1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



529 



SPANISH MEEINO BUCKS. 



We present the reader in this issue of the 

 Farmer- with a beautiful illustration of a group 

 of Sjjanish Merino Bucks, from the flock of 

 George Campbell, Esq., of West Westminster, 

 Vt. He visited Spain several years since, and 

 selected from the finest flocks he could find in that 

 country; these bucks are descendants of that 

 stock. He has made the raising of fine wooled 

 sheep a business and study, and the success which 

 has followed his labors is evidence of his skill. 

 These bucks sometimes produce immense flee- 

 ces. We weighed a fleece from one of them, 

 while visiting Mr. Campbell, aind found it tip the 

 beam quick at 22 pounds ! His ewe fleeces of 

 1852, when well washed, averaged ot pounds. 

 His two year old ewes gave an average of 8 

 pounds, on a growth of only eleven months. 

 We wish him great success in his good work. 



Ii'or the NeiD England Farmer, 

 GRAFTED FRUIT TREES. 

 Mr. Editor: — Fruit trees with us, I mean 

 grafted trees, do poorly, and the remark is often 

 made, "They did not use to be so bad — why are 

 they now?"' * 



To reply to this, I will say that in those days 

 scions were not taken from old trees, the vital 

 force of which was almost spent, but from vigo- 



rous, youthful trees, pernaps, and the scions were 

 inserted in stock of similar character ; in this way 

 a good thing, one which we can hardly do with- 

 out, was perpetuated, for a long time, on natural 

 principles, and may be again and again, I believe, 

 to many generations. 



That the above reply is brief, is true, still if 

 sufficiently suggestive of practical reform in the 

 subject to which it relates, I can but hope that 

 it will find a place in due time in your valuable 

 paper, for the approved object of life is to bene- 

 fit one another. W. S. Blanchard. 



Walpole, N. E., Sept. 27, 1858. 



TO MAKE HARD CANDLES OF SOFT 

 TALLOAST. 



I noticed a request a short time since in the 

 Country Oentleman, for a receipt to make soft 

 tallow hard. I send you one I know by ex- 

 perience to be good. To twelve pounds of tal- 

 low take half a gallon of water, to which add 

 three table-spoons of pulverized alum, and two 

 do. saltpetre, which heat and dissolve ; then add 

 your tallow and one pound of beeswax; boil hai'd 

 all together, until the water evaporates, and skim 

 well while boiling. It should not be put in your 

 moulds hotter than you can bear your hand in. 

 The candles look much nicer when the wicks are 

 not tied at the bottom. It is not only a dis- 

 agreeable task to cut the wick off", but it injures 

 the moulds. Never heat your moulds to draw 

 your candles in cold weather. 



