1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



55 



For the Neio England Farmer. 



MATTEES IN NOVA SCOTIA. 



Mr. Editor : — As our county is so intimately 

 connected with your State in friendship and com- 

 merce, and as the more it is known, the more it 

 will be favorably regarded ; will you permit me 

 through the columns of your invaluable monthly to 

 present you an outline of the capabilities and resour- 

 ces of it ? The most important part, as regards 

 productiveness and access to market, consists of a 

 valley (the admiration of all travellers) lying be- 

 tween two parallel ranges of hills called the North 

 and South mountains ; the Annapolis river runs 

 through the centre dividing Wilmot town, and sep- 

 arating the towns of Annapolis and Clement on the 

 south from Granville on the north ; there is also a 

 valuable slope along the shore of Fundy Bay — 

 which bounds the county on the north. Annapo- 

 lis, as you are perhaps aware, has long been noted 

 for its orchards and dairy produce, also for grain, 

 potatoes and hay, besides which I may allude to its 

 vast forests for fuel and timber, and its very rich 

 veins of iron ore, copper and various mineral accu- 

 mulations as yet but little developed. Now as to 

 fruit, the Annapolis valley takes the lead in the pro- 

 vinces ; the soil seems peculiarly fitted for apples, 

 pears, quinces and plums ; and almost every farmer 

 is waking up to the renovating his old orchards and 

 planting new ones ; even Messrs. Sloven, Slack & 

 Co. (rather too numerous a firm) may be seen pru- 

 ning, scraping and grafting their ragged apple wil- 

 dernesses, plowing and manuring the ground, and 

 exulting over the increased yield of the trees. Our 

 most profitable varieties are Nonpariel, (Roxbury 

 Russet) Vandervere, Bishop, Pippin, Rhode Island 

 Greening, Spitzenberg, Early Bough, with many 

 good fall and winter seedlings, and recent introduc- 

 tion from the United States. 



In the present state of the markets it is my opin- 

 ion that 5 or G varieties of apples is sufficient for 

 profit, but when through the increase of the neigh- 

 bcfring towns, aided by a contemplated railroad 

 lengthwise through the valley, a home market is 

 created, perhaps a larger list of fruit may be safely 

 propagated. I understand that 40,000 barrels of 

 apples were shipped in 1854 from the river ports, 

 besides vast quantities from the Bay shore, giving, 

 as the valley is only 46 miles long, with an average 

 width of 3 miles, and no fruit is raised on the Fun- 

 dy slope, a fxir idea of the fruitfulness of the beau- 

 tiful vale. One large orchardist assured me that he 

 took fifty-five barrels winter fruit from five trees in 

 one year. 



As to butter and cheese, Annapolis stands high, 

 many farmers receiving $20 worth from each of 

 their cows on an average ; fat cattle and sheep and 

 horses are largely raised and exported. For grain, 

 the county is well fitted ; for Indian corn is largely 

 raised, though somewhat uncertain, on account of 

 wire-worms, early frost, and inattention to the re- 

 quirements of the plant ; all v/hich may be remedied, 

 first, by sowing buckwheat 2 or 3 years to kill the 

 worms and mellow the soik 2, by selecting the ear- 

 liest ears in the field for seed, and 3d, by studying 

 the nature of the plant, and applying the manure 

 most suitable, and the cultivation the most proper. 

 Wheat, after enduring the ban of the weevil for 10 

 years' is now extensively sown, many new varieties 

 l>eing added, including the Black Sea, or Golden 



Straw, the Club wheat, and last, not least, the so 

 called Java, now very generally sown. It can be 

 sown tlie last of May, and cut the middle of Sep- 

 tember, thereby escaping both weevil and rust; very 

 large kernel, strav/ golden orange, large and stiff, 

 a great yielder, with one drawback, as every good 

 article has. It must be cut very soon after the milk 

 or it will half shell and waste in the field. I have 

 threshed out at the rate of a bushel from 13 sheaves ; 

 can you or your correspondents tell me ought of its 

 history ? 



In conclusion, let me say that a more enlighten- 

 ed and liberal view of our obligations to mother 

 earth, of the return she requires, of the advantage 

 of encouraging agricultural litei-ature, and the in- 

 troduction of improved implements ; of the econ- 

 omy of saving manures, of neatness, and increased 

 attention to the comfort of stock, thereby saving 

 provender, is obtaining and is practically acted up- 

 on throughout the county. Three kinds of horse- 

 rakes, with cultivators, seed-sowers, cast-iron plows 

 of many kinds, &c. i&:c.,arein use to the great prof- 

 it of the owners. Anxapolitax. 



Clarence, .Annapolis Co., J\''ova Scotia, 1856. 



Remarks. — We owe Annapolitan an apology for 

 not sooner publishing his interestiiig communication. 

 His others — which we hope he will send us — shall 

 not get strayed away into "pigeon holes" seldom 

 visited. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



MAKING A FIEE, 



These cold December mornings, is a very neces- 

 sary domestic item, and to do it certainly and quick- 

 ly, will save more growls and whines, and blessings 

 "over the left," that the glibbest tongue could "get 

 over" at a two-forty rate in a year. Not only will 

 it prove a saving of passion, but a saving of pence ; 

 for as it usually happens, the right way is the cheap- 

 est in the end. In the first place, if you are a bach- 

 elor or a maid, it is discreditable to you if you do 

 not kindle your own fires. What life it would in- 

 fuse, how perfectly it would wake up a lazy sleep- 

 ing child, if compelled to bounce out of bed at day- 

 light of a winter's morning and light the anthra- 

 cite ! It sends the lazy sleeping blood to the remo- 

 test extremities, and quickens the whole body, — it 

 vitaHzes the man. General JFashington made it a 

 practice to build his oicn jire at Mount Vernon ; 

 and shame be on the young man or young woman, 

 however rich the parents may be, who would feel 

 it discreditable to kindle the fire of their own rooms. 



The ivay to do it, — Have your kindling wood cut 

 not over live inches long, and split in pieces not 

 larger than an inch square, but some of them should 

 be mere splinters ; take half a newspaper, and a 

 quart or tv/o of small coal or coke. These should 

 be all placed near the grate over night ; clean out 

 the grate, at least the centre of it, crumple up the 

 paper and lay it on the iron, set up the pieces of 

 kindhng in the shape of a tent or stack of arms, or 

 an inverted funnel, the smaller splinters next the 

 paper pressed closely against it ; then lay the small- 

 er pieces of coal, not much larger than the first 

 joint of the thumb, close against the wood until the 



