242 



NEW ENGLAND FAmiER. 



May 



EXTRACTS AND KEPLIES, 



THE WOOD PILE AS AN .IXDICATIOX. 



"U'e Observed not long since in an almanac printed 

 in our own beloved State the following : "You may 

 always know a gootl farmer liy his wood pile." We 

 were led to inriuiic why, and in what respect, the 

 wood pile is an index of the good farmer? Why 

 not saj', you may alwaj's know a good carpenter 

 by his woodi)ile ? Why not the saying hold true 

 of the lilackMuiih, the merchantor the clergyman ? 

 Go through our State, for instance, and sec what 

 ratio the wtjod pile liears to the "good farmer." 

 Do you think, dear reader, that you will inuiria- 

 bly tind the good lavmer where you tindthe wood- 

 pile of several cords? If you do, we shall beg 

 leave to disagree with you. 



We will imagine a large farm with a wood pile 

 of at least liftccn cords. Here, you will say, we 

 shall find a goi 11 1 farmer. But let us take a look 

 around the farm. It is winter. Go into his cellar 

 and see if he has the beets, tuinip?, cabbages, 

 squashes, pumpkins, and in fact :.ll kinds of veg- 

 etables that a good farmer ought to have ; but, to 

 our surprise, we may find none of either sort. 

 Corn, beans, potatoes and barky constitute the 

 whole that is raised by this "good farmer." 



Go to the barn, (but don't let him know you are 

 going, for appearance sake he may get there first,) 

 and take a look there. Now, this "good farmer" 

 will, of course, have all things in trim order. But 

 what is that ? Why, the sills are covered six 

 inches deep with manure. Look ! that partition 

 that got broken down, instead of being replaced is 

 thrown into one corner. Ah ! what a current of 

 wind rushes through ! I think it must be on ac- 

 count of that window being left open. What is 

 that we see in the top of yonder snow bank ? 

 Well, it looks like the top of his ox cart. But, 

 never mind all this, take another look at his wood- 

 pile, which contains at least fifteen cords, and set 

 him down as a "good farmer." Down Easter. 



Wiscasset, Me., 1868. 



Remarks. — The merciful man is merciful to 

 his beast ; out of the abundance of the heart the 

 mouth speakcth, and many similar aphorisms are 

 predicated of the general fact that character, if we 

 may so call the governing principle, is indicated by 

 single acts. Napoleon Bonaparte was as great in 

 making roads as in leading armies; Washington 

 was a good surveyor, and a good farmer, as well 

 as "a good general. There may be exceptions — and 

 it is even said that exceptions prove the rule — but 

 we still believe that a good farmer, if not known, 

 is at least indicated by a good wood pile ; and we 

 should certainly be disappointed to find a large 

 and neat wood pile in connection with such cellars, 

 stables and snowbanks as our correspondent de- 

 scribes. Straws show which way the wind blows ; 

 and notwithstanding Down Easter's protest, we 

 must caution the young in particular, — as a little 

 shows what a good deal means, — to look out for 

 single acts ! Nine people out of ten will judge by 

 the "wood pile," or by any other single indication 

 of the inner man. 



BRAHMA HENS. 



In September, 1866, 1 got of Dr. Charles Clark, 

 of Montpclier, Vt., a Brahma rooster and pullet. 

 For the year ending November 14, 1867, the pullet 

 laid 128 eggs, hatched and reared at three sittings 

 thirty-seven chickens, leaving seventy-nine eggs. 



I have sold $20 worth of chickens, dressed eight 

 for my tabic and have now twelve which I value 

 worth $112. Within the same year the first brood 

 hatched in March by the pullet, lakl ten dozen of 

 eggs, commencing early in August. Since Novem- 

 ber 14, 1807, my remaining twelve have laid 21^ 

 dozen of eggs, I hat have been sold, and we have 

 used at home what we needed up to this date. 

 Mnrctown, Vt., Jan. 28, 1868. M. B. Taplin. 



Rf.makks. — Another correspondent, "R. B. H.," 

 of Amherst, Mass., has been more unfortunate 

 \\ itli the Brahmas. He writes :— "In the fall I had 

 40 as fine looking chickens as I ever saw, twelve 

 crowers, twenty-eight hens, nearly pure blooded 

 Brahmas. The roosters were very large and all 

 of last year's growth. I have taken more pains 

 with my hens than ever before, giving them warm 

 feed, with meat and scraps mixed, and corn at 

 noon, and a warm place to roost. Well, I have 

 had but two eggs since the loth of November. 

 Some of the roosters have died and several of the 

 hens. The why I would like to know. If that is 

 the way with Brahma fowls, I want no more of 

 them." 



DISEASE IN HORSES. 



A number of colts and horses are sick in this 

 vicinity, and no one has yet been able to tell what 

 the disease is. The first symptoms of disease are 

 manifested by restlessness and a gaunt look. It 

 seems hard work for them to stand on their hind 

 legs, and they want to lie down most of the time. 

 In two or three days, a swelling commences be- 

 tween their hind legs which sometimes extends out 

 on to the belly nearly to their fore legs. The 

 swellings, when perforated, discharge a colorless 

 liquid, like water. Those that are sick do not 

 seem to lose their appetite, and none have died as 

 yet. D. F. J. 



Newark, Vt., Mctrch 23, 1868. 



Remarks.— We are informed by Mr. Dj P. 

 Matthews, of Winthrop, Mass., whose advertise- 

 ment of Cattle Feed appears in another column, 

 that after having lost six horses by a similar 

 disease, worth from ■f2.50 to pOO each, he ap- 

 plied to Dr. William Saunders, of Salem, who pre- 

 scribed for and cured the seventh one, then sick. 

 The swollen parts were bathed with ground mus- 

 tard, steeped in water and cider vinegar, and then 

 bound up by a cloth fastened over the back of the 

 horse, and some medicine administered, which he 

 supposed to be of a laxative nature. 



APPLICATION OF MANfEE. 



As this subject is under discussion in the Farm- 

 er, allow mc to express my views. Surface ma- 

 nuring I consider good practice, under certain con- 

 ditions, or, rather, that it may be well to apply 

 certain kinds of manure to the surface. Green 

 manure should be composted with muck or some- 

 thing to fix the ammonia before it is applied as a 

 top dressing. My own experience will not allow 

 me to believe that it is an economical way to take 

 manure green from the cellar and spread it on the 

 surface, there to remain and evaporate as it most 

 certainly will ; for we are all awaic of the disa- 

 greeable odor that arises from such an application. 

 And is not the portion thus eva|)oratcd the most 

 valuable part, the very essence of manure ? 



Neither can I agree with Mr. Cheever in regard 



