly for it. There is a tract of land from Penn-Yau, in Yates county, to Wayne, in Steuben county, that is, I think, part of it nearly worthless in its present state, that would be the best of land if drained, and you can find plenty of land all over the county of the same kind. Many of the farmers are doing a little at draining with stone, but then they generally only put in a ditch here and there, which is of little use in drying the soil. What they want, is tile works somewhere in Wayne and in Tyrone-also somewhere in the neighborhood of Bradford, and in many other places, as wherever tiles are made the land will be drained. Then

they want a few more enterprising men among them to lead the way, and then I have no doubt Steuben county would be second to but few counties in the State. I have for years bought stock for feeding purposes there, and am more and more convinced that what I write is correct. Wherever you meet with reading farmers, you find their crops, and all around them, looking well. I mean those who take agricultural papers. In the towns of Prattsburgh and Wheeler in this same county, some enterprising farmers have made great improvement, but a great many more are needed. The great complaint with them is the want of capital to drain with, but if they would only do enough, they would immediately have faith that it would pay all the expense of draining in about three years, by the excess in crops. They would then soon find the means to drain it. Yours truly, JOHN JOHNSTON. Near Geneva, N. Y. Oct. 25.

Shallow Culture.

MESSRS. EDITORS-The uniformity of testimony of farmers at their discussion at Syracuse, in favor of shallow plowing for the culture of Indian corn, strikes me as extraordinary. Col. Brewer and others speak of raising their best crops when they plowed not more than four inches deep. Can this be true of the culture in your State generally? I had supposed it well to plow from six to nine inches deep, according to the condition of the soil; but never less than six inches. It may be that the character of the soil in New-York varies from that in Massachusetts, but not in a manner to warrant a more shallow culture. If it does, I should like to see a reason therefor. P. Mass.

Where a few inches only of the top soil has been made fertile by the growth of turf and by manuring, the present crop of corn will be heavier by shallow culture than if a more unfavorable subsoil is turned up and planted upon. But such crops, although fine, are not the largest of all. The heaviest product of corn is obtained from both deep and rich soils.

Soils vary greatly in different parts of this State, requiring various modes of management. But although corn may not need so deep culture as some other crops, yet the most perfect farms in nearly every region are those which have been gradually deepened in cultivation, applying a corresponding quantity of manure as the deepening process advances.

Treatment of Ringbone.

MESSRS EDITORS-Will you or any of your numerous subscribers, tell me the best and safest way to cure a ringbone, and not leave a scar or blemish on the foot. STBSCRIBER. Franklin.

We have never known a case of confirmed or decided ringbone cured by any process. A scar should never be made in treating it. Cutting and burning should never be allowed-they are both cruel and useless.

The best medicine for man or beast, to preserve health, is exercise; the best to restore it, is REST This latter is the king of medicines, and we could enumerate some of its surprising cures. For incipient ringbone, this is emphatically the remedy. Dr. Dadd recommends in addition, an application of acetate of cantharides, as being milder and better than common blistering. When the part becomes hot, apply coldwater bandages.

Raising Small Fruits.

MESSRS. EDITORS-Can I next summer with any degree of certainty raise strawberries? and if so, what course is best to pursue, with regard to fertilizing, setting, &c., and what kind is most certain and most profitable? Will you make replies to similar questions concerning raspberries and blackberries? and let me know whether there are any other light crops more profitable, that will yield a quick return. I want to realize quick profit for a year or two. L F. D. Miami Co., Ohio.

Strawberries, rightly managed, are one of the most certain of all crops. It is first in importance to have a productive sort. Wilson's Albany undoubtedly stands at the head of all in this particular, at the same time it is very hardy, the berries are large, and the flavor is good, although not equal to some. The Hook

er is nearly as productive, better in flavor, as large,

I should also like to know how flax grown for the seed would answer for a fallow crop to precede wheat. The land is hilly and dry; soil a clay loam; has been in clover pasture two years. I wish to break it up next spring in preparation for fall wheat (4) Which would you advise, fax or a summer fallow? I shall have too much corn to attend to, mind any more hoed crops. J. SULIOT.

1. The clover straw with its seea is passed through the thrashing machine and thrown out on a horizontal or shaking separator, like those commonly attached to the smaller machines, which retains the straw and coarse light matter, and allows the part containing the seed to drop through. In this way the 14 loads will be probably reduced to three or four loads. Beating with a flail or treading by horses is a very tedious as well as imperfect process.

will undoubtedly pay, but the work is best performed (2.) If the thrashing machine is easily procured, it by farmers who have their own machines, to be used at their command. The 14 loads might be run through in a day or day and a half. The hands will be a driver, a pitcher, a feeder, and one to clear away-four in all.

vated.

Raspberries and blackberries are not so uniformly productive in all localities, and require more care in pruning and training. Brinckle's Orange is doubtless the finest flavored and most productive raspberry, but too soft sor distant conveyance to market. Red Antwerp and Franconia are firmer and bear carriage better. The New Rochelle is the most showy blackberry for market, but the Dorchester has a better flavor.

