104 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



of sounds, and is heard long before the majority of 

 birds have left their perch. If not one of the mel- 

 odies of morn, it is one of the most notat)le sounds 

 that herald its approach. And how intimately is 

 the voice of this l)ird associated with the sunshine 

 of pleisant winter days ; with our woodland excur- 

 sions during this inclement season ; with the stroke 

 of the woodman's axe ; with open doors during 

 warm winter days, when the eaves are dripping 

 with the melting snow, and with all those cheerful 

 voices that enliven the groves during the period 

 when every object is valuable that relieves the si- 

 lence or softens the dreary aspect of nature. 



For the New England Farmer. 



HOW TO RAISE COLTS. 



Dear Sir : — I am often asked the best mode of 

 feeding colts the first and second winter after taking 

 them Irom the mare, and not having had much ex- 

 perience in the raising of colts, could not give the 

 necessary information. 



I would therefore like, through the columns of 

 the Farmer, to receive the answers to the following 

 questions, for my satisfaction, and for the informa- 

 tion of others. 



Is it well to give colts oats, or any other proven- 

 der, the first or second ^vinter after taking them 

 from the mare ? — or are they better to be kept up- 

 on carrots and other roots ? 



Is it best to take them from the mare before 

 they are brought to the barn for winter, or to wean 

 them on hay ? 



How long should a colt remain with the mare 

 before it is weaned ? — or in other words, — how old 

 should it be ? 



Would it be of service to the colt to remain with 

 the mare all winter, if it could be done convenient- 



Would it injure the mare if she could be kept in 

 good flesh and spirits ? 



Answers to the above, as soon as possible, would 

 be desii-able. A Subscriber. 



Remarks. — There are five hundred persons 

 among our readers abundantly qualified to answer 

 the queries propounded above. Will some one do 

 so ? 



For the New Unglanci Farmer. 



GHEAT YIELD OF POTATOES. 



Mr. Editor -. — A few days since I noticed an ar- 

 ticle copied from a Providence paper, "that a lot of 

 50 potatoes, raised thereabouts, weighed 50i lbs." 

 this does not seem "hard to beat," and would rather 

 place that fifty among my small ones. 



I have raised this season, and since seeing the 

 above article have Aveighed, 25 potatoes which weigh 

 56:^ lbs. If any one can beat this, I will try again. 

 Perhaps at a future day I will give you my method 

 of culture, which has produced as many and as fine 

 potatoes as ever were grown ; a field of 3^ acres 

 producing at an average of less than 12 hills to the 

 bushel. O. S. Saxford. 



Cordaville, Oct., 1855. 



Remarks. — We shall be glad to publish your 

 account when furnished. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



DOMESTIC HINTS. 



Bird's-Nest Pie. — Take a deep baking tin, and 

 set as many apples in it as will cover the bottom. 

 Pare them and remove the core from one end ; 

 make a custard and fill each ajiple, as it is placed 

 in the dish. Then make a thick flour batter, pour 

 over the whole, and bake one hour. Serve with 

 sour sauce. — Ohio Farmer. 



Boiled Pot-Pie. — Take two quarts of ap])les, 

 pare, core and quarter, then ])ut them into a pot or 

 kettle, and sprinkle on a little sugar, grated nut- 

 meg, and pour in water enough to boil them. Then 

 make alight saleratus crust, and roll one inch thick, 

 of the size of the kettle, and lay it on the ap])le ; 

 boil three-fourths of an hour without cessation. 

 Prepare the sauce in the same way as the bird's- 

 nest pie. — Ohio Farmer. 



How TO Burn Coal. — The great mistake of all 

 is to put on too much coal, as if it were wood — the 

 greater the heat. If too much coal is applied, the 

 combustion is necessarily "choked up," the draught 

 destroyed, and the elements of the coal slowly es- 

 caping from it to pass ofl' to the chimney uncon- 

 sumeu, or are disseminated in gases through the 

 room. Whereas, if the strata of coal be but mod- 

 erate, a red flame will play around the interior of 

 the.stove, by which entire combustion and a healthy 

 heat are secured. One ton of coal, therefore, l)y 

 thorough combustion, will often secure more heat 

 and a healthier atmosphere, than two tons secured 

 in the ordinary way ; and this is a fact which can 

 easily be demonstrated. It will be very important, 

 this winter esj)ecially, to have attention paid to this 

 rule. — Graham's Magazine. 



Vegetable Seasoners. — Parsley, celery, thyme, 

 sage, onions, garlic, and other seasoners, should not 

 1)6 put into soups or stews imtil the souj) is nearly 

 done ; chop fine, and j)ut in five minutes before the 

 soup is taken from the fire. 



Cookies. — One tea-cup of butter, two of sugar, 

 two eggs, four table-spoonsful of sour milk, one tea- 

 spoonful of pcarlash put into the milk with spices. 

 Ohio Farmer. 



Stewed Celery. — The Horticulturist recom- 

 mends highly stewed celery. Cut the blanched or 

 white portion of theceleiy stalks in pieces about an 

 inch in length, and put them in a sauce-pan over 

 the fire, with milk and M-ater, in equal proportions, 

 barely sutticient to cover them ; add a little salt and 

 let them stew gently, until perfectly tender. Then 

 take out the celery, add a piece of butter to the 

 liquor it was boiled in, thicken it slightly with flour, 

 pour it over the celery, and serve it up. 



A Source of Smiles. — Dr. Franklin having 

 noticed that a certain mechanic, who worked near 

 his office, was always happy and smiling, ventured 

 to ask him for the secret of his constant cheeriiil- 

 ness. 



" No secret, Doctor," he replied, " I have got one 

 of the best wives, and when I go to work, she 

 always has a kind work of encouragement for me ; 

 and when I go home she meets me with a smile and 

 a kiss, and the tea is sure to.be ready ; and she has 

 done so many little things through the day to 

 please me, that I cannot find it in my heart to speak 

 an unkind word to anvbody." 



