226 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



April, or as early in the spring as the state of the 

 air and soil will admit, in rows of from two to 

 two and a half feet asunder, and from six to ten 

 inches between the plants. The soil should be 

 warm, deep and rich, and the plants, when set, 

 covered with two or three inches of chip manure, 

 or forest scrapings, mixed with wood ashes or 

 hydrate of lime. No weeds should be permitted 

 to grow in the lines, and the surface of the soil 

 should be kept firm and light. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE PAST WINTEB. 



AVhile fresh in memory, let us record what we 

 think of it. Neither cold nor hot, wet nor dry, 

 but oil the whole, a very comfortable winter — 

 generally favorable to moving about, and but lit- 

 tle obstructed by drifts of snow. Eruptive dis- 

 eases, such as scarlatina and measels, have been 

 prevalent, but not of a severe type. In the world 

 of business there has been great depression and 

 sufi'ering, growing out of overtrading and inflated 

 prices. Some will, of consequence, learn a hard 

 lesson, by severe discipline ; such things have 

 before happened, and still the world goes on. 

 Without such trials, life would be a stupid mo- 

 notony. 



In the western horizon, Kansas, with all its 

 horrors and awful forbodings, has emitted a liv- 

 id glare, but still there remains a hope of a 

 brighter day — the sun of freedom has not yet 

 sunk to rise no more. P. 



April 1, 1858. 



Remarks. — It is well, thus briefly to record the 

 general characteristics of a past season. In some 

 respects they have been quite singular during 

 the winter just passed. While it has been un- 

 asually mild all along the northern Atlantic sea- 

 board, it has been cold in the South and West, 

 and attended with much snow. In the south of 

 Europe, too, and as far down as Egypt, Me learn 

 that it has been cold without parallel, and that 

 the Pyramids have been covered with snow, loom- 

 ing up and having all the appearance of moun- 

 tains of snow ! 



There can be no chance in these changes, but 

 are all ordered for some wise purpose which our 

 limited knowledge does not enable us to compre- 

 hend. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 IIiIDIAN COKN. 

 Your correspondent "P." appears to have re- 

 linquished his flrst idea of "humbuggery" in the 

 measurement of Indian corn in the county of 

 Plymouth, and is sufficiently courteous in his 

 apology for the remarks he fii st made on the sub- 

 ject, but still maintains that the rules which gov- 

 ern us are fallacious. The writer thinks he has 

 been, to some extent, influenced, though perhaps 

 uncon-iiously, by the severe and false strictures 

 of a j^eiiius that haps before it looks. The writ- 

 er never made any report of 145 bushels to the 



acre ; one of his successors, however, has report- 

 ed 150, it is presumed with fidelity in the observ- 

 ance of established rules ; and whatever doubts 

 may be cherished of there being that amount of 

 good merchantable corn on the acre, no candid 

 man Avho examines our doings from the begin- 

 ning, will deny that there has been constant im- 

 provement in the cultivation of Indian corn, of 

 which the citizens of Plymouth county may in- 

 nocently boast a little. If "P." will make some 

 experiments in weighing corn, he nny convince 

 himself there is not quite so much danger of de- 

 ception as he has imagined. Usually there are 

 several frosts before the corn is harvested ; if 

 those occur before it is fully ripe, the corn be- 

 comes very light and can safely be purchased on- 

 ly by weight. There are a fcAV seasons in which 

 there are no autumnal frosts till after the period 

 of harvest ; corn is likely in these seasons to be 

 fully ripened ; if there should be some fields 

 where much of it remains in a green state weigh- 

 ing would be a less certain proof of the number 

 of bushels to the acre, not so much from its ex- 

 cessive weight, as excessive shrinkage of the 

 kernels in the bin. M. A. 



Pembroke, March 2, 1858. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SPKING CULTURE. 



Our gardeners are already busy in planting 

 their onions and other seeds. Experience has 

 taught them the earlier they are started to grow, 

 the l)etter their chance of matured crops. The 

 casualties are so many now-a-days, that no man 

 may calculate with confidence, upon what the au- 

 tumn will bring forth. The small snows of win- 

 ter and smaller rains of spring, have left the 

 earth in favorable condition for the reception of 

 seed, where the frost is entirely out ; though 

 there will soon be need of more moisture to make 

 the seeds germinate. I learn that the prospect 

 of blossoms on the peach trees is uncommonly 

 good. So far as I have observed, the same is 

 true of the apple trees ; though there is much 

 reason to fear the ravages of the canker-worm, 

 its forerunner having been abundant, wherever 

 tar has been applied, which is the best preventive 

 to our knowledge. The labors of the field de- 

 mand constant vigilance. It is not enough to 

 pulverize and fertilize the ground, to carefully 

 select and insert the seed ; but hostile assailants 

 of infinite variety, have to be watched and guard- 

 ed against. SouTil Danvers. 



A2)ril 3, 1858. 



Remarks. — The above was received a little 

 too late for the weekly of Aj)ril 10th, when it 

 ought to have appeared. 



Peat, Lime and Potatoes. — Mr. Philip 

 O'Reilly, of Providence, 11. I., states that lime is 

 of no avail in preventing potato rot, as he has 

 tried it, and has seen it tried by others in vain. 

 After many experiments, he has found that a 

 handful of dry peat in powder or small pieces 

 was the best preventive, and he thinks if it were 

 generally applied, it would save ninety-nine in 

 every hundred hills. — Germantown TeleijrajjJi, 



