1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



401 



feeds and fattens in the -winter at the mouth of 

 the stream — ascends in the spring to deposit its 

 spawn — and descends to die at the bottom of the 

 ocean. This fact accounts for the uniformity in 

 the size of the fish. A Connecticut River shad 

 seldom goes beyond seven pounds, and the varia- 

 tion in size is comparatively slight. The bass, on 

 the other hand, which is known to live many 

 years, varies from half a pound in weight to fifty, 

 even in our own river. It has a longer time to 

 grow, and shows a much greater diversity of size, j 

 These considerations have lately led to the con- 

 clusion that one year only was the duration of a 

 shad's life. What was only a matter of conjec- 

 ture and inference has been lately proved by the 

 artificial fish-breeders. Somewhere in the State 

 of New York, one of these raisers of fish from 

 spasvn which he fed in early life with crumbled 

 crackers strewn upon the pond where they were 

 kept, has proved their short hold on existence. 

 He raised them for the purpose of supplying 

 the very large fish he had in his tanks and 

 ponds with food. As this science of breeding fish 

 is known more, the habits of the diflferent species 

 will be more easily described. — Hartford Courant. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 STUMP-FOOT CABBAGES. 



The remedy given in reply to "Albertus," "for 

 stump-footed cabbages," does not agree with my 

 experience. I raise my own seed, not only for 

 myself, but for others, and from the most perfect 

 heads of the kinds called "Early York," "Low 

 Dutch," "Drum Head," "American l^remium"! 

 and "Savoy," and from the seed thus raised, more 

 than one-half of my cabbages have proved stump- 

 footed, whilst others growing side by side formed 

 good heads. One of my near neighbors who 

 sowed the same seed, raised several hundred, 

 and not one stump-footed. I have found from 

 practice and close observation, that not only cab- 

 bages, but the large ruta bagas or Western sweet 

 turnips are subject to this disease, and from in- 

 spection, have found ia the roots small white 

 maggots. 



The remedy which I have tried thus far suc- 

 cessfully, is to mix ])laster of paris and ashes in 

 equal parts, and add one quart of fine salt to 

 each peck, put a large table spoonful to each 

 plant, mix the earth with the compound, but con- 

 fined to the roots when transplanted. Soot, lime, 

 and pulverized charcoal in equal parts has an- 

 swered the same purpose. 



Out of 250 heads last year, not one which had 

 the above compound was stump footed, whilst 

 others were more or less damaged, and some en- 

 tirely worthless, s. L. B. 



Rockingham, Vt., July 11, 1859. 



Remarks. — Excellent. That is a remedy worth 

 having — because, while the disease is prevented 

 or arrested, the remedy used is a fertilizer that 

 will produce the finest plants. The ingredients 

 are all common and accessible, and if the pre- 

 scription is sure, this information is worth to 

 thousands of our readers, all the Farmer coats 

 for one year. 



CROWS AND OTHER BIRDS. 



"Crows and other birds" in "Old Kentuck," 

 by C. M. Clay, is a very interesting letter, espe- 

 cially to those who ai'e fond of the feathered 

 race, as is your humble servant. But I don't un- 

 derstand why our New Hampshire crows should 

 be so much more prolific than the Kentucky 

 crows are. Our crows usually lay as many as 

 four eggs, and I think there is occasionally more 

 than that number of eggs or young found in 

 their nests. Some four years ago, a pair of 

 crows built their nest on a pine tree within a 

 stone's throw of my confield. Soon as the boys 

 ascertained the fact, they were rife for pulling it 

 down. But I told them if the crov/s would let 

 the corn alone the nest should not be disturbed. 

 About ten days after the corn came up, early one 

 morning they visited the field, and plucked up 

 fifty or more hills. The boys did not want to be 

 told the second time to tear down the nest. It 

 contained four young crows nearly large enough 

 to fly ; they were, after killing them, hung upon 

 poles about the cornfield. The old crowds soon 

 ascertained the truth of the matter, and "poured 

 out their vociferous imprecations" in a way that 

 soon brought to their company some tvi^enty 

 more, who hovered high in the air, and such a 

 scolding as we got was a caution to us about 

 killing young crows. 



Last year they were so bold and troublesome 

 upon my grain, corn and potato fields, that I had 

 to, very much against my will, resort to strych- 

 nine-steeped corn. I soon procured dead crows 

 enough to dangle in my fields, and was no further 

 troubled with those that escaped the poison. 

 Taking the year round, I think the crows do the 

 farmers a vast deal more good than hurt. Our 

 migratory birds return here much in the same 

 order as stated by Mr. Clay, in Kentucky. The 

 blue jays and snow birds stay with us the winter 

 through. We have four kinds of swallows, the 

 barn, the chimney, the bank and the eaves swal- 

 low. They all build very differently. A pair oi 

 "orioles, with their rich and varied tropical plu- 

 mage and luxurious habits," have annually built 

 their nest on an elm tree within ten feet of my 

 house for over twenty years in succession.- 

 Levi Bartlet, Warner, N. II., in Country Oent 



For the Netc England Partner. 

 ONIOW MAGGOT. 



Messrs. Editors : — About a fortnight since 

 a neighbor said to me, "I shall lose all my on- 

 ions. The maggot is eating them all up." I 

 took some guano and went to her garden. The_y 

 were making bad work. I put guano on all but 

 two rows, and have kept watch of them since. 

 Almost all the onions on the two rows are gone, 

 while the other rows, which I put guano on, have 

 lost very few, if any. So much for the experi 

 ment. Whether it was the faith or the guano 

 that stopped their working, I cannot say. I will 

 leave that to friend Proctor. 



A neighbor of mine, Mr. Farley, who raises a 

 good many onions, says, "Poke the dirt wel' 

 away from around the onion, and one hot da_, 

 will kill the maggot " Ed. Emerson. 



Ilollis, July I, 1859. 



