538 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



us to the faithful discharge of every duty. It will 

 better educate the children, and diffuse joy through 

 the family circle ; ■will tend to shelter and feed the 

 stock, and increase our regard for it ; it will have 

 an influence to clothe the fields in beauty in their 

 season, and finally act upon our own hearts and make 

 them the happy recipients of a thousand pleasant 

 impressions from the external world. 



Thus, though we say little of the manual labors 

 of this month, December may become to us the most 

 important one of the twelve, fitting and preparing us 

 for the duties of all the rest. 



PROTECT YOUR TENDER PLANTS. 



Great complaint was made last spring that trees, 

 shrubs and valuable plants were injured, or killed 

 outright, by the winter. To prevent a recurrence of 

 such results another spring, we suggest that wherever 

 a plant or vine can be bent over and covered with 

 earth, that it be done. Prune grapes immediate- 

 ly, and do not be afraid of cutting away too much 

 of last summer's growth ; then take them from the 

 trellis, lay them along the ground, and cover three 

 or four inches with earth. All weeds, grass and 

 leaves should be removed from them, as they af- 

 ford a harbor and materials for mice to construct 

 their nests from. Even if a grape is considered 

 hardv, it will be benefited i y this process, as the 

 vine and buds will be plump and juicy in the spring, 

 and will start more vigorously than if desiccated by 

 the wind of three or four cold months. 



Most raspberries, and the cultivated blackberries, 

 will be better if treated in this manner. Take 

 away a spade or two of earth on the side you wish 

 to bend the plant, then lay it over carefully and 

 cover it. Altheas, and other half-hardy shrubbery 

 may be greatly preserved by slightly protecting 

 them with matting or straw. 



To Prevent Bucks from Fighting. — Former 

 ly I annually lost several valuable bucks by fight- 

 ing ; some killed immediately by their necks being 

 broken, and others would become fly-blown, or 

 poisoned by rubbing against stumps which were 

 overgrown with poison vines, and to prevent a lin- 

 gering death, I was compelled to examine them of- 

 ten, and use quite an amount of oil of spike and 

 turpentine. I now cut pieces of harness leather, 

 and cut two holes in the upper side of each piece, 

 and tie to each horn, which will efi'ectually prevent 

 them from fighting ; for they cannot see each oth- 

 er when by their side. The expense is trifling, and 

 will save the lives of many animals, and allow the 

 ov/ner to rest contented that his bucks will not 

 harm each other. I feel induced to make this 

 known, not only to lend a helping hand in the hour 

 of trouble, but to serve as an answer to the many 

 letters of inquiry, written to me in regard to the 

 above trouble. — J. S. Gore, BrownsvUle, Pa,, in 

 Albany Cultivator. 



For the ISew England Farmer. 



MAINE STATE FAIR AT PORTLAND. 



October, 1856. 



Mr. Editor : — By way of diversity, I will give 

 you my impressions, derived from a hasty glance at 

 the objects exhibited, on the second and third 

 days of the Show, — though I do not profess to be 

 an expert in these matters. 



The number of animals of every class was great- 

 er than I have been accustomed to meet at our 

 county shows. The Durhams, and crosses with 

 the Durhams, were more prominent than any oth- 

 er class ; though there were good specimens of the 

 Devons, the Jerseys, the Herefords, and here and 

 there, a Yankee, or native, but not so many of 

 them as I should have liked to have seen. Why is 

 it, that farmers hesitate to bring forward their best 

 specimens of JVew England stock ? Is it because 

 they are ashamed of these animals, without a ped- 

 igree ? Or is it because they will not compare fa- 

 vorably with animals imported, and their offspring? 

 Give the Yankees the same feed and attention as 

 are given to the animals imported, and then you 

 will see whether or not they are worthy to be ex- 

 hibited. 



The show of working cattle was first-rate. I 

 have never seen oxen superior to several pairs here 

 presented. The show of horses was numerous ; 

 some of them of superior order. But I cannot 

 stop to witness their movements, without losing 

 the grander show of the jockies at Boston. It was 

 ill-timed, having both these exhibitions on the 

 same daj s. If I do not mistake, our friends in 

 Maine are in want of a Col. Wilder, to give an ad- 

 vantageous impulse to their exhibitions. I passed 

 through their hall for fruits, and their hall for im- 

 plements, and saw many fine things ; but having 

 no one with me acquainted with their distinguished 

 merits, I failed to appreciate their superiority to ar- 

 ticles of the same kind seen at Boston. 



On Thursday, I learned there was to be a parade 

 of the ladies of Maine on horseback ; and judging 

 of their quality by those I met in the parlors of the 

 city, it must have been an interesting spectacle ; 

 though I must confess, I should prefer meeting the 

 ladies in a less conspicuous position. I cannot 

 view them as an agricultural product ; or some- 

 thing to be tossed about for show only. I forbear 

 to say more — our friend Holmes will tell us about 

 their shows. %* 



October 2oth, 1856. 



English vs. American Girls. — The English 

 girl spends more than one-half of her waking hours 

 in physical amusements, which tend to develop and 

 invigorate and ripen the bodily powers. She rides, 

 walks, drives, rows upon the water, runs, dances, 

 plays, sings, jumps the rope, throws the ball, hurls 

 the quoit, draws'the bow, keeps up the shuttlecock 

 — and all this without having it pressed forever 

 upon her mind that she is thereby wasting her time. 

 She does this every day until it becomes a habit 

 which she will follow up through life. Her frame, 

 as a natural consequence, is larger, her muscular 

 system better developed, her nervous system in bet- 

 ter subordination, her strength more enduring, and 

 the whole tone of her mind healthier. 



