174 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



man would have in walking over a battle-field, 

 where he saw nothing but waste and destruction. 



In selecting good seed, take the large and fair 

 tubers that have had the full length of our sea- 

 son to grow in, which is always short enough 

 And it is to my mind a self-evident fact, that ripe 

 and mature tubers are better for seed than those 

 half-grown and half-ripe ones, that are common- 

 ly used. Is it strange that potatoes raised under 

 such circumstances, should not discover to the 

 microscopist a "mare's nest ?" I believe, in every 

 thing that has vitality, there can be discovered 

 in its very incipient stage of decay, myriads of 

 insects so small that the microscope only could 

 discover them, for life and mortality are inti- 

 mately blended together. 



Let any man turn to the pages of the New Eng- 

 land Farmer, and he will there find strong argu- 

 ments from strong men that small potatoes are 

 just as good, if not a little better, for propaga- 

 tion, than large ones ; then, carry the analogy 

 through, and banish the whole race of first-class 

 animals, and say that "like does not beget like." 



What would you say of a man, who, in select- 

 ing his seed-corn, while he always throws the 

 small end, the imperfect seed, to his hogs, and 

 saves the remainder, should reverse the practice, 

 and throw the l)est end to the hogs, and save the 

 imperfect to])-eiid for propagation ? How long 

 should we be able to exhibit our nol)lc "King 

 Philip corn ;" would it not soon grow into poor 

 Indian? When I hear men talk of propagating 

 from poor, gr«-en seed, I can"l but think, and 

 with your leave, I will say it, there are more 

 green things in existence, than is good for the 

 progress of agriculture. ALFRED BaVLIES. 



Taunton, Jan., 1859. 



For the New England Farmer. 



MANUKES.-PIja.NTING SQUASH SEEDS— 

 APPLE TKEES— HORSE FLOORS. 



I like to read the discussions relative to ma- 

 nures. My experience in composting is this : 

 Mix enough muck to take up the liquid ; and 

 that under cover in summer, haul out in the fall. 

 During the winter, the frost working amongst it, 

 I think adds one-fourth in value. If more earth 

 is added to the green manure than just enough 

 to take up the liquid, I consider that the time 

 employed is thrown away, for when put on the 

 land it adds nothing to the fertility more than if 

 the manure and muck enough to absorb the 

 liquid is put on. The freezing and thawing pul- 

 verizes, thereby putting it in condition to be ta- 

 ken up by the roots of the plants. If you take 

 green hog manure and plant on it, ten to one 

 the seed will not sprout; but freeze and thaw it a 

 few times so that it is fine, and there will be no 

 trouble about germinating the seeds. The air, 

 also, has a beneficial tendency upon it, penetrat 

 ing and driving out those caustic qualities which 

 are deleterious. 



For most plants, manure ought to be more 

 than one year old, and in a fine state. I find 

 that in those places where old manure is used, 

 when the plants begin to start, they grow more 

 evenly. In planting squash and pumpkin seed, 

 the last seison, those laid down flat in the hills 

 did better than those planted edgewise ; the first 



threw off the skin of the seed without injury ; 

 in the other way, almost every one was injured 

 by retaining the skin upon the leaves. 



Those of my apple trees, where I allowed the 

 limbs to come near the ground, I find stand the 

 cold better, and are not scorched by the sun 

 around the body of the tree. I also notice that 

 the lower limbs hear the largest fruit. 



I have done away with stalls for horses, and I 

 find that pens whei-e a horse can put himself into 

 such a position as he wishes to, are more condu- 

 cive to health. The floors should be perfectly lev- 

 el, and should drain themselves by having her- 

 ring-bone gutters cut in them, as there is noth- 

 ing more fatal to the eyes of the horse than the 

 ammonia generated under them. s. P. 



Cape Elizabeth, Feb., 1859. 



For the Neir England Farmer. 

 PALL TRANSPLANTING. 



Mr. Editor : — I notice in the December nun 

 her cf the Farmer that a correspondent at Ware 

 favors Fall Travcplnnting. It is a fact, that al- 

 most all my asparagus roots which were trans- 

 planted in the fall of 1857 died; and that 50 

 two-year old plants, set out the 27th of las* July 

 in the same bed, grew well. I do not mention 

 this supposing it the l)est time, but to show that 

 they may be transplanted so late, in favorable 

 seasons. 



The fate of the grape vines transplanted by so 

 many different persons, I thought a strong argu- 

 ment against fall transplanting, for prot)ably 

 they were not all careless in setting them out ; 

 and the vines, I think, must have been good, or 

 they would not have kept green so long. I saw 

 all the vines ; the roots had a great many small 

 branches to them. It appears to me reasonable 

 to suppose they would recover from the wounds, 

 and start better in ihf spring, when the ground 

 is getting warm and the ])lants waking up their 

 energies for the season's growth. I had the list 

 convenient, and have just been to the people who 

 bought the vines ; and I send you a copy show- 

 ing their replies in answer to the question, "Did 

 their Hartford Prolific Grape-vine live?" 



LIST OF VINES AND RESULTS. 



No. of Vines. Iic/>/ie.i. 



No. 1 I . . . .Started late and grew a little. 



" 2 2.... Due leaved out a little very tkte, and the other 



did not start, but the vinf is still green. 



No. 3. ...1 Did not start, but stem is green. 



" 4.... 1.... Died. 



" 5 1.... Started towards fall and ?rew a little. 



" 6 2. . . .One died and the other started late and grew 



about two inches. 



" 7....1 Died. 



" 8.... 1.... Died. 



" 9 1 Died. 



" 10.... 1.... Died. 



" 11 1 Died. (Mr. Chapin bought also one from same 



nursery, this last spring, which started well 



and made a fine growth.) 



" 12.... 2 Ore died, the other grew moderately well. 



" 13 1 Died. 



" 14 1 Died. 



" 15 2 Both died. 



" 16 l....Died. 



" 17 1 Died. 



" 18.... 2.... Both started late and grew feebly. 



" 19 1 Died. 



" 20.... 1.... Died. 



" 21 2 Both died. 



" 22 1 Started and did pretty well. 



Worcester Co., Dec, 1858. O. 



