1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



405 



on clover crops, and to constitute an important 

 part of the food of all grasses. 



The following experiment by an English farm- 

 er, may shed some light on the subject : The 

 round selected contained three perches of clo- 

 ver ; the first had no manure, and produced thir- 

 ty-eight pounds when cut in full head ; the sec- 

 ond, where four quarts of sifted coal ashes, which 

 uad not been exposed to the weather, were ap- 

 plied, the produce was fifty pounds ; on the third 

 perch, one quart of plaster was sown, and the 

 crop weighed fifty-four pounds. It will be seen 

 that the ashes increased the clover nearly one- 

 quarter above that on which no manure was ap- 

 plied, which goes to prove that this substance is 

 a valuable fertilizer. Coal is said to be of vege- 

 table origin ; therefore, we can see no reason why 

 its ashes should not contain the food of plants. 

 Experiments on various soils and crops might 

 be made by any farmer at a small expense, as 

 coal is employed as fuel in nearly every town. 



THE GAKDBN AND THE PORK 

 BAKREIj. 



A notable housewife, who presides over the 

 culinary department of her household with "dig- 

 nity and grace," as well as with remarkable skill 

 and prudence, said to us the other day, "Why, we 

 get half our living from the garden and the pork 

 barrel for four or five of the summer and autumn 

 months." We had been speaking of the advan- 

 tages to be found in a good garden, not only 

 from the edibles themselves, but from its associ- 

 ations, and the pleasant remembrances which 

 even a good kitchen garden leaves upon the 

 mind. 



"Half our living," — and the family was a large 

 ne. So she enumerated some of the excellent 

 linners which she is enabled to prepare from the 

 good things grown in the garden, when seasoned 

 with a piece of corn-fed pork cured in the New 

 England manner. What a variety of vegetables 

 may be had, beginning with the asparagus, and 

 then the new potatoes in the last of June, fol- 

 lowed by the peas, beans, squashes, turnips, cab- 

 bages, beets, onions, carrots, egg plants, pars- 

 nips, green corn, cucumbers, &c., Szc. Why, the 

 mouth of an epicure might water at the recital of 

 such an array of good things. ])epend upon it, 

 brother farmers, there is nothing that spends so 

 profitably, so economically — and at the same 

 time that gives so much sound health and strength 

 in the family, as a barrel of good sweet pork, and 

 plenty of tender and succulent garden vegetables. 



Braiding Straw. — At the meeting of the 

 Rhode Island Historical Society, last week, it 

 was stated that the braiding of straw in this coun- 

 try was first bagun in Providence, in 1798, by 

 Mrs. Betsey Baker, daughter of the late Joel 

 Metcalf, and now residing in Dedham, Mass. The 

 first bonnet she made was of seven straws, with 

 bobbin let in like open-work, and lined with pink 

 satin. — Scientific American. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



YEARLINGS AND TWO-YEAR OLDS — WILD GRASS 

 IN MEADOWS. 



1. When do yearlings change into two-year 

 olds — and two-year olds to three, in the Boston 

 cattle market? The reason I inquire is, I never 

 notice any change in the prices in the spring of 

 the year. For instance, — two-year olds have 

 been quoted from $22 to $26, since last fall. 

 Now if cattle that were two years old last spring 

 are worth from $22 to $2(5, we farmers want to 

 know it, for the drovers will not pay us over $14 

 to $16. 



When is the proper time for cutting wild or 

 meadow grass ? Will it kill it out to cut it early ? 

 What little experience I have had, tells me it 

 will, although I have never heard the matter dis- 

 cussed in this part of the country. While trav- 

 elling in the West a few years since, I often 

 heard the remark, "that it kills out our low 

 marsh grass to cut it early, or before the seed is 

 ripe." We all know very well, that the hay 

 made from such grass is much better if cut early 

 — but there are two sides to the question. 



Remarks. — 1. Yearlings remain yearlings un- 

 til they are two years old, and two year olds re- 

 main so until they are three. We believe this 

 is generally understood by cattle dealers, as we 

 have stated it above. 



2. The proper time to cut grass, in order to 

 secure the best hay from it, is generally sup- 

 posed to be when the head is in full blossom ; 

 but if the crop is cut at that period continuously 

 for several years, many kinds of grass will cer- 

 tainly run out. Our opinion of the matter is 

 much like yours. In order to obviate the diffi- 

 culty, would it not be well to cut most of the 

 grass when in blossom, leaving a portion to go 

 to seed, to be cut, threshed, and the seed scat- 

 tered over the whole meadow at a proper time ? 

 In this way you would be likely to secure both 

 objects — get good hay and re-seed the land. 



beans for stock. 



I have some four or five bushels of beans three 

 or four years old, and no sheep to feed them to. 

 Will it pay to have them ground for my pig or 

 cow, and how much should I feed at a time ? 



Forestdule, Vt., 1859. a. e. c. 



Remarks." — Certainly it will, and pay we' 

 Feed them to either about as you would corn 

 meal. They have about the same amount of nu- 

 tritive matter that rye has. They are used in 

 large quantities in England for other stock than 

 sheep — for horses, especially. 



"CAUGHT A tartar." 



A correspondent from Media, Delaware Coun- 

 ty, Pa., writes us some strange incidents in the 

 conduct of game fowls at that place, kept in the 

 game chickery of Dr. J. W. Cooper, author of a 

 new work on game fowls. A few days ago, while 

 a little boy attached to the family was passing 



