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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



Boston, which came labelled to us, "White Blue 

 Stem ; sowed one acre, from which we harvested 

 in 1856, 32 bushels of white wheat, weighing 62| 

 pounds per bushel ! Sowed two acres from the 

 seed thus obtained from our own raising, which, 

 owing to the severity of the winter, was very 

 much injured on about two-thirds of the field ; 

 however, we obtained 28 bushels of good plump 

 grain, (14 bushels to the acre) the smallest crop, 

 by the way, for the past seven years. Sowed one 

 acre last year, which gave us this season 31 

 bushels, which weighs 63 pounds to the bushel. 

 Before purchasing the variety above named, we 

 sowed the common white wheat. In 1853 we 

 harvested from two acres 65 bushels, which 

 weighed 62^ pounds to the bushel. We sow the 

 last of 8ih month, (August,) or 1st of 9th month, 

 and have the best success on mowing swards. 

 We think the soil of New England lacks none of 

 the vegetable elements to produce wheat, and 

 hope to see more interest felt by New England 

 farmers in wheat culture. 



Last spring we sowed for the first time, by way 

 of experiment, three-quarters of an acre of spring 

 wheat of two varieties, viz. : — bearded and bald. 

 From one-half an acre of the former, 9 bushels ; 

 from one-quarter of an acre of the latter, 5^ 

 bushels. Thus it will be seen that the bald yield- 

 ed the most per acre, notwithstanding the grain 

 of the bearded is the largest. Quite as good a 

 crop as oats, and no more trouble to raise it. 

 When winter wheat appears to be killed by an 

 unfavorable winter, we think it will be good econ- 

 omy to sow spring wheat to make up the deficien- 

 cy, and thus raise our own bread. We sowed 1^ 

 acres last of last month, from which we look for- 

 ward with as much confidence in expectation of 

 a good crop, as from corn, rye or potatoes. 



Betty and Aldrich. 



BlacJcstone, Mass., 9th mo., 25th, 1858. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 ELECTRICITY. 



Mr. Editor : — I saw in the New England 

 Farmer of August 21, an article by "P." headed 

 "Electrical Phenomena," stating that barns filled 

 with new mown hay are more liable to be struck 

 by lightning than others, and asking the reason. 

 Thinking I may assist your correspondent, I ven- 

 ture to offer the following. 



There are two kinds of electricity, named pos- 

 itive and negative, which attract each other and 

 repel themselves ; that is, a thing which is 

 charged or affected by positive, will attract a 

 thing which is charged by negative, and will re- 

 pel one thut is charged by positive, and vice ver- 

 sa. The clouds are charged by one of these 

 kinds, and when they come near a conductor they 

 induce, or excite, the opposite kind in that con- 

 ductor, and then the two opposite kinds endeav- 

 or to run together and form an equilibrium. 



Therefore, suppose that a cloud is charged with 

 positive electricity, and it comes near to a barn, 

 it will induce the negative in that barn, and, if 

 near enough, will strike it, and the heat generat- 

 ed by the passage of the fluid through the air, 

 will produce a flash, and perhaps set the barn on 

 fire. 



Electricity naturally seeks the best conductors, 

 and will strike them quicker than poor ones, and 



water being a. conductor, new hay, which is moist, 

 will be a better conductor than old hay, which is 

 dryer ; therefore, a barn filled with new hay, be- 

 ing a better conductor than one filled with old, 

 will be more liable to be struck. c. A. s. 



Spring Grove, August 'dlst, 1858. 



EXTBACTS AND KEPLIES, 

 CURE FOR RING BONE. 



I noticed in your truly valuable paper of the 

 25th inst, an article of inquiry from Mr. N. F. 

 Morrill, of Hill, N. H., in regard to a colt that 

 had got sprainetl between the hoof and joint — 

 and in giving my opinion in regard to it, would 

 say, that angle-worm oil will not prove effica- 

 cious in removing or preventing ring-bone, and 

 the only thing that will, is something to stop the 

 leakage in the sprained part, and thus prevent 

 nature's continuing to form bone to stop the 

 leakage; and it being in a difliicult place to band- 

 age, the only remedy I have ever known to bo 

 successful, is a very heavy leaden ring to be 

 worn in such a manner as to continually press 

 upon the sprained joint and keep the leakage 

 closed. 



I have never known a case where this has 

 proved unsuccessful, when taken in season — and 

 perhaps on a young horse, where the bone has 

 commenced forming, angle-worm oil, in connec- 

 tion with the leaden ring, may remove ring-bone 

 and effect a permanent cure. S. A. Walker. 



A ROCK LIFTER. 



In your September number I have observed 

 an account by Mr. Brown of "a machine for lift- 

 ing rocks," as though it were something new. 

 There has been one of this same construction and 

 manufacture in use at the State Farm at West- 

 borough for three years past, and one on the 

 farm of Mr. R. S. Fay, at Lynn, for the same pe- 

 riod. I have used one for eight years, until I 

 have exhausted its field of labor, and they are 

 quite common in Bristol and Plymouth counties. 

 Their is no doubt of their great value in getting 

 large stones out of the surface, and in placing 

 them in line as base stones for walls, and there 

 has been some effort made to introduce them in- 

 to use. To show this, I have called your atten- 

 tion to those which have been for some time in 

 your immediate vicinity. I. s. F. 



Woods' Hole, Mass., Sept., 1858. 



Remarks. — At the time of writing the descrip- 

 lion of the Rock Lifter which we saw in opei'a- 

 tion at Rochester, we were well acquainted with 

 the one on the State Farm at Westboro', and 

 were aware of the fact that Mr. Fay had one at 

 Lynn. But the machine at Rochester, though 

 acting on the same principle, is essentially dif- 

 ferent in construction. One great difference is, 

 that it has but two wheels — the others have four. 

 Both are very useful machines. 



rocky MOUNTAIN POTATOES. 



Mr. E. Page, of this place, planted last year 

 two potatoes of the above seed which yielded one- 

 fourth of » bushel, one of which weighed 1| 

 pounds. This year he planted the one-fourth 



