362 



NEW ENGLAND FARINIER. 



Aug. 



But are there not more who make drudges 

 of themselves, just to make money? Nay, 

 worse, who lay themselves, body and soul, on 

 the altur of Mammon. Of course this state- 

 ment is not limited to the farmer, nor is the 

 imputation ol too much work. Yt-t in the 

 K!ase of the farmer such drudgery seems more 

 noticeable. 



Now, why not slack a little, and not work 

 yourselves to death to find, when all is over, 

 that "as you brought nothing with you into 

 the world, so you can carry nothing out?" It 

 is a relief to know that some have taken the 

 hint, perhaps from bitter experience of sick- 

 ness and infirmity, brought on by wilful disre- 

 gard of the laws of health ; and that others 

 have finally yielded to the remonstrance of 

 wife and daughters who have plead with them, 

 by the love they bear them, not to work so 

 hard, and give a little more time to those small, 

 sweet courtesies and charities which they had 

 once ignored. 



It is true the farmer cannot always keep 

 within bounds, in this matter of work. There 

 will come emergencies in harvest time when he 

 must toil early and late ; times when he must 

 make the most of brief intervals of fair 

 weather, and secure his crops at any hazard. 

 And sometimes he has so much crowded into 

 one season, besides his regular farm work, that 

 lie must keep all hands toiling to their utmost 

 to get through. But is it not often the case 

 that work falls behindhand or is crowded for 

 want of some system and wise forethought ? 

 Worst of all, some old-fashioned farmers will 

 persist in taking the hardest way, and plod- 

 ding on independent of this and that labor- 

 saving machine which would lighten half their 

 load, and give them a new lease of life. In 

 doors and out, it is "work, work, work," and 

 whe.i they are dead, the property, so hardly 

 earned, may go to make only idlers and spend- 

 thrifts ! w. E. B. 

 Longmeadow, Mass., Jane 1869. 



For the New England Farmer, 



PEAT AS A PEBTIIilZER -A QUESTION. 



On a large portion of the farms In New 

 England may be found a bed of peat or muck, 

 in store for the redemption of the upland soil. 

 In itself alone, as found, this peat exerts no 

 fertilizing power. Though consisting mainly 

 of vegetable matter, — decaying trees, shrubs 

 and grasses, — the tannic acid it contains pre- 

 serves it from decomposition and sometimes 

 actually prevents its favorable action on the 

 soil wih which it is incorporated. Plant an 

 apple or a pear tree in pure peat, and it dies. 

 The tannic acid poisons many kinds of cereal 

 and leguminous plants, and hence some far- 

 mers have become prejudiced against the use 

 of it. But peat itself is mainly vegetable 

 fibre, — geine, humus, — the natural food of 

 plants and trees. The very small per cent. 



of tannic acid It contains renders it obnox- 

 ious. Eliminate this, and then we have in 

 peat one of the very best fertilizers nature 

 holds in store for us. 



But what are the best means of doing it? 

 This is an important question, and whoever 

 rightly answers it will do more for agriculture 

 than ever has been done by any Liebig, Burns 

 or Davy. Dr. Dana, to be sure, did some- 

 thing. His "Muck Manual" should be in the 

 hands of every farmer. But much more must 

 be done. An alkali destroys an acid. But 

 what is the cheapest alkali ? What Is the best 

 mode of applying it ? Here is the problem. 

 One load of peat now good for nothing, how 

 shall I best, cheapest, and quickest change It 

 to a load of good manure? What are the 

 easiest, readiest, and surest steps? Good 

 questions these for the advanced class in our 

 new agricultural college. 



"Combine it," says Dr. Dana, "after it has 

 felt the frost of winter, with one half a load 

 of barn manure." This will do it ; but time 

 is taken and the barn manure Is soon ex- 

 hausted. "Use night soil;" but there is no 

 city near. "Take ashes ;" but they are twen- 

 ty-five cents per bushel. "Spent ashes, then ;" 

 but the alkali, — the very thing you want, — is 

 taken out of them. "Well, soda;" ah, but 

 that costs money. "Liquid manure ;" but the 

 supply Is limited. "Then lime;" this, too, 

 costs money and Is slow in action. 



We have tested all these agents and we 

 think the first the best, especially when the 

 swine have had the range of the barn cellar ; 

 but we believe there is a hettei- way, which 

 some enlightened chemist will, ere long, reveal 

 to us. As nature, ever provident and pro- 

 spective In her plans, has compensated for the 

 sterility of our soils by storing away In thou- 

 sands and thousands of acres of our low lands 

 the materiel for the recuperation of our up- 

 lands, and as this Is the day of chemical em- 

 prise and development, it is but reasonable to 

 suppose that the key to the treasure will soon 

 be found. W. Walbridge. 



Billerica, Mass., Feb., 1869. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 "CABBAGE WORM" 



Mr. Editor : — In your last issue, Mr, Towles 

 of Alburgh, Vt., complains that his cal)bages 

 have all been destroyed "by a worm formed 

 by an egg or nit of a white butterfly deposited 

 in the head of the cabbage," and wishes to 

 know what can be done to stop its ravages. 



Before his question can be properly an- 

 swered, we must inquire whether he knows or 

 only thinks the butterfly to be the parent of 

 the worm. If It Is really so, I suspect this to 

 be a recent, most unfortunate Importation 

 from England. Several years ago, a butterfly 

 called Fieris rupee, which has sometimes done 

 great damage In Europe, was discovered 

 about Quebec and has since spread Into north- 



