1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



117 



ears while yet in the milk to his hogs, and the 

 pork they made waa the finest and sweetest he 

 ever tasted, and its superior quality was often re- 

 marked by friends who ate of it. He was satis- 

 fied that there was nothing which would make so 

 nice pork as green corn while in the milk. 



Mr. Poor, of Andover, made an interesting 

 statement in regard to his manner of raising 

 winter Avheat, and setting forth the superiority 

 of the wheat crop as a j)rotitable one for New 

 England farmers ; but as his views and experi- 

 ments have been published in the Farmer we 

 omit any sketch of his remarks. 



JMr. Stockbridge, of Iladley, narrated a case 

 in his own experience, wherein l)c fallowed a crop 

 of tobacco (a very exhausting crop) manured with 

 25 loads to the acre, with a crop of winter wheat, 

 planted in September. The ground Avas flat, and 

 ■wherever the water collected and froze in the 

 winter, the wheat was killed, so that only about 

 half an acre came to maturity ; that, however, 

 yielded 20 bushels. A piece of winter rye, 

 planted on a similar piece of land, and subjected 

 to the same influences, did not suffer from being 

 winter killed. In his opinion, the wheat crop, 

 although often a very profitable one, was not re- 

 liable, and New England farmers must depend on 

 corn and winter rye for certain returns. 



At 20 minutes to 10 o'clock, the meeting ad- 

 journed. 



For the. New Ensland Farmer. 



CULTURE OF HOPS. 



Mr. Editor : — Will you be so kind as to give 

 your friends in this region some information in 

 relation to hop culture? This subject is exciting 

 considerable interest in our community of late, 

 and any information you may be able to impart 

 through the Farmer, will be a favor to numerous 

 readers of your valuable paper. 



In particular, will you reply to the following 

 questions? {a.) Are hops used to any considera- 

 ble extent for other purposes than brewing? 

 And whtit purposes'? {b.) Is it probalile that the 

 price and the demand for hops, for years to come, 

 will be such as to make it a safe and profitable 

 branch of farming? (c.) Is the hop culture 

 restricted to any section of our country, or is it 

 liable to be ruined by extensive culture ? (</.) The 

 mode of cultivating, and preparing for market, 

 &c. Benjamin Comings. 



Greensboro', Vt., 1855. 



Remarks. — («.) Hops are largely used in this 

 State for yeast and for medicinal purposes, yet 

 by far the larger proportion is used for brewing, 

 probably at least fifteen-sixteenths. 



(b.) The price and demand for hops is some- 

 Avhat fluctuating. The price, for several years in 

 succession, was so low that many growers in this 

 State abandoned the cultivation of them. Since 

 1848 the price has risen, and for the last five 

 years they have been very profitable. There are 



few crops on the price of which we can calculate 

 The attendance was good, and among 'the au- 1 with so little certainty as upon hops. The cost 

 dience we noticed one lady, a very pleasing fea- of raising and curing a pound of hops is about 



ture, certainly. We hope other ladies will take 

 the hint and attend. They will find the meet- 

 ings both interesting and instructive. If the 

 women would only take an active interest in ag- 

 riculture, and manifest it by their presence at 

 such meetings as these, an impetus would be giv- 

 en to agricultural improvement which could be 

 gained rom no other source. At the same time 

 they would gain much valuable information. 



HOUSES FOR BIRDS. 



Messrs. Editoks. — There arc l)ut few garden- 

 ers, farmers, or fruit-growers, who do not see the 

 advantage to be gained by having tlie number of 

 summer birds increased. Yet there are not many 

 who do anything in the way of jiroviding houses 

 or nests, that this end might bo oljtained. If a 

 cheap article were inanufactunsd, tasty and orna- 

 mental, they would find a ready sale at the agri- 

 cultural stores. Will not some of j^our readers 

 furnish plans of bird-houses for diffL-rent kinds of 

 birds? That might induce some maker of Yan- 

 kee notions, to add this branch to his trade. No 

 present would be more acceptable to a clnld,than 

 a pretty bird-house, costing but a sliilling, where 

 he could have what he could call " his birds," 

 and wliich would afford him nuich amusement 

 during the summer, and sliouhl there be a dozen 

 children, and a house fin- each, there would not 

 be too many. — Country Gentle/nan. 



five cents. The average price for the last four 

 years has been about twenty-five cents per pound. 

 The average price for the last forty-nine years is 

 about thirteen cents per pound. In 1819 they 

 sold as low as 5 cents a pound ; in 1829 at 5.| 

 cents ; in 1847 at cents ; in 1848 at 7 cents ; 

 while in 1849 they sold readily at 12i,and in 1850 

 at 25 ; and during the last year, they have been 

 known to sell as high as 40 cents a pound. No 

 agricultural produce is so fluctuating in price as 

 hops. 



(c.) The hop has a wide range of cultivation, 

 and there is nothing to prevent competition in 

 them except the want of suitable soil. 



(d.) Hops requii-e a strong, rich soil, well ma- 

 nured. Good corn land is generally good hop 

 land. The land is to be plowed deep, say from 8 

 to 12 inches, and manured by spreading and cross- 

 plowing in. It is then furrowed aa for corn. 

 The hop plants may be put in every other row, 

 bringing the rows of hops about eight fi^ct apart, 

 and jjlanting in every other liill, brings them eight 

 feet apart botli ways. Corn or potatoes may be 

 planted among them the first year. The first year 

 they produce no liopB. The second year they are 

 to be poled and trailed, or tied carefully to the 

 poles. In the spring of the year the hills should 



