ai:i)e jTarmcr^gontlill \) m\ox. 



43 



wiiicl. he was to leaHbr the supply f^ heavy 



.a.iiliKMion Uirre uas .,o Houl.t hut that .t was 

 li.irlv 'hiiif. Th.'iv, calves are never allow.-.l to 

 surli hut are lid Iroui lh« \nu\, au.l .hat twine a 

 ,laV. As much milk as wouhl have heen given 

 iieVv, was set apart lor twelve hours anil then 

 skhilmed. The sUinuiaxl n.ilU was then warmc.l 

 l„ ihe heat of new milU, and t^ome molass.^s ad- 

 • led, sparlnsly at fust, hut alteruards more pleu- 

 tilidlY. 'I'he calves on this iced throve lull hellei 

 ,|,„u Ihose on new milU, and look the lee, easdy. 

 ■ri.eenamthus ahslrueted was earelully kept 

 ,„„| rhurned hv Usrll, and «hen the calves were 

 u caned, it was Ihund, Ihiljhr ciw, jiomd o mo- 

 lasses exiHwled, hi- s.nic,/ a pound of butler, Ihcjor- 

 vwr being three peucc and taller Iwdvc pence per 

 pound. ^ . 



Sheep lIusBANDav.-R. Merrill has for s.de, at 

 his bookstore and periodical depot, "'Ihe An.encjui 

 SI.epherd," being a history of sheep widilhe.r breeds 

 man.gen.ent r.ud diseases, illnstrate,! with portraits ol 

 dill-ereiit breeds, designs for sheep barns, sheds, &e., 

 by L \. Morrell. We have before us a certiticate 

 from Messrs. S. Sibley and J. Barnard, of Hopkinton 

 —two of the most celebrated wool-growers in ^ew 

 Hampshire. They say thai this work, which has been 

 nnich sought after, '• embraces all that we have belore 

 Been that is valuable on Sheep Husbandry, and a large 

 nrnoiint of valuable information, which to us was en- 

 tirely new. To the wool-grower who wishes to im- 

 prove his flock, we consider it indispeusible" 



Mr Merrill also has for sale, " Gray's Elements ot 

 Scientific and Practical Agriculture," with other valu- 

 able agricultural works. 



Fiom Ihe American Sliephcrd we make Ihe 

 Ibllowini; e.Nlracts:— 



buef:ding ewes. 



"Thi-; portion of the flock demand no special 

 atteiilioM hevoud a full measure ot looil, until the 

 :,,,proacli of sprinjr. The course of manafieuieni 

 will depeiul on the time of yeann.j,', which, il 

 fixed Ihr the iiionlh of April, they will require a 

 lar.'c measure daily throuj;li Mareh of potatoes 

 for^heassimilalionof milk. In addition, nothing 

 hetter can he supplied them than a halt pint eaeli 

 of wheat i-horls, iui.\ed wilh a litile harley or oat- 

 meal Oil-cake anil corn meal are not so suitahle, 

 •IS ihey do not afford as much casein, the only 

 nitrogenized element, as the reader has hecn iii- 

 Ibrmcd, of milk. Their fodder through the win- 

 ter should he of a miscellaneous character. I ea 

 mill huckwheat straw are highly agreeahle to 

 them, especially the former, which, from us suc- 

 cuiencv, is well suited to their situation. 



" The reader is referred to the corrrespondence 

 in Ihe Apiiendi.x for many valuahle hints on the 

 mana.'CMient of hreeiliug ewes, when the yean- 

 ii,.. lakes olace in April. In conclusion, comlort 

 ipuetness,' and generous feeding are cardinal 

 jioints of attention with hreedmg ewes, tlirougli 

 the whole period of gestation." 



HOSPITAL FLOCK. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 To THE Editor of the Visitor :— Having 

 hcen a constant render of ihe Visitor tiir seven 

 years, I thought I would take the liherly to sng- 

 .rest something which has often occurcd to ii e 

 wouhl ho an improvement in any agricultural 

 p.,py,._tli,it is, to collect an assortment of recipes 

 for the preparation of corn, poiaioes, grain, gar- 

 den seeds, &e. for planting and sowing, and the 

 ri"lit time for doing it, and put them together on 

 one laige in the March nuinhor. Such recipes 

 shonhrhe concise and practical. 1 have often 

 heen perplexed to find the recipe 1 have wanted, 

 not rcinemhering where to look for it. If a col- 

 lection were thus thrown together, ihey could 

 be turned to instantly at any lime. I'erhaps it 

 may he thought that one making such a sug- 

 gestion would furnish somelhing himself but 

 as 1 have never heen initiated into the society ol 

 honorahle idler.s, I have more to attend to than 

 I find time to do on my osvn farm. 11 some 

 gentleman idler, however, as tiieiitioned in the 

 "well'lh nuniher of last volume id" ihc Visitor, 

 would make such a coUeclion, and forward it to 

 the Editor, it might materially assist liiin, and <lo 

 •Tood service ior'lhe agricullural public 

 " Last spring, 1 cut my poi.itoes and threw on 

 new slacked' lime and shovelled them over, as 

 suggested in some of the agricultural papers. 

