1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



1'^ 



can be well turned under, any time when the 

 ground is not frozen, or if a thaw comes in the 

 course of a few weeks, plow it with narrow 

 furrow slices, ten or more inches deep, if the 

 the soil is so deep, it not, to the depth of the 

 soil ; as but little of the under soil should be 

 turned up at a time. If you have a garden 

 already, it will be an advantage to gi'«o it a 

 good coat of manure, broadcast, any time 

 during the month. The rains will wash the 

 soluble parts of the manure down, and the 

 soil will absorb them, and a greater benefit 

 will accrue by the fertilizing qualities of the 

 manure being well diflti>ed through the soil. 

 1 hen plan in your mind just how much and 

 what part shall be devoted to each particular 

 product ; where and how large shall be the hot- 

 bed, the beds for beets, radi.shes, parsnips, let- 

 tuce, t-alsify, chicory, spinach, &c. ; where 

 shall be planted the pole and dwarf heans, po- 

 tatoes, early corn, cucumbers, squash, toma- 

 toes, &c., and the particular portion that each 

 and every other vaiiety of product, grown in 

 the girden shall occupy. Then see if you 

 have all the requisite serds in prime order; if 

 not procure them at the fir^t opportunit)', 

 while the seed merchant and grower has a full 

 stock on hand. All seeds which are in the 

 least of doubtl'ul vitality, should be tested in 

 a box of soil in a warm room, — noting the 

 number of seeds planted, and compare them 

 with the number of plants that come up. 

 Good seed is the cheapest, even if it costs 

 three prices. 



A garden which has at any time stagnant or 

 a surplus of water in the upper or under soil 

 within two or three feet of the surface, or 

 which has a close compact surface soil, or a 

 hard, retentive subsoil, or if the soil is shal- 

 low, or cold, cloggy or moist, delaying early 

 spring planting, surely needs underdraining, 

 and it will pay to have it done. Autumn is 

 the best lime for draining, but often there are 

 times when it can be done during winter, and 

 the cost is but a tiide, except for tiles. Tiles 

 make the best under-drains, and in the long 

 run, if not at fir t, are the most economical. 

 The benefits derived from underdraining are 

 many ; among which I may mention, deepen- 

 ing, warming, enriching, drying and sweeten- 

 ing the soil ; thus in fact lengthening the sea- 

 son in which it may be worked and plants 

 grow in it. 



This is the season when the farmer is most 

 at lei-sure, and he should endeavor to cultivate 

 and enjoy his advantages, remembering that 

 time spent in the "Farmers' Club" meetings, 

 in social visits, reading and conversation, or 

 even in merry pastime, is not time mi-ispent ; 

 but that the culture and relaxation of mind 

 and muscle tends to invigorate the system and 

 the mind, and that the daily toil of a more 

 busy season is easier accomplished therefor. 



With all your plans, plan for the ornamental 

 as well as the useful. Look around the house 

 and premises, and see wherein you can im- 



prove its appearance, by planting trees, shrubs, 

 flowers, «&c. See if any heretofore planted 

 need pruning, and in a mild time, when they 

 are unfrozen, prune them. 



Look out for the eggs of the "tent cater- 

 pillar " They are found in a little bunch en- 

 circling small branches, and may be detected 

 when the sun shines, by a shining appearance ; 

 cut ofl" the twig, with the eggs, and burn them, 

 thus saving future trouble. 



Accumulate manure ; save all the wash from 

 the house, slops, &c., and add it to the com- 

 post heap ; let nothing that may be turned 

 into plant food be wasted, but save it, though 

 small, as you would nickel pennies, by the 

 saving of which the dollars are accumulated. 



Cold frames, in very cold weather, will need 

 extra proivction, but in warm days the cover- 

 ing should be removed and some ventilation 

 given ; light and air are essential. Protection 

 to grape vines, strawberries and half hardy 

 plants may be given now, if not already done, 

 as injury by cold weather seldom occurs till a 

 thaw comes ; sudden changes from cold to 

 warm and warm to cold, by alternately starting 

 the sap How and suddenly freezing, burst the 

 sap vessels, and thus destroy the plant. 



Vegetables in the cellar will continue to ar- 

 rive at perfection, and need care, to keep 

 from freezing, and to prevent rotting. Remove 

 all decaying vegetables, or other waste veget- 

 able master from the cellar. 



W. H. White. 



South Windsoi', Conn., Jan., 18G9. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 MARL LIME. 



Your correspondent W. I. Simonds, inquires 

 about marl lime. There are several deposits 

 of shells (called marl lime) in this .«ection. 

 Some of (hem are several feet deep, and usu- 

 ally covered more or less with muck. These 

 iieds have the appearance of being the bottom 

 of a pond in times long past. 



One of these deposits is situated in Williams- 

 town, the owner of which burned quite a quan- 

 tity about a year ago, and others with myself 

 have used it the past season on crops. My 

 neighbor, who used both the burned and un- 

 buined, pronounces the burned much the best; 

 besides, it is'the most convenient to use. 



A gentleman from Calais informed me that 

 he procured several barrels, and that it pays 

 well, although he did not use up his supply in 

 consequence of ill health. He says it is aston- 

 ishing to see the effect when applied to hoed 

 crops. I used only ^w^i barrels, in all cases 

 wiih perceptible benefit. The most marked 

 results were noticed when applied to the po- 

 tato crop, at the rate of less than three barrels 

 to the acre. On land well manured, it gave 

 me, in an average of eight experiments, an in- 

 crease of twenty-five pounds to the square rod, 

 or over sixty bushels to the acre ; and on 



