426 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



these seedlings had produced specimens of fruit, 

 but these two, which bloomed most profusely, as 

 yet would never set a grape. Struck by the phe- 

 nomenon of vines abounding in fragrant blossoms 

 without setting fruit, I gathered the blossoms 

 and compared them with those from fruit- bear- 

 ing vines. The difference was at once apparent; 

 the blossoms of the two vines which had never 

 borne were not perfect in structure ; the stamens 

 were present, but the pistil was wanting. Such 

 vines cannot bear — it is a physical impossibility. 

 Had the pistil been present they might have 

 borne, though the stamens had been wanting, re- 

 ceiving pollen from the stamens of other vines ; 

 as it was, the only practical use that could be 

 made of such vines was to use them to impreg- 

 nate other vines with a view of obtaining a larg- 

 er variety of grapes from the seedlings to be 

 raised from them. 



I have thought, Mr Editor, that the fact that 

 jome of the most vigorous seedlings are non- 

 bearing vines might be new to some of your 

 readers, and be a fact worth the noting by those 

 enterprising men who are now engaged in rais- 

 ing new varieties from the seed. 



J. J. H. Gregory. 



Marhlchead, Mass., 1859. 



to one inch in depth is sufficient for a coating 

 that will operate beneficially for several years. 



You can purchase any of the grass seeds at 

 Nourse & Co.'s, 34 Merchants' Row. Fowl 

 Meadow Seed is $4,00 per bushel — Blue Joint 

 $2,25. Mr. Gwinneth, the seedsman of that es- 

 tablishment, thinks one bushel of the fowl mead- 

 ow, and the same of the blue joint, would not be 

 too much for an acre. That would be expensive 

 seeding— but if the crop were allowed to ripen 

 occasionally, the land would keep seeded for 

 many years. There is very little fowl meadow 

 or blue joint grass seed brought into market. 



The Tall Meadow Oat Grass and the Meadow 

 Fescue would probably be good grasses to mix 

 with the fowl meadow and blue joint. 



SUPERPHOSPHATE AND GUANO. 



At what season of the year should superphos- 

 phate be applied to produce the greatest effect 

 upon grass land ? How should it be applied to 

 corn — after it comes up, as we apply plaster, or 

 put into the hill and covered before planting? 

 Upon what kind of soil does it produce the most 

 beneficial results ? I wish to make the same in- 

 quiries about guano. A. R. S. 



Cornwall, Vt., 1859. 



Remarks. — Apply guano or superphosphate 

 in the spring on grass land during a wet time. 

 Upon corn put it into the hill. They are useful 

 on any soils that we plant corn on. 



HOW TO MAKE GOOD BUTTER. 



Skim the milk as soon as it sours, and before 

 it thickens, if possible ; stir the cream faithfully, 

 especially when new- is added. Set the jar in a 

 cool place ; if the cellar is not cold and sweet, 

 set it in the spring, or hang it in the well — any 

 B'ay to keep it cool. After the last cream is added 

 before churning, then "go a visiting" if you 

 please, as cream should not be churned the day 

 it is taken off. At night fall, fill the churn with 

 cold water, and start the churning at early dawn 

 and my word for it, you will soon find a solid 

 mass of golden- colored butter, itee from white 

 specks, and when properly salted and packed, fit 

 for the table of our friend the Farmer, or any 

 other. 



N. B. After the buttermilk starts, pour in 

 cold water, a liule at a time, turning the crank 

 slowly and carefully back and forth ; this prevents 

 the butter from closing too rapidly, does not 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



NIGHT SOIL — SAND ON MUCK LANDS — FOWL 



MEADOW AND BLUE JOINT GRASS SEEDS — 



TALL OAT GRASS — MEADOW FESCUE. 



I wish to know if night soil is injurious to 

 land ? 



I have been told that sand put on low land in 

 quantities is injurious. Is it so? 



Where can I buy fowl meadow and blue joint 

 grass seed, and at what price ? 



How much seed per acre, and what other seed 

 would do well on moist land that can be plowed ? 



Nashua, Jiihj, 1859. J. C. 



Remarks. — Pure night soil is too pungent and 

 quick for any crop. Well mixed with loam or 

 muck, there is little danger of using too much of 

 it. 



So much sand may be applied to a wet piece of 

 land as to keep out the action of the sun and air, 

 and stifle it, so that it will remain inert for years. 

 Every operation on the farm requires, not expe- 

 rience, only, but the exercise of a sound judg- 

 ment. We once knew a good farmer to cover a 

 piece of muck land with sand, and in order to 

 make a capital thing of it, he put the sand on 

 four inches deep all over it; the consequence! break the grains, and gives every particle of the 



was, an inactive, dead piece of land partially cov- 

 ered with a minute, greenish moss. The land 

 was imperfectly drained, and was kept moist by 

 showers and capillary attraction, so that there 

 was just enough of the breath of life in it to 

 clothe it with the vegetation we have just men- 

 tioned. Low, black muck lands are greatly ben- 

 efited by the application of sand,— but it must be j^"j^*.^g ^Jj^p^ oj.' j„(,re upon the flai^k, and speak 

 applied judiciously, in proper quantities, and j sternly to her, and do this at the time, never for 

 spread evenly upon the surface. Half an inch |a moment leaving her, keeping my hold of the 



cream a chance to form into butter. 



"In a multitude of counsellors, there is safety." 



Aunt Ruoda. 

 JVorth Cambridge, Vt., July 25, 1859. 



TO CURE KICKING COWS. 



My way is this : if a cow kicks when I am 

 milking, I slap her smartly with my hand two or 



