1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



67 



FARMING IN" NEW BRUNSWICK. 



In a very business-like and intelligent re- 

 port by Arch'd Harrison of the Sunbiiry, New 

 Brunswick, Agricultural Society, published in 

 the Fredericton Colonial Farmer, we find 

 some statements which may interest our read- 

 ers, especially as much less i§ known of far- 

 ming at the far "East" than in most other 

 parts of the North American continent, either 

 West or South. 



It appears that although this society holds 

 an annual Fair, all its available funds are ex- 

 pended in the purchase of stock, seeds, &o. 

 Animals thus bought by the society are sold to 

 invldual farmers, on condition that they shall 

 be kept in the Province a specified number of 

 years. During the past year the society has 

 introduced into the district of Sunbury, one 

 pure bred Durham bull and a heifer calf, four 

 Leicester and two Cotswold rams, one grade 

 calf, four Berkshire boar pigs and five sows. 

 Twenty bushels of choice seed wheat were 

 also procured and sold by the society. Might 

 not our own county societies do something of this 

 kind to the advantage of many individual far- 

 mers who have not the time or means to hunt up 

 and buy such animals or seeds as they would 

 be glad to make an experiment with, if they 

 could procure them on favorable terms, as to 

 price and time of payment ? 



On account of short seasons, the district of 

 Sunbury is not well adapted to grain or roots, but 

 is good for grass. The average crop of hay 

 the past season is stated at one and a half to 

 three tons per acre. Still fair crops of wheat, 

 oats, barley, buckwheat, Indian corn, peas, 

 beans, potatoes, turnips, carrots, mangolds, 

 blood beets, &c., are raised. The Secretary 

 remarks : — 



Barley is not sown to any great extent. In some 

 instances the past season, the crop was good ; in 

 others very light ; from 30 to 50 bushels per acre. 

 Of Indian corn there is but little planted, although 

 more last year than the year previous. Returns 

 are good, both in quality and quantity. The pota- 

 to crop in almost every instance was good ; far 

 superior to that of last year. Returns from 200 to 

 400 bushels per acre, according to variety. The 

 turnip crop the past season was in a great many 

 instances a total failure. Some fields had the ap- 

 pearance of a fair crop, but when pulled, nearly 

 15 per cent, were diseased. Stock potatoes are in 

 a measure supplanting them. Mangold Wurtzels 

 are also on the decrease ; they do not seem to 

 grow as formerly, and are extremely exhausting 

 to the soil. The raising of blood beets is on the in- 

 crease. They are superior to the Mangold Wurt- 

 zel for feeding; the returns being fully equal. 

 Carrots, although a very troublesome crop, are 

 really a paying one; the returns Irom 500 to 600 

 bushels per acre. 



At the annual exhibition of the Society, last 

 fall, there were 317 entries ; an mcrease of 

 nearly fifty per cent, over last year. The 

 show cf sheep was hardly equal to last year, ow- 

 ing to a wet and otherwise unfavorable season. 

 The same causes may have had more to do 

 than is generaNy supposed in producing the 

 present stampede among the fine-wool growers 

 of the United States. The wheat purchased 

 by the Society this year was eagerly bought 

 by farmers, and the crops have been satisfac- 

 tory.- It is expected that a much greater 

 breadth will be sown next season. In only 

 two instances had this year's crop been 

 threshed, showing in one case, returns of 19 

 bushels and in the other IC bushels from one 

 of sowing. 



Sunflowers vs. Miasm. — The Prairie 

 Farmer has an article upon sunflowers and 

 other quick growing plants which present a 

 large surface of leaves and flowers to the at- 

 mosphere, as a means of absorbing and neu- 

 tralizing malarious miasms. Several interest- 

 ing facts are quoted in fiivor of this idea, and 

 the question is asked if a belt of sunflowers 

 around the Eternal City would render it secure 

 from the air coming from the Pontine Marshes, 

 as its walls of stone protected it from the in- 

 vasions of its enemies.'' Here is a new field 

 opened for scientific investigation. It is com- 

 mended to the attention of the friends of 

 "Social Science." 



I'or the New England Farmer. 



REMOVAL OP THE CATTLE MARKET 

 TO WILMINGTON. 



I wish to call the attention of drovers and 

 butchers to the best location for the cattle 

 market that there is in Massachusetts. This, 

 1 think, is at the junction of the Boston and 

 Maine, and the Salem and Lowell railroads, 

 in the town of Wilmington. Near this junc- 

 tion there are hundreds of acres of land that 

 can be bought for less than $25 per acre, and 

 a great portion of it is excellent land for grass, 

 when cultivated and manured. 



Wilmington may be compared to a cart 

 wheel lying horizontally, having almost an en- 

 tire circle of cities for its rim, and railroads 

 for its spokes. Establish the cattle market 

 here, which would make the hub, and the 

 wheel would be complete. The drovers are 

 now paying a large tax lor yarding their cattle 

 and sheep. At this place the owners of the 

 land could well afford to give the use of the 

 yards for the manure, as good stable manure 



