534 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



the Avay home in the cars, the same as if it had 

 been a bear. 



On the third day an address was delivered by 

 your correspondent, to a large crowd of farmers 

 and their wives, sons and daughters, who never 

 look more interesting than on such an occasion. 

 In the afternoon an equestrian exhibition of the 

 ladies took place. 



One or two features of the exhibition took 

 place, worthy of notice. One was the privilege of 

 attaching the name of the exhibitor to his arti- 

 cles as soon as the committee have completed 

 their examination. It enhances the value of an 

 exhibition very much. Another was for the first 

 time introduced to our county fairs, the attach- 

 ment of different colored ribbons, according to 

 the degree of merit in the animals. The effect, 

 as they appeared in procession, was very pretty. 

 I have seen no happier boy for many a day, than 

 one I met on his way home, with his pair of steers 

 decked out with a badge on their horns. Anoth- 

 er feature was the promptness with which all the 

 operations of the society were dispatched. This 

 was owing to the tact of the President, Hon. 

 Robert Martix, who was always ready to pro- 

 ceed to action at the appointed moment. 



After an absence of eleven years, I was sur- 

 prised to find such an investment of capital in 

 Lewiston. There is no mistaking the fact that 

 the place is destined ere long to be one of the 

 great manufacturing cities of the land. The 

 water power is immense. A hundred Irishmen 

 are now at work by the company, grading streets 

 and foundations for new factories. The founda- 

 tions of a large city are all marked out, and will 

 soon be occupied. The factories are all running 

 and indicate a revival of business on a surer ba- 

 sis than during past years. But fearing I shall 

 not interest your readers, I will close. 



Betliel, Me., Oct. 1th, 1858. N. T. T. 



Fur the New England Farmer. 

 MANGOLD WURTZELS. 



Mr. Editor : — For some time past, I have 

 been desirous of placing before the readers of 

 the Neiu England Farmer a statement concerning 

 the raising of mangold wurtzels. Every farmer 

 is interested in the production of all articles by 

 which he can the better improve the condition of 

 his stock, and if by the production of these vege- 

 tables he can do that, he will give his attention 

 to it. 



For the past two years I have raised mangold 

 wurtzels, for the purpose of trying the experi- 

 ment, and of satisfying myself as to the profi- 

 tableness of the production. This year I planted 

 a small piece, 4 rods by 5, containing one-eighth 

 of an acre of land. I plowed the land last fall 

 and put on a good coat of manure. This spring 

 I cross-plowed, and harrowed it. I planted the 

 seeds in hills one and a half feet apart and the 

 rows two feet apart. Many of the seeds, owing 

 to the wetness of the spring, or from some other 

 cause, rotted, and did not germinate, and plants 

 from other hills were transplanted to supply the 

 deficiency. The weeds were kept doMn by hoe- 

 ing two or three times during the summer. This 

 fall I gathered IGO bushels from the piece of 

 giound. Many of them were very large, weigh- 

 ing from 12 to lo pounds; and one measured 



29 inches in circumference, and weighed 16^ 

 pounds. Many of them measured 25 inches in 

 circumference. At this rate 1280 bushels can be 

 raised from the acre, or allowing only 1000 

 bushels to the acre, which I consider a moderate 

 crop, for land under good cultivation, can farmers 

 raise anything which will be more profitable ? 1 

 planted these roots on moist land, and am satis- 

 fied that I cannot raise anything so profitable for 

 stock from the same piece of land. I hope the 

 farmers in this vicinity will consider this subject, 

 and try the experiment, to satisfy themselves of 

 the expediency of raising these roots for their 

 stock. 



If none of the seeds had rotted, I am satisfied 

 that the crop would have been larger, for none 

 of those which were transplanted grew as large 

 as those which remained in the original hill. 



Epping, N. II., Oct. dfh, 1858. B. F. P. 



Fur the Neir England Farmer. 

 RAMBLES AMONG ROCKS, COWTINTJED, 



There is something in a rocky region which 

 serves a wonderful purpose in developing men, 

 and making them up to a manly greatness. But 

 it has not occurred to every thinker, that in sueh 

 places even pigs may come to a perfection of 

 training, and to a discipline of manners such as 

 is seldom seen in pigdom. 



While stopping for a short time in a manufac- 

 turing village within twelve or fifteen miles of 

 the city of Providence, I had occasion to call 

 upon a farmer, and was kindly escorted to his 

 house by a generous friend who led the way like 

 a good pioneer. Just as we were about to touch 

 the stone steps of his stone mansion, I felt rub- 

 bing against my ankle what I instantly supposed 

 to be a kind and cousinly kitten. Upon looking 

 down I was taken with quite a spirit of wonder, for 

 the soft salutation, so feelingly given, I at once 

 discovered, had come from a pig. He was too small 

 a pig to do much in the way of verifying Scrip- 

 ture, whatever quantity of pearls might be cast 

 before him ; but there was something so gentle- 

 manly in the manners of his pigship as to awak- 

 en considerable curiosity. He had a cleanly- 

 looking face, as though recently from the place 

 where the sow we read of in Scripture had been. 

 His hair lay straight and orderly, as though some 

 peculiar matron had mistaken his head for that 

 of her husband, and had done the combing. His 

 eye had as real a jewel in it as ever pig's e3'e 

 possessed. His nose, judging by one of Napole- 

 on's rules, indicated considerable talent and en- 

 terprise. His body was fashioned after a favor- 

 ite model of piggy formation, and about six 

 inches long, omitting the shore ends, that is, the 

 head and tail. We afterwards learned that his 

 proportions had been wonderfully enlarged with- 

 in a few days. He then weighed, as we learned, 

 the important amount of four pounds. 



My companion and guide was immediately 

 pleased and interested with the little fellow, view- 

 ing the neatness of his nose, the graceful turn of 

 his tail, the gentleness, modesty and manline&s 

 of his motions. Indeed, he seemed to be a won- 

 derful pig ; but whether born to be a pet or a 

 porker, to occupy a filthy pen or a neat parlor, 

 we were un'tible to decide without learning his 



