1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



359 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A SIMPLE PLOWMAN. 



Mr. Editor : — I noticed in a late number of 

 the JV. E.'Farmer a diagram and description of 

 a "New Plowman," to take the place of one of the 

 sons of the Emerald Isle, which I have no doubt 

 •will do the work full as well as he. But it is a 

 privilege which the Yankee farmer highly prizes 

 to purchase that which is simple and cheap, rath- 

 er than that which is more complicated and ex- 

 pensive, provided it will do as good, or better 

 ■work. Hence, I propose to give you a descrip- 

 tion of an implement designed for the same pur- 

 pose, which the farmers in this vicinity have been 

 using for some years past. It is manufactured, 

 and I suppose was invented, by H. Strickland, 

 Esq., a plow manufacturer, at Bradford, Vt. 



It is simply a wheel, fixed to a cast-iron bow, 

 similar in shape to those commonly used for 

 holding plow-wheels, which is fastened to the 

 land-side of the plow by bolts. There is a mor- 

 tice through one end of the bow, so that the 

 ■wheel can be raised or lowered at pleasure. On 

 land that is comfortably even and free from stones 

 this wheel will hold the plow more even and 

 steady than most men. 



In order that a machine of this kind should 

 work perfectly, it is necessary that the surface of 

 the ground where the wheel and plow runs should 

 correspond ; for if the wheel drops into a hollow, 

 it will run the plow off; or if it rises over a knoll, 

 it will run it to land. Hence, I should think this 

 ■wheel would work better than the Plowman, in- 

 asmuch as the ground would be more likely to 

 correspond at a distance of only three or four 

 inches from the furrow than it would as many 

 feet from it. The description of the Plowman 

 does not give the length of the triangle, but by 

 the diagram it appears to be as long as the dis- 

 tance from the colter to the end of the beam, 

 which must be nearly three feet, which I should 

 think would not only render it useless, but some- 

 what troublesome, when the land was nearly fin- 

 ished, and when plowing back furrows near a 

 fence. s. 



Faiiiee, Vt., June 7, 1859. 



tered in every section of the district, within the 

 limits of the Society ? These hints are thrown 

 out, if possible, to bring forth a more equitable 

 and less exceptionable distribution of this bounty, 

 which is admitted to be quite liberal. p. 



June 10, 1859. 



Remarks. — Glad attention is called to the sub- 

 ject. We do not think, however, that the pre- 

 miums are awarded in the town where the show 

 is held, by any management of "those who regu- 

 late the Shows," but because, it being convenient, 

 so many more persons contend for the premiums 

 when the show is to be in their own town. We 

 believe the records of every society in the State 

 will show that a considerable portion of all the 

 premiums are awarded to the people of the town 

 where the exhibition takes place, or to persona 

 from towns in its immediate neighborhood. 



Tot the New England Farmer. 

 STATE BOUNTY. 



Mr. Editor: — In the tabular statement of 

 premiums awarded from the funds given by the 

 State for the encouragement of agriculture, it 

 appears that nearly half the whole amount is 

 paid and distributed in the towns in which the 

 shows are holden. This will do in those coun- 

 ties where there is a rotary plan of exhibitions, 

 but in those where the exhibitions year after year 

 are stationary in the same place, it seems to he a 

 limited and partial use of the bounty of the State. 

 Without doubt, the purpose in giving it is, that 

 the benefit shall be generally diffused through the 

 ■whole community ; and not that a few individuals, 

 who regulate the shows, should so manage the 

 same, as to pocket near all the bounties. 



Would not this difficulty be in a measure cor- 

 rected by awarding more for farm management, 

 or experiments in culture, instead of animals ex- 

 hibited ? or might it not be done by having com- 

 mittees to examine such claims, as may be en- 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE WEATHER OF THE SPRING 



MONTHS, 1859. 



Marcli came in nvther roughly, with disagreea- 

 ble winds and low sunrise temperatures, but af- 

 ter the first few days the weather was uniformly 

 mild, and the whole month much resembled what 

 April usually is. The frost left the ground very 

 early ; the snow disappeared on the plains during 

 the first ten days, and from the mountains before 

 the close of the month, and by the 2Uth, the 

 roads were quite dry. The ponds were early 

 cleared of ice, and on the 22d, the frogs croaked 

 merrily. Many of the early spring birds came in 

 the fore part of the month, the blue birds arriv- 

 ing on the 6th, and large flocks of wild geese 

 passed over on the 10th and 11th, and other flocks 

 followed on the loth and 25th. The thermome- 

 ter frequently indicated 50° in the shade, and 

 there was Gjery indication of a very forward sea- 

 son. The last week of the month was very fine, 

 though there was Remarkably strong north-west 

 wind during the last twenty-four hours. 



But the most remarkable feature of the month 

 was the large number of heavy rain storms, and 

 consequent heavy floods. The highest water in the 

 Connecticut was on Sunday, the 20th, when the 

 river at Springfield was twenty and one-half feet 

 above low water mark, and at Hartford twenty- 

 six feet above, while the water was thirteen feet 

 jdeep on the Holyoke dam. Many of the bridges 

 over the Connecticut and its tributaries were car- 

 ried away, and a large amount of other serious 

 damage done, the flood ranking in hight as the 

 I fourth of the century, falling but two inches be- 

 low that of 1845, a foot below that of 1801, and 

 two feet one inch below the great flood of 1854, 

 the highest ever known on the Connecticut. 



April followed, with the first week cold and 

 rough, there being out of the first nine days eight 

 of strong north-west wind. About the middle of 

 the month, there were several cold rain storms ; 

 while it rained here, snow falling on the moun- 

 tains and at the north ; but generally the weath- 

 er was very even, and marked by no severe 

 extremes. The latter part of the month was uni- 

 formly mild, and generally fine ; and at the close 