Our correspondent must not expeet great profits at once from these fruits, although they bear abundantly in two or three years, when properly managed, and on suitable soil. Variations in external causes affect their success, and these variations are only learned in each particular locality by experience. It will probably require two or three years to ascertain the most profitable way of marketing. It may be laid down as almost a universal rule, that no buɛiness bringing large profits, can be immediately learned; if it was not so, the large profits would immediately disappear by every one engaging in it.

Thrashing and Cleaning Clover Seed-Fallows.

MESSRS. EDITORS-You recommend, before putting clover seed through the huller, to pass it through an ordinary thrashing machine to separate the heads from the stalks. A neighbor of ours has fourteen loads, and wishes to know how it is done (1.)

Here they never thrash it with a machine, but by hand, or else tread it out with horses. I bave looked through back Cultivators, but could only find a way of fixing a thrashing machine so as to hull it by passing it through two or three times. Will it pay to use an eight-horse thrashing machine for fourteen loads ?(2) Will the heads and stalks come out at the same place? How long should it take to run a given quantity through? How many hands will it require, and how should they be placed? Will a thrashing machine prepare the seed sufficiently for all hullers, or will it leave the seed too bulky for hauling to the huller machine, which is 12 or 14 miles distant?(3.)

What alteration must be made in the machine? The ones in use here are separators. If you would give all the information necessary to one who never saw it done, you would much oblige us.

box, like the boxes used for drawing charcoal, or a hayrack may have boards placed at the sides. The amount of seed obtained greatly varies, but is usually one to three bushels per acre.

(4.) Much depends on the nature of the soil-very strong tenacious soils, with manure, would give flax seed and wheat-but as flax seed is very exhausting on lighter soils, the result would probably be failure. We would recommend a summer fallow for the purpose only for eradicating weeds-but we have found the dense shade of corn sown thickl yfor fodder quite equal to a fallow to smother down and destroy weeds. Chinese sugar cane sown for fodder is still more destructive to weeds, except that it grows slowly at first, and the weeds must not be allowed to "get the start" of it.

Experiment in Potato Culture.

MESSRS. EDITORS-Having read in your valuable paper the plan of Mr. HOWATT of preparing potatoes for seed, I determined to try the experiment here in Iowa. Accordingly about one month before planting time I cut my potatoes, leaving one eye to each piece, and separating the end with the cluster of eyes from the rest of the potato, and drying them with air-slacked lime. One eye and the stem end I threw to the pigs, planting only the middle and other end.

Lot 1-I planted with cuttings from middle of poto. They ripened and were ready for market by 1st Sept. Potatoes medium size. Quality first rate. Infection by rot, half a buɛbel in 100 bushels.

Lot 2-Planted with cuttings from cluster of eyes. They were ripened by the frost on the 8th Oct In size a little better than lot 1. Quality not so good. Quantity about the same. Rot about one bushel in eight.

Lot 3-Planted with potatoes cut and planted promiscuously without liming, and on the same day with the others-was remarkable for the unevenness of ripening Some ripe by 1st Sept., and others not until frost. Quality not so good as lot 1 Size better. Budly infected with the rot-nearly one-half. One thing I noticed was, that all I examined were first decayed on the end with cluster of eyes. The variety I planted was the White Pink-Eye. C. E. K. Iowa.

Two Fine Summer Pears.

THE PULSIFER -Specimens of this new variety, from which the accompanying accurate portrait is taken, were furnished us by ELLWANGER & BARRY of Rochester. This variety was originally raised by Dr.

OTT PEAR.

PULSIFER PEAR.

John Pulsifer, of Hennepin, Ill. The tree is an upright and vigorous grower. In size it is nearly medium; form obovate-pyriform; stalk short and curved, scarcely sunk at the insertion; calyx closed, sometimes open, in a shallow basin; skin yellow, sometimes slight ly russeted; flesh melting, juicy; if well ripened very good," if not "nearly best." Ripens latter part of summer.

OTT PEAR. This has been known for some years, but its adaptation to this state has not been fully ascertained until recently. It is a seedling of the Seckel, and originated with Samuel Ott, of Montgomery Co., Pa., and was brought to notice by Dr. Brincklé of Philadelphia. The tree is moderately vigorous, but the pear for its great excellence, is likely to prove a general favorite with those who esteem delicious quality first on the list of desirable points.

It it rather small, obovate, sometimes roundish and turbinate; greenish-yellow, often netted with russet, with a reddish cheek; stalk long and curved, slightly sunk; flesh melting, perfumed, excellent, "best." It ripens during the latter part of summer.

