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VOL   II,
Devoted lo Agricu'.taro, Horticatture. Mechanics and tho Useful Arts.
[NO   4.
w.i;-""!^;:;"',;^'»«-)     Richmond, ind.. October 15. ie52.     (
UnlUirnf   &   < I o .,
l'er.r.i.sllKr.s.
Shelby County Fair.
We bad the  pleasure of attending-    the first
Annual Fair of the Shelby County Agricultural
Society,  during the last week.    It   was   most
creditable to the energy of those who projected
and   go1, it up.    We do not   suppose   it was  a
fair exhibition of the agricultural wealth of the
county, but another year will come nearer it.— i
We hope some friend will furnish us with a de- j
tailed notice of the Fair. j
P. S. I have seen in the Farmer, a number of j
articles upon the utility and cultivation of the \
Osage Orange for he l.ges, and all the writes re- I
commend the plants to be cultivated in a nursery j
and transplanted in the hedge row at one year ;
old. Now I would like to ask through the Far- j
tnsr why it will not do as well to sow the seed
in the hedge row and not be under the neccssiy!
of transplanting? V.  D.      j
$£*?* The necessity of transplanting the 0-!
sage Orange is to secure uniformity in the size <
of tho plants. If sown in the proposed line of
hedge, owing to thc variety of soil—the uneven-:,
ncss of the surface, and the want of e- ;
qual vitality in the seeds, the plants would he.
uneven in size and thriftiness, therefore it would i
be impossible, without very frequent replanting, ■
to secure an even hedge, a thing indispensable ;
to success in making a good hedge. The plants;
should be planted in a rich loamy soil, and at- I
tended with much care   in the  nursery, and the '
best sprouts alone selected to be used. !
i
For thelnrJianaFarmer.     '.
Leesiiti.i., Ind., Sept. 24-, 1852.     |
The rust is the most fatal disease incident:
to wheat, in this part of the State, and indeed,!
in every part of the State, as far as my inqui- !
nes have gone. It is this disease that renders:
the cultivation of the wheat crop so uncertain I
and unprofitable in every part of the West;!
and a few thoughts in relation to the rust, will !
n°t I think, be unacceptable to a majority of
your readers. I
I have lately devoted some time to the study !
and investigation of the disease called " rust."
and have become convinced that its true character is but little understood by the generality
"I" farmers; and we all know tho first step to"-
vvarl t»o removal of any disease, is to understand its niture.
. fhe rust is a vegetable of thc family of funs' °r mushrooms of which the mildew* is a familiar   example;   and nnalogv   would teach    us
that its habits arc the same. It propagates by
cells as the balance of the family do, and with
a vapidity not suvpasc.i by any plant of the family. It attaches itself by its own proper roots
to the stem or straw of the wheat, and of course
must draw its support and nourishment from
the wheat plant.
The reason why the rust so speedily destroys
a crop of Wheat is easily understood, when we
take into consideration the nature of the disease.
The rust being a parasitic fungus deriving its
nourishment from the straw to which it is attached, all the nourishment that goes to tho
support of the parasitic plant must be subtracted from the nourishment that should go to the
development of the wheat, especially the grain,
and of course in proportion to the amount of
rust is thc lightness of the crop. Experience
universally teaches tho truth of this last statement.
There is another idea connected with tiie rust
as a vegetable, that goes further to elucidate its
fatal effects upon wheat, and that is this: It is
well known to every intelligent farmer that the
superiority of the flour of wheat for bread is
owing to the largo amount of gluten it contains.
This gluten is more highly nitrogenized than
any other vegetable compound, and hence,
highly nutritious. In proportion to the greater
or less development of this principle is the fullness, plumpness, and weight of the grain. Now
1 believe, that it is generally taught by vegeta-
b'e Physiologists, that ihe whole fungus family
abounds in nitrogen. The same principle that
makes wheat bread so highly nutritious. Now
it is plain if trie rust be a vegetable, and derives its nourishment from the wheat straw to
which it is attached, and that that nourishment
abounds in the principle constituent indispensable to the perfect development of the wheat
grain, it of course must follow, that in proportion to thc abundance of rust is the deficiency
of the grain, unless there should be sullicier.t
available Nitrogen in the soil to nourish both
the wheat plant and its parasite.
In my next I will say something of the remedies for the rust. LAURENCE.
Editors Farmkr:—In the Inst number of
the Farmer you ask information for the destruction of the Weevil. I will give you my plan of
fending them off, which I have practiced for
more than twenty years, with success. I sprinkle
a little salt on the bottom of my granary, n-
round the sides as I fill up the wheat, and over
the top. W.  M.
Oth mo. 25th, 15J52.
KS^Isonc Bulla of this vicinity, presented us
a Swoet Potatoe which weighed HV lbs. It
was the sirntrst potatoe we've tSKtP F this   fall.