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To Destroy Weeds and Insects

The seeds are thus put in contact with the wet | much water upon it as will reduce it to a powder, dung. Many perish, but a sufficient number es cape to produce a good crop. In this case, the sowing any unmedicated seed broadcast may be dispensed with.

To cultivute San-foin.

Chalky loams and gravelly soils on a calcareous bottom, are most proper for this grass. It is more adapted to hay than pasture, and much heavier crops of this grass are obtained from thin lands than when clover is sown. San-foin is a hardy kind of grass, well worth the attention of cultivators in upland districts where the soil is obdurate and shallow, and where clover and rye-grass can with difficulty be raised to such a height as to stand the scythe. When sown, fresh seed ought constantly to be used, as the vegetation of old seed cannot be depended upon. Four bushels may be used for an acre, and great care ought to be taken to cover the seed well, and to put it deeper into the ground than the seeds of other grasses.

To preserve Grain from Vermin.

To preserve rye and secure it from insects and rats, nothing more is necessary than not to winnow it after it is threshed, and to stow it in the granaries mixed with the chaff. In this state it has been kept for more than three years, without experiencing the smallest alteration, and even with out the necessity of being turned to preserve it from humidity and fermentation. Rats and mice may be prevented from entering the barn by putting some wild vine or hedge plants upon the heaps; the smell of this wood is so offensive to these animals that they will not approach it.

To prevent the Destruction of Corn by Insects.

In laying the floors of a granary let Italian poplars be made use of for the timber. Many experiments show that granaries, after laying down this flooring, will no longer be infested with weevils, etc. To destroy Slugs upon Wheat.

Collect a number of lean ducks, keep them all day without food, and turn them into the fields towards evening; each duck would devour the slugs much faster than a man could collect them, and they would soon get very fat for market.

To prevent the Ravages of Mice in Corn Stacks.

The following simple remedy against the depredations of mice in corn stacks, has lately been recommended for its undoubted efficacy. Sprinkle from four to six bushels of dry white sand upon the root of the stack before the thatch is put on.

The sand is no detriment to the corn, and stacks thus dressed have remained without injury. So very effective is the remedy, that nests of dead young mice have been found where the sand has been used, but not a live mouse could be seen.

To clear Barns and Out-houses from Mites and Weevils.

The following method is practised in Germany, for granaries infested with mites and weevils. Let the walls and rafters, above and below, of such granaries be covered completely with quick-lime slaked in water, in which trefoil, wormwood, and hyssop have deen boiled. This composition should be applied as hot as possible. A farmer who had the granaries empty in June last, collected quantities of the largest sized ants in sacks, and scattered them about the places infested with weevils. The ants immediately fell upon and devoured them all.

Tc destroy Slugs on Land. sow the lime in a hot state upon the land that is overrun with the vermin, at the rate of about twelve bushels to the acre. The lime should be sown towards the wind, and falling upon them in a fermented state, it will instantly kill them.

Usefulness of the Hedgehog.

This little animal, the object of persecution, not only to little boys but to the farmer and gamekeeper, on account of its supposed mischievous propensities, is in fact one which the agriculturist should endeavor to preserve, as it is the most effectual destroyer of snails, worms, and insects, in which a hedgehog is kept, will, in the course on which it almost entirely subsists. A garden of two or three nights, be entirely freed from favorite food to him. The London gardeners are slugs; and that enemy to fruit, the millepede, is a , is a so aware of this, as often to purchase hedgehogs to put in their grounds. If it ever has been found eating poultry or game, as has by some been asserted, they must previously have been killed by rats, weasels, or some more ferocious animal than the hedgehog, whose habits are those of gentleness and timidity, who is not formed for attack, and whose sole mode of defense is rolling itself up in a ball and opposing its strong prickles to the enemy. This statement is given in the hope of rescuing a harmless and useful creature from the general abhorrence in which it is held, and the unmerciful treatment it meets with.

Birds.

Farmers should be friendly to birds, as they are of the greatest service in destroying worms and insects, and thus preserving the crops and fruits. The small amount of vegetable food they consume is thus much more than compensated for.

Sparrows are especially useful in this way.

To destroy Weeds.

To clear the ground of weeds is an operation no less necessary in husbandry than the disposing it to produce vegetables of any kind in plenty.

Annual weeds, or such as spring from seed and die the same year, are most easily destroyed. For this purpose, it will be sufficient to let them spring up till near the time of ripening their seed, and then plough them down before it comes to maturity. It is also of service to destroy such weeds as grow in borders or neglected corners, and frequently scatter their seeds to a great distance; such as the thistle, dandelion, rag-weed, etc.; for these propagate their species through a deal of ground, as their seeds are carried about with the wind to very considerable distances. A farmer ought also to take care that the small seeds of weeds, separated from corn in winnowing, be not sown again upon the ground; for this certainly happens when they are thrown upon a dunghill, because, being the natural offspring of the earth, they are not easily destroyed. The best method of preventing any mischief from this cause is to burn them. the roots, and last for a number of years. They Perennial weeds are such as are propagated by the roots from the ground, which is often a matter cannot be effectually destroyed but by removing of some difficulty. The only method that can be depended upon in this case is frequent ploughing to render the ground as tender as possible, and harrowing with a particular kind of harrow, in order to collect these pernicious roots. When collected, they ought to be dried and burnt, as the only effectual method of insuring their doing Procure some fresh lime, and after throwing as no farther mischief. To destroy Broom, Furze and Thorns.