 When 1 planted them, 1 mixed ahoiit equal parts 



of lime and plaster, and put a large spooiilul in 

 the hill on the potatoes. I do not think 1 had 

 twenty rotten ones in the fall, nor have they rotted 

 in the cellar. But this proves nothing, as 1 have 

 never heen trouhled with the rot in my potatoes. 

 My crop was remarkahly good for the season. 

 The vines continued green near two weeks alter 

 mv neighbor's were generallydead. The ground 

 lia'd helDn cropped successively wilh |)Otatoes, 

 corn and oats, without manuring. The two last 

 years, the crops did not pay for the cultivation ; 

 hut last spring I ploughed in about twelve cart- 

 loads of barn-yard manure to the acre, and plant- 

 ed as above described. 



One of my hroihers told me that his potatoes 

 did not rot in the field, and those that he dug 

 early and put into the cellar dry did not rot m 

 the cellar; but those that were not dug till late 

 (afler ihe rains) rutted a good deal in the cellar. 



From tTiy own experience and from the obser- 

 vations of others whom 1 have seen, the best way 

 to ensure a good crop of sound potatoes is to 

 prepare the L'roimd well, manure well, cuhivale 

 well, plant eaVly, dig early, and put them in the 

 cell.ir drTj. J- !*• 



South Hampton, 2nd mo., 27lh, 184b. 



"This is the general iippellalion of such sheep 

 as are in low condiliou, jiroceeding either fium 

 poor keep, or temporary illness. 



"The altentive and well-ordered sheep hus- 

 bandman will not be troubled with many of tins 

 class, for he will not overstock, neulier will he 

 permit any to remain on his hands fill ihey have 

 become loo old; thus few will enter the "poor 

 house" to reflect unskilful management. It is 

 scarcely necessary to say, however, lliat every 

 good fiock-masler will provide a place for the 

 reception of sheep under consideialion, as often, 

 ill spile of his humane care, disease will make its 

 way to some individuals, which, in that event, 

 require removal fiom their strong and lieallhy 

 comrades, and treated according^. After the 

 disease is subdued, their diet should depend much 

 on the character of the malady. As a general 

 rule, their food at first should not be of an excit- 

 ing nature, especially if ihe disease was seated in 

 the stomach, or intestines. Hut all suitable ad- 

 vice ill ihis regard will be found in the history of 

 diseases. When a sheep is seen declining in 

 flesh, let it be removed forlhwilh to the hospit.il, 

 and alter a few weeks perhaps it may resume ils 

 place in the flock from whence it was taken; this 

 is often so, if the removal is instant in the early 

 stages of decline. Variations of the food will 

 greatly contribute to restore invalids, as well as 

 those in poverty of flesh." 



From the Alliany CiilUvator. 

 Woodlands. 

 Mr. Tucker:— There are two objects vyhicli 

 actuale in the removal of limber from the forest. 

 The first of these is to clear lands hitherto nmni- 

 proved, and render them fit for cultivation, while 

 the second is to furnish fuel for ihe necessary 

 purpo.ses of heat, and timber for the various uses 

 which the circumstances of life require. Where 

 the former object is to be altained. It is desirable 

 to perform the operation of cii//i'»g- over at a sea- 

 son when the roots and stumps will be least like- 

 ly to ihrow up new shoots, and also when decay 

 will be the most rapid and etfectual, while in the 

 hitter case a conlrarv efliict is sought for, and a 

 time should be improved when reproduction will 

 he likely most effectually to ensue. Nature, as 

 if ever mindful of the convenience as well as tlie 

 wants of man, has kindly provhled for both ile- 

 siileratums, and it is only IVir us to consult her 

 wise arrangements in order to avail ourselves ot 

 the facilities she oft'ers in order lo effect our own 

 purposes. And as if more fully to aid in our 

 (lesi.'iis in regard to both, she has arranged her 

 plans so as to bring the lime for our action at a 

 season when oilier labors do not peesent their 

 most pressing demands. 



