1869. 



XEW ENGLiVND FARMER. 



14c 



but could not gpt to them— I tried it. When the 

 warm spring days came the prospect briglitened, 

 but husliand was obliged to send East and hire 

 $,■•500. We worlced liard and fared hard. I felt the 

 privations very keenly, but I think they strength- 

 ened me ; I never gave up or said I was homesick, 

 we enlarged our house, and when we had been here 

 six years, built a new house, where we now live. 

 We have a pretty place and a tine orchard ; Ve have 

 our carpets, and even piano. We sometimes go 

 back to our old home ; husband has been four 

 times; but we like the new home much. The 

 best I will not tell— that is, \*hat our income is ; 

 but it is several times the little capital we brought. 

 We have two healthy boys and good neighbors. 



COMPLIMENTART — A CANADIAN'S VIEWS. 



I have long had quite an inclination to express 

 myself a little. As we all admire your Fakmer, 

 allow me to say so. Its faults, if it has any, are so 

 few that just now I don't remember any of them. 

 Your articles on Agricultural Societies, Tim Bun- 

 ker Papers and Greeley's Deep Ploughing, were 

 excellent. 



But my present point is this, you States people 

 do not give us panadians quite fair treatment. 

 We are a good deal misrepresented in many things. 

 Some of your scribblinij tourists draw much more 

 on their imaginations than on their regard for truth , 

 as I might illustrate. You don't understand "the 

 crusade against American silver," or rather all 

 silver. Some of your correspondents are not in- 

 formed thoroughly on both sides of "all that Cana- 

 dians have said and done during the last few 

 years." 



Now if it would not displease you to hear a little 

 plain talk in a friendly way, I will now and then 

 give the Canadian view of some of these things, 

 and among them the wool and tariflf questions. 



Stanstead, Can., Jan. 16, 1869. J. G. Field. 



Remarks. — Remembering "that he that is first 

 in his own cause seemeth just, but his neighbor 

 cometh and searcheth him," and desiring to "see 

 ourselves as others see us," a little of our Canadi- 

 an friend's "plain talk" we think will be good for 

 us to take. By all means, then, give us your 

 views. 



HABITS OF FINE AND COARSE •\VOOL SHEEP. 



Having been a subscriber to and a reader of the 

 weekly Neav England Farmer, for the last twelve 

 years, with the exception of 18G1 and 1862, I have 

 become very much attached to it, as I have never 

 received a copy that did not contain something 

 fully worth the price of a number, and sometimes 

 a great deal more. I have become particularly in- 

 terested in that part that comes under the head of 

 Extracts and Replies. 



Noticing the discussion going on in regard to 

 the habits and character of different breeds of 

 sheep, I thought I would give you my experience 

 wi;h them. I first commenced with the Merino 

 sheep, keeping a flock of from 180 to 200 for a 

 numlier of years. I never found any trouble in 

 making them tame and gentle when I was alone 

 with tliem, Init if a stranger went with me to see 

 them tliey would stick up" their heads aud run like 

 so many deers. As to their jumping fences, they 

 never troubled me ; Imt they would search out 

 holes and crawl through the fence, and in that way 

 get out of tlieir pasture altogether too oiten for 

 my patience to endure it. Tlie pasture where I 

 kept them was fenced on three sides with brush 

 and pole fence, and they would crawl through a 

 hole my Scotch shepherd dog could not, and some- 

 times two or three would stray off one or more 



miles into lots where the feed was no better, if as 

 good, as in the one they had left. Such was their 

 disposition to ramble that after six years' trial I 

 sold them all out, and changed to other stock. 



One year ago last October, I purchased one hun- 

 dred Leicester ewes, and have kept them ever 

 since, and a more peaceable, quiet flock of sheep 

 I never kept nor was acquainted with. The pas- 

 ture where they were summered last season is 

 fenced just as the one was where I kept the Meri- 

 nocs, only the fence was not as good. From my 

 experience with them I am thoroughly convinced 

 that if you will only give them good feed and 

 enough of it, and fence of lawful height, you need 

 not have any fears about their getting out of their 

 pasture or rambling. They are the tamest and 

 most easily domesticated of any sheep I ever kept. 

 My neighbors all keep the Spanish Merinoes, and 

 I have a chance to compare the habits of the two 

 every day. Should you put one, two or five of 

 them in with a flock of an hundred black, greasy, 

 bad smelling, tbotrot Merinoes, they njight be 

 a^hcimed of their company and try to get away, 

 and I should not censure them for it. g. c. b. 



Rockingham, Vt., Jan. 18, 1869. 



■HHE season IN CANADA — LARGE CROPS OF 

 WHEAT. 



The year just past has been dryer in this section 

 than any.ycar since 18o4. A year ago last fall we 

 had very little rain, and not the usual amount of 

 snow. During the winter we had no thaw or rain, 

 consequently the streams were very low and water 

 scarce. We had a wet, cold and backward May, 

 and vegetation was at least ten days behind that of 

 1867 oa the first of June. The summer, however, 

 was so warm and dry, that crops matured much 

 earlier than the year previous. The wheat, corn, 

 and potato crops were very good. Hay, late sown 

 oats and buckwheat, below the average. AVinter 

 set in quite early. We have had full ten weeks of 

 sleighing to this date. The streams and deep 

 wells are very low ; several in our town have to 

 draw water from the river, nearly a mile distant, 

 both for stock and family use. Fodder is high for 

 this country. Good hay cannot be bought for less 

 than $15, gold, per ton ; oats 50 to 60 cents per 

 bushel. Those who feed grain are mostly feeding 

 Western corn. The amount of snow on the ground 

 at this time in (he woods about 15 to 18 inches. 

 We have had two short rains since this year com- 

 menced, which were a great benefit to those who 

 had empty cisterns. The night of the 12th about 

 eight inches of snow fell. 



I subjoin a few figures showing the yield of wheat 

 per acre of some of the best fields in this town : — 

 Hon. T. L. Terrill, from 8 acres threshed 340 

 bushels, thresher's measure. He thinks it will 

 not be less than 40 bushels per acre by weight. 

 Mr. T. Ruiter raised 27 bushels from one bushel 

 of seed. But these of course are above the 

 averatre. T. P. Jenkins. 



Stanstead, P. Q., Jan. 14, 1869. 



BUTTER-MAKING WITHOUT WASHING. 



When I read Mrs. Trask's remarks on butter 

 making, 1 could hardly keep my fingers from the 

 pen, though I never wrote a line to the printers in 

 my life. Her directions for neatness in milking 

 and in preparing her pans and churn, and also her 

 care to set the milk in a cool, clean place meet my 

 approbation entirely. I think she keeps her cream 

 a little too long in warm weather, and when she 

 comes to wash the butter in cold water I am all 

 "up in arms." Treating it in that way, 1 don't see 

 how she can expect to see the "gilt-edge," for she 

 has washed out all its nice, peculiar flavor. For 

 this, her "tablespoonful of sugaj* to each pound" is, 