FAST TROTTING -At a recent trotting match at the South End Riding Park, Boston-mile beats, best three in five-there were three competitors-Ethan Allen, owned by O S. Roe & Co, of Shoreham, Vt., Columbus, Jr., owned by Smith Brothers, of Orwell, Vt, and Hiram Drew, owned by Chas. Warren & Co., Brookline, M488. Ethan was the winner in three straight heats-time, 237-235-2.33. The second was Columbus, Jr., whose time was declared as 2.392.35 1-2-2.34 1 2. The third was Hiram Drew, whose time was 2.39-2.37-2.35.

Peach Tree Diseases.

MESSRS. EDITORS-I have read your remarks on peach growing in Delaware with much interest.

From your remarks I should infer that the disease is wide-spread. Does it prevail throughout the peach regions of New-Jersey and Maryland? Is it anything like the yellows, and how far north has it been observed? Do you regard the yellows as a contagious disease, and would it be safe to obtain trees that are apparently healthy from a place where the yellows are troublesome?

Is there any danger of injuring peach trees by pour ino boiling water upon their roots for the purpose of destroying the borer? If this is a safe wy, it cer tainly is a very easy one, as an annual application of it in Sept. would destroy all the young borers before they could do much mischief. W. Fitchburg, Mass.

The disease in Delaware may be the yellows, yet as we do not know all the symptoms as developed there, we cannot speak positively. The yellows at the north is first indicated by a blotched and prematurely ripen. ed fruit-then by small wiry shoots and a sickly growth-then death. The yellows is quite contagious -we should not procure trees or stones from a region where it prevails.

A small quantity of boiling water will not injure a peach tree, for only the outside bark is heated. Long continued heat would penetrate the wood and injure the tree. We prefer to cut out the peach grub (not properly the "borer") with the point of a knife, as it is quickly done, only entering the bark.

Two Mistakes in Cattle Feeding. There are two mistakes not unfrequently committed about this season of the year, which it may be well to notice, as they may be thereby prevented in a number of instances.

One of the mistakes to which we refer, consists in allowing cows and other kinds of stock to depend entirely upon grass, even after it has been deprived of much of its relish and its nutritive qualities by repeated freezings. That this practice must be injurious reason or common sense might suffice to teach without any any lessons from experience whatever; but if the latter are needed to enforce the former, they can be had daily by inspection of the diminished quantity and depreciated quality of the milk and butter, and also by looking at the falling off in the condition of sheep, cattle, or other stock. Cows that get a backset from this cause and at this season, are not likely to get over it all winter. The injury to the grass itself from too close gnawing, &c., we may merely name without any details.

The other mistake to which we refer, consists in making a too sudden change from green to dry feed. Any sudden change of this kind must produce more or less derangement in the system and condition of those subjected to it. The change from dry to green food in spring is probably more frequently a source of serious or violent disease; but, nevertheless, the change from green to dry should be made quite gradually. Pumpkins supply one material whereby this change can be made gradual; and if there were no other advantage to be derived from root crops, it would be well to raise a quantity every year to serve the purpose of making the change from green to dry feed a gradual one. Even after this change is made a few roots occasionally through the winter seem absolutely a necessity, both for the comfort and health of animals fed on dry hay, and almost as indispensable for ewes and cows that begin to give milk before any green thing can be had in the spring.

The avoidance of these mistakes or mal-practices will not only contribute to the comfort and health of the animals upon a farm, but will also yield a not un

enviable satisfaction to the feelings of their owner, as well as save him from losses in several ways, which we need not now particularize.

Burning Sods for their Ashes.

At a meeting of the Skaneateles Farmer's Club, Mr.W. P. Giles gave the result of an experiment on his farm, some years ago, in burning the turf upon a piece of swampy ground which had been reclaimed by draining. The sod was cut loose in the fall, and in the spring was thrown into heaps, and burned by the aid of old rails and stumps, and the ashes was then spread as a topdressing upon the land immediately after plowing; the result was an enormous crop of corn, while the adjacent parts of the same field were ruined by the worms. The ground continued to produce larger crops of grain and grass than other parts of the field to this day. He also alluded to the practice of the Hon. Mr. Dickinson of Steuben Co, of cutting up the sod along the side of the highway, and throwing it in heaps and burning it, as a manure, with beneficial results.

To Kill Lice on Cattle.

Taxe tobacco and boil it in water until very strong -then wash the animal freely with the liquid two or three times. I have a cow that was so for six months, and tried every thing I could hear of to no purpose, when I washed her back and flanks freely. This drove all the able ones to her neck and head. I then washed her neck once, which finished all the rest, thus making that detestable weed answer one important and beneficial purpose. A. M. BROWN. Glebe Cottage, Va.

Linseed Tea for Calves.

An English paper gives the following simple mode of preparing linseed tea for calves:

"One and a half lb. of linseed will make five gallons of tea. To one and a-half lb of ground linseed add a gallon of hot water-not boiling. In cold weather let it stand twenty-four hours, in warın weather twelve hours. Then add four gallons of water, and give it to the calves at the temperature and about the consistency of new milk. A six months' calf will drink six gallons per day, given at twice."