NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



bad been sent at $15 a thousand, instead of a larger 

 kind for which I had ah-eady paid him at $20 a thou- 

 sand. But Mr. S. was gone, and I saw no remedy 

 but to set them, although the largest — as large as 

 his finger, Mr. S. said — would ha^-e been several 

 years in advance of them. 



I wrote to !Mr. S. at Flushing ; and among the 

 rest — still supposing it was all one firm — to Messrs. 

 Parsons & Co. The latter said they had nothing 

 to do with Mr. S., except to sell him largely; 

 though they incidentally told me they never kept 

 any such large buckthorn as Mr. S. had mentioned, 

 and also, that they had forbidden him to use their 

 name in the manner he did. Of Mr. S., I never 

 obtained anything but promises, and of late a few 

 reproaches and insults. 



Such information as this statement involves,would 

 have done me good a year ago ; and this suggests 

 the notion for suggesting a caution to others. For 

 myself I have learned to sufi'er and to endure what 

 cannot be cured ; but I woyld save others, if I 

 could, from suffering. Nearly every neighbor who 

 has dealt with INIr. S. complains about him; but I 

 have seen no one who expects he Tsill show himself 

 again in this village. W. A. Alcott. 



Auhurndale, Mass., Aug. 9, 1856. 



weather fine, not so hot as last week ; two days the 

 thermometer stood 104°, between two and four 

 o'clock, in the shade ; and 160*^ in the sun. Yield 

 of grain will be very good — hay crop short. Gar- 

 dens doing Vt'ell ; country quiet, and people univer- 

 sally supporting the action of the Vigilance {Com- 

 mittee of San Francisco." — California Farmer. 



SOKG OF THE PEASANT WIFE. 



BY THE HON. MRS. NORTON. 



Come, Patrick, clear up the storms on your brow ; 

 You were kind to me once — will you frown on me now — 

 Shall the storm settle here when from heaven it departs. 

 And the cold from without find its way to our hearts .' 

 No, Patrick, no ! sure the wintriest weather 

 [s easily borne when we bear it together. 



Though the rain's dropping through, from the roof to the floor. 

 And the wind whistles free where there once was a door, 

 Can the rain, or the sn">w, or the storm, wash away 

 All the warm vows we made in our love's early day .' 

 No, Patrick, no ! sure the dark stormy weather 

 Is easily borne if we bear it together. 



When you stole out to woo me when labor was done, 



And the day that was closing to us seemed begun. 



Did we care if the sunset was bright on the flowers. 



Or if we crept out amid darkness and showers .' 



No, Patrick, no '. we talked, while we braved the wild weather, 



Of all we could bear, if we bore it together. 



Soon, soon, will these dark dreary days be gone by. 



And our hearts be lit up with a beam from the sky ! 



O, let not our spirits, embittered with pain. 



Be dead to the sunshine that come to us then ! 



Heart in heart, hand in hand, let us welcome the weather. 



And sunshine or storm, we will bear it together. 



Grain Prospects. — Along the Sacramento Val 

 ley, even high up, we have very favorable reports 

 of the crops — better, much better, than was antici- 

 pated, appear the crops, to all who write us. From 

 accounts around Shaster, very favorable news comes 

 to us of the prospect. The Sonora Herald gives a 

 glowing account of the prospects for grain. Our 

 correspondents from the lower coast, from Los An- 

 gelos and \icinity, give us very flattering accounts 

 the crops never looked better, and they will be 

 heavier than last year. Similar news comes from 

 all quarters. 



A correspondent from high up the American, 

 writes thus : — "The gi-ain is coming down in every 

 direction. Cradlers and reapers are at work — 



For the New England Farmer. 



BOG MEADOWS. 



BY HENRY F. FRENCH. 



Manchester, JV. H., July 24, 1856. 



Mr. French : — Dear Sir, — Having heard that 

 you have had some experience in reclaiming mead- 

 ow or bog from its natural state, and fitting it for 

 the production of English grass, I write a few lines 

 to obtain information. My father has, in Auburn, 

 a meadow which can be easily drained, and as I 

 have considerable faith that such pieces of lands 

 may be made valuable if properly — that is scientifi- 

 cally — managed, I am anxious that he should take 

 it in hand. The mud is from twelve to thirty 

 inches deep. Now, after draining, how shall it be 

 treated ? ^yould it be beneficial to draw on and 

 mix with it high land of a sandy or gravelly char- 

 acter ? What is the greatest distance that ditches 

 should be apart, and drain it effectually ? Is a much 

 greater depth of mud than can be cultivated neces- 

 sary ? If you think the breaking in of such a piece 

 of land will pay, and M'ill answer my questions, giving 

 such suggestions as your experience may dictate, 

 or refer me to any account that you may have 

 published of your work, you will confer a favor. 

 Respectfullv yours, Benj. Cn.4SE, Jr. 



H. F. French, Esq., Exeter, JV. H. 



I thought, on reading the foregoing letter from 

 Mr. Chase, that I could readily refer him to divers 

 articles of my own, on the subject of reclaiming 

 Bog Meadows, but have not been able to find even 

 one. In volume sixth of the JV. E. Farmer, page 

 77, is an accurate account of the expenditures and 

 receipts on such an experiment, which shows a 

 pretty satisfactory result, and in vol. 3, page 365, 

 is an article on under-draining, which gives my no 

 tions on that subject. 



I have reclaimed several meadows, and have ne- 

 ver yet attacked one that was not worth the exper- 

 iment. I have heard of swamps that would not 

 produce good crops, after being well drained, but I 

 never saw, and never expect to see one in NewHamp- 

 shire. Everybody knows, or may know, on slight 

 reflection, that the richest part of the soil on the 

 hills is constantly working into the low places. 

 This process has gone on for thousands of years, 

 and I know of no compensating process, which re- 

 turns again this rich deposit to the hills. 



These low places, these swamps, are then the ve- 

 ry store-houses of Nature, for her treasures of fer- 

 tility. So theory teaches, and experience verifies 

 the theory. By the same law of gravitation, the 

 water as well as the soil, is left in those valleys, and 

 so we usually find them too wet for our cultivated 



