Ql\)c JTaimcr's iHontl)li) llisitor. 



127 



heat peiietiutes our giouiul in one of our liot, 

 luijilit days, ihuii England lins in a week. The 

 books of Kurojie are ail honor and an ornanienl 

 to the world; — but they lead us from the truth 

 frequently ; siic:h is the great diflerenoe of the 

 climates of Europe and America. We must 

 here select our hest native grapes — tliere are 

 many — of which we have now proved the I»a- 

 liella and Catawhn to he e.\cellent. Plant vines 

 on deep, dry soils, where there are no springs of 

 water — on sinty, calcareous, or other sods, hut 

 the ilryer they are the hetler for the grape. A 

 soil of brick clay will not do. The roots must 

 be deep, to avoid onr severe droughts. Plough 

 the ground exceedingly deep before you plant 

 your vineyard. I have found that in seven 

 years' culture, the savage part of my Isabella has 

 vanished. lus character is greatly changed for 

 the better. Its pulp is almost gone : its seeds 

 are less. 



The culture of the vine has one great and em- 

 inent advantage over all other crops. If you 

 plant it well, you will get an increasing crop for 

 twenty-five years ; and every year, (with rare ex- 

 ceptions,) for fifty and seventy-five years, a good 

 crop. Vines «ill sometimes live a hundred 

 years ; and from onr native vines you can have 

 double the quantity which is obtained from n 

 vine in Europe, where the vine has from ages of 

 slioit pruning, become feeble and attained its 

 perfeelion. We do not let the vine liear one- 

 iialf as many grapes as they would if all were 

 left on. Thin them out well. You will have 

 belter and richer fruit. 



Ill pruning, I do not spur them. I cut away 

 the old, and bring the new vine to bear. Nine- 

 teen out of twenty persons spur prune their 

 Tines in this city, leaving two eyes on. 



1 keep my vines within about six feet in 

 height liir convenience in gathering the clusters. 

 All kinds of animal substances are good for our 

 vines. Street manure is excellent for them. 

 They ought not, however, to be stimulated too 

 highly, for then they become profuse in foliage, 

 and the fiiiit mililews ami rots. An even, regu- 

 lar growth ought to be kept up. Rotten sods 

 mixed with barn yard manure is good for vines. 

 Blood IS good. Long Island might, by means of 

 llie fiish called .Manhaden, be made one beauti- 

 ful viueyard ! Take the fish in June, make a 

 hole near the root with a crowbar, push down a 

 fish — there will be no smell from it, and it is an 

 admirable manure for grapes. 



Composts of sea weed, black earth, and cow 

 and horse dung are good. 



Ashes are excellent on sandy hinds, where 

 their phosphates are leached ofl" by rains. 



tions, and casting off such as are of little prom- 

 ise. 



The Ayrshire stock, which originated in Scot- 

 land, has not proved so superior here as its 

 friends expected. We have many cons, without 

 a name, that will produce inure milk and hulter 

 in a summer, than the same number of Ayr- 

 shires have done here, either because we have 

 never been able to piocuiD the very best to 

 breed from, or because they arc naturally une- 

 qual to our promiscuous stock. 



Of the Devonshire cattle we have yet but little 

 knowledge. There have been but few imported 

 into Mas.sachnsetts, and they have hardly esiab- 

 lished a character here. They are handsome 

 catlle, of good lijrin, middle size, small bones, 

 straight limbs, and of a deep red color. It is be- 

 lieved that the Devoiis will prove better for the 

 dairy, in onr short pastures, than the large Dur- 

 liams have proved. 



The Alderney caille are celebrated in Great 

 Britain for the richness of their milk. They are 

 smaller than the Devonshiresare, and may prove 

 as profitable in some pastures as the larger 

 breeds. There are not many that can be called 

 full blooded in Massachusetts, though we occa- 

 sionally come across one that has the marks of 

 the Alderney. These animals are not distin- 

 guished for beauty of form, and they have never 

 attained to a large size. I'hey have fine silky 

 hair, of a mouse color. 



The principal advantage to be derived from 

 crosses with what is called blood animals is the 

 better prospect of retaining in the ofl>>pring the 

 good qualities of the ancestor. And if a full 

 blooded male is crossed with one of our best na- 

 tive cows it is believed that the good qualities of 

 the cow will be more likely to be inherited by 

 the offspring than if crossed with a native male. 



