NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



227 



For the New England Farmer. 



EDITORIAL MILL- 

 Mr. Editor : — Some of your correspondents, 

 away up here among the hills in the country, have 

 almost made up our minds not to send any more 

 communications to your mill to he ground out, as 

 our grists remain so long in your editorial hopper, 

 that when they do come through the mill, they 

 appear to be quite tasteless, senseless, and out of 

 season. It is in vain to tell us, that you cannot 

 prevent this delay, on account of low water, the 

 want of a larger hopper and a more powerful mill, 

 when we frequently witness such long communica- 

 tions in your columns. It is the duty of a good 

 miller to see to it, that no one man should have 

 more than forty hushcls ground at any one time, 

 while another man is waiting for a single bushel 

 to be ground for the use of his family. We hope, 

 however, that these honorable gentlemen will still 

 continue to favor you and the public with their 

 communications ; but we hope, in mercy, that they 

 will not attempt to elbow every body else out of 

 the world, because they happen to be in it. To 

 be serious, we would like to see a greater degree 

 of brevity and precision observed in the use of lan- 

 guage both on the part of editors and their cor- 

 respondents. " Words fitly chosen," multiim in par- 

 vo, "are like apples of gold in pictures of silver." 

 The way to make room for all, is for each one to be 

 contented to occupy a brief space 



mising, when snow came, and has completely pro- 

 tected it up to the present time, so that the risk 

 of its being winter killed is very small. Should it 

 continue to succeed, as at present, which there 

 seems no reason to doubt, a large amount of mo- 

 ney will be retained at home, which has formerly 

 been sent abroad for Hour, thus materially increas- 

 ing the farming interests of Maine. 



W. Takor. 

 Vassalboro', Me., 3d mo., 1852. 



TWELFTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING, 



At the State House, Tuesday, April 6. 



Subject, — The Subdivision of Lands and Fencing 

 and Farm Buildings. 



The meeting on Tuesday evening, April 6, was 

 thinly attended, owing to the very unpleasant state 

 of the weather. Hon. B. V. French, of Braintree, 

 presided, and on taking the chair, spoke in general 

 terms of the necessity of fencing, a department of 

 agriculture which has been recognized and prac- 

 tised from the earliest days. In New England he 

 thought we had been in the habit of cutting our 

 farms into too small lots, but the manner of en- 

 closing must vary according to the nature of the 

 land. Land which is not fit to plow, such as wood- 



If 'inv odg His 

 anything to communicate, let him doit in language j land or Pasturage, must be cut up into smaller lots 

 the clearest, strongest, briefest possible ; but let 

 him stop when he has done. Mount Grace. 



Warwick, March 29, 1852. 



Remarks. — Our correspondent's reason for be- 

 lieving that communications sent us become "taste- 

 less, senseless and out of season," is one of the rea- 

 sons which induces us frequently to defer articles, 

 to wit, that there may not be too much on the 

 suae subject crowded into our columns at the same 

 time, or within a brief period. But there are many 

 other reasons which might be given for occasional- 

 ly deferring them. With every desire to please, 

 we s unetimes find it absolutely necessary not only 

 to defer articles, but what is still more unpleasant, 

 to withhold them entirely. 



For the Neiv England Farmer. 



WINTER WHEAT IN MAINE. 



That winter wheat can be raised to advantage 

 in Maine seems now to be the settled conviction of 

 very many farmers who have for the last few years 



than that fit for cultivation. It is estimated that 

 on the average but G acres out of 100 in our own 

 State is fit for the plow. Such lands as are fit for 

 cultivation should be in as large lots as can be 

 made convenient. In regard to sheep, it had been 

 found that if you put ten sheep into a ten acre 

 lot, pretty well fenced, the most of them would 

 find their way out the first night or the next day. 

 But if you put one hundred sheep into a hundred 

 acre lot, with an inferior fence, and drive them 

 slowly round the pasture so that they may have a 

 look at the fence, they will remain in the field 

 contented. A small number of horned cattle in a 

 small enclosure would also be more breachy than 

 a large number in a large enclosure. For an 

 economical farm, where the land will warrant it, 

 he prefers but one enclosure — but would have that 

 substantial. In placing farm buildings he would 

 have them placed further back from the road than 

 is now the custom. He always prefers stone for 

 fences where it can be obtained, and would prefer 

 to draw it even two miles, than to depend upon a 



raised it with good success, the yield in many cases 

 being considerably greater than that of spring' common post and rail fence. Mr. French in this 

 wheat. The crop last season was in some sections connection, alluded to his remarks at the last 

 injured to some extent with rust, yet as a whole meeti upon the subject of hedges, and repeated 

 was highly satisfactory to our enterprising farm- ,, . & \ . i A J* '„:„„ *+« „ 



ers who have engaged in it, zealously determined them m ^stance. In regard to sett ng posts-a 

 to prove whether it could be raised here or not. gentleman from New Bedford had told him that 



Numerous instances can be given where from 30 he had examined and found the frost to penetrate 

 to 40 bushels of prime winter wheat have grown the earth to the depth of 2 1-2 feet. He then set 

 from one bushel of seed. A neighbor of mine his posts 5 feet 2 inches— twice the depth of the 

 raised 1(10 bushels of fine quality from 4 bushels, r . , ,, n i, j u OOT1 f w ha u nf i „„* 



a yield of which no farmer need complain. \ frost ; and the result . had , . been ' that he ,f n ° fc 



There was a large crop put into the ground last 1 been troubled with having his posts moved by the 

 fall, by many farmers in various sections of the, frost. Wliere stone is scarce Mr. French thought 

 State, which so far as heard from looked very pro- 'the wire fence might be introduced to good advan- 



