DEVOTED TO AGBICULTURE AND ITS KINDRED ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



VOL. X. 



BOSTON, AUGUST, 1858. 



NO. 8. 



JOEL NOURSE, Proprietor. 

 Office.. .13 Coijmercial St. 



SIMON BROWN, EDITOR. 



FRED'K HOI.BROOK, ) Associate 

 HENRY F. FRENCH, Editors. 



CALENDAR FOB AUGUST. 



Now sober Ind0strt, illustrious power I 

 Hath raised the peaceful cottage, calm aboile 

 Of innocence and joy ; now sweating, guides 

 The shining plowshare ; tames the stubborn soil ; 

 Leads the long drain along the unfertile marsh ; 

 Bids the bleali hill with vernal verdure bloom, 

 The haunt of flocks ; and clothes ihe barren heath 

 With waving harvests and the golden grain. 



Michael Bruce. 



HOT, du=ty, dog -day 

 Month is August 

 — when the wise 

 denizens of the ci- 

 ty fly to the cool 

 retreats of the 

 country, to enjoy 

 their dolce far ni- 

 ente there, or those 

 who love show and 

 excitement tor- 

 ment themselves 



m> 





--^ in stifled 



preyed 



rooms, 



upon by 



musquitoes and other night- 



walJcers, and the scarcely 



less remorseless customs of 



popular watering-places ! What is 



- 1 Saratoga water or Sulphur water 

 to the sweet breath of cows, and zephyrs, and 

 the bleating of lambs or the chii-ping of crickets 

 in the fresh and cool and invigorating country 

 air ? 



A feeling and accomplished writer in the Edin- 

 burgh Review, many years ago, said, "The Year 

 has now reached the parallel to that brief, but 

 perhaps best period of human life, when the prom- 

 ises of youth are either fulfilled or forgotten, and 

 the fears and forethoughts connected with de- 

 cline have not yet grown strong enough to make 

 themselves felt ; and consequently when we have 

 nothing to do but look around us and be happy. 

 It has, indeed, like a man at forty, turned the cor- 

 ner of its existence ; but, like him, it may still 



fancy itself young, because it does not begin to 

 feel itself getting old. And perhaps there is no 

 period like this for encouraging and bringing to 

 perfection that habit of tranquil enjoyment in 

 which all true happiness must mainly consist ; 

 with i^leasiire it has, indeed, little to do ; but 

 with happiness it is every thing." 



Hay making is now nearly completed, or, at 

 least, the principal part of it is done, and a gen- 

 erous crop has been gathered in. The copious 

 rains of June overflowed the low meadows, and 

 in some places, the water stood upon them so 

 long as greatly to injure the growing crop, and 

 make it somewhat later than usual. But a few 

 good days in August M'ill see these meadows 

 cleared off. 



Our farmers are learning to value this de- 

 scription of hay less and less, and to depend 

 more upon the clover, red-top and timothy. 

 There are many acres of wet meadow in New 

 England that ought to yield better hay than they 

 do. They need to be drained, that the surface 

 water may run off early, and not stand upon 

 them long enough to kill out the sweet grasses, 

 — and now is the time to dp it. There is a little 

 respite between hay-making and harvesting, and 

 every farmer who has a piece of meadow that may 

 be improved by ditching, especially if it is near 

 his dwelling, should embrace the present time to 

 begin it, at least. For this, we might suggest 

 several reasons. The present is usually the dry- 

 est season of the year, and of course is the most 

 convenient time for such work. As we have al- 

 ready said, the farm work does not crowd as hard 

 as it did in haytime, or as it will in harvesting, 

 and thirdly, you need a pile of meadow muck for 

 the barn-yard, the hog-sty, and barn-cellar, and 

 by ditching where this material abounds you 

 will "kiil two birds with one stone." 



Throw the mud into heaps, and when the 

 ground is frozen, it will be ready to haul ofi'. Put 

 it into convenient piles near the barn, and let 

 the frosts of winter pulverize it, and after you 