But let the stock be what it may, it is highly 

 important to select the best individuals for raising. 

 Calves from the best cows sliouhl by all means 

 be kept till they are old enough to be tried. And 

 this selection should not be confined to the fe- 

 males. !t is as important that the males which 

 are selected to be raised should come from the 

 best cows as that the females should. 



From the Maine Cultivator. 

 Farm Stock. 



Messrs. Editors: — Every farmer should en- 

 deavor to improve the stock that he keeps on 

 his farm, by selecting tbe best individuals thai 

 come from his own Ineeders, or by (lun^hasing 

 the most promising animals from districts where 

 they are bred. 



And to this end every farmer ought to be ca- 

 pable of judging of the qualities that are most 

 desirable, on inspecting tlie young animals be- 

 fore they have arrived at full age. Tliis shoulil 

 be a part of the education of such as design to 

 foUow farming either for a living or (or amuse- 

 ment. 



We should raise blood stock of our own, in- 

 stead of depending altogether on foreign blood, 

 for we have all the material in abundance. Yet 

 we need not object to crossing our Ijome-mades 

 with any of the imported cattle. Wo may in 

 this way perfect onr stock sooner than by select- 

 ing wholly from natives. 



The sliort-horn Durham cattle have improved 

 onr neat stock in many ])arts of the country 

 where joiiicioiis crosses have been made. And 

 some half-blood cows have done well in several 

 dairies. Many of us think the half bloods are 

 better for milk than the full bloods. The truth 

 seems to be that Diirliams which h.ive been im- 

 ported iiuo New England, have not generally 

 excelled as dairy slock, until they have been 

 crossed with onr good cows. 



Oxen have improvefl in size and in form, and 

 the forms of cows have been improved by cros- 

 sing. But we might do more; we must improve 

 their milking qualities by making proper selec- 



PaoMtsiNG Indications. — When a heifer has 

 arrived at the age of one year and a half or two 

 years, a good judge will be able to determine 

 pretty accurately whether she will be worth 

 keeping, particularly if she is with calf. The 

 first and most important iiidiealion is a large ud- 

 der; for if this is not capacious she can never be 

 great for milk. 



The next point is, good teats, well set from 

 each other. These and the udder should be of 

 a yellow cast, for a yellow, or mahogany color 

 is a good indication that the milk will be rich. 

 It is a good sign in a heil(>r to have the skin 

 about the udder loose and (iabby ; for if it is tight 

 and slack there will be :> want of material to 

 form the uihler ; it can never be capacious 

 enough to hold a large mess. 



As to the general form of the animal it is less 

 in:portant, for we often find the most ill-looking 

 animals giving the largest mess of milk. Yet it 

 is important that she have a good broad chest, 

 ibr here are the lungs ; and capacious lungs are 

 inilicalive of health and hardiness. 



A small head, small horns, a straight back, 

 short legs, a bright eye, a small and yellow nose, 

 a yellow circle about the eyes, are all indications 

 of a good cow. No man can determine with ab- 

 solute certainty what kind of cow a young heifer 

 will make. But those who have ftjr a long time 

 paid attention to the sidiject, and have repeated- 

 ly c.-illed into exercise tlicir liiculries of judfiing, 

 will 1^3 able to determine pretty well whether a 

 heifer is worth trying. 



If stock is to be purchased from the country 

 it is better to buy heifers than cows. Buy sucli 

 as have never been tried and yon stand a chance 

 to possess the best; but if you liny cows thai 

 have been milked one summer you must give a 

 high price tor Ihem if they are superior cattle. 



After proving heifers for one season they yiay 

 be tinned ofl'trir beef in case they fiil to answer 

 your expectations. There is less loss in this 

 than in buying cows that have been proved. 



Another ailvanlage arises from the practice of 

 purchasing heifers instead of cows. You will 

 see that they are properly treated and iniiUed, 



and you will not suffer them to acquire any bad 

 habits whc^l they are young. Yours respect- 

 fully, w. B. 



Slriiwberries. 



The coming month is the usual time for tran.s- 

 planting strawberries ; and if the season is favor- 

 able — that is, if there is u sufTiciency of rain to 

 give the newly planted vines a good start, the 

 work may be done to good advantage. 



