1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



103 



EXTRACTS AND BEPLIES. 

 SOWS WITH PIG. 

 Having two or three sows forward with pig, 

 which are confined with- a boar, I wish to inquire 

 as to the safety and propriety of letting them re- 

 main together ? I have been informed by several 

 who make a business of raising pigs that it is best 

 to let the sows remain together. No matter how 

 many there may be, there is no danger of the 

 mother of one brood interfering with the ofl- 

 spring of another ; it is said to be the pr 

 the West, Avhere large herds of sAvine are kept, 

 to let both male and female remain together in 

 such cases , and that losses seldom occur from 

 pigs being killed by the opposite sex, or animals 

 of the same sex. I know of two or three instances, 



you or any of your numerous correspondents 

 may give will be thankfully received by 



A Subscriber. 



BOYS' DEPARTMENT. 



LITTLE CARL'S CHRISTMAS EVE. 



BY GRACE GREENWOOD. 



"Come in!" shouted together the host and 



uctice al^'^'^^^^^ ^^ ^ little German wayside inn, near the 



banks of the Rhine, and not far below the city of 



Basle, and the borders of Switzerland. It was 



Christmas eve and a tempestuous night. The 



wind was raving round the little inn, and tearing 



away at windows and doors, as though mad to 



where this practice has been successfully followed get at the brave little light within, and extin 



in this vicinity, but still I hardly dare run the g^i^h it without mercy. The snow was falling 



risk. It is said to be a bad practice to remove 

 sows from one sty to another just before they 

 drop their pigs ; thus you see I am in a sort of 

 dilemma. Just give us your advice. H. 



Remarks. — If the swine have been together 

 for several successive months, and their sleeping 

 apartment is large, we should make no change if 

 the animals were ours. 



COLTS. 



I have read with not a little pleasure, accounts 

 of fine colts, and the best way to treat them. I 

 have a pair of colts that were dropped one on the 

 10th of May, and the other on the 10th of June, 

 which have not been kept any way extra, but are 

 doing well on moderate feed. Thay stand 4 ft. 

 4 in. high, or over 13 hands, and are well trained 

 to the halter, bit and harness. I drove them this 

 day, one-fourth of a mile, each way from home 

 harnessed and hitched to a sleigh ; they are per- 

 fectly kind and work nicely ; are of a bay color 

 and are of the high blood of Rattler and Black 

 Hawk. I rode after these colts when the oldest 

 was but 7 mos. and 17 days old. 



Wallinoford, Jan., 1858. L. Ames, 



SQUASHES AND PUMPKINS. 



I have read Mith interest the philosophical 

 speculations on "vegetable products" from your 

 Lynnfield correspondent — but still, am disposed 

 to agree to Marblehead suggestions, as to grow- 

 ing squashes in preference to all others ; as I 

 know of no place where the squash is grown in 

 such profuse superabundance, both in quantity 

 and quality, as along these shores by the aid of 

 the fertilizers belonging there. 



Will our friend answer the inquiry directly ? 



Can pumpkins be grown from squash seeds ? or. 



Can squashes be grown from pumpkin seeds ? 



I should like to know what can be said on this 

 question — sticking closely thereto — without any 

 collateral diversion. *. 



Jan. 12, 1858. _ 



ABOUT ARRANGING BARN ROOM. 

 I am about to build a barn in addition to two 

 others that I now have. I want a cellar for my 

 sheep in winter, and what I wish to know is, can 

 I have stables in an L, so as to make it handy, as 

 I do not want the stables in the cellar, nor in the 



fast, drifting and driving, obstructing the high- 

 way, blinding the eyes of man and beast. 



The "come in" of the host and hostess was in 

 answer to a loud, hurried rap at the door, by 

 which there immediately entered two travellers. 

 One, by his military di-ess, seemed a soldier, and 

 the other appeared to be his servant. This was 

 the case. General Wallenstein was on his way 

 from Carlsruhe, to his home at Basle. He had 

 been delayed several hours by an accident to his 

 post-carriage and by the storm, and now found 

 himself obliged to stop for the night, at this lone- 

 ly and comfortless little inn. 



When the oflRcer threw aside his plumed hat, 

 and military cloak of rich fur, and strode up to 

 the fire, with his epaulettes flashing in the light, 

 and his sword knocking against his heels, cling 

 clang — the gruff host was greatly impressed with 

 his importance, and willingly went out to assist 

 the postillion in the care of the horses. As for 

 the old hostess, she bustled about Avith wonderful 

 activity to prepare supper for the great man. 



"Ho, Carl !" she cried — "thou young Rhine 

 spirit, thou water-imp, run to the wood for anoth- 

 er bundle of faggots ! Away, haste thee, or I'll 

 give thee back to thy elfin kinsfolk, who are ever 

 howling for thee !" 



At these strange, sharp words, a wild-looking 

 little boy started up from a dusky corner of the 

 room, Avhere he had been lying with his head 

 pillowed on a great tawny Swiss dog, and darted 

 out of the door. He was coarsely dressed and 

 barefooted ; yet there Avas something uncommon 

 about him — something grand, yet familiar in his 

 look, which struck the traveller strangely. 



"Is that your child ?" he asked. 



"No indeed," said the old dame — "I'm a poor 

 Avoman, and have seen trouble in my time, but, 

 blessed be the saints ! I'm not the mother of wa- 

 ter-Imps." 



"Why do you call the boy a Avater-Imp ?" 



"I call him so, your excellency," said the wo- 

 man, sinking her shrill voice into an aAve-struck 

 tone — "because he came from the Avater, and be- 

 longs to the water. He floated doAvn the Rhine 

 in the great flood, four years ago come spring — 

 a mere baby, that could barely tell his name, 

 perched on the roof of a little chalet, in the night, 

 amid thunder, lightning and rain ! Now, it is 

 plain that no human child could have lived through 

 that. My good man spied him in the morning 

 earlv. and took him oft' in his boat. I took him in 



barn over the cellar. Any plan or information 'for pity — but I have always been afraid of him. 



