208 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



it settles on the ground, is breathed into the 

 lungs, incorporated into the blood, and if in its 

 concentrated form, as in certain localities near 

 Rome, it causes sickness and death within a few 

 hours. The plagues which devastated Easteru 

 countries in earlier ages, were caused by the con- 

 centrated emanation from marshy localities, or 

 districts of decaying vegetation ; and the com- 

 mon observation of the higher class of people 

 was, that those who occupied the upper stories, 

 not even coming down stairs for market supplies, 

 but drew them up by ropes attached to baskets, 

 had entire immunity from disease, for two rea- 

 sons, the higher the abode, the less compact is 

 the deadly atmosphere ; besides, the higher rooms 

 in a house, in summer, are the warmer ones, and 

 the miasm less concentrated. The lower rooms 

 are colder, making the air more dense. So, by 

 keeping all outer doors and windows closed, es- 

 pecially the lower ones, the building is less cool 

 and comfortable, but it excludes the infectious 

 air, while its warmth sends what enters through 

 the crevices immediately to the ceilings of the 

 rooms where it congregates, and is not breathed ; 

 hence is it that men who entered the bar-room 

 and dining-saloons of the National Hotel, re- 

 maining but a few brief hours, were attacked with 

 the National Hotel disease, while ladies who oc- 

 cupied upper rooms, where constant fires were 

 burning, escaped attack, although remaining in 

 the house for weeks at a time. It was for the 

 same reason that Dr. Rush was accustomed to 

 advise families in the summer time, not being 

 able to leave the city, to cause their younger chil- 

 dren, especially, to spend their time above stairs. 

 We have spent a life-time ourselves in the West 

 and extreme South, and know in our own person, 

 and as to those who had firmness to follow our 

 recommendation, that whole families will escape 

 all the forms of fall fevers who will have bright 

 fires kindled at sunrise and sunset in the family- 

 room. But it is too plain a prescription to se- 

 cure observance in more than one family in one 

 thousand. After the third frost, and until the 

 fall of the next year, it is an important means of 

 health for persons to sleep with an outer door 

 or window partly open, having the bed in such a 

 position as to be protected from a draught of air. 

 We advise that no person should go to work or 

 take exercise in the morning on an empty stom- 

 ach ; but if it is stimulated to action by a cup of 

 eofi'ee, or a crust of bread, or apple, or orange, 

 exercise can be taken, not only with impunity, 

 but to high advantage in all chill and fever local- 

 ities. — Hall's Jownal of Health. 



FLOWSKS FOR KOCK VTORK. 



One of the most interesting sights in a garden, 

 is what is called artificial rock work, where the 

 plants, which we are accustomed to see growing 

 wild in our pasture, are transferred from these 

 localities to the garden, where they are planted 

 around, and into the interstices of rocks. These 

 appendages to the garden are not so common 

 here as in the old country. In England may 

 sometimes be seen a hundred or more varieties 

 of ferns, of different forms and shades, in one 

 rock-work. 



In erecting rock work, it should not be built 

 up to resemble a pile of loose stones, nor regu- 

 lar in its outline ; the rocks must be large and 

 rugged, of rude forms, the spaces between them 

 may be filled in with small stones, and the paths 

 around may be irregular. This ornament to the 

 garden should be placed in a half-shady situa- 

 tion, as most of the plants used require mois- 

 ture and partial shade. A few of those varieties 

 best suited for this purpose are, the Blood Root, 

 Early Anemone, Saxifraga Vernalis, Rock Gera- 

 nium, Partridge Berry, Mitchella or Checker- 

 berry, Linnea Borealis, Blue Houstonia, Epigea, 

 or Ground Laurel, White and Yellow Dalibarda, 

 Wood Anemone, Columbine, and the smaller 

 species of ferns. 



For the New England Farmer. 



EXPERIMENTS IN RAISING OATS AND 

 POTATOES. 



Mr. Editor: — Several of your readers have 

 requested me to inform them of my method of 

 raising the oats and potatoes, recently reported 

 in your paper, through the columns of the Far- 

 mer. 



The potato ground is dry loam, on which I 

 raised corn the previous year. The ground for 

 the corn was prepared as follows : I applied 

 thirty loads of stable manure to the acre, plowed 

 in, and ten loads of hog manure per acre, in the 

 hill. In the fall I planted and harrowed the 

 ground. Last spring I applied twenty loads of 

 stable manure per acre, plowed in, then plowed 

 and harrowed it again. Planted it with Danvers 

 red potatoes ; rows three feet a])art, and the hills 

 eighteen inches apart. Seed small, cut once, and 

 two pieces in a hill. I planted twelve bushels 

 on an acre. The first time hoeing, I plowed 

 between the rows twice, also the cultivator twice. 

 The second time hoeing, I plowed twice between 

 the rows. Raised 505 bushels on one and one- 

 half acres, good size and sound. 



The oats were raised on ten acres green sward 

 and three acres old ground. Soil, dry loam. 

 Plowed in the fall eight inches deep, harrowed 

 thoroughly in the spring before and after sowing, 

 and rolled. When the oats were three inches 

 high, applied 150 pounds of plaster to the acre 

 — no manure. Seed 3^ bushels per acre. Raised 

 725 bushels. William Hanson. 



Barre, VL, Feb. 22, 1859. 



Rem,\RKS. — A good example for us, gentle- 

 men ; 505 bushels of potatoes on li acres of land, 

 and nearly 56 bushels of oats per acre. 



ir^ The article from Mary E. C y, Oeorge 



Hill, N. II., upon the attractions of the "Mas- 

 coma Valley," is written with feeling and poetic 

 imagination, and gives evidence of a highly cul- 

 tivated taste. But as the scenic descriptions have 

 been given before, it is not necessary to publish 

 her article. She ought, however, to cultivate 

 her talent for writing. 



