1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FAP^IER. 



281 



gle row on joists or poles which extend some three 

 feet bevond the row of barrels, so as to give room 

 to rolTthe barrrels halfway over. They should 

 be put in the coldest place you can find. Every 

 day if convenient, certainly as often as three 

 times a week, roll each barrel half way over. This 

 places every potato in the barrel bottom side up. 

 The sprouts which start both from the upper and 

 lower sides of the potato instinctively point up- 

 ward ; consequently by turning the barrel the per- 

 pendicular of the sprout is reversed, and is put in 

 a similar condition to the man who halts between 

 two opinions, and, like him, not knowing what to 

 do, accomplishes nothing. Twenty barrels, ar- 

 ranged as above directed, may be turned bottom 

 upwards in about one minute. A. G. Sheldon. 

 Wilmington, Mass., April 18, 1868. 



BUILDING FENCE. 



I saw directions in your paper a short time since 

 for building board fence which differ somewhat 

 from my plan, which i^ as follows : — First, inst;ead 

 of setting the posts three feet deep to prevent heav- 

 ing, 1 dig the hole oval, or long, instead of round, 

 about two feet one way and the width of the spade 

 the other, and not over two feet deep, with the 

 centre six inches deeper ; the hole being dug 

 across the line of the fence. About six inches 

 from the lower end of the post, I bore a two-inch 

 hole through it and drive a strong pin through, so 

 as to project about a foot on each side. Set the 

 post in the hole and tamp the dirt around the bot- 

 tom and up level to the top of the pin, then lay a 

 flat stone or piece of board or large chip on the pin 

 each side the. post, and fill up with diit or small 

 stone. This 1 think is the surest and cheapest way 

 to prevent heaving that I know of, and it also pre- 

 vents the fence from being blown over, the pins be- 

 ing crosswise the fence serve as braces to the 

 posts. 



To prevent the damage to fences that often 

 occurs in consequence of the unequal heaving of 

 posts, I prefer to have the boards short enough to 

 dispens-e with a middle post, and have them held 

 only at their ends. My practice is to lap the ends 

 of the l)0ards on the post, and then place a narrow 

 strip of board in front of the post, and di-ive one 

 large nail or spike through the strip, through each 

 set of the lapped boards, and firmly into the post. 

 This holds all secure and allows the boards to 

 hinge on the nails, in case of heaving. 



Williston, Vt., April, 1868. F. C. Naramore. 



THE LEGHOENS. 



The Leghorns are a hardy medium-sized fowl, 

 of a quiet disposition, persistent layers and non- 

 sitters, of a pure white color, yellow legs without 

 feathers. The cocks have large single combs, 

 which should be perfectly erect, full wattles and 

 large white earlobes. Tlie hens have usually large 

 combs, lopping like those of the Spanish. They 

 mature very early. A good healthy pullet will 

 lay at five months old, and often before ; and when 

 the chickens reach the age of one month, you can 

 easily distinguish the hens from the cocks, and at 

 four weeks of age the latter will be strutting about 

 I and crowing. Those who breed them in niimbers 

 , should carefully adopt a system of points, to- 

 wards which their efforts should be directed, and 

 thus the high reputation of this race may be per- 

 petuated. Mat. 

 Concord, N. H., March 15, 1868. 



the Club was the election of ofQcers and other 

 preliminaries necessary to holding a town Fair 

 next autumn. It is hoped that all tillers of the 

 soil, all breeders of stock, mechanics, inventors, 

 patentees and lovers of the fine ai ts in the vicinity 

 will bear this in mind and prepare to put the best 

 foot forward. The Club meets on the first Mon- 

 day in June to make fui-ther arrangements, n. 

 Randolph, Vt., April 20, 1868. 



a pig weak in his hind legs. 



I have had a small shoat two months which 

 weighs about a hundred pounds. It has done 

 very well until the last week. He now appears to 

 be weak in his hind legs. He eats well, his eyes 

 look bright, but it is with difHculty that he stands 

 on his legs. If any one will tell me through the 

 Farmer what ails him, and what to do for him, I 

 shall be much obliged. A Reader. 



West Totctishend, Mass., April 5, 1868. 



Remarks. — Our own opinion is that the trouble 

 with your pig is the result of high breeding, high 

 feeding, and want of exercise. We have known 

 many "pampered" pigs of about the size of yours, 

 and from eight to twelve months of age, that were 

 in like manner more or less "gouty," and suffer- 

 ing the penalty which is affixed by nature to a life 

 of indolence and luxury. The root-hog-or-die 

 breed know nothing of this "disease." Let the 

 pig have some ashes, lime or other alkalies, sods, 

 &c., to root over, and a good fast ; if this does not 

 pat him on his feet, give him one tablespoonful of 

 epsom salts and one of sulphur mixed in a little 

 bran slop every day until a free passage is secured, 

 when the salts may be discontinued, but a little 

 sulphur may be given occasionally. In extreme 

 cases a tablespoonful of copperas may be given in 

 daily doses for a week. But generally abstinence 

 from food is sufficient. 



RANDOLPH, VJ., FARMERS' CLUB. 



This institution closed its sixth annual course 

 of meetings on Monday evening, April 6, — one of 

 the most pleasant and profitable series of meetings 

 it has ever held. One of the last transactions of 



HOT BEE. — SALT AND LIME FOR HAT, AND LIMB 

 FOR POTATOES. 



Early gardening in this town is attended with 

 some difficulties this season. To-day I dug through 

 a snow drift three feet deep, and finding my hot 

 bed, which I made a few days ago, in a proper con- 

 dition, deposited my seeds therein. 



You asked a few wee"ks ago for reports of the 

 effects of salt and lime applied to hay. I applied 

 it to early cut hay, put in without as much drying 

 as usual ; to late cut hay put in the same, and to 

 hay which got wet after it was partly cured, and 

 on account of a succession of poor days could not 

 be perfectly dried. In every case the hay came 

 out exactly as I should have expected it to come 

 out if nothing had been applied ; the early cut, 

 of a bright green color, fragntnt, just the thing for 

 milch cows. The late cut did not fLcd out so clean, 

 and cows in milk shrank considerable on it. That 

 which got wet none of my stock wanted, and it 

 went for bedding. 



I did not notice as the health of the stock was 

 in any way affected by the mixture. This year's 

 experiment would lead me to conclude that the 

 mixture is harmless and useless. 



I think that hay, both early and late cut, may 

 safely be put in wi.h less drying than is usual, 

 without any application of preservative or curing 

 compounds. But would recommend that it be al- 

 lowed to lay up in the barn as light as possible a 

 few days, and that care be exercised to fill the 

 pitching hole with the dryest. If the hay gets 



