^Kfn^fwtMU 



®l)e jTarmcr's illontl)lij Visitor. 



9 



ni'cesjiiiry In Ik; known to the ooinniimily, dn' 

 IVoin my kiiowlfd^'c of the tia<le, of tin; qiinlity 

 of tli(> Iri.-li |ii)il<,;iM<l nf tljo niaiiiici- .-iiul cliciip- 

 liess with which it is priKhicL'il, I (h;eni it ini|)()s- 

 sihle for us in the Uriiteil Stall's to coiiipetu in 

 any njinkft with I lie Iii.sii |i(nk, with the hope 

 of re.ilizins ii prolit liir sonii! years tn i-.oine un- 

 der the piuscnt tariii"; nor (Mil vvi; (•(Hint with 

 certainty, even nniler the very lies't possihie niiiii- 

 agetneiil, npnri any prolit Iwin^' realized liy (liit- 

 tinir heef np fur lh(^ liritish market this year, at 

 the prices now payinu' for I'at cattle ill this, the 

 frreat prodiK'iii^: eoniitry of the I'liileil Stales. 



At some liitiiie period ! may again address yon 

 on this siihjcct, which is of such interest anil iin- 

 jM)rtain-e To the whole of onr r.ommmiity lievi;. 

 1 remain sir. with nspi^rl, vonrs, Sec, 

 AK .VPl'RKNI'ICEI) PACKER. 



Louisville-, Kij., 4lh .Vov. 18-15. 



KuisiHg Sheep at the West. 



An opinion has hecn very prevalent for a lon^ 

 lime at the East, that sheep can he fed nearly 

 Ihrnn^hont llie year on the iialnral paslnres nf 

 the prairies. 'rhiiii;i;li we have! never entertained 

 this opinion omseivcs, yet wc; have heen tniwil- 

 ling to speak of it, without more definite infor- 

 inalinn than v\e have hitherto liail. We liave 

 made extensive inqniries cm the siilijeet recently, 

 and liave fnrlher lestiminiy of some aiilhenlic 

 vvrillen sonrces, and particularly from the editor 

 of the Prairie Farmer, wlii.-h indnces ns to stale 

 most e.vplicilly, lliat all sucli opinimi.s are entire- 

 ly iinfomided. 



'I'he herhnu'e on the rolling prairii;, is freqnenl- 

 ly of n choice ipialiiy lor j/raning pnrposes, a- 

 Iwiinding as it does, in a varieiy of nntritioos 

 grasses, the wild pea, &e. &c. JJiit tlii.s dnes 

 not nsnally spring np in sufficient ahim<1ancK to 

 iiHiird a full hile heliiro iMay, and the first severe 

 fi'osls nf anlnnjii injure it to sncli an eMeiil, as to 

 make it entirely worthless tnslieep. A few days' 

 pastmage on it, in iliis conililioii, will kill off 

 sln'ep lis rapidly us rot. Excepting sonic three 

 or linn" of the sninmin' months, then, the prairies 

 ace worthless as sheep-walks, anil oiher s-oiirces 

 llian the natural pastures nin.st lie provided lor 

 iheiiu This can only he done hy preparing siif- 

 (icieiit paslnra^e from the cnllivaled L'rasses. On 

 these they can snhsist as on .similar pastures 

 elsi^where; hnt the rigors of cold weather will 

 render ample provision necessary lor llie late fall, 

 winter, niid early spring months, as with ns. 

 Good grass, straw, pea or hcaii vines, grain ami 

 roots, are jnsi as essential in ilii> liealih, thrift and 

 production of >lieep mi the prairie^, as in similar 

 laliiiides at tin- e.ast. 



The prolits of sheep-raising at the West iiinsf, 

 tlierid'ore, be reduced to an .ipproxiinate level 

 with those elsiMvhere. Then the low price of 

 land is in their liivor; here, jii-o.\imiiy to market, 

 and the higher price of mntlini, give ns a decided 

 advantage: and the improvements made here in 

 fence.--, roads, hoildings, &c., may v\ell nigh neu- 

 tralize liie dilJi'ience in the first cost of land. 

