12 



NEW ENGLAND F.iEMER. 



Jan. 



were turned in a flat furrow, and not exposed. 

 Among tlie reasons given in ftivor of fall plowing 

 were the following, viz., that it was the very 

 best way to destroy the cut-worm, especially if 

 done late, — that weeds, potato vines, leaves &c., 

 would be rotten, and out of the way in spring, 

 and that unripe seeds would be destroyed, and the 

 seeds of some weeds would germinate so late as to 

 do no harm. 



Tiie principal objection to foil plowing is that 

 the land is more liable to wash and blow away 

 than if not plowed. 



The cold of last Sunday and Monday morning, 

 was more severe here than I ever knew before at 

 this season, being at 9 degrees above 0, from 4 

 o'clock to -i past 7, on Monday, and apples, cab- 

 bages, turnips, squashes, celery',&c., were injured 

 in many instances. 



Yours, &e., . B. F. Cutter. 



Pelham, Nov. 4, 1854. 



• Granite Farmer. 



TO ASCEETAIN THE WEIGHT OF LIVE 

 STOCK. 



First, see that the animal stands square, then, 

 with a string, take his circumference just behind 

 the shoulder-blade, and measure the feet and inch- 

 es — this is the girlh . Thsn measure from the bone 

 of the tail whi-ih plumbs the line with the hin- 

 der part of the buttock, and direct the string 

 along the back to the forepart of the shoulder- 

 blade, and this will be the length. Then, work 

 the figures thus : — Suppose girth of bullock 6 

 feet 4 inches, length 5 feet 3 inches, which mul- 

 tiplied together makes 33 square superficial feet ; 

 and these, multiplied by 23 — the number of 

 pounds allowed for each superficial foot of cattle 

 measuring less than seven and more than Jive 

 feet in girth — make 759 lbs. When the animal 

 measures less than ni}ie and more than seveji feet 

 in girth, 31 is the number of pounds to be esti- 

 mated for each superficial foot. And suppose a 

 small animal to measure two feet in girth and two 

 fouet in length ; these multiplied together make 4 

 feet, which, multiplied by eleven — the number of 

 pounds allow^ed for each square foot when cattle 

 measure less than three feet in girth — make 44 

 lbs. 



x\gain, suppose a calf or sheep, &c., to measure 

 4 feet 6 inches in girth, and 3 feet 9 inches in 

 length, that multiplied together, makes 16 square 

 feet, and these multiplied by 19, the number of 

 pounds allowed for cattle measuring less than five 

 and more than 3 feet in girth, make 250 lbs. 

 The dimension in girth and length of the back of 

 cattle, sheep, calves and hogs, taken this way, 

 ar3 as exact as is at all necessary for common com- 

 putation cr valuation of stock, and will answer 

 to the four quarters of the animal, sinking the of- 

 fal. A deiUiction must be made for animals half 

 fat, of one pound in twenty from those that 

 are fat ; and for a cow that has had calves, one 

 pound must be allowed, in addition to the one for 

 liot being fat, upon every twenty. 



Good Fruit. — The Wisconsin Farmer says : — 

 "Wisconsin can produce as good fruit as any oth- 

 er State in the Union." Well, let us see you do 

 it. 



THE VOICE OF AUTUMN. 



BY W. C. BP.YAXT. 



There comes from yonrkr height 



A soft, repining soun(^. 

 Where forest leaves are britrht, 

 And fall like flakes of liirht 

 To the ground. 



It 13 the autumn breeze, 



That, lightly floating on, 

 Just skims the weedy leas, 

 Just stirs the glowing trees, 

 And is gone. 



lie moans by sedgy brook, 



And visits, with a sigh, 

 The last pale flowers that look, 

 From out their sunny nook, 

 At the sky. 



O'er shouting childien flies 

 That light October wind ; 

 And, kissing cheeks and eyes, 

 He leaves their merry cries 

 Far behind ; 



And wanders on to make 



That soft, uneasj' sound, 

 By distant wood and lake, 

 Where distant fountains break 

 From the ground. 



No bower where maidens dwell 



Can win a moment's stay ; 

 Nor fair, untrodden dell ; 

 lie sweeps the upland swell, 

 And away ! 



Mouru'st thou thy homeless state, 



0, soft, repining wind ! 

 That early seek'st, and late, 

 The rest it is thy fate 

 Not to find I 



Not on the mountain's breast. 



Not on the ocean's shore, 

 In all the East ,and West ; — 

 The wind tliat stops to rest 

 Is no more. 



By valleys, woods and springs. 



No wonder thou shouldst grieve 

 For all the glorious things 

 Thou touchest with thy wings 

 And must leave. 



PIPEK, OE WITCH GEASS. 



Farmers and gardners need a large stock of the 

 article, which made Job so contented under his 

 afflictions, who have grounds infested with this 

 abominable scourge. The old saiv that the only 

 way to kill it was to "dry it, and then put it in- 

 to your pipe and smoke it, and he careful of the 

 ashes,''' only shows the trouble connected with its 

 extermination. I recollect shaking out a hand- 

 ful and laying it up to take the air upon a stick 

 of old timber. A few weeks afterwards I found, 

 to my astonishment, a tlirifty bunch of grass, 

 the roots had penetrated the spongy stick, and 

 were very far from discouraged. 



All those who have had "their hands in the 

 dirt," are familiar with the hard, wiry extremi- 

 ties of piper roots. They will not turn out of 

 their course for a potato, or a chip, but are often 

 found grown through them. 



Piper grass will spread like an epidemic. Some 

 farmers let the grass stand where it is in a haj'- 

 field until the seed is ripened, and so spread 



