1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



229 



(c.) The bison, or buffalo, has been domestica- 

 ted, but no good properties were found -which the 

 ox does not possess. 



For the New England Farmer. 



TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS. 



Mr. Editor : — I have often read in your paper 

 the importance of planting evergreens for orna- 

 ment and shade, and I know of nothing more 

 beautiful in Avinter,when the fields and hills seem 

 bound in ice and snow, than the drooping spruce, 

 the lofty pine and graceful hemlock. Their ever 

 deep, rich green, lends cheerfulness to the dreary 

 winter, and makes a home, be it ever so humble, 

 look pleasant and comfortable. I have seen rules 

 in yours and in other papers, in regard to trans- 

 planting them, and I venture to say that if any 

 of your readers have followed them, that not one 

 tree in ten has survived the scorching sun of mid- 

 summer. ((7.) 



A writer in a late number of the Country Geii- 

 tleman gives these rules, which I will give for the 

 benefit of your readers, for I think they are good 

 as fiir as they go. First, do not get trees that are 

 too large. Second, be sure and get trees that 

 have been esposed to the sun. Third, in taking 

 up, do not mangle the roots. Fourth, do not 

 prune too much. Fifth, be sure not to let the 

 roots dry before they are placed in the ground. 

 To which I would add, as the great secret of suc- 

 cess, do not transplant them in the fall or early 

 in the spring, but when they are in a growing 

 state, and have made one inch growth ; with 

 these rules strictly observed, fail is impossible. 

 I attribute the ill-success of so many in trans- 

 planting the evergreens, particularly the hem- 

 lock, more from want of knowledge as to the 

 proper time of planting, than to all other causes. 



Salem, 1855. c. a. s. 



HE NEVER TOLD A LIE. 



Once there was a littje boy, 

 With curly hair and pleasant eye, 



A boy who always spoke the truth, 

 And never, never told a lie. 



And when he trotted off to school, 

 The children all about would cry, 



There goes the curly-headed boy, 

 The boy who never tells a lie. 



And every body loved him so, 

 Because he always told the truth, 



That every day, as he grew up, 

 'Twas said, "There goes the honest youth ! 



And when the people that stood near. 

 Would turn to ask the reason why. 



The answer would be always this — 

 Because he never tells a lie. 



Remarks. — Hundreds, thousands of evergreen 

 trees have been planted by rules we have given, 

 and have flourished finely — they are rules com- 

 mon to all who understand the matter. In one in- 

 stance several hundred evergreens were set by the 

 same person, by our rules, and not one in a hun- 

 dred died. One of the rules you give, is "not 

 to prune too much," We should consider the case 

 very rare where a young evergreen would reed 

 any pruning. We hope more attention will be 

 paid to transplanting trees which add so much to 

 the beauty of our homesteads. 



For the New England Farmer. 



PROFITABLE CULTURE. 



An industrious laborer, who cultivates with 

 his own hands his own lands, has just informed 

 me that he sold 125 barrels of onions, at $4,25 

 per barrel, d^vered at his own cellar. These 

 onions grew on about two-thirds of an acre of 

 ground. 



Amount of sale $531,25 



Deduct cost of culture, &c 13] ,25 



Nett profit $400,00 



Pretty well fur a small concern. J. w. r. 



March 23, 1855. 



For the New Enqland Farmer. 



ABOUT TURKEYS. 



Mr. Editor : — I was quite glad to see your re- 

 marks two or three weeks since on raising turkeys 

 — and am more than half inclined to give yovi a 

 bit of my experience in that business, with a few 

 observations. Several years ago, I purchased two 

 turkeys thinking I would try my "luck," as the 

 saying is, and see what I could do with them. 

 Well, the first year they hatched out about thir- 

 ty-two young. I shut them up in the barn, and 

 fed on dough and cheese-curd. I soon found that 

 this did not agree with them, as they began to 

 grow sick and die off. On pleasant days I let 

 them run out in the warmest part of the day, but 

 they did not improve much. I then made a large 

 and roomy coop, and kept them in a while, bat 

 they did not seem to thrive then ; and after 

 "bothering and fussing" a good deal with them, 

 and losing a good many, I concluded to let them 

 go and take their chance, and I did. They soon 

 began to mend and to grow finely. I lost two or 

 three more in the course of the season. In the 

 fall I had about twenty good fat turkeys for the 

 market, which averaged me nearly a dollar apiece. 

 I have kept two over every year since ; I 

 let them choose their nests where they please, and 

 bring their young according to their own fashion , 

 giving myself but very little trouble about them 

 not even feeding them. I think they succeed 

 much better to be let alone ; I have usually had 

 about twenty turkeys every fall. About a fort- 

 night before I want to kill them, I shut them up 

 and keep corn, oats, lime-water, &c., by them, 

 and let them help themselves. Of course they 

 come out "fat and sleek." I have them weigh 

 from six to eighteen pounds apiece. They aver- 

 age me about one dollar each . Now I cannot tell 

 you just how much profit I make, but I think I 

 can raise twenty dollars' worth of turkeys cheap- 

 er than I can that amount of pork. The only ex- 

 pense to me is in feeding to fatten, and in keep- 

 ing the breeders over; they will take care of 

 themselves, as soon as warm weather comes, till 

 cold weather comes again. It is natural for them 

 to roam about, and they can generally find some- 

 thing to suit tlieir taste in the numerous bugs, 

 worms, &c., that infest every nook and corner of 

 our farms ; and for two or three years past, they 

 'nave revelled in grasshoppers. There is nothing 

 on which they thrive so well. When they have 



