0. 16. 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



285 



FLAX AND HEMP. 



It IS time that you had sown your flax and 



emp seed. 



Before we close our operations upon the 

 inn, permit us m the sin^rleness of our pur- 

 asu to direct your allentiori to a branch of 

 le business of the husliandriian, whicii we 

 ;ar lias been too much neglected : we allude 

 ) the rearing and treatment of hogs. 

 Many farmers do not raise a sufficient 

 umber of these animals to serve the purposes 

 f their respective households, and if you ask 

 lem why, they will probably tell you, " O, 

 ley arc so troublesome, and then by the time 

 lat they are fatted each pound will cost you 

 !n cent's." xsow these allegements may both 

 3 very true ; but let us see what they are 

 'orth vviien submitted to the test of reason 

 nd argument. They are troublesome we 

 eely admit, but we would ask what is to be 

 one in this life without trouble ! Are not all 

 le accjuisitions of man, whether intellectual 

 r physical, achieved by labor i" and why 

 lould he who obeys that injunction which 

 omes to us sanctioned by the Source of all 

 lings, to get our bread by the sweat of our 

 rows, expect to be exempt from trouble ! 

 iVhy trouble, in the sense here meant — is 

 ibor — which should be considered as the 

 A-eetening of life. 



But let us admit that every pound of hog- 

 eat does cost the raiser the sum named : and 

 e would ask, what is gained by not raising 

 ly 1 Does he sell more corn or more roots 

 f omitting to buy any! Is not the money 

 hich he has to lay out every fall for liog- 

 leat so much lost ! Now we maintain that 

 le heay cost as alleged of raising pork arises 

 together out of the imperfect system gene- 

 lly pursued in managing the hogs. They 

 e turned loose in the woods to pick up a 

 ecarious living through the spring, summer 

 id fall, and thus neglected, have but little 

 ze when they are put up for fattening, and 

 nerally speaking, when put up in the pen, 

 e in addition to being small, so poor that 

 ey require a double quantity of corn to fat- 

 n them, and thus cost two or three prices in 

 8 raising. 



Are we asked how wo would manage 

 em'! — Yes. Then our reply is, — If we had 

 sufRcient nnmber in family to require 20 

 )gs, we would lay off each year, 5 acres, to 

 divided in root and cabbage culture, we 

 ould pen our hogs altogether, and allot the 

 nding upon them and the culture of these 5 

 res to a faithful hand, and as the labor of 

 e man would be competent to all the work 

 quired to be performed, we would see that 

 ! took good care of his trust. Thrice a day 

 should boil or steam their food, whether 

 were potatoes, cabbages, parsnips, carrots, 

 ets, turneps, ruta baga, or mangel wurtzel: 



and indeed, if he were a fellow of energy and 

 ambition, he would besides, be able to attend 

 to the milch cows which should also have the 

 advantage of boiled food. 



By pursuing this system each hog would 

 weigh as much as two of those wliich had 

 been treated with the /ujciiries oi' ihe woods, 

 and of course would cost much less, because 

 being in fine, thriving condition on the arrival 

 of tiie fattening season, they could be put in 

 a state for killing with much less coin than 

 those just taken from the range. 



IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



For almost all the purposes of garden cul- 

 ture, unless the soil be a very tenacious and 

 wet clay, cow manure is to be preferred. If 

 your soil should be of this description, you 

 ;vvill of course see the propriety of giving it 

 'well rolled horse manure mixed with leaciied 

 lashes and the vegetable mould from the woods. 

 (In applying your manure do not forget that 

 jalmost every species of garden vegetables re- 

 quire full feeding, and that as a general rule 

 you cannot plant your spade or plough to 

 deeply. 



CAULIFLOWERS. 



If your early Cauliflower plants have been 

 properly brought forward in a forcing border, 

 they are now fit for transplanting, and the 

 sooner they are set out after the weather be- 

 comes settled the better. In taking up your 

 plants be sure to let as much earth as you 

 conveniently can reuiain attached to the roots, 

 and in order to eflect this, it would be best to 

 water the plants freely in the bed before lift- 

 ing them. Plant them down to the leaves; 

 be sure to settle the earth well about the 

 roots, and to form a slight hill around the plant 

 with a hollow in the middle to catch and re- 

 tain water, which should be occasionally 

 given them in dry weather, until they are fit 

 to be earthed up. 



Cauliflowers cannot be raised in poor 

 ground, and the proper soil for them is a deep, 

 rich loam, which must always b6 backed with 

 liberal portions of manure. 



You should also, sow seed now to raise 

 plants for cauliflowers to be earthed in Oc- 

 tober. 



CABBAGES. 



Transplant all sorts of early cabbage plants 

 and sow seed for your winter ones. 



After transplanting your plants, they 

 should be carefully inspected every morning 

 for some days. \\ henever you discover that 

 the grub-worms have been at work, which 

 you can always tell by the plants being cut 

 ofi", you must immediately search for and kill 

 the enemy. You may generally find him 

 ensconced about half an inch under the 

 ground, two or three inches off from the stem 

 of the plant. To kill them is the only way 