 Certain It is, thai the advantages of sheep-raising 

 in the West are not such as In alarm onr Eas- 

 tern shepherds, from an :i|iprelien.~ioii that ihcir 

 htisiiiess will Ire taken out of their own liand.s. 

 It is now, and prohahly will continne to he a lu- 

 crative occupation with onr Western hnshand- 

 men.and as siirh, should enler largely into their 

 arraiigvmenls ; hnt its nimiopoly can nowhere he 

 secured, we helieve, on this (.•(intinent. — .'Imcricnn 

 ."Igricutluris!. 



Pliuiting the Cranberry. 



Ill its wild or naimal >laif, the cratiheiry is 

 foimtl id wet sitnalions: in hoggy ground-, in 

 ilainp saiiily lands, and on the low mar;!ins of 

 ponds ami stream.<. It will live ••md grow in corn- 

 paralively dry soils ; hnt it will not hear frnit wiih- 

 oiit its root.s are immersed in water at all se.isons 

 of the year. 



Soil akd situatio.n. — The lirsi ohject of the 

 cultivator should he to select the gromid for his 

 cmnbern/ ynril. Every wet situation is not snita- 

 lile. The s'lil )llll.^l either he sand, niiid, peat, or 

 a mi.xtnre of these. Ther<' inn.-t he .an ahmiflant 

 snpply of water at all seasons of the year. Ifihe 

 ground is sosijnalcd thai it ran he Hooded dnriiiu 

 the winter and >pring, it is heiter; hnt it i- not 

 indispensahie to success. 'J'he ground must he 

 satnrateil with water, either from spring.s, run- 

 ning sticams, or the <lrainings from higher land. 



On the low sandy margins of ponds tin; water is 

 not iniirli afTi'Cled hy the .-ieasoii, a siifiicieiu sup- 

 ply of moi.sune will ascend, liectinse the litlle 

 spaces lielween llie grains of sand a<-t as so ma- 

 ny capillary tnhes lor ihe ast'ent of the water ; 

 hut when the margin is cmnpacHMilh or unmix- 

 ed peat, the dainjiness will not on thai principle 

 rise to the surliice. In a selection of a situation 

 for his cratiherry yard, the cultivator tnnst oli- 

 serve, first, whellK^r the soil is of a loose, poriMis 

 character, easily permeahle to water: and second, 

 whether there will he all ahmidant supply of wa- 

 ter in till! dryesi seasons. If either of these umi 

 r(''piisites is wauling, it will he useless for him lo 

 attempt the cultivation of the craiihin-ry. 



Pt.A.NTi.vG AND CuLTiiRE. — In boggy grounds it 

 is advisable to retain the lop sod, anil cover the 

 .surliice with beach sand if it can he easily [no- 

 ciired ; if not, with any sand iliat (h)es not contain 

 loam or surface soil. Till recently the cominon 

 method of selling out the vines was, after the hog 

 was covered with sand, it was marked off in par- 

 allel rows, like a field of emu, and sods of vines 

 set from three to four leet apart each way. The 

 usual mi^thod now is, to set in drills about two 

 fi.'ct apart. The vines are separan-il, aiid only 

 two or three npriylit stalks are set together, and 

 •are placed from six to twelve inches jipart lenstli- 

 wise of the drill. On wet and harr.ii sandy i;ind 

 the expense of setting out the vii.es is much less 

 than mi hogs. 



Cullings fiom any part nf the stem will strike 

 root, and may he used where it is diliiciilt or ex- 

 pensive lo procure a sufficient quauliiy with roots. 

 Where vines c.innot be |Moenred cranberries 

 may he sown. It is not certain but that sowing 

 will ultimately prove to he the cheapest and most 

 expeditious ineihod. We know of hnt tnie in- 

 stance where cranberries were sown. That ex- 

 periment was sn cessfnl, and the ground is now 

 thickly .set with vines. 



