1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FAE]MER. 



357 



highly probable that this was a case of infection 

 through the mucous membrane of either lips, eyes 

 or nose. 



For the Kew England Farmer. 

 EHODB ISLAND FAKMINQ. 



Having sojourned among the farmers of this 

 beautiful and productive Island a few weeks 

 during the past winter, I venture to record 

 some facts and fancies. The part of the Slate 

 called the "Island" is connected at the north- 

 east corner with the main land by what is 

 called the Stone Bridge, for teams, also by the 

 railroad bridge-. It is about twelve miles long 

 and three broad, with three main roads north 

 and south, and plenty of cross roads to accom- 

 modate the farmers. 



At convenient distances on the elevated 

 lands are some ten wind mills for grinding 

 grain, and by their sombre and weather-beaten 

 appearance show that they have been in use 

 many years. 



'I he farms are generally separated into 

 small enclosures, from one to ten acres each, 

 and convenienily divided by very good stone 

 wall, most of which has been built so many 

 years that the builders have passed away. On 

 several hills there remain earthworks thrown 

 up by the soldiers in the Revolutionary war. 

 In the northern part of the Island the farms 

 are mostly small and market gardening is car- 

 ried on to some extent. 



Mr. Maeomber's Market Garden. 



Mr. J. E. Macomber is perhaps more ex- 

 tensively engaged in raising seeds, vegetables 

 and small fruits than any other min, and al- 

 though his markets are from ten to twenty 

 miles away, yet his early potatoes, cabbage, 

 strawberries, &c., are delivered in such season 

 and condition as to compete successfully with 

 the produce of those who live nearer. On 

 one of his farms occupied by a tenant there 

 was raised on half an acre, 200 pounds cab- 

 bage seed that sold for $500 ; on one-fouith 

 of an acre, cabbages that sold for $130 ; from 

 two acres of strawberries, there were picked 

 and sold fourteen hundred dollars' worth of 

 fruit. These items, with others, brought in 

 an income in 1867, of $2800 from a very few 

 acres. 



He has recently made a plantation of raspber- 

 ries and dwarf pear trees of the best varietie;?. 

 lie has thousands of cabbage from which to 

 raise seed. They were grown in the fall until 

 the heads began to form, then set closely 

 together in the earth on the north side of a 

 wail, to keep through the winter. Carrot, 

 turnip and beet seed is also raised in this vi- 

 cinity. 



Many of the cottage houses here are inhab- 

 ited hy fishermen, who supply the oil works 

 and the farmers, but the catch for 1868 was 

 light. 



W. L. Sisson, a farmer on North Point, 

 used about three hundred barrels of fish on 



his grass land and crops, for which he paid 

 from twenty-tive to thirty cents a barrel. 



On the northeast corner of the Island are 

 two coal mines that furnish cheap fuel to the 

 farmers, an establishment for making copper, 

 that has usually used ore from California and 

 South America, but is now engaged on 500 

 tons from Vershire, Vt., and a fish-oil factory, 

 where fish guano is sold at one cent a pound. 



Mr. E. J. Anderson's Farm. 



Toward the middle of the Island, on the 

 west road, is the farm of E. J. Anderson, 

 where we have an example of high farming, 

 but not fiincy farming. A farm of 130 acres 

 has been thoroughly underdrained, and keeps 

 this winter ten cows, eight oxen, one hundred 

 sheep, and twenty horses. The cows are 

 called natives, having been bought from 

 droves, yet the practiced eye sees indications 

 of various bloods. Two are polled, or horn- 

 less ; others by fine hair and shape show good 

 breeding, and their present condition, good 

 keeping. They were pastured during the 

 summer months on a ten acre lot thai a few 

 years ago was nearly worthless bog. It was 

 underdrained and worked for a crop of corn 

 and barley, and has for a few years past pas- 

 tured one cow per acre ; the cows, however, 

 had sweet corn stalks, sown for soiling, in ad- 

 dition. This crop in 1867, by weighing and 

 measuring, yielded twenty tons per acre. 

 These cows had been fed this winter up to 

 February 3, upon corn stalks. Butter is made 

 in summer, and the calves, sired by a scrub 

 bull, are fattened for veal. Under the barn 

 floor are stored about 1000 bushels of French 

 turnips, from which the fibrous roots were 

 trimmed when stored. These turnips are 

 mostly fed to the oxen that are constantly 

 being fattened. The horses are kept at nine 

 dollars per month, on hay, for the owners, 

 who are city residents. The sheep are of dif- 

 ferent breeds, — some South Downs, ;ind some 

 that come from Brigh on. To furnish mut- 

 ton, fat wethers are as much needed as nice 

 lambs. Mr. A. has freely expended money 

 in permanent improvements, and has found it 

 pays, — not only returning the money, but 

 quite a surplus besides. 



August Belmont's Villa. 



The place of August Belmont, Esq., attracts 

 the attention of the passer-by on account of 

 the large trees and the rustic embellishments 

 that adorn the grounds; but the stock would 

 more interest the farmer. Here are one 

 Guernsey, two Ayrshire, and three Alderney 

 cows, and three or four tv.o-year-old Alder- 

 ney heifers raised by Mr. B., that are of good 

 size and better filled out than young stock of 

 this breed usually are. The cows of all the 

 breeds were imported. At the head of this 

 herd stands a four year old Alderney buU 

 that, by estimate, would weigh 1600 pounds. 



In an excellent milk-room, about 8x20 feet, 

 on a double row of racks through the middle. 



