240 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



use), £6; beans, £1; wool, £10; potatoes, £2; and hay, 

 £10. I put a low figure oa the last two iteBos, as it is gene- 

 rally the rule to keep as much stock on the farm as will use 

 its produce in these articles, and also all the carrots aud tur- 

 uipa raised, of which there are very few— eay £100— and you 

 will have the full value of what can be spared from the farm 

 for market during the season. Keeping contingencies in view, 

 but little further inroad could be made in the stock than that 

 stated — but the sum immediately above specified will include 

 that extension up to its reasonable limit. Deducting the ex- 

 penses of tear aud wear of laiplements, repairs on houses, 

 taxes, &e., a diligent farmer will be well off if he can make 4 

 per cent, of interest on his investment. But then the farm 

 aud its produce are his own, and the improvements are also hid 

 own ; aud knowing this, he can hold his head much higher 

 than he could do at home, at court day, with a lank purse, 

 and an exacting or a needy landlord. That fact itself is 

 worthy the sacrifice of a good percentage. However, there 

 are circumstances under which the emigrant farmer could do 

 much better, as I will subsequently show. In fact I may as 

 well state at this point, that I would not advise a Scotch 

 farmer to settle himself in New England, as he never could 

 mould himself to the circumstances which would surround him 

 in various shapes, some of which will be readily inferred from 

 what follows. 



Of the 26 acres of arable land spoken of, four are, on the 

 average of years, planted with Indian corn or maize ; two with 

 potatoes ; one with beans— which are uot of the description 

 you raise in ScoUand, but a kind used for food, and, out of 

 Mexico, principally used in New England; one acre with 

 wheat, aud one with oats, which grow here miserably, and never 

 produce a paying crop under any circumstances ; an acre ol 

 buck wheat, and as much for kitchen garden purposes, and the 

 growth of carrots and turnips closes up the list. This will 

 occupy ten acres of the lot. The remainder is devoted to the 

 produce of clover and ryegrass hay — in proportion to the 

 breadth of cereals of the previous year, and the natural grasses, 

 all of which come under the denomination of hay. The farm 

 I speak of produces about 40 tons per annum— about a sixth 

 part only of the whole being good. The Indian corn laud will 

 not yield more than 100 bushels from the four acres. Pota- 

 toes will produce about half the quantity the same breadth of 

 land will yield under the Scottish system of cultivation ; wheat 

 is always a precarious crop, and ecldom does well ; and oats 

 aud turnips are miserably poor. Carrots grow well, and also 

 beets. Pumpkins are planted among the corn, and grow ex- 

 cellently, furnishing capital living for pigs. Cabbages produce 

 liberal crops, and garden stuffs are always plentiful. Some 

 farmers grow vast quantities of apples, which are cut and dried 

 for family ue, made into cider, or sold at market. But these 

 items, like eggs, are the guidewivcs' perquisites, and must be 

 sacredly cousidered so. 



The hay and grain being now secured (the latter end of 

 September), ploughing has commenced. Imagine a sturdy 

 fellow, with a long goad, ahintiiig and pricking half-a-dozen 

 sturdy oxen, who are dragging a stump of a plough held by 

 two men, the while a third one bears with all his might on the 

 beam, in order that it shall penetrate into the soil to the 

 greatest possible depth. Imagine a furrow at least 15 inches 

 broad, and nearly as much in depth— when the boulder stones 

 will permit— aud a general zigzaginess of the course of the 

 plough, which would give one of your Ayrshire prize winners 

 "a scunner to look at," and you have a specimen of that de- 

 partment of husbandry. It is the most unscientific process 

 imaginable, and could never be learned by a Scotch farmer 

 ■ccuBtomed to the turning over of the stumplesa and stoneless 



glebe. If his arms were uot jerked out of their sockets during 

 the first five minutes of his apprenticeship, be would vow never 

 to use them again during another five in such " wanchancy" 

 occupation. 



The " breaking up" being accomplished, gathering in of the 

 Indian corn harvest commences, followed by the securing of 

 the root and fruit crops. These snug— the maize stocked 

 a)vay in the upper chamber of the homestead, and the apples 

 and roots stowed away in the cellar of ditto, with the pump- 

 kins, squashes, turnips, and carrots piled on the barn floor, the 

 cider barrels being first filled — the spring manure must be 

 looked after. All hands go to the swamp, where they dig and 

 cart home large quantities of mossy soil, which they place ia 

 the cow yard, that it may have the full benefit of the rains of 

 the succeeding winter aud spring, and where the floods may 

 wash the liquids from the stable aud byre over and out of it, 

 and down the roadsides and gutters. In the spring this 

 clabber is carted to the fields, and contributes very materially 

 to effect nothing for the crops to which it is applied. In sum- 

 mer the suu contrives to do for the little manure made whatt 

 the rains and snow do in winter. 



Fencing is next attended to. All the fences here are of 

 stone or wood. The fro3ts are so severe as to heave the earth 

 aud displace both kinds of protection ; but the labours of early 

 spring hinder all but temporary repair uutil late autumn comes. 

 This job is a hard one, and requires skill in building, aud with 

 the axe that one not to the manner born could not success- 

 fully exert. 



Then follows the preparation of fuel for the coming winter. 

 Shouldering his axe the farmer proceeds to the woods, where 

 he cuts down for family use as much wood as would serve a 

 country weight in Scotland for a couple of years. Stock and 

 branches of the trees are cut into lengths of four feet — then 

 split into sections — three or more, according to their girth — 

 and piled up until the snow falls, when the firewood is drawn 

 home in sledges. All this furnishes hard work, and that of 

 such a nature as to make it uncongenial to one brought up to 

 Scotch farming. The sawing and resplitting of the firewood, 

 with making and mending far n implements and burness, with 

 attending to the cattle — shelling a bushel of Indian corn now 

 and then — taking it to the mill — paring and drying apples for 

 the guidwife— talking politics— sleigh riding, and going to 

 church once a month when a preacher turns up, fill up the 

 time till spring. The domestic and other duties and pleasures 

 are occasionally varied by a " breaking-out spell," when the 

 snow comes down eight or ten feet deep, when the roads have 

 to be dug out, or the snow so sodden that travelling on it is 

 impossible. 



When the spring opens, which is about the middle of April, 

 ploughing and planting with the hoe commence. The hoe is 

 the favourite implement used for planting both Indian corn 

 and potatoes. Its use is very laborious and very dilatory. 

 The whole surface, after the crops come up, has to be hoed 

 over at least twice. The close of the hoeing season often en- 

 croaches ou the commencement of hay time, which lasts as 

 least a montl). With the thermometer at 90 to 108, the sea- 

 son is a very severe one on the field labourer. Bush-ciitting, 

 to clear up the pastures, and repairing of houses and barna 

 with such incidental libours as belong to the farm, fill up the 

 summer and autumn to the point at which I started. 



The New England farmers, as a class, are not so healthy as 

 those of Scotland. They are extremely liable to fevers, which 

 proceed from the pircat changes from heft to cold which cha 

 racterise the seasons, and from the use of much salt food. 

 Fresh meat is a great rarity with them, and salt pork its most 

 common substitute. They are a very intelligent class of men ; 



