448 



NEW ENGLAND FAR]MER. 



Oct. 



ture of wheat in New England, says: — "We 

 look to the agricultural press to enforce and 

 complete this wofuUy neglected branch in New 

 England farming. The New England States 

 are not long to remain the workshops of this 

 country. Material genius and skill are scat- 

 tered broad and wide through this diversified 

 land, and are being daily developed. Cotton 

 •and woolen machinery, and all the arts appli- 

 cable to the wants of man, are not to be con- 

 fined within the borders of our little loved 

 New England. Hence the liome farm, with 

 better cultivation and less acres in tillage may 

 grow every cereal and vegetable for the wants 

 of the people — saving their millions and mil- 

 lions of dollars in corn and wheat, and at once 

 become independent of West and South for 

 for their bread. They must allow their for- 

 ests to increase, so valuable, so useful, so 

 beautiful ; not wantonly burn and destroy them 

 for the sake of clearing another piece of land 

 to raise "a patch of rye" — where, perchance, 

 a railroad may pass through and a village 

 spring up, doubling and quadrupling the value 

 of the whole township. 



Reduce the cultivation one-half, — get the 

 product of four acres from two, — save the 

 great expense of labor, and the farmers will 

 begin to learn an alphabet they, have been un- 

 familiar with heretofore." 



For the yew England Farmer, 

 THE GABDEN IN OCTOBER. 



Generally, throughout the New England 

 States, the growing season for vegetables has 

 come to an end, and little remains to be done 

 in the garden except to gather and preserve 

 the ripened crops, clearing up, making pro- 

 vision for future operations, &c. As severe 

 frosts often occur during the month, it is un- 

 safe to leave vegetables of any kind in the 

 ground, or otherways exposed. As fast as 

 the crops are removed, clear the ground of 

 weeds or other rubbish, and add all suitable 

 material to the compost heap ; burn all others, 

 and dig over the soil to remain exposed to the 

 beneficial effects of frosts during winter. 



Generally, among farmers, there is too 

 much neglect of little things, which might be 

 done at comparatively leisure times during the 

 fall and early winter, thinking that spring is 

 soon enough for all such work. When spring 

 comes, there is the oat ground to plough and 

 sow, and a multiplicity of other work to be 

 done, and the garden not being cleared or 

 prepared to be manured and ploughed, is fre- 

 quently left for a convenient time, till many 

 of the advantages of an earlier spring start are 



lost. The great advantage of a good garden 

 is its earliness, furnishing a variety or-salads, 

 greens, vegetables, «fec., early in the spring, 

 when the appetite craves a change from win- 

 ter food. 



Asp^iRAGUs. — Now is the time to make new 

 beds, rather than to wait till spring. Spade 

 up the ground, at least two spits deep, — bet- 

 ter deeper, — working in a plenty of good last- 

 ing manure the whole depth. A sprinkling of 

 salt throughout the soil of the bed will be 

 beneficial. Plant two-year-old, or very strong 

 one-year-old roots, a foot apart each way, 

 covering the crowns four inches deep with 

 good fine soil, then cover with three or four 

 inches of coarse manure, for winter protection. 



Beets. — If any remain in the ground, pull 

 and twist off the tops, and after drying put 

 them in the cellar, packing them in sand or 

 dry loam in barrels or boxes, to keep fresh for 

 winter use. 



Cabbage and Cauliflower. — Sometimes 

 these may be safely left till the last of the 

 month, or even into November, but where 

 they have completed their growth it is better 

 to harvest at once, as they are apt to crack, 

 and the heads decay. Young plants, for early 

 spring planting may be set in cold frames to 

 be wintered over. 



Cakrots.* — Pull, top, and after drying, 

 store in the cellar, packed in sand, as advised 

 for beets, before freezing weather, as a light 

 freeze injures them very materially. 



Celery. — Continue earthing up, on clear 

 days, after the dew is off and the plants and 

 ground are dry. Use care not to let any soil 

 fall between the stems or leaves, as it will 

 cause them to rust and spoil. 



Cold FRAjms. — Put them in readiness for 

 wintering cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, &c., 

 for winter and early spring use, and planting. 



CuRRA>«TS AXD GOOSEBERRIES. — Make Cut- 

 tings, where desirable, before hard freezes, 

 prune and thin, if not before attended to. 

 Transplant, dividing old bunches, and set the 

 younger shoots. Plant in rows, five feet 

 apart, and three feet apart in the row. They 

 do better set where they can be worked all 

 around freely, instead of setting clo^e beside 

 a fence. The currant pays for good culture 

 as well as any fruit we have. 



Grapes. — Gather as they ripen, handling 

 carefully not to bruise, or rub off the bloom. 

 For winter keeping it is better to let them 

 hang on the vines as long as safe from frost, 

 or other accidents, and as you gather cut out 

 all defective berries. A variety of ways are 

 recommended for keeping them fresh, but 

 whatever plan is pursued they should be kept 

 at an even temperature, where they will not 

 gather moisture, and in the dark. 



Lettuce. — Late sown may be transplanted , 

 into cold frames, for winter use ; or seed may 

 be sown in the cold frame for wintering over 

 and early spring transplanting. 



PAi{SNU'S.^ — Dig and top what may be de- 



