182 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



fodder growing on one acre of land where the 

 corn ■will yield 50 bushels per acre is worth one 

 ton of good hay, we gain some $12 or more in 

 harvesting of one acre of good corn, over that of 

 cutting the stalks. I know not Avhy a dollar's 

 ■worth of hay or corn fodder is not as good as a 

 dollar's worth of corn. 



All grains are better to be harvested while the 

 sap is in the straw or stalk, and I know of no 

 one in this section of country that questions this 

 theory, millers not excepted ; it is much more 

 delicious and rich, and makes the best bread. I 

 have experimented some few times by letting six 

 rows stand, for the purpose of seeing the differ- 

 ence, in hopes that it would dry off best by stand- 

 ing uncut on the hill, while the rest of the field 

 was cut and bound, and well set up, and in each 

 and every time, that left standing was not as 

 good, was not so yellow, and had much more poor 

 corn, and the fodder the same as lost, hardly 

 worth cutting up at all. In cutting up corn, care 

 should be taken to see that the butts are laid 

 down, so that the bundles will set up well. Bind 

 of the size to have six bundles make one bushel 

 of ears when husked ; set six in a stack, two 

 abreast and one at each end, tie the tops togeth- 

 er, and they will cure well In this way, 1 har- 

 vested my corn this last fall, and it is most boun- 

 tiful, not one-fourth of a bushel but what is fit to 

 grind for family use, and now weighs 64 lbs. to the 

 bushel. My stock eat the fodder as well as they 

 do good hay. I saw one old gentleman last Sep- 

 tember cutting his stalks. I inquired of him why 

 he cut off the tops instead of cutting up at the 

 roots ? He said he was hroiiglit up so. 



Boxhury, Vt., Feb., 1859. A. L. Brigilvm. 



For the New Eniiland Farmer. 

 POTATOES FROM SEED. 



M'R. Editor : — Seeing a piece in the Farmer 

 foi January 15th, from "S. S.," on raising pota- 

 toes from the seed, I thought I would send you 

 my experience in that line, as it has been more 

 satisfactory than his. In the year 1855, I found 

 some very nice looking balls on the tops of a va- 

 riety known here as the "Late Early Blue." I 

 saved a few of them and planted the seed the 

 season following, and two or three weeks after, 

 the plants made their appearance, and grew very 

 slowly all the season. I obtained enough pota- 

 toes from them to plant three hills, last year, 

 (they were about the size of hazel nuts,) from 

 ■which I got enough to plant thirty hills this year. 

 These were about the size of walnuts. 



Those produced this season "were most of them 

 large enough to cook. I have cooked some of 

 them several times, and they are very nice, fine 

 grained, sweet, but not mealy; which I suppose 

 is owing to thtir not having come to maturity 

 yet, as it takes about seven years for that, I am 

 told. They seem to be no particular kind, but 

 possibly the qualities of various kinds. Most of 

 them are long, with very deep eyes. Some of 

 them are black, and some like the Early Blue ; 

 others look like the Early Blue in color ; others 

 are yellow. There were various kinds growing 

 near those from which I took the seed. I have 

 found none of them afi'ected by the rot. 

 Yours for improvement, 



Keene, JV. IL, 1858. A. H. Kingman. 



KIDDER'S GUIDE TO APIARIAN 

 SCIENCE. 



This is another new work upon the Culture of 

 Bees, by Mr. K. P. Kidder, of Burlington, Vt., 

 containing 175 pages, and illustrated with sever- 

 al engravings. In the cursory examination that 



we have been able to give it, we find nothing re- 

 markably new. But the directions for hive-ma- 

 king, for swarming, tending, &c., seem to be use- 

 ful and clear. We have no doubt the book will 

 be a useful one to the bee-keeper. Mr. K. is un- 

 questionably devoted to his calling, and deter- 

 mined to understand it. The little cut we have 

 introduced, illustrates a page ot his pamphlet cir- 

 cular. His book is for sale at the bookstores in 

 Boston. Price 50 cents. 



PERHAPS WITTY, BUT NOT TRUE. 



"Agricultural editors and professors, in the en- 

 joyment of salaries, are almost the only men who 

 think farming profitable." 



The above is quoted from an essay published 

 in the Transactions of one the County Agricultu- 

 ral Societies of Massachusetts. It is as discred- 

 itable to the taste of the writer, as it is without 

 foundation in fact. The profits to be derived 

 from any industrial pursuit, depend in a great 

 degree upon the energy and good management 

 of those engaged in it. That farming is an ex- 

 ception to the universal rule in all other business 

 — that it can be made remunerative without the 

 care, economy and skill requisite elsewhere, no 

 one pretends. We have yet to learn an instance, 

 moreover, when it has been thus properly carried 

 on for a course of years, in which an ample and 

 generous reward has not been returned for all 

 the labor and expense best-nved. And what but 

 farming has transformed the whole face of this 

 broad land from a wilderness to fruitful fields ? 

 What, if not farming, has fed, and clothed, and 

 schooled the masses of our people, — constructed 

 our academies, colleges, churches, and public 

 buildings, — yes, and built up the greatness of 



