234 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



that can be easily transformed into a beautiful 

 pond and fed by a large spring near by. Such 

 a mansion approached by a drive that curves 

 around a pond, with other additions that 

 readily suggest themselves, must complete a 

 perfect picture of a rural home. At the sea- 

 son of mid- winter it is best perhaps to leave 

 the crops and farm management for another 

 communication. Z, E. Jameson. 



Barton, Vt.. Feb., 1868. 



For the yew England Farmer, 

 THE SAVrWO AND APPLICATION OP 

 MANURE. 



Some of the correspondents in late numbers 

 of the New England Farmer appear to be 

 divided in opinion whether it is best to cover 

 manure with the harrow or the plough. This 

 depends upon the nature of the soil, whether 

 high or low, wet or dry, according to my ob- 

 servation and experience, — and "experience 

 is a stern old school master." 



In 1863, a dry summer through the first 

 part, I hauled 100 cart loads of barn yard 

 manure, partly compost and partly green 

 dressing, on to two and a half or three acres 

 of high land, ploughed ten inches deep the 

 previous fall. It was spread and harrowed in 

 according to the best of my ability, and planted 

 with 13,000 hills of corn about the 20th of IMay. 

 The corn came up and flourished finely until 

 the first of July when its progress ceased; the 

 corn roots having penetrated through the coat 

 of manure into the barren subsoil beneath, 

 brought up on the surface of the furrows by 

 the deep ploughing the previous fall, and fare- 

 well corn ! It did not pay for harvesting. 



On the other hand, some twenty years since, 

 I saw stable manure drawn from the stables of 

 Exeter, and ploughed in oh the low wet fields 

 of a neighbor's farm, sufficient to make mine 

 into a garden, had it been fortunate enough 

 to have received such good treatment, yet 

 with little or no benefit to him, because he did 

 not use the harrow instead of the plough. In 

 case of my worthless crop of corn, I should 

 have used the plough instead of the harrow, 

 as I have never failed to do since, ploughing 

 in the manure to about the depth of six inches. 



As manure is the foundation of all farming 

 with us, the best farmer in the country can do 

 nothing without it, and but little with it unless 

 he knows how to apply it. But it can be ap- 

 plied neither right nor wrong till it is saved or 

 accumulated ; for I ignore the word make as 

 applied to manure ; believing it is a philosoph- 

 ical axiom, that it is not in the power of man 

 to create or annihilate a single particle of 

 matter. So the only thing that can or need 

 be done, is to furnish absorbents to save all 

 the liquids and volatile gases that furnish food 

 to field crops that come with the domain of , 

 the farm. 



I have acted upon this principle for many ! 

 years with manure from the cattle in winter ; I 



but, within two years, I have learned that my 

 duty has been only half done. During the 

 latter time I have housed five cows and a yoke 

 of oxen every night through summer, and fur- 

 nished wash from the roadside for their bed- 

 ding. Thus a large amount is saturated with 

 urine every night, when the stock return from 

 the pasture with full bellies of green juicy 

 feed. The result of which is twenty-five or 

 thirty loads of manure nearly twice as strong 

 as it would have been if exposed to the sun 

 and rain in the barnyard. This manure is 

 drawn from the barn cellar in the fall, and 

 ploughed in on old ground, or harrowed in on 

 newly broken up land. Exposed to the frost 

 and rains of winter, it gives the best crops the 

 following year. M. J, Hakvey. 



Epping, N. H., 1868. 



Remarks. — Had not "the barren subsoil, 

 brought up on the surface of the furrows" as 

 much to do with the failure of your com in 

 1863, as the manner in which the manure was 

 applied ? 



Far the Xew England Farmer. 

 THE BRAHMA FOWLS. 



WHY I KEEP AND HOW I MANAGE THEM. 



I prefer the Brahmas for the followmg rea- 

 sons : — They are hardy, and easily raised early 

 in the season, and such chickens sell well. 

 They are large and bring more per head than 

 the smaller kinds. They are very quiet, peacea- 

 ble and domestic, and will /jaHfZZe better than any 

 breed I am acquainted with. If brought out ear- 

 ly in the spring the pullets will come to maturity 

 and commence laying in the fall, and if well 

 managed they will, lay all winter, while eggs 

 bring good prices, and be ready to sit and 

 bring out a new crop just when eggs are low- 

 est in the market. Their bodies are so large 

 that they do not seem to chill through in cold 

 weather like the smaller Leghorn and Spanish 

 fowls. They are excellent sitters, and will 

 cover more of their own eggs than any of the 

 small kind. 



The first of last December I had about forty 

 pullets, one-fourth of which had commenced 

 laying. Since that time I have reduced the 

 number to thirty. In December I had seven- 

 teen dozen eggs, in January forty-three dozen, 

 and in February forty dozen. Have set five 

 broods, of which x)ne has hatched. 



I have a room in ray barn cellar 24x58 feet, 

 with cellar wall on three sides. On (he south, 

 I have l)oard siding, well lighted by glass win- 

 dows the whole length. This siding is made 

 of thin boards in two pannels between each 

 pair of posts. The upper one is hinged to the 

 sill and opens inward, and can be fastened up 

 in summer out of the way. The lower pannel . 

 is keyed in between the posts and can he tak- 

 en down in summer and used for hen coops 

 and pig pens, or it may be packed away for 



