226 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



■weakness, or a failure may now and then be re- 

 ported, yet tbe Farmer and other New England 

 papers teem from week to week with statements 

 bhovviiig most encouraging success and vma- 

 bated confidence and hope in wheat planting. 

 Why then be nervous and fidgctty at a little 

 '•Tust" that may occur once in five or six years, 

 which may generally be avoided, if the grain 

 is brined, ashed, and limed, and planted on 

 higli, rolling localities, early in spring or the 

 last of summer, that it may head off the hot 

 sun and sweating vapors of "dog days." 



Is it too much to say that wheat raising 

 should be the great enterprise of the \ew 

 England States to-day? The labor of dig- 

 ging and housing an acre of potatoes, say five 

 d,iys fjr one man, is at about the same cost as 

 thr; ploughing, sowing and harvesting of an acre 

 of wbeat. This crop is cheaply made. We 

 hope the farmers, one and all, will put in their 

 spring wheat early on the high warm lands, 

 and not forget their winter wheat the last of 

 next August to the first of September. Fal- 

 low with clover, if manure is short, or turn in 

 the mowing sward and sow on that, which gives 

 the largest yield where there is no manure. 

 Strong descending grass land is best for win- 

 ter grain. Henry Poor. 



Brooklyn, L. 1., Feb. 15. 1869. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 CANADA STOCK AND KECIPKOCITY. 



An article in the Farmer written by a cor- 

 respondent at Stanstead, Province of Quebec, 

 complaining that Canada is misrepresented or 

 not understood in the States, reminded me of 

 a little incident that occurred at the Brighton 

 market last October. While looking about 

 the yards and talking with various individuals 

 and drovers, I mentioned the subject of Cana- 

 da cattle, and inquired if there were any in 

 tbe yards that week. A gentleman replied 

 that there were a few, and seemed anxious to 

 show ihem to me. But what was my surprise, 

 on being shown some of the poorest kind of 

 French Canadian stock, once called Alderney, 

 but so degenerated by breeding in and in that 

 tbey have become so small that they are not 

 much larger than some of our Cotswold sheep. 

 1 f.juiid that the Bwghton people thought them 

 to be a fair specimen of Canada stock. I cer- 

 tainly felt, a little chagrined, as no doubt many 

 of our farmers in this vicinity would, under 

 like circumstances. 1 found that Canada was 

 regarded a cold, frosty place, and that such 

 cattle were considered a fair representation of 

 the stock of such a country. 



VV^ell, I must admit that our French Cana- 

 dians do raise poor stock in* many places, be- 

 cause, as their fathers did, so do they. Inhab- 

 iting as they do the richest portions of our 

 country, they ought to be foremost in trying to 

 improve tbeir stock; but it is much with tliem 

 in regard to stock-raising, as it was with their 

 old '•^rai>teaM," where the horse went in the 



middle of the road, which they could not be 

 persuaded to give up until a law was made 

 forbidding their use. 



The cattle I saw at Brighton are bought 

 che p and are preferred by speculators and 

 drovers from your country to choice stock, be- 

 cause tbey can make money on the purchase. 



I would just say that in the counties of 

 Compton, Stanstead, and Shefford there are as 

 fine and good breeds of cattle as can be fraud 

 in New England, or perhaps in any of the 

 United States. Accompanyinr this I send 

 you an account taken from the Burlington 

 Free Press, of a visit to Hillhurst Farm, Comp- 

 ton, P. Q , M. H. Cochrane, proprietor, which 

 I hope you will see fit to publish in the Far- 

 mer at some future time. We feel proud of 

 such a man as Mr. Cochrane, as he once was a 

 poor boy and worked out from place to place 

 for his living. His success is the result of 

 persevering industry and honesty, and I hope 

 many of our boys will imi.tate his example. 



I see that some of your writers are afraid of 

 free trade with Canada. The abrogation of 

 the Reciprocity treaty, they contend, has beeii 

 of vast benefit to the public chest or revenue. 

 This may be so ; still I think if a good recipro- 

 cal law could be made by the two nations 

 and do away with that numerous class of offi- 

 cers maintained by both governments for a 

 space of 1500 miles, for the purpose of enforcing 

 the present law, a better state of feeling would 

 exist, and the increase of trade would balance 

 all the profits arising from the duties now paid 

 by each government. We are not inclined to 

 whine because your people will not favor 

 a reciprocal law. We have shrewd men 

 among us, good water power, and we may be- 

 come a manufacturing community. Lumber 

 of all kinds has advanced since the abrogation 

 of the Reciprocity Treaty, and your pur- 

 chasers and builders feel the effects very 

 much. H. French. 



Eaton, Compton Co., P. Q., Feb., 1869. 



Remarks. — We have published several no- 

 tices of Mr. Cochrane's stock, and should be 

 pleased to print the article referred to, but 

 our correspondents, just now, claim the lion's 

 share of our columns. Our idea of ''free 

 trade" and of "reciprocity" is not realized by 

 any "treaty" which offers our markets to one 

 portion of our neighbors on more favorable 

 conditions than those which are imposed on 

 our own citizen'^, or on our other neighbors. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 CAN WE KAISE "WHEAT 



IN NEW END LAN L' '.' 



Having read in some of the last issues of 

 the Fai;mer, some advice on the above sub- 

 ject, i veiiLuro to say a word and give my ex- 

 perience in the matter. Two years ago next 



