246 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



thought the crops obtained there were as good as 

 any on the farm, from the fact that in the endeavor 

 to cultivate the trees well, the whole soil is well cul- 

 tivated. Large crops have been obtained for six- 

 teen years, and can be obtained for ten years 

 more ; and then, if the trees become too large to 

 enable him to cultivate the land profitably, there 

 can be no doubt that there may be reserved from 

 each acre two trees that will be worth more than 

 all the hay to be got from an acre. He (Mr. 

 Brown) got his best crops where the trees stand, 

 for the reason that the land is there cultivated 

 best. He had obtained from thirty to fifty-six 

 bushels of corn on the same land where the trees 

 are. He had raised also twenty bushels of wheat 

 to the acre, and four tons of millet. There was no 

 doubt in his mind as to the practicability of raising 

 good crojjs where there is an orchard, nor as to the 

 profit from the cultivation of fruit in comparison 

 with other crops. 



The meeting this evening was large and very in- 

 teresting, and the discussion, up to a late hour, was 

 quite animated ; but we have not room for further 

 details. 



For tlve New England Farmer. 



"HOW DID YOU RAISE SUCH NICE 

 PEPPERS ?" 



Mr. Editor : — Having purchased a small place 

 last spring, as the first step towards success in its 

 cultivation, I subscribed for the jV. E. Farmer, and 

 found it a step in the right direction. 



One item in relation to saving suds, slops, S:c., 

 for the benefit of the garden, was worth more to me 

 than a year's subscription. I took a cask, and put 

 in the droppings from the hen roost, and filled it 

 with waste water from the house, and at night, 

 with a pail and dipper, applied it to beds, vines, ^c, 

 and in fact, used no other manure for tlie garden. 



Some ladies of delicate organization might have 

 turned up their noses ; but I was bound to have a 

 garden, and I succeeded. I have been asked fre- 

 quently, '"how did you raise such nice peppers ? 

 Mine never get ripe." My answer is, "I take the 

 papers." 



It was my intention to enter the arena against 

 small potatoes, and I experimented carefully with 

 eyes, butts, large, small, cut and whole potatoes; 

 and my conclusion is, that, with well prepared soil, 

 and proper culture, small potatoes are as good as 

 large. A friend gave me eight potatoes of the 

 Jackson variety, about half as large as a small 

 sized hen's egg, of which I made ten hills in my 

 garden. The yield Avas three pecks, forty-seven of 

 the largest weighing forty-eight pounds. 



My employment as a teacher has taken me from 

 home the past six months, and, the consequence is, 

 I have no manure heap this spring. So I must try 

 something else, and, as I have an acre and a half 

 tliat ought to be laid down to grass, without taking 

 off a crop, I wish to propose a few inquiries through 

 the Farmer. Had you prolonged your article in 

 last week's Farmer, beyond a "reasonable limit,"] 

 you might have spared yourself this article, | 



1. Will buckwheat, sown upon the land and 

 plowed under, answer instead of manure ? ' 



2. Will India wheat do as well as buckwheat? 

 It is easier to procure in this vicinity, and I am told 

 it is of the same nature. 



3. Is clover preferable to either ? If so, how 

 much should be sown to an acre to turn under ? 



4. My land is a gravelly loam, with any quantity 

 of small stones ; would deep plowing be profitable ? 



I use plaster and ashes, but have never tried any 

 of the popular fertilizers. 



And now, Mr, Editor, if the mooted question of 

 "Woman's Rights" was buried, I would be the last 

 person to give it a resurrection, yet the apostle has 

 decided, that one right is to ask questions ; and as 

 I have not the privilege (?) of availing myself of the 

 prescribed source, I venture to propound them thus 

 publicly, trusting to your good nature to rej)ly to a 



Orford, A*. H., 1856. Sister Farmer. 



Remarks. — A "Sister Farmer" will always find 

 the "latch string out," when she calls at tlie door of 

 "77^e Farmer," and its editor will find pleasure in 

 "keeping up his end of the yoke," in an agricultu- 

 ral conversation — if he can. Well, in reply to query 

 1. Buckwheat is good, and two crops may be 

 plowed in the same season, if it is desired. 



2. India wheat we know nothing of ; it is prob- 

 aV)ly a fancy name. But any stocky, succulent 

 plant will answer the purpose, that is, supply vege- 

 table matter to the soil. 



3. Clover is better, we think, than most plants 

 to be used as a green manure, as it furnishes a 

 large amount of valuable roots. There is a differ- 

 ence of ojjinion as to the time the green plant 

 should be turned under ; some supposing the time 

 should be when in its greenest and most succulent 

 state, and others when the plant has passed matu- 

 rity, and is in the first stage of decay. Sir Hum- 

 phrey Davy says — "all green, succulent plants con- 

 tain saccharine or mucilaginous matter, with woody 

 fibre, and readily ferment; they cannot, therefore, 

 if intended for manure, be used too soon after their 

 death." He also thinks the proper time to turn 

 plants under for manure, is when they are in flow- 

 er, as then their leaves are most active in forming 

 nutritive matter. 



4. Plow deep, gradually. Very deep plowing, at 

 once, to lay down to grass, would not be advisable. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



PUTTING LAND TO GRASS. 



Mr. Editor : — Having but recently turned my 

 attention to farming, I feel the want of j)ractical 

 experience, but as I am willing to learn, either from 

 books, or from any other source, and knowing that 

 you are always ready to give information on this 

 most "noble and healthful employment of man," I 

 wish to make the following inquiry. 



I have a piece of land (commonly called bog land) 

 which I wish to seed down to grass. It has been in 

 grass for several years, but of an inferior quaUty, 

 and is now covered with a "firm sod," so that an ox 

 team may be driven over it without difficulty, I 

 have been told, the better way would be to "top- 

 dress with sand or gravel and seed down upon the 