The economy of vegetable physiology is asub- 

 iect which may well iiivile the study ol the ciil- 

 tivaior ofthe'soil. It is one with which most 

 cultivators of the present day are somewhat la- 

 miliar. so that any remarks on that )ioint, il our 

 limits would permit, would, perhaps, be wholly 

 out of place. It is a fact well known to nil that 

 there are seasons of the year when the flow of 

 sap or blood of plants flows most freely, and the 

 slirrjitest wound upon a shrub or tree will cause 

 it t^o flow abundantly. Then we have only to 



carry the cause further and we see u much great- 

 er effect. Cut off a trei; near the ground at these 

 seasons, and this bleediuj-: will he manifest at eve- 

 ry pore until a fatal exhausiion takes place, and 

 death, and its consequent allendaiil, decay, ensues. 

 These seasons, as every body knows, are spring, 

 while the freezing and thawing of the ground 

 continues, and in autumn, while similar agencies 

 are going forward. These are unquestionably 

 ihe best time fiLir (/esiraiyiHif limber lands, and, 

 causing root and stump to puss quickly away. 

 All who are acquainted with the growth of chest- 

 nut timber, must know hill well its astonishing 

 powers at reproduction by throwing up suckers. 

 We once, in our ignorance, had the presumptive 

 folly 10 cut several trees of this timber, in the 

 freezing and thawing month of March, but no 

 nionument of ihis folly now remains. From 

 about twenty bleeding stumps produced by the 

 operation, not a single sprout ever siirnng up to 

 •dailden our eyes wilh the cheering assurance 

 That "there is hope of a tree ihough it be cut 

 down," and but a very few years went hy before 

 every vestige of these decaying stumps was gone. 

 This sad experiment, be it known, was performed 

 in woodland where no cltle, or sheep, or any 

 such ihiuL'swere permitted lo graze, consequent- 

 ly the failure was owing wholly and entirely to 

 the chopping at an injudicious and filial time. 

 But the evil did not stop here. The quality of 

 the limber was dei.reciated by the operation; 

 it was neither so fine in consistency, nor so dur- 

 able as neighboring trees cut at more appropriate 

 seasons. . 



Ye who value your limber and your timber 

 lands, we say to you, one and all, keep your axes 

 out of ihem so long as the Ides of March hold 

 influence. During this sloppy winter momh you 

 had better be employed in preparing fiiel at your 

 I doors, and splitting rails on some dry bank, from 

 timber previously cut. "Woodman," if you val- 

 ' lie vour timber land, "spare that tree," at all 

 times and in all seasons when trees bleed Irom 

 the slightest incision of the axe, or from any other 

 little accident which may produce a wound from 

 which the sap will flow. 



We have now given w hat we consider the very 

 worst time for ciitfuig timber, wilh regard to the 

 preservation of ihe wood lot, and have very liou-_ 

 estly exposed an act of our own folly in proot 

 of i"t. Willi equal frankness, we offer our ex- 

 perience with regard to the very best time (jar 

 this operation, and this part of the story is soon 

 lold. December and January are decidedly the 

 best months for this part of the farmer's service, 

 and it may, in most seasons, be continued until 

 the middle of February. Beyond this time, your 

 deponent would not go, and he would rather keep 

 lour or five weeks hack of if, shuddering, as near 

 as possible, to the winter solstice. It is a fact 

 that all niav witiies.-, if they will not lake our 

 word for it, "that llie stumps where treesare taken 

 off ill winter will bleed more or less in spring, 

 and further, that ihe longer they have been cut 

 the less the flow of sap will be, a fact owing to 

 the circumstance that the longer the pores or 

 aniputated sap ve-ssels have been exposed to the 

 atmosphere, and |ierhaps partly from the influ- 

 ence of frost, the more inactive they become, and 

 in consequence ihe less facility ihey offer for the 

 escape of sap. Now it is this bleeding that we 

 would stop, and turn all the resonrees of the roots 

 into a new channel, nourishing a new set of shoots. 

 Some cheap substance iniglit, undoubtedly, be 

 ai,plied to stop it entirely, hut farmers do not 

 know how lo spend time lo doctor stumps, though 

 some of our medical faculty might, perhaps, be 

 well spared for that service. 



But ai.'ain to our ex]ieriment. We have rut 

 chestnut trees in December, ibat gave shoots of 

 a dozen feet ihe next sea.son, while other repro- 

 ductive trees gave grow ih according to the char- 

 acter of their species in the same ratio. 



Next to the dead of winter, June, the sweet 

 month of smiling skies and more smiling flow- 

 ers, offers, perhaps, the best time lor cutting tim- 

 ber. The fhresls are then again taking a lenipo- 

 rarv res:, and the fiinctions of hie are compara- 

 lively relaxed and inactive. The influence of 

 heal, too, for though heat is the reveise ol co d, 

 its eft'ects are in some rcspecis similar, undouDt- 

 edly conlrihulcs to make the mopili favorable. 



But here we wouhl say again, keep near the 

 summer solstice, for the nearer the better. We 

 have cut timher in June and had sprouts start 



