16 



NEW ENGLAND F.IRMER. 



Jan. 



While these high prices prevail for new milch 

 cows, other stock, — wherever I have been, 

 both at auctions and on the farm, — is selling 

 at prices much lower than it commanded three 

 months ago. 



In the midst of our great national progress 

 in art and science, I have been gratified in all 

 my visits to notice what seems to me an un- 

 usual attention to improvements on the farm. 

 Do the inventions that relieve and facilitate 

 labor, and that add new graces to social life, 

 as well as encourage and promote the in- 

 dustry of our people, stimulate the farmer to 

 better practices, — or are these new efforts 

 called forth by a greater demand and higher 

 prices for his products ? It would not be irra- 

 tional, I think, to suppose that they act upon 

 each other ; that the embellishments in rural 

 life, and a higher cultivation of the soil 

 will stimulate the inventive genius of our 

 people, while the labors of the inventor 

 and mechanic will greatly avert the toil 

 of the farm, and leave time and inclina- 

 tion to the farmer to improve the appearance 

 of his home, as well as to increase the pro- 

 ductive power of his soil. Indeed, all useful 

 labor, of whatever nature it may be, makes a 

 part of the great whole, and becomes in one 

 way or another important to all. 



The apple crop in the New England States 

 this season was larger than it has been for sev- 

 eral years past, but the fruit was very imper- 

 fect ; so much so, that fully one-third of it all 

 was turned over for makinjr cider. Good ci- 

 der vinegar has been selling for fifty cents per 

 gallon among the farmers in the country. A 

 considerable portion of the cider made will 

 probably be turned to vinegar, and that article 

 become cheaper. Yours truly, 



SixMON Buowx. 



R, P. Eaton & Co. 



Salt for Gkurs. — At a late meeting of 

 the Herkimer county, N. Y., Farmers^ Club, 

 Mr. Skinner said that last spring he ploughed 

 up an old sod where there was an innnense 

 quantity of grubs. He sowed upon three and 

 three- fourths acres, soon after ploughing, two 

 barrels coarse salt. A day or two after the 

 application there was rain, which dissolved 

 most of the salt. The ground was then thor- 

 oughly harrowed and planted to corn. About 

 half a pint of leached a^hes was placed upon 



each hill of corn. The yield of corn was very 

 large, and not a hill was injured by worm8. 

 He had no doubt^ had there been no applica- 

 cation of salt, that the grubs would have de- 

 stroyed the corn. 



Hardening the Mould Boards op 

 Ploughs. — A new method of hardening 

 ploughs has been discovered lately, which 

 gives them the hardness and temper of steel, 

 in combination with the toughness of iron. 

 The iron mould-board is heated and dipped into 

 molten iron. It remains there ten seconds, 

 when the two surfaces become heated to a 

 white heat, while the centre is not heated 

 through. It is then dipped into water; the 

 surface comes out harder than the highest tem- 

 pered steel, while the interior retains all the 

 strength and toughness of iron. These mould 

 boards take the finest and hardest polish, and 

 will, at the same time, be tough enough to en- 

 dure any reasonable knocking about in a 

 stony soil. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE GAHDBN IN JANUAJBY. 



Again the revolving sun, — or rather the 

 earth moving in its annual circuit, — biings us 

 to the commencement of a new year ; and the 

 wise man reviews his past course, and resolves 

 on a future one. How is it with the farmer 

 and his garden ? Has he, during the last 

 year, improved on his former practice, and 

 come to the conclusion that a good garden, in 

 connection with the farm and house economy, 

 is one of his most profitable investments 

 wherein he can expend his labor, in season ? 

 Let the reader look out on his garden, and, as 

 he reviews the last season's products from that 

 little spot of ground, tell me if he has not 

 been better rewarded for his time, labor, and 

 expense there, than he has lieen on any other 

 cultivated portion of his farm of equal area. 

 What would it have cost you to purcha.^e the 

 same amount of inferior products? If you 

 have kept an account with the garden j ou can 

 at once tell how many dollars and cents it has 

 cost and how many it has brought in. But is 

 the pecuniary value of what the gard< n pro- 

 duces, or what those products would sell for, 

 all you take into account.'' Is there not much 

 saving and an amount of satisfaction that 

 money cannot purchase, in having such pro- 

 ducts of your own raising? 



But if you have not a good garden, select 

 that nice piece of ground 1) ing convenient to 

 the house, and if it is a sward, cart on and 

 spread a heavy coat of good manure, — you 

 need not be afraid of clvinc it too much, if it 