The best time for selling the vines, we are un- 

 able to stale. The common practice has been to 

 .si."t them at any time when the weather would 

 admit, from Nm ember lo .March. 'J'he spring we 

 should think was preferable forsouing. 



During ilie first season hIku- they are set, vines 

 freipiently put iVirth numerous runners lour or 

 live li'et long. The next year the runners put 

 forth upright bearing steins, which produce cran- 

 berries on llie ihirdyear. The vines do not nsn- 

 ally become so thick set as In cover the ground 

 liellnv llie fitih year. 



Manure is vvm-se than useless, and any vegeta- 

 ble'or animal matlenhat will cause fermentation 

 is iiijurinus. .As a general rule, the more barrtn 

 the surliice soil, ihe belteris it adapted to the grow ih 

 of ihe cranheriN. 'I'he groivth of the grasses in 

 such situations will be feeble, while the cranber- 

 ry obiaining iis sustenain-e mainly from wawr 

 and Ihe atnio-pliere, grows luxuriantly, anrl will 

 ultimately /fiW nut 1\h: grasses and ohiain coin)ilete 

 possession of the soil. 



During the lirst three years, it is iV-iler to |iiill 

 out the grasses than to wait for the ortinberrv 

 vines 10 overcome them. Bushes ninst be care- 

 fully removed as liisl as ihey spring np, because 

 if sufiiiierl to grow they would tin great injury. 

 No oiher atteniion is necessary, excepting that 

 good fences must be inainlained iiroiind the vines 

 lo prevent the depredalions of hei baceons ani- 

 mals. 



Prokits. — One biisliel of cranberries to the 

 square rod may be considi>red a good crop fiinii 

 vines that have been sei five years, though we 

 could I'ite particular instances in which three and 

 lour bushels have been ;::itliered. liaising craii- 

 berri<'S is like every other business in lilir; if a 

 man judges rightly, is prudent and iiidnslrious, 

 he will coinmonly succeed ; but if he depends 

 more on good Ini'k than on good management, in 

 nine cases (uii of ten he will fail. The cranber- 

 ry fever is now running high among u.", and al- 

 most every man yon meet exhibits some syin|i- 

 toms of the disease. That fortunes are snddenlv 

 to be made by all who en bark in this business 

 we do not believe ; but thai large protils can be 

 lained from vines set in good siinalioiis, such as 

 are above described, there is no dmibt. The ex- 

 periments of (\ipt. Henry [(all, Hiram Hall ai:il 

 Peler Hall, of Dennis ; of Captain Edward 15. 

 Hallett ;md Eduard Tliacher, nf lliis town, anil 

 many others that could be named, prove ibat Ihe 

 raising of cranberries in good sitnulions is a pro- 

 filtible business. 



We know that some of the opinions which we 

 have given in this article will militate against the 

 theories of a few of our friends; hut wc; cannot 

 help it. We have carefully examined aimosl ev- 

 ery cranberry bog and yard in the comity, anil 

 have carefully coinpariMl the information thus ob- 

 tained, and we know ihai our opinions are cor- 

 roborated and snpporled by all who have had the 

 largest experience in the business. We do not 

 wish to discoiiriige any from ))lantiiig vines. Far 

 from ii. We say, goiihead. All we wish i.s lo 

 disi-oiirage men from rimiiing hiindfuld into ii 

 linsiucs-:, respecting which all llie neces.-ary in- 

 formaiion can be so (easily and so readily obtain- 

 ed. — \iirinouth Register. 



IJsK A.ND Abusk of Limf. ANr> Plastkr. — The 



prejudice against the use of lime and plaster has 

 been overcome with dillicnlly, nntw iilistanding 

 the striking efji^'cts of their early application. — 

 The objection to those niineral manures, thai lliey 

 would siimulate the soil to a (ruitfniness whicii 

 would soon exhaust il,is not altogether unfound- 

 ed, provided care is not taken to keep np a sup- 

 ply of other minerals, whicli are indispensable 

 elemeiils in the vegetable kingdom. 



