324 



NEW ENGLAND FARMET?. 



Jt'T,Y 



riority of its agriculture to the natural superiority 

 of its soil, nor to its climate. 



I think every observation we have made, on our 

 way, justifies me in saying, that two cardinal things 

 in agriculture are capital and skill. 



I think the example of England shows, that ag- 

 riculture cannot be rich in crops unless it is rich in 

 live stock, cattle, sheep, horses and pigs; because 

 live stock, by their manures, are the causes of cro])s, 

 and are also the consequences, or results of the 

 crops which feed them. 



1 think we have seen that no breeds of sheep, 

 cattle or pigs can be profitable, or as profitable as 

 breeds which are precocious, or early fit for the 

 butcher, and which yield the greatest quantity of 

 meat at the earliest age ; and that a selected breed 

 of milch cows is more profitable than such breeds 

 as we may happen to have. 



I think we have seen that England has profited 

 by a fixed rotation of crops, so far as to make it, at 

 least, an open question, whether other countries 

 may not profit by a similar one. 



Other things our journey has suggested ; but 

 these things especially. 



Some of these conclusions it behoves us to pon- 

 der, if a statement contained in your paper of the 

 23d of February last be true, to wit : "By the re- 

 turns made to the Patent Office, it apjjears that 

 between the years 1840 and ISoO, 300,000 acres 

 were added to those, previously under improve- 

 ment in Massachusetts, and, during that time, there 

 ■was a reduction of 177,000 in the number of sheep 

 and swine, in the State." I do not vouch for 

 the truth of the statement, but you have pub- 

 lished it. Unless other live stock have increased, 

 and taken the place of the sheep and swine re- 

 moved, here is an anomaly in our agriculture. 

 More acres improved, and less live stock su])port- 

 ed ! Now every good farmer must sec, that two 

 facts must lie at the basis of our agriculture. The 

 Jirst is, that we cannot take many crops from our 

 land, without exhausting it. The second is, that 

 animal manure is the best agent for renewing the 

 fertility of the soil. Therefore, we must a])ply our- 

 selves to feeding the largest number of cattle pos- 

 sible. As our cultivated land increases, our live 

 stock should increase, or all is wrong and awry. 

 We have, in a large animal production, the butch- 

 er's meat, which northern people require, and the 

 means of increasing the quantity of manure, the 

 richness of the soil, and the production of grain 

 and roots and grass. That Massachusetts agricul- 

 ture is deficient in this respect, the number of ani- 

 mals, all will acknowledge ; but if the patent office 

 report be true, we are going backward, in our agri- 

 culture, unless it can be shown, that as we have di- 

 minished our sheep and swine, we have increased 

 our other live stock. M. 



vines. Several pages are devoted to a description 

 of the cultivation of various kinds of the strawber- 

 ry. For sale by J. Q. A. Warren, 119 Washington 

 Street. 



The Grape and Strawberry. — We have be- 

 fore us a new book on the culture of the Grape and 

 Wine-Making; by Robert Buchan.\n, with an 

 appendix containing directions for the cultivation 

 of the Strawberry, by N. LoNGWORTH. Cincinnati, 

 Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co. This work gives 

 the necessary directions for the preparation of soil, 

 planting, spring and summer pruning, culture, dis- 

 eases, varieties, &c. Also, the process for making 



THE FARMER'S WIFE. 



It is a common saying, and perhaps as true as it 

 is trite, that one woman is worth two men on a 

 farm. It is certainly beyond dispute that those 

 branches of husbandry which come mostly within a 

 woman's department are among the most profit- 

 able parts of the business. The dairy is a source 

 of large profit, if well conducted. It would not be 

 a remarkable cow that would give thirty dollars in 

 butter yearly, — and with a dozen cows yielding aS 

 that low estimate, the farmer, with the addition or 

 a garden and a hog, will very nearly have a sup- 

 port for a family. And this is in great part, fi'om 

 the care and labor of his wife. In the report of 

 the committee on butter and cheese to the Hamp- 

 den county agricultural society in 1846, it is said, 

 the value of butter, according to the statistics of 

 the assessors returned to the Secretary of the com- 

 monwealth for the year 1844, was nearly double 

 that of all the sheep then in the State. It also ex- 

 ceeded the aggregate value of wheat, rye, barley, 

 buckwheat and oats raised during the year. 



The dairy, however, important as it is in the la- 

 bors and profits of the farm, is not the only branch 

 of rural economy which requires the care and labor 

 of the wife. Poultry, though smaller in amount, 

 is, in proportion to the expenditure, an object of 

 much profit. And the domestic manufactures, 

 wrought out by the spinning wheel, (for there are 

 some left yet) loom, needle, and other modes and 

 processes of woman's handiwork, are not inconsid- 

 erable. 



All these labors are in addition to the house- 

 keeping cares and duties, which alone are consid- 

 ered by the industrious wives of the city, to be 

 quite sufficient for any woman. 



The farmer's success depends very much on the 

 industry and good management of his wife. It is 

 in the power of the woman, at least, to do a large 

 share in making up the yearly income of the farm, 

 if she is not really quite equal to two men. 



With a few good cows, and a wife who is skilful 

 and careful in the management of the dairy, the 

 farmer always has a safe dependence, even though 

 the drought or depredating insects should some- 

 what diminish his crops. But the farmer's wife 

 must not have too much required of her. Good, 

 dry fuel, and plenty of soft water, should always be 

 conveniently supplied, and all heavy and exposed 

 work be performed by the farmer or his men. 

 Then he will have a cheerful, tidy help-mate, who 

 will bear up her end of the yoke in such an even, 

 easy, and agreeable manner, as to make the domes- 

 tic duties a source of contentment and bliss. 



