1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FAIl]MEIl. 



279 



ful walks among trees and fountains and statues 

 ornament the shores of the lake in front of the 

 stately and palace-like hotels. In the evening, 

 bands of music surrounded by parties of elegant- 

 ly dressed ladies and gentlemen, were perform- 

 ing in a garden by one of the bridges, while 

 graceful pleasure boats were gliding from point 

 to point on the lake. This, however, is but the out- 

 side impression of Geneva, a city famed for its de- 

 votion to science and learning as well as the arts, 

 and famous as the residence of Calvin, and as the 

 head-quarters of the Puritans. 



In a former letter written at Lyons, I have 

 hastily sketched my journeyings to that city, 

 and if in this or others of my letters, repetitions 

 or omissions are noticed, It should be borne in 

 mind, that what I have written abroad has been 

 in haste, and almost on the wing, and that no 

 copies have been kept. The freshness of a first 

 impression has seemed to me of more interest 

 than a more careful narrative from notes or re- 

 vised correspondence. H. F. F. 



For the Neic England Farmer. 



BUCK'WHEAT BRAZST AND STilA"W-.OX- 

 YOKES. 



Mr. Brown : — I wish to know if there Is any 

 virtue in buckwheat bran ? I have fed it mixed 

 with oats, to horses, putting in about twelve 

 quarts of bran to one bushel of oats, and am con- 

 fident that it has been injurious to the animals ; 

 had I fed the oats clear, I have no doubt the 

 same quantity would have put the horses In bet- 

 ter condition. 



I have heard it remarked that buckwheat straw 

 used as bedding for hogs would eventually cause 

 their death. Is it so ? 



I would like to Inquire what Is the best kind of 

 a yoke for oxen to work in, i. e., a long or a 

 short one ? I am told by one they avIU work the 

 best and draw the most in a short yoke ; another 

 says the reverse. My opinion Is that it depends 

 upon circumstances ; If a pair of cattle are equal 

 in strength to each other, they will work to the 

 best advantage in a long yoke. In matching cat- 

 tle, the weight of each should be ascertained ; 

 this is the most essential point. Supposing their 

 horns are not exactly alike, or one may be a lit- 

 tle darker red than the other, what matter Is it ? 

 If they are equal to each other In weight, they are 

 apt to be equal in strength, and if they are equal 

 in strength, when working in a long yoke, one 

 will not be constantly behind the other, or crowd- 

 ing against the tongue. If they are not matched 

 in this manner, It ought not to be said they are 

 well matched. If you desire to work them in a 

 long yoke, give the weak one the advantage, by 

 placing him farther from the tongue, which can 

 be done by boring the hole in the yoke farther 

 from the centre. It Is best, however, to give 

 such cattle a short yoke. 



Onvell, T^., 1858. Edmund H. Benson. 



substance, and rattles like a "pocket of walnuts," 

 when shaken. 



We can see no reason why lying upon buck- 

 wheat straw should be hurtful to swine. 



Your remarks upon matching cattle and fitting 

 yokes are valuable. Those subjects need more 

 attention. 



TOMATOES— SUPPORTING AND SHORT- 

 ENING-IN. 



Few gardens are now found unsupplled with 

 tomatoes, but very few persons take pains to cril- 

 tivate them. The vines are usually left to strag- 

 gle ad libitum. This is both bad economy and 

 bad taste. If tomatoes are planted in rows, a 

 convenient plan Is to put up stakes on both sides 

 of each row, and nail on horizontal strips or slats 

 to keep the vines perpendicular. They may be 

 carried up to the height of three to five feet. By 

 this means the vines will show much better, es- 

 pecially when covered with ripened fruit cluster- 

 ing thickly upon the sides. The fruit Itself will 

 be much superior to that matured on the ground 

 and In the shade. Strong twine or wires may be 

 substituted for the horizontal slats. A cheaper 

 process of supporting tomatoes Is to bush them. 

 In the same manner that beans or peas are treat- 

 ed. Our own tomatoes are planted around the 

 border of the garden, and trained upon the fence, 

 the vines being upheld by strips of leather, dou- 

 bled around the stalks and fastened to the fence 

 with small nails. 



Tomatoes are also benefited by sJiortening-in. 

 Three-fourths of the mature fruit is produced 

 upon a small part of the vine nearest to the root, 

 say one-third or one-fourth of its length. It is 

 recommended to stop the further development 

 of vines after a fair supply of fruit Is set, by 

 clipping off" the vines growing beyond. The clip- 

 ping should not be carried too far, as a supply of 

 foliage is required to gather food from the air. 

 One of the most successful cultivators in our ac- 

 quaintance made it a rule to let no vine extend 

 beyond four feet from its root. — Am. Agriculturist. 



BLASTING STUMPS. 



IIe]VL\rks. — Buckwheat bran, we understand, 

 is nearly valueless as food. It is a hard, shelly 



The Ohio CitUivator relates the experience of 

 W. A. Gill, of Columbus, Ohio, in clearing a field 

 of stumps by gunpowder, which really appears 

 to be a most powerful "stump extractor." He 

 cleared a stumpy field of twenty acres cheaply 

 and expeditiously, the following plan being pur- 

 sued for each stump : 



"Select a solid place in a large root, near the 

 ground, and Avith an inch and a quarter augur 

 bore in, slanting downward, to as near the heart 

 of the base of the tap-root as you can judge ; 

 then put in a charge of one or two ounces of 

 powder, with a safety fuse, and tamp in dry clay 

 or ordinary tamping material, to fill the hole, 

 some six Inches above the charge ; then touch 

 fire to the fuse and get out of the way. The blast 

 will usually split the stump into three pieces, and 

 make It hop right out of the ground. If the 

 charge Is put In too high up, the blast will only 

 split the top of the stump, without lifting it." 