Besides those kinds of weeds which are of an herbaceous nature, there are others which are woody, and grow to a very considerable size; such as broom, furze and thorns. The first may be destroyed by frequent ploughing and harrowing, in the same manner as other perennial weeds are.

Another method of destroying broom is by pasturing the field where it grows with sheep. The best method of extirpating furze is to set fire to it in frosty weather, for frost has the effect of withering and making them burn readily. The stumps must then be cut over with a hatchet, and when the ground is well softened by rain it may be ploughed up, and the roots taken out by a harrow adapted to that purpose. If the field is soon laid down to grass they will again spring up; in this case, pasturing with sheep is an effectual remedy. The thorn, or bramble, can only be extirpated by ploughing up the ground and collecting the roots.

Usefulness of Mowing Weeds.

In the month of June weeds are in their most succulent state, and in this condition, after they have lain a few hours to wither, hungry cattle will eat greedily almost every species. There is scarcely a hedge, border, or a nook, but what at that season is valuable; and it certainly must be good management to embrace the transient opportunity, for in a few weeks they will become nuisances. To banish Crows from a Field.

Machinery of various kinds, such as wind-mills in miniature, horse-rattles, etc., to be put in motion by the wind, are often employed to frighten crows; but with all of these they soon become familiar, when they cease to be of any use whatever. The most effectual method of banishing them from a field, as far as experience goes, is to combine with one or other of the scarecrows in vogue the frequent use of the musket. Nothing strikes such terror into these sagacious animals as the sight of a fowling-piece aud the explosion of gunpowder, which they have known so often to be fatal to their race. Such is their dread of a fowling-piece, that if one is placed upon a dyke or other eminence, it will for a long time prevent them from alighting on the adjacent grounds.

Many persons now, however, believe that crows, like most other birds, do more good by destroying insects and worms, etc., than harm by eating grain.

To cultivate Carrots.

To command crops of this root, manure the land with twenty-five or thirty loads of dung per acre, pretty rotten, plough it in, and then cover the seed by harrowing. The dung neither injures the taste of the carrot, makes them grow deformed, nor causes the canker. A farmer's object is to produce as great a quantity as possible from every acre, which must undoubtedly be accomplished by manure. In confirmation of this opinion the following statement is given :

Roots Tops Unmanured Carrots, sown March 31. lbs.

Ton. 9 4 1918 per acre. 336 do.

Manured after Potatoes, sown April 7.

Ton. lbs. 1582 per acre. 994 do.

The soil in both was exactly the same, and the dung half rotten. The preceding crop had in both instances been potatoes, and the quality of the carrots was similar in both cases. An extensive collection of such well authenticated experiments is better calculated to extend the boundaries of agricultural knowledge than all the theories and mere reasonings upon them yet published.

Mode of Cultivating Parsnips in Guernsey.

Although this root is cultivated in almost all the soils of that island, that is esteemed the best which consists of a good light loam, the deeper the better. If the loamy soil is not deep, the under soil at least should be opened, to allow of the free penetration of the roots.

If the land is not perfectly clear from couch grass and other weeds, it is pared with the paringplough in October, and harrowed to remove the weeds. About the middle of February the land is prepared for sowing by means of two ploughs.

A small plough precedes and opens the furrow to the depth of four inches, and is followed by a large plough drawn by four or six oxen and as many horses, which deepens the furrow to ten or fourteen inches. As soon as the clods are capable of being broken the harrowing commences, and is repeated till the soil is pulverized, and reduced nearly to the state of garden mould. All of the processes are intended to loosen the soil to as great a depth as possible.

The seed should not be more than a year old, as it is uncertain when of a greater age. It is sown broadcast, and on a day just so windy as to insure its regular spreading over the surface. The seed is then covered by the harrow. The quantity sown is from two to four quarts.

As soon as the plants are sufficiently strong, they are hand-weeded and thinned, and this operation must be repeated at least three times during the summer. The distance between the plants is ultimately about nine inches; and to save a portion of the labor a harrowing is sometimes given between the first and second weedings.

The first weeding is performed about the middle of May, and repeated when necessary till the beginning of July. The roots are dug up about the middle of August, when they are thought to be most nutritious, and to fatten animals better than after the leaves are decayed. The quantity dug up at this season is not more than is required for two or three days' consumption. It is only in October that the root is fully ripe, when it may be dug up with forks and preserved dry in sheds during the winter; but it is usually left in the ground in Guernsey, where frost is rare, and taken up as it is wanted.

The parsnip is considered by the Guernsey farmers to be the most nutritious root known, superior even to the carrot and the potato. When small it is given to the animals whole, but when large it is sliced longitudinally. Hogs prefer this root to all others, and it makes excellent pork.

Horses are equally fond of the parsnip, although from eating it with too much avidity it sometimes sticks in the throat. But this may easily be prevented by cutting the roots into pieces before they are given.

To cultivate Hemp.

The Soil.

The soils most suited to the culture of this plant are those of the deep, black, putrid vegetable kind, that are low, and rather inclined to moisture, and those of the deep mellow, loamy, or sandy descriptions. The quantity of produce is generally much greater on the former than on the latter; but it is said to be greatly inferior in quality. It may, however, be grown with success on lands of a less rich and fertile kind, by proper care and attention in their culture and preparation. To prepare the Ground.