558 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



He prefers the Ketchum to any other machine, 

 and stated to us that his horses do not ■work 

 harder with it in cutting an acre an hour, than 

 they do in ordinary stubble plowing. A week 

 or two after his grain is cut, he passes over all 

 the fields with the machine, cutting down the 

 stubble, and the weeds before they go to seed, 

 rakes with the horse rake and uses the crop for 

 litter under the cattle. Even under this rough 

 usage, the machine does its work quickly and 

 well, and keeps in order. 



One of the pastimes in which the deacon in- 

 dulges, when he wishes to keep away from the 

 graver duties of the farmer, is the pro2)agation 

 and rearing of Trout. He has subterranean 

 abodes for them as winter quarters, and different 

 ponds for fish of various ages, as some of the 

 elder fish, forgetful of their paternal relations, 

 indulge their cannibal propensities, and swallow 

 the younger fry whole ! So the spawn is in one 

 pond, on beds of white gravel, the yearlings in 

 another, while the two-year olds and upwards, 

 fraternize and seek their prey in another direc- 

 tion. His operations, so far, are somewhat ex- 

 perimental, but they certainly promise success. 



Since writing the first notice of this farm, 

 many inquiries have been made of us, both ver- 

 bally and in writing, for more minute particulars 

 in relation to some special points, — and among 

 these inquiries we find the idea seems to prevail 

 that the proprietor is a capitalist, and can enter 

 upon any system of improvements he pleases, 

 without detriment to his farming operations. 

 Had such been the case, our interest in the mat- 

 ter would be feeble compared with what it is now, 

 as we desire to see improvements made through 

 the avails of the farm itself. On this point, af- 

 ter speaking of some labor-saving contrivance 

 recently engaged in, the deacon said, "1 wish it 

 to be understood that we make no improvements 

 hut what the farm pays for — first earning the 

 money through the regular operations of the 

 farm to pay for all we do." 



There were several other matters of interest 

 presented themselves as we passed over his farm, 

 but our article is too long to refer to them now. 



ASHES—SOME "WAYS TO USE THBM AS 

 MANUKB, 



1. One excellent way, is to^scatter them thinly 

 over the ground, and leave the dressing to soak 

 into the soil. This is the best mode on meadows 

 that you do not wish to plow. 



2. They may be applied in the same way to 

 land which you are going to plow for corn or 

 potatoes. 



3. Unleached ashes may be applied to corn af-[ 

 tei- it is up, at the rate of a tablespoonful to a 

 hill, partly as a manure, and partly to arrest the } 

 ravages of cut-worms. 



4. It may be profitably used as a dressing for 

 strawberry beds in the spring. It should be ap- 

 plied dry, and spaded in. Strawberries love an 

 application of this sort. 



5. They may, when unleached, be strewn over 

 crops when growing. Such as grapes, or oats, or 

 other grain. They should be scattered dry. 



6. They may be scattered with the seed of 

 winter grain, and will often thus be of great use. 



7. They form an excellent dressing for lands, 

 to be used for fruit trees. They contain so much 

 of what is needed for the growth of ti-ees, that a 

 generous application of ashes, plowed in deep, 

 will be beneficial. Trees already set out, may be 

 helped by spading in ashes sparingly about their 

 roots. 



8. Applied to clay soil, they soften it. Used 

 on sandy soil, they harden it. Scattered on sour 

 land, they correct its acidity. They are quite 

 generally useful. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 MARYLAND STATE FAIR. 



fFrom our Special Reporter.] 



Baltimore, Md., Oct. 22, 1858, 

 The State Fair of Maryland closes to-day after 

 a very successful week. In many respects it has 

 been superior to our State Fairs in New Eng- 

 land, while, in others, it can hardly compare 

 very favorably. The show of Devon stock was 

 superb, and Mr. Patterson was on the ground 

 with some of the finest Devons in the country 

 when considered with reference to dairy qualities. 

 I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with 

 him, and of hearing from his own lips the state- 

 ment of his efforts and experience in introducing 

 and breeding this class of stock. I was par- 

 ticularly glad of this opportunity, and improved 

 it to the best of my ability. His stock is very- 

 different from the type of modern improved 

 Devons frequently met with at the North, and 

 his efforts to get milk from them have not been 

 without success, but his cows are larger in the 

 bone, coarser in form and defective in the crops. 

 On my saying to him that we had many De- 

 vons in New England, that went under the name 

 of Patterson Devons, he laughed and said that he 

 had to bear the responsibility of many that had 

 not a strain of his stock in their veins. Mr, 

 Patterson exhibited the finest formed Devon 

 steer that I ever saw. The show of Jerseys was 

 also very extensive and highly creditable, but not 

 to be compared with this class at the Massachu- 

 setts State Fair last fall. The Ayrshires Avere 

 numerous, and many of them very fine. The 

 short horns were limited in number, and they are 

 fast giving way, in this section, to other breeds. 

 A herd of imported Holstein cattle attracted 

 considerable attention. They are said to be very 

 good as dairy stock, and to adapt themselves 

 readily to this climate. They are nearly all black 

 in color, some of them having white faces. Some 

 of the finest Cotswold sheep were exhibited by 

 Mr. Carroll, an extensive sheep breeder about 

 twenty miles north of Baltimore. 



In the department of agricultural and mechan- 

 ical implements the exhibition was also extensive 

 and creditable, though not so much so as we 

 naturally expect in Massachusetts, 

 k 