We take this opportunity to advise those who 

 have been trying to grow this fruit, without suc- 

 cess, and who now have beds of the vines which 

 are barren, to dig them up, ami lorn them under 

 the soil. There is no use in conliniied exer- 

 tions to get fruit from barren vinos; but there is 

 a continued expense, and a great wear and tear 

 of patience in it. Dig them up, therefore, re- 

 morselessly, and procure productive sorts. 



We are aware that it may be said that straw- 

 berry plants may be unprodnclive fiom the fact 

 that they are of a pistill.-ite kind, and that no 

 staminale plants grow near to impremiate them. 

 This is true. But the ditnenlty to those not ac- 

 customed to the fruit is in discovering which are 

 staminate and which aie pistillate plants. 



If yon have those which are called Ilovey's 

 Seedlings, which have grown within a few roils 

 of wild ones, or of ftlelhvin Scarlets, Largo 

 Early Scarlets, lowas, Virginia Scarlets, Ross 

 Pheiiix, Boston pine or Keen's Seedlings, but 

 which have borne no finit, dig thcMn up, and 

 throw them away. They are not Hovey's Seed- 

 ling, and are of no use. If, however, any of 

 these sorts have been set a considerable distance 

 from them, anil they have borne some hut, the 

 remedy is obvious. The staminate plants re- 

 quire to be mixed with them. 



R. Buchanan, Esq., of Cincinnati, informs us 

 that near that city it is usual now to plant in the 

 following manner. Plant four rows of Hovey's 

 Seedling, or Hudson's or Grovesend Scarlet, or 

 Victoria, which are entirely pistillate sorts. The 

 distance is two feet between the rows. Then 

 leave a paih and plant one row of staminates, 

 say Iowa, Large Early Scarlet, Virginia Scarlet, 

 Boston Pine, Methvin Scarlet, or Ross Phenix. 

 Then leave a path again, and plant four rows of 

 the pistillate sort as before; thus making a path 

 on each side of the staminate row to prevent 

 their commingling. The staminates most in use 

 there are Large Early Scarlet, and Iowa ; and 

 fhe pistillates Hudson, and Hovey's Seedling. 



A staminate will bear no better Ibr putting 

 pistillate plants near it, as some siqipcse, a fact 

 which a niomenis reflection would teach. 



We reiterate our advice to ihrow away iiselcsH 

 plants, anil procine good' ones. There are sev- 

 eral kinds which ivitl bear, and they are as easily 

 cultivated as aiiv others. — Prairie Farmer. 



Farming by Steaii. — The leading article of 

 the London Agricultural Gazelle, May, S, is on 

 the eni|)loynient of sleaiji in Farming, to which 

 the editors are favorable, considering it a moro 

 docile and less costly power than either man or 

 horse. Every hnndred acres of plowing in- 

 volves the passing over K)00 linear miles, by .500 

 consumers of food. They calculate the saving, 

 by steam, on every phiving, ;it .*! per acre, or 

 $100,000,000 on as many acres. 



Do not keep a horse too fat, or too lean, as ei- 

 ther disqualifies him for hard labor. 



Economy. — A man who chews S14 worth of 

 tobacco annually, stops his newspaper becanso 

 he cannot atibrd to take it. 



Recipes. — For ilrunkennes.«, drink cold water ; 

 for heallli, rise early : to be happy, be honest ; to 

 please all, mind your own business. 



The Bee Moth is best prevented by keeping 

 the swarms liill and strong, so that they may 

 protect themselves. If the hive is loo large fiir 

 llie swarm, the bees are unable to guard each 

 point successfully. 



Baked Fish.— Cod, bass and sliiul are good 

 for baking. Saift' llieiu with a seasoning made 

 ufbread, cru'ulis or ciackeis, bolter, salt, pepper, 

 andifvnu like spices. Put the fish in a hake- 

 pan, wlih a tea-Clip of uater, and a bit of butter, 

 and bake fi-om firt\-five to sixty minutes. 



Cranberries.— The Mid.llesex Agricultural 

 Society have offered a premium of S^O fin- tbe 

 lar"est irrop of Cranberries raised by nrlifieial 

 cultivation on four square rods of greiind. 



