234 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



rubbed off upon their bodies, which made them 

 loolv unsiglitiy. So I washed all the trees exposed 

 with whitewash, and had no more trouble. 



It would have done you good to see the hogs 

 root over that half acre. They did it again and 

 again. They found worms rnd roots in the soil, 

 seemed to enjoy heir explorations marvellousl.y. 

 The lot was kept clian of every green thing all 

 summer, on the surface, while the trees put on the 

 deepest green and made wood rapidly. A part of 

 the orchard was Hubbardston Nonesuch trees. 

 These bore. I was proud of the apples. They 

 were the finest I ever saw — large and higli colored. 



After the apples bf gan to fall considerably I shut 

 the hogs into a smaller space. This they rooted 

 over often and deep, so that I was not obliged to 

 cart in any earth all summer to keep the ma- 

 nure covtred. Tliey only required wood shavings, 

 which I believe in supplying copiously, not to pro- 

 duce fiiC-fang, but to absorb liquids and provide a 

 comfortable bed. 



My experiment was so satisfactory that I have 

 prepared materials to enclose a larger lot the com- 

 ing season. If such treatment won't wake up all 

 the apple trees tliey arc past hope. 



Call next summer, if you can, and see plough- 

 ing done without horses. Wm. D. Brown. 



Concord, Mass., Feb., 1869. 



AGBICULTURAL MATTERS IK MAINE. 



At present people in this section appear to be 

 more interested in political than in agricultural 

 reading; almost every family having one or even 

 two political papers, while a majority take no agri- 

 cultural publicaiion of any kind. The great in- 

 quiry is for political and light literature. Take 

 for instance the town of Skowhegan, containing 

 about sixty square miles and not less than 600 

 fanulics — nearly every one of which takes one or 

 more papers, and reads them carefully. Even 

 thr)se residing at a distance from the post-offlce 

 will harness up and ride perhaps miles for their 

 weekly paper. Yet some of these same men will 

 refuse an agricultural paper because they live "so 

 far from the post-office," — and, in fact, for all these 

 600 families only about 125 agricultural papers are 

 received at this office. 



But this indifference to agricultural papers is not 

 the worst part of it. We find not unlrequently a de- 

 cided prejudice against them, based on the as- 

 sumption that they are edited by men who have 

 little practical knowledge of farming, but who 

 recommend theories which are impracticable to the 

 common fanner. But if agricultural papers impart 

 no knowledge of practical use to the farmer, of 

 what practical use is the knowledge obtained from 

 his political paper ? The men who conduct them 

 care little for the interests of the farmer farther than 

 to secure his vote. To do this, statements and - p- 

 peals are often made which array one neighbor 

 against another, and engender stiife among those 

 whose interests are one. Why shall we run after 

 these fellows and neglect our own interests ? The 

 mechaiiic has his Scientific American, the lawyer his 

 Acts tind RciOlvcs, his Law Reports, &c., the doc- 

 tor his iMc.iical Depostories and text books, and 

 they pationizeihem liberally, because each obtains 

 valuable inlbrmatiou from them. Would you em- 

 ploy a physician who fails to keep up with the im- 

 provements and discoveries iu the healing art, or 

 the lawyer who pays no regard to the progress of 

 legislation and legal deci>ioiis. From a somewhat 

 caielul observation among farmers, I find the best 

 fanners, if not farms, beht stock, largest and best 

 crops, and in fact, a more thrifty farming commun- 

 ity ill every particular, where agricultural papers 

 are liberally pationized than where few are taken. 

 Our agiicuUural publications should meet those 

 wants ot the farmer which are met iu the case of 



the mechanic, the lawyer, the commercial man, 

 and the physician by those devoted to the interests 

 of their respective professions. 



Farmers here have paid some attention of late 

 to wheat growing, but the weevil and rust are dis- 

 couraging many. Though there is some good stock 

 in this section there is not as much interest taken 

 in its improvement as in some parts of the State. 

 Potatoes have been the leading staple, but as only 

 about titty cents per bushel are now offered for 

 them, many farmers are fe ding them to their 

 stock, as all kinds of marketable animals now 

 command good prices. In good, times potatoes 

 have been drawn fifty miles to this market. The 

 fiirmers here are generally "ivell off" and able to 

 keep their products for a higher market, to sell 

 at a lower figure if necessary, or to feed them to 

 their stojk. Zen. 



Skowhegan, Me., Feb. 27, 1869. 



USE OF SALT MEADOW MUD. 



Can you give information respecting the value of 

 salt meadow muel for a fertilizer? Also, best 

 manner of preparing and using the same, and 

 oblige S. Chapman. 



East Dennis, Mass., 1869. 



Remarks. — We have repeatedly inquired ot 

 persons living on the sea coast, or those having 

 salt water creeks penetrating into their farms, 

 whether the salt meadow mud is useful as a fertil- 

 izer ? The usual reply has been — "I do not like 

 it." We do not know of any well conducted exper- 

 iments made with it, and wish some of our corres- 

 pondents would give us information on the subject. 



FEEDING HAY AND STRAW. 



Going into "winter quarters" this season with an 

 insufficient supply of hay, and being minus the 

 wherewithal to purchase more, I adopted the prac- 

 tice of thoroughly mixing hay and straw, and with 

 the exception of a small foddering of corn buts in 

 the middle of the day, have given my cows noth- 

 ing else. The greatest benefit resulting from this 

 practice to me, is, 1 have learned a lesson of econ- 

 omy. Oat straw which I have hitherto regarded 

 as worthless, or nearly so, as feed for stock, I am 

 persuaded can be used with profit in the manner 

 above described. True, it costs labor; and no 

 person should attempt it who is not willing to give 

 time and patience to the work. That word thor- 

 oughly/ must be rendered emphatic to fully under- 

 stand the practice I have pursued. b. g. 



North Montpetier, Vt., March, 9, 1869. 



DISEASE AMONG SHEEP. 



Can the editors or the readers of the Farmer 

 give me any information as to the disease which is 

 very fatal among sheep in this section ? I have 

 lost within six weeks about one-fifth of my flock, 

 and some of my neighbors have sutl'cred to nearly 

 the same extent. Some of my best sheep are taken. 

 They soon become weak about the hind legs, un- 

 able to stanel, and die. On opening them I find a 

 yellowish, globular substance under the skin, ako 

 about the kidneys, and a large mass of it at the 

 large end of the heart. This substance might per- 

 haps be better described by the word jelly. In 

 fact it appears to pervade the whole carcass. It is 

 found about the legs, and under the skin of the 

 head and hack of the eyes a m iss equal to a large 

 spoonful has been observed. The heart is much 

 flattened away, and contains a little frothy fluid. 

 iSome of them have a large quantity, say two or 

 three quarts of water not much colored among 

 the entrails, and between them and the film whicU 