Lime and plaster do not enter into the compo- 

 silion of plants, but they bavi; an agency in evolv- 

 ing nihir mineral elements, as well as securiiiff 

 lo the soil ihe serial consliluents, carbonic acid 

 and ammonia. Quick lime, however, we should 

 remark, expels ammonia, and should noi, there- 

 fore, be mixed with barn manure, either in the 

 heap or in the soil. Wheat crops have; been Ire- 

 quently injured in cniiseqnenee of the dissipation 

 of ainmona by the inixliire of (p,ni:k lime with 

 manure. 



Plaster has the op[iosile effect. [Most of the 

 plaster used on our liirms would first be well em- 

 ployed as an agent in fixing ihe tiirtiliziug gases 

 in the manure. 



I have known rich loams — soils containing an 

 abundance of soluble vegetable niMlier — much 

 injured by the application of fresh lime. IJiii the 

 fertilily of fresh lands, or soils which from .-inv 

 cause contain a largiMiinoimt of [lartially decom- 

 posed vegetable and animal matter, would be in- 

 cre.ised and preserved by the use of pl.isler. It 

 facilitates decomposition, and at the same lime 

 fixes the ammonia in the soil. 



To escape any injury from the use of lime as a 

 uiannre, and to insure its best effects, the safest 

 general ride is to spread il on t;rass lands anil 

 leave il a considerabh; hmglli of time exposed to 

 tin; atinosjdiere. 



The soil in this section is evidently exhausted 

 to a great degree, of some of the eleuieiiis reniii- 

 site lo a luxuriant growth of clover, it flourish- 

 ed some yti:w» since much better than il does 

 now, notwithstandiiiy our superior care in culti- 

 vating and manui'ing the soil. Lime and phisier 

 we are in the habit of supplying. The heavy 

 crops which follow the ;ipp!ication of those ma- 

 nures, have exh.-iusted the soil to ;i very great ex- 

 tent, of other iiidispen.sabh; inori'anic coiisiitn- 

 ent.s. As an evidenr-e of ibis tiict, we have seen 

 clover whicli had been sown on o.-ils, alier com 

 which had been ashed in ihe hill, flourisliiiig on 

 ihe hills, from ihe efP'Cts of the a.-lies, whilst be- 

 tween the hills, the land was eulirely bare. The 

 combustion of vegetables dissipates all their or- 

 ganic consliluents : hnt ashes contain all the in- 

 organic elements whicli have entered inio their 

 growth ; lieiice the slrikiiiL' effect of its applica- 

 tion to >ome soils proves conclusively ilu.i tlioi-e 

 soils are very defii ieiii in some of tho,--e elinnenls. 



(.'lover nielioiales and supplies the si il willi a 

 large amount of vegetable matter, heiicK it is it 

 clii'ap and efficient fertilizer, w hen there is a good 

 iuoiiranic basis; but when there is a deficiency 

 of potash, lime, and sulphuric acid, it must, in the 

 long run, if removed from the soil, have an im- 

 poverishing tendeiiiv. — J. JJiingan's .'Iddress, be- 

 fore Ihe Buclis Co. [Pa.) J}g. Society. 



Potatoes — Salt — Guano. — A liirmer of New 

 llanipshire, wi iiiiiy lo the .V. E. Farmer, remarks : 



" Year bef.ire lasl, my pouiiot-s rolled badly. 

 ri;iving much failh in .Mr. Teschemacher's reconj- 

 inendaiioii id' llie use of s.-dl, &c., lo deslroy the 

 fungi, 1 last year applied a very large spoonful of 

 eipial (piantiiies of salt, lime and a^lle- to each 

 hill, at the lime of hoeing. Some few of the lops 

 died iliiriiig the summer, but when I dug them in 

 the tall, there was t-carcely a rotti ii [lotato to be 



