454 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



Dees Mr. W. know, that upon our rivers, 

 situated somewhat remotely from the sea, we 

 have large quantities of meadow, producing at 

 the present valuable grass, known with us as 

 blue, and black grass, mixed in with some of the 

 English grasses, and that those marshes are 

 sovidimes overjlorced, by means of salt water, 

 which in meeting the flowing tide from the sea, 

 is met itself by the fresh water from our inland 

 river sources, and is of course thereby made 

 brackish ; but not so salt, as to prevent the 

 growth of fresh grass ? Very many acres of this 

 kind of marsh exist upon all our sea-coast towns, 

 which might be very much more productive of 

 quantity, and very greatly improved in many 

 other particulars, could the fowl-meadow grass 

 take the place of very much, at least, of that 

 which now covers it. It was to meet this view 

 of the case, that the question was originally asked, 

 and would still doubtless be of considerable ser- 

 vice to quite a large interest, to be informed, on 

 a subject of so much importance to them. 



With many of us, surely, it is a matter of no tri- 

 fling consequence to have a grass like this, which 

 is said to produce its three or four tons to the 

 acre ; and at the same time, in case of sickness, 

 want of help, or any other unforeseen event, be 

 able to delay cutting it, even until October, with- 

 out injury to the hay. CliAS. W. Macomber. 



East Marslijield, July 24, 1858. 



EAKEY ON "BLINKERS.' 



It tells the driver, in the most impressive charac- 

 ters, what the horse's feelings are. By it he can 

 tell the first approach of fear in time to meet any 

 difiiculty ; he can tell if he is happy or sad, hungry 

 or weary. The horse, too, when permitted to 

 see, uses his eyes with great judgment. He sees 

 better than we do. He can measure distances 

 with his eyes better than we can, and, if allowed 

 free use of them, would often save himself by the 

 quickness of his sight from collisions when the 

 driver would fail to do so by a timely pull of the 

 reins. It would also save many accidents to pe- 

 destrians in the streets, as no horse will run on 

 to any person that he can see." 



For the New England Farmre. 

 CANADA -WEST. 

 THE SEASON, PROSPECTS, ETC. 



To many who are unacquainted with this coun- 

 try, its name is associated with the idea of a cold, 

 ungenial climate, scarcely habitable by enlight- 

 ened people. But a few minutes spent in exam- 

 ining a good map would teach them that almost 

 the Avhole of Canada West lies between the par- 

 allels of 42° and 45° of north latitude. One- 

 half of the State of !Maine is farther north than 

 Canada West, and the south-western portion of 

 the Province is farther south than Boston ; con- 

 sequently it is in the same latitude as the great- 

 er part of New England, and we may reasonably 

 imagine a similarity in climate. By several years' 



Mr. Rary sends to the London T(me.s his opin-1 careful observation I find it to be so, only that 

 ion of the use of "blinkers" on horses, as follows: near the great Lakes we have less snow, and 



"All my experience with and observation of | more changeable weather in winter, 

 horses proves clearly to me that blinkers should The soil is generally fertile and easy to culti- 

 not be used, and that the sight of the horse, for vate, producing abundant crops. Wheat is the 

 many reasons, should not be interfered with in (great staple, though in some sections that grain 

 anyway. Horses are only fearful of objects which 'does not succeed so well as formerly. This is 

 they do not understand or are not familiar with, 'particularly the case in this county (Prince Ed- 

 and the eye is one of the principal mediums by | ward) but great quantities of rye, peas, and bar- 



which this understanding and this familiarity are 

 brought about. 



The horse, on account of his very amiable na- 

 ture, can be made in the course of time to bear 

 almost anything in any shape, but there is a quick- 

 er process of reaching his intelligence than that 



ley are raised. Corn grows well, but as it re- 

 quires more labor than grain, the quantity raised 

 is small. 



Although the price of grain is low, owing to 

 our great distance from "a good market, farms 

 here sell from $30 to $00 an acre, according to 



of wearing it into him through his skin and bones : { quality and location, and for a much higher price 



and he, however wild or nervous, can be taught 

 in a very short time to understand and not to 

 fear any object, however frightful in appearance. 

 Horses can be broken in less time and better 

 without blinkers ; but horses that have always 

 worn them will notice the sudden change, and 



in places farther west. 



Spring opened early this year, and we have 

 had some very fine weather, though subject to 

 changes. The 9th of May the mercury rose to 

 70° in the shade, and in the morning of the 16th 

 it fell to o4<^. Some plowing was done the 3d 



must be treated carefully the first drive. After i month ; the 4th month was milder — mean tem- 



that they will drive better without the blinkers 

 than with. 



I have proved by my own experiments that a 

 horse broken without blinkers can be driven past 

 any omnibus, cab or carriage, on a parallel line, 



perature in the shade 43.53", which is 6° above 

 that of the corresponding month last year. 



We have had an abundance of rain, and grass 

 looks fine. Vegetation of all kinds progresses 

 steadily. Forests have assumed quite a vernal 



as close as it is possible for him to go, without ! hue, and the fields have spread their green car 



ever wavering or showing any disposition to 

 dodge. I have not, in the last eight or ten years, 

 constantly handling horses both wild and nervous, 

 ever put blinkers on any of them, and in no case 

 have I ever had one that was afraid of the car- 



pet. Wild flowers are abundant, and many a 

 vase is crowned with a bouquet of these emblems 

 of innocence and purity. The 18th of 4th month 

 I found some flowers of the Bloodroot, (Sangui- 

 naria Canadensis.) Liverwort, (Hcpatica Triloba,) 



riage he drew behind him or of those he passed! and of the beautiful Yellow Erythronium, {Ery- 



in the streets. \thronium Americanum,) which, with its lily- 



The horse's eye is the life and beauty of the I shaped flower, and clouded leaves, is among the 



animal as well as the index of all his emotions. I earliest liarbingers of spring, and is found in 



