"16 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



Monday evening's meeting would be, "TJie culti- 

 vation and management of Hay." Hon. John 

 W. Proctor, of Danvers, is expected to preside. 

 The meeting then adjourned at a quarter past 9 

 o'clock. 



For Vie Neic England Farmer. 

 KEVIBW OP THE SEASON. 



In No. 1 of the current volume of the Farmer 

 is a "Review of the Season," by D. Buckland, in 

 ■which he suggests the utility of similar statistics 

 from other parts of the country. Believing such 

 information may be serviceable to some, and in- 

 teresting to many, I now respond to the call by 

 extracting from my daily register. 



We are situated in latitude 44° N., and near- 

 ly on the meridian of Washington. I keep my 

 thermometer in the shade at the north side of 

 the house, both summer and winter. 



The 4th month was dry and warm. Plows 

 were started as early as the 7th. The 12th, 

 grass and grain looked quite green. I found 

 several varieties of wild flowers in the woods the 

 18th. A heavy thunder shower on the morning 



contact with it. Mean temperature of the month, 

 68.77"^ or 1.64° above that of same month of the 

 previous year. Max. height of mercury, SS*^ the 

 11th; min.,44° the 23d. An abundance of rain 

 fell in the last five days of the month, doing 

 considerable damage to crops on flat land. 



The temperature of the 9th month was about 

 the same as in the last two or three years. The 

 mean for the month being 61.14°. ^lax. height 

 of mercury, 85° ; min., 32°. Rain fell in only 9 

 days, yet in large quantities, and the ground was 

 very wet. First general frost the 23d. 



Potato crop pretty good, though on clayey 

 soil they rot badly ; not much diseased on sandy 

 land. Corn about an average, — some pieces very 

 good. Fruit almost an entire failure. Buck- 

 wheat somewhat damaged by frost. 



L. Yarney. 



Bloomfield, Prince Edioard Co., C. W, \ 



For the New Enffland Farmer. 



WHAT IS THE BEST SEASON" FOB PBUN- 

 INQ OUR FKUIT TBEES ? 



This question is constantly asked ; our agri- 

 cultural papers have articles weekly on this sub- 



of the 30th. Mean temperature 43.53°, which is,. ^^_ The conflicting opinions which are there 



id •' . . o. 1 . 



8.18° above the mean of that month of 1857, ant 

 2.47° above the mean of Toronto for eighteen 



given, we apprehend are in consequence of a 

 want of knowledge of the nature of the circula- 

 tion of sap, as well as in the office of leaves. 

 Nature teaches us in this matter in the grape 

 vine ; we all know^, that if the lateral shoots of 

 the vine are cut or injured in early spring before 



years. 



The first half of the 5th month was dry, but a 

 plenty of rain fell the last half. The wind blew 

 from some easterly point, 17 days. Mean tem- 



P'?^,"elo'?-l^"\u^i'Vi Q"" -'^'^o^-^t'^at of 1857 ^^^ , ,^„sion of the leaves, it willbleed Tbut few 

 and 4.bb° below thatof 18o^. Maximum height | ^^^^ ^^ ,^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ contrarv, if we will 

 of mercury, <4°, minimum, 32 . Cherry and 

 pear trees in bloom the 28th. Early apple trees 

 began to bloom the last of the month. 



6th month. The first half was cool and very 

 wet ; but little rain after the 13th, and we had 

 some extremly hot weather. Mean temperature 

 69°, — 8° above the mean of the same month of 

 1857, and 7° above that of 1855. It was also 

 8.16° above the mean at Toronto for 18 years. 

 .\pple trees in full bloom the 3d, but some trees 

 near the Lake were white as late as the 16th. A 

 fair quantity of blossoms, enough to produce a 

 good crop, if a good proportion had matured. 

 Max. height of mercury, 90° the 28th. Min. 45° 

 the 1st. Mean of first 12 days, 67° ; mean of 

 last 12 days, 83i°. 



7th month. First ten days, hot and dry. Rain 

 fell in ten days of the month, but the season for 

 harvesting hay and grain was pretty good. Hay 

 ci'op about an average. AYheat much damaged 

 by weevils and rust. Many fields were not har- 

 vested. Mean temperature 70°, — 2.13° below 

 that of 1857. Max. height of mercury, 87°, — 

 Min., 48°. Warmest day the 10th,— coldest the 

 12th. Diff'erence in the mean of the two days, 

 23i°. 



The first half of the 8th month was very hot 

 and dry. In the evening of the 18th, a sudden 

 change in temperature occurred. Between 6 and 

 9 o'clock the mercury fell 17° ; a further depres- 

 sion of 7° in the night made 24"^ in eleven hours. 

 Overcoats and fires were comfortable several 

 days, l)ut fortunately no frost was seen in this 

 region, — the earth having absorbed an extra 

 amount of heat in the previous hot weather, had 

 a surplus to impart to the cold air which came in 



but wait until these leaves are fully developed, 

 this will not to any extent occur, for the leaves 

 which are analogous to the lungs in animals, by a 

 beautiful economy take up the sap ; hence prun- 

 ing should not be done before this period ; the 

 trees then are in their most vigorous growth, and 

 the wounds will heal over better at this season. 

 It is amusing to hear the diff'erent testimony of 

 farmers on this matter of pruning — thus, a writ- 

 er from North Danvers says: "I have never 

 known an apple tree that was pruned in March 

 or April to bleed." While another, writing from 

 Marshfield, thus speaks — "In pruning in April 

 or May, I have found it impossible, in some in- 

 stances, to prevent the wounds then made from 

 flowing sap — it would burst off' paint, shellac, 

 and everything I could apply. I have known it 

 to continue to flow for two, or even more years." 

 The latter is the most astonishing to us, if true. 



J. M. I. 



For the Neio England Farmer. 

 COBN CDTjTTJHE. 



How more than one hundred bushels of Indian corn 

 was raised to the acre, in the State of Maine — the north- 

 ernmost of all the States of the Union. 



Mr. Willard, of Wilton, Franklin county. Me., 

 says that in 1853, he grew fiftj-five bushels, eight 

 quarts, on half an acre, of merchantable shelled 

 corn, fit" for use. It was done after this manner; 

 a piece of gravelly loam was selected, and finely 

 plowed ten inches deep, and manured with six 

 cords of stable manure, in best condition for use, 

 one-half of -which was spread and covered by the 

 plow; the other half wis placed in the hill. 



