114 



NEW ENGLAND FAHMER. 



MAEcn 



The amusements were then much the same as at 

 present — though some striking differences may be 

 noted. Books and newspapers, which are now dif- 

 fused even among the country towns, so as to be in 

 the hands of all, young and old, were then scarce 

 and were read respectfully, as if they were grave 

 matters, demanding thought and attention. They 

 were not toys and pastimes, taken up every day, and 

 by everybody, in the short intervals of labor, and 

 then hastily dismissed, like waste paper. The aged 

 sat down when they read, and drew forth their spec- 

 tacles, and put them deliberately and reverentially 

 upon the nose. These instruments were not, as now, 

 like tortoise-shell hooks, attached to a ribbon, and 

 put off and on wiih a jerk ; but they were made of 

 silver or steel, substantially made, and calculated to 

 hold on with a firm and steady grasp, showing the 

 gravity of the uses to which they were devoted 

 Even the young approached a book with reverence, 

 and a newspaper with awe. How the world has 

 changed ! — Goodrich's Recollections. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



MACHINES FOR PLANTING AND CULTIVATING. 



Mr. Editor: — 1. Is there a hand planter, that 

 will plant corn, peas, carrot seed, &c., either in hills 

 or drills, manufactured in any of the New England 

 States ? If so, I wish you would give a description 

 of it, and the price. 



2. What implement is best to cultivate between 

 the rows of corn and potatoes, where the ground is 

 free from stones and is quite weedy ? 



3. Which is the best kind of corn to plant for 

 great crops ? 



4. Is Knox's Gang Cultivator better than the 

 harrow for covering manure and getting in oats, 

 wheat, &-c. A Subscriber. 



Grafton, Mass., Jan. 5, 1857. 



Remarks. — 1. There is no machine that will do 

 •what you require in your query one. 



2. The common cultivator is a good implement, 

 the horse-hoe is, by many, thought better, and 

 those who have used Knox's gang cultivator say it 

 is the best implement of the three ; but as Mr. 

 Knox has not given us an opportunity to test the 

 Gang Cultivator, we cannot speak of its merits from 

 experience. It undoubtedly is a capital implement. 



3. The Plymouth, or Webster, smutty-white, 

 corn, according to the Plymouth County reports, 

 has yielded the largest crops. 



4. We have no doubt the gang cultivator is the 

 best, for the manure and the grain. 



A FINE pair of OXEN. 



In a letter of some interest to us, otherwise, Mr. 

 George Harvey, of Marlborough, N. IL, writes 

 us that he has a pair of five year old oxen, broken 

 and trained by himself so thoroughly that they can 

 be called, yoked or unyoked, or driven in any di- 

 rection, worked alone in harness, or ridden upon 

 the back. Their color is "cherry red," and not an 

 inch difference in their size. Weight 3,766 pounds. 

 They have taken $62,50 in premiums. He will 

 sell them at a fair price. 



stump-footed cabbages. 



Mr. Editor : — In your October Number there 

 is an inquiry about stump-footed cabbages. If you 

 wish to have good cabbage-heads, set out your best 

 heads for seed, and take the seed from the head 

 stalks, and you will have good heads ; and if you 

 wish stump- footed ones, take the stumps for seed, 

 as many people do ; they think the stumps are 

 good enough for seed, and then they have the 

 heads left clear gain. E. B. Ellis. 



Dummerston, Jan., 1857. 



Remarks. — If this is a remedy, it is an easy one. 

 Let us all try it. 



CHINESE SUGAR CANTJ. 



Sir: — I observe the January number speaks 

 disparagingly of the Chinese Sugar Cane; what do 

 you know of it ? I wish you would inform us more 

 about it in your February number, and also the 

 manner of planting it, &c. How much is your 

 price for 500 pounds ? JoilN W. Brayton. 



Atthhoro\Jan., 1857. 



Remarks. — We occasionally have inquiries of 

 the above character. They come from those who 

 have commenced new subscx'iptions to the Farmer, 

 and are not aware that we have, perhaps, just given 

 the subject considerable attention. In this case we 

 must refer our friend to the Manual by Mr. Hyde, 

 just published by Jewett & Co., — price 25 cents. 



THE trunk apple. 



Will you inform me through your paper where 

 I can obtain scions of (he "Trunk Apple ?" 

 Lunenburg, 1857. l. H. 



Remarks. — We cannot inform you where to ob- 

 tain the scions you want. Mr. S. D. Thompson 

 wrote us from Harrisburg, Penn., stating that he 

 resides in Maine, but not in what town. 



INQUIRY about CABBAGES. 



I saw in the December number of the JSteio Eng- 

 land Farmer a communication taken from the 

 Salem Observer, that Seth Hathaway, of Marble- 

 head, Mass., has sold $376 worth of cabbages last 

 fall, the produce of one-half acre of land. If you 

 will communicate to me through the Farmer how 

 he manages his ground to produce a crop, you will 

 gratify one of your subscribers. Please give me 

 the quantity of manure he puts to the acre. Is 

 salt a good thing, and how much ? Is sheep ma- 

 nure good ? A Subscriber. 



Hudson, JV. IL, 1857. 



Remvrks. — Will Mr. Hathaway be kind enough 

 to answer tljrough the Farmer ? 



FINE porkers. 



Mr. Joshua Appleton, of Hamilton, has slaughter- 

 ed two pigs, weighing 301 and 325 pounds, and 

 but 7 months and 29 days old. Mr. I. Brown, 

 two of the same breed, of 291 and 317 pounds, 8 

 months old, and Mr. Ellsworth one 7 months and 

 8 days old, and weighing 267 pounds. This breed 

 is propagated by Capt. John Dane, and is a re- 

 markably handsome and thrifty breed. 



Hamilton, Mass., 1857. Ira P. Knowlton. 



