210 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



poled first, firmly in the ground, four feet 

 apart, and plant six or eight beans around 

 each pole, — leave the Limas till the last, and 

 be sure and stick them eyes down, baruly cov- 

 ering ihera with one fourth an inch of fine soil. 

 The Gtrmantown Telegraph says that greas- 

 ing the beans before planting prevents them 

 from rotting, and does not injure their ger- 

 mination. 



Beets. — These being quite hardy, may be 

 planted as soon as the ground is ready to re- 

 ceive the seed. Sow in drills eighteen inches 

 fipart, covering the seed half an inch deep, — 

 drop the seed three or four inches apart and 

 thin out to six or eight inches, after they get 

 started. More than one plant will be likely 

 to come from what appears as one seed, which 

 in reality is an envelope containing several 

 seeds. The plants allowed to get a little 

 growth make excellent greens, and often are 

 allowed to grow till likely to interfere, be- 

 fore being pulled out for this purpose. 



Cabbage. — Early sorts will usually answer 

 to transplant during the month. Seed may be 

 sown of both early and late varieties in the 

 open ground. The varieties are numerous, 

 some late sorts growing enormous heads, oth- 

 ers much smaller, more tender, and better 

 fiavored. All the mammoth kinds are more or 

 less coarse, with large leaf stems and veins ; 

 the medium and smaller growing heads will be 

 f jund the best for eating, — the mammoth for 

 market. 



Carrots. — For our New England climate. 

 May is early enough, and some think too early 

 to sow carrots. A few radish seed sown with 

 the carrot will enable one to distinguish the 

 rows much better, and the weeds can be better 

 kept in subjection without injury to the carrots ; 

 clean culture makes clean good crops. _ 



Corn. — Plant as soon as the soil is warm. 

 A few hills may be started on sods, in the hot- 

 bed, and set in the open ground, after late 

 fiosts are past. The Mexican and Trimbles, 

 ai e two as good sorts as one could wish ; the 

 Mexican being a small eight rowed variety and 

 the Trimble a good sized, twelve rowed sort, 

 sott and rich when in its prime. The Mexican 

 has small kernels, sweet, and excellent for eat- 

 'u\<y from the cob, as the seed comes out clean 

 aud free from hulls. J. J. H. Gregory adver- 

 tises it by the package. I have none for sale. 



Cucu.mbe'rs. — About the middle of the 

 month is soon enough to jilant in the open 

 "round, to escape frosts. According to the 

 '•weather wise" we shall have frosts the latter 

 half of the month to injure vegetation. A few 

 h.lls can be staited on sods in ihe hot-bed to be 

 transplanted the last of the montii, and get a 

 little advantage over those planted in the open 

 grouid. 



Lettuce. — Transplant from the (he hot-bed 

 and cold frames. Sow seeds in the open 

 ground for succession. Applications of liquid 

 manure, or guano in judicious quantities, will 

 give large results. 



Onions. — If not already planted, plant 

 onion seeds in rich well-prepared beds. Set 

 out tops, sets, and potato onions, as early in 

 the month as post>ible. Early sown seed pro- 

 duces best results. 



Peas. — Repeat planting of early sorts for 

 succession, and put in late sorts of Marrow- 

 fats, and the better sorts. Pea brush should 

 be put to the peas soon after they come up, as 

 the longer deferred the less inclined the vines 

 are to take hold of them. 



Potatoes. — Plant as soon as the grotmd is 

 in readiness, as early planted do the best, of 

 late years ; give them mineral, instead of 

 putrescent manure, on ground previously ma- 

 nured and in good heart. 



Radishes. — Sow seed in quick, warm soil; 

 If insects attack the plants dust with ashes ; 

 light applications of guano promote rapid 

 growth. 



Squash. — These being of tropical origin 

 will need be treated as tender plants, similar 

 to cucumbers, as above. Manure, old and 

 well rotted, makes the squash grow, when judi- 

 ciously applied in liberal quantities. 



Tomatoes. — These will not bear the least 

 frost, and cold rains do not agree with them. 

 If the plants in the hot-bed, or cold frame, are 

 getting large, prick them out from the hot-bed 

 to the cold frames, or into pots ; start the roots 

 of those in cold frames to increase stockiness, 

 &c. Keep the plants protected nights but 

 harden oft' days by giving them the open air, 

 all reasonably pleasant days. 



Wm. H. White. 



South Windsor, Co»m., 1869. 



Japanese Wheat. — The large variety of millet 

 which was advertised as Japanese wheat by J. D. 

 Rice of Detroit, Michigan, and sold at 50 cents 

 "for enough to raise a bushel" was generally re- 

 garded as a "sell" by most of those "who invested. 

 Mr. H. W. Hill of Bridgewater, Mass., who sent 

 for a parcel of it, was so disgusted with the ap- 

 pearance of his new "wheat" that he sowed only 

 a small part of what he received. Finding that 

 it was not wheat at all, but that it grew rank and 

 large, with stem and leaves something like corn, 

 he fed some of it to his cows and found that both 

 stalk and seed were much liked by them. He has 

 therefore saved a quantity of the seed and intends 

 to sow a patch this season for fodder, for which 

 purpose he think it may prove a valuable addition 

 to our forage crops. Mr. A. D. Arms of Montpe- 

 lier, Vt., judged that the straw of some that he 

 sowed was equal to an average of four tons per 

 acre. Mr. Hill has sent us a single head of the 

 seed measuring ten inches and weighing full one 

 ounce, when perfectly dry. 



— It Is estimated that there are 25.5,000 thresh- 

 ing machines iu the United States, without count- 

 ing the "school-marms," 



