302 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



eral a portion of the State bounty, that the talents 

 of agricultural writers shall be called into requi- 

 sition, and the intellectual activity of the farmers 

 be quickened. This will do more to make farm- 

 ing an intellectual pursuit, and to make farmers 

 respect their vocation, than any thing else, and is 

 the thing that is especially wanting at the pres- 

 ent day. Mere excitement, got up by the exhibi- 

 tion of fast horses and balloons, will do nothing 

 to promote the cause of agriculture, but will 

 rather divert attention from that sober and care- 

 ful thought and observation, that are necessary 

 to success, and serve to convert our agricultural^ 

 exhibitions into mere puppet shows and vanity, 

 fairs. If such things must be done, let them have 

 a day exclusively appropriated to them, and let 

 them have no connection with the Farmers' Hoi-! 

 idays. 



One thing we would earnestly press upon eachj 

 county society in the State; that is, that they ap- 

 propriate a reasonable amount of their funds to 

 carry through a series of meetings next winter, 

 open to all persons, where discussions and lee- 1 

 tares shall be continued through the afternoon] 

 and evening. Let them be conducted systemat-| 

 ically, tlie subjects to be discussed selected with 

 care, and proper notice of each meeting be given 

 at least ten days in advance. We do not believe 

 it possible for any one of the County Societies 

 to expend one hundred dollars to so much ad- 

 vantage in any other way. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BEB CRITICISM EXPLAINED. 



Mr. Editor : — There was an article published 

 in your paper some two weeks since, under the 

 head of Bee Criticism, where Mr. Quinby has 

 accused me of having a plate in my Circular like 

 one of Mr. Langstroth's. I beg to inform him 

 that he is in error. In respect to the propor- 

 tions of the bees, I suppose Mr. Q. is aware that 

 the bodies of the bees are not always of the 

 same uniform size ; but their heads always are. 

 I suppose he is also aware that a family of bees 

 is not complete without the presence of the drone, 

 as there are three kinds of bees that constitute 

 a colony. As he remarks that he has never wit- 

 nessed bees as represented in that cut, perhaps 

 he does not use an observatory glass hive, where- 

 in those wonderful sights are often seen by the 

 watchful eye of the bee-master. 



Burlington, Tt. K. P. Kidder. 



Northern and Southern Fish. — Dr. Ges- 

 ner, of Brooklyn, in his recent address before 

 the American Geographical Society, says : — 



"The fish of the North differed very much in 

 appearance from those of the South, as all the 

 southern and tropical fish were highly colored, 

 like the colors of the flying dolphin. They 

 seemed to be analogous to the birds of the South, 

 whilst all our northern fish are of a dark color, 

 and yet their flesh is more solid and healthy." 



SOILING OP CATTLE. 

 In another column we have spoken of a work 

 upon this subject, which will be of more interest 

 in connection with the following extract from the 

 work itself. We regret that we have not the 

 means of laying the contents of the whole book 

 — sixty-four pages — before the reader. Mr. Quin- 

 cy says : — 



My practice, and the result of the past year, 

 were the following : — 



My stock, consisting at an average of twenty 

 cows, were kept in their stalls through the whole 

 year. The practice was to feed them about six 

 times in the day, and to permit them to range in 

 a yard, about eighty feet square, two hours in the 

 forenoon, and two in the afternoon. They were 

 kept well littered and well curried. While they 

 were out of the stable, the attendant took that 

 opportunity to clean the stalls, and to supply 

 fresh litter. During winter, they were fed, as ia 

 usual, with salt and fresh hay and vegetables. 

 From June to November, inclusive, may be con- 

 sidered, strictly speaking, the soiling season ; by 

 which is understood that in which they are fed 

 with green food in the house. As this is the crit- 

 ical period, I shall be minute in the accounts of 

 my preparations ;.,nd proceedings. 



In the autumn preceding, I had caused rye to 

 be sown upon an inverted sward, very thick, on 

 abQUt three acres. Early in April, 1 prepared 

 and sowed, in manner as shall be stated after- 

 wards, about three acres and one-quarter of land 

 with Indian corn in drills. I also soM-ed about 

 three acres of oats and buckwheat, broadcast, at 

 the rate of three bushels to the acre, about the 

 latter end of the month. The whole quantity 

 of land I thus prepared to be used in soiling, in 

 aid of my grass, did but little exceed nine acres. 

 Of these, that which I sowed with rye turned out 

 so poorly, that I never soiled from it more than 

 five days; so that, in fact, the land thus prepaved 

 did, in efficiency, but little exceed six acres. 



About the Ist of June, cattle, in general, were, 

 this season, turned out to pf.sture. On the SOth 

 of May, my farmer began to out the sides of the 

 road leading to my house frc^": the highway and 

 orchard. He continued to soil from this, and 

 from grass growing in my orchard, until the 7lb. 

 On this day he abandoned cutting the grass for 

 soiling, and began to cut from the winter rye. 

 This was found too tough, and it was quitted ; 

 and my farmer returned to soiling upon grass. 

 Having cut over all the refuse of my grass by 

 the 24th of June, he then went into the poorest 

 of my mowing land, and afterwards into my clo- 

 ver. From this he continued to soil until the 

 6th of July. By this time he had gone over not 

 much short of three acres of mowing land. On 

 the 6th of July, he began to soil from my oats. 

 He continued "to soil from these until the 21st of 

 July. On the 21st of July, he began to soil on In- 

 dian corn ; on which he continued until the 2Gth, 

 when he began to cut about two acres of late and 

 light barley. On this he continued until the 30th 

 of July ; when he recommenced soiling on corn- 

 fodder, and continued upon it until the 31st day 

 of August. On this day began to cut over the 

 roadsides, which had been first cut early in June. 

 This was continued only to the 2d of September; 



