18G8. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



241 



begin to break ground, If the weather is warm, 

 they show themselves pretty fast, and within a 

 week from the time of raking over the drills, 

 the field will need the horse hoe to be run 

 through again, to keep the ground light and 

 warm, and to prevent any weeds from getting 

 a foothold. 



With an old fashioned cultivator that will 

 tear up and cover up so many hills, it was 

 quite necessary to follow immediately with the 

 hoe, and patch or mend the hills or drills. 

 But with a good horse hoe, like F. F. Hol- 

 brook's, with reversible outside teeth and ex- 

 panding arms, a field may, and ought to be 

 worked out every few days, going but once 

 in a row at time. The hand hoe need not be 

 used much, except to cut out weeds from the 

 drills v/here the horse hoe does not reach. 



As the roots of the potatoes extend, the 

 horse hoe is contracted, till the last time, when, 

 it is run through with the arms and outside 

 teeth taken oiF, using the middle tooth only. 

 At this time the hand hoe is used to finish up 

 the dressing for the season ; after which the 

 vines ought to mostly cover the whole ground. 



If the potatoes are not dug till the vines are 

 quite dead, much time and some backache 

 can be saved by raking them off with a fine 

 garden rake. If the ground has become some- 

 what hard or weedy, the horse hoe may be 

 used once more with great advantage, by turn- 

 ing the teeth inward and running them close 

 up to the drills. This will leave but little soil 

 to be moved by the hand hoe or hook, while 

 hauling out the potatoes. 



After the potatoes are off, the ground is 

 then worked over both ways with the cultiva- 

 tor to the depth of five or six inches, when it 

 is in the best condition to receive grass seed, 

 which may be sown either in the fall, if not 

 too late, or in the following spring. 



Brother farmers, this is my method of work- 

 ing a potato field. If you see anything new 

 or good in it, do not let habit keep you in the 

 old ruts. A. w. c. 



Sliddonville, Mass., Jan. 18, 1868. 



For the N'eio England Farmer. 

 SUGGESTIONS FROM EXPiEHIENCE. 



A Monkey Wrexcii. — I was working with 

 a good, adjustable (monkey) wrench, once, 

 with a young man, who seemed quite struck 

 with the ease and dispatch with which we took 

 off nuts from bolts, and got a wagon to pieces. 



"Have you not a wrench like this at your 

 house ?" I asked. 



"No — o !" he replied, with ashamed laugh. 



"What do you do when you want to turn a 

 nut on a bolt?" 



"We take a liarmer^'' was his answer. 



Repairing a Carriage. — I was at Mr. B.'s 

 shop in a hurry for some forging which he 

 could not attend to at once, as a carriage be- 

 longing to a good farmer needed some repairs ; 



and he had promised to have it ready for him 

 at such an hour. 



We soon arranged to have my work taken 

 hold of, and the few screws needed in his were 

 put in, and nuts tightened at the Same time. 

 I thought then if my good friend should sell 

 one of his railroad shares and fit him up a tool 

 shop, he would be a great gainer. 



As soon as the carriage was finished the 

 owner happened in. "Is my job done," he 

 asked, drawing out his wallet. 



As Mr. B. named the price, we exchanged 

 glanCes, and were only able to keep our faces 

 straight till the customer was gone. 



Plastic Slate. — I have told you of my 

 having great esteem for the new compound — 

 coal tar and ground slate. I have some mixed, 

 on hand, all the time, ready for immediate ap- 

 plication. It is a handy thing in a neighbor- 

 hood ! A neighbor had a long eave gutter. 

 The rain came down sadly where it was butted 

 together. The joint was originally covered 

 with sheet lead tacked down, which had become 

 raised up, and was worse than nothing. This 

 was removed and the leak smeared with the 

 plastic slate, and then a strip of double felt 

 tacked over and that, likewise, covered with 

 the slate and now the water passes along. 



Another neighbor had a leak through a long 

 strip of sheet lead, which covered the joining 

 of two roofs. My ladle and brush and strip 

 of paper went there, and gave great satisfac- 

 tion. I think lead in such places should be 

 put on in moderate lengths. Too long a piece 

 varies with the heat and cold, and cracks. 



Another case where I lent the ladle pleased 

 me still more. A laboring man, who lived in 

 a hired house, wanted to buy a piece of inch 

 and a quarter lead pipe for a sink spout. I 

 happened to have it ; but asked him to tell me 

 the whole story about the old one. He said, 

 It had frozen up and burst the winter before, 

 and they had tied rags about it, and had water 

 running across the lioor, and no end to the 

 bother with It. I told him not to buy a new 

 pip6, but take a light hammer and try to close 

 up the crack in the pipe, and then put some 

 warm plastic on a bandage and tie it firmly 

 around it. He was glad to be relieved of the 

 expense of a new pipe, and easily repaired the 

 old one. Wm. D. Brown. 



Concord, Mass., Jan. 1, 1868. 



Remarks. — The above article has been on 

 hand several weeks ; but, like good wine, it 

 loses nothing by age. 



— The students at the Agricultural College at 

 Hohenhcim, at Wnrtcmburg, which was estab- 

 lished in 1818, occupy rooms provided for them, 

 and board at a restaurant connected with tlie in- 

 stitution, calling for what they want, and paying 

 for what they order. 



